Chapter Text
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there!”
You manage to keep from falling as you stumble backwards, having accidentally collided with a man coming out of one of the stores along the street.
“It’s okay, I promise,” you reply. You see that he dropped a cute paper bag holding whatever he’d just bought, and you lean down to pick it up. “I should’ve been paying more attention. I zone sometimes when I walk around. It’s easy to get lost in the noise.” You hand the bag over, seeing muffins through the circular plastic window on the front. You finally take the time to look at the store the stranger walked out of and see that it’s a bakery. “Those look good, what kind are they?”
He smiles as he takes the bag, careful not to let his fingers brush against yours. You know he’s probably just being considerate, but you almost wish he wasn’t.
“Lemon blueberry,” he answers. “They’re my favorite. Would you like one?”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t—”
“Please,” he insists. “It’s the least I can do after nearly knocking you over like that.”
“It really wasn’t your fault, but if you insist,” you say, holding your hand out.
He opens the bag and hands you a muffin, and you take a small bite.
“This is great, thank you. I’ll have to come here and bump into you again.”
He laughs at that, and a warm feeling spreads through you.
“Bump into apologetic men to get free food, is that your plan?” he teases.
You shrug. “Might be. Don’t let me catch you outside of some nice restaurant or I might fake spraining my ankle for a free meal.”
“You wouldn’t need to sprain your ankle for that,” he replies, and you blush.
“What’s your name?” you ask, taking another bite of your muffin.
“Otto Octavius.”
He holds his hand out and you shake it, introducing yourself as well.
“So, what exactly are you on your way to do, Mr. Octavius?”
“Dr. Octavius,” he corrects. “I’m actually on my way back to my lab, I’m conducting experiments to do with fusion at the moment. Just thought I’d take a break before getting back to my work.”
Your eyebrows raise. “You’re a scientist? That’s really cool.”
“It’ll be cool when I finally make a breakthrough in my field. I’m close, though, I’m sure of it. What about you?”
“Oh, I’m just out for a walk, probably going to take the subway back. It’s my day off today.”
“Well, I apologize, but I really must be leaving before the others wonder where I’ve gone off to. Perhaps I’ll see you again?”
“Perhaps,” you echo playfully. “Maybe here? Same time next week? I’ll be extra careful next time.”
“Well I certainly hope not,” he replies, tone just as mischievous as your own. “How else are you going to get another muffin?”
You laugh and lean against the building for support. Something about the joy and warmth of the moment makes you feel weak.
Otto laughs along with you. “I didn’t even touch you that time! I’m beginning to think you’re just not very light on your feet.”
“Hush,” you say, straightening up, that wide smile still lingering on your lips. “I’ll see you next time, Otto. It was very nice to meet you.”
“You as well,” he says. “Enjoy your muffin.”
“I will.”
You wave goodbye as he heads off in one direction and you head off into the other. By the time you find yourself on the subway, there’s still a bit of muffin left in the wrapper. You almost don’t want to eat it, as if the feelings that moment gave you will disappear if you do. To your pleasant surprise, they don’t. The last bite of the treat only leaves you wanting more.
If only you’d known how much pain was waiting for you at the end of the line.
It’s been three months now since you left New York. Thankfully, you had not only evaded Otto, but also various press sources who had begun interviewing his colleagues and known friends after his initial bank robbery. You’d seen a few articles alluding to your existence, speculating what happened to you, and mostly agreeing that you fled after your boyfriend “became a monster.” It wasn’t too far off, but the last thing you wanted to do was reach out to correct anyone and put yourself out there. The last thing you wanted was to give Otto any indication of where you were.
A part of you, though, wanted exactly that. A part of you wanted to find him, to kiss him, to be held by him again, despite everything he’d done. That part of you drove every moment that you spent reminiscing on your time with him. It drove every moment you spent in bed, wearing one of his shirts, and every time you looked in the bathroom mirror and wrapped your arms around yourself, as if you could hope to imitate the feeling of him hugging you from behind.
You had to be strong, though. You had to move on. You tried downloading a couple of dating apps, but you couldn’t get through a single conversation without thinking about Otto. You had never felt so detached and discomfited by the idea of dating. You deleted the apps after a week, unable to stand the notifications of matches and messages.
It seemed for a time that all you could do was barely eat, shower, go to work, go to bed, and repeat— all while feeling an unwavering sense of numbness. You still had moments of happiness, there were still things that made you smile, but every day something would remind you of him, or you would think you saw his face in the passing crowd, and the hurt would come creeping back into your heart. Some days, all you could do was think about him. You were beginning to wonder if you’d ever stop.
Then, one day, you got a phone call. It was from one of your close friends back in New York, Mary Jane, who was trying once again to get you to return, if only for a few days.
“Please, let me take you to lunch. You can stay at my place and I’ll split your plane ticket with you. I miss you.”
You sigh. “What about your fiance?”
“He’s leaving to go on a trip with his family this Friday. We’ll have the whole apartment to ourselves for a week. Please?”
You pace for a few more moments, staring at MJ’s name on your phone screen.
“It’s just hard to come back, MJ. I don’t want to… I can’t run into him.”
Him . Because MJ still doesn’t know that the man you were involved with, the one that drove you from the city, is now the villain known as Doctor Octopus.
“I understand,” she replies softly. “But, listen, New York is a big city. What are the odds that we’ll run into him on one little outing?”
You take a deep breath. She’s right, the odds are low, and he hasn’t been in the news for two weeks now. Maybe he’s laying low. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t let the fact that he exists ruin the prospect of a good time for you.
“I’ll book my ticket as soon as I hang up,” you say, to MJ’s delight. She makes a pleased noise and you add, “I’ll see you Friday. Just hang around the airport after John and his parents leave and wait for me.”
“I will! I can’t wait to see you, I promise we’re going to have so much fun.” She pauses, and you can tell by the softness in her tone that she has that look on her face that she has when she’s really grateful. “Thank you.” You wonder if she has her own problems that she hasn’t talked about. Maybe you’ll find out.
After a few more minutes of talking, the two of you say goodbye and you hang up. As promised, you book your flight after the call ends and then immediately begin to pack. As you dig through your clothes, trying to choose outfits that will be appropriate for the expected weather, you come across some of Otto’s old shirts hidden away in your pajama drawer. You’d finally found it in you to put all of them up a few days ago, and now here they were, mocking you.
You sit on the floor, holding one of the shirts, and begin to worry about seeing him. What if you see him? What if he sees you ?
Your phone pings with another text from MJ, and you snap out of it, tossing the shirt back in the drawer. Even if he’s out and about that day, there are a million places in New York to go, and he wouldn’t rob a restaurant. It’s ridiculous, you think, to even be speculating about the possibility of him appearing at all.
Like MJ said, what are the odds you’ll run into him?