Orphic | Spider-Man

SIXTEEN

PETER HOPED THAT Octavia wasn't waiting on a visit from Spider-Man as well. Peter was wearing his suit underneath his clothes, and the two different types of fabric rubbing against each other was very uncomfortable. 
      Before Octavia's accident, he spent his Sunday nights finishing up homework before he purposefully interrupted her time to play violin to talk to her on FaceTime. Octavia never minded it, as she only kept playing violin for Otto. She could play a million songs, fun and classical on the violin, even though she hated classical music. But she learned many classical songs for Otto. After her accident, Peter went back to his old middle school ways and played video games after doing homework. 
      Thank God Octavia and him were reunited. He couldn't go through one more play-through of Lego: Star Wars again. Fun game, but boring after beating it fifteen times. 

      Peter stood in Rockefeller Center, being the only person in the Center at the moment. He told May he was going out on a nightly jog, to which she made him wear a navy jacket with a thick silver reflective stripe across the front and back of the jacket in case cars couldn't see him. He felt so stupid wearing it, but he always listened to Aunt May, because in the end, she was always right. Except Peter could already hear the awful jokes Octavia would make upon seeing him. 
      Speaking of which, he had to pretend to be in utter shock at the arms. He didn't see the waistband around her at the café, which meant that the wheelchair was what she was going to use to get back out in the real world. He figured he'd tell her to always wear the tentacles, just in case she'd need to jump into action. 
      In his sweatpants pocket, he felt his phone buzz. When he took his phone out, he saw Octavia's name across the screen and the picture he had for her. It was when her hair was longer all those months ago, a year ago, actually, when both their schools went to Central Park Zoo for a field trip their freshmen year, and Peter got pulled away from Midtown High's field trip group and was stuck in Manhattan Private High School's with a bunch of girls showing off their new watches and necklaces that were real gold. But the two broke off from that group too quickly, fading into the background and followed their own path. 

      Peter brought his phone up to his ear. 
      "Okay, I'm here." he answered. 
      Octavia giggled on the other end. "I'm looking at you. You're very small." 
      Peter looked around. Play the part, he thought. "Where are you?" 
      "I'm coming down, just don't freak out, okay?" 
      "Okay. . .I'm confused as to how you're somewhere up high to see me so small since you're in a wheelchair, but I guess I'll see in a second." he told her. 
      And he waited for a minute until he heard the sound of mechanical whirrs behind him. 
      "Hello, Peter." 
      "Hey, Vee--" 

      Peter turned around, but he saw two robotic tentacles planted into the concrete in front of him. He looked up to see Octavia, and his jaw dropped, but not in the way he meant for it to be. Instead of pretending to be shocked, he was genuinely awestruck. 
      Octavia wore a black leather jacket, with a soft black tank top underneath with high-waisted maroon corduroy pants that flared out at her ankles, along with her usual black boots. She looked gorgeous in the most dominant, intimidating way. The tentacles only added a more sinister look, but Peter would be lying if he didn't think that Octavia looked absolutely astonishing at the moment. And sinister was a word that he'd never use to describe Octavia, and it showed when she was smiling down at him. 
      Her smile faded away for a second as she held her hands up. "Don't freak out!" 
      Peter smiled, scoffing in delight. "Freak out?" he was back in his head, acting for her. "Vee! You have robotic tentacles! Oh my God, that was you on TV! Do they move at your will? How do you control them?" 
      Octavia, unbeknownst with Peter's acting, smiled. Of course, big science nerd Peter Parker would be in awe at such a marvelous creation. The two lower tentacles lowered her until the bottom of her feet touched the ground, helping her balance. 
      She giggled as Peter approached closer. "Yes, they move at my will, though I think they're more connected to my subconscious--more on that later when I find that out--and I control them with a little microchip in my head. I had that surgery after my first surgery to remove the bullet." 
      Peter hated to ask her again, as he already knew the answer and the story behind it, but he kept his feelings locked away as he asked, "Did your dad design these for you?" 
      Octavia nervously chuckled, "Y-Yeah. . .more on that later," she pointed finger-guns at Peter. She shook her head as her two upper tentacle arms curled out from the waistband, claws open to look at Peter. 
      "Woah," he said. 
      "Peter, meet Meg," Octavia gestured to her upper right tentacle. She looked to her left at the upper left tentacle, "Joe." She pointed down at her lower right tentacle, "Beth." She then gestured to the last tentacle, the lower left one, "And Amy." 
      "The March sisters," Peter laughed. "Nice!" 
      "Yes! Except Joe's a boy." Octavia smiled. 
      Joe, her upper left tentacle, waved at Peter, then happily spun. 
      Octavia's heart swelled at the fact that Peter recognized that she had named her tentacles after the sisters from Little Women. 

      "Wow, Vee," Peter told her, his eyes watching Meg and Joe whirr and click. "They help you walk." 
      Octavia clicked her tongue and shrugged. "I mean. . . they help me move. My legs just dangle while Beth and Amy do all the work, but they are really awesome when it comes to fighting crime!" 
      Peter nodded. "I bet. So, how long have you been fighting crime with Spider-Man?" 
      "Well," Octavia bit her bottom lip. "Technically during that night, just for an hour, maybe a little less, but when there's something up with the Mambas--I'll be in the action! I'm not sure when that will be, but I'll have to meet with Spidey on that soon--and find a way to contact him." 
      "What will your dad think of this?" Peter asked. "He did design these, Vee, and he obviously knows that you had helped Spider-Man--" 
      "But what he doesn't know is that I'm going to help him again!" Octavia smiled. "I wanted to tell you because I trust you way more than Dad right now. It's a lot to explain, and I don't have the emotional stability to talk about it right now, but I knew right away that if I wanted someone to know that I was a superhero, it'd be you." 
      Her sweet, genuine smile where it crinkled the corners of her eyes slammed a knife of guilt into Peter's chest. 
       If I wanted someone to know that I was a superhero, it'd be you. 
      I could tell her. Peter thought. I could tell her right now. Pull down the collar of my shirt. 
      But then Peter thought about how mad she'd be. How then perhaps she'd be so mad that she didn't ever want to be around him anymore. And he just got her back, and he never told Octavia because he needed to keep her and Aunt May safe in case anyone ever found out that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. Also, he noted how she wasn't trusting Otto at the moment. Her own father--and she had a right, but Octavia was stubborn that way. If she didn't trust Peter or Otto, she couldn't trust anybody. 
      Instead, Peter swallowed his feelings, and smiled at Octavia. "Thanks, Vee, that means a lot to me." 
      Octavia shrugged. "You're my best friend, Peter. I trust you." 

      Peter did his best not to show his thoughts on his face as Octavia gasped. 
      "Want me to give you a ride to the top of Rockefeller Plaza?" she asked. 
      Peter chuckled, "How about we start off with something easy?" 
      Octavia giggled, "You're right! Ooh! Let's go swing over the train!" 
      Peter tried to protest, but Meg was already wrapping around him. "That doesn't sound safe!" 
      "But it'll be really fun!" Octavia laughed as her three other tentacles spun her around and jumped in the direction where Octavia knew. 
      Their laughter rang out like bells in the night, and Peter had never seen Octavia so enthused. With the wind pushing her hair back, her face wasn't as pale as it had been in the moonlight a couple days ago. Her eyes were finally bright enough to how they looked when Peter saw her for the first time.