Under the Corporate Ladder

He eyed the woman out of the corner of his eye as he walked towards the elevator. Miguel might not have spider-sense, but he had enhanced senses to make up for it. He knew he had seen this woman’s face somewhere. As he came to the meeting of the hallways, she nearly bumped into him, her eyes focused on the papers in her hands. Their collision was barely prevented by him holding a hand up in her line of sight. 

He raised a brow when she lifted her gaze up to him, his red iris hidden behind thick sunglasses and her brown eyes behind round black cat-eye frames, frames that he noticed held no lenses. Her eyes stared at him back momentarily before she cleared her throat. 

“Apologies. Was looking to run these down to labs.” Her words were short and cut at the end of each as she moved to head to her destination... which was to the same elevators he was heading to. 

“Don’t think too much about it, just remember to watch where you’re going,” he voiced as he walked beside her. Her eyes darted up to him briefly, and he recognized the guarded look on her face. 

“… You going to the labs as well?” 

“Meeting.” 

“Ah.” She looked at the buttons as they both got into the lift. Already she was scrunching her nose up at the many floors. He noted the Nubian shape to it before he pressed the buttons for their floors. 

As they stood in the elevator, he felt her eyes on him before he looked to glance down at her. 

Like most people, she was shorter than him, not even reaching the top of his shoulders. If he had to guess right off the bet, Miguel would assume she was just an inch or two below five foot five. Her hair seemed a golden brown, but didn’t look quite right against her deep tawny skin. There were signs of a perm, the roots having a slight wave that didn’t match the rest of the straighten peek-a-boo bob hairstyle she had and the smell of chemicals in the air. No doubt a regular person wouldn’t have immediately noticed, but the chemical smells of sodium hydroxide and ammonia were almost overpowering in the small space and his heightened senses. Smells further damned as he noted the way the light hit the color of her brows. It seemed almost a dark red… maybe even naturally light auburn if pushed? 

Her raised shoulders and a tight grip on the folders in her arms screamed in his mind as the small details were slowly adding together. 

“Keep staring and I’ll have to demand extra in my pay.” 

Her voice was rough, her accent something he’d hear in Down-town, the snarky tone bringing him out of his observations. He gave only a low gruff in response, turning his attention forward as they kept passing the floors. 

He felt her eyes remain on him. 

“Keep staring and I’ll charge back.” 

He heard her snort in a poor attempt to hide a laugh. 

“I’m sorry, just… you’re very tall.” 

“How observant.” 

“No, I-, What did your mother feed you? Four or five dozen eggs each morning?” Her joke made Miguel sigh and roll his eyes. Like that wasn’t the first time someone mentioned his height. “I didn’t see you during my orientation. I certainly would have remembered with that height.” 

“I obviously don’t deal with new employees’ orientations.” 

“Higher up then? Should have figured what with you heading to a meeting.” 

He hoped it was enough that she’d stop her attempt at small talk. Unfortunately, just like everything else in his life, he wasn’t given such a fortune.

“Any chance you can tell the new gal what the meeting’s about?” 

“Any chance you can shut up?” he looked back down at her unamused, only to see her raise a brow back at him with a slight smile threatening to appear on her lips. 

“No. Sadly, your gal here is an attention seeker. Hope you won’t nurse much of a grudge against that.”

“I have tough enough nipples to at least,” he muttered under his breath.

Her eyes went wide at his snark before he watched her face scrunch up. The woman wasn’t successful as she turned her face away, trying to hide her snickering behind one of her hands as her shoulder shook with mirth. He raised a brow at her reaction, having expected… well, not this. 

She tried to right herself after a few minutes, biting her bottom lip to stop further sounds of amusement leaving her. Her eyes went up to him, nose still slightly scrunched up. 

She had dimples. 

“You’re a funny guy. Certainly made my day with that,” she said, earning his other brow to raise up now. She adjusted her hold on the files and reached a hand towards him.

“Graves. Friends call me Jay.”

He took note she didn’t actually say her first name. He also noted the dark red and brown dyes on her fingertips, though didn’t take her hand.

“Miguel O’Hara.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. O’Hara.” 

“Miguel,” he stressed, cold at hearing the addressing. “Mr. O’Hara was my father.”

Her pause was different this time. Her smile fell as her brows furrowed by a minimal degree as she slowly took her hand back. What she was searching for in his face, he wasn’t sure, but he kept his expression in its stern neutral expression he used back in the Spider Society Headquarters. 

“… I get it,” ‘Jay’ said, looking back forward to the doors, her face soft in its neutrality. 

“Really?” That came out a lot more sarcastic than he meant to. 

“Yeah. Really.” She glanced back up at him, a slight, lopsided smirk on her face. “You’re still funny, though.” 

The elevator dinged and its doors opened. They were at her floors.

“I hope I see you around, Miguel,” she said, her eyes still on him as she walked off the elevator. “I’m expecting to be the errand gal, being new and all and I think you and I could be quite the pals.”

‘You wouldn’t think that if you knew anything else about me,’ he thought, though his gaze remained on her retreating form until the elevator doors closed. He typed a command into his gizmo for Lyla to look further into any troubles going on in the city. 

He knew those eyes from somewhere…

“Jay, sugar, I just got a text from one of the boys from the lab. Did you really call the Head of Alchemax’s Research and Development department funny?” 

Jacqueline looked up from her computer to see one of her new co-workers, a plump, pear-shaped, middle-aged woman she had been introduced to as Faith Hawkins. The older woman leaned against the wall by her desk, her long stylized nails tapping against the plaster. Jacqueline looked back down at her desk, ignoring the raised brow she was given. 

“Not entirely sure who you’re referrin’ to, Ms. Hawkins,” she answered. There were forms to still fill out, and she was determined to get through them and whatever errands this new place would give her. 

“Oh sweetie, I told you, call me Faith. And I’m talking about O’Hara. You know, Doctor Miguel O’Hara? Tall, dark, brooding, has the proportions to make a nacho chip jealous, and looks and acts like he has a constant stick shoved up his bum? Which is a fabulous bum, might I add,” Faith said, gesturing vaguely about the build of the person she was speaking of. Jacqueline snickered at the description. She paused as she covered her face with one hand to collect herself. 

“I don’t believe that sort of talk does well with HR, Faith,” she chuckled as she looked back over at her. “But yes, I met a Miguel O’Hara in the elevators and he made a joke I liked. I believe that makes a man funny in my books, see?”

Faith blinked and crossed her arms. 

“He made a joke?”

The most she could give Faith was a shrug. 

“Well, a bit of an inappropriate one, but it was funny.”

“An inappropriate joke? Doctor O’Hara?” 

“Why is this so hard to belief? Why is this such a big matter?” 

“Again, he looks and acts like he has a stick up his bum. The man has a reputation, sweetie.” 

She shook her head, huffing as she tried to get her focus back on the forms. Her mind went back over how Faith described the man despite the effort, however. Sure, they had established in the elevator the man had been in a high enough position to warrant heading into meetings, but after the encounter, Miguel hadn’t been a thought in her mind for long. The most afterthought she had to his physicality was that her granmè would have insisted on the man having something with potatoes in it. 

But Faith’s words got her mind reeling.

Head of Research and Development certainly meant quite the security. Security meant safety. And safety was something certainly needed. Perhaps if she got into his really good graces-

No.

She mentally stopped herself, pausing herself and rubbing the side of her forehead as she banished the thought process. No, such ideas were far more akin to how her mother would think, and Jacqueline made the vow to be the opposite of that woman ages ago. She’d rather be struck down by Thor before she went after a man for artificial reasons like that, not after seeing how such went for both her mother and her sisters in the end. Besides, it’d just get messy when considering her situation and what would need to be revealed at some point. The more she thought it over, it seemed more trouble than it was worth. 

‘Still, there’s nothing wrong with backup plans,’ Jacqueline thought, glancing at the picture of her and Devon she kept by. It was more recently taken, showcasing the new hair colors they had. She had corrected no one when they asked about her ‘son.’

Honestly, she should thank Faith, regardless of how unaware the older woman had been. Faith had been practically smothering her on her first day after orientation, asking many trivial questions about her life at first, far too aimed for just trying to get to know her. A mere glance at the picture when it was first set had been her saving grace.

Hey, if the office thinking she was a single mother trying to do right by her kid got her a more friendly atmosphere, who was she to correct it? After all, she might as well be.

“Aw, how is the little man?” 

Oh right, Faith was still there. Jacqueline blinked as she focused on reality again. She looked back over at the raven-haired woman, resting her head in her palm. 

“He’s still adapting to his new school. The pains of middle school. I do not miss it myself, honestly,” she answered with a chuckle. 

“I can imagine!” Faith drew closer, leaning much more over the desk to get a closer look at the picture. Jacqueline winced as those long nails clacked on the flat surface. “New grade, new school… new home?” 

She pursed her lips at the question. 

‘She means well, she means well, she means well-’

“The tragedies of the economy,” she gritted out. She didn’t miss how Faith’s chocolate eyes glanced down at her hands, no doubt noting the ring that wasn’t there. “Kids cost a lot to have.” 

“I suppose they do, especially on a single salary, huh?” Faith sighed as she turned away and leaned her back against the desk.

“Eh, well, it’s better than before.” Little truths. Nothing that ever was a complete lie. She long knew such things were the best ways to lie. “He was born while I was still in college.”

She looked at the form on her screen. Some of the numbers provided were just horrible. They’d need adjusting. A noise from Faith made her tense, and the slight choke reminded her too much of her childhood home. 

“… You needed anything else? I do want to focus on these forms,” she asked, furrowing her brow. 

“No! No, I…” Faith tapped her nails on the edge of the desk. “I think Lara’s calling for me. I should go see what she needs. I’ll see you around, Jay!” 

As Jacqueline watched the older woman leave, her frown deepened. She certainly had not heard Lara Clay called for anyone.

Project Collaborate Team 3 (stop changing the group name, Faith!)

Thornton: Apparently that new hire you guys in Finances called Miguel funny. I’m not sure if the look he had was if she’d lost her mind, or someone just told him God was real.

Clay: Are you talking about Jacqueline? 

Hawkins: Oh I need this confirmation, stat!

——————

Hawkins: Alright, Lara, I think I need some help with math here.

Clay: Usually you’re asking Mark for help on that sort of thing.

Witts: I was about to say ^ 

Witts: Although Mark’s currently working on something. He’s not seeing this chat for sometime.

Hawkins: Yes, but this is on some ages I’m trying to figure out.

Hopkins: Hold on, I just caught up to the chat. Ages? Where did ages come in, Faith? 

Hawkins: Jay said something and it got me a bit befuddled. 

Hawkins: Does anyone know how old the dear is?

Clay: I can look up her birthdate. 

Hopkins: And this got you befuddled because…?

Hawkins: Well, her little boy just started middle school, right? That’s at least 11 years old? 

Witts: That is the normal age for a child starting middle school, yeah?

Hawkins: Well, Jay said she had him while she was in college. 

Hawkins: And I’m sorry, but little Jay does not occur to me being any older than 25 at best.

Clay: Found it. She’s 28, birthday June 22 2081

Hawkins: Thanks, Lara sweetie!

Witts: Looks like you’re off with your age assumptions, Faith.

Hopkins: 28? with an 11-year-old? 

Patton: Alright got on break what I miss

Witts: Age math. 

Patton: Ah the worst kind of math

Clay: Yeah, especially when it means one of our new coworkers was, at best, a 17 year old college student with a baby. 

Patton: Huh

Hopkins: Read up, Zak.

Hawkins: Oh the poor dear. No wonder why she’s so cagey! Single mom, a young one too! 

Hawkins: And clearly not getting much help from the father, if he’s even still around the scene. 

Patton: or maybe she does not know who the dad 

Clay: Explain? 

Patton: well she was in college right

Witts: Zak, I’d be very careful with what I think you’re about to say.

Patton: oh come on James

Patton: college is crazy obviously she started college young

Patton: bet you it was a party and there were a few

Hawkins: Yeah, no, she does not occur to me as having been a party girl.

Clay: So do I. Jacqueline has two degrees. 

Clay: Not a lot of time for parties, I imagine.

Witts: Wait, really? 

Hopkins: I’m over at Lara’s desk, and I can confirm.

Hopkins: Jacqueline’s pay is also pretty good for a new hire.

Hawkins: Oh good, that makes me feel better about her situation. 

Patton: what degrees she got

Hopkins: Master's in Economics and a Bachelor's in History. 

Hopkins: certainly not dumb. 

Witts: We all work at Alchemax, hardly any of us are dumb! 

Hawkins: Although Zak’s punctuation in this chat puts that into question.

Patton: hey!!!!

Witts: Oh, so you do know how to use punctuation!

Patton: i only have to use periods and stuff for reports

Witts: which I still have to proofread. 

Patton: shock you

Hopkins: Language. 

Clay: English. 

Hopkins: -_- 

Patton: Hey if you can see everyones pay Lara

Clay: I’m not revealing everyone’s exact pay, Zak.

Patton: worth a shot.