a second chance | gwen stacy x fem! reader

13: The Golden Boy

A jingle is heard from the door, perking Harry's attention as he organizes some boxes in the back. He places a box down, dusting his hands off as he heads to the front. "Welcome to Easy as Cake, what can I get for you?" He stands in front of the cash register, looking at the elderly customer in front of him.

"Um.. I'll get a large.. coffee cake." The person points at the cake presented in the display. "Ah, excellent choice. That's my personal favourite." Harry taps the register a few times. "Any special message you want on it?" He blinks a few times as the person hums loudly. They continue humming for a few minutes before Harry sighs quietly, pressing his lips together while tapping the register.

The door bell rings again as Harry looks up, clearly impatient as he grunts a little. He knows he has to say the catchphrase again, or he'd get yelled at by his supervisor. He already got lectured because his boss figured out he let some cakes go for free, resulting in the shop losing their already low profit.

It seemed everyone hated because he was an Osborn, his boss in particular. But, his looks didn't hurt his chance with girls. Of course, Harry hated his job, but he'd only done it because his father told him so. He was considering handing in his resignation soon since he wanted to fully devote his time to the company and finding a cure for his father.

"Hello?" A hand is waved in front of his face, catching his attention. Harry's eyes widen as the person seems to have the message ready. "O-Oh, sorry." He rubs the back of his neck. The person lowers their eyebrows, recognizing Harry. "Wait.. I recognize you from somewhere." The person laughs a little, clearing their throat and making Harry scowl slightly.

"I don't think you do." Harry gives a slight smile, obviously trying to change the topic. The customer leans against the counter, feeling a little comfortable. "Are you the kid from those Oscorp advertisements? Harry Osborn?" They raise their eyebrow, looking at Harry as if analyzing him. Harry clears his throat, feeling uncomfortable. "I'm afraid you've gotten me mixed up for someone else." Harry responds, making the person sigh.

The person lightly slams their fist on the counter. "Damn.." The person gives a hum, feeling stumped. "Yeah, me thinking that an Osborn would be working at some lousy cake shop." He shakes his head, looking away. "I don't trust that company.. No one's heard of Norman Osborn in YEARS, and yet he still runs it. Heard a rumor on the news that he was secretly a scientist gone crazy and he got locked up." He laughs and points his finger at Harry, who continues to look down.

After a few more seconds, Harry glances back up, wiping his nose. "Um, your message?" Harry asks in his customer service voice, ignoring the customer's small talk. The person presses their lips together. "It's to my wife. Darlene. It's her birthday, so write happy birthday." The person grunts, scratching their head a little as Harry nods. "Alright. It'll be just a minute." The person carefully observes Harry's figure with a raised eyebrow as he walks to the back, stepping into the large freezer.

"So fucking annoying." Harry scowls as he reaches the freezer, taking out a box from one of the shelves and aggressively pushing the door open. He mutters swear words under his breathe as he steps into the front, seeing the customer in view again. Harry places down the box in front of the person, opening it as he grabs wrapped icing from the little fridge next to him.

Harry's face brightens up again, the frustration disappearing from his face. He holds the icing to the cake as the customer eagerly watches. "Be careful, my wife doesn't like her message ruined. That's her favourite part of a cake." Harry groans, beginning to concentrate and squeeze the wrapping around the icing onto the cake. A ding is heard, alerting Harry as he continues to concentrate. He sighs loudly, glancing up after a few seconds.