Dinner with May and Peter

Time: 2011 November. Location: New York City.

One would be surprised by the complicated process of publishing a book, even more so if you plan to print two. With the backing of SHIELD, Felix had signed his book deals with Lancaster Print and Publication, one of the large printing houses in the United States (A/N: Clearly fictional, don't sue me). Then came the onslaught of legal risks identification meetings from Lancaster's flock of attorneys, editing errors fixes, marketing brainstorm sessions, cover contracts with artists, etc. Needless to say, he had a lot to learn in the past few months.

Despite his busy schedule, Felix was content with his current living situation. There was no longer any need to kill his own kin, hide from the Empire, or watch his peers and mentees die in front of his eyes. He sometimes questioned whether he deserved the peace that his interdimensional travel had brought. The guilt he felt for abandoning the Rebellion and Thaedus behind came to bite Felix in his sleeping hours. Viltrumite's anatomy allowed him to stay awake for days on end without any significant problems to his health, which led to many sleepless nights of work for the alien.

On to happier news, after weeks of spending consecutive Tuesday lunches with May, their relationship had become closer. They upgraded from calling each other by their last name or full name to first names basis. Felix was satisfied with having a friend to consult with for a more human perspective, not that she knew he wasn't human. On the contrary, she believed his view was just of an eccentric foreigner. After all, Viltrumite's guidebook on relationship depended on the compatibility of the species' genetics and mainly focused on procreating strong half-Viltrumites. So it was nice to take things slow for a while.

Felix learned of May's situation, and subsequently, her nephew, Peter Park's upbringing. May and her recently deceased husband, Ben, had raised an orphaned Peter since he was two years old. With Ben's passing, she tried her best to take care of her nephew as a single parental figure. The Earthling's custom of raising their own children was foreign to Felix. On Viltrum, newborns were brought to nursing centers and stayed there until seven years old. Then the Department of Education would take hold of them until they developed their powers and were ready to serve the Empire. Parental care was never a concern in his culture.

Lost in thoughts, he almost missed what May was saying.

"Yea, so Peter said he wanted to meet who I've been spending time with every Tuesday's lunch. So we're hoping you could come for dinner this Thursday," she said with expectation in her eyes.

Felix was taken out of his headspace and stared at the woman in a blank expression.

"Is that too soon? If you're busy that day, it's okay too. I could resch…." She blabbered in anxiousness.

"May, I would love to," he responded, finally straightening himself out.

May smiled at that and said, "Okay, it's no big deal. You don't have to bring anything. Just come at seven. I'll have to get groceries after work that day. Also picking up Peter…." The woman went on with her own thoughts and worries.

Felix listened to her, but his mind also drifted back to its own path. 'What do people do at dinners? Do I bring anything? Maybe Coulson would know,' he thought.

His hands went to his phone and texted Phil Coulson. Texting, a primitive method of communication, but he had gotten used to it in the past few months. He wrote, "What do I bring to dinner with a woman and a child?"

Coulson sent a message back saying, "????"

….

After spending days researching and following Coulson's lengthy advice, Felix concluded that human interrelationships were complicated. Holding a bottle of wine, some flowers, and early copies of his books, he knocked on the doors of the apartment.

The door flung open and what greeted him was a surprised face of a ten years old child. Peter wanted to protect his aunt, and he believed he needed to be harsh on whoever was coming over tonight. Opening the door, however, he saw a massive figure of a man with a mustache. His facade of bravery was transparent for all to see, and it was waning quickly.

"Hi..there, Mr. Wright.." Peter whimpered.

Felix kneeled down to Peter's eyes level and said, "You must be Peter. I've heard you like reading books." Few had been able to make Felix kneel, and yet here he was doing just that. His desire to impress May seemed to override the years of experience he had. "I brought you some from my latest works. I hope you will enjoy it." Felix continued, giving the packaged novels to the child.

"Thank you, mister!" Then, like water under the bridge, Peter's interests quickly turned to the gifts he received. He still thought the man was scary, but it was less so now. He then ran off to the sofa in the living room.

May came out of the kitchen then, seeing Felix at the door, she rushed towards him, "Oh, you're here already. Please, let me take your coat."

"It's alright. I can do it. You seemed occupied." He replied, looking at the apron covering her clothes. "I brought wine and flowers." He added, showing the two towards May.

"You didn't have to bring anything. Here, let me take them off your hands so you can hang your coat." She said, taking away the items. Felix closed the door, took off his coat, and hung it over the hangers near the door. "Thank you," he said.

"Is there anything I can help with?" he gestured towards the kitchen. Since his departure from the SHIELD's base, he learned how to do human chores around his apartment. He was happy to say that he could now take care of himself by Earthling's standards. Cooking became a side hobby for Felix when he was not hard at work on his novels.

"There are actually, Peter! Can you help Mr. Wright set up the table for dinner?" She said towards the boy.

"But I got books to read!" The boy lifted one of Felix's books up to show May from the sofa.

May looked at the new books to Peter's collection and back at Felix with a raised eyebrow.

"It's just some early copies of my books that'll be available next year. You told me he liked books." He automatically defended himself. 'Was it not the right thing to bring?' Coulson told Felix that showing off your own work is a symbol of confidence.

May sighed at that and returned her attention to Peter, "Read it later! We have to eat dinner!"

"Okkkk," Peter replied, slowly lifting himself up from the couch as a sign of defiance.

A ringing of a cooking timer resounded from the kitchen.

"Oh crap, Peter, hurry up! I hope you don't mind." May looked at Felix, hoping that he would understand.

"I offered. Do not worry. I got this." He commented.

May returned to her kitchen at that and said, "It'll be quick. It's pretty much done."

Peter came up to Felix and happily said, "Come, mister! We have to get the table ready, or she'll yell at us."

Felix nodded.

…

Dinner went smoothly, with Peter doing most of the talking. The fear and awkwardness he showed earlier had completely disappeared as he questioned Felix about his books. Felix learned from the pair of nephew and aunt that spoilers were not welcomed to humans. Alcohol did nothing to his Viltrumite metabolism, but he enjoyed the taste. May seemed to think so as well since she refilled her glass a couple of times.

After dinner, Peter rushed off to his room to continue his readings, leaving the Viltrumite and Earthling alone in the kitchen to deal with the dishes. Coulson said that Felix should offer to wash the dishes, so he did.

"I didn't know you would bring so many things. Thank you again for your gifts to Peter and also for the flowers." May said, standing next to the sink while Felix washed the plates, silverware, and cooking utensils.

"It was not much. It is the proper etiquette I heard." He replied.

"Peter seemed to like you. It's rare to see him so happy since Ben passed away." She continued.

"He is a bright child. He would grow up strong." Felix added while his hands were busy scrubbing off the remains on the pan.

May let out a burst of slight laughter at his words, "Has anyone told you your ways of speaking is quite strange?"

"Many since I came here." His eyes focused on cleaning the pan's handle.

"To New York City? Or to the U.S?" She added.

"To the United States." He replied, carefully wiping so he would not destroy May's things.

Quiet overtook them then. Only the sounds of water rushing from the faucet and metal clanking onto one another.

"I am done." Felix turned off the running water and turned his attention to May. A silent suffocating moment between them.

"It is quite late." May took a step back with her comment.

"Yes, I should go," Felix answered, noticing the hesitation in her movement.

They walked towards the door, and he placed his coat back onto himself.

"Thank you for dinner. It had been most pleasant coming to your home," Felix opened the entrance to the hallway.

"It was great having you over. Peter loved you. I am glad you came." Her hand caressed her arm. Felix read it was a kind of unconscious movement in time of nervousness.

"I'll see you next week?" He spoke. Both of them stared intently into each others' eyes.

"Yes, for sure." She responded, briefly breaking off eye contact once in a while.

"I hope you have a good night. Please tell Peter I said goodbye." Felix bid her fair well.

"You too," and she inturns bid his.

Felix left the apartment and returned to his own. Lying on his bed, he thought about the new emotions he had experienced. The Viltrumite had been through many things in his nearly two thousand years of life, but this was new to him. That night, his sleep was sound and no nightmare came to disturb him.