Chapter Text
The old bustling office was filled with the sounds of work. From clicking keyboards to ringing phones, Harold Saxon let out a small sigh in boredom, leaning back on his office chair. He took a small break and looked around the workplace from his small cubicle. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a colleague (Clara, he thinks her name was.) approaching John Smith’s cubicle, which was right in front of him, with what seems to be a spreadsheet.
“John! Hi,” Clara(?) grinned at the man. “Mind if I steal you away for a bit?”
John looked up from his computer screen, eyes lighting up at the sight of the girl. “Clara! Hello,” he greeted enthusiastically, Harry felt his insides churn with a displeased feeling. “Sorry, ‘m ‘fraid not. Kinda busy here, can’t leave the cubicle, not even for the loo, which is bad, I know but—” he rambled, and Harry took delight in witnessing the girl’s expression slowly drop in disappointment.
“It’s fine!” Clara cut John off, gripping the spreadsheets tighter. Harry glanced at John’s expressions— Oh dear, the poor lad had no idea. “I was just wondering if… you’ll be able to help me with this spread.” she sheepishly said.
Harry watched John take a glance at what Clara was holding and took a bated breath, “Oh, sure! With what exactly?” John exclaimed, putting a relieved smile on Clara's face and an unpleasant feeling in Harry’s heart.
Grumbling to himself, Harry went back to his work, trying to focus on the numbers on his screen.
He’s like that with anyone, I don’t understand why this one has to be different , he thought to himself. His brain helpfully flashes him the image of John’s eyes lighting up and his former friend’s tone in greeting Clara.
Like I said, totally normal.
He could hear Clara and John enthusiastically talking with and over each other, sharing laughs here and there. After a few minutes, Harry couldn’t bear hearing it anymore without his ears ringing with annoyance.
What’s so special about that spreadsheet? , he irritatedly thought. He peered up over his cubicle, just in time to see Clara touch John’s arm playfully. Harry just about decided he couldn’t take this anymore. He cleared his throat, catching the attention of the pair. “John,” he called out.
“Hmm?” John responded cluelessly, Clara slowly moved away from him, picking up the sheets that were already marked with pencil.
Clearly sensing some form of tension coming from Harry, Clara quickly excused herself. “Thanks for the help, John. You can go back to your work now, sorry for holding you back,” she shot a small smile at Harry, who gave her a small wave back, and left.
Turning his gaze back to John— “Have you done your part of the reports? We’re supposed to pass it before lunch,” Harry reminded John, who took a quick glance at his monitor for the time.
John formed an ‘o’ with his mouth, making Harry quirk his eyebrow at him. “Yeah—no, not yet. Sorry ‘bout that.”
Harry gave him a pinched smile, “Well maybe before you go off and charm our colleagues, you should finish our reports.”
This caused John to sputter in indignation, “I do not do that!”
“Hmm, of course not. Natural charmer, I even remember my mum calling you that,” Harry could see John’s eyes glaze over for a bit as he recalled the memory before he snapped himself out of it.
“Clara was just asking for help!” he exclaimed and defensively stood up, causing some of their colleagues to snap their heads towards the pair.
Harry pointedly looked at John, “If you don’t use your inside voice and sit, John Anthony Smith, I will kick your arse into Mars.”
He gazed on as John slowly sat back in his chair and made a gesture of cranking the volume knob down. “She was just asking for help,” John screamed-whispered at him.
“Really,” Harry said, unamused.
“Yes!”
“John,” he reached over the cubicle and patted John’s head gently (much to his confusion). “She was from the Finance department.”
John, still distracted by what just occurred, blinked at him, “And?”
Sighing exasperatedly, Harry looked right into John’s eyes, “Clara’s from Finance, we’re from Research and Technology, and she’s asking for help over her spreadsheets— about Finance.” He observed as he could imagine and hear the cogs in John’s mind turn and click, contemplating the information given to him.
Then, “Oh…” John gaped at him, finally understanding.
Harry nodded at him, sitting properly at his chair and fiddling with the tabs on his monitor.
He could hear John slowly shift in his chair and let out a small sigh, “Well thank you for driving her away then, I suppose.”
Harry felt his mind screech to a halt, along with his body, before grumbling out, “Who said anything about driving anyone away?” he harshly left-clicked a folder on his desktop.
It feels like I’m being used as a prop for a rescue. he grimaced internally.
“Really, thank you,” John spoke. “It would do no wonders had she assumed anything and I was just unavailable with her and completely in love with someone else,” he mumbled out, clearly not meaning to say it out-loud.
In love with someone? Harry stared at John, and felt the unpleasant feeling come back.
Oh.