The Void

Chapter 38 - 10 Minutes

(Your POV):
"Thanks for agreeing to come with me," I told Peter, grabbing a flute of champagne from a passing server. "Despite attending a quite few of these with my parents, I don't know many people here and it's nice to have someone to talk to."

He flashed me his adorable smile, "of course, (Y/N). I've never been to an event like this, but I was willing to give it a try for you- and Harry, of course. Speaking of Harry, do you know where he is?"

"He's probably not going to come out until the speeches are made and I'm sure afterwards they'll be quite a crowd around him. I'm afraid you're going to be stuck with me for a while, Parker."

"I think I can live with that," he smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "I did tell you that you look absolutely amazing, didn't I?"

I blushed slightly as he complimented me, "thank you, Peter. But I am sure that I in no way compare to the other women here."

Peter glanced around the room before turning back to me, "nope, I couldn't find any other woman that can come close to comparing to you."

My blush deepened and I found myself wanting to kiss him again. This had become a problem for me, I had to restrain myself multiple times a day. But I didn't know how soon was too soon, so I told myself to wait until Peter made the first move.

Soon the room was filled with clapping, making us realize the ceremony was beginning. Harry followed Mr. Osborn's former assistant onto the stage and she stepped up to the microphone to address the audience.

"Today marks something that for all of us is bittersweet. Norman Osborn was a huge part of all of our lives, he was a dedicated and generous boss. When he had an idea, he wouldn't stop until he had made that idea a reality. That's why we are so happy to announce that the company will be turned over to the one person that he trusted would keep his perseverance alive. His son, Harry Osborn. He may only be a senior in high school, but he has been consistently at the top of his class and shows the same determination that his father did. I would love if everyone could join me in welcoming him to the Oscorp family as the new owner of Oscorp," Felicia announced to the crowd, giving Harry a warming smile.

Harry nodded and stepped to the microphone, a small smile across his lips. But despite him trying to act thankful, I could see the exhaustion that lay in his eyes. He didn't want to be there, I knew that he just wanted his father back. His defeated look rose a sense of guilt inside of me, knowing that I was the cause of his distress. But there was also something else in his look, something dangerous.

"Thank you, Felicia. And thank you to everyone here. My father was a great man, as I am sure everyone already knows. There were times when I thought that he could have been a better father, but I understand now that he had such a responsibility here that he had to make sacrifices for this corporation to survive. Now, looking back, I just want to be like him. I will probably never be as strong a leader as he was, but I will do my best every day to live up to his standards and bring Oscorp to new levels, just as my father would have done," Harry spoke, lifting his flute of champagne in the air. "To my father."

Felicia stepped over and added, "and to Harry, the new owner of Oscorp."

We toasted the former and new owners, signaling the end of the ceremony. Now we were left to mingle once again, but this time Harry was mixed in with the crowd as well. So Peter and I made our way over to him, along with about half of the guests. While we waited to get a word with him, Peter and I idly chatted and both agreed that we weren't big fans of celebrations like these, we much preferred the parties that Harry threw himself.

Eventually we managed to make it to Harry and his eyes lit up upon seeing some friendly faces. He immediately pulled Peter into a hug and exclaimed, "hey, Pete, how're you doing? Thanks for coming out for this, I wasn't really expecting to see you."

"Anything for you, Harry, you should have guessed that I was coming. Well, I wouldn't have if (Y/N)'s parents were, but that's just because they terrify me," Peter replied, lightheartedly joking but I knew that if he were to actually meet my parents that would be far from a joke.

"Ah yes, I've heard about that. Pete's finally gotten himself a girl, has he? Don't know what you could possibly see in him," Harry teased Peter, turning his attention to me.

I gave him a smile and leaned in, as though I were going to give him a kiss on the cheek. Instead, I whispered softly into his ear, "meet me in your new office in ten minutes, I have something urgent to discuss with you."

As I pulled away, the radiant smile still plastered on my face, I spoke to him at a normal volume, "Harry, we truly are very proud of you, congratulations."

He placed his hand on his cheek, where I had pretended to kiss him, "(Y/N), I wasn't expecting you to be the kiss on the cheek type, perhaps being in a relationship was brought out the flirty side in you. You may want to be careful, you don't want to make Peter jealous."

I wrapped my arm around Peter's, "I don't worry about that, Peter knows that I'm his and his only. Anyway, we should probably let you get through the rest of your guests, you are the man of the hour after all."

After we left Harry, Peter and I fell into light conversation once more. When it was almost time for my meeting with Harry, I turned to Peter, "the celebration is dying down, so we can leave if you would like. I just have to stop by my parents' lab for something, but I should only be a few minutes. Maybe after we can go get some hot chocolate?"

"Oh, I can come with you, maybe I can help," Peter offered, eager to be of use and I suspected he was also curious as to what my parents were working on.

"Sorry, Peter, but it's for very limited personnel, I had to get strict permission from my parents to be doing this for them, I don't think that you'll be able to slip in. I do appreciate the offer, though. Would you wait for me to finish up?"

He gave me a smile and kissed my cheek, "of course."

I felt too flustered for a moment to move, having just experienced our first kiss. It wasn't a real kiss, of course. But it was still something. I wanted to stay with Peter, to leave the celebration with him and leave my mission behind, but I knew that that wouldn't be wise with how much trouble I had gotten into this month alone. I was treading on thin ice with my parents and couldn't afford to let such a simplistic mission slip through my fingers.

So instead I left Peter alone in the reception area of Oscorp, nodding at Harry as I made my way to the elevator. He received my signal and apologized to those around him, excusing himself as well and following me up to his office.

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(A/N): My sister and I are catching up on Outlander and oof lots of bad things are happening. Contrary to this story where things are calm, for now at least! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!