WHAT: Chatting over Lucky Charms breakfast WHERE: Carol & Emmeline's Morningside apartment WHEN: Backdated to not too long after Peter's arrival WARNINGS: Nah STATUS: Complete
Peter had been hanging around Carol like a lost puppy, all the while attempting to not bother her at all. Emmeline was there to help with Peter having a crashing to earth moment. As long as he kept talking and messing with the network, he wouldn’t have to think about this whole thing. It was overwhelming, it was awesome, it was scary. He wondered if he could find Gwen here…
It was a little bit after breakfast, and Peter was taking some time to adjust. Interdimensional travel had a hell of a jet lag to it. He was in some comfy pants and a sweater that was too big for him and big fuzzy socks. He was located exactly on the women’s couch, trying to find cartoons on the new device, something to watch while eating cereal.
“So they call you Captain Marvel?”
Carol hadn’t gone into that first conversation with Peter intending to take him under her wing. She hadn’t even gone in sure that it was Peter Parker, because this version was older and had a distinctively different face, but her wild guess turned out to be right. And she couldn’t just leave this kid out there on his own. He may be nineteen, but he was still a child, in a new world where he knew no one but a lot of those no ones knew a version of him. That would be a lot for anyone.
Luckily, Emmeline got it, too. She gave Carol her full support and was more than happy to have Peter in and out on a daily basis. He was right next door, but they were admittedly kind of momming him - making sure he ate, settling him in at her old place, helping him look for jobs. She hadn’t had a kid to look after in a long time. It gave her a sense of purpose around here; that was lacking, sometimes, with so many Outlanders willing to fight.
She finished pouring milk over a second bowl of cereal (Lucky Charms - those marshmallows were stupidly tasty) and came out of the kitchen to join Peter on the couch, propping her feet right back up where they’d been on the coffee table.
“Yep, they do,” she confirmed with a grin. She’d told him quite a few of her wartime stories, but she hadn’t given up her superhero name - mostly because she didn’t talk about herself in the third person. “Not as inventive as Spider-Man, but y’know. It works.”
Lucky Charms, Peter could eat a whole box. He didn’t prop his feet up, but he did look at ease around the woman. She was very cool, in Peter’s opinion. They’d been talking about powers and their run-ins with the baddies.
“Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can…?”
“Okay, admittedly, I don’t have a rhyme,” Carol conceded with a smirk. “The name came from my mentor. And my rank in the Air Force, way back in the day.”
“The Air Force? You are such a badass…” He poked his spoon back into the cereal, scooping up a large bite. “So you’re a human who thought you were an alien and you have phenomenal cosmic powers…” Science and magic were basically the same thing in Peter’s eyes, so this was like telling him dragons were real.
“Mm, yeah,” Carol mumbled around a mouthful of cereal. Her spoon flicked toward the coffee table as she swallowed. Right, getting back on track here. “So, the Air Force was first, back in the 80’s. Turns out my mentor was an alien disguised as a human, and I was accidentally dragged into the whole thing. She was trying to hide this power source called the Tesseract from the Kree. They were the aliens that kidnapped me and wiped my memories so I’d assimilate to their planet, Hala.”
“Hala? Are you saying challah? Like the bread?” Peter laughed, but it was stifled, like he was afraid of making too much noise. He also talked while moving his spoon around, “But now you’re like …Miss Universe Protector of Everything?” Peter was a little starstruck. This kid grew up in another universe from the one Carol was from, obviously. Maybe the Carol in his universe never got kidnapped. Never joined the Air Force. There were so many possibilities.
Carol rolled her eyes, but she’d admit the pronunciation was exactly the same. “Yeah, basically.” She wasn’t going to be modest here. The Avengers dealt with Earth, and she dealt with basically everything else. She wasn’t the only one out there, but she’d made it her mission to play peacekeeper wherever she could. “I’ve probably spent more time out in space, on other planets, than I ever did on Earth.”
“I’m only protecting New York. Mostly Queens, but I get around pretty fast with the webslinging.” He sounded a little sad, like, aw, you’re so cool to patrol the universe. He’s got the Five Boroughs. “Do you feel any different?”
“That’s still a big deal.” She had wanted to be that kid when she was his age, finding some way to protect people who needed protection. But she’d wanted to fly more, and she’d chosen the path that would, eventually, help her do both. “Different how? Not human?”
“Yeah. I struggle sometimes. Like, what am I? I was bit by a spider and now I can stick to walls.” He shrugged. “What even is that? So I can’t imagine what you’d be feeling.”
Carol popped another spoonful of cereal into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. “I guess it doesn’t seem so different after all these years,” she replied with a shrug of her own. “Becoming part alien saved my life. The Kree weren’t what I thought they were, but they did that. And now I get to help people in ways I’d never have been able to without that.”
Peter held the spoon in his mouth for a moment, contemplating her response. “I mean, yeah, hard same. If I wasn’t bit by that spider, I would just be some regular guy. I am a regular guy, I just jump off buildings a lot.”
“And manage to survive,” Carol tacked on, shaking her spoon at him pointedly. “That’s the impressive part, for the record. Jumping off buildings isn’t brag-worthy.”
Peter’s smile creeped up slowly and ended with what could only be called a giggle. “Hah, you’re right, good point.” He puts his bowl onto the coffee table and turns slightly in the seat. “And the webslingers. It feels so natural, it’s weird.”
Carol reached forward to deposit her empty bowl on the coffee table beside Peter’s. She was considering yet another bowl, but she’d hold off for now. She took a moment to rearrange herself first, tucking her legs back under herself and turning to face the young man beside her.
“You thought about doing the whole coming out thing yet?” she asked. “No pressure, just want to see where your head’s at.”
Peter curled up, lanky legs folded against his chest. He gnawed at his lip for a moment. “I don’t see why it would be a problem here. Everyone’s out, right? It’s like, why not?”
He really didn’t want to continue wearing that mask. It felt right, but maybe he should try and live a little. Don’t be so afraid someone’s going to kill your loved ones – you have so many people who will back you up!
“You’re right,” Carol concurred with a nod. “Everyone’s out, and everyone will have your back. But that doesn’t mean you have to do it. And even if you come out, the hero gig isn’t a must. You get to make whatever choices you want here without having to worry about the ‘what ifs’.”
She wasn’t trying to encourage or discourage him. She was just there, a sounding board and a supporter in whatever way he needed her.
“I’m gonna do it. I’m going to tell people. Or show people. Or something. Thanks, Carol.” He smiled warmly, his eyes a little glassy. Kid’s been through a lot. “Thanks also, for, like, taking care of me. I’m nearly an adult but without my aunt, I’m useless.”
“You’re hardly useless,” Carol scoffed. “It’s a new place you didn’t get to choose to be. Em and I’ve both been through it, too. It takes time to settle in. We’re happy to help.” She gave him a comforting squeeze on the shoulder, then snatched the remote off the couch between them. “Lemme find you some good cartoons…”