Chapter Text
You stumble through the doorway of MJ’s apartment with tears still streaming down your face, the bag clutched in one hand and the ring box in the other. You don’t even realize that the light is on and that MJ is awake and speaking to you until she puts her hands on your shoulders.
“Where have you been?” she asks for what must have been the fifth time. “What happened to you?”
“It was him,” you choke out.
“What? What are you talking about? Who?”
“Otto,” you cry. “I was in love with Otto Octavius. He’s the reason I left. And he… H-he was going to propose .”
You collapse against a shocked MJ, sobbing into her t-shirt.
“Octavius,” she breathes. She steps back, clutching your shoulders and holding you at arm’s length. “Doctor Octopus? That Octavius?”
You nod, wiping the tears from your face. “You were always so busy,” you tell her. “You were working so hard to get to Broadway, and he was working so hard to make his project work, and I just…I didn’t know how to tell you after everything that happened.”
“Oh my God,” MJ breathes. She looks equally shocked and horrified. “Oh my God . So, today, when you saw him… When he tried to touch you…”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen him in over three months,” you admit. “And I think he missed me.”
“…Do you miss him?” MJ asks.
Something about her tone makes you feel uncomfortable. She’s judging you , you realize. She may even fear you for some odd reason. You aren't quite sure.
“I do. I’ve missed him since the day I left him. I’ve dreamed about him. I know it’s wrong to still want him after everything, I know that, but…”
“But what ?” MJ asks, her expression that of barely concealed distaste.
“I was in love with him. He was my everything, Mary Jane.” You hold up the ring box. “And that day his experiment went wrong, he was going to propose. We could be planning a wedding right now.”
MJ takes half a step back. “But you’re moving on. You’re not going to go find him, right?”
You sigh, remembering what you told yourself earlier in the night, before you found the letter and the ring. “I wasn’t planning to, but…” You look at the ring box again. “What if I can change his mind?”
MJ buries her face in her hands and curses. “He’s a villain. He’s evil . He’s hurt people, he might even kill somebody if he hasn’t already. You don’t know what he’s capable of or the lengths he’s willing to go to get what he wants. The moment things went wrong, he turned to crime. You can’t fix that.” She puts a hand on your shoulder, gently rubbing it. “You can’t keep chasing someone you’re never going to have.”
“Oh, like how you are with Peter?” you snap. You know it was wrong of you to say, regretting the words the moment they leave your mouth, and you feel like you’re spinning out of control.
MJ pulls her hand back like she’s been burned. “Get out,” she says.
You freeze. “What?”
“I’m going to bed,” she replies, bottom lip trembling. “I’m going to bed right now, and by the time I wake up, I want you out of here.”
“MJ I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Save it,” she says. “Please, I can’t have this conversation right now. Just go. Please just go.”
MJ retreats to her room, wiping her tears as they fall, unable to stop her shoulders from shaking.
You watch her go, feeling guilt pile on top of all your other emotions. You crumble to the floor, feeling completely and utterly defeated after everything that’s happened today. It takes you several minutes to pick yourself up off the floor and begin gathering your belongings. You still have a few bathroom necessities left in MJ’s bathroom, but you doubt she’ll let you in to get them, and the last thing you want to do tonight is bother her. You decide you’ll just pick some stuff up on your way to wherever you’re going.
You don’t really want to stay in a motel or a hotel, and you don’t exactly have the money to be doing so anyway. You pull your phone out as you step out of MJ’s apartment, scrolling through your contacts for someone you know in New York that you could stay with. You have few people to choose from, and almost all of them would surely be asleep by now or don’t have the space to take you in. After a third scroll through the list, your name lands on Harry Osborn .
You’d met Harry several times due to your friendship with MJ and your relationship with Otto. He’d been incredibly courteous to you during each encounter, if a bit stuck-up. MJ said he used to be more down-to-earth, or tried to be while they were together, but his father’s death had taken a severe toll on him. You remember speaking with the day after the accident, and how he’d offered his help should you ever need it. It was probably an empty gesture meant to placate you in the wake of Otto’s accident, but he was your only option. You tapped on his contact and dialed his number.
“Hello?” a male voice on the other end asks. It’s Harry, but his tone is a bit different than usual. “Who is this?”
“Hello, Mr. Osborn,” you reply, feeling a bit awkward addressing a 22-year-old that way. You give him your name, then ask, “Do you remember me?”
There’s a moment of silence from Harry, then, “Oh, yes! MJ’s friend.” He chuckles. “And Otto’s little paramour. I haven’t heard anything about you since you fled the city. How’re you holding up?”
You realize at that moment that Harry is probably drunk. The idea of staying with him becomes a bit less appealing, but you realize this is probably the best time to plead your case if you want a safe place to sleep tonight.
“Not so well, actually. MJ talked me into coming back, but we just had a fight. Now I’ve got no place to stay.”
Harry hums. “And I’m guessing you’re calling because you want to know if I can take you in?”
“Yes, if it’s not too much trouble. I understand if you—”
“Nonsense,” Harry insists. “I’ll send a cab to MJ’s building for you. Just stay safe inside until it gets there.”
“Oh, well, I was going to stop by a store and get some things—”
Harry interrupts you once again, saying, “Just text me what you need. If I don’t have it, I’ll send someone out to get it.”
“Mr. Osborn, please, that's too generous of you.”
“Call me Harry,” he replies. He’s silent for another few moments, then says, “Listen, I know what it’s like to lose someone you’re close to. What happened to you isn’t the same as what happened to me, but I know it hurts, and I was there when it happened. I just want to help.”
You smile for the first time since the crying began. “Thank you, Harry. That means a lot.”
“It’s no problem. I’m going to hang up now so I can send that cab after you. Don’t forget to text me what you need so I can take care of that, too.”
“Of course. Thank you.”
Harry chuckles softly. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you soon.”
There’s a soft chime as Harry hangs up, and you feel a bit of the heaviness in your chest leave you. Maybe things are looking up. Maybe a night at Harry’s will do you some good.
You can only hope.
The woman in Apartment 524 smiles as she bids you goodnight and shuts the door. It isn’t until she hears the door to the stairwell swing shut that her expression disappears. She locks the door before heading into the living area, throwing the bundle of blankets and cloth disguised as a newborn onto the couch. She then heads to the bedroom and flips the lights on. The figure on the bed groans.
“Who was that?” he asks.
“The reason you’ve got a fucking bullet wound in your arm right now,” the woman replies. “I passed along your little gift, by the way. I was sick of catching you moping around with it.”
He looks shocked. “It was—”
“Yes,” she snaps. “Yes, Otto, it was the person that nearly got you killed today.”
Otto sits up, grunting in pain when he moves his arm. “I need to see—”
“No you don’t ,” the woman insists, Otto’s mechanical arms coming to aid her in holding the man down. “You need to lay here and recover. You need to forget about it. That life you almost had? It’s gone. And your lover wants nothing to do with you anymore. So let it go, Otto.” Her face softens. “Just let it go. You’ll only cause yourself more pain if you don’t.”
The arms hiss, their whispers clouding Otto’s thoughts. He lays back down reluctantly.
“I suppose you’re right,” he replies.
She smiles. “When have I ever failed you, Otto? When have I ever led you astray?”
Otto sighs. “Never. You’ve been my most trusted partner since my research began.”
She nods. “I have. I even made these arms for you. You needed me then, and you need me now.” She steps back, releasing Otto, and the arms release him as well. “Now try and get some rest. I’ll wake you in an hour for dinner.”
Otto hums and tries to get comfortable as the other woman heads towards the bedroom door, switching off the lights.
“Thank you, Rosie.”
In the darkness, Rosie grins. “Anything for you, Doctor.”