Orphic | Spider-Man

FIFTEEN

OCTAVIA WOULDN'T STOP doing wheelies in her wheelchair. Even when she and Otto had arrived at the café. 
      "Octavia, darling," Otto tilted his head. "You're going to fall again." 
      Octavia giggled, "I want to impress Peter when I finally see him again." 
      They had been at the café for nearly fifteen minutes already, where they were supposed to meet Peter at one o'clock. It was going to be the first time in six months that Octavia was with Peter. Six months since she'd seen him, talked to him--if you didn't count the phone call. They had already ordered coffee, and Peter's cup sat in front of the empty seat at the round table. 
      "Hm." Otto hummed, looking out the windows right next to their table. "I wonder what's keeping him." 
      Out of the love she had for her father, Octavia allowed him to come with her to see Peter, as he hadn't seen any of her friends in months as well, but Peter was the one friend of his daughter's who mattered most to Otto. 
      Octavia had been extremely nervous to contact Peter, but he answered her first call after six months. And when she asked to meet with him, they both couldn't contain their excitement. They talked for an hour after, but then they decided to wait to talk more until they see each other in person. As she sat in her new wheelchair at the table, Octavia began pushing sections of hair behind her ears, even though shorter strands of hair from her new short bob were already pinned by bobby pins. Her eyes were glued to the side door where she hoped to see Peter enter soon, while Otto had his eyes on her. 
      "Why did you cut your hair?" he asked. 
      Octavia looked back over at her father. "I wanted a change, and maybe the choice had an essence of a mental breakdown too, but mostly change." 
      And a sense of control, she thought. 
      There was something in Otto's expression that told Octavia that he didn't like it. Something that possibly could've had the two break out into a fight. 
      But then the side door of the café swung open. 

      He was fixing his blue jacket, head on a swivel looking all around the room eagerly, hazel eyes wide as an owl's to look. His brown curls were windswept, and his glasses looked a teeny-bit crooked on his nose. His jeans had a hole in the knee, a style of jeans Octavia knew that Peter didn't own. Maybe he had changed his sense of style. She watched him pull at the hem of the Midtown High School Science Camp t-shirt underneath the jacket, just as he looked over her way. 
      The smile that grew on his face was as wide at the Hoover Dam. Octavia's smile was even wider. 
      Peter made his way over, and from the corner of her eye, Octavia could see Otto plaster a smile over his expression. She wondered if the smile was real or not. 
      "Hi," Octavia smiled up at Peter. 
      He wasted no time bending down to wrap his arms around her tightly. Octavia giggled as his glasses pressed up against the side of her head. 
      His lips were right by her ear, and ever so softly he whispered, "I've missed you." Octavia could hear the smile on his lips as he spoke, and it was the biggest smile she'd ever seen on Peter when he finally let her go. 
      "Otto!" Peter smiled as he went to hug her father. Octavia watched their reunion, which was sweet and full of laughter and smiles. Peter finally took his seat next to Octavia, taking her in as he picked up his cup of coffee they ordered for him. 
      It was her. Long coffee-colored trench coat, black turtleneck, plaid dress pants, black boots, and her hair done nicely. Short, but nice. He really did like it short. But only Spider-Man knew that her hair had been short. 
      "Your hair," Peter smiled, and for a moment Octavia squirmed on the inside, wondering what he'd say about it. "I love it!" Of course, all good. "It looks so good!" 

      Octavia felt a little bit of warmth at her cheeks as she touched her hair. 
      "Thank you." she smiled. "I like it a lot too." 
      "I'm sorry I'm late," Peter said, looking at both of them. "There was some small thief at a little store and Spider-Man knocked me off my bike while chasing him." 
      "What?" Otto laughed. 
      Peter nodded. "He apologized, which tells me he's a really nice guy, but my bike needs a new wheel. Spider-Man must also be really strong too because the wheel's dented." 
      Octavia giggled, "That sucks." It was so good to hear her giggle. Peter could listen all day.
      "So, Peter, what's new in the past six months?" Otto asked. 
      Peter shrugged. "Nothing much. School. May started teaching piano again for a little side gig aside from her job at the hospital." 
      "Good for her." Octavia smiled. "I always wanted May to teach me piano." 
      "But what about you?" Otto asked. 
      "Nothing." Peter shrugged as he took the first sip of his coffee. 
      Octavia felt a smidge of pain in her chest as a thought rose in her chest at the thought of the question that popped up in her brain, but she wanted to know. 
      "You still write for the Midtown Weekly News, right?" Octavia asked. 
      Peter nodded. "Of course! You still read them?" 
      Octavia straightened in her wheelchair. "Of course I do!" The smidge of pain started to grow. "I think the girl who's in all of them looks nice too. AJ, right?" 
      Otto's dark eyes bounced from Octavia to Peter, slightly narrowing. 
      "Oh, MJ," Peter said, taking another sip of coffee. "Yeah. She's a friend. Transferred to Midtown in January." 
      Octavia could hear the odd tone in his voice when he spoke of her. It wasn't the tone he used when he explained science, talked science, talked about Star Wars or pestered her on Otto's work at Oscorp. He sounded defeated. 
      "You'd like her." he told Octavia, in the same defeated tone. His smile was small, unreal. Forced. 
      "Is this a girlfriend, Peter?" Otto asked, his tone a little edgy. Octavia noticed this, shot him a look that she could tell he was ignoring. She took a sip of her coffee from her own cup. 
      Peter chuckled, his smile real again. "Oh no," 

      Octavia nearly spat out coffee. "No?" she asked with wide eyes. 
      Peter and Otto had the same wide-eyed look as they stared at her. 
      Peter chuckled nervously, "I don't really like her that way. MJ's nice. Went to the Christmas Formal with her because she asked me, had fun. She helps me with articles but that's it. We only really hang out at school and when we go interview for articles." 
      Octavia felt slightly guilty and embarrassed as a wave of relief washed over her. But there was still a question on the picture and caption. 
      "So, you're not in a relationship with her?" she asked. "Except a friendship?" 
      Peter smiled, but raised an eyebrow at Octavia. "Just a friendship." 
      Octavia nodded and smiled as she heard Otto's cellphone buzz. She looked to her father, who grit his teeth, then looked at the two of them. 
      "I'm sorry, I've got to take this." Otto stood up, phone in his hands, sliding his thumb across the screen to answer the call as he brought his phone up to his ear. "Hello?" Otto walked towards the side door of the café to stand outside. 
      Octavia had been waiting for this moment. She knew Otto would have to walk away for a moment sometime when they were meeting with Peter. Now was her chance. 
      "Peter," Octavia whispered, turning to him, leaning a little out of her wheelchair. "I need to tell you something." 
      "Can I ask you something first?" he asked. 
      Mouth parting, nearly about to articulate the first few words of her sentence, Octavia sat back in her wheelchair. 
      "Were you worried that I had a girlfriend?" Peter asked. "I mean, Vee, I'm flattered." he playfully held his hands up in defense and rolled his eyes. "From the Star Wars obsession to the fact that I still don't have my permit, I can be pretty irresistible at times." 
      Octavia rolled her eyes and scoffed, "If anything, I was shocked that a girl could want a big nerd such as you. But I must admit, that while I was. . .hiding away, I read the articles you put out and took notice that MJ's Instagram was at the bottom of the articles, so I might've stalked her. I just wanted to know who she was, and in doing so I saw her most recent picture and it was with you. Her caption made it sound like you guys were dating." 

      Peter's expressions fell into a blank stare. His head tilted, a few brown curls falling over his forehead. 
      "See, this is news to me, because I haven't been on any social media platform in a while." he told Octavia. 
      "Oh," Octavia tilted her head, trying to keep the guilty pleasure of excitement within her chest. "Well, you should look at it when you can. Anyways, can I tell you something that you cannot tell anyone? Promise? Do you promise not to tell a soul?" 
      Peter leaned towards her, smiling. "I promise." 
      "Swear on your life, Peter Benjamin Parker," 
      "I swear on my life, Octavia Ophelia Octavius." 
      Octavia nodded. "Okay." her smile was so wide it began to hurt. "I'm going to help Spider-Man bring down the Manhattan Mambas." 
      Peter sat back up in his chair immediately, stick straight like a pencil as he stared at Octavia. He was shocked at the fact that she was telling him. Peter was sure that if he was in the same situation, even as Spider-Man, he wouldn't tell a soul. . .well, maybe. . .maybe not. . .anyways, he wouldn't have done it like Octavia was, whispering low in a public space. 
      "You--what--huh?" Peter stuttered, remembering he had a part to play. He had to remind himself that Peter didn't know about the arms. Spider-Man did. Not Peter Parker. "I--how? Vee--what? That's--huh?" He hoped he was playing the confused part correctly. 
      "I'll show you tonight," she told him. Her smile was real, true. He felt like they were up on Rockefeller Plaza again. "Meet me in Rockefeller Center." 
      Peter wanted to ask more, play the part, get information. But he heard the side door open, and Octavia's eyes look behind him. Otto was returning. Octavia winked at him as Otto sat back down. 

      "So sorry about that," he told the two. "Now, where were we?" 
      Peter was still staring at Octavia, but he snapped himself out of it. "We were talking about the girlfriend that I don't have."