Tolerable Cruelty - Chapter 9 (Patreon)

Chapter 9

“Peter. Don’t forget to buy new furniture. Your brother Steve is coming to visit us, remember?” Piper texted him at work.

“I will, Piper, I will.”

“Now. You never do things in a timely manner. So do it now, or I’ll rip your arm off when we get home.”

“Okay, okay!”

“And don’t even think about trying to run away. You wouldn't get far. That night I threw you off the couch? I found out I can run faster than a speeding car.”

She smiled with satisfaction when she saw the purchase verification email from the online retailer show up thirty minutes later.

Passing by Mark’s desk, she looked at his bandaged fingers, gave him a little wink, and pointed her own beautiful finger pistols at him. He was so terrified, he nearly shed tears! Piper suppressed a laugh.

Barely had she sat down at her desk did she notice an impromptu meeting with her boss, Grant. Now what? Maybe… just maybe, she’d have to rough him up too?

Piper strode to his office feeling like a new confident woman. Who would lift and break trees if she wanted to. Forming a dainty fist, she knocked gently on his door.

“Come in.”

“Hi, Grant.”

“Piper, how are you doing? Good. I want to say, great fucking work lately.”

Piper was shocked. “Really?”

“Yeah, your quality is up and everything is on time or ahead of schedule. And when it’s not, I see your reports of who is blocking us on the client side. Looks like you and your team are working well together now too. No pussyfooting around. Good work.”

“Thanks, Grant!” She beamed with pride, her radiant eyes sparkling, a smile as bright as a million watts. It was stupid that such a simple compliment could please her this much, considering how powerful she was physically.

“If SatellarCo doesn’t get their shit together, I’m going to talk to them myself.”

“Hey Grant, if you don’t mind… I could do it.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “You sure? It might get heated. I can take care of this. You’re doing great.”

“Yeah, Grant! Give me a chance.”

“Okay, Piper. Keep it up. Between you and me, you’re due for a big bonus this year. Not everyone’s going to get one, so don’t spread the word around.”

“I won’t, Grant.”

“Okay, we’re done here! Get back to work!”

“Thanks!!!”

---

Peter finished ordering a new bed and coffee table, hoping that a certain supervillain living at his address would approve. Just what had he done? This was what he wanted, right? And now, he was getting it so good and so hard.

Should he have spent more money on nicer quality? Or gone with even cheaper stuff? Piper might get upset with the gauche furniture. But what if she just broke the nice stuff? Peter really was at a loss. But he wanted to keep his arm, so he just made a decision.

“Remodeling or something?” came a nasally voice from behind him.

He quickly tabbed away from the online retailer website, bringing up the computer default wallpaper with their company logo RecoGreen garishly plastered on it.

“Too late, buddy. I already saw you goofing off. I know you’re hiding something. Just wait till I find out what it is,” Rick’s grating voice caused more torment for Peter than Piper delivering him a broken rib.

“Whatever, Rick. You have nothing on me.”

“Peter, Peter, Peter. Always the star. Nice glory days you had in college, huh?”

“Did you want something?” Peter replied, irritation clear in his voice.

“And now, we’re working the same job. But you’re not getting anywhere in your research projects, are you? How’s that recyclable plastic coming along?”

“It’s called research for a reason.”

“And yet, I seem to be doing okay,” Rick sneered, his nose whistling.

“Whatever, Rick.”

“Hey Peter? Can I talk to you?” A feminine voice rang out.

“Maria! Yes, let’s!” Peter shot her a grateful look. “Excuse me, Rick,” he tried to hide the venom in his voice, standing up and resisting the urge to knock over the snake who was invading his personal space.

They went to the little kitchenette.

“What does he have against you anyway?” Maria asked.

“He had a crush on Piper in high school. He thinks I took her away from him.” Peter shook his head.

“How is Piper, anyway?”

Peter panicked for a moment. Did Maria know something? No… that would be absurd. “Um, she’s fine. She recently had a pretty bad stomach ache, but she’s recovering fine. We’re… happy.”

“Oh no! Food poisoning?”

“Something like that,” Peter tried to suppress his laughter at his wife’s impromptu superpowered cookie dough binge. The pain in his chest helped to remind him why it wasn’t all fun and games.

“Well, glad to hear it.”

A brief pause.

“Rick’s not wrong, though. Our research isn’t getting far,” she looked downcast.

“It’s… it’s a hard project. We knew that, Rick knew that… I think he just played us. But don’t worry. Lots of projects in the future too.”

“Okay, Peter. Thanks. See you later?”

“Yeah, see you in the lab.”

Peter discreetly walked down the hallways, lit by the warm yellow glow of incandescent light bulbs, into the clinical blue hue of the laboratory.

It was after hours. Peter had been struggling to recreate more serum all week to satisfy Piper. But he could only run the equipment at certain hours, lest someone simply come in and catch him doing things that clearly had nothing to do with his recyclables project. And Rick was always snooping.

Drop after viscous drop, components painstakingly measured to as much precision as possible, beaded out of his pipette. Two vials were stoppered and locked away, hidden in his desk drawer. He was on his third now. Together, they were about twice as much Piper had imbibed the first time on that fateful day.

His face was illuminated by the intense blue glow of the lab lamps. He wiped the beads of sweat off his brow with his sleeve.

Peter was so focused that he hadn’t noticed that Rick was approaching the lab’s sealed doors.

As Rick started to sprint down the hallways outside, excited to figure out just what Peter was doing, Maria showed up from down the hallway and pounded on the glass windows as she also made a mad dash for the lab. Rick arrived first and swiped his badge, with Maria trailing not far behind.

Peter screamed in panic as he nearly lost all of his hard work. Quickly, he hid his pipette away and stoppered the vial, putting the titration device and reagent beakers into a cleaning oven. He hit the button to activate it.

“I’ve got you!!” Rick’s peevish voice rang out.

“What the hell are you talking about!?” Peter tried to stay calm despite his rapidly beating heart.

“Give… me… whatever you were working on!” Rick tried to wrestle Peter’s arms from behind his back to search whatever was in his hands.

“Rick! What the hell is wrong with you!?” Maria cried out as she chased in after him.

“This guy… is stealing company materials during company hours!” He grunted.

Peter was far stronger, but he couldn’t keep doing this. He would be found out at some point!

As Maria tried to unravel the two struggling men, Peter found an opportunity to spin around and drop the vial into Maria’s large, open handbag.

“Rick! Rick! Stop!”

“Not until you show me what you’ve been doing!”

“Okay! I give up!” Peter cried.

They both huffed in exertion. Peter brought his arms out from behind his back and opened his fists, palm up. There was nothing.

“Where did you hide it!” Rick cried.

“Hide what?” Peter asked innocently.

“The oven! I’ll check there!” he yelled triumphantly.

The black box was already superheated and roasting away all the evidence. Rick screamed in despair.

“You’ve totally lost it!” Peter accused back.

“I’ll get you, Peter! I know you’re up to something!” He stormed out.

“Dios mio, that boy is loco,” Maria panted. She had a slight bruise on her cheek.

“Maria! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, he hit me when he was flailing around.” She winced as she prodded her own darkening face.

“Maria!! … I totally owe you! This is all my fault!”

“Peter… it’s okay. I’m on your side. You really helped me a lot when I first started working here. But are… are you really doing something here? You can tell me. I won’t rat you out.”

“It’s… it’s something I need to do for Piper. I hope you understand. Please,” he pleaded.

“Okay Peter… I don’t know what it is… but I trust you.”

“Thank you, Maria.”

They parted ways. Peter went back to his desk to retrieve the two vials he had stored away. They would have to suffice for now. And about that third vial… he couldn’t exactly ask for it back, could he? And he thought of that ugly bruise on his co-worker’s face, remorse gripping him that Maria had actually suffered physical harm because of her loyalty to him.

Before he got in his car to drive home, Peter had made his decision. He texted Maria.

“There’s a vial in your purse. If you trust me, order yourself a nice big meal, and drink the vial. I don’t want to see you get hurt like today ever again.”