Home Sweet Home

"No...I think it's normal for kids this age to sleep like this...No...We have enough food...Yes, no, no I agree, I'm just saying."

They stare at her, curious of the child, so different from Otto, so different from the only human they knew. She slept strangely, with her head lying upward, and her legs spread around the floor. They were curious, for to them every human looked the same, except for Otto and Spider-man. They were studying her, trying to distinguish her from the rest of her species.

Because it seemed against their efforts, Otto was going to keep this child that touched them, and screamed at them. The child that accused their father of being the murderer. And for their father, they had to accept it, and learn about this child. This child that could never replace them. They wouldn't let her.

"Don't say that! Don't even think that, you know my answer. No...I said no. Fine, I don't care..."

Otto looked at his arms.

"You're going to wake her, stop it. Come, help with this."

Otto walks off where the large boxes stand tall, just waiting for him to open them. It was like Christmas, he was so excited.

The arms silently hiss, as they reluctantly return to their father. But the curious one, the top left, stays, and twists its head, remembering one thing. With ever action there is a reaction. It's action, poking the child. The reaction, the child waking up, and jumping at the sight of it.

The arm hisses at her.

"I told you, you would wake her." Otto says turning to Abbie.

Abbie sits on the floor, wanting the arm to go away.

"You slept late again, but just in time to see the surprise." Otto smiles.

She doesn't talk.

"Huh?" was the only reply she could muster.

Otto said nothing, as he turned to a box, and opened the wooden door with those mechanical arms. And he pulled out a couch.

"Furniture!" He said.

Abbie smiled.

"You mean...Like beds!?" She was excited from the nights she had slept on the floor.

"Beds, couches, chairs, tables, Television, electricity. All of it." Otto says.

"Where'd you get it all!?" Abbie yelled excited, seeing how many wooden crates there really were.

Otto fell silent from his once excited, proud tone. He simply stayed silent for a moment, his arms lifting him onto the tops of the crates, to get some more.

"The black market." He said flatly.

"Oh..."

Abbie smiled an empty smile.

"Cool." She said.

Otto began lifting down the crates to the floor, and Abbie watched, studying those arms, just as they had studied her. He easily moved those crates, as if they were nothing to those arms, they probably weren't.

"I'm afraid I've been spoiled on the high life of being the top fusion physics scientist. If I am forced to live in this place, I will live in it with comfort." Otto said.

He misses his home. But this is his home now. The only home he is able to have. The only home that was willing to have him. His home, he would make it his. Just like before...When Rosie made her pancakes and woke him up. His home...with his work below, with his arms below just waiting for him to come.

But Abbie smiled.

She really did smile. Smiled at the Doctor Octopus. The Doc Ock that had been said to plague this city. Doctor Octopus, the murderer, the mad scientist that killed his wife. She smiled at him, Doctor Octopus, the bad guy.

She shouldn't have said those things. She knows that now. She should've guessed when he didn't kill her. She should've known. She should've.

But he wasn't a bad guy. He was fine, all he had were four mechanical arms that were too curious for their own good. That's all. That's all. And Abbie felt safer in this cold place.

And even though he stole the money he used to get this stuff, it was okay.

"Dr. Octavius..." Abbie began.

He didn't answer, but an arm did, as it looked at her.

"I'm hungry..." she lowered her head.

"You're lucky. We have enough food to last us a couple of days. Over there." He pointed to the corner.

Abbie nodded, and slowly walked towards the white plastic bags of the grocery store, she searched through it all, looking for a drink and some snack. Then she looked over into the true corner, and smiled.

"I didn't know there was a big hole here." She said, pointing at a big hole in the floor, revealing the ocean beneath.

"Perhaps that is because you stay over there all the time." Otto said.

"It's kind of cool." Abbie smiled.

Then there was a big thud. She looked over to see a large bed, with sheets and blankets all wrapped out still spilling from the crate.

"I'm sorry, I only ordered one bed, I didn't know I would have a guest before. You could sleep on the couch though." Otto said.

Abbie began walking back to Otto.

"That's okay, that couch looks comfier than my bed at home." Abbie joked.

And Otto looked down at her, still standing upon a crate with his arms. She was just a child, but thank god she was strong enough to get through it all. She was just a child, but at least she was smiling at him now.

"Dining Table, and chairs, another couch...A carpet..." Otto looked in the next crate, while two of his arms began opening the next.

"Dr. Octavius." Abbie said again.

"Yes?" He asked out of the crate.

"I'm sorry about what I said last night...I really didn't know..."

There was nothing else she could say to him. What could she say? What could she say after what she said before? What could make it all better? What could make this situation better? What could make this kidnapping better?

Abbie stared up at him, wanting him to come out of the crate. His arms stopped for a moment, and looked at him, wondering his reply well.

"It is nothing." Was what he said. "Hey, I found the TV, surely we'll be on the news tonight." Otto smiled.

He changes the subject, the delicate subject. No one knew, it wasn't her fault. She was merely misinformed. The whole world misinformed. Exaggerated truths, and brutal lies. Day after day, the newspapers reported nothing but lies. Day after day, the people wonder, who will he kill next. And no one bothers to think about who he once was.

No one bothers to even consider Doctor Octopus someone who misses the days before. Just a mere murder. Nothing but a murderer.

Nothing but some thing that should be dead, and pushed away. Pushed out of the world that he needs so desperately.

Sometimes you need to remember who you once were, because no one else will.

"Do you have a computer?" Abbie asked very quietly.

"Computer? I didn't get one."

Abbie looked at all the crates.

"You mean, you got all that stuff, and you didn't get a computer?"

"I could never work computers." Otto said.

"But...You're...Otto Octavius."

"Doesn't mean I know how to work a computer."

Abbie looked down.

"Oh." She whispered.

Otto saw her, as he pulled a chair out of a crate.

He was never good with children...Never knew what to say.

"What's wrong?" Otto asked.

"It's just..." Abbie looked up at him. "You're going to think this pathetic...I just spend a lot of time on the internet. I mean...That's how I know so much about you."

"You could have gone to the library, I heard there's a biography on me...Unless they banned it."

"I did." Abbie smiled. "The online library."

It was her life online. Her friends that never judged her, and the internet she stayed on for hours and hours. It was her life on a computer, because she hated the life she had. Lock herself in her room, and go on the computer.

Abbie sat down on the floor, and watch Otto, as he pulled out some things out of the final crate.

"Wonderful! Beethoven and Mozart!" Otto exclaimed, pulling out CDs from the crate. "Wait until you hear this, I assure you you'll dance."

Otto looked at his knew music, while the arms stared at them as well. For a long time their father had told them of music. For a long time their father had hummed such music. And for a long time, Otto had been alone with voices in his head in silence.

It took Abbie a moment to realize he wasn't talking to her.

And soon it was all laid out, all of the furniture laid out, just waiting to be put in it's fitting place in the cold empty place. Just waiting to make this cold place a home. Just like his used to be. Just like Abbie always wanted hers to be.

"It's going to look great." Abbie whispered.

"Look like a home even."

Home, like the place she never had. Home, like the place he misses every day.

This place, this cold empty place was his home now. And for a while it would be hers.

A home, somewhere to go to after every passing day. A home with furniture, and food. Shelter that would be more. So long has he been without a home. Just a cold place, just like him.

Otto began pushing the couch to the other side of this place, his arms happy to help. Help make this place a home.

Otto started putting the table and chairs on the other side of the pier, while Abbie found a nice spot on the cold floor. He soon moved on to the bed, and couch.

"Don't put it there." Abbie said.

"Excuse me?" Otto looked over at her.

"Put it over there." Abbie gestured with her head.

"Why?"

"It would look better over there." She said.

"I like it here."

"Well, it would look better over there."

"You should keep in mind, you're still my hostage, and I don't have to give you food."

"It still would look better over there."

Otto said nothing, and allowed his arms to dismiss the arguing.

It started to look like something close to a home. No more empty walls made of metal like those arms. No more metal walls slumping down on this place, watching her and Otto.

It looked better than her home in truth. Bigger, spacious, welcoming even. Plus Otto had ordered a very large television.

It was a home now, it would be his home. I t had to be his home now, there was no other place for him in that world now. That world had abandon him long ago. That world that called him a monster. That world that he needed Abbie to feel part of.

"Dr. Octavius..." Abbie said.

"Yes?"

"They're poking me."

Otto looked back to see his arms staring at her, and curious little top left one, poking her in the shoulder. With Abbie standing still, trying not to stare back at them. They hiss at her, and she says nothing.

They hiss at her, and say you will never take our father away. Stupid child, you cannot replace us.

"Don't say that." Otto tells them.

"What?" Abbie asked.

But he was talking to the arms.

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"This is really good. Really, really good." Abbie said, stuffing her mouth.

"You're quite hungry." Otto says, his arms holding the fork.

"I'm very hungry, Dr. Octavius."

It was chicken. Chicken he cooked, on the newly connected stove, chicken delicious, chicken. Food, real food, something other than scrambled eggs Otto gave her, and something better than the Macaroni and Cheese she was forced to make herself, because Dad hated cooking.

"Why aren't you eating?" She asked him.

"You get used to the lack of food. I've been living off vending machine food for quite a while." Otto said.

Then a tentacle gently put the fork in his mouth.

She watched them, those arms when they weren't looking. They seemed so...alive just when you watched them. No one knew about such a thing. That those arms were doing it all. No one told her that. No one said anything. But those things...they were alive. So coordinated, so careful, and watchful of their actions, as if they knew they were dangerous.

They were so careful around Otto, it was so strange. They seemed so loving towards him, whispering in his ear, even if she couldn't understand if they said it out loud.

So loving, so protective.

"They're so coordinated." Abbie observed.

The arms hissed.

"She's talking about you." Otto looked at one of them.

They screamed.

"It's a compliment."

They lowered their heads, they didn't understand.

"Sorry." Abbie said.

"No, they didn't know."

Then it was back to the chicken.

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"Eyewitnesses claim the wanted Otto Octavius must have kidnapped someone, a child perhaps. He was spotted with the kidnapped upon the roofs of New York. He caused no incident, no one was hurt. This has become just one of the many times he has been spotted within the last few months. But he has escaped the authorities once again, possibly with the kidnapped. He is still wanted for multiple murders, and stolen property." The TV says, with the news on.

Otto sits on the new couch, shaking his head. His arms wrap around him, and give him the remote, watching the TV. Abbie is eating some Oreos, leaning on the couch on the floor, watching the TV.

"Dr. Octavius..." Abbie looks up at him. "Sorry I got caught."

Otto doesn't say anything, and one of his arms grabs a cookie for him. Then he changes the channel.

Sometimes, you must be strong to remember who you once were, when others do not. Sometimes you must be strong, and teach others who you once were.

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Next Chapter: Chess Game