Work Text:
Co-workers. They were something like co-workers. Not friends, not acquaintances, coworkers.
However, the two didn’t know they had any mutual feelings for each other before the signs begun to spark up.
Robert Reynolds was the flimsy secretary: popular, but stupid at times. He got his job done efficiently, but also cared for his looks first and then his financial status second.
On his smoke breaks, he would catch women who seemed to be interested in his affairs, peering over his shoulder. In response, Robert pretended to show interest– despite not being amused in the slightest.
God, who was he even looking for anyway?
At his desk, Robert tapped his pencil rhythmically on his notepad. The date had been the 13th of February. He understood that nobody had shown genuine interest to him (possibly because he had been a asshole as of late), so it was up to Robert to fish for someone who could possibly match his absurdity.
In a tired-state-of mind, Robert went through the list of his colleagues.
Johnny Storm. The cheeky, young intern that worked with Reed Richards. Robert didn’t mind the age gap, but… really? Johnny?
Robert already knew that he himself was an impulsive, reckless mess, but he wasn’t amused at the idea of another crazy lunatic at his side.
Match my freak, don’t be the freak.
Then Robert thought of his desk-mate, Peter Parker. Being younger than Robert, he wasn’t the most decent fit. Parker had been the cheery and humble kind of person that could get along with anyone. Robert knew to keep their relationship as a friendship. Besides, Robert could see Johnny being a better fit with Peter rather than himself.
Maybee… Think outside the box.
And that’s when it clicked.
Reed Richards was the overworked, somewhat shy CEO. He seemed to be a hermit, obsessing through notes in his cubicle for majority of the work-hours. Maybe it was due to the stress from dealing with stockbrokers, or the obnoxious phone-calls form shareholders he received, but he never, ever, seemed to show any kind of emotion.
And to Robert? That wasn’t a bad thing at all.
Shy, and somewhat good-looking, Robert didn’t mind the idea of trying to get through Reed’s fragile personality.
It was fine, anyway. He wanted to get through someone’s shell, maybe to let them open up a little bit. His boss would be the most perfect fit for someone that Robert could experiment with. Besides, he didn’t mind if someone was stressed or not (for either way, it had been inevitable to make someone stress out.)
Robert was afraid to admit that he barely knew anything about his boss. Despite this, he felt some true and honest attraction to the CEO. The random brush of their fingers coming into contact whenever Robert passed his clipboard had been the most they might have ever (and will ever) interact with each other physically.
Well, for now, to be exact.
So, who else knew Reed Richards in such a close relationship?
Robert swallowed, and he didn’t like to think about the answer that he had just formulated in his head.
Victor.
The thought of Victor Von Doom irked Robert a lot. In all honesty, he had nothing bad against the co-owner, and held no grudges against him, it was just…
He’s very ugly to look at.
Yeah. He’s very ugly to look at.
Robert cringed at the thought of Victor, he was one of the last people he wanted to talk to, but, nonetheless, he knew Victor would help him make up an idea for a Valentine’s day idea. He knew that Reed and Victor had a deep relationship with each other, nevertheless Victor showed no romantic interest in him– for he instead had been dating Sue Storm.
Robert picked himself up off of his chair and took the elevator upstairs, where the rooms of the CEO and co-owner had been adjacent to each other.
Victor sat in his desk, computer illuminating his face in his zombie-like trance. Politely, Robert miraculously made it alive to the front of the door and knocked. Victor looked up above of his computer and gestured for Robert to come in.
Victor, willing to take the advantage of the situation, said, “Can you file these for me?” Victor pulled out a large stack of files from under his desk.
Robert let out a small huff. Being used to this happening, he crossed over to Victor’s desk and took the files under his arm. Victor had been watching his every move, almost scrutinizing him.
Robert avoided his gaze, his mouth in the shape of eating the equivalent of a few frogs. If he laughed, he would die.
“You’re here for something.” Victor said the obvious.
“Yeap.”
“What is it, then?”
“Just curious.” Robert said vaguely.
“About?”
Robert gestured to the room on the other side. “The boss-man.”
“You wanna work with him? He’s too entranced in his own personal matters. It’s not like he doesn’t like you, but… you know, he’s just one of the few that likes to work. You’re quite literally not going to be able to talk to him.”
Robert rolled his eyes. “No. I already know that. I’m going to ask him out for, ah, tomorrow. When do you think I’ll be able to seize the opportunity?”
Victor thinned his lips into a line, judging Robert once more. He almost looked like he was about to laugh in the secretary’s face. As an attempt to keep himself composed, Victor looked back down at his computer instead. In response to his concealed emotions, the lights flickered. Robert caught note of his and promised himself to tread lightly.
“He gets off of work really late. But he also gets to work early. He stops by the coffee shop in Midtown, the one next to the crappy gym.”
Robert was almost surprised at the information Victor gave him. He seemed almost to give Robert
“Very, uh, specific.” Robert noted.
Victor glared up back at him.
“I’m not a stalker. I simply just… look at the trashcan and find the loads and loads of crumpled up paper cups. I’m an observer, Reynolds, maybe you should try it some time,” he replied almost harshly. “Now, please get to work and file those for me, if you ever so please.”
Remembering how unprofessional this conversation had been since the beginning, Robert nodded. “You’re right.” Robert swallowed down his words and wheeled his foot around. “Have a good day, Mr. Doom.”
Cooped up in the middle of the surrounding filing cabinets, Robert stood awkwardly as he looked through drawers, placing each folder in its respective spot. Time had passed by a significant amount. What a boring job it had been. But he signed up for the task, and this is what he had been required to do.
“One more to go. One more…” He mumbled to himself, where the hell was this last file? And how long has he been here?
Turning around once more, he looked at the label of the file. The words had almost faded off. He walked as he read the scrubbed-out letters on the folder, being able to make-out only a few symbols.
He scoffed to himself, it was one, last, mindless file, did it really matter if he put it in the right place?
“Jeez. Who does Victor think I am? A machine?” He uttered, pacing mindlessly to another aisle of drawers.
“Well, I think Victor thinks you’re smart.”
Robert paused in his tracks and looked towards the direction of the sound of the speaker. Next to Robert had been Reed Richards himself— the shy man standing with an unusually confident air.
“Oh. Uh… Hi, Boss.” Robert said almost awkwardly.
“Hello Reynolds,” he said simply. “Mind if I see that?”
Hesitatingly, Robert passed the file over to Reed. In a swift movement, Their fingers brushed against each other, the contact clearly being noticed by Robert. Quickly, Reed looked over the contents of the file and stretched his arm, placing the file in its cabinet as if it was nothing. Robert was taken aback at this, he’d never seen the CEO act in this way before.
“I trust you’re going to start filing things in a timely manner?” Richards asked, flashing a smile.
Robert, reasonably, was completely puzzled. What the hell was happening?
Did he just smile at me?
“Yes, uh… sir.” Robert answered stunned.
“Good.”
***
When Robert woke up the day of Valentine’s day, he had begun to sweat ferociously. Well, not really, but he was still extremely stressed out.
Robert made a dumb mistake. Why was Richards suddenly so different? This wasn’t what he wanted, and this wasn’t what he predicted. He barely stepped out of his cubicles and never spoke aloud more than five words at a time. Why did his demeanor change all of a sudden? Why did Robert just have to pursue after the most difficult men? Did Richard change because he just wanted to? Or because it was strictly a tone-of-choice used for jockey pee-wees like Robert?
Chugging down his pre-workout, Robert recalled what Victor told him the day before:
Coffee shop. Midtown. Next to the gym.
The plan seemed easy enough. But was it really that simple when he was the self-absorbed secretary trying to ask out the (now-confident) boss of his own?
Plucking out a random flower from the shrub in front of his apartment complex, Robert made his way over to the coffee shop in Midtown. Looking left and right, he was trying to spot the gym next to the café.
His palms were sweaty. He turned a corner and spotted a building that looked exactly what Victor had described.
Was this it?
Robert peered closer— trying not to make his movement obvious, and squinted to see if Richards was in the establishment.
I don’t see anyone.
Robert sighed, drawing closer towards the front entrance of the café. He began to push the front door before he felt someone tap on his shoulder. Robert turned on his foot, annoyed at the bothering nuisan—
“Do you think I don’t know what you’re doing? Are you seriously trying to outsmart one of the most intelligent men in the world?” Reed raised an eyebrow.
Robert’s face turned hot. “Well, just because it's the 14th, I thought it’d be appropriate to ask you to be my Valentine.”
Reed folded his hands now, a stance that Robert did not like to see on anyone.
“Appropriate?” he scoffed. “Let me ask you something,”
Robert clenched the rose in his palms.
“Do you think, for me, that it’s appropriate to hire a lousy, jerk-faced, athletic and egotistical, but intelligent jerk to be the secretary of my multi-million dollar company?”
Robert didn’t know the answer, nor did he pay attention to Reed’s words. “No?”
“Exactly! I hired you for a reason, because I enjoy who you are; I enjoy your company.”
Robert wasn’t following.
Reed palmed his face. “Yes, I will be your Valentine. Yes, Reynolds,” he gritted.
Robert’s eyes widened. The revelation clicked like a puzzle in his head. “Oh! Really? Wait— wait… really?”
“Yes, really. I couldn’t believe it until Victor told me. I’ve had my doubts, I thought you wouldn’t return my feelings, but when I knew you did, I couldn’t believe it,” he confessed.
Robert should’ve known, he always should’ve. Reed mostly had a plan for everything, the man was greatly intelligent, and Robert clearly underestimated him in his silly mind-tricks. Robert grinned, his grip loosening on the flower. He passed the stem to Reed. Reed took the flower on one hand, and, on the other, grabbed Robert’s own. On instinct, Robert and Reed gained elevation from the ground, Robert’s emotions clearly seeping through his powers.
“Well I’m really not that asshole you think I am..” he confirmed. “Something drew me to you, I think. I’m not sure if it was because you were so shy and I just wanted to break that barrier of yours, or maybe because I simply found you more attractive than most, but… That led me here, I suppose, right?” He laughed.
Reed chuckled. “That’s right.”
“Happy Valentines, Reed.”
“You too; Robert.”