7 Chapter Seven
"Let me go to Queens." Carissa said to her dad as calmly as she could possibly muster.
"I can't." He told her.
"Let me go to Queens." She repeated. She wasn't about to pass up this opportunity.
"Carissa." Steve told the girl, pinching the bridge of his nose. He couldn't bring himself to let her walk out that door.
"Dad."
"I can't let you go to Queens."
"Let me go to Queens."
They'd been at this for about an hour, back and forth. Same argument. Peter had invited her back to Queens, asking her to help Spider-Man. She refused to pass p that opportunity, which lead the blonde pair here.
"Be my sidekick." Peter had said. She laughed and placed a hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow at the boy.
"I will not be your damn sidekick. I'm the daughter of Captain America, you asshole. You're just stickier than other teenage boys. And your webs shoot out of your hands instead of your dick." His face reddened at the end of her sentence, but he persisted.
"Then be my partner, Riss. Come on." He whined. He pulled puppy dogs eyes on her and she was sold. He also waved a bag of gummy bears in her face but that was beside the point.
And that was what had gotten them here. Steve and Carissa arguing in their kitchen. Back and forth. They were both having a hard time.
"Let me help Peter."
"I don't want you helping Spider-Man." Steve told the girl.
"I can't stay here, dad. I can't sit in this house and watch the time slowly click by as we wait for that phone to ring telling us he's coming home. I can't stay here. Please, let me go to Queens."
"If you leave, I'll be here alone."
"Then get a dog, dad. Seriously. I've been wanting a dog for so long. Please." She begged again. She felt bad for leaving her dad, but she just couldn't take it anymore.
"Do you want a dog or do you want Queens?" Steve asked his daughter.
"The dog was for you, dad. Queens is for me."
"Fine." He finally gave in. He was tired. She had known he hadn't sleeping, but he'd stayed quiet at all hours of the night, unaware his daughter couldn't sleep either. He tried. He was trying. She appreciated it, but the energy in the house was draining her. They were both miserable, unsure of how to continue. They'd lived their lives without Bucky just fine, but that was before he was still alive. It was easier to lose someone and know you were never getting them back.
She forced a smile. She already had her bags all packed and shoved into her army green Volkswagen camper. She knew she'd win the argument, but she still felt guilty for leaving. He was alone, but at least this way he could distract himself. He wasn't happy for giving in so easily, but he knew she'd be fine. Peter wouldn't let anything happen to her. Or so Cap hoped.
"When are you coming home?" Steve asked her.
"Who the hell knows, dad. I'll call you. I love you."
"You too."
She had everything she needed in the back of her camper. Her bed was all made up and ready to go. It wasn't perfect, but it was all she needed. She didn't have a lot of open space, the back was just her bed and a counter with a sink, stovetop and fridge built in. She could live in here if she had to. Her walls back there were a light shade of grey to go with her pink sheets and slate grey comforter on her bed. Her counter was white with stainless steel appliances. She liked the way the colors on the inside looked good with the dark green of her camper.
She sighed. Steve couldn't bear to stay in New York after Bucky left. When he was 'dead', Brooklyn was her dad's happy place, but now that Bucky left willingly, Steve couldn't take it anymore. They'd done a bit of moving around, settling back in D.C. She never understood why he always went back. She had a 7-hour drive ahead of her, if she were speeding. She was always speeding.
But she had a pit stop to make before she could head to Queens, to Peter.
7 and a half hours later she stood in front of Avengers Tower, waiting for Tony. He held up a syringe in his hand and lead her to a little room with an operation table. She didn't like needles, but she liked them much better than falling.
"I have to say I was surprised when you called me." Tony admitted. He had been. They left off on a bad note, so when his phone lit up with her picture across it asking for help, he didn't hesitate to answer. The guilt had been eating away at him for how he'd looked at her. He hadn't even realized what he had done until her eyes had begun to tear up. To make it worse, he didn't say anything after that. He had just left her to stand there.
"I needed your help and yours only. Don't tell my dad for now." She replied. She wouldn't have called Tony if she didn't have to. Banner could've easily done this for her if she knew where he was.
Tony nodded at the girl. She sat on the operation table. Neither of them made eye contact.
"Wanda wasn't in favor of this."
"But after a bit of convincing I see you got what I wanted." She replied. They both had the greater chances of winning any arguments they were in. Another thing they'd had in common. Don't stop talking until you've gotten what you want.
He raised an eyebrow and held up the syringe. He had taken some of Wanda's blood and extracted her powers from it. He's done what she'd asked and she knew it'd taken him a little bit to figure out how to do that exactly, but he was one of the smartest people she knew. He felt the same about her, ignoring the PHDs Banner had to his name. He'd take Carissa's advice over anyone else's.
"It'll be okay, Tony." She told him.
He shook his head at the girl. They still hadn't looked at each other. He wiped her arm with an alcohol wipe.
"Are you sure?"
"Just do it, Tony."
He sighed again and slide the needle into the girl's arm. The red glow of Wanda's powers flowed through her veins until settling.
"Okay. Fling the chair across the room and I'll let you walk out." Tony told her, wiping the needle off before setting it down. He was doing everything he could to avoid looking into those blue eyes. She nodded, but he couldn't see her. She lifted her finger and flicked it at the chair. The chair hit the wall and smashed to pieces.
"I'm impressed." Tony said. "Wanda struggles with that even now."
"I told you I had more self-control." She replied.
"Debatable. Are you going to help Peter?"
"I need a distraction, Tony."
"You'll get it with Peter. I can guarantee that." He replied.
She nodded, but just as last time, Tony had been looking at the floor.
"You miss him?"
"Who?" She asked.
"Your boyfriend." Tony said in a mocking tone, finally looking at her.
"He's not my boyfriend." She replied.
"Then maybe Peter can be?" Tony asked.
She accidentally laughed in response. "I meant yet, Tony. I meant yet." She couldn't believe what he was asking.
"You're sixteen, Carissa." Tony said. He couldn't believe what he was saying either.
And he was in the ice. She couldn't say that, though.
She couldn't tell Tony that. It sucked not being able to tell the person you trust the most in the world the one thing you want to talk about. She looked back at Tony.
She nodded. "I should get going, huh? Gotta get to Peter."
"I'll see you around, Riss."
"Bye, Tony. Thank you."
He nodded and she walk out. Guilt took over his features as he followed after the girl.
"Hey, little Rogers." Happy said as he passed her in the hallway.
"Happy." She replied with a slight nod and a smile.
When she made it to the door, Tony called her name. She spun around as the man wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm sorry." He whispered into her hair.
"So am I." The girl whispered back.
"Be careful." He said before he planted a kiss in her hair and walked away.
It wasn't long before she was parked outside of Peter's school. There was a slight chill in the air, making her pull at the sleeves of her black hoodie and regret wearing ripped jeans. She walked down the hallway, seeing him at his locker. Before she got a chance to scare him, someone popped up behind him.
"Damn." She whispered.
He closed his locker and started walking towards her. The two make eye contact as his friend kept talking. She shook her head slightly, but at this point he was looking past her. She turned around, seeing a girl with dark hair at the end of the hallway. She smirked as she turned back to face Peter. Maybe she wouldn't be dating Peter, Tony. Only this would be for a different reason. She smiled to herself, slipping back out of the school. She would sure be teasing Peter for that.
The bell rang and people started to scramble. She made her way back to her camper, trusting Peter would be looking for her.
"He's kinda stupid." She reminded herself, pulling her phone out. He probably hadn't seen her in the hall.
To Peterđ¸:
Come meet me at the camper after school.
Peter had felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, but he was a little distracted jumping over the gate. He hadn't really checked to see if anyone had been around.
She watched as Peter was actually the first one out. He ran down the stairs and jumped over the gate.
"Parker." She called through her rolled down window.
His head snapped up and he smiled, running over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her around.
"You didn't tell me you were coming." He said. He didn't actually think she'd make it.
"That was the point." She replied.
"This is yours?" He asked, pointing to the camper. She nodded.
"Come on."
He directed her through town to his favorite little corner store.
"Trust me, you'll love it." He said.
He jumped out and skipped across the street. She followed.
"Hey, Mr. Delmar." Peter said.
"Hey, Mr. Parker. Number five, right?" Delma's asked as Peter set down two packs of gummy worms.
"Yeah, and with pickles, and can you smush it down real flat? Thanks. Want anything?" Peter asked her. She shook her head. He turned back to Delmar. "This is my friend, Carissa."
"Hey, Carissa." Delmar greeted the girl.
She waved in response, which made packages of candy fall to the floor. Peter sent her a confused look and she shook her head. Delmar turned back to Peter, not noticing. "How's your aunt?" He asked.
"Yeah, she's all right." Peter responded, crossing his arms.
"She's a very hot Italian woman." Delmar said, in Spanish, to the guy making Peter's sandwich. She took the opportunity to wave her hand again, picking up the candy.
"How's your daughter?" Peter responded, in Spanish as well. Carissa laughed slightly. Peter's smile brightened when he realized she could understand them.
"Ten dollars." Delmar said.
"It's five dollars." Peter argued.
"For that comment, $10."
Peter smiled. "Hey, come on. I'm joking, I'm joking. Here's $5." Peter walked away from the counter to go pet the cat.
"I didn't even see that little guy." Carissa said when Peter came back. Peter smiled at her. He was so glad she was here. It wasn't that he needed the help, it was that he wanted her there. He just used the only excuse he had on file.
"So, how's school?" Delmar asks.
"Ah, you know. It's boring. Got better things to do." Peter said.
"Okay, Brainiac." The girl muttered.
"Stay in school, kid. Stay in school." Delmar said. "Otherwise, you're gonna end up like me."
"This is great." Peter said.
"This truly is great." Carissa agreed.
"Best sandwiches in Queens." Delmar said.
He handed the sandwich to Peter and they walked out.
"What was that?" Peter asked.
"What?" She replied, playing dumb. She thought he'd forgotten all about it.
"You wave and shit falls." He said.
She sighed. "You wanted a partner." She replied. "I got you the best damn partner you could have."
"Uh, I wanted you." He said. He didn't actually need a partner. He didn't even really want one.
"And I'm here. Just enhanced." She told him.
"What the hell does that mean?" He was confused now, not getting what she was hinting at.
She looked around and pointed to a rock on the ground.
"Look." She told him. He followed her gaze and she flicked her hand. A red glow coated her hand as the rock flew away.
"Like that one girl." He said.
"Wanda." Carissa replied.
"How?"
"Paid a visit to Tony."
Peter nodded and started running. That was all the explanation he needed. He looked back at her and she got the hint. He must've been bored with the conversation, she assumed. She followed him into an alley as he slipped his shoes off. He threw them down the alley before taking off his backpack. He unzipped it and pulled out his suit before taking his pants off. Then he removed his shirt.
"Um, Peter?" She asked. He spun around and she forced myself to look away after a moment.
"Oh, shit. Right. Sorry, Riss." He turned back around and slid the suit on. He picked up the backpack and webbed it to the wall. Then he jumped up to the roof.
"What the hell, Peter? You could've done all this in my van."
"Oh, right. You coming or what?"
She'd seen Wanda do this plenty of times. Both palms open and facing the floor, she rushed the power down her arms and into her hands, sending her off the floor. She struggled to stay straight as she continued to levitate up. She got to the top and he nodded at the girl.
"Let's go." He said.
She followed him everywhere he swung, even when he took the bike from some guy and left a note on it.
"Dumbass." She commented. Next thing she know, they were sitting on a train.
"This is really all you do?" She asked him.
"Until Mr. Stark needs me." He replied.
"Peter, he isn't gonna call you." She said. It had slipped, and she felt bad the second she said it. She couldn't believe she'd just said that to him.
The mask slipped slightly and she knew he was frowning. She deeply regretted saying that.
"I'm sorry, I just-"
"You grew up with Mr. Stark as a major influence in your life. You know him best." Peter swung off the train and away from her. He knew she was right, but that didn't keep it from stinging. He wanted someone to believe in him just like they all believed in her. Peter had no idea what it was actually like to be Riss.
"Shit." She mumbled. She felt the power flow through to her hands before she was lifted off her feet, heading in the direction he went in. She found him on top of a building, doing a flip to impress someone down on the ground. He flipped off the roof and swung off.
"You're really gonna make me chase you?" She complained. "You're a dick."
He knew he was being a dick; she didn't need to tell him that. He was fully aware and he didn't care.
She caught up to him when he stopped to give a lady directions. She bought him a churro and when he saw Carissa, he took off again.
"Fucker." She snapped.
She found him at the water tower walking back and forth on a web.
"Hey, asshole."
"Hi, Riss." He replied calmly. He knew she was mad, but she wasn't the only one.
"You made me chase you in a bunch of fucking circles."
He looked up at the girl and shrugged. He really was being an asshole and he knew it, but he couldn't stop.
"I want a partner." She mocked in a high-pitched voice. "I want you, Carissa. Please be my partner. Please come to Queens."
Peter shrugged again. Now she was being an asshole.
"You're an asshole, Parker."
"I'm sorry, Carissa. Okay?"
"No, it's not okay. When I apologized you took off."
"Why'd you have to tell me he would call?" Peter asked.
"Because I know what it's like to have your hopes up and Tony not deliver. I know what it's like for my dad not to deliver, too. Being close with these superhero's just means they miss your birthday and Christmas multiple year in a row."
Peter set his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Riss. I didn't... I don't-"
"Stop." I reply, looking up at him. His eyes stared back into mine. I shook my head.
"What about the metal armed guy?" Peter asked.
"That's complicated."
"Well, that's your boyfriend, right?"
"He's not my boyfriend." She told Peter. "Everyone thinks that, but he's not. Not right now."
"Everyone thinks that because he was afraid of you being hurt sooner than your dad was. When you were falling, he was coming back. He turned right around. And Mr. Stark was the whole reason I had even noticed you were falling. Mr. Stark yelled into the earpiece for me to catch you or he'd murder me with his bare hands. Your dad stood there, frozen in his tracks and telling him to come back. They were scared."
"His name's Bucky." She told Peter. "And my dad's name is Steve and you can call Tony Tony."
"That's okay. What's Bucky's last name?" Peter asked. He'd calmed down a little, his time going back to normal.
"Barnes." She replied.
"Then Mr. Barnes. Or Mr. Carissa's not-yet-boyfriend."
She laughed at that and Peter smiled. She smiled back before he pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her.
"It's your first day and we've already started fighting." Peter said.
"It's a partner thing, trust me. We'll get the hang of it."
He nodded.
"How did you know?" She asked.
"Know? Know what?"
"That my dad had told him to come back." She clarified.
"We could hear you guys, too." Peter admitted.
She released him. They could hear them? So, Tony could hear her pleading for him to stop, for them to stop.
Suddenly Peter jumped off the web and down on top of a car, which pulled Carissa away from her thought rather violently.
"We won't get the hang of it if you just jump off buildings with no warning. What the hell are you doing?" She asked him.
He stopped some guy from getting into his car and a bunch of people came out to yell at him. The girl laughed.
Finally, he looked up at her and motioned for her to join him as he swung off. She followed closely behind.
One of the times he went to swing, the web didn't stick and he ate shit. Carissa laughed so hard she actually fell from her levitating state. That had sent Parker into a laughing fit of his own.
"I'm good, I'm good." He told her.
"Me too." She replied.
He turned around to look at me and we both burst out laughing all over again. He walked over, offering the girl a hand.
"Those web things are great. I might have to call Tony." She told him.
"Mr. Stark? For what?"
"Well, that's how I got the powers." She replied.
"You should get a suit." He told her.
"No need. People know me, I just can't be seen with Peter. I can be seen with Spider-Man. Except for around Delmar, I guess. Plus, I technically have a suit."
He nodded. "Sounds complicated. Also, your cat suit doesn't count." He said before swinging off again.
"Has the word 'suit' in it." She yelled after him.
They sat on a fire escape as he called Happy.
"Hey, Happy. Here's my report for tonight. I stopped grand thief bicycle. I couldn't find the owner so I left a note. Um...I helped this lost old Dominican lady. She was really nice and bought me a churro. I just feel like I could be doing more. You know? Just curious when the next real mission's gonna be."
The girl frowned at Peter. He just wanted to have a purpose. She had just wanted to be useful. They had something in common. Both were a small fraction of something bigger, bigger than they'd ever be.
"So, yeah. Just call me back. It's Peter. Parker." He hung up on that note and sighed.
"Why would I tell him about the churro?" Peter mumbled. He just wanted someone to be proud of him. He wanted to be an Avenger, a bigger part of the bigger picture.
"Out of everything wrong with that conversation, you question the churro part?" She asked.
Peter hit a button on his suit which sent something into the air. He reached out to catch it, standing sideways again the railing of the fire escape. He suddenly perked up, looking at the bank on the corner.
"What?" The girl asked, studying the shift in his facial expression.
"Finally, something good. Let's go." He swung over.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." She jumped off the fire escape after him, slowing herself with the red glow of the psionics. She walked across the street, wind blowing through her hair.
"You don't look like a superhero; you look like a super model. Move your ass." Peter called from the doors of the bank. She glared at him.
"Uh, Peter..." She started as she watched them remove the front of the ATM with a weird gun looking weapon that had blue psionic energy radiating off of it.
"What?" He asked.
"I don't know if I can..."
Before she finished, he was inside.
"Damn it, Parker." She mumbled. Peter had seen the weapon. This was his chance to be something bigger. To make Tony proud, he had hoped.
Carissa followed him inside, opening and shutting the door even quieter than he had. She had been good about sneaking around. Her dad had Super Soldier hearing, she had to perfect it.
He awkwardly placed a hand on the wall and the other on his hip. "What's up, guys?" He asked. She crossed her arms. "You forgot your pin number?"
That's why Tony picked him. Just as much of a smart ass. Tony had good taste in people, which was why he had kept Riss around in the first place.
The guys looked up at the kids, all wearing Avengers masks. Peter looked at her and pointed.
"Look! They're the Avengers." He said excitedly.
"Wow, they look better on TV." She replied, furrowing her eyebrows. "I'm actually disappointed."
"What are you guys doing here?" Peter asked. The one in the Iron Man mask cocked a gun, which Peter webbed, the throwing it at the guy next to him. The one with the Thor mask got up, making Peter spin him around, sending him flying into Hulk. Peter jumped, sticking to the ceiling to kick Thor. His feet stuck to the ceiling as he turned around to talk to Thor.
"I agree with Carissa. I thought you'd be more handsome in person." He said.
"Dude!" Carissa yelled. She watched as Iron Man stood, coming at Peter. The red glow flowed through as she raised her hand at him, flicking it away. That sent him through the window.
"I didn't mean to break it." She mumbled.
"That was so cool!" Peter yelled. "Hey, why is Iron Man robbing a bank anyway? He's a billionaire."
"I guess that's what happens when you have to replace the Avengers Tower a million times." She commented.
Hulk got up, holding the psionics gun. Peter threw Iron Man into him, sending them both toppling. He hit the trigger and Peter was surrounded by blue. He was stuck where he was, midair. Carissa looked down at her hands, shaking her head.
"Oh, this feels so weird." Peter said. The machine distorted his voice. It didn't hurt, it was just really uncomfortable.
It's not hurting him. Good. She raised her hands, but Hulk moved Peter in front of the girl. The blue psionics cancelled out her own. The red glow was gone.
"I can't!" She yelled at Peter.
Peter was sent back towards her. I ducked and he hit straight into the glass casing.
"Thanks for catching me." He mumbled from the floor.
"How was I supposed to catch you? That thing cancels out my psionics. Look." She opened her palms, face up. They didn't have a glow. She was useless again.
The blue lit up again. "What is that thing?" Peter asked. "It's like you but blue."
"And stronger." She added. Peter frowned at the defeat obvious in her voice. Her eyes held confliction. She wasn't sure what to do now. It bugged him that he couldn't help her, he didn't like the way the emotion took over her features like that.
The blue lit up Peter, slamming him between the floor and ceiling.
"I'm staring...to think...you're not...the Avengers." Peter says in between slams. He was still worried about Carissa, unsure of where she was now or what she was trying to do. He knew she was frustrated, both with the situation and herself.
He stuck himself to the floor, webbing a counter piece and flinging it towards the guy with the Captain America mask.
"Peter, I-" She started.
"Go." He told her. He didn't mean to make it sound so harsh, but he wanted her out of there. He didn't need her to get hurt. Tony would kill him.
She nodded, slipping outside. She noticed Delmar looking out the window, phone in his hand. That had to be one odd phone call. I'm sorry, did you say the Avengers were robbing the bank?
"Oh, shit." She slipped around the side of the bank, out of his sight.
Then a purple beam lit through the bank and across the street. Delmar's was lit on fire, but her concern right now was Peter.
"P?" She asked. "Parker?"
"Mr. Delmar." He replied. Peter ran out of the bank and over to Delmar's. She stayed put. She didn't have a choice. She watched Peter pull Delmar out safely before slipping around the bank.
Peter ran towards her, grabbing her by the arm and taking off.
"What the hell?" He asked.
"Delmar knows me, remember? Me going in there was a compromise to your identity. I didn't have a choice, Peter. You handled it." She answered him.
"And what about your psionics?" He asked in a pissed tone. He knew the answer, but that didn't stop him from being frustrated about something out of both of their control.
"The blue cancelled me out." She replied. "I was stuck. I could do anything. I didn't even know that was possible, Parker. I didn't think I'd need my guns and even if I had them their tech was a thousand times better."
Peter glared at her but nodded. "You're right." He said. "A thousand times better. Call Mr. Stark." He knew she felt bad enough about it, but he couldn't bring himself to not be pissed. He'd needed her help.
She did what he her told her and called Tony as he called Happy.
Happy answered, Tony didn't.
"Happy, the craziest thing just happened to me and Carissa. These guys were robbing an ATM with high-tech weapons-"
She assumed Happy cut Peter off at that point.
"Wait, wait. You're moving? Who's moving?" Peter asked.
"But what about me?" Peter asked, moments later.
She could see the camper in the distance. And after a little bit, "Well, what if Mr. Stark needs me or something big goes down? Can I please just talk to Mr. Stark?"
She snapped in his face to gain his attention. He opened the camper door, sliding into the front seat. She drove him to the alley where his bag had been left.
"I am responsible. Oh, crap. My backpack's gone." Peter said.
And after a few more seconds, "I'll call you back."
Peter never called Happy back as I drove back to his place. We were silent the whole drive there, not even daring to look at each other.
"You coming?" He asked as he slid out of the car.
"Sure." She replied. She slid out of the car, watching him stick to the wall. She looked at her hands, attempting to rush the energy through. She smiled as her hands light up red and she was able to levitate right past him.
"Show off." He mumbled.
He gets to his window, sliding it open. He crawled in and motioned for her to follow before sliding it back closed. She softly landed on her feet in front of the door, shutting it slightly.
Peter sighed at her before they both turn to face the bed. Both of them froze.
The Lego death star hit the floor.
"What was that?" May asked
Peter panicked slightly, which had made his voice squeak. "Uh, it's nothing. Nothing." He said.
"You're the Spider-Man. From YouTube. And that's some girl." The guy said.
"Ouch." Carissa replied.
"I'm not. I'm not." Peter said. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"You're wearing the suit still, genius." She reminded the boy.
He hit the Spider button in the middle of the suit, leaving him in just his boxers.
"You were on the ceiling." The guy on the bed said.
"Aren't you observant?" Riss asked sarcastically.
"What are you doing in my room?" Peter asked.
"May let me in. We were gonna finish the Death Star." The guy answered.
"Nerds." Riss commented.
"You can't just bust into my room." Peter said. The door opened behind Carissa and Peter scurried away.
May walked in, laughing. "That turkey meatloaf recipe is a disaster. Let's go to dinner. Thai? Ned, Carissa, you guys want Thai?"
"Yes." Ned said.
"No. He's got a thing." Peter interjected.
"A thing to do after." Ned said.
"Okay. Carissa?" She turned to the girl.
"I would love to join you guys for Thai." She replied.
She smiled and pointed at Peter. "Maybe put on some clothes."
Peter grabbed a grey long sleeve off his chair.
"Oh, she doesn't know." Ned said.
"Nobody knows!" Peter whisper yelled.
Carissa cleared her throat.
"Mr. Stark knows because he made my suit. That's it." Peter corrected his previous statement.
Carissa cleared her throat again.
"And Carissa knows." Peter finally adds.
"Tony Stark made you that? Are you an Avenger?" Ned asked.
"Yeah, basically." Peter replied.
"I'd say Avengers adjacent." Carissa said.
"Are you an Avenger?" Ned asked her.
"Yeah, basically." She said, quoting Peter. "I'm the daughter of one and I grew up with them. Been going on missions since I was thirteen."
"Oh, geez." Ned said.
"You can't tell anybody." Peter told him. "You gotta keep it a secret."
"Secret? Why?" Ned asked.
"Oh, god, really?" The girl asked.
"You know what she's like." Peter said, pointing at the door. "If she finds out people try and kill me every single night, she's not gonna let me do this anymore. Come on, Ned, please."
The girl rolled her eyes. "If you don't keep it a secret there's this really cool thing Nick Fury has that will make you forget about all of this. Like the one they used in Men In Black, but we aren't aliens." Carissa told Ned.
"Okay, okay, okay. I'll level with you. I can't keep this a secret. It's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me." Ned said.
Peter looked back at Riss. She tilted her head slightly.
"Ned, May cannot know. I cannot do that to her right now." Peter said. "You know? I mean, everything that's happened with her, I- Please."
Carissa's heart sank. She didn't remember much, but she remembered Uncle Ben. That was something she and Peter had in common. They'd both lost people they loved.
"Okay." Ned said.
"Just swear it, okay?" Peter asked.
"I swear."
"Thank you." Peter replied.
"Yeah."
"Riss really was gonna make you forget, I hope you know that." Peter said, motioning to her.
"I know." He said.
"I can't believe this is happening right now." Peter said.
"Can I try the suit on?" Ned asked.
"No." She and Peter replied in unison.
"How's it work? Is it magnets? How do you shoot the strings?"
"No." Carissa simply replied.
"I'm gonna tell you at school tomorrow." Peter promised.
"Great." Ned said. "Wait, how do you do this and the Stark internship?"
"This is the Stark internship." Peter said.
"My god." Carissa commented.
"Ohh..." Ned realized.
"Just get out of here." Peter said, pushing Ned out of the room.
He backed up to the door and covered his face with his hands.
"I know." Carissa told him. She'd dealt with her fair share of stupid, too. Peter finally put pants on at the three walked out of the apartment, heading to the Thai restaurant.
"What's the matter?" May asked Peter at dinner. "I thought you loved Larb."
"That sounds unpleasant." Riss mumbled. Peter smiled down at his plate at her comment.
"It's too larby?" May asked. The blonde laughed. "Not larby enough? How many times do I have to say 'larb' before you talk to me?"
"Hopefully that was the last time." Carissa said.
Peter finally looked up at May and then at Riss.
"You know I larb you." May said. Carissa's amusement was plastered across her face as she took another bite. Her eyes never left Peter.
"I'm just stressed. The internship, and I'm tired." He replied. "A lot of work."
"The Stark internship. I have to tell you, not a fan of that Tony Stark."
Carissa fought the urge to drop her chopsticks. Peter noticed her shift in emotion, her amusement draining from her face.
"You're distracted all the time. He's got you in your head." May continued.
"Excuse me." Carissa mumbled, standing. Peter watched the girl leave the chair.
"You okay, sweetie?" May asked.
"Yes, I'm fine." Carissa replied before she walked into the restroom. She stood, hands firmly on the sink and looked into the mirror. It wasn't Tony's fault Peter was running around like a crazy person. It had bugged Riss that she could say that, though. She'd blow his cover.
Peter anxiously waited for the blonde's return. He knew she hadn't liked May's commentary and her was sure she'd have a few words to say to him later.
Carissa took a deep breath and splashed some water in her face before she walked back out. What was she feeling? It didn't feel like anger, really. Close. When she sat, the waiter brought over a plate of sticky rice pudding.
"We didn't order that." May said.
"On the house." He replied.
When he left, she turned to Peter. "Well, that was nice of him."
"I think he larbs you." Peter replied.
They all laughed. Whatever emotion Carissa had been feeling before was long gone now. Peter smiled at the girl, glad that she wasn't visibly upset. She had felt confused herself, though. Unsure of why her emotions were so scattered. She didn't like the feeling of not being in control. May looked back down at her plate as Peter and Riss both glanced at each other. Peter smiled at the girl, hoping she would smile back. He liked her smile. The way her eyes crinkled. He especially liked when she would scrunch her nose at him.
Oh no.
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