Chapter 7
January 10, 1979,
Rosalie and I have been together for almost six months, though it doesn’t feel the same. Something feels missing from my heart, something that was filled before. Maybe it was because I meddled with the past and caused us to meet in different circumstances.
Signed,
Otto Octavius
—
April 10, 1979,
Norman and I talked about the business we'll make. We talked about what we'll do. Disease research. And we'll sell reliable and accessible medication for all-income houses. I wanted to get to names, so I could suggest Osborn Corporation (Oscorp for short) but we never got to that. Emily interrupted. I was disappointed. I'm getting used to being around her, though. It's not as bad as it used to be.
Signed,
Otto Octavius
—
November 23, 1979,
In three months, Oscorp would be starting.I don't see that happening now. The government wants us to focus on weapons, and Norman wants to agree. But we won't be a part of mass destruction. Not as long as I can help it.
Signed,
Otto Octavius
—
November 5, 1980,
We’ve started Oscorp, but without government funding. Something about “proving ourselves.”Worse yet, Norman wants to add military research to what we do. It’s been very hard to convince him otherwise without sounding insane. He thinks I’m crazyfor not acquiescing to the government's wishes so that we can get the funding we need. I don’t want to be the cause of death and destruction. I want to be a cause for life and happiness. Is that too hard to ask?
Signed,
Otto Octavius
—
January 21, 1981,
Rosalie and I have been together for three years. I thought these three years would feel similar to a flower blooming in the spring, but instead, it feels like two childhood friends putting on a play for their parents. And one of the children believes the play to be real. I felt this early on, but I wasn’t sure. But now I am, almost certainly: I don’t love Rosalie I don’t love Rosalie, or at least how I thought I did. She is my best friend. But I’m the love of her life. This is so unfair. I love her, and I want to love her as she loves me, but for some reason, I can’t.
In other news, while getting money for disease research may have been hard, we have finally gotten the funding, and it only took two months. The next step, which we are currently in the middle of, is thoroughly screening employees. I remember hearing about people faking medical licenses, so who’s to say people won’t do it for disease research? Both Norman and Rosalie say that it’s highly unlikely, but there’s still a chance, even if it’s small. A Doctor Curtis Connors has joined us as well. Says he went to college with Norman and I, but I don't recall if he did. He's very smart, though. Seems like he knows what he's doing. I hope this all works out for the better.
Signed,
Otto Octavius.
Otto sighed as he shut his book. He was in his home office, or the small corner of his and Rosalie’s apartment that he called an office. Oscorp had barely started doing research, so the pay wasn’t exactly great, and Rosalie was (in Otto’s opinion) severely underpaid as an English teacher. So, they lived in a one-bedroom apartment with a dinner table and their shared home “office.” It was a cramped space, but it worked.
Otto had just clicked off the light switch when the door creaked open, and Rosalie stepped into the room. He stood from his desk, pushing back his tattered chair which squeaked in protest.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hello.” She stepped closer and peered at the notebook [on the?] desktop. “I just wanted to check on you. You’ve been working pretty hard.”
He smiled wider now, his face alight with passion and determination. “Yes, I know, but we're going to make history here. I can feel it.”
Rosalie smiled, her eyes twinkling with love and understanding. She leaned in to give Otto a gentle kiss on the cheek.
"I can feel it too," she said softly.
"Good night, my dear," Otto said as they stepped into their bedroom. He reached over to switch on the small lamp on his bedside table before curling up in bed with a book. The soft glow lit up the room until he surrendered to sleep.
—
The morning light was just creeping through the curtains when Otto quietly slid out of bed, careful not to wake Rosalie. He leaned down and kissed her forehead before brushing her cheek with his lips. A faint smile crossed her face as she stirred in her sleep, but didn't wake. Otto grabbed his briefcase from the table beside the door, slipped into his coat, and left the house. Traffic was minimal for New York at this hour and he soon arrived at Oscorp where the bustling of employees filled the air. The elevator ride up to the top floor felt like an eternity as thoughts raced back and forth in his mind. When he stepped off the elevator, Norman was already in their shared office, papers scattered across his desk. His head snapped up when Otto walked in.
“Hello Otto. Ready for another busy day of work?” Norman asked.
Otto nodded in reply, setting his briefcase down on his own desk and taking a seat. Norman handed him a stack of papers.
Otto flipped through them, skimming over the words.
They were like that all day, sorting through who they thought were good and who weren't. Norman was more lenient than Otto was. Every other day was like this. Sorting through applicants. The next day was spent screening them. Making sure that they actually knew what they were talking about.
At the end of the day, Otto's eyes feel dry and a bit sore from staring at papers for so long. Norman stretched and Otto copied him, extending his arms.
--
By June, Oscorp was fully staffed, and the government finally provided them enough grant money to do research and for their staff to have reasonable pay. Otto felt proud of what he and Norman had accomplished, and what he was able to change. He created a new company, a company that supported life rather than creating death. By the time he got back to the time he was supposed to get sent back to, who knew what could happen?
At the end of one workday, Norman approached Otto.
"Hey, I was wondering if you and Rosalie would like to celebrate the company. I've invited Curtis and his girlfriend Martha, as well as some of our first hires." Norman said. Otto thought for a moment. Because it was the summer, Rosalie wouldn't be in school teaching, so Otto figured she'd say yes.
"Rosalie and I would love to." Otto replied. Norman grinned and patted him on the shoulder.
"Great," Norman said. "It'll be at that new restaurant around the corner. Is Friday at 7:30 good?"
"Perfect." Otto responded.
Otto relayed the invitation to Rosalie the second he got home and her eyes lit up.
"Of course, we'll go, Otto. It'll be fun." Rosalie responded. Otto smiled.
Friday came, and Otto and Rosalie entered the restaurant that reminded him of The Ritz Carlton. Norman waved them over to a table that seated Curtis, Martha, Emily, and a few other people. Otto pulled out Rosalie's chair, which she thanked him for, and sat down himself. Dinner was lively and Otto found himself enjoying the company he was surrounded in. At the end of the night, Norman stood up and tapped his knife against his wine glass, getting everyone's attention.
"I would like to thank you all for coming tonight and celebrating Oscorp. I remember back in college, when I first met Otto, he asked me if I believed in the multiverse theory." Norman paused as chuckles spread throughout the table. Otto felt his cheeks grow hot. Rosalie grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed it. "And I told him that there was no way to prove that theory to be true or not. We ended up talking about what we wanted to do with our degrees when we graduated. He wanted to do disease research, and I wanted to do military research. He ended up convincing me otherwise, and here we are." Norman raised his wine glass and the others at the table followed, raising their glasses too.
"And then there's Curtis, who joined in late, but has been a huge help. A very smart man with a brighter future than mine." Norman continued. Curtis blushed and Otto could tell Martha was beaming with pride for her boyfriend. "And there is one more person who I'd like to thank, the one person who this wouldn't be possible without. The beautiful woman next to me. So, in return for her years of unyielding support and speeches of encouragement, I want to ask her an important question." Norman got down on one knee and Otto heard Rosalie gasp. He pulled out a small box from his pocket and Otto could already see tears welling up in Rosalie's eyes. Norman opened the box and inside was a diamond ring.
“Emily Lyman, will you marry me?" Norman asked. Emily nodded furiously, tears streaming down her face. Everyone at the table clapped as Norman slipped the ring onto Emily's finger and gave her a kiss.
Emily? Otto thought. Norman couldn't have done this without Emily?
He was the one by Norman's side all those years. Norman couldn't have been convinced to not work with military research without Otto, and without Otto, Oscorp wouldn't exist, and... oh.
Oh.
This wasn't good.