#GIVE ME THE BORING CUBICLE DATA ENTRY JOB

[serendipitous-mage]

it's taken me so long to find another job despite having a degree and some decent experience under my belt (and applying to things i Know are at/below my pay range/experience level to up chances of finding anything), looking at the estimated amounts of upcoming taxes and what i'll be making (it's a temporary gig) and assuming i am unlucky in the amount i'll owe the irs which i always am: i will make maybe a whole $1000 more than what i'll need for taxes

and then its right back to the application hellzone again :'D

[ny-writes]

fxf stardew valley inspired. will be making a series out of this - so this is pt 1.

1667 words rated E (rating will probably go up in later chapters)

---

Tess groaned inwardly, waiting for the clock to strike five so that she could finally leave. There wasn’t much longer to go, sitting at her cramped cubicle, but it felt like an eternity as she waited impatiently. Her supervisor walked by, giving her a look, probably because she wasn’t tapping away diligently at her computer, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Working in data entry was a boring and unrewarding job, and she felt like if she had to spend one more minute staring at an Excel spreadsheet, she was going to lose it.

Once upon a time, she had wanted something else from her life. Certainly she had never imagined that she would end up someplace like this, the basement of an office building, surrounded by other people with nowhere better to be. At one point she had wanted to be a veterinarian, another, an author, and for a while she had even dreamed of becoming a farmer. None of those things was going to happen for her, though. She hated the hustle and bustle of classes and attending college, so she had dropped out after her second year, and now she couldn’t afford to go back and do something better with her time.

As soon as five o’ clock rolled around, Tess clocked out at her station and walked away, dreading that she was working again the next day and hating herself for signing up for so many shifts that week.

Home was within walking distance, so she decided to leg it instead of taking the bus, which would take the same amount of time and cost her two dollars. Halfway there, her phone rang, lighting up with the familiar face of her best friend.

“Hey, Nik,” she said, answering the phone before it vibrated again. “I’m on my way home from work, what’s going on?”

Nik - otherwise known as Nikki or, on serious occasions, Nicole - sounded ecstatic on the other end. She was a somewhat successful businesswoman, and was generally excitable, so this wasn’t out of the ordinary. “Tess, babe, you won’t believe the opportunity that just came up. I can’t explain everything right now, but it’s amazing, and I want to take it. This is just what we need,” she gushed.

Tess smiled wistfully at the familiar feeling of talking to her best friend, and patiently waited for her to pause so she could get a word in. “Nikki, you haven’t told me what this opportunity is,” she finally interjected.

“It’s a surprise!” Nik exclaimed. “But I need to know - how attached are you to your job and apartment?”

She laughed as she considered her answer. “Not at all, but this better not end up with me jobless and on the streets,” she said, and after Nik confirmed that indeed it would not, they chatted until Tess arrived at her apartment building and needed to get into the elevator.

Inside her bare apartment, Tess sunk into her couch and wondered what her friend was up to. But at the end of the day, she would trust the other woman with her life, so she didn’t worry too much about it and instead went about getting dinner ready. They had a standing appointment for dinner on Wednesdays, and Wednesday it was, so she made some soup and stuck a store bought loaf of french bread in the oven to heat up.

As the soup began to bubble on the stove, there was a knock on the door, and then Nik let herself in with her key. “Oh, Tess, that smells really good. What is it?”

Tess smiled. “It’s chicken, potatoes, and cheese,” she explained. “Now you tell me what that phone call earlier was all about, I’ve been on the edge of my seat ever since.”

“Okay. Maybe sit down,” Nik said, and waited until Tess was seated at the small kitchen table to continue. “I went out on a limb. I know how much you hate your job and I know you don’t like living in the city . . . So when I saw a house for sale in a town a couple states over, I had to buy it,” she said.

The other woman sat completely still for a second, blinking several times before she spoke. “You . . . bought a house,” she began.

Nik grinned from ear to ear. “I bought a house! For us!”

“You bought a house for us,” Tess repeated. “In a town.”

“A house, for us, in a town. It’s a farmhouse, there’s a lot of land around it to farm and raise animals,” Nik continued a little more carefully, suddenly seeming a lot less sure of herself. “I know it was a big risk, I hope I wasn’t . . . I didn’t mean to . . .”

Tess stood suddenly and almost tackled her with a very aggressive hug. “You bought me a fucking farm, Nik, oh my god,” she said. “I’ve dreamed about owning a farm since I was like, fifteen. Where exactly is it? Tell me everything.”

Nik sagged with relief and sat in the other seat at the table to continue talking. “It’s in a little town called Evergreen Village. Well, a village, I guess. It’s in this beautiful valley, their main export is lumber, and they desperately need people to move there so they’re offering bonuses to people who buy property. We get a free class on farming - well, you do. And some seeds and stuff, like tools, too.”

Satisfied with this description, Tess went to the kitchen and grabbed them both bowls of soup and spoons, returning to take the bread out of the oven and slice it into wide pieces, good for dipping into the thick broth. Nothing tied her here - her lease was actually up the next month, and she wouldn’t really be burning any bridges by quitting her job. Over dinner, they discussed travel plans, how they’d move and when, and other details of their new house and village.

---

Two days later, Tess drove a U-Haul into town and was immediately flagged down by a woman waiting by the town welcome sign. She looked perfectly in place, wearing tattered coveralls and her dark, curly hair tied back with a bandana. “You must be the new homeowners here,” she said, as soon as Tess rolled the window down. “I’m Irene, the home seller! It’s nice to meet you. If you’ll follow me, I can lead you to your new farm. GPS tends to get a little confused around here, what with all the little roads.” Upon receiving confirmation that they’d follow her, Irene climbed into a pickup truck as battered as her clothes that had been pulled over onto the side of the road and pulled in front of them, guiding them through the town.

No one seemed to be around, aside from a few people in what she assumed was a grocer’s. It was still early in the morning, though - they’d been driving all night. Soon enough, they exited the town and drove down a road that seemed to get progressively rougher and narrower as they went. They passed through a gate in a falling-apart wooden fence and slowed to a stop in front of a small home. In front of the house was a man, sitting on the edge of the porch. He sprung up as though he’d been waiting for them.

As the women climbed out of their vehicles, the man walked up and shook Tess’s hand, and then Nik’s, and gave Irene a friendly clap on the shoulder in greeting. “I’m Marcus. It’s nice to meet y’all,” he said. “I’m the carpenter here. I just finished making repairs to your new home yesterday, so you’re right on time - Irene told me what time you’d be coming in and I just wanted to greet you personally. Now, I did good on your house, and I don’t think you’ll be having any problems anytime soon, but I want you to know that I can do more than repairs. If you provide supplies, I’ll be able to add rooms to your house. Right now, it’s just two bedrooms, a bit of a kitchen, and a bathroom. Let me show you inside.”

Tess, nervous suddenly, nodded and followed Marcus inside, looking around as they went. The front door opened into a small kitchen with barely enough space for the little table they brought, and she could see the doors for the bathroom and the two bedrooms. The tour was over quite quickly, and Marcus said his goodbyes and left - though not before reminding them where his carpenter shop was. Irene waited until they seemed satisfied and ready to start moving in their belongings before she, too, departed for whatever she needed to do that day, leaving Tess and Nik alone in the house that they owned. The reality of the situation was sinking in and she was extremely anxious.

Nik squeezed her, ever excited, and started talking. “Let’s move things in, Tess. It will seem more like home when our furniture is in!”

She agreed, and they spent the morning moving their possessions into the house, small as it was. Luckily, they managed to fit their beds into the small rooms, and they agreed to take a nap and then go into town for lunch after taking showers.

The day passed quickly, with them unpacking most of their boxed items in the evening and then eating a dinner of leftovers and going directly to bed, exhausted from driving all night and unpacking all day. Though she’d been anxious earlier, Tess felt herself filling with the excitement that Nik was already feeling as she considered the training on how to farm she would be attending for the next week. Nik herself was simply working remotely from her previous job, something many employees did. After all, they had to be able to pay for groceries. She fell asleep thinking about the animals they’d be able to raise and that maybe, just maybe, this was exactly what she had wanted.

[cryoculus]

More love for Semi please? Anything will do, your writing is exquisite in any form anyway :D

» Word Count: 1,857 wordsCross-posted on AO3

SORRY THIS IS SO LATE :(( I actually wrote three chapters’ worth of content for him already and you can read the whole thing on the ao3 link.(NOTE: This is based on the current events of the final arc of the Haikyuu manga. I tagged it as a spoiler but I won’t really go into the specifics of what’s going on. Semi is our main focus here ^__^)

—

“Please?”

“No,” was your flat reply.

Semi heaved a long sigh, mouth twitching into an irritated grimace. You returned his reaction with a sassy look of your own—one, finely penciled brow quirked as bright, red lips rivalled the adamance that Semi brought about. While you were in no position to tell him to just go back to his cubicle and get today’s work done (you, sadly, held the same position in office), you at least had the right to turn him down. Your department had a monthly financial report coming up. Why on Earth did he want your help writing a song?

“Come on,” he groaned. “You know I’d eat my fist first before asking for your help, but our manager really digs your old pieces from college.”

Your eye twitched.

“Way to beg for someone’s aid in a time of dire need,” you bit back sarcastically. “Go do it then.”

“What?”

“Eat your whole fist.” You gave him a pointed look, even making a show of paying attention by putting your pen down.

Your co-worker let out a frustrated groan, fingers carding through his messy, ashen hair. The gesture made the tattoos on his chest visible for a second, before disappearing again behind his barely done button-up. It was a mystery, how a man like him made it as a public servant—with his flamboyant piercings and tip-dyed hair—but you supposed you should learn to look past physical appearances. The agency allowed it, so why should you make a fuss?

Ah, right. Semi Eita was the most hot-headed man in your department, and he had a knack for picking fights with you.

“If you get the balance sheet done by five o'clock, I might reconsider,” you told him, not really meaning the words, as you directed your attention back at the paperwork on your desk. Balance sheets are the toughest to fill out, since the data needed had to be collated from different sectors of the city. You highly doubted that Semi, with his thinner-than-a-strand-of-hair patience, could finish it in one sitting.

“Deal.”

Your gaze hardened as you looked back up at him. “Come again?”

“Are you deaf?” he asked, folding lean arms across his chest. “I said it’s a deal.”

You couldn’t help the snort that made its way past your lips. Whatever his reasons may be, it was painfully obvious that he was desperate. But still. You knew that he wouldn’t be able to carry out the deed in your given deadline, but instead of talking him out of his own agreement, you merely shook your head in acceptance.

Semi eventually stalked off to his cubicle; the one just in front of yours. There was a divider that separated each employee’s workspace from the others, and it at least granted some semblance of privacy from outside gazes. You’ve been to Semi’s cubicle a couple of times—more to coordinate paperwork than engage in conversation, really—and he decorated his personal space exactly how a part-time rock band vocalist would. Though he didn’t exactly put up posters and painted the walls black, he added his own flair to his desk with guitar figurines, neon stickers on his desktop, and a photo of his bandmates enclosed in a sparkly picture frame.

The only reason you bothered looking so closely was the fact that you also went to the same university together (under the same degree, too!) You’ve always been keen around him, with his loud way of living, as opposed to you, who’s always chosen to live simply and without pretentiousness. Sure, the disparity between your lifestyles had caused you to be at each other’s throats since freshman year, but it was still a surprise that your synergy was top notch. You would, as Semi put it so delicately, eat your fist first before admitting to the fact, but it’s a given that you preferred to work with him instead of other, unfamiliar people.

You sighed, brandishing a bored look at the bleak document in front of you. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to help him out…

But when you recalled every time he’s talked over you during board meetings, sneered at you when he got a higher score during exams, and his distateful behavior in general, you steeled your resolve.

Either he’s going to get that balance sheet over with or he’ll keel over. If he wanted your help, he’s going to have to work for it.

—

You were in the middle of fixing your belongings when the sound of a stack of papers hitting your desk rang in your ears.

“There,” Semi said breathlessly, making you look up at him in surprise. He even tossed a flash drive on top of the papers he deposited, where you saw the city hall’s heading printed in full color. You reluctantly checked your phone for the time. 16:57, it said, in a mockingly bold typeface before shoving it in your pocket.

The damn guy really did get it done before five.

“The electronic document is saved in there, in case you lose the print.” He was panting at this point, and you had a vague idea as to why he looked like he just ran a marathon. The one printer in your department (this year’s budget was cut) broke down a few days ago, and the nearest functional one was at the Logistics office three floors down.

Still refusing to believe it, you peered at the documents he just brought in. You scanned each of the entries printed on each page. That’s when you realized that Sendai City’s expenses have skyrocketed since the new year because the list of expenses occupied a whole page alone. A worried sigh made its way past your lips, but at least the liabilities were cut down to a minimum. You heard that the governor of Miyagi was going to pledge a few hundred thousand yen for the city’s founding anniversary, too.

You paused. Blinking, you rearranged the papers neatly back into its pile—biting back the urge to clutch your wounded pride. Semi was looking at you expectantly, like he wanted you to praise his flawless bookkeeping.

In actuality, his determination was beginning to freak you out.

“Why do you want me to help you so badly?” you asked, voice almost trembling. “Seriously, dude. I thought we hated each other. Quit acting out of character.”

“I told you, our manager really liked the songs you composed back in senior year,” he drawled, tired of having to repeat himself.

Your face twisted in confusion. “Who even is this manager of yours?”

There was a half-second delay in his response, but before you could paint a reason for his hesitation, he immediately replied with, “Saito. Saito Makoto.”

You stiffened, gaze going rigid at the mention of that name. “Oh.”

“Yeah. If I manage to give him a piece by the end of the month, he’ll help us sign a contract with a big-shot record label,” Semi explained, oblivious to your discomfort.

“But haven’t you been writing songs since high school?” you wondered aloud. “That’s what you said during our Pol-Gov class ice breaker.”

He frowned. “You still remember that?”

Okay. You kept forgetting that your sharp memory wasn’t always a praiseworthy thing. You gulped, feeling the heat creep up your face. “Um, anyway, the point still stands. You’ve been writing songs for God-knows-how-long, and while I’m not one to dish out compliments especially to you, I’m pretty sure they’re okay if you managed to gather a decent fanbase.”

He rolled his eyes, leaning against the divider of your cubicle. “We’re a rock band. I write rock songs, but Saito wants me to write a goddamn love song.”

Typical Saito. Though he looked like a rugged high school delinquent, he was awfully sentimental when it came to music. He was the one who inspired you to write the songs Semi was pestering you about all day after all…

“Fine,” you relented. “I never go back on my word and since you did a…good job with this, I’ll help you out.”

His light brown eyes lit up for a moment, but Semi managed to mask his relief in a split second—containing his excitement in a single nod. “Are you free this Saturday? You can come by my place and we could start getting to work.”

Well, that was forward of him. You expected to work on the song in a coffee shop or something, but he went on ahead and invited you to his own humble abode anyway. You parsed through your weekend plans in your mind, and once you confirmed that you were free, you scribbled down your phone number on a sticky note. Almost five years of acquaintance and you’d never bothered giving it to him. Huh.

“Just text me the time and place,” you told him, pocketing the flash drive as you slipped the balance sheet in one of the empty folders in your organizer. “You better not pull anything funny and lead me to a secluded alley or something.”

Semi scoffed, folding the piece of paper and sticking it inside his trousers. “As if.”

You then slung your bag across your shoulders, grinning insincerely. “Glad we’re on the same page, then.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

With that, Semi exited your cubicle, leaving you no room to wonder why he didn’t even spare a quick ‘thank you’.

Just as you were smoothing out the creases on your pencil skirt, your phone began buzzing in the pocket of your blazer. Brows raised, you fished it out and unlocked it.

From: Makohey, wanna grab some dinner? its on me :3

Speak of the devil. You swallowed the lump in your throat, fingers shakily managing to type a coherent reply.

To: MakoYeah sure. Where to tho

From: Makocan we get some italian? ik u love the udon place across the street but akane’s having dinner w her friends there

From: Makocant have her seeing us together now do we

The way he put that so casually made your chest constrict with a too-familiar sensation. You heaved a deep breath, pursing your lips into a thin line as you sent a quick “Ok” text to end your conversation. Saito replied with those iffy heart-eyed emojis that he only ever used when he wanted something from you, and you had to compose yourself so you wouldn’t burst into tears right there.

“Oi.”

You almost jumped at the sound of Semi’s voice as he peered inside your cubicle once more. He clutched his suitcase in one hand, eyeing you curiously.

“What do you want?”

“You’re headed uptown, too, right?” he asked, and you nodded reluctantly. “Thought you’d want a lift.”

“Semi, just because I’m helping you achieve your dreams, doesn’t mean you have to be nice to me.” You laughed softly, tension easing from his uncalled for kindness.

He, however, looked unconvinced. “Do you want a ride or not?”

You raised your hands in defeat, managing a genuine smile. “Alright, fine. It’ll be a hellish commute anyway.”

You liked to think that that’s how you started becoming friends with your odd, hot-headed co-worker.