#ceoau

"Miss Y/N." Your assistant called through the speaker phone.

Sighing, you turned your attention back to your desk. "Yes?"

"Mr. Stark is here."

"Again?"

"Yes ma'am. He is insisting to speak with you this time."

"Is he alone?" You pondered allowed.

"No ma'am." She muttered through the phone. "He...He has two guys with him."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, you brought your hands to your face. Gently resting your head in your hands.

"Miss Y/N?" Your assistant questioned.

"Yes?" You questioned.

"He's on his way to your office."

Hanging up, you quickly stood up. Smoothing down your black pencil skirt, you began fussing with your pale blue blouse that you neatly tucked in your skirt. Tugging your black cardigan tighter around your body, you swiftly made your way towards the door. Closing the door behind you, your gaze fell upon Tony and two mysterious men accompanying him.

Walking down the hall, you met him halfway.

"Mr. Stark."

"Please Y/N." He spoke. "Call me Tony."

You rolled your eyes in response. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Always so classy, Miss Y/N." Tony teased.

The corners of your mouth turned upward a little at his comment.

"Still avoiding me I see."

You scoffed. "I'm not avoiding you." You crossed your arms over your chest. "Follow me. Let's go somewhere more....Private."

Leading them to a conference room, you held the door allowing the three men to enter first.

"Tony." You began.

"This is Bucky and Steve." He introduced motioning towards the men as he talked.

You scoffed. "You had to bring bodyguards this time?"

"They're not bodyguards."

"No?" You tilted your head to the side. "Then what are they?" You teased.

"They're-"

"Miss Y/N, your eleven o'clock meeting is here." Your assistant spoke over the speakers.

"Would you look at that?" You grinned. "We're out of time, Mr. Stark."

"Y/N-"

"Sorry, Mr. Stark." You spoke heading towards the door. "I have more important things to attend to." You snapped, your back to him.

"Please." His voice almost sounded desperate. "We need your help."

"Help with what?" You questioned your hand on the door handle, beginning to pull it open. "What could I possibly help Tony Stark with?" You voice laced with venom.

"Thanos." Tony let out a defeated sigh. "He's back. Please. We need your help."

"MAX?" You questioned.

"Yes, Miss Y/N?"

Silence fell upon the room, as their eyes, silently questioned your actions.

"Clear my schedule for today." You sighed. "Activate office leave protocol."

"Are you sure Miss Y/N?"

Squeezing your eyes shut, you let out a long sigh pinching the bridge of your nose. Your mind was going a hundred miles a minute.

Were you really going to help Tony? What if you don't go?

The curious side of you won over the logical side.

"Yes, MAX." Opening your eyes you stared back at the three men. "Thank you."

"It's no problem Miss Y/N."

An awkward silence suffocated the room.

"Who's max?" Tony questioned in confusion.

"I am Miss Y/N's Artificial Intelligence Assistance." MAX Spoke.

Tony's gaze locked with yours, his expression was filled with confusion.

"Did you..." Tony started. "How did you..."

Chuckling you nodded. "I created Max, yes. You're not the only smart person in New York, Mr. Stark."

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Tony had convinced you to ride with him and his two "Friends," to a tower that he did most of his work in. Steve was sitting in the passenger seat, leaving you and Bucky to sit in the back. The ride was filled with chatter between Tony and Steve, while you and Bucky sat in silence.

As you watched the long haired man beside you, it was easy to tell he was fighting with himself about talking to you or not. He kept fidgeting and glancing at you whenever he thought you wouldn't notice.

"Were here." Tony spoke, unbuckling and exiting the car.

Following his actions, you looked around. Your mouth falling agape as you stared at the tower in front of you. Taking in each and every detail the tower had, you noticed the Avengers logo on the top.

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Tony took it upon himself to give you a quick tour of the building. Glancing around as he talked, Steve had wandered off, while Bucky stayed beside you and often offered commentary throughout the tour.

The sound of squeals filled the air. Before you could realize what was happening, there was a few bodies throwing themselves at you, pulling you in for a hug.

"I can't believe you're really here!" "You're my idol!" These were just some of the things being told to you.

Giggling you thanked them. The girls talked to you about their goals and dreams.

"Okay, okay." Tony interrupted. "Back to shield you go."

Grinning you waved back at the girls, as they retreated back down the hallway.

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"This is the lab." Tony spoke, opening the door allowing you to enter first. The sight of the lab was enough to take your breath away. It was one of the most beautiful tech labs you had ever seen. There was lab techs everywhere, as well as their current projects.

"Tony." Bruce spoke rushing toward your small group. "There you are. I've been looking for you all day."

Glancing at the group, his eyes locked with yours as shock spread across his face.

"You're...You're..."

"It's nice to meet you, Bruce." You spoke softly with a grin.

Bruce had been one of the main reasons you started your own tech company. He was one of your idols.

Your palms began sweating lightly, as you looked at Bruce.

"You know who I am?" He questioned in shock.

You giggled. "Of course." You spoke. "You inspired me to make my company."

A toothy grin spread across his face, as he let out a giggle.

"Okay ladies." Tony chuckled. "Let's get to the main reason why you're here. Then you can fangirl over each other later." He rolled his eyes.

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Finishing the project you had started, hours passed feeling like minutes.

"Kid." Tony softly spoke, placing a hand on your shoulder. "Do you know what time it is?"

Your focus was still engrossed on your project, not hearing a word that Tony spoke.

"Okay, that's enough of that." Tony spoke, snatching your project away.

"Hey!" You exclaimed furring your eyebrows together, turning to face him. "I was working on that." Reaching for the object, Tony moved it out of reach causing you to frown.

"It's after midnight." Tony spoke. "What have you been working on this whole time?" He asked in curiosity.

"Nothing." You quickly responded.

"It's not nothing." Tony frowned. Turning the object over he examined it. "What is this?"

You frowned in response, dropping your gaze to your lap lowering your head.

"This was a mistake." You muttered as tears began pooling in your eyes. "I...I have to go."

Briskly, you got to your feet. Gazing around the room you let out a heavy sigh. Your cardigan was long discarded somewhere in the lab, while you shoes were laying in the middle of the room.

Gathering your shoes and purse, you didn't care about your cardigan at that moment. MAX had made sure a car would come pick you up, within a few minutes. You hadn't given Tony a minute to question your work nor did you give him an explanation. The feeling of embarrassment washed over you. Reaching the entrance to the tower, you saw your car waiting for you.

Rushing into the car, your chauffeur began driving to your apartment. Many people would be surprised that you lived in a small one bedroom apartment, instead of a bigger place or even a mansion.

Shutting the door you leaned against the shut door. Tossing your heels to the side, you dropped your purse. Locking the door, you quickly entered your bedroom changing into something more comfortable. Crawling into bed, thoughts about the day had clouded your mind. Sighing, you allowed sleep to overwhelm you.

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Weeks had passed since you had seen Tony much less been to the office. You had decided it would be better to work from home as much as could. It also allowed you to avoid Tony. MAX had told you he had been visiting the office three times a day. However, recently, he had been visiting about five or six times.

Sighing, your phone began ringing uncontrollably. Standing up, you walked to your room opening your window. Crawling out, you sat in the fire escape. Sitting on the stairs, you placed your forehead against your knees, as you closed your eyes. The sound of honking, along with the bustling of the city filled your ears.

Lately, you have been second guessing your decision to take over the family technology company. Your mother had fallen ill and would only step down, if you had agreed to replace her. Her demand had caused a riff in the family, as they didn't miss a chance to let her know what they thought about the situation. They had made sure to let her know that they thought you weren't fit to take over the company, that your brother was more well suited to take over the company.

Tears began pooling in your eyes. It was a hard choice for you. Meaning, you had to give up everything you dreamed about doing, fresh out of college you were thrown into the family business and had become CEO. Your dream was to open up your own bakery, the minute you had accepted the position your dream flew out of the window.

Being the CEO of the family business, meant working at all hours and even odd hours. Most days you didn't have a problem handling the stress and rapid pace of the job. But every once in a while you would begin to crack under pressure. Today just so happened to be that day.

Slightly you began rocking yourself, as you were perched on the metal stair. Tears began racing down your cheeks as the sound of your phone ringing echoed. Sniffling you continued your motions.

"I brought your sweater." A husky voice spoke.

A scream fell from your lips, as your heart began beating rapidly. Looking upward, your eyes were met with piercing blue ones.

"You scared me." You muttered, as you placed a hand over your chest, quickly wiping away stray tears in hopes he wouldn't notice.

"Sorry." He stated, as a pink tint rose in his cheeks. "I...I just thought you might want this." He extended his hand that was holding your jacket.

"Thank you." You offered a weak smile. The realization of your outfit dawned on you, causing your cheeks to heat up. You had decided to wear a ratty old band t-shirt with black sweatpants and a flannel over the tee. Tugging the flannel closed you cleared your throat. "How did you...What're you doing here?"

He shrugged in response.

Frowning, you nodded, dropping the subject as you turned your attention to the street below you. A comfortable silence fell between you, as he sat down facing you in the fire escape. As you sat together in silence, your phone continued to go off. Sighing you stood up. Forgetting your cardigan beside you.

"Thank you, for bringing me my sweater." You smiled. "I...I should get back to work." You muttered, sadness evident in your voice.

He was quick on his feet. Standing next to you, he spoke. "You don't have to."

You sent him a confused gaze.

"I..." He muttered trailing off, sighing. "Do you trust me?" He asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"No." You chuckled. "I barely know you. Why would I trust you when I've known you for five minutes?" You quipped.

He chuckled at your response. "Fair enough." Holding his hand out for you, he looked at you expectantly.

"What?" You questioned with a scowl on your face.

"I know a place we could go."

Tilting your head to the side, you gazed at him then at his hand. "You might be friends with an Avenger." You started. "But that doesn't mean you're trustworthy. Just because I'm a female doesn't mean I'm in the Bucky Barnes fanclub." You snapped.

Dropping his hand he let out a huff. "That's not what I meant."

"You insinuated it." You quipped. Shaking your head you climbed back into your window. "Unlike other girls, Mr. Barnes. You have to earn my trust." You spoke in a firm voice. "Just because you bat your eyes and give me your signature smolder doesn't mean I'll swoon over you like the other girls. Have a good day, Mr. Barnes."

Not giving him a chance, you shut your window as you locked it. Yanking your curtains closed, you leaned against the wall. The butterflies in your stomach erupted, as your chest rose and fell at a quick pace. You could feel the heat in your cheeks. The short interaction you had was enough to make you blush.

Pushing off the wall, you began doing the work you had been avoiding. Hours passed before you looked up, darkness had set in for the night. Groaning you stood up, stretching for the first time in hours. A light knock on your window echoed through your bedroom. It was so light you had thought you had misheard.

Making your way to your room, you opened the curtains and unlocked your window. Opening it, you were met with your cardigan and a small bag. Picking up the items, you placed it on your bed before you followed the same actions as before, yanking your curtains shut.

Opening the bag you were met with a note.

Miss Y/N,

I fully intend to earn your trust. I know you've been busy working all day and probably forgot to eat. You can thank MAX for giving me information on things you like.

-Bucky

“You’d tell me to go, wouldn’t you.” Yoongi had said with a sigh that morning as he placed the flowers down. There was, of course, no answer. “We’ll compromise, I’ll think about it.” He leaned back on the heels of his hands, sitting cross-legged in front of her grave. “I hired a new secretary. You’d like her. At least, I think you would.” Yoongi gave a little laugh. “I can’t figure out if she sees through me, or if I just can’t keep up an act around her, but every once in a while I catch myself slipping. It’s weird. Maybe it isn’t her though--maybe I’m just tired of acting.” He knew what he mother would have said to that; she’d say it was about damn time, and that he shouldn’t have been putting on an act in the first place. 

“You remember when I was in tenth grade, when Taehyung and I got into a fight over a girl? You told me not to let my competitiveness hurt her. You told me to be kind. I haven’t been.” 

Yoongi would be lying if he said that when he had you half naked in his car, he hadn’t felt more than a little smug that he beat Taehyung to you. It wasn’t until you started panicking that he realized just how petty and shitty that was. The question “when did I turn into that kind of person” rang through his head constantly ever since, but perhaps he had always been that person. 

Be kind. 

His mother would be horrified.

But how could he be kind when Kim Taehyung was involved?

“This isn’t a game, Yoongi. This is someone’s heart you and Taehyung are toying with--more than your pride is at stake. She thinks you like her when you don’t, and that’s not fair.” His mother had scolded him after Taehyung dropped by to inform her of the situation--except he left out a few details, like the fact that Yoongi really did like the girl which, at age sixteen, was a big deal to Yoongi.

Back in high school when he and Taehyung were friends, it was one thing. When he backed off and let Taehyung date whatever-her-name-was, he could at least rationalize that Taehyung was a decent guy and that he’d make her happy.  

But this time was different. Taehyung was a self-absorbed shithead who did nothing but meddle. He didn’t deserve to have a chance with anyone halfway decent, let alone Yoongi’s secretary. But there he was, talking to you every chance he got, and undoubtedly flirting. At first Yoongi could blame his irritation at the situation on looking out for your well-being; you were actually pretty damn good at your job considering you had no training or credentials, and Taehyung would undoubtedly attempt to ruin that if he got the chance.

Somehow that concern for you had twisted into something else though--or maybe it had always been something else, and Yoongi had simply lied to himself. There was an unspoken competition to fuck you first, and Yoongi had let go of whatever decency he had in him to win. 

Be kind. 

“Damn it.” Yoongi ran a hand over his face when he returned to his car later that afternoon. He knew what he should do--no, what he had to do. Things were already out of hand, and the kindest thing he could do for you at this point was to ask you to resign. He’d give you a good reference--hell, he’d set you up with a new job himself if you wanted. But you needed out of his company, away from him, and away from Taehyung. 

Much later, after the fight with Taehyung that resulted in Yoongi getting a split lip, it was only that much clearer to him. The longer you were here, the worse it would get. How you felt about either of them was secondary in both their minds, and that wasn’t going to change. 

He’d wait until Friday to talk to you, though. That way Jimin would lose his stupid bet. 

He stood from his desk after a few minutes of silence in the empty office, and flicked off the light on his way out. 

“Is something wrong?”

You met Yoongi’s gaze evenly as you tried to decide how to respond. Half of the day had gone by without incident, if a little awkwardly. No one dared ask about how Yoongi got a split lip, and you pretended not to see it. Jungkook had tried to talk to you over your lunch break, saying something about researching Yoongi and Taehyungs connected backgrounds, but you did your best to ignore him. You needed to distance yourself from the people at work, and becoming any more invested in them in any way was the opposite.

You still refused to quit because you still needed a decent paying job, but the only way you could see yourself staying was if you kept your work and personal life completely separate. It had been your plan when you first started working there, and looking back, you weren’t sure when you had abandoned it. Was it when Taehyung showed up? Or perhaps it was before that, when you first got caught up in how attractive Yoongi was.

But it didn’t matter really, the facts still remained; Yoongi was just a crazy boss, and Taehyung was just an annoying coworker. If you were going to stay sane, you needed to keep reminding yourself of that.

“No sir, why would you think that?” You asked curtly. You didn’t miss the second of surprise in Yoongi’s eyes when you said sir–you had stopped referring to him as such that fateful day at the carnival, but you brought it back as a reminder that there should be a barrier between you and your boss.

Yoongi had called you into his office several times that day for no apparent reason, then playing it off like he had a question about where something was–you had reorganized nearly everything in his office, so you guessed this was a decent excuse, but this time he got to the point.

“You just seem…” His voice trailed off as he studied you. God, you wanted to punch him. You wanted to yell at him, scream, throw things, have a meltdown and make it clear that yes, something was very wrong. He was wrong. He was fucked up, had used you–was still trying to use you–to get under Taehyung’s skin. “Distracted.” Yoongi finished.

“My apologies, sir.” You replied flatly. You didn’t want to be there. Maybe you would hand in your two-weeks notice after all.

“I didn’t mean–” He started.

“Is that all, sir?” You interrupted, and Yoongi’s mouth shut with a snap.

“No.” He said after a confused moment. “It isn’t. The fuck is going on with you?”

“Have I don’t something wrong, sir?” You asked mildly. This was the Yoongi you were more accustomed to dealing with.

“Since when do you call me ‘sir’, anyway?” Yoongi snapped. “Cut the bullshit. You’ve been acting like a robot all day and it’s getting on my nerves.”

“Sorry. Didn’t realize being polite was against the rules, sir.” You couldn’t help it, the words slipped out before you realized what you were saying. It wasn’t that you wanted to be fired exactly, it was just so hard to stand there and be civil. You hadn’t been any kinder to Taehyung that day; when he tried to say good morning, you had replied with a calm “fuck you” before continuing past him. He had at least taken the hint and was staying away from you for the time being.

Yoongi stood from his desk, walking around it until he was standing directly in front of you. His hands were in his pockets, but you could see the irritation in his eyes.

“Listen. I don’t give a shit what’s crawled up your ass this morning, but pissing me off isn’t a good idea.” He warned lowly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

You were saved from whatever Yoongi was going to say next by a knock on the door. Taehyung walked in a second later, not waiting for a response.

“Jungkook’s looking for you.” He said to you, before turning his gaze to Yoongi. “What are you doing, anyway?”

“Nothing. She was just leaving.” Yoongi rolled his eyes, walking back around his desk. “Now both of you get the fuck out.”