Orphic | Spider-Man

FOUR

HELLO, PETER." OTTO smiled seeing him waiting in the hall.
"Good evening, Doc Ock," Peter smiled back. It was a nickname he'd come up for Otto when he had first met him when Octavia was working on a project with Peter in the sixth grade, a few weeks after they had met. It just came out after Otto shook hands with Peter after both introduced himself. He had turned to Octavia saying how he always thought her last name reminded him of an octopus. From then, it stuck, and Peter was the only one to call him that. Never mind that he was the only one to call Otto 'Doc Ock,' but it created a bond between the two, an inside joke only the three of them knew, but what connected Peter to having a father figure.
"Nice suit," Peter nodded at Otto's all-black outfit. "The dark glasses are a nice touch. I'll have to add that to my suit when I ask Octavia to go to the Christmas Formal with me."
Otto laughed, adjusting the dark circular glasses on his nose. "Remind me to hand them off to you come December. Please, come in dear boy."

Peter stepped inside, and for the umpteenth time found himself gazing around the Octavius' apartment. It looked like a rich person's home--eggshell walls, nice leather couches in the living room, a glass coffee table, marble countertops in the kitchen and a fridge that was bigger than Peter's bedroom.
That last one was just an exaggeration, but Peter did like their fridge as he could always find the snacks Otto buys for him and Octavia.
Though Peter had seen other rich houses before, like when he hadn't changed schools yet and everyone there but him was wealthier. He had done projects on beautiful white floors that would stain by dripping anything onto them, even water. But Peter liked the Octavius' home, and not because he'd gotten used to it, but that their house didn't look like a museum.
Otto had pictures of Octavia hanging up on the walls and in picture frames on the coffee table and the dresser underneath the TV. There were pictures of Octavia as a baby, toddler, and some from her Kindergarten graduation. The wealthy families never had their kids' pictures hanging up, but paintings and copies of famous paintings they treated as if it were the real thing. But even with the glass coffee table and flat screen TV and the futuristic floorplans to the penthouse--and besides the fact that they did indeed live in a penthouse--this was Peter's second home.

"Octavia, darling, Peter's here." Otto called out into the wide hallway.
Muffled and far in her room, Octavia called back, "Out in a second!"
Peter stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He had his backpack on, and inside those were sweats, because it was chilly tonight and he had left the house telling Aunt May that he was heading to the gym and then getting dinner on his own, but he changed in the lobby of the apartment building into jeans and the nicer jacket he had on now before coming up to the Octavius'. Honestly, he knew Aunt May had to suspect something, because Peter never went to the gym.
"Vee told me you're looking to fund a new project." Peter looked to Otto. "Is this possibly in connection to my internship?" He smirked as Otto laughed.
"As of now, that is classified information." Otto said, walking back over to him. "But I'll give you a hint: sustainable power."
Peter's eyes went wide as he went ooh and nodded in Otto's direction. "Maybe I'll get higher access to the project come spring. I know a guy."
Otto laughed and gently slapped Peter on the shoulder, his hand lingering on Peter's shoulder to give a firm squeeze. "My dear boy," Otto said. "You will have wonder at your fingertips come spring, but it's not spring yet."
Peter sighed, "You're right, Doc. Guess I'll have to find an inside source to get to the bottom of it."
Otto laughed with Peter, and in that, they didn't hear the high-heeled steps coming from the hallway.
"Inside source? I hardly know what he does for a living."
When Peter looked towards the hallway, his heart nearly stopped.
Octavia was dressed in an all-black dress--she had a favorite type of style--where it trailed in the back in layers that didn't go too high above her leg, in fact the slit hardly showed her leg. The straps were thin, falling into a halter neckline. Her curly hair was tied into a low bun at the base of her head, with dark chocolate curls framing her face. Her earrings were dangly pearls, not too long, but they perfectly resembled The Girl with a Pearl Earring. It was classy. It was gorgeous. It was Octavia.
"Wow," Peter gasped, gazing starry-eyed at her. When he saw Otto smirk from the corner of his eye, Peter quickly added, "Y-You look amazing, Vee."
Octavia smiled, nervously giggling, "Thank you, Peter." Her green eyes went to her father, and she cackled. "What are those glasses?"
Otto looked shocked hearing this, then looked to Peter, whose eyes playfully went wide to match the feigning confusion.
"What do you mean?" Otto asked as Octavia approached the two.
"You look like you're in The Matrix." Octavia giggled.
"Is that a problem?" Otto asked. "Peter likes them."
"I really do." Peter told him and then turned to Octavia. "They're cool!"
"I'm giving them to him for when he takes you to Midtown's Christmas Formal." Otto smirked.
Octavia scoffed at her father as her smile disappeared. "Since when are you fixing me up with all these guys? Are you trying to tell me something?"
"Well, I figured you liked Peter better so it wouldn't be a problem." Otto shrugged. He was unable to hold back his smile.
Octavia rolled her eyes at her father. "Whatever." she then turned to Peter and smiled. "I'd love to go to the Christmas Formal with you. Just don't wear his glasses. Wear yours."
Peter adjusted his own glasses on his nose as he chuckled, "Ah, I don't know, Vee. Your dad's are pretty cool--"
"Hey, speaking of that, when we FaceTimed last Friday I noticed you weren't wearing your glasses." Octavia said.
Peter's muscles tensed. Was that true? Had he not been wearing them? He always wore his glasses--or, the fake ones he picked up at the store a year ago that looked exactly like the ones he had before his eyesight got better.
"And your eye looks better too." Octavia said, her hand moving to his cheek.
Peter was trying so hard to come up with a lie that he hadn't realized Octavia was caressing his cheek gently until she stopped.
"I-yeah, luckily I wasn't wearing my glasses when I got the bruise. . .so--"
"How did you get a black eye again?" Otto asked Peter.
"Oh, it was so embarrassing, Doc," Peter sighed. He hoped this lie worked as well as the 'getting into a fight' did on Aunt May. He was dorky enough for it to be true, but Otto was able to tell when things were wrong. Another great thing about him. He could read emotions like people were books.
"Aunt May had been talking about cleaning the showerhead, and she was bickering about how gross it was going to be to pull it out of the pipe, and so I did it myself without telling her--you know, as a surprise--and I tugged too hard that it came right at my face." Peter explained.
Octavia and Otto laughed, easing Peter and making him laugh.
"Last time I'm ever doing anything nice." Peter shrugged.
"Oh come now," Otto said, patting him on the back. "You're a good kid, Peter. The world could use some of that kindness, no matter how small."
Peter smiled at Otto, then looked to Octavia who smiled back. That's when Peter noticed the thin silver necklace Octavia wore, which was stuck on her low bun.
"Oh, Vee," he said, slinging his bag off and approaching her. "Your necklace. . ."
"Pretty right? Never worn it before," Octavia said, touching the part of the necklace that was at the skin of her neck. It wasn't flashy, just thin and silver with very small silver balls threaded on the chain.
"It's pretty, but it's stuck." Peter said as he reached his hands toward her hair. He quickly stopped and held the position he was in, reaching for the necklace. "Um, may I?"
"Yes, please," Octavia told him as she turned around to make it easier for him.