Doctor Octopus x Reader - Hello, (Y/N).

"The power of the sun,"

Snow fell softly onto the streets as a chilly breeze nipped at my exposed ears. Winter can be peaceful, but the weather didn't feel pleasant. The only motivation I had moving me forward consisted of two things.

Firstly, hot chocolate was at it's best this season. Nothing was better than the contrast between one's freezing inside being warmed by a chocolate drink. Not to mention, one of the options contained a peppermint flavoring. It was one of my favorites, no doubt. However, I digress. Secondly, I couldn't help but feel a little bothered. Something in my mind longed for companionship. Friends were nice but it wasn't enough for that part of me. I desired a special kind of companionship.

I don't have high standards or anything. I want someone who was capable of throwing me through a wall. Not at, through. It's a plus if it's effortless on their end.

There are only a select few who could do such a thing. Heroes or villains. Heroes had this weird trend of wanting to work alone.

Villains on the other hand weren't any easier to get with. That is if I could ever get to speak to them without Spider-Man or whoever locking them up before I ever get within earshot of them. I couldn't exactly shout out "take me" without getting looks.

No main character moment for me, unfortunately. I have to deal with people of average strength for now.

My coat kept me from turning into a cartoonish icicle. It wasn't a very puffy winter coat, simply one of those overcoats that people wore to look stylish. If I wanted to attract someone, an oversized and obnoxious coat won't help at all. I internally scolded myself for not wearing some kind of ear protection. None of my cute fluffy earmuffs would match, so I decided to pick style over substance.

The café shop was at the end of the street. Relief washed over me as I finally found it. The cold air kept me from jogging, so I power-walked as fast as I could. I saw a couple of people give me weird looks. Similar to the looks you give the person who wears shorts in freezing temperatures.

I opened the door to the café as the bell jingled. My shivering body soon stood still. Draping the coat off my shoulders, I took a deep breath in as I soon smelled the baked treats and coffee orders. Speaking of coffee, there was a long line extending from the counter. Damn it. I thought. It was breakfast hour, so it wasn't very surprising. That didn't keep me from feeling impatient.

My legs were a little tired from shuffling in the cold air. I decided to find something to keep myself busy while I wait. It was that or I stand squished between irritated people that "don't want to be talked to until they have their morning coffee." I desperately looked for a free seat. A lot of tables were taken by people on their laptops or reading books. I didn't want to invade their space, so I moved to get a better view of the booths and window tables. I looked down so nothing would hit my face.

Then it happened. I bumped into someone, someone a little larger than me. My heart jumped in my chest; embarrassment hit me like a train. Before I could apologize, the stranger exclaimed. "Ah, so sorry!" I looked up and saw his face. Oh my god. I stumbled over my words when I recognized who I just bumped into. It was Dr. Octavius. Dr. Otto Octavius. He was easily recognizable, as he won awards for his work. The man made an artificial sun to create a reliable renewable resource.

When I finally could arrange a sentence, I was so flustered I couldn't speak without stuttering. "N-No, it's my f-fault! I'm so sorry, I uh, I should've l-looked where I was g-going." His coffee was all over his turtleneck. I noticed the mechanical arms still attached to his back. One reached for a napkin to clean the stain as best as it could. I heard they were likely going to be a permanent part of his physique. Somehow I still missed them before bumping into him. The upper left actuator held a bunch of sugar cubes. The upper right held a second cup of coffee. I supposed it took a lot of energy to manage all that was going on in his mind.

Octavius chuckled. "It's no worries, I promise." He gave me a reassuring smile. I felt my stomach flutter. Oh God. I thought over and over. I glanced at the stain.

"But--your shirt."

He looked down as if he didn't notice his burning coffee spilled on him.

"Oh, I guess I have to take it off now."

My eyes looked like a rodent's as they nearly bulged out of my head. I tried to keep my face from flushing. I couldn't tell if it was working. It seemed it hadn't as he cleared his throat. "I'm kidding, bad joke."

I giggled nervously, trying not to imagine what it would look like if he took his shirt off.

Something hit me.

"Oh! I'm so rude--I'm (Y/N). It's nice to meet you." I reached my hand out, it started to shake a little. It made me slightly agitated; I just met this man. My minor annoyance didn't seem to make me look any less of a flustered mess.

He reached out to shake my hand. "I'm Dr. Otto Octavius. It's nice to meet you, too."

"I'm sure everyone knows who you are, Octavius." I winked at him.

"You never know, I figured I might as well appear humble." Otto seemed to chuckle at his own statement. The situation felt surreal to me. A famous scientist is talking to me. My main character arc was finally coming to fruition. I tried to not let it get to my head.

I decided to keep entertaining this interaction. "So, what's someone like you doing in a place like this?" It sounded like a cheesy pick-up line once I said it. But he didn't seem to take it that way, thankfully.

"Presumably the same thing you are." We both looked at the line that hadn't seemed to have gotten any shorter.

"Oh, right. I was hoping t-to get the p-peppermint uh-thing." My mind started to get crowded. The feeling in my stomach arose again when he put a hand on my shoulder.

"I promise I'm not angry with you bumping into me. It makes sense given this environment." The murmur of customers was like an ambiance, one that seemed quieter every time he spoke to me.

"I picked a bad time to come, huh?" I nervously asked. I lost interest in my first motivation for coming here. The second reason was starting to look more appealing. One of the actuators whirred as it nudged at Octavius's shoulder. He turned to look at it, furrowing his brows as if it had said something offensive.

"I guess we should sit somewhere and wait the line out." We? My whole face was surely flushed now. I glanced at him.

"We?"

He sarcastically rolled his eyes. "Yes, who else am I talking to?"

I nervously chuckled again before I followed him to find a spot.