Inexplicable Dream Team one-shots

Appealing // DreamNotFound

| romantic |

[7.7k words]

**content warning: lots of sexual humor**

***

George arrives at 6am, not expecting anything different from usual. Unbuckling his seat belt, he drags his briefcase off the passenger seat and hauls it from the car. Locking the vehicle behind himself, he steps onto greasy asphalt with a familiar ache pounding in his head. Maybe someday he will sleep long enough to banish these persistent headaches. Sometimes George wishes that he could sleep forever.

The underground parking lot's cold, musty air causes George to shiver despite his uniform: a white button-up shirt, a black suit, and business slacks. Beneath flickering fluorescent lights, George hops from the asphalt onto a concrete curb, then he scales a stairwell. Climbing from the underground parking lot to the sidewalk outside, George emerges beneath a dawn sky. In the distance, skyscrapers form a stark, jagged horizon against pink and orange hues.

Finally George's gaze focuses upon the small, sculpted trees which line the sidewalk ahead. Their lush green leaves shade the clean concrete. Across from them, a large, modern building stands stoic and eternal, overlooking the sidewalk and the street.

George remembers the day when he transferred from his previous law firm to this one. He was more relieved than excited, and he tries not to think about how that should have been a bad sign. His previous position was lower, his salary was lower, and that old job offered fewer benefits, so this new job must be an improvement, right? George hoped it was true. I think I'm happy... or at least, I'm supposed to be happy.

Slipping through the law firm's main double doors, George smiles and waves to the receptionists who are setting up file folders and computers on the opposite side of the lobby. Streaks of morning light pour through the building's tall glass walls, sending George's shadow stretching across the marble floor.

Carved sculptures, plush couches, hung paintings, fluffy carpets, and potted plants decorate the lobby. Nothing has changed here in five years, so George ignores the lavish surroundings as he approaches the elevator. Usually he avoids social interaction with other lawyers, especially those with accomplishments which surpass his own. Fortunately the elevator is empty when it opens, so George enters alone. Eight hours. Five hours of work, then a lunch break, then another three hours of work. After that, George can finally go home before doing all of it again tomorrow, and all of it again the day after that, and again the day after that, and again, and again...

Stepping into the elevator, George presses the button that will take him to his level of the building. Beside the button for Level 1 is a star, indicating that it is the lobby. Level 2 is for law assistants: the "behind-the-scenes" employees who organize paperwork for the law firm. Level 3 is for lawyers who manage small court cases, both civil and criminal. Then there is Level 4, located at the top of the building with spectacular views of the city below; this final level is for the wealthiest lawyers who tackle the law firm's biggest cases.

George is not one of those wealthy lawyers. His office is not located on any of those levels with air conditioning or natural sunlight. His office is not even upwards.

Instead George presses the elevator button below Level 1: Level 0. This is the underground level below the lobby, home to the mailroom, the waste room, and of course, George's office.

When the elevator dings and its doors open again, George steps out into a dimly-lit hallway. White-tiled floors reek of disinfectant; someone must have mopped them recently. Unlike the glamorous lobby, this part of the building does not intend to impress anyone.