Hello, (Y/N).

After a little while, I looked at my phone and saw that it was getting close to nightfall. When our plates were cleared, the actuators grabbed each of them. They weaved towards the kitchen sink. I heard the faucet start to run as one grabbed a sponge. "They can clean?" I asked.

Otto looked beside him, noticing that the arms started hissing as the water from the faucet grazed them. "They do, as I said, they're multipurpose now. Although I have to remind them to use gloves." The arm Moe faced him before moving to grab a box full of weirdly shaped gloves. Peter and I chuckled. 

"Are they sensitive to water?" The photographer asked. Otto sighed and gave a slow shake of his head.

"They are, it doesn't harm them significantly or anything. It just," he looked in their direction again, "slows them down a bit." Peter suddenly widened his crazy blue eyes before glancing at the clock on a nearby wall. 

"Oh, damnit. I'm going to be so late. I-I'm sorry, Dr. Octavius. I promised Mary Jane that I'd see her play. I really can't miss it." 

Otto stood up to rest a hand on his shoulder. "Dear boy, there's no need to be sorry. Go after her." He gestured his head toward the door. I couldn't help but feel giddy that I'd now be alone with this man that I get shaken over. Then I felt bad because Peter was leaving and I'm over here excited about it. 

Peter gathered his things before waving us goodbye. Standing up, I called out to him. "Good luck!" He smiled at me before exiting the door. We both sat back down after staring at the door for a moment. 

"He nearly apologizes as much as you. Poor boy, he always misses those plays." Otto's first statement made me feel slightly embarrassed. I opened my mouth to reply.

"Don't you dare apologize to me about apologizing a lot." He side eyed me while pointing his finger. My mouth promptly closed. Damn it. 

"Are you scared of me?" The doctor suddenly asked.

My eyes widened as they darted down at the table. "N-No. Well, I wouldn't say scared, more like, intimidated. I heard you're awfully smart, so--I don't want to look dumb."

As I looked back up, I saw Otto moving to lean on the table. "Sweetheart," he said quietly, "I'm not going to think you're dumb."

How dare he use a nickname like that? Is this fucker trying to make me look more like an oddball? My cheeks and ears became red again. My face was so hot that I could grill a sandwich on it. I know he meant to say it as a way to comfort me. By God, I tried to keep my composure. "Th-Thanks." I stuttered. It didn't help that I could see his brown eyes more clearly now. His messy brown hair, that slightly hooked nose of his. Every damn thing about this old man was crazy attractive to me. I grew angry with myself. Why did I think of this man as such babygirl material? 

"I know you're nervous, but I think you're one of the first to treat me as more than a physicist that won awards. Besides my friend, Dr. Connors. I suppose Parker, as well." I had heard that name before, but I didn't know much about him. Peter had complained once or twice about almost failing his class. This is the first time that he mentioned anyone that was friends with him. To be fair, I met this guy yesterday.

One day and a half, and I already want to … kiss this man. Fuck. I internally scolded myself again. "Dr. Connors?" I decided to ask to distract myself. That, and I wanted to hear him talk more.

Otto leaned back in his chair. The arms were still cleaning the dishes, so it provided some idle noise. "Yes, a friend I met in college. He's a professor now. We still keep in touch, even if I'm busy most days." 

"It's good to have friends." I smiled a little, hoping I didn't just kill the mood.

He returned my expression. "It is."

I hope this man didn't just friendzone me. He probably did.

Looking down at the table again, I tried to think of something to say. "Hey." Otto perked up to look at me.

"Yes?"

A mischievous smile appeared on my face.

"If you were a vegetable, you'd be cutecumber." 

The man started to giggle and snort again. "Where the hell do you get these?" I had to admit that I wasn't some creative genius or something.

"I look them up sometimes."

"An interesting hobby to have." He smiled at me again. I hated how that damn smile made me flustered. I also enjoyed it.

"It is. Got some other hobbies too, but," I peeked at my phone's time again, 6:00 PM, "I should probably head home." 

Otto looked a little defeated, to my surprise. I chalked it up to him rather not wanting to be alone. I didn't want to think he was upset because I was leaving. "Alright." He made a dad grunt-like noise again before walking up to me. Standing up a little too quickly, my breath got a little shaky. It's probably best I get used to shivering as the outside weather proved that it wasn't getting better any time soon. Looking at the window, it was getting dark. Not to mention it hadn't stopped snowing. Otto looked at the window with me. I heard him smack his teeth before addressing me again. "You sure you want to go out by yourself? It's dark and freezing." As much as I wanted Otto to walk or carry me back, I felt like I shouldn't bother him. 

"I-I'll just get a cab or something." I looked up at him. He let out a heavy sigh. 

"Be careful." 

"Thanks for inviting me-uhm-us over." I spoke a little quickly. I fought to resist giving him a hug after I re-put on my jacket. I knew my apartment would be freezing, so I didn't want to leave the warmth of his place. But, I couldn't stay. 

"Of course, anytime." He muttered. 

I walked out of his door, looking back to wave goodbye. Otto moved his hand slowly towards the doorknob before closing it. It looked as if he didn't want to close the door. Like he was waiting for me to change my mind. The way he was acting made me so confused.

Slowly walking down the sidewalk, I ran the conversations we had over and over in my head. The roads were relatively barren. Looking for transportation was going to be more difficult than I thought. "D-Damn it." I shuttered through my teeth. His smile appeared in my mind again. Those eyes. The desire to run back to his house grew by the minute. I can't just show up at his door and confess my feelings. Much less expect that he'd reciprocate. This isn't some kind of self-indulgent fanfiction.

Wait.

Yes it is.

Practically sprinting back, I almost fell once or twice. I paused before approaching the door. Staring at it, I didn't even know what to say. Speak from the heart or something corny like that. My hand shook as I went to knock. It was a little quiet, so I tried to knock harder. Might've been too hard, as the door practically swung open. Otto looked nervous, he probably thought I was about to get robbed or something. "(Y/N)? What are you-?"

"I need t-to tell you s-something." I interrupted. The cold made my body shiver. But my nerves made me almost violently shake. 

"What is it?"

I looked up and down his face. Suddenly at a loss for words, I probably looked goofy as shit. I hoped this was my main character moment. "O-Otto, I r-really like you. Like, I h-have feelings for you." He stood still for a moment. I couldn't read his face. It was a mix of confusion and something else I couldn't place. 

He started to walk up to me. All I could do was shiver helplessly. Perhaps I should accept that this might be the last time I'll ever talk to him. Suddenly, his hands cupped my face. I froze. The cold didn't effect me anymore, the heat in my entire body was overwhelming.

Otto pulled me in for a kiss? I almost just melted onto the ground. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I tried to keep myself standing. My heart nearly pounded out of my chest. I could feel myself pressed up against him as if I never wanted to let go, as if I never wanted it to end. I was finally kissing this stinky old man. One of his hands held the back of my head while the other held my waist. His touch made me feel that I could levitate. The entire thing was gentle, soft. It nearly felt like he was nervous. I felt dizzy, but I found it to be worth this moment. He pulled away first, just as he had started it all first. Otto’s breathing was heavy. 

He was nervous. Swallowing hard, he ran one hand through his hair. 

He spoke in a pleading whisper. "Do you want to stay the night?"

Damn, this really is a self-indulgent fanfic, huh?