"Isn't P-Mr. Parker in yet?" I ask an intern, maybe a year younger than me, a redhead named Ron. No need to ask if his parents were in any fandom.
I think I'd really like his parents.
"No, he comes in around 9:30, 10. We just come in early because he's nice. The girls because he's hot. Which they say, not me. I wish there were more guy interns." He pathetically ends.
"Well, think of me as a guy." I pat his back. "Wait, I could've entered at 9:30?" I narrow my eyes.
"Yeah...." He says warily.
"But the HR girls..."
"Are madly in love with him. They figured you'd be the same way."
"I was madly in love with him. He was too. With me, I mean. But really I just love sleep now." I say, dropping my head.
"Wait, you were together?"
"Yeah. Almost 5 years."
"Wow. Why'd you break up?"
"Too personal reasons." I say apologetically. "I mean, even people really close to us don't know the whole thing."
"Well." He crossed his arms. "You shouldn't tell me anyway. I'm getting too nosy. The girls, I tell you...Well, gotta go get coffee for the whole building."
He ran off before I could bite his head off for his misogynistic comment.
"See ya, Weasel King." I yelled. I had to get my digs in somehow.
"I'll get you for that!" Ron yelled back.
I sat at the desk in front of Pe-MR. PARKER's office. Must remember to call him Mr. Parker. The walls of the office were transparent now as opposed to when I came for my interview when it was oak.
Neat trick.
I switched on the laptop where an email was waiting for me. From the boss.
My breath hitched at the first 3 words.
'I need you-"
Somehow I managed not to have a panic attack.
"To get a pen drive from under the Iron Man figurine and delete all the useless files. Useless that is, keep the movies and delete the business...Uh, thingies.
Thanks,
Peter Parker."
I smiled at the last part of the sentence. He hasn't changed.
I walked in the office.
It was a simple room, same as any other office room but with various papers and books and figurines thrown around. Talk about a teenager in an adult's body.
What was I supposed to look for again?
Oh, right.
"Iron Man..Iron Man...Oh there it is." I picked up the toy which seemed vaguely familiar.
"Isn't this the toy I stole from Peter when I was 10...." I mutter.
"Yeah. Right before we promised never to lie to each other." Peter's voice made me jump.
"FUCK! Give a girl a warning, Clumsy." Then my senses returned.
"I am so sorry for swearing and Uh, calling you clumsy and generally acting in a way which will make me get fired. I was just um, getting the pendrive-" I held it up "which I have got so I'll get out of your hair."
He just looked at me in an amused way.
I practically ran to the door.
"Wait. I need your opinion." He says quickly.
I turn back warily.
"ME? What about? You realise I've been here a little more than an hour?"
"Well, dar-Sanya, you're my assistant." So he had the pet name-real name problem too.
I felt stupid. "Yes."
"How do I look?" He was gonna make me look at him? I was trying my best look above his head so as not to lose my head.
"You're kidding. Maybe this isn't a good-"
"Its just because I have a meeting today." Pe-GODDAMIT, MR. PARKER says hastily. "The guy of the other firm brings along his 16 year old kid. She is so annoying, so fashion conscious. She completely dissed me the other time for not abiding to some colour scheme, of all things." I just stood gaping at him.
"So-" he continued. "I need your help. Do I look okay?"
Reluctantly,I lower my eyes to look at him and instantly regret it because he looks so good. But he still has that stupid moustache.
But because I have to say something, I do.
"You could wear your Spider-Man suit." I joke.
"I could." He actually thinks. "Haven't got a chance to wear it much. The Defenders are really thorough. And there really aren't any large scale threats. I was really surprised when Octopus turned up on Saturday."
"Allah, I was kidding." He chuckles. "Well." I say, actually surveying his black dress pants, dark grey suit jacket and light green shirt, which somehow reminded me of our very first kiss on the night before 2017. I was born in 2002. Which is irrelevant. "I would like you to mess up your hair, clean all the GEL off- I've told you a thousand times you look much more handsome with your naturally wavy hair." I reprimand with my hands on my hips.
He looks sheepish. "Yeah, you did. I remember I wore gelled hair to school in 7th grade and I got beat up. Then you went and threw a dustbin at them. And got detention for the first time. Youdidn't talk to me after that. But not because I got you detention, because I didn't defend myself. You slapped me about it when I tried to talk to me, then sat down and cried."
"I was having my period. And anyway was pretty feisty."
"Still are. I love that about you.." LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. LOVEBEBEUEUWANIASWHAAWILOVE! He coughed. "Anything else?"
"I still don't know why you asked me, I hardly know anything about this stuff." I say calm and composed
"Yeah, you never cared what I wore."
"Well, I love wh- loved what was in you, not on." Just t make up for the sappy sentence, is free. "Besides I preferred you without clothes, anyway."
He blushed.
"A lighter grey jacket." I say a moment later. " I think that's needed. Do you have one?""
"Uh..." He looked around his haven and then at me And grinned widely.
I went, "What."
"Give me the one you're wearing. It's mine, after all." He smiles.
"What?" I was horrified.
"Don't you remember? Senior prom, you and MJ pushed Maria into the punch, to recreate something. Huh." He thought. "You threw and pushed things a lot, you know. Anyway, when Maria called for your immediate expulsion, despite the fact that the next day was graduation, we ditched. We went to-"
"The Empire State building Observation Deck to look at the stars. I was feeling so cold in my purple dress, so you gave me your grey jacket. And....And... a promise ring. Then we proceeded to make out."
"Ye-yeah. Those were the days.. " He says reminiscing.
"Uh, so. Take it." I pull off the jacket and hand it to him who puts it on but looks warily at my half sleeve shirt.
"Won't you be cold? It's August but it feels like January."
It was cold. "I'll manage." I said instead.
"Don't be dumb. You always got colds. Even you didn't realise it half the time. Take this." He himself put on his darker jacket on me and even buttoned it up.
As I was about to retort "I'm not a little girl, you know" and realise it wasn't a good idea, he gasped and picked up the necklace.
His dark chocolate-like eyes bire into my lighter brown ones. It's weird my hair is such a dark brown it seems black and eyes are more of a chestnut, lighter brown. His are the same. Hair is lighter chestnut brown and eyes are so dark brown they often seem black. Which they aren't.
I wonder who To- Peter suddenly speaks.
"You still wear this?" He asks incredulously, tearing up a little.
"Never take it off." I say hoarsely, mimicking his action.
"After all this time?" His lips turn up. He also blinks rapidly.
"Always." I say and am surprised to hear no humour in it but only emotion and devotion and... truth.
The atmosphere changed perceptiply. It suddenly dawned on me how close we were, how I could bridge the gap between us by just moving an inch up. Must've occurred to him too, because he leaned down and I leaned up but proper sense struck at the same time because we both hurtled back at the same time.
"See you're still a Potterhead!" He says in a horrible hearty voice, gripping the desk behind him.
"Yeah!" I say in the same voice. "So I'll just go and-" I gestured to the door.
"Yeah. Go."
"Also-" I turn back and say, although my confidence was declining rapidly. "Shave off that ridiculous moustache."
I walk out with half my sanity and leave him gaping back at me.
I sit at the desk, put in the USB and just delete two files when my phone rings.
Oh, Harry. What could he be calling about?
Oh.
No.
Not.
I told him no...
"Hey."
"How's the first day?" His warm voice asks.
"Okay. Why are you calling?"
"Surely you haven't forgotten our...tradition." He says silkily.
"Haz. I'm at work. My boss is my ex boyfriend who isn't too hot about you, anyway. Also, I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!" I did not scream that last part.
"Yes...but I'm not touching you anyway. Physically. As for work and Peter...I guess you'll have to be quiet." He says so huskily I WANT to continue.
"I nearly got fired last time."
"Well, you like it."
"Yes. I do."
"What are you wearing?" His voice nearly gets me off. I have a voice, public and reading smut kink. Peter always used that last one.
Yup, memories proceeded to flood me and I got..Well, you know.
"You-y-you saw me this morning."
He clicked his tongue.
"I'm, ok, wearing black pants , a jacket and a blue shirt." I say.
"Would be so much easier to slip my hand in your underwear if you were wearing a skirt. Guess I'll start from the up. Now imagine me touching you, kissing your neck, that scar on your chest, your breasts, swirl my tongue round your ni-"
He continued to whisper dirty sweet nothings in ear as my hand disappeared under the waistband of my trousers.
I almost dropped my phone a couple of times.
Rubbing myself wasn't working, I was practically shaking and rocking to and fro.
'To hell with dignity, I couldn't do this anymore.' I thought.
"Sanya, are yo- SANYA! Where are you going?" Peter yelled as I flew to the ladies room to finish myself-and Harry- off.