Marvel's Iron Lady

"What happened? Was there a lab accident? Is anyone hurt?"The female supervisor leading the group immediately put on a concerned expression, her face tight with worry.

In her line of work, ensuring that government-funded lab projects were safe was a top priority.

"No, no, everything's fine! Or, well... there was just a little hiccup," Peter quickly stepped in to cover for the situation, not wanting Dr. Octavius's research to go to waste.

"The energy output exceeded expectations, but in a positive way—at least it shows our progress is promising."

"Oh really? Well, the smell in this room doesn't exactly scream optimism," the supervisor retorted, her tone sharp and critical.

"I assure you, by the next phase, we'll be able to—"

"Before you make any big promises, Dr. Octavius, perhaps it's best to not get ahead of ourselves," the supervisor cut her off, clearly not in the mood for explanations.

Despite feeling somewhat disheartened, Dr. Olivia Octavius recognized that the woman wasn't open to further discussion.

"Peter, you should head home for today. I'll stay and handle things here," Olivia said with a tired smile, trying to comfort her student.

"But, Doctor—" Peter started, guilt gnawing at him as he saw the burden weighing on her. Even now, she was trying to shield him from the fallout of their failed experiment. If only I had come earlier, Peter thought. Maybe none of this would have happened.

Dr. Octavius's project was funded by the New York City government, and Peter, as her assistant, was effectively an employee working under her. But with the lack of concrete results and the high costs of the research, the government was losing patience. The Budget Committee was eager to cut funding for projects they deemed non-essential, and unfortunately, Olivia's neural interface and mechanical arm projects were on the chopping block.

"Looks like Dr. Octavius might be going home early soon," Peter thought as he later returned to the lab, this time with his battered Spider-Man suit.

The lab had the necessary equipment to help him repair his costume, but it would take some time.

Staring at the torn and battle-scarred suit, Peter focused intently on fixing it, losing track of time.

Suddenly, the sound of the door opening snapped Peter out of his concentration, and his senses immediately went on high alert. The door creaked, the hinges clearly worn, and when Peter looked up, he saw a weary-looking Dr. Olivia Octavius standing there.

Her expression was unreadable, a mix of exhaustion and thoughtfulness. She was still wearing her lab coat and carrying a plastic bag.

"Peter, I thought I told you to go home. Why are you back here?"

She hadn't expected anyone to be in the lab, and her surprise was evident.

"Doctor, I... uh, what's that you've got there?" Peter quickly turned, trying to shield the damaged Spider-Man suit from her view, attempting to change the subject.

"Just some takeout from the Chinese place downstairs. But I didn't expect to see you still here," Olivia replied, her eyes catching a glimpse of something red behind Peter.

Her gaze locked onto the suit behind him, and Peter, panicking, tried to block her line of sight. He desperately didn't want her to discover his secret identity.

"What is that, Peter? That's... Spider-Man's suit, isn't it?"

"Uh, well... you see, Doctor... I've been doing a bit of side work lately," Peter stammered, scrambling for an explanation.

Olivia walked over to the synthesizing equipment, picking up the tattered Spider-Man costume.

"I should've realized sooner. It's you, Peter... I just never connected the dots. It was so obvious," she muttered, stepping back in shock, concern etched on her face.

But then, unexpectedly, she reached out, wrapping an arm around Peter's neck, gently stroking his tousled hair.

"I just wish you'd told me. Some burdens shouldn't be carried alone," she said softly, her voice filled with a mix of frustration and affection.

Her chestnut hair brushed against his nose, tickling him, making Peter feel the urge to sneeze, but he suppressed it, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"I couldn't tell you, Doctor. If word got out, you, my family—everyone—would be in danger."

"You're right. If you're helping Spider-Man with his gear, that could put you at risk," Olivia responded, seemingly unaware of Peter's real meaning.

"Yes, exactly! Helping with the gear, it does bring... risks," Peter agreed hastily, realizing that Olivia had misunderstood and believed he was merely an engineer working for Spider-Man, rather than Spider-Man himself.

While it wasn't ideal, Peter figured it was better this way—at least his secret identity wouldn't be completely exposed. He wasn't about to gamble with the truth.

"Don't worry, dear. I'll keep your secret safe. And if you need help, you know where to find me," Olivia said with a reassuring smile, patting Peter on the shoulder.

Remembering the food she'd brought, Olivia opened the plastic bag and placed half of the meal on the table for Peter.

"Well then, I'll leave you to your work. If you get hungry, have something to eat," she added kindly.

"Thanks, Doctor..." Peter mumbled, watching her leave. He sighed deeply, shaking his head. His secret was... exposed, but at the same time, it wasn't. He wasn't sure if Olivia was playing along, or if she truly hadn't figured it out. Either way, he had no choice but to continue going along with it.

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