fandomhigh | Working With Jerks, Wednesday, May 11, 2016 [3rd period]

Tony and a large cup of coffee were perched on the edge of the desk at the front of the class. Because you could in no way teach without that. "Hello, and welcome to class. This is Working with Jerks--" excuse him while he side eyed his teaching partner a little for that title. "And I'm Tony Stark."

A beat.

"If you know who I am, it's admittedly a little funny." The things that happen when you garner a reputation.

"I meant in general," Steve said, cheeks going a little pink. "Everyone is going to work with someone who's a little difficult at some point in their lives. Class projects, shift work, military training...it happens." He smiled. "I'm Steve Rogers, by the way."

"Uh huh," Tony said, taking a pointed sip of his coffee. "College is the worst for that. You'll end up doing all the work in a group of slackers and contemplate murder a few times before you graduate."

Screw. Group. Projects. Seriously.

"But it's not all terrible! Working as a group also allows you to achieve things you can't manage on your own." Because you guys lucked out on getting the more earnest version of Tony Stark, kids.

Steve nodded, equally earnest. "Working as a team, when everyone's individual strengths become more important than their flaws is something everyone should experience at least once, but it does mean that you need to learn to...well...suck it up and deal with annoyances."

Tony put the coffee to the side and clapped his hands together. "Today we'll be getting to know who you are and seeing how well you handle yourself when your day is thrown off."

"It'll be fun." Steve was so optimistic.

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FN-2187 had never been in a coffee shop in his life and had been assigned to rather more janitorial and maintenance shifts than food service. So he looked rather completely lost from the get-go.

Well, maybe he could clean things? But only after the phone rang.

God, Tony hoped someone explained phones to this kid.

"Um," FN-2187 said, looking around for help. "Something's making noise?" Okay, he could do this. He could track down the noise-making thing.

Yeah, Tony was just going to facepalm over here.

"The phone!" Way to make him break into the simulation, kid.

The phone. Right. FN-2187 totally knew what a phone was and what it did!

All right, no, he didn't, but he knew better than to admit to that. Anyway, he'd located the thing that was making noise, and it had buttons, so he tried pushing a few of those to see if they would silence the thing. Somehow, he managed to turn on the speakerphone.

Which is why he heard Tony sigh. Sigh so much.

"Well, that works too."

"I made it stop!" FN-2187 said proudly. Was that--was that what he was supposed to do?

Look, he was trying here.

And it was just precious.

"You did indeed," Tony really had to grant him. "This is your coworker calling to let you know that I've gotten food poisoning and won't be coming in to help you with the morning shift."

IF ANY OF THAT MADE SENSE TO HIM.

Sort of! "What?" FN-2187 asked the thing, which he now realized was a communication device. "Why are you notifying me directly? Who's your replacement?"

"There isn't a replacement. It'll just be you."

And look, there was already a herd of people showing up for their damn coffee.

"No, that's not--that's not how it works," FN-2187 protested. But maybe it was how it worked here.

"Look, if you don't show up you'll be assigned to reeducation." He sounded pretty sure because that was how it worked everywhere, right?

"To what?"

"Reeducation," FN-2187 repeated. Maybe the guy really was sick if he didn't understand that. "And I know you don't want that. Look, send me verification you're in sick bay or I'll have to report you."

This was going to be a thing, wasn't it? One that Tony was going to have righteous anger about.

Why did this happen to him?

"I'll send that right away," he said instead. As the programmed patrons crowed up to the counter to attempt to get FN-2187's attention for their coffee.

"Good," FN-2187 said, and poked more buttons on the 'phone' to try to make it turn off. Maybe it worked? He didn't know. He didn't know how he would get confirmation or not either. But it wasn't his problem; the guy would either straighten it out and their superiors would send a replacement, or he wouldn't and he'd be busted and reeducated. Now for the customers.

FN-2187 turned to the crowd and gave his best placating grin, hoping it looked right. His face was usually hidden behind a helmet so modulating expressions was hard. "Everyone, please listen up, I'm afraid I'm short a shift member today and still in training mode on this apparatus," by which he meant he had no idea what any of it was or what it did, "so if you could just have patience I promise to fulfill your needs in a timely and adequate manner."

...somehow.

Working With Jerks, Wednesday, May 11, 2016 [3rd period]

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