#hellraiser!mike x reader

Knowing that Chaz is hoping to start an argument, Mike tries to keep his focus on the laptop. The rents around the city are atrocious, but it might be worth getting a tiny studio just to get away from this. It's way too soon to ask to move in with you, and that's assuming your place has room for him.

That you still want to be with him. Mike's not used to relationships, sure, but does it normally take this long to have sex? Is he not doing enough? Are you embarrassed to be seen with him? Is it because he's not an exec? Not making the big money?

No, that doesn't track with what he knows about you. You're honest. If you weren't having fun, if you weren't actually interested, you'd tell him outright. And besides, in a relationship sex isn't the end goal, right? He can wait. Be mature. Especially for you.

Stressing over dates isn't something you're used to. It had become so routine to show up, be disappointed, and just head home. But with Mike, it was so delightfully different. It's been so long since you went on a date with someone interested in you.

That's probably why you've been putting off sex for so long.

Looking at yourself in the mirror, you eye every single flaw. Every stretch mark, wrinkle, grey hair, chin hair. Your breasts sag more and more each year. You gave up shaving your pubic hair, even just to trim, because you knew no man would ever want to see it anyway.

You can already picture Mike's disappointment, maybe even revulsion, should he see you.

But that doesn't play well with what you already know about him. He's so sweet, especially towards you. He could have been an ass like his brother, but he's really found his place as a charismatic, charming, kind young man.

Those thoughts can't quiet the negative voice in your head saying he'll turn into just another disappointment once he sees you naked.

Tonight is the first date with Mike that doesn't take you both to the club that caters to people of your age difference. You're actually going to be out amongst people significantly less likely to be tolerant of your relationship. Sure, there's been a lot of progress in accepting older women with younger men, but societal norms like this are slow to change.

When you exit your building, Mike runs out of the car to open up the passenger side for you, smiling brightly. His enthusiasm and gentlemanly behavior make you giggle in a way you haven't for decades.

"Thank you, so much," you beam at him as you get into the car.

Running back to the driver's seat, Mike sits back down and leans in for a kiss that you're happy to give.

"You're such a good kisser," you purr, making him blush.

As he drives, the two of you chat about various topics. You're especially interested in how his apartment hunt is going. What little he's told you about his current living situation has you worried about him. But with his new job, he's got proof of income and that dramatically increases his options for a new apartment. Every time he talks about his progress you make sure to praise him in the same ways you wish someone had for you when you were figuring out the world. It's been a while since you were in a relationship but you still know how to be a supportive girlfriend.

Mike finds a decent parking spot and insists on you waiting for him to open your door before you get out, making you smile, even if you feel a little shy from the attention.

"Thanks for not minding that the place isn't fancy," he blushes as he opens the door to the restaurant for you.

"It's not a problem. I don't care for fancy places, anyway. They always overcharge for such tiny pieces of food."

"Right?! And you're always hungry afterwards!"

"Exactly! Best to get a cheaper meal that's actually filling."

The two of you keep chatting as you find a table. It's such a different environment for your dates and you're doing your best to not pay attention to others in the restaurant. Focusing on Mike, you try to make yourself as openly affectionate as you are when you know people aren't judging.

Mike absolutely soaks up the attention and affection. It helps him fight that little voice telling him you're not as interested in him as he had hoped. Especially as, throughout the night, you're inching your chair closer and closer to him. It's subconscious for you, wanting to be physically close to him. He's so warm, attentive, and you've been missing that. By the time your food arrives, you're close enough to be touching elbows.

A few times you couldn't help but look around, it was relieving to see how few people were looking at you and Mike. The one or two that were seemed more impressed than judgy or disapproving. It really helps you to relax and Mike picks up on it.

"You're really happy with me, aren't you?" he beams.

"Of course I am. You're not just cute, you're sweet, intelligent and, most importantly, patient with me."

"I gotta admit, I've been worried you were losing interest."

"Oh?" you blink a few times in surprise. Then it hits you. "Oh. Because I haven't let it go past making out?"

Mike blushes, "yeah. But that' just because I've never really been in a relationship. I don't know how it's supposed to go, you know?"

"If it helps, I've been wanting to drag into bed," you confess and Mike perks up. "I'm curious to see what you can do. But I'm also scared of what you'll think of me."

"Wait, you think you're not sexy?" he gapes.

"I'm able to hide a lot of flaws with my clothes," you shrug.

He thinks for a moment before scooting close, wrapping an arm around your waist and looking deep into your eyes.

"You need me to be patient, I get that. But when you're ready, I can promise you I will be full of compliments and eager to show you what I can do to that gorgeous body of yours."

"Oh," you blink, cheeks heating up. "Oh, you're good."

"Just wait and see," he winks.

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"Now head out before I call my assistant. Gotta figure out what this payment to the flower shop is all about."

"Oh, it was Valentine's this weekend," Mike explains. "Doesn't she normally get Mom flowers for you?"

Dad blinks a few times. "It was Valentine's already? Huh. Feels like it comes by earlier and earlier each year."

He shakes his head and motions for Mike to leave his home office.

Out in the living area of the penthouse, Mike spies a giant bundle of fresh flowers in the garbage. Mom must've already gotten in her social media photos showing them off and bragging. All the stuff she needs to make people think she's living her best life.

She walks up to him, glass of wine in her hand. "So, you think you're better than me and your brother?"

"What?"

"Going out on your own? Getting a real job instead of the job your father gets for you? You think you're better than us?" she seethes.

"No, of course not," he shakes his head, not making eye contact. Eye contact with Mom is taken as a challenge by her.

She huffs. "Damn right you're not. Won't be long before you're begging him for spending money like the rest of us. Debasing yourself for the bare minimum of attention. Losing yourself to his control over you."

Mike doesn't answer, just keeps his head down. This time of year is always tricky with her. Best to keep quiet and let her rant until she finds another target or needs to refill her wine.

When she finally slogs off for her next bottle, Mike hurries to his room. He really should have moved out already but he's gotta get the funds. Maybe someday he can move in with his Boss Lady. The thought makes him smile. But first, he's gotta get ready for their first date!

First date jitters were something you haven't experienced in such a long time. And certainly not to such an extreme. Not only is it a potential new relationship, but it's the first time you're with someone significantly younger.

What if you're a disappointment? You've never been any guy's first choice, why would that change with Mike?

Well, at least you and Mike have gotten to know each other a little bit before trying to date. That's something, right?

The two of you agreed to go to the same club where Maggie had taken you previously. It was an attempt to not feel so out of place, to know that you weren't getting disapproving looks and the like. Plus, you asked Maggie if she was willing to be at the club in case something went wrong. Sure, Mike acts like such a sweet puppy, but you still need to be careful.

Sitting at the table and waiting for him gives you even more time to contemplate how many ways you can screw this up.

You're startled out of your thoughts by a small bouquet of gladiolas.

"Hi! I remember you saying how much you love gladiolas, but also that you're allergic to them so I got you some fake ones! I hope that's okay."

"I love them," you answer truthfully, beaming at the beautiful bouquet. It's incredible that, with just one gift, Mike shows that he's paying attention to your wants and needs. You're not sure you've had that before. At least not without expressly saying what it is you were wanting.

Mike sighs in relief before sitting across from you.

You lean forward a little, resting your elbows on the table and notice how his eyes are immediately drawn to your breasts. He catches himself and sheepishly looks into your eyes, gently biting his lower lip.

Trying to hide how much the look affected you, you smirk, "I think it's important we set up some...boundaries? Expectations? We work in the same building and it wasn't that long ago I was your boss. I want to be sure we're not breaking rules or getting either of us in trouble."

"Okay, yeah, that makes sense," he nods. He looks like he's scared he's already doing things wrong. Something you can truly relate to.

You gently take his hand. "It's okay," you coo. "We're both a little out of our depth here and that's why I want to make sure we're careful. Don't want to trip over a divot we could've seen coming."

Mike blushes a little at the touch. "I get it, I promise!"

"Thank you for that," you smile at him.

Truly you are grateful. How many men have bulldozed over your concerns? Called you frigid because you wanted boundaries? Demanded you make them your priority and never expect them to do the same for you?

"And I need you to know that you have agency here, too," you encourage. "It's not just me setting boundaries for the office, it's you as well. It's not just me getting my needs met, it's you too. You're allowed to tell me if you feel like I'm not giving you enough attention, or too much. If one of my boundaries or requests isn't fair to you."

Mike looks like he could cry. "I understand. And thank you! I've never really done the relationship thing before so I'm glad I've got you helping, leading the way and all that."

The next hour or so is spent talking, drinking a bit and snacking. Mike is eager to show off by regularly going to fetch you refills and you let yourself admire his posterior before he disappears into the crowd.

You're also not sure how it happened, but you find yourself sitting closer and closer to him, your chair moving inch by inch. Probably his chair as well, given how you're both placed now. The proximity is comforting, relaxing, safe. You even let yourself touch his arm more often, occasionally his leg. He leans into your touch when caress his cheek. You make sure to remind him he can tell you "no" at any time. He doesn't think he ever will.

By the time you're ready to call it a night, you make sure to make plans to meet up again. He looks like he wants to kiss you goodnight, but isn't sure how or if it would be appropriate. So you help him out by bringing him in for a deep, heated, passionate kiss like you've always wanted.

When you let go, he's got a dazed, but happy look on his face that makes you feel so damn sexy.

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Mike looks like he could cry. "I was going to tell them that, with so many people out of the office, it's a great time to actually focus on getting work done."

You nod in agreement. "Very good. I like that. Just make sure your hours are covered, you are an intern and we don't want you overworked or for us to be in legal trouble because you've gotten in too many hours."

Mike nods excitedly, "yeah! Of course! I'll double check with Mr. Pine or Mr. Syverson. Thank you, so much!"

You shake your head at how much of a puppy he can be. "Is there anything else?"

"Oh, yeah, um...the uh..." Mike flips through his notes. "Right! Bob and Staci are still fighting over how the expenses tables should be organized."

That makes you roll your eyes. "Yeah, those two can be a lot. But they're not your responsibility and you don't have to answer to them. I'll make the decision of the how they're organized and they'll just have to deal with it."

"Thank you! I swear Staci's been on a warpath since Halloween."

You let out a tired sigh, "agreed. But, she's my problem, not yours. Anything else?"

Mike looks through his notes, "umm...nope. That's it."

"Okay, you check with the IT department to see about those hours. Go ahead and email me with their response."

"Sure thing, Boss Lady!" Mike gives a playful salute before heading out.

"Okay, let me see how you look," Maggie calls from outside the bathroom.

You give yourself another look over in the mirror. It's been forever since you've been out specifically for the purpose of hooking up. And you've never gone out looking for someone younger.

The halter top dress was bought on impulse a few years ago when you were just looking to feel pretty. You were lucky to find something that had fit you, even if now it felt a little tight in some places.

Nervous, you open the door for Maggie's appraisal. She does this more often so you'll follow her lead.

"Oooo! Nice touch going for the halter top," she praises. "I can't tell you how much it makes the young men go crazy. The dark blue is definitely your color. The makeup is nice, might need a little more lipstick. But yes! This is a good look!"

You let out a sigh of relief.

Maggie grabs your arm. "Just remember, be confident and you'll have those cubs eating out of your hand."

"Do you have to call them that?"

"Well, only if they're into it, I suppose" she giggles.

Mike is almost jittery with excitement. This is going to be a very new thing for him, and several of the other guys. Sure, they should probably be studying for midterms, but what is college if not a time for sexual experimentation?

The club that Peter had found was an established place so it felt a lot safer, they could follow the leads of others to learn what's expected of them. T.J. and Kyle had made sure to dress up hoping for a rich woman to impress while Mike and Peter dressed as they would for any club.

Mike was already feeling nervous so wearing comfortable clothing helped. Especially with pants that weren't so...tight. He'd been exploring more of the videos in the "mature" category and he's at least self-aware enough to know tight pants are not the way to go tonight.

The guys hype themselves up and head out, all laughs and the appearance of confidence.

You are so very glad for Maggie's presence. Usually going out garners you very little, if any, attention. Now you're getting looks left and right. It's a little unnerving, even if flattering. But with Maggie at your side, you can follow her lead as she helps you navigate things.

When you get a moment to yourselves, she asks you for an assessment.

"Well, I'm not feeling the overly confident ones," you admit.

"That's fine," Maggie reassures. "Besides, I'll happily take them off your hands."

"Good luck with that Kyle character," you roll your eyes. "He very much believes himself to be a gift to women."

Maggie smiles smugly. "And he'll be that much more fun to upstage."

"He's in for quite the surprise when realizes how little he knows, huh?"

"Damn right!" She sips her drink before asking, "so if you're not into the over-confident ones, how do you feel about the shy puppies?"

"Eh, it's closer to what I think my pace is, but the shyer ones make me feel like a predator."

"Ah, I get that. So we need to find you someone on the puppy side of the scale but not the 'lost puppy' type."

"Didn't Kyle say he was here with friends? Maybe one of them is more my type and then you can keep his attention."

"Excellent idea!" Maggie exclaims. She looks around for Kyle and motions the young man over. "Kyle," she purrs, making the young man's breath hitch, "I don't suppose one of your friends would be the type to have a little less...bravado than you? My friend here isn't one for such..confidence like you have."

Kyle smirks and you have to fight to roll your eyes. He's cute, but so overly sure of himself. "Yeah, I think Peter would be delighted!"

Kyle looks around, gesturing at someone in the crowd. A young man with brown hair and brown eyes approaches with a shy smile.

"This is my buddy Peter Parker," Kyle beams. "He's always eager to please, aren't you?"

Peter blushes and you smile at him.

Not wanting the awkwardness to continue you ask, "so what are you majoring in, Peter?"

His eyes brighten and he gets a little animated, yeah, he's you're type. "Oh! I'm majoring in biochemistry with a minor in photography!"

"That's an impressive combination," you compliment, making his cheeks blush.

As the four of you chat, you find yourself relaxing and actually having fun. Peter is so smart, cute and sweet, pretty much everything you've been looking for. Maybe this could go somewhere?

On the other side of the bar, Mike is watching you and Peter flirt and he feels his heart drop. Sure, you're his boss, he shouldn't have feelings for you. Yeah, he agreed to go to this place in the hopes of not thinking about you when he jerks off. But seeing you possibly giving to Peter the attention you should be giving him has Mike feeling the urge to run.

Maybe if he told Peter you were his boss he'd back off? Shit, that might sound like Mike was staking a claim or something. Say you were off limits like that would cock-blocking, something the group had avowed to never do. Plus, maybe you need to get laid, too. And Mike doesn't want to keep you from your fun. No matter how selfish he wants to be, he has to be a bro and let Peter, and you, have fun.

But he doesn't have to stick around for it.

He messages the group that this place just isn't working for him. TJ agrees and says he and Mike will head somewhere else for their fun. Peter and Kyle probably wish him luck, but Mike doesn't bother checking. He just wants to forget about you and Peter.

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Mike's face brightens at that. Positive feedback isn't something he's used to, especially when it's sincere. Mike doesn't trust many people but Mr. Pine and Mr. Syverson have proven themselves to be trustworthy.

"Your supervisor in the Accounting Department made several points showin' how you've grown yer skills," Mr. Syverson adds.

Mike blushes at the thought of you praising him. He tries to keep it under control, but he can only do so much. Really, he should be grateful the other men aren't asking further questions or poking fun. Despite everything he's seen about the "real world" he likes to think this is the kind of professionalism he can find when he gets a permanent job.

"And it is with these items in mind that we would like to offer you a job," Mr. Pine continues. Mike's eyes widen in surprise and Mr. Pine smiles softly. "One of the things we've been trying to do with our IT department is to have a couple of people who prioritize 'customer service' as it is. People who can focus on tickets from within the company."

"We've already got Jake workin' on that," Mr. Syverson explains. "But he's only one person and there's only so many people in the department he can rely on to be nice to other people in the department. Some of 'em have gotten better and we've been getting fewer complaints, but people don't generally go into IT to work with others."

"Not to mention, getting assigned a ticket can be disruptive to their projects," Mike adds, nodding his understanding.

"Exactly," Mr. Pine's face lights up. "But with the feedback we've received, we believe you could be good for such a position. Not only were your people skills listed as a strength, but you've also got experience with our systems, how we run things here, and the like. You would be working under Jensen, and it's only part-time until you graduate. But, upon graduation, we would be happy to hire you on full-time. If that is something you would like."

Mike can barely contain himself. "Um...can I...how long do I have to give you an answer?"

"I understand this is the last week of your internship, so we'll give you until the end of the week."

"Thank you, sirs! I'll definitely have an answer for you by then!"

It's your last meeting with Mike and, even though you knew it was coming, you still feel sad that you likely won't be seeing much of that adorable, high energy, young man. Given that Pine asked you for a report on him, it's likely he's going to be offered something more permanent, but that doesn't mean he'll take the offer. You wouldn't blame him for not doing so, he's young and has so much potential. At the very least, he probably has something lined up at his father's company.

"Hey Boss!" Mike beamed as he entered your office, startling you out of your thoughts. You're really going to miss him.

"Won't be calling me that for much longer," you smile softly. "I hope you don't mind but, as this is our last meeting, I got you a little something." Mike leans forward, eyes sparkling and you can't help the mental comparison to a puppy who's been offered a treat.

Reaching into one of your desk drawers, you pull out a rubber ducky wearing a blazer, similar to the ones you wear. You know that programmers often use rubber ducks to talk out problems with their coding but Mike has told you that talking to you helps him more. Given how his smile widens, you think he appreciates the gesture.

"This is awesome, Boss!"

"I'm also going to give you some personal contact information, should you ever need it," you add. His face softens, looking like you've given him a priceless treasure. "If you ever need a reference, or in case of emergency you don't want to have family 'help' you with, feel free to give me a call."

"That's..." Mike looks like he might cry. "I can't...um...that's incredible but..."

"If it's too much, I can rescind," you reassure. "Just use my professional information if you need a reference."

"That's not the problem," he raises his hands to stop you. "I just..." he lets out a breath. "I have to confess something."

He looks so pained, uncomfortable, about all of this. You're worried you've overstepped, but the best thing you can do is listen so you nod to encourage him to talk.

"I...I saw you at that..at the...the cougar club," he admits. Your eyes widen in surprise as heat rushes to your face. You open and close your mouth several times, unsure of what to say or where this is going.

Mike continues, "I...I was there because, well, because, I've...I've had a crush on you. I was...I was kinda hoping going would...would let me get over that because I didn't think you'd be interested." He takes a deep breath to steady himself, grateful you're just listening. "Peter is a buddy of mine and...I bolted as soon as I saw you flrting with him. I didn't...didn't want to cock block him or something but...You remember when I was being surly? Withdrawn? You thought it was midterms or something? I was...still trying to shut down, to not...to not think about you in that halter top, looking sexy as hell. Couple weeks ago, Peter confessed nothing happened between the two of you and...and I thought...maybe, now that I'm not working under you, maybe...maybe you'd like to go out sometime? But then you offered up your phone number without me asking and...I can't...I can't take it if you don't know..."

Silence falls between the two of you and Mike starts fidgeting, worried he'd overstepped. He knows you're thinking, he recognizes the tells, and knows you need quiet. But he's aching for some kind of response. He needs to know.

"Well," you finally speak. "Now that you're not my intern, I'm...I'm certainly willing to try. You're handsome, of course, but also have a good heart, smart mind. I'm...how about we start with dinner next week?"

Mike vibrates in the chair and you smile softly. "Thank you, so much, for giving me a chance! I'm gonna tell Mr. Syverson I'll accept their job offer!"

You blink a few times. "What?"

"Oh, they offered me something permanent here, but I wasn't going to accept if you didn't share my feelings," he confesses. "Part time until I'm done with college at the end of the semester. Then I'll be here full time, working exclusively for the IT department."

You smirk and Mike feels his blood flow to his crotch. "Smart. But we'll still be starting with a simple dinner date."

"Yes, Ma'am," he breathes.

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"So how are things going with the old bat?" Chaz taunts over dinner.

"Don't call her that!" Mike scowls. "She's my boss and she's awesome. You're just mad because she's too good for you."

Chaz scoffs and rolls his eyes. "So of course you're latching onto her like a lost puppy."

Mike slams a fist on the table only to be glared at by Dad.

"Ugh. Will you both stop your bickering?" Mom groans, already on her third glass of wine.

"Sorry, Mom," Mike mumbles. Chaz just rolls his eyes; he's not actually expected to apologize.

Dad returns to alternating between eating and working on his phone.

"Maybe I should take another crack at that cougar," Chaz goads, earning a silent glare from Mike.

Mike is looking forward to a night out with some buddies. They're trying out different bars and clubs and the next one is known to cater to older women. He's hopeful he can just get more visuals so he doesn't see your face again next time he's masturbating.

"I wish I could say this has been fun, Pete." You make sure to use your date's name so that he actually pays attention to what you're saying. "But you're clearly not interested and have just been flirting with the waitress the whole time so I'm going to go home."

"Yeah, probably for the best," Pete shrugs. "You want to tell your aunt it didn't work out or should I tell my cousin? They'll both be expecting something."

"We'll tell our respective relatives it just wasn't a match. If they ask for further details, I'll say you were clearly not interested and you can tell them I'm not your type. You know, the truth."

Pete half smiles. "Deal."

"Happy hunting," you reply, rolling your eyes as you stand up.

"To you as well," Pete chimes, raising his glass, clearly oblivious to your disdain.

Yet again, you're grateful you didn't expect anything to happen. Your aunt had called you to tell you her friend, Pete's cousin, was handsome, single and looking. You agreed to the date if only because you knew she'd never let it drop if you didn't go.

Once home, you draw yourself up a bubble bath and settle in with your tablet to read some Ao3 stories. Sure, there were plenty of story options, but they were harder and harder for you to get into. It was so rare to find something that spoke to you, an older woman who didn't desire someone to whisk her away, who didn't want children. The site was riddled with stories about older men. Maybe you were just getting too old for smut.

Or, maybe you just needed to try something new.

Searching through the tabs you look for something with "Older woman" that wasn't lesbian porn. After a bit more refining, you find a story that might do the trick. Sure, it's full of unrealistic happenings, but it's not like reality is giving you much to work with these days.

It isn't long until the younger man is making his older woman see stars. Your hand finds its way to your clit as you keep reading about the pleasure he gives. And all he seeks in return is praise, which he is certainly earning. Even from the perspective of a reader his eagerness has you biting your lower lip and spreading your legs as much as you can in the tub.

Setting your tablet down out of reach of the water, you use both your hands to take care of your needs. Fantasizing about a man who craves you. Not your looks, not your potential fertility, not your money. Just you. And he's happy to prove to you again, and again, how much he wants you.

As you come down from your climax, your brain more relaxed, you remember your friend, Maggie, talking about going out with the express purpose of picking up younger men. Maybe you should join her one of these nights. At the very least, a one night stand might help with your blood pressure.

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Finally at your desk you let yourself take some deep breaths before reaching for the Excedrin. A couple of pills, some coffee and follow it up with a bite of the calorie bomb, sugar dense, definitely-bad-for-you creamy treat. You let out a soft moan and relax into your chair.

Until a second later when there's a loud knock on your door followed by Mike walking in, "hey Boss Lady, you got a minute?"

You rush to swallow the bite in your mouth and chug some more coffee to help it down but wind up choking a bit in the process.

"Oh, shit! I'm so sorry!" Mike exclaims running behind your desk to start smacking your back, likely thinking there's something stuck in your throat. You try to wave him away and while he does stop hitting you, he stays nearby, his eyes wide with worry. He's shaking so much you'd laugh if you could catch your breath.

When you finally regain your composure, you let out a breath and gesture for Mike to sit. He does so hesitantly.

"You're sure you're okay?"

"I am," you nod with a smile. "You'd think, at my age, I'd be past making a fool of myself but, let's face it, there's no age limit on that." He smiles back at you. "Now, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Oh, right!" His eyes go wide and he grabs his notebook. You've noticed he's always carrying one ever since your talk about taking notes. "So, I've got some preliminary things figured out, some user design basics, but I was wondering if I could spend some time with Steve and Bucky in the IT department? They work on accessibility stuff and I'd like to incorporate some of those."

"What kind of features are you thinking?"

"Well, no one in the department's mentioned it, but I'd like to include some features for like, colorblindness. I'm hoping to learn a bit about adding things like that. Just in case someone is colorblind but maybe doesn't know it, or it's mild but still annoying?"

"Alright, I'll talk to Jonathan about getting you some time with them," you say as you write yourself a note. "I make no promises, of course."

"Of course," he smiles. You swear if you were just 10 years younger you'd be swooning over his boyish charm.

"Anything else?"

Mike looks over his notes, "um...I know there was something. No. Wrong page. Ah! There it is!" You fight the urge to chuckle as he rereads his notes. "Right, so there are some tables that seem to have different names depending on who you're talking to. And none of them seem to be the tables' actual names! What should I do?"

"How about you bring that up at the next meeting? Do a little demonstration showing everyone that these different names apply to the same table and we can see about a vote or a naming compromise for the interface."

Mike writes down everything you say and you give a genuine smile. Not a lot of interns would take advice so easily. That first meeting really must have melted his brain.

As you're making a note to yourself to add Mike to the next meeting agenda you notice he's looking uncomfortable.

"Are you okay, Mike?"

"I just...um...How do I put this?" he mumbles as he runs his hand through his hair. "My parents are going to be in town next week for, um, Parents' Weekend at the college. They, um, they'd like to meet you." Your eyebrows raise at that and he's quick to put up both of his hands, " you don't have to, of course! I'll absolutely understand if you'd rather not! They just...they want to see where I'm working."

"If you can give me more details on a day and time I'll see what I can do," you promise. "It's not every day we get an Intern's parents visiting, but I'm sure Jonathan would be happy to help make it happen."

"You really don't have to." Mike almost sounds disappointed.

"Would you like me to say it can't happen?" He hesitates at that. "Do you need me to be the bad guy for you?" His face drops but you swear you see his cheeks turn a little pink when you say that. "Look, family can be very complicated. You will receive no judgment from me if you'd rather your parents didn't know about your work place, okay?"

"Thank you," he murmurs.

"And I promise, no follow up questions on the family."

He relaxes at that. "Thank you so much, Boss!"

You give a soft chuckle instead of asking him not to call you that. It's clearly something he'll never listen to you about. And, to be honest, you don't mind it so much.

"So, if your family asks, you can tell them we simply don't do tours for family members. They can visit the building, but they're not allowed past the lobby."

His smile grows and he gets animated again. "Thank you, so very much!" His smile drops as he remembers something. "Oh! Also, I'm gonna need next week off from work for their visit."

You make a note, "shouldn't be a problem. I'll push your agenda item to the meeting in two weeks instead of next week's."

"Thanks, Boss! You're the best!"

He practically jumps out of his chair and runs out of your office leaving you smiling, shaking your head and wondering if you ever had that level of energy.

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