3rd POV:
Two weeks till some of the X-Men graduate.
Now. Bell could come to train the remaining X-Men, those that won't graduate this year, regardless of the previous mentioned fact. But, he himself was going to go on an expedition with his school.
So he gave a brief visit to Xavier to tell him that he won't be available for Saturday.
As that will be the day they will return, with Monday being the day they will depart. Of course he did not give a reason why he wouldn't be available Saturday and just said that it was personal. Hank, who was present suspected however that it had something to do with school. Though he kept his mouth shut, keeping to his promise to Nexus.
Afterwards things should return to normal, he told Xavier.
---
Bell was lying on Gwens bed and watching her as she sat on her chair.
''You do understand that it will only reinforce Georges suspicions if Ghost Spider won't appear for the duration of our trip. You kind of shot yourself in the foot, by making an appearance every day. If sometimes only for a little bit,'' Bell pointed out.
Gwen looked to contemplate a few things for a few moments.
''What if... you teleport me to NYC? When it is night in Germany it should be day in America. I could make the rounds for one or two hours and then go to sleep, when you teleport me back,'' Gwen proposed.
''And what will we tell Peter when we will give him the spider powers as well? I don't mind telling him I have telekinetic powers and I doubt you mind telling him you are Ghost Spider. He is our friend after all, but he is gonna ask questions if our story has holes in it. Telekinesis can open wormholes, but it requires a lot of energy and most are not afforded that boon. Even Jean without Phoenix can't open portals with her telekinesis...I think,'' Bell explained and grabbed one of her plushy to play with it a little.
''You think? That does not exactly inspire confidence, but I get what you are trying to say. I guess... I will have to make a public display of me breaking my arm when crashing on the ground, because of 'technical malfunctions'. Urgh, I'm not looking forward to it, but I guess I did build up some pain tolerance from your training and my healing should fix the broken bone up quickly,'' Gwen groaned. Though she was probably gonna have severe bruises for one or two days.
Bell blinked. See? That is exactly what he loved about her. Her strong will. But also, HOLY SHIT, could be she dumb sometimes.
Bell cleared his throat.
''Hm? What is it, Bell? I'm trying to hype myself up mentally,'' Gwen gave him her attention, as she was distracted by her own thoughts.
''Your boyfriend is a reality warper,'' Bell told her slowly, as if talking to a slow child.
Gwen blinked.
''Illusions,'' Bell theatrically declared as he moved his hands in front of him and created a sparkling rainbow. This way there is also no risk that she would wince if she was not careful with her broken bone.
But more importantly, Bell did not want her to go through any unnecessary pain.
Gwen blushed, feeling embarrassed.
---
A taxi driver was whistling, returning to his previous spot after having delivered a customer to his destination. That is, unless somebody tried to get his attention on his way back then he would have a new customer.
There was some traffic in the way and when he tried to drive when some space presented itself in front of him he quickly hit the emergency brakes, the moment something fell in front of him. He got out of the car quickly to see what it was and saw Ghost Spider who was...
''That... That is bone sticking out of your arm,'' the taxi driver, said feeling dizzy. He was unsure what to do.
Some of the bystanders brought out their phone and began recording. Alas, there seemed to be some remaining good souls in NYC (inspired by Ghost Spider to do more to spread good will and make the world a better place) as they stepped forward and tried to offer her help.
''Do you need us to call the ambulance? What happened?,'' one of the strangers shakily held up his phone ready to dial 911.
''No, no, no. You can't pick yourself up, you are hurt!,'' the other stranger, tried to do something with his hands. Not knowing if he should try to keep her down or help her up.
''I've had worse. It was just a blunder on my part. No ambulance, please,'' Ghost Spider said as she picked herself from the ground, her voice slightly strained. The strangers helped to steady her.
''That is a bone ... sticking out of your arm,'' the taxi driver repeated.
''It will heal. Though it will take some time. Sooo, stay safe,'' she said and then bolted into an alley.
The illusion persisted for quite a while, seemingly making it's way into one direction (opposite of Gwens home), arm dangling by it's side till it crawled into a man hole cover and closed the lid after her.
---
George was playing it cool as he observed Gwen during dinner. So far she seemed to still favor her dominant arm, the one that Ghost Spider broke during the fall.
...
Nor did she seem to wince or try to suppress any pain, judging by her expressions.
Hmm.
People knew that Ghost Spider had a healing factor. They just didn't know how strong. Did she plan this? Willingly subject herself to the pain of a broken bone, knowing it would heal in only a few hours? Meanwhile Ghost Spider had an excuse not to be seen for the duration that Gwen would be on the trip to Berlin.
If that was the case, then George had to applaud her willpower.
Frankly he wanted to do nothing more then ask her if she was Ghost Spider. But she would just deny it and he wanted hard evidence. He could go through her stuff, especially now that she was away for almost a week, but...
If he was wrong he would have violated his daughters privacy and broken her trust if she finds out he snooped through her stuff.
He hoped he was wrong, as Ghost Spider is put in constant danger by every fight she engages in, if she and Gwen were the same.
But his intuition, honed by years of being a police officer, told him he was on to something.
But for now?
Well played, Gwen. Very well played. But she did play her cards and now he has an inkling of how strong her healing power was. He will be sure to use it in the future for his investigation.
---
''You guys excited?,'' Peter asked them.
''Berlin is certainly a city rich in history. If nothing else it will be a productive visit. But if we are given the opportunity to explore it just a little bit, then it would be wonderful. Either way, I'm excited for this trip, for both personal and academic purposes,'' Gwen replied.
''Meh. Learning about Nazi-Germany and WW2 is certainly important. One must never forget how Fascism came to be. But I feel like constantly only referring to Germany when it comes to this subject is kind of like beating a dead horse, even if no one should allow them to pretend that that is not part of Germany's history. Italy or Japan would have sufficed for such a trip just the same,'' Bell shrugged.
''I mean... I have to agree. Honestly, I wonder how Japan and Italy got away with being constantly reminded about their atrocities?,'' Peter agreed.
''Does it even matter, guys? How they got away I mean? We are supposed to learn something. And unlike Japan and Italy, Germany has turned their former concentration camps and prisons in museums, monuments and memorials. They have the facilities to teach us far better then Italy or Japan does,'' Gwen argued. They advanced a little down the line to the security terminal.
''To be fair, I'm pretty sure Italy has at least a few such facilities as well. Just... they don't have the infrastructure to give students tours and stuff,'' Peter pointed out.
''Either that or the building got repurposed. Fine, maybe Italy is not such a grave offender in pretending their history does not exist. But Japan definitely takes the whole blame for this,'' Bell said.
''To be fair, we did drop two bombs on them,'' Gwen pointed out.
''And? If I would have lived during that time I would have threatened to nuke them 3 more times just for Unit 731 alone, let alone all the other shit they were doing. I would have forced them at the table and put it down as a concession that they could never deny their own history. Ugh, it genuinely pisses me off that no one calls them out on their bullshit behavior,'' Bell huffed.
Emphasis on threatening. He wasn't actually gonna drop more nukes on them. But he would have used the threat to strong arm them into including their history in their curriculum.
Peter brought out his phone and searched 'Unit 731', skimming quickly over a Wikipedia article.
''Damn,'' he gravely commented, handing the phone to Gwen when she tried to read it as well.
''Damn,'' she replied as well, handing the phone back to Peter. Both of them looked horrified, even if they were hiding it a bit.
''Yup'', Bell pursed his lips. That was the appropriate reaction to that.
''Guess all countries have their demons and their skeletons. ...You are right, kind of pisses me off as well that Japan pretends their history does not exist,'' Peter complained.
''Man, I get it. Your arguments I mean. But you are acting like they're going to repeat their history. Fascism is dead and will never happen again,'' Flash decided to comment to them and turned around. They were not exactly whispering so he could hear them as he was right in front of them.
''Why are you butting in on our conversation?,'' Peter asked him.
Flash shrugged.
''MJ and my friends already went through the security check. I'm bored,'' Flash told them.
Peter was silent for just a bit.
''Why are you butting in on our conversation?,'' Peter asked again.
Flash scowled and showed him the middle finger causing the three to chuckle.
''Are you sure about that? Are you absolutely sure, beyond the shadow of a doubt that fascism and Nazis are a thing of the past?,'' Bell asked him.
''Yeah. No one will be dumb enough to let that ever happen again,'' Flash confidently replied.
The trio shared a look.
''Are you sure about that?'' x3
''Fine, be that way. I'm telling you though, you are overreacting,'' Flash huffed and turned around.
The trio shared a look again and they all shrugged, deciding to let Flash live in ignorance.
---
Soon enough they went through the security check and after nearly an hour they finally boarded the plane. And if Bell slightly manipulated things so that the three of them can sit in the same aisle in the same row, then no one was any wiser.
''God, look at the sight. It never gets any less beautiful,'' Peter remarked when they were in the air.
''Imagine how it must look from space. The pictures don't do it justice, I think,'' Bell added, making Gwen briefly give a knowing smile, thanks to her insider knowledge.
''Both sights are humbling, though I suppose from up there most realize how alone we truly are and how irrelevant all our squabbles are,'' Gwen commented.
''Well... Not completely alone. Chitauri Invasion and all that and I'm sure there are other aliens, but I guess I get what you are saying. We as a species are alone with no allies,'' Peter corrected.
''We are allied with the Asgardians, supposedly. Must be one hell of an alliance, for them to send only one guy,'' Bell said.
''Fine, then I retract my statement about being alone. And to be fair they did send their Prince and Heir. Not that it mattered, considering a guy from earth took care of matters alone,'' Gwen held her hands up to them to placate them about her wrongful statement.
The three were silent for a bit, Peter continuing to stare out of the window. By now the clouds were cutting off most of the visibility, but he spotted Earth through the gaps every now and then.
A man stood up from behind them and went to the toilet.
''So. Anything going on in the romantic world of Peter Parker,'' Gwen teased and poked Peter with her elbow,''Maybe we could go on a double date.''
Please no, Bell gave a short prayer. He never was on one, but he could imagine it being awkward. Why the hell would Gwen open up that suggestion?
''Nope. At least, Aunt May has gotten it though her head that MJ is not available and together with Flash. Only took ten years, since she couldn't believe MJs mother was not aware of that, else she would have shared the knowledge with Aunt May,'' Peter huffed. He had to admit, it was a little awkward or lonely, but Bell and Gwen did not rub their luck in his face with overly affectionate gestures nor did they let him become the third wheel.
''That's rough, buddy,'' Bell replied, immediately earning himself a sharp elbow from Gwen, who for once recognized the quote.
''We have one more year of school and next year there are sure to be at least a few new students,'' Gwen tried to cheer him up.
Before Peter could reply, the door to the toilet burst open and the man began screaming.
''EVERYONE DO NOT MOVE AND REMAIN SEATED AT ALL TIMES OR WE'LL BLOW THIS PLANE UP!,'' he screamed, showing them a detonator. Apparently that was the cue as three others stood up and moved to the cockpit, having pulled out their guns from somewhere.
Gwen cast Bell a meaningful look and he calmly gave her a subtle nod, letting her know he would take matters into his own hands.
Hmmm.
Ah.
There was no bomb. And it seemed their plan was to make it seem as if there was one. After all, if the guns are real then most would assume/ not risk the bomb being real as well. They were not hijackers or terrorists, but instead opportunists. The plan was to request money, make the plan land in Spain, then get handed ten parachutes (no one daring to risk the hostages), check the parachutes for trackers, make the plane fly again to its original destination and then (after ensuring everyone was strapped in) open the hatch and jump out, using the forests and mountains of Europe as cover to run away and hide.
Honestly? Pretty smart since America was mostly even terrain, except the western part of the country.
Their guns were also slightly modified by their own hands to fit into the soles of their shoes.
He is gonna have to remove his shoes from here on out at the security check, won't he? Annoying, but understandable.
At no point did they plan on ever actually hurting anyone, even if they were pushed since they knew if things go wrong they could serve for life without parole, instead of... What? A decade? They were also aware that anyone could have powers and kill them if they risked taking things too far, so it was also self preservation.
Urgh. Bell could see why they were not registered as enemies. They were more like annoyances. (He always was more lenient with thieves, especially if no one was harmed or they had a good reason for stealing. Each had a mother, sister (x2), toddler brother that was very sick and they needed money for treatment. Once more they American Healthcare System screwed someone over.)
Hmm. There were 286 people on this plane, plus 8 personnel. If there was an actual threat he would have handled things to keep everyone safe, even if spy agencies would have kept track of all of them to see who had the powers. Sure he could make them seem clumsy, but not all spy agencies were gonna buy this.
And while he could mess with anyones observation equipment with his technomancy, he really did not want to deal with the hassle.
He was gonna stay attentive, just in case they suddenly made a change of plans. Things could go wrong after all and they end up killing someone.
But otherwise? There was frankly no reason to intervene and risk detection.
All this he summarized for Gwen telepathically.
She grimaced, but understood his reasoning even if she would have made a different choice in his place.
They put their hands on the top of the seat in front of them and bowed their heads between their arms as instructed.
Well, if nothing else it would make for an interesting flight.
...
''Hey! You! What do you think you are doing?,'' one of the criminals yelled as he came over quickly to one of the passengers. In his haste he tripped over his own feet, as his soles were not completely solid (since they tampered with them to hide their guns) and upon crash landing on the ground accidentally triggered his gun.
The bullet went through his chin and entered his skull killing him instantly.
Silence reigned at the absurdity of what just happened. The blood from the criminal moving around at uneven intervals through the gaps of the chairs with ever tilt of the plane.
''NOBODY FUCKING MOVE!,'' the second one yelled and moved to check on him just in case he was still alive.
''Shit,'' he cursed and moved back to the others near the cockpit to affirm that he was truly dead. They whispered among themselves what to do and the leader, the one with the 'detonator', finally made the choice to proceed with the plan.
A few more minutes passed until the third began making his routine inspection if everyone was obeying and complying with their orders. He was careful not to step in the blood, but on his way back the plane began shaking. The pilot warned them that they were hit by a surprise storm and needed to descend down a little, away from all the wind currents in the clouds.
After a particularly strong shake causing all to be nearly thrown to the left completely, the third criminal regained his footing, but all the shaking spread the blood across the entire floor and despite his best efforts he slipped on his way back and crashed on the ground with his back, the back of his skull hitting the ground and cracking open like an egg. New fresh blood began pooling across the floor.
''Who is doing this? WHO?! YOU! IS IT YOU?,'' the second criminal yelled, beginning to lose his cool. He tried to shoot his gun but it only exploded in his hand, mangling it beyond recognition. He collapsed on the ground, howling in pain.
As they modified their guns to fir into the soles of their shoes, they obviously had to test if they were working properly. The guns performed as desired, but they only shot each gun two times. This particular one was slightly faulty. Something they would have found out if they would have shot the gun just one more time.
It was here that Bell intervened and subtly ensured that the other pieces would 'luckily' only bruise the closest passengers a lot. That was the best he could do with out things becoming too obvious that someone was interfering. The passengers sustained only superficial injuries on their arms or legs.
The leader looked at his team and slowly knelt on the ground, laid flat on his stomach, even if he had to touch some of the blood of his teammates and stretched out his arms far above him, while telling one of the personnel to take his detonator as he was turning himself in.
Gwen grabbed Bells attention who looked annoyed and gave him a meaningful look.
'I didn't lift a finger,' he send her a telepathic message.
'With you, that tells me nothing,' she replied back.
'...Fair enough. I didn't do anything to them, except protect the closest passengers from the exploding gun. They genuinely were THAT unlucky,' Bell sighed softly.
So much for not dealing with any hassles. Fine then, he will run laps around the spy agencies when they inevitably start snooping.
Honestly, sometimes his plans failed for the most ridiculous reasons. He wondered if someone was playing a prank on him or something.
Probably not.
...
''Well, that happened. You think there was someone with powers on the plane?,'' Peter said, when they arrived at their hotel with only a few hours delay. They could still resume the tour around the fallen Berlin Wall. The few pieces of it that still remained, that is.
''Does it matter? If there was, they went through great effort to hide themselves,'' Gwen shrugged.
''True, I guess. Alright, let us go then. I need some distraction from that terror,'' Peter told them.
---
''The guy pisses me off,'' Peter complained quietly. The trio looked over to one of their classmates cracking jokes about jerky. They were in a former concentration camp, this camp also had the famed gas chamber still, so they could see the a fraction of the horror that occurred here.
''I know him, he sits in front of us sometimes. He is not a bad guy,'' Bell told him.
''What does that have to do with anything? It is still insensitive of him,'' Peter scoffed.
''I think I get what Bell is trying to say. Different people react different to different matters. Look at what he is saying and how he is acting. I'm pretty sure others noticed it too or else they would have kicked him out or told him to stay quiet,'' Gwen told him.
Peter looked at their classmate. Truly looked and saw that despite him cracking jokes, his body language was tense, coiled, his hands were slightly trembling, his back slightly hunched. Some of the other visitors cast him a nasty look, but then briefly turned their attention away from him, seemingly no longer hostile.
''He is coping with humor,'' Peter sighed.
''Some pray to the unseen for a few breaths more... Some welcome the end with arms outstretched, while others come to face death incarnate, arms in hand.
We all respond differently to death. He? That is how he deals with death. No one can fault him for that. Can you?,'' Bell asked Peter.
''When you put it like that, I guess I was the insensitive one,'' Peter rolled his shoulder.
''To be fair, it is kind of hard to distinguish his coping mechanism from being an asshole. I initially thought the same as you as well, but then I took a closer look and well...,'' Gwen shrugged. Peter nodded.
The rest of the tour was spent reading about what the victims went through and how they died.
---
Alas, life moves on.
As it was the last day in Berlin, they were allowed to briefly wander around in groups of three. It kind of helped that the hotel was not far from most hotspots and that most Germans knew a little bit (*'A LitTLe BiT*) of English so they wouldn't get lost.
''You know, the Bronze Statue at the top looks a little bit like a cap,'' Bell pointed out as they were looking at the Brandenburger Tor.
''Forced perspective?,'' Peter asked him.
''Yup. Bring out your phone. We are taking some mementos,'' Bell told them.
They made a few photos. One were Gwen 'wore' the cap on her head. One where Bell and Peter leaned on the 'tiny' wall of the Brandenburger Tor. But also a few normal ones were Gwen and Bell were kissing.
Peters eye twitched. So much for not rubbing their relationship in his face, he thought as he took a few pictures.
Lastly a german was kind enough to take a few pictures of them together for them. They profusely thanked him.
---
Back home Peter took his favorite picture of them together and hang it on the wall, alongside all his other pictures, be it with his family or friends.
Gwen was in the middle making two victory signs as she was hugging the both of them. Him and Bell were making two victory signs as well. All of them smiling.
Peter gave a fond smile at the memory as he starred at all the other pictures.
Aunt May burst through the door.
''PETER! What was that about your plane getting nearly hijacked?!,'' she frantically screamed and shook him. Ben came inside his room and tried to calm her down.
That is exactly why he did not mention it, Peter was starting to get dizzy as he thought that.
''Dear, there is no reason to stress yourself out. The danger has thankfully passed and everything turned out well. That said, he does have to answer for trying to hide that from us,'' Ben replied.
Peter sighed lamenting his lack of peace and quiet now.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frankly Nexus felt like he was scrolling through YouTube or going through a library looking for a book as he was going through the multiverse.
Finding an adequate universe, he entered it and snooped around for the spider. Apparently there would be the famed Oscorp trip here as well in a few days. He remembered what Neith said. By then, the spider should be back here.
He took the spider and then teleported to Neiths 'cave'.
---
Neith nearly attacked him when he teleported himself unannounced, but she managed to withhold from that. Not that it would have probably REALLY harmed him.
''Bell O'Quinn, I see you have let yourself inside my cave. And you are presenting me with a spider. I guess then, you have decided to give your Peter Parker powers as well? But what then, do you want me to do with her?,'' Neith asked him.
Nexus winced at her calling him out.
''Sorry, I forgot my manners for a second there. As the spiders are your creation I wanted to ask permission again, as well take the opportunity to ask if using this spider suffices. Or if you want me to find another spider,'' Nexus asked her as he held the rather docile spider in his hands.
Neith moved her body closer, she observed the spider with her multiple eyes and her pedipalps slightly twitching as she was considering a few things.
''Yes. this spider will suffice. It will give you no trouble nor cause you grief. You may use her, but do ensure to be bring her back where you found her ALIVE, after she took a bite at Peter Parker,'' Neith told him.
Nexus nodded and departed again.
---
Nexus slowly stepped through the room, mindful not to disturb anything in Peters room. Without much fanfare, he put the spider on Peters neck and watched it crawl a little, seemingly knowing where she needed to go till she was in the right spot. Then she bit down and Nexus could immediately feel the beginnings of change taking place. Peter twitched slightly but otherwise remained unresponsive.
Nexus took the spider back in his hands, the spider obediently crawling into his hands by herself and he teleported back to the universe he got her from.
After a few days Peter should have the same powers as Gwen. It was only a matter of whether he wanted to confront them or not.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nexus walked by Ororo who was meditating on the meadow. It is not the first time he did that and as always he left her alone, whenever he stumbled upon her like this. He entered the mansion and made his way over to the kitchen.
''Greetings you two,'' Nexus greeted Bucky and Logan.
''Hello,'' Bucky gave him a polite wave. Logan on the other hand grunted and just bowed while opening the fridge to grab a beer. Only to find out that he forget to put one in the fridge and so he he went over to a closet to grab one from there. He scowled and sat down at the table with them.
''Well someone is grumpy,'' Nexus chuckled not minding Logans 'rudeness'. That was just how he was with everyone.
''You know I hate warm beer, bub,'' Logan huffed.
''Maybe if someone didn't forget to put one in the fridge he would have a cold beverage,'' Bucky joked.
''There is usually always someone around that can quickly make the beer cold, if I ever do forget that,'' Logan replied. Alas neither Ororo, nor Bobby was available right now.
He blinked when an sword made of ice moved to stand in front of his face. he could feel the cold oozing from the sword. He quickly put the bottle on the flat of the blade and then took it a few moments later.
''Case in point. Thanks, bub,'' Logan smirked and Bucky just rolled his eyes.
''How many students can I expect today?,'' Nexus asked them.
''Definitely Laura and the twins. As you know their curriculum is a little all over the place, thanks to HYDRA messing them up. But aside from that? Can't say for sure. Yesterday, only the three of them showed up. Jubillee and Remi are likely to come too today. Yesterday they just couldn't. The others are likely not to show up today,'' Bucky explained.
Nexus nodded.
''That is more then fine with me. Can't always expect the whole team to work together every time,'' Nexus remarked. He looked at the time and gently tapped the table with his fingers.
''Well, then gentleman I'm gonna go to the Danger Room,'' Nexus said and the two nodded. A little early, but that was fine with them.
---
Nexus rubbed and rolled his shoulder. They were getting better and better, even in a smaller team, though this time around, Remi and Jubilee were a bit of a weak link that he could exploit, as they were not that used to team work yet.
At least with Nexus' arsenal. Then again he could always pull some miracle out of his ass and say that it was a sword, but that miracle would be destructive. He can only make so many things ethereal and harmless, before they start asking questions about the extent of his powers.
Nexus gave them some pointers and waved as they departed. Only Laura staid back and looked eagerly up at him as she stepped forward.
''I see you hit a small growth spurt. Eating your veggies, I see,'' Nexus gave her a thumbs up. When he found her in the HYDRA base starved and a midget she was nearly two heads smaller then him. Now she was a little more then 1 and a half head smaller then him.
She looked displeased and frowned.
''Yes. Though mother suspects I will grow no more. It is a wonder I grew a little more at all after all the abuse I suffered,'' she said.
''Well, the important part is that you are eating healthy now. The growth spurt was rather secondary, but welcomed all the same,'' Nexus said.
''Yes,'' Laura agreed.
''Say, it has been a small while since we two did anything together. Iiiiiiii.... tadaa! Have here two tickets to a carnival in France. You wanna hang out, if you are free that is?,'' Nexus asked her.
''Yes,'' she eagerly replied,'' But not today, unfortunately. I have some homework due that Mother wants me to finish today. Can we go tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?''
''Of course. In two days it is. I will come pick you up. Fair warning. There is a time difference so I will come pick you up a little later in the day,'' Nexus warned and Laura nodded in understanding.
''Yes. See you soon then, Nexus,'' Laura said her good byes and after briefly lingering, seemingly hoping for Nexus to do something, she left feeling a little hurt and annoyed.
Nexus felt terrible, but alas, he meant it when he said that he needed to be more mindful when interacting with the opposite sex.
So no more head pats for her unfortunately.
---
Nexus was making his way through the hallway, taking the same way out that he used to take in. IN doing so he walked past the kitchen.
''Sugar! Wait!,'' there was only one persona that called everyone 'Sugar'. Nexus turned his attention to Rogue. She was quickly making her way from the kitchen counter and dragged him gently to the kitchen from the hallway.
''Sugar, I had some free time so I made myself some sandwiches and well... I made too many. Do you want to have some as well?,'' she smoothly asked him and took a sandwich to present it to him.
(Speak: She couldn't join the training as she was studying for her final exams. But she knew Nexus was still going to train a few X-Men and planned on making some food for her man in the brief free time that she would have. After all, the best way to a mans heart is through his stomach. Then he should dump his girlfriend and pick her. Especially when she proves herself eager to do anything for him.)
Nexus slightly tilted his head downwards to look at the sandwich.
Ah, hell no! He was not some dense anime protagonist and immediately understood that his mistake came to bite him in the ass. His mistake of giving in and hugging her near naked.
Quick! Damage Control!
''It is actually a good thing I have encountered you. I'm not ignorant to your plight or to how many failed attempts at finding a solution you suffered, but I'm quite confident I found a possible solution. Here, equip this,'' Nexus said and made an impromptu wrist band with a sword chain for her and pulled it out of his pocket to present it to her.
The thing about his 'programs' that kept his loved ones safe is that he met them often enough that he could 'charge' up the battery in them. Unfortunately due to Rogue absorbing energy so well he would need to constantly supply it with energy so that she never can absorb everything. That will connect him with her with a very small energy strand, but at least it could be a proof of concept. An infinite energy source and a thin layer over her skin to create a barrier, allowing her to touch others.
That would mean that he had to find an actual infinite energy source or he'll need to keep supplying her with energy. That yellow stone he has in his possession could work, but then he would need to find out what it is, since it could be dangerous.
''Sugar, that is sweet of you, but I have given up,'' Rogue replied.
''You are not a quitter. At least try, please. For me? I'm sure I succeeded in finding a solution to your plight,'' Nexus asked her.
Rogue looked at him, where she thought his eyes would be and then sighed. She took the wristband and put it around her wrist, immediately starting to feel much more energetic, but not much besides that.
It was at this point that Madelyne walked by.
''Madelyne! Could I trouble you for a moment?,'' Rogue called to her.
''Hmm? What can I help you with. Hello, Nexus,'' she said as she changed the direction she was going to. Nexus gave her a small wave.
''Could I try touching you, Sugar? Nexus believes he found a solution to my problem,'' Rogue explained.
''Really? I'm glad to help where I can,'' Madelyne replied. Through she did mentally hype herself up a little to get ready for the pain and lack of strength if something did go wrong.
Rogue removed her glove and she gently touched Madelyne's fingertip with her own.
She did not get her hopes up and was expected to get disappointed, but...
She removed her finger and looked at it in surprise. Then she quickly grabbed Madelyne's entire hand in her own and then quickly with both her hands.
Before Nexus could say anything Rogue jumped on him and hugged him like a koala and was pestering his mask with kisses to express her thanks.
''Hey! None of that, now. To be fair it was experimental, but I'm glad it worked. You don't deserve that misery inflicted upon you. That said I really have to go now,'' Nexus put her down and quickly made his way out, before any of the girls could say anything.
There.
Crisis averted and potential drama snuffed in the dirt, while simultaneously helping someone in need.
All in a days work.
---
''You seem dejected,'' Sarah replied as she came into her room and saw Laura.
Laura was silent for a bit.
''A little,'' she admitted a little sullen.
''Care to share with your mother? Is it boy trouble?,'' she teased Laura a little.
''...Maybe,'' Laura huffed.
Sarah blinked in surprise. She didn't expect an actual answer to her question. Was her daughter growing up by herself? Socializing with Rogue and Kitty seemed to have her become more aware if she could admit that, instead of being stumped about something without knowing the source of her problem.
''Well?,'' Sarah asked her curiously.
''It's silly,'' Laura replied shaking her head a little embarrassed.
''My dear,'' Sarah said, rubbing Lauras shoulder,''If it troubles you it is not silly.''
''...Nexus hasn't given me head pats in a while,'' Laura replied.
She was right, it was silly. Sarah made the effort not to chuckle.
Also never mind, her daughter is still socially awkward, too blind to her own feelings and the source of her problem.
''I see. You must like head pats if you miss them. Why don't I give you head pats then?,'' Sarah began trying to stir the conversation in one direction.
''...It is not the same,'' she replied, her cheeks reddening a little.
''Ah, so you miss his head pats then,'' Sarah observed.
After some hesitation Laura nodded. (She felt embarrassed not because she was 'confessing', but because Laura thought Sarah considered Laura feeling dejected because of lack of head pats, silly.)
''Then, do you think you like his head pats, because they come from him? You value Nexus as a person?,'' Sarah asked her.
''Yes. Like you,'' Laura answered readily.
Sarah doubted Laura actually knew what she was actually confessing to.
''Say when will you two meet again? Next weekend, right?,'' Sarah was about to continue but Laura interrupted.
''Tuesday, actually. He invited me to a carnival as his friend. Said we haven't hang out in a while,'' Laura corrected.
As his friend, huh? She would not have her daughter friend zoned. At the very least, she would have Nexus firmly reject Laura, instead of stringing her along. But till then she will try everything in her power to increase Lauras chances of getting together with Nexus.
(Laura hasn't told her yet that Nexus has a girlfriend or that her heart ached since then for some reason.)
''Then how about you and I go shopping tomorrow? For clothes, I mean,'' Sarah offered her.
''But I already have lots of clothes,'' Laura frowned in confusion.
Oh, you sweet summer child.
''That may be so. But look at it this way. Men generally like it when a girl dresses more nicer. Maybe that will make him happy and he will give you a head pat. What do you say?,'' Sarah asked her.
Though she did wonder, why he was suddenly avoiding physical contact with her. Hmm. Then again, Laura did grow a little and became more feminine. Perhaps he was more aware of her being a female now and was embarrassed in a way.
''...OK,'' Laura agreed after a moment of contemplation.
---
She was wearing a pink dress. One one hand she looked very good in it, on the other hand black was more her color. She also styled her hair a little differently, clipping part of her bangs to the side of her head. And was that perfume he smelled? She usually doesn't wear perfume.
Still...
''You look very good today. Well then. Shall we?,'' Nexus asked her. She nodded.
...
''That is a different disguise to your previous one,'' she remarked as they were walking through the carnival.
''Indeed. This is my true appearance. My name is Bell by the way,'' he smiled at her. She was his friend for long enough. He could never imagine her betraying him and he already was offering her protections with his 'program' and protecting her mind telepathically as well. He could trust her with SOME of his secrets.
Also she could join his cause. Maybe. But he would ask her another time. Today was just for pleasure and fun.
Laura gasped surprised.
''Really?,'' she asked eagerly and stepped towards him a little.
''Yes, really. That said, it is a sing of trust from me to you. Please, don't tell anyone my secret,'' Bell requested.
''Obviously, Bell,'' Laura replied seriously. She owed him far too much to betray him and he was her friend besides. She then smiled at him feeling very happy that he trusted her with his secret.
She also sneaked a quick peek at him. She didn't really care about his appearance, but ... he was rather easy on the eyes, to her surprise.
...
''You want some?,'' Bell asked her when she was looking at cotton candy when they were walking past it.
''Huh? No, thank you. I have my own money,'' Laura replied.
That was not what he asked her. Maybe she was embarrassed.
...
''Can we shoot?,'' Laura asked pointing at a stand.
''Of course. Let me do the talking,'' Bell told her, whereupon she nodded. HYDRA trained her in a few languages, but france was not one of them. And Bell did prove to be multilingual as well.
''36 shots, please,'' Bell requested handing over some money. The man nodded and gave them a rifle and 36 pellets. Bell handed the rifle to her. She starred at it. HYDRA did train her a little in using guns, but most of her training centered around her adamantium claws.
She saw the previous customers use it and while she did not understand the purpose of it fully, she was curious enough to try. If nothing else it was supposed to incite fun, but that remained to be seen.
She hit 33 out of the 36 pellets and chose a small teddy bear as her prize upon Bells encouragement to pick something.
The man minded his own business at the sight. He did not want to know why there was a disconnect between the girls appearance and her competence to shoot so well. Most customers performed rather poorly, except people in advanced age that served in the military. But they were rare.
But in in this day and age? Out of sight out of mind.
...
Next they went on a Ferris Wheel. Laura briefly looked at the landscape of the city, but lost interest quickly. It was rather boring for her as it turned out.
''How old are you?,'' she asked him.
''Born in august. I will turn 17 in a few months,'' Bell replied. And of course he knew when her birthday was.
''I will repay your birthday present,'' Laura replied firmly.
Bell chuckled amused.
''You don't 'repay' a birthday gift. It is supposed to be a nice and genuine gesture of affection. But sure. I look forward to your present,'' Bell grinned.
Affection? Lauras chest warmed a little. It recontextualized his present to her last December.
She shook her head a little and then nodded.
...
As it would turn out. Laura did not care for most of the Carnival attractions. Most of the places she wanted to try out, where in some way involved with warfare.
Except bow and arrow. There she performed poorly.
Bell decided to mess with her a little. He won her another teddy bear, this time a little larger. Now both her arms were occupied.
But soon enough he decided to take pity on her and decided to free one of her arms by taking the teddy bear in his arm.
...
Turns out she liked the roller coaster. She exited the round smiling a little, even if she, unlike him, did not raise her arms and laugh during the roller coasters ups and downs.
They picked their belongings from the depositing area and walked to the next attraction.(Bell made sure to create a 'notice me not' field around the teddy bears so they wouldn't get stolen)
...
The tour through the horror house left her, unsurprisingly, unimpressed. She wanted to try it out, but underestimated the fact that nothing could scare her on account that she heard the machinery wind up long before the jumpscares occurred.
...
''Here,'' Bell surprised her by giving her some cotton candy. Before she could say anything else, he began eating his own cotton candy.
Seeing no reason to be shy anymore she dug into her cotton candy eagerly.
''You liked it?,'' Bell asked her.
''Too sweet. But eating it every now and then would be nice,'' Laura replied.
Bell chuckled at her appearance. This was clearly her first time eating it, as she did not know ti be mindful of the cotton candy when eating it.
He brought out a wet tissue from his pocket (which he 'conveniently' always carries with him) and gently wiped her cheeks. Then he took a few of her hair strands closest to her face and untangled the cotton from her hair by wiping the wet tissue gently through it.
Hm?
Lauras face was red as she starred at him both in embarrassment and appreciation. As well as something else.
Longing.
Bell and Laura starred at each other and then Bell calmly let her hair down after being done cleaning it, while silently cursing himself as realization dawned.
She may be socially awkward, but not socially enough to not develop feelings, even if she doesn't seem to be aware of them.
For the record, that is exactly what he tried to avoid by being more mindful when interacting with women.
Then again. Saving her and giving her therapy, helped a long way probably.
Either way, so much for that.
...
They made their way back home soon afterwards. Bell opened a portal straight to her room after they had their fun.
Laura hesitated a little, but then chose to apply her mothers advice to 'follow her heart and act on it'. She had to admit that she didn't quite get what her mother tried to tell her with that, but she decided to take a gamble and quickly took a step forward to embrace Bell.
Her face was buried in his chest. For a brief moment, Bell hesitated, but then embraced her as well.
She twisted her head a little to look up at him.
''Can you give me a head pat?,'' she requested of him.
Bell released a breath through his nose gently. Their outing ended on a very small note of awkwardness. He could deny her, but then he risked it ending on a sour note.
God damn it. He was always a little weak when it came to his friends (unless they betrayed him) and he did not want to sour an otherwise enjoyable memory for her.
Bell put his hand on the top of her head and gently rubbed her.
She beamed as she buried her face back in his chest and tightened her embrace on him.
They stood there for a bit, in that position until Laura decided to follow her heart again. After all, even if she still didn't understand her mothers advice fully, it yielded great results and caused a pleasant feeling in her stomach.
She quickly moved to stand in her tip toes and pulled Bell by the collar of his shirt down to give him a peek on the mouth, a kiss.
Bell recoiled, cursing himself for not reacting in time.
''Laura! You can't do that. I told you I have a girlfriend,'' Bell chastised a little harshly.
Lauras heart clenched a little again, but she barreled on, overcome by intense emotions.
''I know, I'm not the brightest bulb when it comes to social clues. But I also know that a bond between girlfriend and boyfriend is supposed to be very special. A tight bond of trust, even if I admittedly don't understand what all else is involved in such a bond, I know that I can never imagine such a bond with anyone else but you!,'' Laura confessed to him.
''...''
''Bell, you took me as a broken thing and built me back up. I could have never imagined any other kind of life, except as a weapon, but you showed me a life beyond that.
You looked at me and saw more then a weapon. You saw me.
I can never have a tighter bond of trust with anyone else, but you. I know kisses are involved and some other stuff (*this part she uttered a little unsure*). But I promise to be the best girlfriend for you!,'' Laura fervently continued and declared with determination, as if a dam was now broken and the water was flooding.
''Laura...usually someone has only one girlfriend,'' Bell weakly pointed out.
''Usually? So you mean to say that there a people who have more then one. Then why not have two girlfriends?,'' Laura asked him, interpreting his statement differently then he intended. After all, one could have more then one tight bond of trust, she very logically concluded. Though she doubted she could ever have the same bond of trust with anyone else but him, she did not mind him having others to share such a tight bond of trust with.
Bell blinked at her.
He tried so hard to be careful not to let anything about a harem slip. And be more mindful when interacting with other woman. And somehow he STILL arrived at this point.
It is official.
Somebody out there was taking the time out of their day to take the fucking piss out of insignificant little him in this vastness of the multiverse.
(The Great Design: *Cough, Cough*)
Bell looked at her hopeful face. He knew that it probably took a lot from her to open up like this. A testament and proof to her words and trust for him to bare herself open like this, even if she was somewhat clueless or had no full understanding about relationships. She made herself vulnerable right now and he, if he wanted, could trample on her hopes and dreams and hurt her.
Hurt her probably worse then HYDRA ever did.
He would have done this, he realized. He genuinely would have if he was in a monogamous relationship. Even if that most likely would have ended their friendship as Laura would consider it a betrayal.
But with Phoenix forcing his hands and Pandoras Box now being open...
Well, he had to admit that he didn't want to lose his relationship with her. Frankly, were circumstances slightly different, he could see himself in a relationship with her, as they were now. Yes, they didn't have the most things in common (to be honest neither did he with Gwen in most cases), but they got along very well. And that was the most important part in a relationship.
Communication.
That and trust.
Everything else required effort and work anyway.
...
Bell sighed as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her forward to kiss her. This time properly. He felt less like a scumbag then he did when he kissed Jean, this time around.
He wondered what that said about him.
Laura hugged him by throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him back. She was rather clumsy, not really knowing what she was doing, but the enthusiasm and eagerness more then made up for it.
She beamed at him when they parted.
''You rather lucky that I am in a certain... situation. I promise that I will explain more at a later date, but for now could you please keep our relationship a secret from anyone else?,'' Bell requested.
''I'm not ashamed of our relationship. Why do we need to hide?,'' Laura asked a little hurt.
''Neither am I, frankly. But you will learn that I am a person that prefers my peace and quiet. Though should I ever be forced I will gladly weather the storm. Polygamous relationships are rather unconventional and people always think they need to butt their nose where it does not belong.
'It is not proper' or some asinine stuff like that.
If you REALLY wanted to, you can tell everyone. I do not wish to impede upon anyones agency (*too much, Bell added in his mind*). Do be prepared to be bothered, should you wish to tell anyone,'' Bell told her.
Rogue and Kitty will probably think him a scumbag for going behind his girlfriends back. And he would be too unbothered to clarify that everything was consensual, which was the most important part.
If nothing else he eliminated the threat of Rogue lusting after him, now that she was granted a solution to her problems. So at least she won't throw a tantrum when she learns he has a harem and won't let her in.
Urgh, so much for keeping his harem a secret.
''Very well. I don't like it, but I want peace and quiet too,'' Laura agreed and Bell quickly gave her another head rubbing while sparkling with relief.
Nevermind. All the gods bless Laura for being so understanding. Peace and quiet for some more time.
Hipp, Hipp, Hurrah.
''I promise I will tell you everything, but for now I ask that you are a little patient. I will most likely tell you next week,'' Bell promised her.
''OK,'' Laura nodded, slowly returning to her usual calm self now that she was no longer riding on high emotions, like fear and happiness.
''Sleep well then,'' Bell wished her and then left through a portal, while she waved him goodbye.
She stood there standing for a bit after the portal closed. Then she threw herself in her bed and hugged the bigger teddy bear, the one that Bell gifted her and threw the other one in some corner of her room.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By now there were only a few more days left until Jean will be taking her final exam.
And he was left with some time alone. He was sitting in his chair just starring at the wall and contemplating matters.
Time to think about some things he observed.
Every now and then, when he was running on high and/ or intense emotions, his powers behaved a little weird.
It was not a matter of lack of control, more like... they were pushed far beyond their usual scope.
Like with Sinister or the world he visited with Kitty.
Though he may have comported himself with dignity and rationale (aka not engaging in uncalculated acts), inside he was apoplectic with anger for the depravity that both parties engaged in.
One was engaging in the most depraved human experiments ever and robbed people of free will. And the other committed genocide.
Hmm.
In a way both were the worst parts of a leeches characteristics made manifest.
While running on these emotions, his powers felt like a hot knife cutting through butter. In other words he barely encountered any resistance in the clash of powers. It would also explain the ridiculous ease of him granting everyone on that Earth the X-Gene with DNA-manipulation, even if he had to gather some energy first. Though granted most of that was purely performative as he wanted to cave Bastions face in for a bit.
Through he wondered how far that statement could be truly taken, as the Techno-Organic-Virus did prove some small challenge despite his state.
Anyway.
Going by empirical data, it was safe to say that his emotions influenced his powers.
Which does put some things into perspective and context.
If he lacked control and was purely relying on his emotions then things could have turned ugly.
Hmm. So it probably explains why ROB chose him. Someone that emotionally suppressed himself and denied himself any indulgences.
His powers in the hands of a hedonistic person could prove ... devastating.
So he truly was faulty then, Bells belief on that reinforced itself.
Hmm. Well, then he was faulty then. So what? He could face the task ROB had for him just as good as any of his variants.
If his suspicions about ROB are true, that is. He did not completely buy his spiel about 'entertainment', not completely at least. He did go through the trouble of insisting he was a 'true god/ a proper god' so there was probably more at work here then what ROB let on.
Hmm.
Either way that is something to consider and be mindful off, now going forward.
But then how far could that statement be taken?
ROB did say that his 'imagination was his limit and the world his oyster'.
If his emotions influenced his powers. If his consciousness and control influenced his powers. Then why not his subconsciousness as well?
Certainly a possibility. And certainly not something that he could easily overcome. Shaping the subconsciousness is sure to be hard.
He was a deeply logical person, seeking the logical in even the illogical, benefiting from the fact that he was rather open minded.
He did not believe in the existence of gods, only for it to turn out that they were real. He is rather off put by that, but he accepted it as a fact and moved on. He knew that most multiverse clusters, probably, operated under different rules.
Rules he did not know off and probably never will.
Even Stan did not 'truly' know everything there was to know.
Unless he left this multiverse cluster he will most likely always be ignorant on something. And even then...
But rules are meant to broken.
Even if he did not know all rules, that could not and would not stop him. After all, to live and act is to naturally assume risks. He just needed to take calculated risks.
It was just a matter of working on his mind, his subconsciousness, to break his nature as a logical person in order to become more powerful as a reality warper. He just hoped to do that without completely losing his previous nature.
Even if he was faulty and thus probably never will get access to his void powers (though he would always continue trying), he could at least make his reality warping stronger. If he was right.
Hmm.
If nothing else he would look forward to training again.
Bell was making a few plans based on his reasonable deductions and discoveries. First of all, needing to test out his reasonable deductions and discoveries before he starts training properly.
Bell looked at his phone suddenly as he got a message. It was Peter requesting Gwen and Bell to meet in Bells room as it was urgent. His home would not suffice as his uncle and aunt were home.
Ah. Bell had an inkling what it was going to be about.
30 minutes later they all met up and Bell let them in his house and room.
''OK. So.. OK. I know you will think me crazy...,'' Peter was pacing around Bells room.
''Deep breaths, buddy. Deep breaths. Also you are a super genius. You are already crazy or have you forgotten how you made a giant lizard when you worked on a project?,'' Bell joked and earned himself an elbow from Gwen.
Peter smiled a little, understanding and appreciating that Bell was trying to ease his worries a little. Others would have found it insensitive, but Bell already gave him a rather lengthy speech about who was truly responsible for The Lizard. Dr.Connors as he disregarded procedures and took matters into his own hands.
''OK. You are right. OK,'' Peter released a deep breath and tired again.
''OK. So you see... So, like, weird things have being going on...Like, physically,'' Peter stuttered forward feeling a little self conscious.
''Oh. OH! Uh... well you see, you are at that age where stuff starts to change. You might be noticing some areas for example...,'' Bell began.
''I'm not going through puberty, you ...doink. I think it is better to just show you,'' Peter crouched quickly, not giving them the time to say anything else as he was sure he would lose his confidence otherwise.
He jumped up and stuck with his feet to the ceiling.
''I know it is weird and I don't know how, but ... and I could only swiftly conclude it because of Ghost Spider, but I seem to have gained spider powers somehow. Like, I went to sleep and when I woke up I nearly destroyed my entire room. At least I didn't destroy the sink. I know it is totally weird....'', Peter tilted his head as he looked at them,'' And you are totally not reacting how I expected you to.''
Bell and Gwen shared a knowing look and then she crouched and quickly stuck to the ceiling as well.
''Not that weird,'' Gwen teased him, while upside down. Peter gaped as he realized who she was.
''Peter, get your dirty feet from my ceiling,'' Bell told him.
''Fuck you, my feet aren't dirty. I'm wearing socks besides. And why only me? Gwen has her feet on the ceiling as well,'' Peter complained.
''They are pretty feet,'' Bell nodded and rubbed his 'beard' as if he was partaking in some great wisdom. He swiftly was gifted with a web to his face, from a blushing Gwen.
''So like ... how did you get your powers?,'' Peter asked Gwen while Bell was removing the web from his face.
''Like you. One day I went to sleep and then I suddenly had spider powers. Be glad, as at least you will receive some guidance. I had to discover everything myself,'' Gwen huffed.
''The closest we ever got to a more concrete answer was that the spider must come from Oscopr. You remember during that trip we took there were some spiders present? One probably bit her. Either the same one bit you, as Gwen never managed to kill it. Which is highly unlikely. Or another escaped and made its way to you...which is also highly unlikely,'' Bell told him with a completely straight face, finally freeing himself from the webs.
Yeah, Peter was not gonna buy that for a second. And while he felt a little hurt that they were not straight with him, he reasoned that they had their reasons. Plausible deniability, maybe?
Either way he was touched they reverse engineered Gwen powers to give him some as well. The world is crazy out there and they wanted to keep him probably safe.
''Can you tell me at least if the K-Rate-Algorithm is stable. I won't suddenly have 8 eyes and 8 limbs or something? Will I?,'' Peter asked a little scared.
Gwen blinked. She was wondering what story they should come up with only for Bell to reply that they 'shouldn't sweat the details'. Was peter just seriously going to the work for them and convince himself?
''...Yes, Peter. Take a deep breath. The Algorithm is stable. You think Gwen would be as pretty as she is otherwise?,'' Bell complimented after a moment of silence.
Peter nodded. Gwen nearly dropped her...erhg...hang her head in disbelief. He was seriously going to do the work for them and convince himself.
''But no seriously. Get your dirty feet of my ceiling,'' Bell requested again.
Peter instead just showed him his tongue and began crawling all over the ceiling. Only to be yanked swiftly and him flailing around in the air as he was spinning.
''...I thought you have spider powers as well,'' Peter told Bell who just scoffed at him.
''Bitch, please. I'm the protagonist. I'm blessed with far more then just mere spider powers. Hell, I might even be the chosen one,'' Bell theatrically gasped. Gwen just fondly rolled her eyes.
''So, what? You are like Mob, from Mob Psycho? You have telekinetic powers? Or is it a subcategory of telekinesis. Are you controlling gravity? Can you tear cities apart and do all the other stuff I saw in that anime?,'' Peter asked him surprisingly calm.
Trust goes a long way. He would not be a tenth so calm if it was a stranger.
''Yeah, it is indeed telekinesis. But he never bothered to try,'' Gwen replied.
''You know what I just noticed? We are so clearly the Hogwarts Trio. Me, the chosen one...,'' Bell began.
''Why are you Potter?,'' Peter flailed a little in the air,'' For all we know I could be the chosen one.''
Bells eyes moved up and down and then he snorted smugly at him. Peter just gave him two middle fingers in response.
''Well, since I'm the only female here, I must automatically be Hermione,'' Gwen put her index on her chin and stood 'upright' on the ceiling,''Remind me again. With whom did Hermione end up again, at the end?''
All in the name of putting a stop to their banter, of course. She had to be the mature one after all. Like Hermione.
''You know what? Suddenly being Ron is pretty enticing. Have fun ending up with a look alike of your mother,'' Bell folded immediately under zero pressure.
''Ha!,'' Peter celebrated too early, then his smile quickly vanished,'' Wait no!... I walked right into that one. Didn't I?''
The trio looked at each other for a moment and then they burst out laughing.
...
''So. Now that you have spider powers, what will you do?'' Bell asked him as he gave them all a bowl of snacks. They were no longer in his room, but in his man cave, ready for an impromptu movie marathon.
''Before I answer that. You did say that you had something planned for the future? Great plans too,'' Peter opened up the subject.
''Oh. Yes. OK. So you know I have a rather successful Music Channel? Well, the money is not enough for my plans so I engaged in stock trading...,'' Bell began.
''You HATE the stock market,'' Peter gaped.
''Oh, yes. With a burning passion. But war is terrible and men must become terrible to wage it.
Anyway, I'm pretty rich now. Point is, I plan on building a company in the future. Construction has already begun. Now granted, I'm not the only one who has his fingers in that pie as my own funds were unfortunately not enough (*a lie, he funded everything himself*). But I already vetoed them and all of us have an interest in making peoples lives better. Now we could do this with a terrible war OR we could tear the system from the inside out. And naturally, we need smart people. People like you to help us out. Gwen already agreed to be part of the team,'' Bell explained.
Peter looked at Gwen and she firmly nodded.
''Wait. Were you the one who contacted all the others or was it someone else who organized this?,'' Peter asked.
Bell and Gwen shared a look, seemingly debating something.
''It was Raezen that assembled everyone together. Bell recruited me by putting in a good word. He already met some of the others and I trust his judgement. They seem genuine in wanting to make the world a better place. Their team is multi varied. All having their own strengths. Raezen with his technomancy...,'' Gwen lied to him confidently just as she practiced. Bell better appreciate what she was doing as she felt a little guilty.
''Technomancy? Guess it makes sense, why no one could hack his location and why he could upload such big works so often in short time intervals. And telekinesis...(*Peter raised his eyebrows and released an explosive amount of air*) Your team is trying to cover all their bases.
Bell ... you really sure, that you did not get involved in some... I don't know, pyramid scheme, ponzi scheme or God knows what else?,'' Peter asked anxiously.
''Yes. Worst comes to worst, I'm the strongest in that group,'' Bell assured him.
''Besides, even if you don't agree and just want to be a superhero while being a scientist for someone completely else, Bell is willing to fund you as he funds me. Or don't. You are not obligated to be either a scientist or a superhero, you can use your powers to keep yourself safe. Hell, I nearly went that path, but I found out it is not for me. Peter, you are our friend, whatever choice you make we are fine with it. We just wanted to give you the option,'' Gwen said earnestly.
Peter closed his eyes and turned his head a little to bow it. He was in contemplation. Weighing pros and cons of all choices.
''Is there even truly a choice to make? You think I will let you two change the world for the better without me by your side? You two won't turn me into a third wheel quite yet. And as Uncle Ben always said:' With Great Power there must also come Great Responsibility'.
What I'm trying to say is... I'm in. Both as a scientist for the company as well as a superhero,'' Peter replied firmly, making his choice.
Both Bell and Gwen beamed and released their tension from their shoulders.
''Besides, someone needs to keep you two out of trouble,'' Peter added.
''Our hero. Who could we ever cry out for, when screaming our thanks?,'' Gwen cooed.
''Huh? Urgh... I have to come up with a name right now? Urgh. Uhm. ... Spider-Man! The hyphen is important,'' Peter was a little flustered.
''...Meh. A little on the nose, but not like I have any room to talk,'' Gwen grabbed some snacks and shrugged.
''Well, I'm glad that we gotten that talk over with. Both about Peters puberty and our future. But enough business talks for today,'' Bell leaned forward and grabbed the remote.
''My puberty was 'business talk'?,'' Peter muttered under his own breath.
Gwen snagged the remote from him.
''I decide what we will be watching,'' Gwen told them.
''It is my TV! And besides it is my turn this time. I kept track,'' Bell complained.
''That is true. But surely you don't mind. Do you? After I did the thing for you just the other day. Surely you can have some appreciation for little old me,'' Gwen batted her eye lashes.
The other day being Bell requesting for her to lie and have his back in this lie today.
Bell grumbled and relented.
''I need to find myself a girlfriend ASAP,'' Peter scrunched his nose in disgust and muttered, his mind going to dirty places.
Not in front of his pure virgin eyes, at least!
Get a room!
(A.N.: 11916 words. Yes, most of this chapter is slice of life, but to be fair it is in the tags. And after 22 chapters where most of it was plot I thought it alright to have a chapter with only some minor plot advancement and a lot of character interaction. More or less. Also a sudden two week time skip would have been jarring after I drew attention to it so often.
Also, sorry about the delay. This time it was completely my fault. I started playing 'Stellar Blade' and was just taken in by the plot, 'plot' and combat. My only complaint is that I wished there was more character interaction and some more character development, but otherwise it is a solid game. 7.9/10, if you care for my rating.
Anyway. Hope you enjoyed reading it. Cheers.)