Chapter Text
It's a gloomy Monday, and Damon is getting ready to go to the office for his work. He cut his hair last weekend and had been trying to style it the way the hairstylist had shown him in the picture. It took him less than 5 minutes to get it right by using various products suggested by the same hairstylist. He might have spent a bit too much on the stuff. But who cares? He looked good enough to make people take a second look whenever they pass him by.
After he had done with his hair, he picked up his backpack and quickly got out of the house before too many people polluted the streets during rush hour. After walking for about 10 mins, he reached the office and set his laptop on the desk. He likes to be the first person to clock in so that he can spend some time having his coffee and biscuits for breakfast. The company stocks the pantry with food, so he'll make them happy by having it whenever he's in the office.
"Damn, I have a lot of work this week. Can't wait for the weekend to come again," he said to himself. Unaware of his loud monologue, a pair of hands gripped onto his shoulders so suddenly that it shook him, almost spilling his coffee.
"GOT YOU!" said the owner of the hands. He didn't need to turn around to ask whoever that was. The rascal does this almost every day, and Damon never learns. Without turning around, he replied, "Good morning to you too, Jamie".
"Awwhh, don't be so grumpy in the morning. You looked too 'zen' just now, so I need to give you a boost before your chaotic week," said Jamie teasingly.
"Yeah yeah, at least I didn't spill my coffee this morning," said Damon while sipping the last bit of the beverage in his hand.
"Nice haircut you got there. Kinda choppy but not too messy. It's in trend now, right?"
"I got them done yesterday. Just trying to keep the length but add more zest, do you know what I mean? Like 'modern'-"
"Yeah, not my style," Jamie cuts Damon's sentence.
"Shut up with your hairstyle that never changes since middle school!" Damon bit playfully.
"Well, at least I'm not getting a haircut to impress a new colleague!"
Damon looked at Jamie, confused. He stared at him for a moment before Jamie actually got why he didn't reply.
"Shit, you don't remember? We're getting a new colleague in our department today, specifically in your team."
"Why? Who?" Damon asked, his mind trying to recall whether he had missed anything these past few weeks.
"God, you're a lost cause. He's replacing Graham. You remember that Graham left a month ago, right?"
"Ohhhh yeahhhhh. I forgot about that," Damon tried to recall the night during Graham’s farewell party. Nothing much came to mind as he got blind drunk from all the drinking they had, sponsored by their manager. But he still couldn't remember when they interviewed and hired a replacement.
"You were so drunk that night that we had to stop you from trying to kiss random people in the pub. You also won't stop begging for more drinks, so Paul needs to call a taxi to bring you home," said Jamie as he tried to describe the awful night to him. He still feels so embarrassed by it to this day.
"Well, whoever it is, I'm not trying to impress anyone. I feel like changing a bit," replied Damon while adjusting his hair through his reflection on the shiny surface of the coffee machine.
Jamie just chuckled and walked away to his seat. Damon, Jamie & Graham are very close. They are more like 'friends' than colleagues. They joined the company around the same time. They are all working in the same department, but Damon and Graham were on the same team, while Jamie is in another team. Work becomes more bearable when they all joke and gossip together. Now that Graham is gone to pursue a 'better opportunity', it's made them a bit empty during smoking and lunch breaks. Despite all that, all three of them still hang out after work for a quick debrief at the pub.
Damon quickly cleaned up the biscuit crumbs on the table and washed his cup. Now he can start working on the tasks he should've done last week. Ugh, another day, another hell, thought Damon quietly.
A few hours had passed by, and Damon had started to get sleepy. He might have closed his eyes for a bit too long, so he was startled again by Jamie's hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, Damon, look who's here," said Jamie while shaking his shoulder to wake him up.
With his sleepy eyes, Damon looked up at his partition and saw long, brunette hair with a smile so wide it could blind the whole office. His blue t-shirt hangs perfectly on his shoulders, paired with worn-out brown trousers. Lisa, the HR, was introducing everyone to him, and he greeted each of them politely.
As he approached the end of the office where Damon and Jamie sat, Damon’s eyes grew wider.
"So, lastly, we have the data management team here. Guys, this is Liam Gallagher, and he'll be joining your department, specifically the analytics team. Seems like on 2 of you are here, Jamie and Damon," the new hire smiles politely as the HR introduced him to them.
"Liam is part of your team, Damon. Jamie here is in data architecture. I'll pass you to your manager at the front of the office to continue your onboarding session," Liam nods respectfully.
"By the way, Damon, please don't give him any trouble and take care of your spicy mouth. We don't want to scare off new hires," warned Lisa.
"Oh come on, I'm not that bad, am I, Lisa? Please don't beat me up if I said something wrong again, pleaseeee," Damon pleaded with his slurry eyes, trying to get a laugh from her. She just chuckled and rolled her eyes before ushering Liam to the next task.
"Well, what do you think he sounds like?" asked Jamie.
"I don't know. I don't care really. He'd better live up to Graham’s standards," said Damon as he spun back to his laptop to continue working.