Dominik Stanley shook off the odd conversation he’d had with Peter and walked to his office, respectfully nodding to a few coworkers he passed. Had he been more energized he might have added a smile or wave, but on that morning, a nod would suffice.

He’d worked for Langley law firm for about five years. He wasn’t a lawyer, in fact the idea of being one made him cringe. He had no interest standing before a court nor defending their typical clientele. As a prestigious law firm, many influential people with a lot of money hired them to get out of a bind.

No, Dominik was much happier to file paperwork and organize case files. He worked on a floor with Peter and seven others. They worked tirelessly to finish reports, and make sure everything was in order for the lawyers. He didn’t want anything else.

Upon arriving in his office, he sat his briefcase down and immediately moved towards the nearest pot of coffee. His newest child had kept him up most of the night and he was in serious need of caffeine.

He groggily stepped into the little kitchenette on his office’s floor, catching the eye of a few coworkers. He steeled his spine knowing this particular clique always had something to say, but with the promise of coffee he was willing to accept any snide comments thrown his way.

“Ah. Dom, those bags under your eyes are only getting bigger. Thought you knew how to manage kids at this point. This is your third, after all,” one of his coworkers pointed out snidely, causing the others to snicker.

“You can have a million kids and still not know how to manage them,” Dom stated flatly.

Perhaps sensing the disdain in his voice, the others ended the conversation there, turning to chat amongst themselves as Dom patiently waited for his coffee to brew. He tuned out their conversation, choosing to listen to the glorious drips of his favorite liquid fill his “Number 1 Dad” mug.

A pleasant ding signified that his coffee was ready. Dom preferred when coffee was more caffeine than anything, so the dark brown color barely changed with his slight milk addition.

Without addressing the others, he made his way back to his desk. He sighed as he relaxed into his chair, holding the mug close to his face. The smell wafted into his nostrils, electrifying the synapses in his brain. He took a greedy gulp, not concerned about the aggressive temperature.

A content smile covered his face. “That’s better,” he whispered dreamily.

Suddenly, he felt ready to start the day. He filtered through the files upon his desk trying to get a grasp for what his day held. To his surprise, it looked like a phenomenally simple day.

With newfound vigor, Dominik settled himself into the monotonous grind of his work.

Hours had passed without Dominik moving from his office, but his stiff back reminded him that he needed to stretch.

Slowly, he made his way back to the kitchenette for more energizing elixir. He waited patiently for his second brew while stretching out his arms and legs.

He was in the middle of trying to crack his back with a twist when the same coworkers from that morning reappeared. Dominik sighed and attempted to ignore them once more, though the new conversation proved much harder to disregard.

“I can’t believe those dicks from Remdia are planning on invading us.”

“Pfft. We’re Caledorn. We will stop them. It’s a losing battle, stupid to even start it really.”

Dominik gripped his mug a little tighter, the heat of the coffee burning him slightly. He let go immediately and gripped the counter instead. He had yet to hear anything about the invasion.

"Well, Remdia has focused on building up their military a lot in recent years, maybe their president is just trying to test that strength.”

“Why test it on us? That seems like a bad choice. We have nothing!”

“We have oil...”

Dominik stopped listening while his mind ran through all the possible scenarios. Through his volatile thoughts, he found himself agreeing with one coworker, Caledorn would stop any battle before it began. He was sure of that. He knew his wife and children would be safe. He trusted the government to protect them all.

Dominik then thought of his family in Remdia. His sister had moved there a few years prior. He hated to think about what this new tension could mean for Caledornian citizens in Remdia.

“Dom,” a familiar voice pierced through the office gossip.

Dominik spun around to see his boss standing there, all previous thoughts vanished. His palms started sweating at the idea of being in trouble. He had asked for a lot of time off to help his wife lately, but he needed the job.

Dominik gulped, eyeing up the large man before him. His boss had the sleeves of his white top rolled up to his elbows, a sliver of his tattoos on display. He had a looming presence wherever he went from his size alone. The scowled brow he wore in that moment only made him look more threatening.

Dominik shyly waved at him, intimidated by him even though he’d been nothing but kind to him.

“Follow me to my office, please,” his boss stated with a nod of his head to the left and a slight smirk.

Dominik gulped and retrieved his coffee, ignoring the mutterings about him being in trouble. With a hint of fear, he headed off towards the boss’s office, praying he wasn’t about to be fired.

His boss waved him in when he appeared in the doorway.

“Shut the door behind you, please.”

Dominik did as he was told, shutting the door and heading to the seat opposite his boss’s desk. He felt like he was back in grade school about to be told off by the principal for writing graffiti on the bathroom wall. He slunk his way to the seat, trying to muster an invisibility power along the way. He kept his face shielded by the mug as he sunk into the chair.

“I just wanted to say thank you for your great work,” his boss calmly stated.

“So… I’m not in trouble?” Dominik asked, perplexed.

“Oh no no, what made you think that?” the large man queried.

Dominik stuttered out a response, “Uh… you…you looked kinda pissed and I’ve been out a lot l-lately...”

“You’ve been out to raise a family, hardly a reason to be in trouble! As for being pissed, I try to run a tight ship. And, unfortunately, most of those nimrods out there respond to fear,” his boss responded.

Dominik nodded, understanding that he was a strict boss, but one of compassion too.

“So, Dom. Interested in a raise for all your efforts?” His boss asked, remaining nonchalant, before pushing a paper and pen across the desk.

“W-wait. Really?”

Dominik’s face broke out into a glorious smile knowing a raise could change the tight budget his family had to work around. He greedily leaned forward and swiped the pen off the desk. He scanned the document then glanced up to his boss.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Ryans. This means the world to me,” his tone cheerful and his smile bright.

His boss chuckled, “Just saying thank you, Dom. No worries.”

Dominik forgot about everything prior as he scrawled his signature across the dotted line.