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Petey knew he shouldn’t feel the way he was feeling, but he did. He knew that Doc cared for him, yet it was like he was at the bottom of the list. Pete was the baby, and the one who helped Doc get back to how he was before the actuators turned him to Doc Ockl. Peter was the Spider-Man from his universe and knew him when he was a student just writing an essay on the scientist before the failed demonstration. When it came to the middle, he knew he cared, but he was no one. He was just the tag along to both of the other Peter’s.
Otto noticed his middle boy sinking deeper and deeper into the dark place in his mind, and knew it would be hard to get out of the dark repressive thoughts that would plague the boy. He moved from his spot on the couch, tapping the boy on his shoulder.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Petey looked up and saw Doc in front of him. Smiling at the man, the emotion not reaching his eyes, “Hey Doc, what’s up?”
Otto ruffled the boy’s fluffy brown hair, smiling softly at his precious middle child. “I’m about to start dinner and was wondering if you could help me Petey?”
Nodding quickly, Petey stood, rushing towards the kitchen before stopping suddenly. “Uh Doc?”
“Is something wrong my boy?” he asked innocently. In Petey’s excitement to spend time with the doctor, he forgot that he didn’t know how to cook.
“We- well, uhm, well I don’t kno- nevermind, I’ll just stay in the living room.” He rushed out, trying to go around the man.
Flo, the ever overprotective older “sister” she was, stopped him, gently nudging him back towards the kitchen, despite his protests.
“Don’t worry Petey, I’ll teach you. We’ll start with something easy.” He wrapped his arm around the boy, knowing physical affection was the way to the boy’s heart and helped ease his mind.
Otto used his biological arms to grab the ingredients from the pantry, smiling softly at the young man fidgeting behind his back. The AI came in handy for moments like these when he needed to keep an eye out of his boys. He knew what Petey was thinking, the self-doubt and self-loathing reflected in his own had the tendency to seep out as he gazed at the young man. Otto knew that he had to reassure his precious boy that he was loved and cared for.
Otto dumped the ingredients on the counter, jumping slightly when webbing shot across the kitchen, a can of crushed tomatoes stuck to the side of the countertop. Petey and Otto turned towards the source, Petey jokingly glaring at his older brother.
“That’s not fair!” he exclaimed teasingly. “I could’ve caught that.”
Peter looked at him, not believing him. “Sure kid, sure.” He turned towards Otto, a questioning look in his eyes.
Otto subtly shook his head, letting Peter know that they were okay. The older boy was very in tune with the younger twos’ emotions, benefits of being Spider-Man and a Peter Parker variant. The scientist knew that Petey was feeling down and the dark thoughts of being a tag along stayed in the boy’s mind. He would show the boy that he wasn’t a tag along, but his child just as much as Pete and Peter, and that nothing could ever change his mind. The three Spider-Men were his boys and would stay his boys as long as they let him be there for them. The man sighed deeply as Peter walked out of the kitchen and turned towards Petey.
Smiling brightly towards Petey, as the boy cleaned up the webbing, “So…what should we make for dinner?”