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

"Hello, Peter."

I noted Otto's face becoming a bright shade of red. After I lost sight of the idea that my move on him could be a little unexpected, regret started to tug at me. I fumbled my words as I pulled my hand back. "Sorry I-I forgot some people a-aren't uh, comfortable with c-contact." The man's gaze quickly dropped. His silence made my stomach churn. Oh my God, I fucked up so bad.

"It's alright." Otto murmured with a shy smile.

Alright? Is he serious? The upper right actuator, Flo, crept closer to me. Something about its vibe seemed sinister. When he tapped on the area of the arm closest to him, I felt a little more at ease. Flo slowly retreated, facing directly towards me the whole time. I tried to apologize again. "Shit. I-."

"(Y/N)." Otto interrupted. His voice snapped me out of my train crash of thoughts. Leaning back in his chair, the arms backed up slightly, making the space feel less crammed. "I said it's alright. Harmless fun." He waved his hand. "You don't have to apologize for every little thing. I know I'm 'world-renowned' or whatever." Humble brag. I thought. "You can act however you want." My mouth seemed to dry out. His tone didn't hint that he was uncomfortable. I was lost for words. I was still filled with shame. I felt a little more at ease when he became calm again.

Perhaps jealousy fueled Flo's actions. Either that, or it thought I would hurt him. Otto had recently described them as "one-dimensional," so I wasn't sure how intelligent they really were. "Flo didn't seem to appreciate it." I whispered. The doctor chuckled before he took another sip of his coffee. I almost expected the actuator to lunge at me while its claws slowly unfurled.

Otto tapped at one of its claws this time. It was in a way that you gently slap a child's wrist as a tell-off. "They're dramatic. I tell them that not everyone's a constant threat to me, but they don't like to listen. Just a lot of 'danger danger' messages."

I furrowed my brows a bit. "Danger messages?"

"Oh, sorry. I meant to say that their messages, thoughts, whatever is a lot of simple phrases. Any person who gets slightly close to me is seen as a threat. So, it gets annoying hearing 'danger' in your head a lot."

It's a wonder he hasn't gone crazy. Yet. "Is there any way to calm them down?" I asked.

Otto shook his head defeatedly. "Not unless I'm extremely calm, or tired."

In an effort to relax, I unconsciously gripped my coat in my lap. He had no negative reaction to what I did. It's not like I just kissed him and received the cold shoulder. As much as I wish I had done that instead. Too soon. "Are you busy, today?" I almost blurted out the question. I was at a lost regarding what to do with the rest of the day. Perhaps doing stuff with this cyborg octopus man would help. Hopefully, it will make the situation less awkward. Otto's eyes moved down to the floor again. Moe turned to face him, opening its claws and squeaking quietly. It appeared to be talking, as his expression slightly shifted.

"Not that I know of. Why do you ask?"

"Maybe we could go out—walk around—do something."

"Are you asking me out?" He joked. I felt my ears redden again. He knows what he's doing, the bastard.

I babbled out incoherent noises before he continued. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Where do you want to go?" The weather may make it difficult to simply walk around. My only familiar places were this one, my workplace, and my apartment. He'd likely know more, given he does more, and he's smart or something.

"Where do you want to go?" I teased. Otto stood up with an old man grunt before putting on his coat.

"We can look around."

I figured the cold wouldn't bother him. A turtleneck and an overcoat would keep someone warm. That kept me warm enough, but carrying around metallic arms must have added some more body heat. I stood up and tried to not fall on my ass because my legs seemingly lost strength. This weak-in-the-knees feeling was starting to get old. He moved to gently hold my upper arm after noticing my stumble. "You alright?" I knew I probably looked like the silliest billy to ever silly. I nodded as my legs finally straightened. Trying to not pay too much attention to him touching me again, I smiled at him reassuringly. Otto smiled back as he couldn't help but chuckle at my pathetic ass. Even with that slightly embarrassing moment, I couldn't help but smile back.

We walked for a few blocks until I noticed someone recognizable in the distance. Before meeting my gaze, a man with short brown hair clutched his camera. Oh, shit. It was Spider-Man's photographer. Peter Parker.

Peter's eyes widened before he ran up to us. I didn't want to be interrupted on my walk with Otto, but having a third party may make the situation less awkward. That or he could make it more awkward. Oh well, I didn't want to seem rude. "Dr. Octavius!" He shouted. I looked over at Otto, who also recognized Peter.

"Parker! How are you?"

Fuck, they know each other. I accepted the five stages of grief when it came to being a third wheel to these two dorks. "I'm good. Oh! (Y/N)! I almost didn't recognize you." I forgot I put my earmuffs back on, so my hair was tucked back. Hard to recognize someone when the only thing you can focus on are the name-brand SpongeBob earmuffs.

"Hey, Peter." I smiled politely while feeling cockblocked at the same time.

"You two know each other?" Otto asked.

Peter decided to answer. "Yeah, a little. We met in that coffee shop over there." He pointed in the direction of the café we just came out of. It seemed it was going to be the place I'll meet everyone. "They recognized my name when I got my bagel from there, once. One of the first to recognize me by that so, that's cool." He turned to look at me. "Did I tell you that I wrote a paper on Dr. Octavius?"

I stammered a bit. "No, not th-that I know of." Peter started to ramble about how he had an assignment to do in college. His friend Harry had offered to give him a personal meet-and-greet with Otto. They got along with them both being science nerds. I occasionally looked up at Otto, reading his expression. He seemed a bit shy with Peter's constant praises of his work. I was going to use this reaction to flattery against him the first chance I get.