Secretly Yours - Wanda Maximoff x reader

Chapter 9: Solvable

My head hit the table with a loud thud. I wanted more than anything to knock Maximoff's Gucci socks off with the first assignment. I figured first impressions were important, and since I'd kind of messed that up, solving this impossible case was a close second.

The sun had long disappeared below the horizon, leaving us in the comfort of the office's low lighting and peaceful emptiness. Peter and I were the last people left on the floor; other interns had taken the case home with them, or just given up completely, figuring we were being taunted with the unsolvable case. And though they were probably right, I wanted to at least show that I was willing to devote everything to proving them wrong.

The cool wooden surface pressed against my forehead did little to calm my raging headache. We'd been at it for hours, and I was starting to lose my sanity.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this for," Peter admitted, the confession making me sit back up straight so I could shoot him a disappointed glare.

"No, don't quit on me now."

He groaned, pushing his spinny chair back in finality. "Y/n, I'm tired."

"Tough shit. We're all tired!" I held my forceful glare, hoping the tough love would get him to stay at least a little bit longer. I was so close to figuring it out, I could feel it! "Pleeeease!"

"Y/n, are you forgetting about something?" he asked with a small laugh. I raised an eyebrow in questioning. "Kit!"

At the mention of my cat's name, I let out a huge gasp. In that second, I was prepared to drop everything I was doing, even if it meant disappointing Maximoff. Kit would always come first.

Peter put a hand on my arm to stop me from packing up. "Don't worry, I'll feed him when I get home. You just figure out this stupid case for the both of us. Someone needs to wipe that annoying smirk off Miss Maximoff's face."

I nodded gratefully. That sounded like a good plan to me.

As soon as he disappeared behind the sleek metal doors of the elevator, I got back to work. My hands moved swiftly across the keyboard, my fingers turned pages between breaks of writing. Words swirled in my brain until they formed a pattern. And suddenly it all began to make sense. My eyebrows furrowed and my lip caught in my teeth in concentration; I didn't want to get too far ahead of myself but it was beginning to seem like I'd found the answer.

Peter sent a selfie of him and Kit, both lying on his bed—stomachs full and content—but I didn't let it distract me for too long. If what I was thinking was actually right, I might've just become Maximoff's favourite intern... well that was probably a task more impossible than any case I could be given, but it was a thought that spurred me to keep on going. I fought off sleep with a massive swig of coffee, barely giving myself enough time to wipe the warm drops from my chin before I started typing again. Then finally, when I was sure I'd finished, I sat back in my chair, sighing with satisfaction.

I hadn't noticed the presence behind me until they cleared their throat, almost making me fall off my seat in shock.

"This is really good."

Her green eyes sparkled even more brightly in the dark, and her glowing skin looked softer, sprinkled with a constellation of freckles I noticed for the first time as she leaned closer to get a better look at my laptop. For the first time my heart didn't race at her presence, it slowed down. I had to force myself to look back at the screen, shaking my head the tiniest bit to get myself to focus.

"You seem surprised," I replied, a hint of disappointment breaking through, despite my attempt to hide it.

She turned her head to look at me, a slight upwards tugging of her lips—a movement so small I almost missed it. "Every year we find a seemingly impossible case for our new interns, and almost every year the interns fail." She rested against the desk to see me more easily, no longer close enough to notice the nervous rise and fall of my chest, but not far enough to free me of her intoxicating presence. "You're not the first intern to ever complete their assignment, but you've certainly impressed me with your dedication."