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[Otto snorts.] He was enjoying it, all right. Shot me out of a twelfth-story window with lightning.

[Look, just because he didn't literally want the man dead doesn't mean he's not holding a grudge!

Before August, he only knew about Tony Stark from vague comments Peter made at times. But he met a couple Starks from various worlds; he thinks he has a better understanding of it now.]

As far as I know, Stark didn't exist in my world. This all happened in Peter's universe. From the way he talks about him, I think he had died. [He shakes his head.] Still - I hate to admit it, but he did what I couldn't. It's a far more refined version of what I was attempting back home.

[Of course, the technology there was more advanced overall. Maybe if Otto had been born twenty years later, he'd have been closer to the mark. Hell, even the existence of this element would have done wonders; it's a grade above tritium for sure. But while it does still sting to admit, he's not going to let his pride get the better of him. After everything, it's honestly rather difficult to take much pride in his life's work.]

That sounds about right. I imagine even the Sinister Six aren't always friendly with each other in my world.

[A world without Tony Stark? David actually stares at him for a long moment as he tries to process that. Though the other note...]

Stark died in my world too. He got better. The Avengers tend to do that.

[He doesn't note that mutants do as well. That he's got multiple DoDs under his belt already.]

A lot to realize that your Peter is a tech-head. Ours is a chemist. Still, it's important to note that we still make wonderful things even while Starks exist.

We'd only met that day, we weren't teammates.

[...wait, was the group of them that were there also the Sinister Six in other worlds...? No, nope, don't care. Otto arches his eyebrows at the idea of the Avengers just dying and respawning repeatedly.]

Your world's very strange. [Sure, Otto himself died in another timeline, but that doesn't feel like the same thing at all. Just a potential future he avoided.] Oh, yes, he was. As a matter of fact, all the versions of him I've known well were. That's interesting...

[Peter had some experience in chemistry as well, but Otto does remember Norman taking the lead on his own cure. Which maybe should have been more of a red flag than they took it as, but - well, he had been the only biochemist present.]

Of course, he was young. I doubt he'd even declared an undergraduate major yet.

Oh yes, extremely strange. And even before you consider the aliens and the gods.

[Young. Peter young. Yeah, that makes sense.]

Maybe the Peter that helped you was the one I was friends with, last world. He was so young.

Oh - the one who helped me is here, actually. I mean the one from my world. I haven't seen him for quite a while.

[He's a tad wistful about it. After this much time, he's closer to the two here, but - well, there's something about it. He'll probably always feel indebted to his original Spider-Man, even if his path took him elsewhere.]

Of course, these ones are young too. It's interesting to hear about these worlds where he's a long-established hero.

[Yeah, so many peters, and them willing to believe in Otto. That was wonderful.]

The young heroes, in my opinion, are the ones that change the world the most.

They're idealistic. That can be dangerous, but it's needed sometimes.

[Otto's regularly gobsmacked that so many of them are willing to grant him the benefit of the doubt, too. He's still not sure it was worth it, for the young Peter who helped him. But he's grateful nonetheless, and it would be...rather sad, to see him reach a point where he'd just agree with Strange and cast them all back to their deaths.]

Their idealism makes people around them better I think.

[Spidey is known for more patience for his people than most. And more people need to be like that.]

Yes, I think that's true. Certainly worked for me. Things would have been much easier for him, if he hadn't tried so hard to help.

[Norman was the one who really turned those tides, but there's really little difference between them. It could've just as easily been Otto, had he managed to escape his restraints somehow.]

[Oh Otto. David wants to reach out and touch him, but he doesn't know if it will be welcomed.]

They gave you something, didn't they?

...yes, they did.

[He doesn't seem tense, really. Just sort of downcast.]

[That makes David smile and he nods.]

They are good people. They see the best in even those that hurt them. I put myself between one young Peter and his Quentin Beck. The man who kept manipulating and hurting him. It was all I coudl do to protect him from his own kindness.

It wasn't the Beck here, was it?

[Otto's friendly with the guy, after having established immediately that he wasn't going to go after any of the Spider-Men. He figures he has no room to judge past actions. Still - he'd sort of like to know.]

[The one with the movie? David sighs.]

Yes, I think it was. I don't know if he's still here. But I saw him arguing with a guy online about the value of a movie of his life.

[Ugh. Great. Otto grimaces.]

We had a talk about the Spider-Men when he first showed up. He told me he'd leave them alone.

[It's up in the air whether or not Otto trusts the man, but he is at least aware that he'll have to deal with Otto if he tries anything.]

I don't know that he cares about Peter as much when he has the opportunity to make things about himself. That's what matters.

[Otto snorts.]

Well, there's plenty of ways to do that without being a supervillain about it. He'd be better off re-inventing himself as a hero somewhere that still likes those. Could get some of those bootleg action figures.

[David snickers.]

I'm still looking for a Processor Septapod figure. He's apparently really popular.

No.

[PLEASE SAY SIKE]

[Oh his smile grows.]

Oh yes. Not here, because Excelsior is stupid, but it's a thing. In fact, there's one on the desk of Jessica in accounting. Actually, there's one on Chad in HR's too. I'm jealous that they found some.

[Otto chuckles, because - okay, it's sort of embarrassing, but it also feels too silly to actually be annoyed over.]

Oh my god. They're importing them. What, has he got -

[He shifts the actuators so that one is behind his back and one just sort of...is in the middle, he guesses? Why would you have an odd number of them?]

Yep, like that. I think there was talk of a drone toy too. But the current one has clamp action.

You hear that? You've got clamp action.

[That's directed at a claw. Flo is not impressed! Probably, it's hard to tell.]

Well, it could always be worse. He's not in the jumpsuit, is he?

I can't tell if they're impressed or not.

[Oh the jumpsuit. David shakes his head.]

Nah, looks more like you do now.

They don't really have that kind of emotional range. But I'm sure they would be.

[In Otto's experience, the most he can really attribute to them is fear, curiosity, and anger. You know, like a creature.]

Good, good. I can live with that. Though I'd rather be getting some royalties, as long as I don't have a secret identity to hide.

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