Chapter Text
Norman and Otto stood together in the backroom of Happy's apartment. Otto, now free of the control of his tentacles, let his mind control the arms on their own. Each of them tinkered on something as both of them worked in silence. Norman couldn’t help but think how amazing these arms were. He didn’t have the courage to bring up a conversation about that, though. He had wondered how Otto had the project start up. Was it something to do with OSCORP? Did he make them himself? Either way, Norman was amazed. If it weren’t for the fact that they would forever be fused to his spine, the arms were perfect technological marvels.
Both of them continued together, working on a cure for Curt Connors. Though each of them knew Curt before, they were all in the same university back in the day, they understood this was a different Curt Connors from their own universe.
"A lizard..." Otto laughed as he focused on stirring a test tube. "How strange."
"Strange? How so?" Norman asked.
"I mean, just the whole obsession with it. I suppose he did it to grow his arm back, but then terrorizing the city to become lizards too?" Otto scoffed and set the stir stick down, working on the next task. "I guess we all know something or two on terrorizing the city."
“…Can I ask what happened?” Norman gulped, finally getting the confidence to ask what had happened to his friend after he had died.
Otto sighed. “It feels like yesterday. Even though technically, it was decades ago. After you died, Harry took over OSCORP. He gave me the funding to work on my project… clean energy…” Otto’s voice trailed off and Norman caught him staring at the blue light omitting from some circle-device on the transformer(? Sorry, can’t remember what the device was called in NWH), which Norman assumed was the source of the machine’s power.
“The power of the sun.” Norman continued. “I remember in college you told me about it.”
“Yes.” Otto replied. “I needed these arms to control it. They are resistant to magnetism and heat.” Otto motioned towards his arms which clicked in response.
Norman laughed. “Did I get credit?”
“Sorry?”
“I asked if I got credit. I came up with that idea.”
Otto stopped, looked down for a moment then chuckled. “Oh yeah. I forgot that you had thought of this idea for me.”
“Really, Octavius? This big brain and you forgot?!” Norman playfully raised his tone and punched Otto’s shoulder softly.
Otto rubbed it in response, letting out another small chuckle. Though in the position they were standing together Norman couldn’t see his eyes through his shades, he noticed the small, warm smile and red cheeks Otto had.
The smile faded as Otto continued his story. “After the arms fused to me, the reactor started. It started working but then… it malfunctioned. I’m sure Peter told you the chip fried as you were working on it a few hours ago… the arms started to control me. Rosie…”
Norman’s ears perked as he heard Otto say that name. Of course, Rosie, the woman Otto married after Norman and Otto broke up. Well, never really broke up. They had a fling in college, but it sort of faded away as Otto got closer and closer to the girl in college. “Rosie. What happened to Rosie?”
“Rosie…” Otto’s fist curled. “I lost Rosie. I… I killed her.” His voice became hoarse, breaking as he said those last three words. Norman put his test tubes down and looked to Otto, placing a hand on his back as the taller man arched down in sadness.
“Otto, I’m so sorry.”
Otto sighed, “It was an accident. I never had time to grieve it. The voices didn’t let me.” The two stood in silence as Otto continued to arch down and close his eyes, just feeling Norman softly rub his back. Otto could only let hoarse sighs escape his breath. Even with what him and Norman had together, he never let someone else see him cry.
“It’s not your fault. Otto.”
“It doesn’t mean I shouldn’t take responsibility. If I never got these damn arms, then-“
“Hey.” Norman stopped him, his hand rubbing on Otto’s back turned into a soft pressure. “I think these are amazing.”
“Thank you.” Otto sighed, finally arching his back up to a straight position. The top right arm chirped in response, and brought her view to Norman’s face, clicking in what Norman could only assume was a robotic-language for gratitude.
“Flo seems to thank you, too.”
“Flo?” Norman chuckled. “You named them?”
“Yes. Flo, Moe, Larry… and Harry.”
Harry. Norman stopped working for a moment as his mind once again remembered his son. “I’m honored.” was the only thing Norman could say before he realized if he continued his silence it would become rather awkward.”
The two continued to work. Otto put the test tube he was tinkering with into a metal holder, and let the transformer drop a few colored drops of liquid into it. Slowly, the bottle turned to green.
“Why did you do it?” Otto asked suddenly.
“I…”
“Norman, I could of helped you. You could of called me. I’ve read everything there is to know about Green Goblin-“
“So the press revealed it was me, huh?” Norman chuckled. God, poor Harry.
“No. They never did. There were theories, but I figured it out on my own. Do you really think I wasn’t close enough to you to put it together?” Otto turned to Norman and removed his glasses, revealing the sad, caring look in his gaze. “Plus, your laugh’s pretty recognizable, Goblin or not.”
“I really missed you.” Otto said, taking a gloved hand and rubbing it softly on his shoulder. “After you died… I realized how.” Otto closed his eyes and laughed for a second. “No, never mind. It’s stupid.”
Norman focused his attention on Otto, though nervous. Though he was a gentle giant, with everything that had happened, Norman was still a bit uneasy. It was still so hard to see his friend standing here, in a different form he once knew, but at the same time, the same man that he had always known. Had always loved. “I missed you a lot, too. I miss working in the lab like this.”
“It’s not just that, Norman.” Otto panted, breaking through his serious, steady voice he usually had. The hand on Norman’s shoulder nervously fidgeted with itself, a trait Norman knew Otto had whenever he was uneasy.
“Otto, tell me.”
“I realized I never stopped loving you.”
The words sank into the two of them. Norman’s eyes widened, his cheeks getting hotter and hotter. He hasn’t realized until them how truly close in proximity they were to each-other right now.
Otto took a step back, almost regretting what he had said. But Norman took a hand and placed it, softly grasping Otto’s coat. “But… Rosie…” was the only thing that could escape Norman’s breathless words.
“She was the love of my life. There’s so many amazing things that Rosie was… but after we grew apart, Norman, there was a hole in my heart that never repaired. I needed you. I never got the courage to run into OSCORP and tell you that. Now that you’re back, I…” Otto continued to rub Normans shoulder quicker, nervously. “I just wanted you to hear it before I go back to my world. A world without you.”
“I’m so sorry, Otto. I never should have fired you. I never should of let us grow apart. I was selfish. I…” Norman looked down for a moment, then back at Otto, who still had the sad gaze upon him. God, he was beautiful. Norman took his hand and reached up to Otto’s cheek, taking a step forward. Their chests now practically touching.
“When I go off to my world, I’m going to find you.”
“It won’t be me, though.”
“I know. I can’t fix that. But at least you can know that I took my second chance and used it on the man I never stopped loving either.”
Otto panted. Slowly, he leaned down toward’s Norman’s face, now a hand on his shoulder and a hand on the back of his green coat. With their love confessed to eachother, Norman now had the confidence to take his lips to Octavius’s and slam them gently into his. The two pressured their bodies more into eachother, the two now remembering even more their love for eachother, and how they once kissed. Slowly, they pulled back, their eyes slowly fluttering open to meet eachother’s desperate gaze. They smiled, chuckled for a moment in unison. Then, they kissed once more, more passionately, more desperately, as if this time, they were saying goodbye, almost for good.
Norman promised himself, this kiss wouldn’t be the last. I am going to find you, Otto. I promise.
***
Norman’s eyes fluttered, adjusting to the world around him. It was now night-time, he wasn’t in the apartment anymore. That kid Peter, the kid he once looked down too only hours ago as a apprentice, appreciating all of his marvels… now stared a cold stare into Norman’s heart. Bloodied and bruised. Oh god. Something was wrong.
Norman turned to the ground, to see his Peter. HIS Peter. The same man, which merely felt like days ago, that he had tried to kill as The Green Goblin. It seems he had finally got his wish, as his Peter only painfully smiled, laying on the ground holding his chest as if it had been stabbed.
“Peter…” Norman finally spoke, turning his gaze over to the younger Spiderman. “What have I done?”
He was ignored. Another Spiderman rushed over to his Peter, picking him up and attending his wounds. The three Spidermen talked for a minute as Norman tried to absorb in the information of what had just gone on around him. Why was his Peter there? Who’s this other Spiderman? Why am I here… why am I… Oh god. Norman finally realized his clothes had been tattered and he had revealed the Goblin suit. The Goblin. It was him, it was him, it was him. He had come out once again, terrorizing this poor Peter. Norman could only image the hideous acts he had caused.
“Okay, I think this is it, you’re about to go home now.” Peter’s words snapped Norman out of his thoughts. He watched as the three hugged. “Okay, I need to find Ned and MJ now, goodbye!” Peter’s warm caring smile was only at his gaze at the two other Spiderman. He almost avoided looking at Norman, in which Norman almost thanked. He had received such a painful look from that Peter only moments ago. If he saw that again, Norman almost feared the Goblin would come out in protest.
The two Spiderman watched as the other Peter swung his was out of the platform they were all on.
“Norman.” He heard a familiar voice and turned his gaze to his Peter, his caring blue eyes so much different from the other Peter. They were genuine. No doubt that these Peters had spotted the Goblin’s deeds just moments before. Why was this look so kind?
Peter reached a hand towards Norman, Norman almost freezing at what to do in response.
“Are you okay?”
Norman mumbled. “The Goblin… what did he do?”
“The Goblin’s gone. You’re cured.”
Norman sighed and took Peter’s hand, lifting him up. He winced in pain, his stomach painfully kneading into his suit. “Are… what’s happening now?”
“We’re going home.” Peter replied, his head turning a bit, the two watched as the Wizard’s magic shot through his hands, repairing giant, purple cracks in the sky.
Norman looked around to see the spell take off, yellow runes in the sky shooting off, repairing the cracks for good. A burst of light, and one by one, he found the light fading away these villains he had made out to meet only hours ago.
Max… Flint… Curt…
He finally found Otto in the Statue of Liberty. Even at this distance, Otto took off his glasses, and glanced at Norman as the light surrounded him. He gave him a warm nod, and Norman reciprocated.
“I will find you.” he repeated again. “I promise.”