Wednesday / April - 10 - 2015
"Really Herman? You are partnering up with a guy that uses boomerangs?" Spider-Man questions from the top of the light-lamp, from which he hung upside-down The Shocker and Boomerang after stopping them from robbing an art gallery.
"You mocking me, mate!?" The Australian asked with offense while struggling to look up at the hero "I'll have you know that I've fought The Hulk!"
"… with boomerangs, riiight" Spider-Man mocked with disbelief "at least you're using actual weapons, not like 'Mr. Vibrator hands' over here".
"Hey! I told you these are my shocking gauntlets, and I'm The Shocker! Show some damn respect!" Herman yelled from the same position as Boomerang.
"If you want me to get your name right, get mine right as well" Spidey yelled back in the same offended tone "I've told you a hundred times that I'm Spider-Man - not Bug-Brat! And spiders are not bugs, they are arachnids!"
"Bugs, arachnids, whatever! It's the same!" Herman huffed from below. He knows they are not the same, mainly because of Spider-Man thourougy explaining it to him for almost a year now, but he still liked getting under the hero's skin.
… it's not so fun when he is in the receiving end of the joke though.
"I'm getting dizzy over here" Boomerang informs out loud, but his complaint went on deaf ears.
"You know damn well they're not the same" Spider-Man grumbles with squinted eyes, making Herman roll his eyes from underneath his patterned mask.
"Yeah? Just like you know damn well that I'm The Shocker! I shock people, that's what I do!" He shouted as he struggled against the webs, making Boomerang complain further because of the sudden movement.
"Damn it, stop moving like that!" Boomerang went unheard yet again.
"Yeah, I know what you do, man. That wall with a 'me' sized hole is proof of it" Spidey motions his thumb to the right behind his shoulder, to the building where the art exhibit was taking place - most specifically, to a very cartoonish hole with Spider-Man's silhouette, looking like he tried to make a snow angel in the wall.
But it was all part of his plan.
Spider-Man entered the art exhibit when his spider-sense warned him of something going on there, and in doing so, he found Herman with his new buddy holding poeple hostages with a boomerang while the other took the paintings off the wall.
So quickly springing into action, Spidey shot a strand of webbing to the weapon, disarmed the man and delivered a kick to his face, to then help the hostages out of their bindings. Boomerang took that chance and threw another one of his weapons at him, but his aim was apparently way off.
Herman quickly took notice of Spider-Man, and started blasting away as usual. So when the boomerang came back, the hero needed to dodge both attacks at the same time. But in order to do so, he needed to jump where some of the hostages still were. And knowing Herman, Peter knew he wouldn't stop firing.
So to keep the civilians safe, Peter took the shock and was sent flying off to the streets, where he knocked down a truck.
But it worked out for Spidey, because The Shocker quickly went after the hero outside - where he is less dangerous. And his buddy has boomerangs… so Spidey made quick work around then in a few minutes.
… everything according to his carefully crafted planed.
Now Spider-Man is just waiting for a cop or something to show up so that he can take his much needed leave. If they were normal robbers, he would've simply left them there already, but The Shocker is of sufficient profile to warrant him staying to make sure he doesn't do anything funny.
… and Boomerang too, Spidey guesses.
"Heheh, you liked that, huh!? You got shocked! That's what happens when you mess with The Shocker!" Herman boasted proudly as he saw the hole in the wall, making Peter sweat underneath his mask.
"Are you okay dude? Maybe you've been hanging upside down for too long now" Spidey mutters with some worry as his foe keeps talking about how he 'shocks' people like a weirdo.
"That's what I've been saying!" groans an incredibly dizzy Boomerang.
"Good thing for you two, cavalry just arrived" Spider-Man said as a cop's patrol finally pulled over, right where the hero was holding his villains prisoners with a small crowd gathered around them.
*OOMF* both bad guys exclaimed once the web holding them snapped thanks to the hero, making them fall less than gracefully on the floor.
"All right people, shows over!" Yelled the older cop of the two as he stepped down the vehicle, making some people groan in disappointment as they dispersed.
"Hey there!" Spider-Man shouted cheerfully with a wave of his hand at the officers "you're not the arachnid-shooting kind of cops, are you? Because I have a record of months of not being shot at by you boys in blue, and I'd like to keep it that way!"
"Don't worry about us, Spidey. We appreciate your work!" Said the younger officer with a bright smile, making the older one scoff at her words "well, at least one of us does".
The older cop may have disagreed with her with a scoff, but he didn't do anything to even trigger slightly his spider-sense, making it clear to Peter that he was not going to be a target of the officer.
And that warmed his heart like little things do lately.
Because after a year of being considered a menace and a threat by the majority of the police force, it finally seems like they are all accepting his help. Better yet, he even banters playfully with some of them!
Crazy to think how far he has gotten in one year.
"Don't worry ma'am, I know how cranky old people get when they miss their nap" Spidey quips as he jumps down from the pole in front of the officers.
"Excuse you? I'm at the prime of my life!" The man claimed with offence at the comment and his chest puffed out in pride.
"This is your prime?" His partner quips while stifling a laugh behind her hand while Spider-Man freed the villains from his webbing.
"Don't encourage him" The man mutters with a pleading and tired voice as he took out handcuffs to apprehend the other two costumed men.
"Yeah, please don't" Herman muttered as he allowed himself to be cuffed. No point in fighting it when the hero is right beside him and his gauntlet got trashed… again "if he starts thinking he's funny, he'll just get more annoying".
"Hey! I am funny!" Spider-Man claimed with offense as he looked around him for support "…right?"
"Well…" "Not at all, mate" "You're just disrespectful" the other three people muttered at the same time, making Spidey feel dejected.
"Y'all are mean" the hero said in a petty manner with a huff, making a turn around to leave "I'm outta here".
"Spidey, wait!" The young officer called out before Peter could jump away, prompting him to turn around in curiousity "we're glad to have you back!"
"Hm? What do you mean?" Spider-Man asked with fake curiosity. He doesn't want to give any idea to anyone that he quitted for a little while.
If they started getting those ideas, then that might show weakness. And Peter wants Spider-Man to seem like someone with unwavering resolve in his duty to help.
So he will deny ever taking even a break to everyone. Foes, allies, citizens, everyone. Spider-Man is not someone who stops. He can't allow to be seen that way.
"These last three weeks?" The officer said in a questioning tone "you, uhm - we didn't see you for three weeks, so we thought you might've stopped… being you, y'know?"
"Oh, that!" Spider-Man said as he snapped his fingers, as though he just now understood what she meant "I get what you mean. You thought I took a break or something!"
Claim that made all four people nod at the same time, nearly making Spider-Man laugh again.
"No, no. I was upstate for a few days for a very secret mission" Spider-Man said as he placed one finger to where his mouth should be, signaling as if that information was a secret "then I came back and I kept down low. Away from cameras and any other curious eyes.
But honestly? I found that it's just not my style to be secluded to the shadows! Not when my good friend Herman here does things like these in the middle of the day" Spider-Man said triumphantly at the villain who simply scoffed and looked away.
He knew that the bug hadn't quitted or anything like that. He knows the masked young man enough to know that his drive is to big to allow that to happen.
Which is exactly why Spider-Man is his sworn enemy and vice-versa! The sworn arch-enemies one sees in epic tales!
…At least in Herman's mind.
"That's good to hear, Spidey" the female cop nodded at his words with an almost excited grin "I'm glad to know you have our backs out here".
"Happy to help officer!" Spider-Man said as he jumped mightyly and swung away into the concrete jungle. Muttering quietly one last time to himself "happy to help".
"… I gotta admit, he does seem like a nice guy" the older cop conceded as he saw the vigilante swing away into the concrete jungle "disrespectful and annoying, but somehow nice".
"Meh, he doesn't crack my top 10 powered freaks" boomerang muttered as he was being shoved into the patrol.
"Oh, you shut up" both cops, and surprisingly, The Shocker, exclaimed at the same time in defense of the resident friendly neighbor.
————
Peter ran faster than a regular human should have to the room where Dr. Octavius was going to test the prosthetic arms once again. And he ran almost desperately because he was the last employee Otto had, and this would be the very first time where Peter would see the arms in person.
Of course Peter had worked on them time and time again, but he was still only an intern, meaning that his work was very limited due to the time he worked on them and what he could work on because of his age.
He mostly worked on the wiring and the programming side of things, while Otto worked alone in the arms themselves - design and all.
And Otto worked alone because of how the company staggered due to lack of funding, and that snow-balled down hill into more and more investors quitting the company based on their insecurities that Otto won't be able to accomplish anything.
He still has an appeal to ask for the city's grant once again - the one that was taken away from him around a month ago. But without the majority of the money he got from the investors, Otto was forced to make major budget cuts on everyone's salary. Cuts that most of Peter's co-workers couldn't afford to live with.
And Peter doesn't blame them. They are all grown adults who need to pay for, not only bills, but complete families that rely on them. It's just such a shame for Peter to see them go and leave the good doctor behind.
Still, Peter is ashamed to admit this, but he's been more comfortable without so many people in the lab. Why? Because he can make repairs to his gadgets and any Spider-Man related equipment more easily!
He began doing so slowly and shyly. At first it was just making the web formula for his shooters, but then he started fixing these two with whatever spare parts he could get his hands on. After that, it was his belt, then his whole suit, and now, Peter is bold enough to make use of the entire lab for whatever it is that he needs to be a better hero.
Like the little spider-tracers he has been working on lately! And Otto is usually very comfortable leaving Peter a desk for his own, so he can even leave stuff there hidden in between papers and such and the doctor would never know!
Without so many people to share the lab, Peter has been making so much progress in his gadgets it's almost crazy!
Too bad for the doctor though, who seems to be getting more and more desperate and angry at everything. Rightfully so… perhaps, but it's a true shame for Peter to see the man like that.
"Sorry I'm late, I-!" Peter exclaimed in an apologetic voice as he opened the doors, only to be silenced when he was met with the doctor already hooked to the machine.
A big and honestly scary looking machine that had all types of tubes and wires all around it to transfer power to the 'star of the show' with Otto in the middle of it all. The star of the show is a harness - connected to the machine behind him for power - that goes around his torso with what looks very similar to a spinal cord connected to his back, making the arms come from behind him.
…arms?
Peter knows that Otto has been working tirelessly on the designs for the completed product on his own, but why does it… why don't they look like arms? Why do they look like tentacles? This wasn't what Otto had pitched him all those months ago. This is not what he has been working on.
He knows that the spinal cord-like system that is connected to the harness is that way so that he can move the prosthetic like an actual - real - limb. But this… this is way more than anyone with the need of prosthesis would require, and they look much scarier than they should.
And why four?
The room was darkened; the only light that the room really had came from a window near the ceiling that made Otto's glasses reflect the light brightly. Everything else about him was not illuminated properly, which, from the position Peter came in, made it look like the arms on Otto's back were an actual part of him.
And that made his heart skip a beat for a strange reason. Which prompted him to turn on the rest of the lights before doing anything else.
"-you started without me" Peter stated as he approached the man surrounded by metal, currently moving the arms in front of him, as if admiring them. An impressive feat, given how many there are; and yet, Otto made it look… effortlessly natural, as if he had always had those extra limbs on himself.
"The city's grant commite will be here any moment now, and I'll be talking to them to see if there's any chance of me getting it back" Otto wanted to shrug off any concerns the boy might've had, but Peter kept looking at him weirdly, almost with his guard up.
And that, to Otto, meant doubt.
And he scowled angrily at that. The glasses-wearing man likes Peter, very much so actually. And he is glad that he has someone so young and smart as a loyal friend. Someone Otto can not only relate to on a personal level, but who he can be a mentor to.
So why the hell is he doubting his intellect and capability to do what he is set to do? Does he thinks he's better than him? That he knows more than him?!
No… n-no, of course Parker doesn't believe that. He's just worried about being alone with something that is still basically a prototype, even if it's all but ready. The only exception would be the part where he needs a power source for the arms to keep on moving even when unhooked from the machine behind him.
Otto has had an idea as to how to do it. The original idea actually, which is to share his own body's natural energy with the arms, making them a true part of himself. As if he was the battery itself, to simplify it.
The idea was sadly 'scratched off' for safety reasons.
Still, Parker shouldn't doubt Otto. Not like all those other employees of his who abandoned him, or all the investors that lost their faith in him and his work that caused them to turn their backs to him.
Not like his father, who always thought he'd never amount to anything.
"It's fine, Parker. I invented this equipment" Otto said with an almost annoyed tone at Peter's worried face "I think I can handle it".
But Peter stayed quiet as he looked at the way the machine looked strapped behind his back. Something about it was wrong. The way it looked on him, the way it felt, it… it…
"Look" Otto said as he concentrated and the arms started moving each one with impressive fluidity. The man started by grabbing a nearby cup and passing it to each arm that easily grabbed it.
"T-that's awesome!" Peter exclaimed happily, forgetting all about his concerns in favor of the scientific marvel that he is seeing. But he said once again with worry "b-but why do they look like that?"
"Like what?" Otto asked uncaringly, still almost hypnotized by the metal claws surrounding him.
"Like, uh, like metal tentacles with claws?" Peter asked carefully, now wanting to offend the older man and his work "I thought we were doing arms?"
"We are doing arms for the ones who need them" Otto replied while looking at Peter as though this was the most obvious thing in the world "But I need them to assist with my nuclear fusion reactor. That way I won't need to touch anything myself, keeping me away from harm while I do the work of various men simultaneously".
"I guess that makes sense…" Peter muttered, still not entirely satisfied with the answer. But well… the doctor knows best, right? Perhaps the fusion reactor truly is more dangerous than he thought, and he truly needs those - 'arms'? Tentacles? To do his job.
Peter wouldn't know though. The doctor only works on the reactor whenever he knows he won't be stopping by due to how dangerous and complicated it is. Who knows how far ahead he is on that project.
"Toss me the tennis balls, won't you?" Otto commanded after seeing Peter's hesitation while concentrating on moving those extra limbs, though for some reason, it felt weirdly satisfying to him.
Could it be the design? Something he came up with from deep within his subconscious? Or could it be that… that he was always meant to have these extra arms?
Could that really be it? It's illogical, nonsensical and even crazy! But… Otto feels them as natural to him as his own arms. And whenever he is unhooked from the harness, he feels… less. Less full, less whole, less perfect… less like himself.
Right now, right here, Otto Octavius is complete.
"O-On it" Peter said as he neared a bucket behind the table with many of those green balls and started throwing them into the arms, where Otto easily catched them and started juggling them with an impressive speed and precision.
Peter doubted he could replicate the action, even with his powers.
And both men started laughing their own way. Peter's was more incredulous and impressed, matching the laugh of the awestruck teen he is, while Otto's was more of a proud and self confident type of laugh - more quiet and slow.
Finally, after enough time passed of him juggling more than a dozen balls at the same time, Otto released them back in the bucket.
*Sigh* "I'd call that I mild success" Otto said after a content sigh, happy to see the idolizing eyes in Parker looking at him with marvel, as if he was the brightest mind there is.
As he should be.
As they should all be looking at him. Always.
" 'Mild success?!' I'd call that unbelievable!!" Peter exclaimed very happily with excitement clear in his face. At least until his excitement transformed to a worried look he shot to his side, much to Otto's confusion.
*TSSH - TSSH*
Peter's spider-sense was humming quietly in the back of his head since he came into the room for some reason that unnerved him, and as he tried to figure out exactly why, the answer made itself known.
Otto followed Peter's eyesight just as the noise started, where they both saw sparks flying off from a machine that should definitely not be doing that.
"The power dampener!" Peter exclaimed as he headed over to the machine and started to disconnect anything that connected to Otto and the metal spine on his back.
"Oh, man - Oh, man…" Peter muttered as he headed to the computer near the panels that gave all the information. And Peter didnt like what he saw "s-should we abort?!"
"Not yet!" Yelled Otto, not really caring about the fire that suddenly flared up beside Peter, causing the teen to jump out of the way with some fright.
He didn't wish to be separated from the arms. Not so soon. Not like this.
But the machine hooked to his own spine started to fire up as well, throwing too much sparkles his way while fire also ignited behind him, causing him to yell in pain *ARGH*
"Hang on!" Peter answered Otto's yell as he went over to the other side of the wall, where the emergency button is and quickly pressed it. Thus, stopping anything else from happening and the spine to disconnect from Otto's back and the neural chip he has on his nape.
After that, Peter quickly went over to Otto and opened the harness from the front; freeing him, but also causing the older man to fall weakly on the floor on all fours.
Peter had separated Otto from… from part of himself. And that felt wrong. Very, very wrong.
"Doctor, are-are you okay?" Peter asked as he gave Otto his arm for this one to stand up with.
"…" Otto struggled with his words for a few moments, only twitching his mouth as if he wanted to speak, but no words came out.
Being… ripped away from 'his' arms so suddenly like that was almost shocking for the man. But Peter's worried face snapped him out of whatever trance he went into for those few seconds.
"Doc?" Peter asked again, but this time Otto coughed and waved his hand in front of him, silently asking Peter for just a second more.
"Another setback" Otto muttered in between coughs as Peter guided him to the middle of the room to get as away from the smoke as they could, to then sit Otto on his workbench. But Otto smiles at Peter either way - a very forced smile that Peter wasn't able to distinguish from a real one "but we're getting close".
Causing Peter to smile at the older man's optimism. Smile that faltered a little when he saw the neural interface still turned on. The little chip that connects Otto's spine to the harness via the nape.
No point in having it on when the arms are off. Why Otto implanted it onto himself via a self inflicted surgery was beyond Peter. The thought always sent shivers down his spine.
"Oh, doctor, let me just…" Peter mutters as he reaches his hand over to Otto's neck, when all of a sudden, his spider-sense hummed very slightly.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Otto barks at Peter while slapping his hand away from him. His eyes suddenly looked almost feral and scared, which caused Peter to receive the full impact with shock.
"D-doctor?!" Peter questions with a hurt look as he grabs his hand as he takes a step back. It's not that the action physically hurt, but Peter wouldn't have ever e imagined that Otto would strike him like that out of the blue.
"P-Parker, I'm-I'm sorry!" Otto's eyes quickly shifted from that weird look to one full of regret as he tried to reach the boy with shock still present in his eyes with his hand.
But Peter took another step back due to the man's apology. Not only did he strike him out of nowhere, he also said 'sorry' to him soon after. Something the doctor hadn't said before. Something Peter never wanted to hear from him - or anyone for that matter.
But Peter's shock quickly went away when he saw the way Otto's face crumbled further into regret and something almost akin to sorrow.
"I-it's fine, there was no harm done" Peter masterfully changed his expression back to a nervous assurance, one that matched his tone as he neared the doctor "it didn't hurt or anything like that. I'm uh, much stronger than I look. The Hulk has nothing on me, actually".
Otto stared back at the very nervous looking Peter, looking for the truth in his eyes with his own. Otto knows that he has a bad temper; one that he has struggled with most of his life, but he has to be more in control of himself.
He can't be doing things like hitting people - much less someone he appreciates as much as Peter - when things don't go his way or someone does something he dislikes.
… no matter how correct that feels to him.
"Uh-uhm, sorry" Peter says as he notices the uncomfortable silence between them "I tend to make bad jokes in tense situations".
Otto simply closed his eyes tightly for just a second before letting out a small chuckle, one that made Peter smile genuinely. Until Otto talked again.
"It was a good joke, Parker. But the one who really should be apologizing is me" Otto replied as he looked at Peter, now with vulnerability visible in his eyes "I-I never should have done that. A-and I… I truly appreciate all the help you do around here. But the neural interface… you just can't turn it off like that and keep it from me, because to tell you the truth I…".
"Doctor? What's going on?" Peter asks with a level of worry that Otto had never seen on the young man before, causing him to sigh.
"I… I have a disease" Otto admits with shame present in his voice - as though the news were not sad, but merely frustrating and improper of him -, resting both his elbows on his desk "a very serious one".
"W-what?" Peter gasped out with concern. Before he could ask more, Otto kept on talking.
"My doctors say it's a type of quadriplegia that severs the connection of my brain to my body due to some dysfunction in the spinal cord. Probably due to my 'reckless youth' " Otto tried to quip, but it failed miserably according to the look on Peter's face.
"It's a progressive condition that would soon render all my motor and sensory systems… useless" Otto continued talking as he clenched and unclenched his hands with his elbows still on the table; frustration laced in his usually collected voice.
His attention was undivided in his limbs.
"The worst part is…" Otto said in contemplation "it only affects the body. My mind … I'll still be the same, but the body… *Sigh* No one knows of this, Parker. And I'd like to keep it that way".
"Y-yes, of course!" Peter stammered at Otto's serious and almost vulnerable face; knowing very well the value of a secret.
Understanding how much it means to be someone trustworthy enough for someone like Otto - someone like them - to be told such a secret "But I'm-I'm so sorry to hear that. Is there… is there something I can do to help?"
"You already are" Otto says as he extends his arms easily, showing off his easy movement with a small smile "your work with the neural web is brilliant! And with the chip connected to my spine, the connection between my body and mind stays constant! As if I wasn't sick at all!"
Peter felt his heart skip a beat at that, because even when knowing that is some great and groundbreaking news, it's also dangerous.
"B-but, doctor, we haven't even tested it yet" Peter started talking worriedly "we don't know if having it on you can have any side effects yet! W-what if it has some we don't know about?"
"It works beautifully!" Otto assured with a smile as he stood up, almost as if he was showing off how easily he did it "and it not only helps me with my body, but I'm sure we are close - so, SO close to our big breakthrough! I just feel it…!"
Peter saw the way Otto talked and looked - as if he was expecting something beyond the realms of the physical universe - and his worry intensified "Doctor-! Otto! This could have a negative impact on you!"
"Everything has a problem if you look hard enough" Otto dismisses with a wave of his hand "but fortune favors the bold".
"B-but what if it's not isolating your motor neurons?" Peter asked, watching as Otto groaned and placed both hands on the desk.
The older man was starting to get really annoyed and tired at the doubt of his intern. He is a world class scientist, one of the best minds in the whole world - of the whole damn history!
If he is doing something it's because he knows better! Because he does! He knows better than those ungrateful employees that left him, he knows better than all those fucking inversionists that only care about having money as soon as possible while leaving real scientific advancement behind… and he most definitely knows better than his father.
That… disgusting being that used to tell his younger self that he would never amount to anything, that he would be a disappointment no matter what he did while he beated him senseless. Just like all those bullies at every school he attended.
But no… Otto Octavius will prove everyone just who he is and what he can do! He just… he just needs some damn trust from everyone!
Which is why Otto can't understand why Peter Parker, his dear intern and a man Otto can resonate with to a level few people can't has been doubting him so!
It's annoying! It's frustrating! He is trying his best and he knows better than a damn kid! So just who is Peter Parker to tell him that he is in the wrong!?
He won't be told what to do by a- by a fucking child! Even if that child is his dear friend that Otto is so fond of! Because he is tired of being bossed and kicked around by people who believe that they are better than him!
THERE IS NO ONE BETTER THAN HIM!
"T-this could be affecting your inhibitions, your mood" Peter stammered as his spider-sense began rising ever so slowly. Just like the man's scowl was doing "I think we just need to do more testings and-".
"WE'VE DONE ENOUGH TESTINGS" *KRSH* Otto barks once again as he flips the table with both his hands, sending everything in it - including two coffee cups - crashing down into the floor.
Action that made Peter step backwards once again in surprise. The doctor has always been gentle, funny and patient with him.
And sure, Peter has known the man to have a very big temper, given how he could easily hear whenever he shouted to whoever or whatever from his office.
But never was it quite like this.
"Don't you understand, Parker?!" Otto directed his attention to Peter while panting due to the anger and desperation in his face. Something that made Peter worry yet again "I don't have any more time for more testings and whatnot! My funds are severely lacking and if the city's grant is not approved again, then that means there won't be a 'we' anymore!
I won't be able to pay you… I don't even know if I'll be able to afford to continue with my project as I have it envisioned…" Otto confessed as his anger turned into what Peter thinks is shame and hopelessness.
So he blurted out without thinking "I don't need to be paid!"
Which caused Otto to pause in surprise and look at the boy with almost wide eyes. Because he knows that Peter means it, but he also knows how much the boy also needs all the money he needs due to his own personal circumstances.
Which both made Otto even more frustrated and happier than he previously was at the same time.
Frustrated because he started paying Peter to show off to him. To show the boy that he is someone worthy to look up to. Someone that Otto could be a mentor to - one that taught him not only science, but also how to be independent while very subtly being someone he could rely on.
Even if Otto had to put money out of his own pocket to give to the boy. Because that's the level of kinship the older man feels for the younger one.
And it's so frustrating to know that he is failing to be someone that is worthy of being looked upon with awe.
Even if he very much so deserves to be. By everyone.
But that's also what makes him happy. To know that the boy has such a strong belief in him that he is willing to go without pay just to help him keep his dream alive even when he needs it so.
That's what Otto needs! Support, trust, confidence in everything that he is doing! He needs more people to trust in him, just as Peter does!
But… Otto truly cares for the boy, and he can't allow himself to leave the boy without his payment just like that.
Money…
Money, money, money. Oh, how Otto hates how the world revolves around filthy and meaningless money.
"Parker…" Otto said with a defeated sigh "I understand your eagerness to help, and you have no idea how much it means to me, really… but I think you should seriously consider looking for another job to support yourself and your aunt".
"I-I'll figure out what to do!" Peter said as he walked closer to Otto "I can… I can look for a half time job that gives me the hours necessary to keep being your intern! Plus, I was originally an unpaid one, so…".
"Are you sure?" Otto asks after a few moments; hope erasing any anger and shame he felt before.
"M-maybe I won't be able to spend as much time here, but hey" Peter says with an encouraging smile as he places his hand on Otto's shoulder "what's a few bucks when you're trying to change the world?"
And Otto smiled a sincere smile. One full of pride and gratitude towards the boy who understands him more than perhaps anyone could or ever has.
So he turns towards the boy and hugs him. An honest and sincere hug of gratitude from a man who is beginning to feel lost to a boy that is doing what he can to help.
"Thanks, Peter" Otto says as the hug naturally ends "I'll still have to see if my funds will suffice if the grant rejects me for whatever reason. But really… thank you".
Peter wanted to say many things as an answer. Perhaps smile brightly and claim that thanks are not necessary, or maybe just accept the gesture and thank the man for everything he has done so far.
Not only for him, but for everyone he is working for as well.
But there was something that still needed to be addressed, so Peter used this chance to say "If… if you really want to thank me, doctor, then could you, uhm, could you turn off the neural interface?"
Otto's smile faltered, and the urge to yell came raging once again to him. But… Otto knows that Peter is just worried about him and his health. Even if that is subtly telling him that he knows less than Peter.
So Otto forced a smile to his shaky lips and said "… of course… Yeah, you're right. We should test it more, see if there are any problems we might've missed".
Peter smiled almost pitifully when Otto reached to his nape with ease and deactivated the chip, only for Peter to clearly see how his whole body immediately tensed and became almost painful for Otto to move, which made Peter talk to bring reassurance to his mentor.
"Don't worry, we-" unfortunately, Peter was interrupted by the sudden sound of the door being somewhat rudely opened, revealing a woman followed by two men by her sides.
All wore formal attires, and beyond that, Peter saw an unsatisfied scowl on the woman's face.
*Ugh* exclaimed the woman the second she walked through the door, as if the mere thought of being here disgusted her. But her face shifted to one of mild concern when she assessed the place.
Machines still smoking with marks of fire, the red light indicating an emergency stop in the experiment, and even a table flipped with cups broken around it.
"Is anyone hurt?" She asked in hurry as she neared both scientists with her companions closely behind.
"No" Peter quickly denied as he stepped in front of the woman and tried to explain what happened "t-this was all my fault, I-".
"The energy levels exceeded our expectations" but Otto interrupted Peter as he also took a step forward. His voice was slightly sheepish, but soon became more energetic "f-from a certain point of view, that can be a very positive development".
"It doesn't smell very positive" the woman's tone gave away more of that anger and dissatisfaction that Peter saw before.
"I assure you" Otto said while trying to keep his cool "With the city's help, the next phase will-".
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves" but this time the woman interrupted Otto with words neither scientist wanted to hear "we have heard your appeal for the city's grant, but before we discuss anything, we need to take you somewhere".
Which made Otto sigh, already knowing that he would need to make his case in front of whoever may be his rival for the grant.
"Maybe you should take the rest of the day off, Peter" Otto said with a resigned tone and an apologetic expression on his face, now looking directly at Peter.
"B-but-" Peter wanted to voice an objection, but was interrupted.
"We'll talk later" Otto said as he placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder "I promise".
Peter wanted to argue more, but seeing the expectant faces of the four adults in the room made Peter look at the older man once again, silently asking for permission to stay.
"It'll be fine, Parker" Otto patted his shoulder again, Norwegian feeling more forced than it did before "you can go".
Peter mentally sighed, but did as told anyway, prompting him to walk in between the lady and her companions with a nasty feeling of frustration left inside him.
————
Peter walked down the street, feeling worried and dissatisfied at the events that transpired in the lab; not expecting to learn of his mentor's disease and then what is most likely going to be a not-so pleasant conversation with the comitee.
It's not fun for Peter not being able to help Otto with anything other than his assistance with the scientific side of things.
The arms are going to work, Peter knows this! And once they do and they start working once again on the fusion reactor of Otto's design, then they will be able to help everyone!
But… people just need to have more patience and faith in Otto.
'… well, since I have my afternoon free' Peter thought as he wanted to shake off what happened with Otto away from his mind. There was nothing he could do at this moment, so he decided to check another thing off his to-do list.
So he started walking with purpose and a firm destination in mind.
Otto may have financial problems that directly affect Peter, but there's still someone who the brown-haired boy is sure to be craving for pictures of the web-slinger now that three days have passed after the three week absence. Craving that means money for him.
Sunday and Monday Peter had forgotten to take pictures of himself. Thankfully though, he surely took enough last night to satiate the funny-mustached man's 'hunger'.
And to add to his 'luck', Peter did bring the drive with his photos with him, which meant he didn't have to walk all the way to Forest Hills.
It's important to Peter to see the little silver linings in life.
So he walked to The Daily Bugle's building with a renewed attitude and a little pep on his step.
….
"Oh, Peter! It's so nice to see you!" Amy Powell, J. Jonah Jameson's personal secretary, exclaimed the moment she saw the young man walk into the room with that sheepish smile she knows him for.
"Hey, Ms. Powell" Peter greeted as he neared her desk with a quick step to try and listen better "how have you been?"
He can hear her perfectly fine, even when the rowdy lobby is as active as always with paper flying all over the place, furious typing echoing everywhere and loud conversations in every corner. But appearances are important.
"I've been fine, thank you very much" she answered with a smile that soon turned into a small stern look "but please, do call me Amy or you'll make me feel older than I want to feel".
"Hehe, sorry about that, Amy" Peter awkwardly chuckled as he scratched his nape "I didn't mean any offense".
"I know" she replied with a roll of eyes. Action that was betrayed by the fun smile playing at her lips "so, what do you have for us today, Pete?"
"Oh, right!" Peter exclaimed as he took his backpack off and started searching for something until his expression lit up "I have more pictures of Spider-Man with me!"
"I figured!" Amy replied with his same enthusiasm as she grabbed his little USB flash drive and she checked it over before inserting it into her computer.
Before her boss, Jonah, sees the pictures and he decides wether or not they are going to buy them from any freelance photographer, Amy has to make sure that they are indeed real pictures of what he is claiming them to be.
And not just some poor man's cosplay photoshoot or edited ones, which they have received a lot of in these past three weeks in hopes of making some easy cash.
It is well known amongst everyone in New York - and possibly beyond there - that The Daily Bugle has a special interest in the arachnid themed hero, so it wasn't a surprise for Amy to see many attempts of people trying to scam them by using his image.
Not Peter Parker though. Never has the young man tried to sell them anything but the reality of the pictures he has, without editing or 'fixing' them to make them appear more appealing.
And god knows his pictures have needed to be edited by their team or even rejected altogether because of how blurry and messy they sometimes are. And those very few times, Amy would feel her heart aching at the sight of the dejected looking boy trying to smile and claim that it was okay and he understood.
And not only her, but she could feel the whole team on the floor looking ashamed of themselves when they rejected his pictures.
But no one looked worse those times than Jonah.
It was weird for Amy to see the level of care the loud mouth and quick tempered man has over this particular young man. Usually, the chief editor would have never taken a high school boy and his amateur pictures seriously, but something compelled the mustache-man to take Peter in.
… as much as his professional ethic allowed at least, given how he recommended Peter to stay as a freelancer and has repeatedly yelled and denied his ugly pictures.
But who could blame Peter for how some of his pictures turn out? He is just a freshman in highschool trying his best to make money for him and his elderly aunt, who everyone in the building knows is his only living relative thanks to Robbie, who has a kid in the same class as Peter.
And that masked menace doesn't make things any easier for Peter either… which makes sense, since the so-called vigilante seems to dislike having such a big presence on camera despite how comfortable he seems when swinging around in that skin-tight costume for everyone to see in the middle of the day.
It was honestly a miracle that Peter managed to take as many pictures of the web head as he has, even when the quality leaves much to be desired.
"Five pictures, none of them edited or messed with, taken just yesterday…" Amy started muttering more to herself as anything while looking at the pictures, to then shift her eyes to Peter again "The pictures are real, I can tell as much… the quality though…"
"Yeah, I know" Peter answered with shyness in his voice and a red flush in his face while Amy turned her screen around and showed Peter a particularly blurry picture "I tried to get as many as I could, but you know Spidey and how he is around cameras".
"Yeah, I get it" Amy said easily as she turned her screen back around and analyzed the pictures once again "at least two turned out nicely"
"You think so?" Peter asked in a hopeful tone that made the older woman smile warmly.
"I know so, sweetie" Amy said as she took the flash drive off and handed it to Peter "Maybe Jonah will buy some. And I know he'll be happy to see you".
"He will?" Peter asked with clear confusion in his voice, not quite expecting that to be the case.
"Of course!" Amy said with an entertained smile as she got up from her desk and started walking towards Jonah's office with Peter following behind her "Don't tell him I told you this, but he really seems to have a soft spot for you".
"Oh, uhm. T-That's…" Peter stammered nervously for a bit with a bright red blush on his face that Amy thought was cute, unaware of the inner turmoil that Peter felt because of her words.
Because Peter genuinely likes Jonah as well. Despite his rough attitude and loud-rude like demeanor, Jonah is a really nice man. He is morally righteous, respectful when it matters, and has much dignity and integrity when it comes to his job.
And he has helped out Peter a lot, he is conscious about it. Jonah didn't have to accept his crappy photos - which are like that to keep any suspicions away from him.
It would be really easy for a professional journalist to figure out that he is Spider-Man - or that Peter at least has some sort of relationship with the vigilante - if he showed up with selfies or impossible photos to take as the regular civilian that he is supposed to be.
So he purposely takes bad pictures of himself so as to not put a literal target on his back for the whole city to see.
And Jonah accepted him anyway, and he has proven to be someone worth respecting over and over again in the time that Peter has personally known him.
It wouldn't really be a huge stretch to say that Peter looks up to Jonah.
And it's both a shame and a conflict for Peter because the first time he stepped into this very office, he did so as a way to make easy money at the expense of someone who openly states to hate Spider-Man, which caused Spider-Man to initially dislike him back.
Spider-Man sold his own photos to Jonah as a way of petty revenge, but Peter ended up liking the older man for whom he had proven time and time again to be.
Yet another relationship that will be forever strained because of his mask. A relationship where Jonah treats Peter really well… his own personal way, and very publicly yells about his distaste towards Spider-Man.
And it hurts.
More than Gwen who also dislikes Spider-Man, more than Flash who likes Spidey but dislikes Peter. And it hurts because Peter fears the possibility of this experienced journalist connecting the dots between his two personas and… and then what?
Jonah is the main reason for the public's initial distrust of Spider-Man, and he even went as far as creating one of his most dangerous villains - The Scorpion - to get to him.
And Peter considers that man a friend.
What would his friend do if he finds out who Peter really is? The teen doesn't know, and that makes him anxious… and sad.
'Well… just another reason to keep my identity as secret as possible' Peter thought with a dejected mental sigh as Amy opened the door to Jonah's office.
"Hey boss, look who took the time to visit" Amy said with an amused tone to her boss, who was too busy reading some papers of something most likely important with Robbie standing behind him, looking over his shoulder.
"Is it the king of England?! Because unless he is, you both have 3.5 seconds to get the hell out of my-! Oh, Parker!" Jonah started shouting with his usual annoyed tone, but shifted to a big smile when his eyes landed on his visitor.
"H-hey, Mr. Jameson" Peter waved somewhat lamely "Mr. Robertson, how uh, how have you been?"
"How do you think, kid?!" Jonah shouted as he got up from his desk and walked up with a smiling Robbie behind him - who waved a singular time in greeting "I'm baffled at the audacity of the arachnid to think he can come back from whatever hole he crawled under to keep his reign of terror over the city!"
"Reign of terror?" Peter questioned with a raised eyebrow as Jameson halfway hugged him from the shoulder and brought him inside the office.
"Good point! He's not so big of an importance to be worthy of a 'reign of terror'!" Jonah said happily as Robbie shrugged and Amy left with a roll of eyes "he's more of a…! of a…"
"Small time menace?" Peter questioned with a dumb and almost tired tone as Jonah got back to his chair and snapped his fingers in approval.
" 'Small time menace'! That's it!" Jonah exclaimed happily as he started typing on his computer with an impressive speed, but he still whipped his head to Peter "so, where are they!?"
"Hmm?" Peter asks dumbly, now knowing what the mustache man is referring to, causing Robbie to cough purposely behind this one.
"I think our dear chief in staff wants to say that we're glad to have you back with us, Peter" Robbie said as Jonah dismissed with a wave of his hand. Action that Peter could've sworn was born from mild embarrassment.
"Uh, yeah" Peter agrees with a nod and a big smile "it's nice to be back here now that Spider-Man is back on making public appearances!"
Jonah and Robbie kept quiet while looking at Peter after he said that with an almost expectant look. Which threw Peter off a little bit, prompting him to look behind him to see if they were actually looking behind him.
"… and do you have pictures of Spider-Man we could see?" Robbie asked after seeing Peter wasn't getting the hint.
"Out with them, Parker! Time is money!" Jonah yelled with a vein threatening to pop out of his forehead right after Robbie, before Peter could answer.
"R-right, sorry!" Peter stammered/yelled with embarrassment as he handed the flash drive still in his hand to the expecting one of Jonah.
"Okay, let's see what we got here…" Jonah muttered as he placed the flash hard drive on his computer, and started looking over the pictures "Crap, crap, mega crap! And only five!? What's the matter, Parker? You take a few days off and suddenly you can't even focus your camera?"
"Y-yeah, sorry about that" Peter apologized as he scratched the back of his neck "but, well, y'know how much Spider-Man seems to hate cameras".
"I always wondered how he does that" Robbie muses out loud, knowing for a fact how Spider-Man's presence seems to have an effect on all types of cameras.
Not so much as tampering with them, but his suit always comes out extremely blurry no matter the quality of the equipment. Unless it's a traditional camera, which then he looks normal.
"Oh! I actually have a theory for that!" Peter exclaimed with fake excitement. He knows exactly why that happens since he is the one that designed his suit to mess with certain lights with a carefully crafted plastic-like alloy that he uses in the black-webbing like part of his suit.
It's useful to go somewhat unnoticed in cameras. It doesn't make him invisible or anything like that, just harder to spot and see what he really is doing.
Another plus of that material is that it is heavy, making his whole suit weigh more than anyone could ever guess, meaning that only people with super-strength are able to move as freely and comfortably in it as he does.
It's not overly heavy, but it would prevent anyone from making the moves he does while in it.
Which is really cool, since that means his suit is most likely never to get stolen and used to commit crimes while tarnishing his name. And if someone like The Chameleon tries to use his own suit, people are going to very easily tell it's just a copy cat!
And Peter would like to keep quiet about this, but as a known science aficionado, he needs to seem like he wants to know Spidey's secrets in front of other people. It helps to throw them off.
"I think that Spider-Man has some sort of device on him that thwarts off mirror cameras. Like the ones on your cellphone or the security cameras" Peter began rambling a little bit fast with fake excitement that no one is able to see through "which is why my camera, a mirror-less one, is able to take pics of him no problem.
How he does this however, I don't really understand. Maybe he uses some sort of device that sends a radio frequency? But who knows, maybe it's just another power of his that he has. But that wouldn't make sense because he doesn't seem to have any light or radio based pow-" Peter talked until he was finally interrupted by Robbie, which took longer than the boy had originally expected.
"T-that's not really important, Peter. But, eh, thanks for sharing your thoughts in-" Robbie sweat dropped as he listened to Peter's ramble, but with a small smile seeing as how his son was correct when saying that Peter had a fascination for science and all that stuff.
But was interrupted by Jonah, who was still busy on his computer "Leave all your science mumble jumble to your internship, Parker!"
"R-right, sorry" Peter apologized with a shy smile.
"So, you got crappy photos and none of them have Boomerang or The Shocker!?" Jonah asks as he finishes making sure the pictures aren't messed with. He knows his assistant does that before sending anyone in, but if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.
"Shocker? Isn't he in prison?" Peter's confused face was clear for both adult men to see "and why do you want a picture of a boomerang?"
"Not A boomerang, just Boomerang!" Jonnah stresses out as he lights up a cigar "just another addition of these masked weirdos running around and wrecking havoc around the city. Of whom I want photos of!"
"Sorry, Mr. Jameson. I didn't hear of anything like that" Peter admits as he raises both his hands in mock defense.
"It's not your fault, Peter" Robbie interjects before Jonah could talk "they made their appearance this very afternoon. And you say that you have your internship at that hour, right?"
"Uh, yeah. I just came from it actually" Peter nods at the question "All the pictures are from yesterday night".
"Your internship? It's still early, why the hell are you here!?" Jonah questions Parker with a raised eyebrow, feeling genuinely mad at the idea of Peter ditching his job so early. Someone with so much promise as Peter should be professionally diligent, just like he is.
"Oh, the doctor had a meeting with the committee of the city's grant" Peter admitted as he looked away with a defeated look on his face "It didn't seem like it was going to be good news, so he dismissed me".
"So what, does that mean he's gonna fire you?!" Jonah asked with the same tone he always uses, but his face showed a certain degree of concern. Which is why he yelled at Amy to get out the moment she wanted to interrupt the conversation.
"Jonah!" Robbie scolded his boss for the comment, even if he was wondering the same thing. He, more so than anyone else in the office, knows of Peter's situation.
Peter has been Randy's classmate since forever now, so he was aware of the passing of Richard and Mary Parker, then the financial situation was made obvious to him due to what his son talks about, and most recently the passing of Ben Parker.
And it was a shame to Robbie to know that all of this has happened to someone that he - not only considers as his son's friends - but his own as well.
Because despite the difference in ages, Peter is someone so damn nice that Robbie just can't help himself from liking the boy and taking an interest in his life, much like Jonah does.
Because both men root for Peter. They hope to see the boy thrive despite the bad hand that life has dealt him - they truly want to see Peter keep on being the same way he was when he came into this very office almost exactly a year ago.
But life seems to be as challenging as always with the boy, seeing as how the company he is interning at is doomed to fail and leave Peter without that extra bit of money he so clearly needs for himself and his elderly aunt.
"I… I haven't thought of it that way before" Peter admits. If the city refuses to give Otto the grant, then - if the project still carries on with Otto's own funds - he would be an unpaid intern that spends less time there.
He was basically an employee since he was paid and he spent his whole afternoons there. So, is he technically being demoted to intern? Does that count as being fired?
Well… yes, Peter thinks it kinda fits the description more so if Otto is unable to continue all together, which would render Peter intern-less.
"But uh, yes. I think that means I will be fired" Peter admits with a conflicted and saddened small smile.
Jonah and Robbie stood a second too long staring at Peter as his eyes crumbled into worried ones; which darted from side to side as he calculated something in his head. Most likely something related with money, and what he could do moving forward.
At that, Jonah came up with a quick solution.
"Ms. Powell!" Jonah suddenly yelled for his assistant, who quickly came rushing in "please bring me a violin to play for Mr. Parker's little sob story here!"
Amy looked confused while Robbie shook his head at Jonah's words and Peter's shocked and slightly embarrassed and hurt face - clearly not expecting those words from someone who Peter was just thinking how much of a nice guy he actually is.
"W-wha-?" Peter questions with said expression.
"Oh, I'm sorry" Jonah says with a mock pout in his face while signaling Amy to leave once again "you don't want to be pitied?"
Question that struck Peter where it hurt, because he does not want to be apologized to - even when in mock - and because no, he doesn't want to be pitied. Not at all.
His distaste for both those words was clearly showing on his face, who darkened considerably with an angry scowl that neither adult thought was even possible on Peter's young and still somewhat squishy face.
"No, Jonah" Peter answered with a serious and deep voice that matched his expression "I don't want to be pitied".
Peter's voice and expression made the confident and loud chief in staff falter just for one shameful half of a second, but he quickly replaced any expression in favor of a proud smile.
"Then wipe that pout off your face!" Jonah exclaimed as he banged his desk with one hand "sometimes planned things don't go as planned! So what!? We can't let things like those get the better of us, can we!?
Of course not! Not men like us! So, you're most probably going to be fired for something that is not your fault, what is your plan then?! Don't waste a second and think! Plan!" Jonah demanded with a pointing his cigar to a now shocked Peter, who stammered lamely at the sight of both expectant adults.
Jonah's words hitting Peter harder than he expected really caught him off guard.
"I uh, I-I guess… I mean, I could - I -" Peter tripped over his words as he thought of his options. He already thought of getting a new job. But just very broadly.
And Peter needs money - obviously - but no halftime job will pay well enough or give him a good schedule to keep on being Spider-Man, so…
Seeing him freeze like that made Jonah roll his eyes, so he took another smoke of his cigar to calm down his urge to call the boy dumb "C'mon, Parker! You have 'computer skills' us old men don't. And you are skilled with the camera… despite these" Jonah said as he pointed his cigar to the computer with Peter's current photos.
"Are-are you saying you want to hire me?" Peter asked incredulously.
"No" Jonah denied easily "remember what I told you a year ago? You're still too young to be dragged into the corporate world, keep freelancing!"
"So, uh-?" Peter wanted to ask what he meant then, but Jonah stopped him with his hand.
"But you can freelance more than what you're doing now! You can be a photographer at events, and we can pay you here for helping us with our website" Jonah explained, feeling something warm in his chest as he saw Peter's face light up "because god knows I won't have someone playing here with the computer full time to keep the damn thing running!"
"I- R-really? T-hat would be great!!" Peter exclaimed happily, really liking the idea. Events where a photographer is needed aren't many in The Bugle, and they don't really last all that much while paying really well. Similarly, he can help with The Bugle's website from wherever he can get a computer in his hands "thank you!"
The only thing Peter would need is a better suit, in case Jonah asks him to attend a charity or something similar that requires a dress code. And perhaps a better camera.
"Thanks are unnecessary" Jonah dismissed him with a wave of his hand "this isn't a charity, if I'm offering you this, is because you proved capable of it. So if you suck at the job then YOU'RE FIRED!"
"R-right, yeah" Peter answered with yet another stammer, but actually feeling a pang of proudness in his chest. He didn't feel as if he was being shown help as a charity case here, he was being 'promoted' due to his prowess "I promise you won't regret-!"
"Yeah, yeah, I already know that song, and I don't care for it! Actions are louder! Show me a good job, don't promise it!" Jonah demanded with another smoke from his cigar "Now! These pictures are really, REALLY, bad…! but the menace is back from whatever hole he hid and I want him on my front page before anyone else…
I'll give you two hundred bucks for all five, AND NOT A CENT MORE!" Jonah declared as he pointed at Peter with his cigar after a few seconds of thinking, making Peter nod excitedly.
"O-of course! That's totally fine!" Peter agreed with a bad poker face, expecting way lower than that.
Jonah nodded back to Peter, and started scribbling on a check while muttering to Robbie how he wants picture number three on the front page by yesterday, with the title that Peter so generously provided before.
"Thanks, Mr. Jameson, really" Peter said softly as he looked at the check in his hand with a smile painting his face.
Jonah, unexpectedly for Peter, smiled back at him with the same softness Peter tried to show.
"Well? What are you waiting for?! Get outta here!" But Jonah soon yelled as he watched Peter standing there dumbly for that long second, which prompted Peter to swallow a laugh as he walked away from his office, waving goodbye to both adults as he did so.
"… you think that was a good idea?" Robbie asked Jonah as he saw Peter happily talking with Amy outside the see-through office.
"…don't you?" Jonah replied with a similar tone to Robbie, also watching the boy with a soft look that is. It easily found on him.
Sometimes - just sometimes - Peter reminded Jonah of his son. Who he hasn't seen in some time due to him being in the space program in Washington. They talk regularly, but it's different from having him home.
"You're growing soft in your old age" Robbie teased with a smile, approving of how his boss helped his son's friend like that. Something very uncharacteristic and at the same time so proper of him.
Robbie's words gained a shade of red on Jonah's face, paired with the bulge of irritated veins "And you're growing slow! I told you I wanted this for yesterday!"