Office Crush
Pairing; Robert Robertson iii x Plus size reader
Synopsis; You know Robert, but you arenât sure he knows you. All you can do is hope that you get his attention during SDNâs office party.
Tw: Body insecurity, Reader body shames herself a bit, Reader can be seen as a bit meek.
Notes: {This is my first actual fanfic in a LONG while. Please give me feedback, i really would appreciate it!}
Not Proofread
Readerâs description: Female
Robert Robertson: both a neighbor and a co-worker to you. And a hot one at that. One youâve been trying to score for the duration of two months now.
You signed up for SDN months ago. It was after your previous jobâs building was left in a devastating condition after a fight between a hero and a villain with pyro powers. In fact, a fireman at the scene even suggested applying for the position after overhearing you babbling through tears about needing a new job. Luckily, you managed to secure a dispatcher role.
Unfortunately, your luck ran short when Robert joined the program.
You didnât have daily terrible shifts, or lose crucial items that could lead to reprimands, no- your luck ran out when it revolved around your comfort and pride.
Before dispatching, employment was unenjoyable in any shape or form. This job managed to give you some contentment: you could afford rent and additional wants (unlike your other jobs where you could only afford bills and a few groceries), have a sense of community, and have the pleasure of meeting cool ass superheroes. Of course, you had to ruin your bliss by gaining a crush on Robert.
It started when he first came into the office. You noticed him in the middle of your thirty-minute break, watching as Chase escorted him to his cubicle. You werenât paying attention much, after all, you had a few minutes of relaxation before you went back to deal with your batch of idiots; but his voice stuck out to you. You recalled hearing the same handsome, warm tone elsewhere, however, you couldn't recall exactly where. So, curiously you passed a glance over his way.
Handsome; you thought, then went back to doom scrolling.
After your shift, you went home. As you unlocked the door to your apartment, you heard his voice again, this time it was nearby. He was there, at the apartment door beside you, the same guy, calling out to someone on the other side playfully. âGuess whoâs home,â As if he was trying to excite the person before making his entrance. You turned a bit to see a corgi...or chiuwawa appear pawing at his legs the moment the door opened.
Now it made sense, he was your next-door neighbor. You hadnât met officially, obviously, but you occasionally hear him speaking to his dog (what you now know, but previously assume to be someone on FaceTime.) And late nights when it sounded like an industrial warehouse from his side of the wall.
It merely sparked your interest in him. Not only was Robert handsome and loving to his pet dog, but he was also quite charismatic, witty, and kind: all aspects you liked in a guy. Though, you never talked to him yourself. You observed him through others, listening in on meetings that werenât very quiet and on conversations between Chase and him.
There have been attempts to have an actual encounter with him in the past, usually during shared breaks, grabbing coffee for the next shift, or in general passing by. Unfortunately, your nerves always seemed to get the better of you. Especially when everyone in the office could tell there was some romantic tension between Robert, Invisigal, and Blonde Blazer.
Yeah, okay. Youâd be losing that fight quickly. One, you had no superpowers. Two, these women were skinny with model level features. He probably had a type.
There was no doubt you yourself were attractive, but competing against those two definitely caused some understandable insecurity. To be fair, you were probably just a background character to Robert anyway; despite being his neighbor and coworker. He didnât exactly owe you anything.
âYou know staring at him like that is creepy as fuck, right?â
You nearly jumped out of your skin at the sound of someone behind you, resulting in coffee splattering on the breast of your uniform shirt. Turning around you were met with the sight of Prism and Malevola leaning against the nearest wall, giving the most judgmental, yet teasing expressions. Like little kids realizing their friend has a crush. Youâve never talked to the pair- they were a little intimidating, as you knew how mean they could get with others when together.
âMe?â you swallowed.
âIs anyone else staring at Robert?â Malevola questioned, sipping her own mug of coffee.
âNo-sorry, I didnât mean to come off-â
âEverybody already knows you're crushinâ on him,â Prism interupts with her factual observation, giving no room for arguments, âno point in defending yourself.â
You didnât realize how often you stared at Robert; Now youâre getting concerned yourself.
âYou ever actually gonna talk to him or just keep staring at him?â Maleolva thankfully gets straight to the point. Much for your sanity. âI mean- Iâm surprised he hasnât noticed. Iâm even more surprised Chase hasnât pointed it out to him, knowing how observant he can be.â
âI mean, I have tried talking to him,â you meekly reply, hoping to defend yourself a bit.
Prism gives you a look that makes you second-guess yourself, âAsking him if he needs sugar for his coffee isnât talking to him.
For this being your first conversation with the pair, itâs getting quite stressful. It feels like a full-on investigation. âI would love to talk with him, Iâm just not sure it would be appropriate when he and Blonde Blazer clearly have something going you,â you explain, finally getting to clean the coffee stain off your shirt with a tissue.
âShit. That is true.â Malevola hums, âI donât know if they're exclusive or anything. I mean, it would be pretty obvious.â
Finally straightened up, you decide to leave this conversation quickly, âListen, I gotta get back to my desk. Please..donât tell him...â You refuse to say his name in case he was listening at all, even if his desk was across the room. âI just..I really want this crush to just disappear.â Mostly because you thought Invisagal or Blonde Blazer would get him eventually. âPlease?â
They looked a bit surprised by the request but ultimately shrugged it off, âwhateva girl, itâs on you.â Prism scoffed, pulling out her phone.
Luckily, they evidently kept quiet about your crush since Robert still seemed clueless. Or maybe you couldnât tell now since you had stopped staring at him from afar.
A week later there was an office party. Office parties didnât happen often, but when they did no one skipped them. Personally, you didnât want to go. Before, you didnât worry about impressing anyone with the way you outfitted yourself at functions. Not to say you didnât dress nicely, but now it would be different with Robert presumably attending.
God, you felt pathetic. It felt like you were in high school again contemplating which dress to wear, stressing over whether boys would laugh at you or not. Robert wasnât like that; but, you still wanted to make yourself attractive for him. Then again, youâd be competing with Blonde Blazer and Invisigal. What was the point? To have fun, you wanted to remind yourself.
There was just something about Robert that brought out a geeky-love-struck side of you. A teen girl crush, if you would. In general, you knew it was his overall character. He was a man you could see being your husband- crazy as it was to envision, given your limited interactions.
It took a lot of convincing from heroes from your team to get you to tag along. Didnât matter what excuse you utilized in getting out of the party, they found a solution for every last one. More importantly, they knew you well enough to know it was all bullshit.
By six o'clock you bought a dress from one of the nicest stores downtown. The dress fit your criteria: sexy, classy, and appropriate for an office party. You ensured you put the tag for the dress in the middle console. The next morning youâd be returning the dress.
Soon the partyâs beginning approached, and Lunarbeam, one of the heroes on your team, picked you up fifteen minutes before. She volunteered to drive you when you used the excuse of not having a ride.
The party started slowly. At first, the only people there were Blonde Blazer, Phenomaman, and Waterboy. Blonde Blazer and Phenomaman continued to position the last of the decorations and snacks. Waterboy, on the other hand, was battling the urge to stick his hand in the bowl of pretzels in fear heâd soak all of them.
Then you saw him. Robert came through the doors, carrying Beef in one hand and plastic plates in the other. Blonde Blazer came over and took the plates. Obviously, Robert was told to bring them.
You sat in the corner as the room began to fill, nursing a drink in a solo cup to appear fine. In reality, your heart was pounding, and sweat puddled on your palms.
âI gotta go to the bathroom...â you said to no one in particular.
The mirror wasnât alleviating the insecurities in your mind. Maybe it was the fact that most of the other attendies couldn't care less for appropriate outfits, or the fact that you felt gross in the dress you were in.
You used one hand to tidiously feel your chin. So soft. You hated it. Your eyes traveled to your arms, too big. Then they eyed your thighs, gigantic and out there. One thing was for certain; you wanted to go home.
In recent years, youâve reached a degree of self-esteem that has allowed you to live comfortably in your skin. To take a glance in the mirror and smile back at the woman youâd see. Funny how it changed in the span of thirty minutes. In that moment, you found yourself proud of your past self for buying waterproof mascara.
The music from outside the restroom leaked through the crack of the door. Party time. You shifted from one foot to the other, gathering the courage to show your face. The sound of your coworkers celebrating flooded your ears. Most people were dancing while others engaged in their own conversations.
You reclaimed your spot in the corner, once again examining the scene. That was a mistake.
Invisagal and Robert were in an interesting position across from you. Invisigal was close, close enough to whisper in his ear and laugh about whatever they were talking about. Robert rolled his eyes amused by her antics.
They looked really comfortable. Comfortable enough for your heart to ache.
You needed some air.
The wind blew softly, causing the leaves of the trees to sway. You stood in the courtyard, looking through your phone. Silence was needed. The pain wasnât as bad as you predicted, you barely knew him after all. If he wanted to date invisigal, that was his business. You sigh. Nothing was cheering you up.
Going home sounded like a plan, the apartment wasnât too far off. On the way, you could pick up some snacks from the convenience store, then crash on the couch and watch movies to pass the time. Notting Hill was streaming, could use the time to watch that. Maybe smiling friends instead? Or-
Something pink and hot was licking your hand. Your head snaps and you meet the gaze of Beef.
âKinda cold donât you think?â
Itâs Robert.
Beef left your side to explore his surroundings at a close distance. And Robert cast him a glance before looking back at you.
Itâs like the universe wanted to enjoy the moment, because everything went silent. Besides the beating of your heart.
If anyone were to pass, theyâd believe this was a hostage situation given your perturbed reaction.
Robert noticed, reactively putting his hands in his pockets, subconsciously trying to come off friendly. By the look on your face, he sensed his presence was the explanation. âSorry, didnât mean to scare you. Maybe you like the cold.â he quipped to lighten the mood.
âI donât,â you instinctively answered. You hadnât realized how cold it was till now. âDid... you need something?â
There were three reasons, in your head, for him being outside with you: Blonde Blazer wanted him to check on you, Robert was taking a breather as well, or he was heading home for the night. Part of you hoped it was.
â...Blonde Blazed noticed you were gone. Asked me to come check on you.â For some reason, you didnât believe that. It was the twitch of his eyes from you to Beef that made you think twice. âPlus, beef and I needed a breather,â he added, as if to fuel belief.
You hummed with an attempt at nonchalance, picking at your dress. There was a pregnant pause before Robert chose to continue. âAnd...I noticed you disappeared when Visi asked me to dance earlier.â He crept in the fact with a telling tone.
God...he knew about your crush. You swore your blood froze right there and then. You remain quiet, eyes on the floor. Shame. You felt shame. Shame on you for being so stupid with a crush.
âWell, itâs eight thirty, Iâve got money to spare, a gorgeous girl in front of me and Iâm wearing something other than my uniform; would you like to go out and get a drink with me?â
âWhat?â you blinked. Your head unhurriedly rose, only to meet his dark-honey brown eyes.
He re-adjusts himself, confidence taking a slight hit at your confusion, but not enough to persuade him to give up. âDo you want to go out on a date?â he spells it out clearly.
âIâd love that..â
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