Work Text:
Working under Doctor Olivia Octavius was a dream come true. Ever since you started watching her educational videos on the internet, you were enamoured with the quirky scientist. So, you worked as hard as you could to go to school, graduate, and work your way up in Alchemax, in the hopes of working under your idol.
And it worked.
The first time you met the doctor, you didn’t know what to say. Luckily, she was too busy rambling on about your new responsibilities to notice, and just like that the two of you fell into a steady daily routine.
Even though your work was far from groundbreaking, you were surprisingly happy with your job at the moment. Not only did you get to spend all day with your hero, but you got to experience a whole new world of science that had previously only been a dream to you. Watching the doctor work on the collider was an added bonus.
If you thought she was beautiful with her hair down and frizzy around her face, and her colourful shirts and scarves contrasting the stark white of her lab coats, you were in for a shocker when you saw her in her full glory. The skin tight suit, bright, bug like goggles and smooth robotic arms made her look even more powerful then she did on a normal day, and the suit has certainly made its way into quite a few daydreams of yours. Despite your little crush, however, you did your best to keep up good appearances at work.
——
“Ellie! Do you have that report I asked for yet?”
You turned your head to see the doctor walking towards you. Or at least, you saw part of her. The stack of papers and books she was holding was almost comical, and you’re not completely sure how she hasn’t dropped everything yet.
“I have it right here Doctor!” You eyed up the materials she was holding, but you knew better than to assume she couldn’t handle something.
Last time you questioned her ability to do something- specifically, her ability to keep working even though she looked like she was about to collapse from exhaustion- she ended up working for two days straight with no breaks. Worst of all, the only reason she stopped was because in her tired state, she almost caused the super collider to explode. Not her best moment, but it was so late that you were the only one there with her, so you made a deal where you would keep your mouth shut if she went to bed. She took you up on your offer.
So, this time around you just gave her the paper and hoped for the best. You’d rather give her one more sheet of paper then come back later to see her with a stack triple the size she started with.
Unfortunately, you were right to question if she could take the extra weight. Even if it was only internally. The second Doctor Octavius reaches to grab the sheet, the whole stack tipped and fell on her, causing her to stumble back.
You didn’t know what to say as the sheets of paper slowly fanned out between you two. And neither did the doctor it seemed, because you both kept silent eye contact as the documents and books spread out around you.
Finally, after the last sheet of paper hit the ground, Octavius broke the silence. She looked for a second like she couldn’t keep a straight face, before bursting into laughter.
“Well shit! Sorry newbie,” she practically shouted as she bent to pick up her papers. You mirrored her, leaning down to help gather books and sheets of paper. “It’s alright, can I help you bring stuff back to your lab?”
Surprisingly enough, Octavius’ eyes lit up at your offer. “I might just have to take you up on that! You can take these,” she thrust the stack of books into your arms before gathering the paperwork with the help of her extra arms. A small part of you wondered why she didn’t just use them in the first place, but you brushed it off. After all, what’s a couple extra minutes with your hero?
“So what are you working on that requires so much material?”
Octavius’ eyes lit up even more at the opportunity to talk more about her research. Turns out, she was upgrading her mechanical arms to be able to sense heat signals.
“That new spider kid! He might just be the death of me. Did you know Spider-Man can turn invisible now?! I would love to be able to run tests on him, I wonder what activates his powers. Apparently he can also use lightning to strike his opponents! It’s incredible! I can’t help but wonder if shocking him would cause harm, or if he would absorb it in a way…” she glanced at you, seemingly remembering who she was in the company of. “Theoretically, of course.”
You nodded. “Of course. Theoretically.” It was definitely suspicious, and you didn’t trust the glint in her eyes. But, you didn’t have time to follow up with her anyways since you had arrived at her lab.
“Where do you want me to put these?” You called over your shoulder as she scurried to her desk. “Just put them beside my papers over here!”
You admired her lab as you walked towards it. It was cluttered, but in a good way, housing the new robotic arms she was working on, as well as a bike, a yoga ball, and countless gadgets you couldn’t even name.
When you turned around, Octavius was right behind you. Like, right behind you. You could feel her breath on your face, and she was leaned in as close as possible.
“Doctor?”
“Call me Liv.”
You blinked, having not expected her to be so… friendly.
“Isn’t that what friends call you?”
Your choice of words might have not been the greatest, but the point still stands. You’re just an intern, a newly graduated college student. Definitely someone who should be on a first name basis with the fricking CEO of alchemax.
Liv pouted, pushing her face away from yours. “You don’t consider me a friend?”
Despite her sad expression, her eyes were glimmering with mischief. Almost as if she was enjoying how flustered you got?
“No- I mean yes! I do, I mean, you’re really nice, but you’re the boss lady! The CEO! I’m just an intern, I wasn’t expecting-...” you trailed off. The doctor, Liv, looked ready to… lecture you?
“You know, young people are the future of science. Who knows! You might be the one who discovers how to time travel!”
“I know I know...I just meant,” Liv leaned in close again. “I…”
It was hard to think when she was invading your personal space. Her frizzy curls brushed against your face, and you could almost smell the fresh air from her bike trips to work, and the metallic scent that came from her spending so much time working with the collider. Not that you were paying attention to it. Not at all.
She smiled, and put her fingers under your chin so you were looking up at her. Was she always that tall?
“How eloquent. It’s a good thing you’re cute,” she winked at you before backing away slightly, her hand leaving your face and moving behind you to the desk. You didn’t have time to dwell on it, instead focusing on her expression.
Her eyes scanned for any sense of discomfort, and she had the same look you had seen on her face, the one she used when she was focusing on a new experiment or project. Her brows were knitted close together as she sucked in a breath. “What are your plans for the weekend?
That one question snapped you back to reality. “What?”
She chuckled, clearly amused at your less than articulate answers. In your defence, she was still much closer than you thought she’d ever get to you, and you were having a difficult time processing it.
“I’m uh, I’m not doing anything,” before you could finish, she clapped her hands together. “Splendid! I’ll pick you up Saturday, 6:30 sharp!”
“You’ll, what?”
Nice choice of words. You were sure to be blowing whatever was happening.
Liv just handed you a card with her number on it, before walking towards the door. “Casual dress code. My treat!” She called over her shoulder, before leaving you alone and confused in her empty lab.