I don't own anything except any original character and/or any original plot

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Chapter Twelve: Helpless

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Peter and I turned to face May, ready for the worst. She had just openly said one of the highest swear words in front of us. That gave us a hint of the severity.

"May-" Peter started.

"Peter Benjamin Parker..."

"Wait! I- We can explain. Don't freak out! If you freak out then I'm gonna freak out. Would you believe these are just costumes?"

May's eyes widened as she put the pieces together, "You're Spider-Man and Riptide! Why didn't you tell me? Stark Internship my ass! I'm so young I should not be feeling this old. I specifically told you to run away from danger! And you (Y/n), Riptide showed up when you did. That's why you're so close!"

"You're freaking out!" Peter yelled back, gripping his hair. If I wasn't panicking, I would have been laughing, "I can climb walls did you know that? Mr. Stark took me to Germany. I got beat up by (Y/n) but we're cool now. My suit has an instant kill setting and I can lift a bus!"

"You didn't need to tell her your life story," I whispered, fearing for my life.

May stepped forward, grabbing us by the ear, "Do you two have any idea how dangerous that job is? How many times have you been hurt?"

"I can heal people," I yelped, leaving out the part about the damaged cells hurting my body more than helping, "We're okay!"

Aunt May let go of us hesitantly. She stepped back and pinched the bridge of her nose. I could tell she wanted to break something, maybe our arms.

"May we can handle ourselves," Peter started.

"You can't even do your own laundry," May snapped back.

I chuckled. Peter sent me a desperate look. "May, I've been doing this hero thing for a while. Peter... Peter has less experience, but I trust him with my life. I have trusted him with my life. We're saving people's lives May."

May let out a long sigh, eyes flicking over both of us several times, "Fine. Peter, I'll let you keep doing this but keep me updated. I want to be a part of your life. And, you need to promise me that no matter what you'll stay alive."

"I promise May."

"Good... It's mac night. I want explanations and back stories while we're eating."

"I'll call my parents and tell them I'm eating dinner over here then," I walked back to the bathroom to change out of my uniform.

"How did you get so close to her? You're awful at talking to pretty girls?" I heard May talking to Peter through the crack in the door.

"We got close as heroes."

"Oh, you two would have such cute kids! But not now, you're too young now. Maybe like, six years from now. Somewhere around there."

"May!"

My cheeks lit aflame at the conversation. I texted my parents to distract myself, taking longer than normal to calm down. When I was done I set my suit on Peter's bed to pick up when I was going home. May and Peter were already seated in the kitchen.

I placed my hand on the back of one chair, but Peter gave a small shake of his head. Confused, I moved a chair over.

"I hope you like mac and cheese," May set a bowl in front of me.

"A moving classic," I joked.

May sat in her seat, situating herself before speaking, "Okay, who wants to go first?"

"I can," Peter offered, "When we went on that field trip to the labs last year one of the rooms we visited had a malfunction. One of the spiders they were testing on got out. I saw it crawling up my pants, and I reached down to grab it, but it bit me. It fell over and died as soon as it did. Soon after I figured out I could climb walls."

May nodded absently, shifting her elbow and knocking over a jug of juice, causing it to spill all over the table.

"Oh! Sorry guys. Let me get a towel so I can-" May cut herself off when the juice raised off the table and returned to its container.

"Guess it's a good time to start my story," I lowered my hands, "I didn't get into a crazy lab accident or anything, I was born a mutant. My parents thought it was just the hair until I moved around our pool water. Professor Xavier and Mr. McCoy showed up and offered me a place at their school for mutants. I trained there until I was thirteen and joined the X-Men, sort of like the mutant Avengers."

"This is a hell of a lot to take in. Only in New York, right?"

I nodded in agreement, taking a few bites of my food. May and Peter talked about our different battles, allowing my eyes to wander around the kitchen of the apartment.

Something drew my eyes to a photo stuck to the fridge with a magnet. A toddler Peter was sitting in the seat he was now at the table. A man around 30 was in the seat Peter shook his head at. Aunt May presumably took the picture. With a quick glance at May I saw the engagement and wedding rings on a chain around her neck.

Putting the pieces together, I looked at the seat again. The man in the picture must have been Peter's uncle, and since May wasn't wearing her ring on her finger, I assumed he hadn't been out on a business trip. They reserved the seat for family, and neither Peter nor May were ready to give up that small piece of their uncle just yet.

"So your parents are fine with you being a mutant?" May asked me.

"Yeah," I was brought back to Earth, "I didn't have to run away from home or anything to get to the school. They trust me with my mutation. They know about me being a hero too."

"Man, you have amazing trust in your parents," May sent Peter a pointed look.

"I mean, it's not like I could hide anything from them. The Professor basically made them sign a contract when I joined the X-Men."

We finished our dinner in relative peace, no super-villain attacking New York and disturbing it. I helped clean up the kitchen when all three of us finished eating.

"Thank you, for having me over for dinner," I thanked as Peter grabbed my suit from his room.

"Any time, dear," May smiled brightly.

Peter came back to the kitchen with the brown paper bag from before. I thanked the two one last time before leaving.

Leaving the building I walked across the street to my apartment complex. There, my parents were waiting for me in the living room. Reruns of Friends were playing on the smart TV.

"Have fun leaving your room for the first time in three days?" Dad asked sarcastically.

"Loads," I returned the sarcasm in kind, "I got an offer to join the Avengers. Not that there's much of a team to join at this point."

"Got that right," Mom muttered spitefully, "We made you a lunch for school tomorrow, assuming you're going."

"Yeah. What do you work?"

"Two to eleven."

"Double shift. It's a busy day for both of us tomorrow."

"That's fine. It's not like it's game night or anything. Anyway, I should get to bed since I'm going to school tomorrow. Love you."

Leaving my parents in the living room I walked to the bathroom so I could shower. It was nice, standing under the water with music in the background. I didn't feel so out of place anymore. Those three days off were good for me, even if they consisted of a lot of crying.

Stepping out I wrapped a towel around myself. I brushed my teeth and turned the lights off as I left.

Changing into a pair of pajamas I set my alarm. Laying down in bed I looked at the ceiling. I counted car honks. It had become a habit to get myself to sleep. It worked better than I thought it would at first.

This time, I got to twenty-three before I fell asleep.

The Next Morning- 6:10 AM

I woke up to my alarm as usual. Looking through my closet I mulled over my outfit options.

"Why not dress up?" I asked myself, pulling out a skirt with the Eiffel Tower printed on it. It was a birthday present from Kurt after we went to France for a day, "This is my first day back, after all."

Pairing the skirt with a normal black shirt I looked through my phone as I walked to the bathroom. Nothing unusual there either. A post from the X-Men on Instagram- the younger members kept it up- and a few from the random accounts I followed as well.

Finishing up my morning routine, I went to the kitchen to find breakfast. Taking my lunch out of the fridge I took the first breakfast food I found. I would have to leave for the subway soon so it would suffice.

Zipping up my backpack I slung it over my shoulder. I double-checked that I had my key before I left.

"Morning Jess," I greeted as I stepped out of the elevator. Jess was sipping on a cup of coffee, scrolling through her phone since no one was around.

"Morning half-pint."

I rolled my eyes at the nickname. Jess was taller than average and the heels she liked to rock made her even taller. Mentally I called her Honey-Lemon, fearing getting beat up if I called her that in person.

I took my normal route to the subway, swiping my card and easily make it in time for my train. I wrapped my arm around one of the poles in the aisle and turned on my phone again to pass the time.

I flinched when the train came to a screeching halt. I adjusted my bag and stepped off. Taking the steps two at a time I saw my school in the distance, down the road and across. Students were filling in already as well.

Jogging, I passed through the gates. I sighed. Even if I was fighting an inner battle these past few days, it was nice to get away from school for a while.

"So, you're finally back," MJ greeted as soon as I stepped inside. Almost as if she were waiting for me.

"Were you waiting there to see if I would come in?" I questioned as we walked to my locker. Another uncomfortable morning news cast was playing on the screens in each hallway, making my giggle.

"Maybe, maybe not," MJ shrugged.

I laughed. I didn't miss school, but I missed MJ. I unlocked my locker and deposited what I didn't need and taking out what I did.

"You're back!" Ned beamed, popping up beside me.

"Yep. Couldn't stay away from you losers for too long."

"Hey, um, there isn't a Decathlon meeting today but there are things I want to go over with you guys. Want to meet at the Starbucks by the theatre?" MJ asked when Peter came over, nudging Ned.

"Sure," Peter and I shrugged, "My parents are working late tonight so they won't need me for anything."

"Then it's settled. Starbucks at five."

Eleven Hours Later- 5:02 PM

I walked into the Starbucks two minutes later than the designated time. It wasn't a big problem as I only spotted Peter at a table in the back. Ned and MJ were probably more behind than I were.

Hanging my purse over the seat across from Peter I sat down with a sigh. Four drinks were already at the table, Peter sipping on his.

"Who are these for?"

Peter looked at the name on each of the drinks, passing me the one with mine, "I asked MJ what you liked and figured I could buy your drinks then they'd be ready when you got here."

"Thanks Bug-Boy."

"No problem, Blue."

I froze, cup halfway to my lips. My eyes flitted to Peter. Peter's eyes widened in realization as he processed what he said.

"Blue?"

"W-well yeah. I mean, you've got the nickname for me, s-so I figured you could have one too. Sorry, I don't have to call you that."

My heart skipped a beat. Raising a brow I smirked slightly, taking a long sip. "I like it." Peter breathed out in relief, "It's like we have spy code-names."

"Something like that," Peter smiled.

We chatted idly as we waited for Ned and MJ to arrive. It was 5:30 when I decided to text MJ while Peter would text Ned, asking them where they were. Both of us got the same answer.

We're watching our ship sail

Peter and I shared a concerned look at our friends' schemes.

"We've been duped," I stated with a laugh, "Those evil geniuses."

"Mine as well finish our drinks," Peter shrugged, "Too bad I bought them stuff too."

"They'll just have to pay you back. It's their fault for not showing up."

"Right. So, living in a home with mutants, I gotta know. What would happen if one of them struggled with their powers and sneezed?"

I chuckled, leaning back in my seat to get comfortable. Holding my cup in my hands I told Peter all the different stories of how Kurt had teleported away in fear when someone sneezed, or how Scott's glasses had fallen off once and we all thought it would be the end of us.

Those stories branched off into others and we were sitting in Starbucks until 6:30. The time flew while we were laughing and enjoying each other's company.

When we realized what time it was we trashed Ned and MJ's drinks and our own empty cups. We stepped into the crisp New York air and walked to our buildings. The advantage of our location was that we were seemingly close to everything, making it easy to go places without spending money on a cab.

"I'm glad you came to school today," Peter informed me as we passed through the first block.

"Yeah," I nodded, rubbing my hands over my arms, "I just needed a bit of time to process what I had done, you know? So I took a mental health day or two."

Peter nodded. He reached out and grabbed my hand when we were at the crosswalk. Letting out a shocked breath, I saw it in the rapidly cooling night air. The light turned green and Peter led.

"I know that bloodbending- Can I call it that?" Peter asked as we were crossing.

"Sure. I mean, Avatar got it right."

"Cool. I know bloodbending isn't exactly a good thing, but you used it for a good reason. I don't know if Liz's dad would be alive if you hadn't."

We stepped up to my building. Our short conversation had stretched out over the course of the last two blocks because each of us took our time in between our statements to think them through. Peter opened the building door for me. We paused our conversation as we passed Jess, resuming when we were in the elevator.

"The first time I um... bloodbended, Scott and Logan were arguing. They were always getting at each other's' throats." I paused, sucking in a deep breath. Peter gave my hand a reassuring squeeze, "I was young, and I hadn't seen them fight before. It scared me. I screamed for them to stop and they did. I could feel myself controlling them. I could have stopped their blood flow, killed them right there. Having that power... I felt strong. And feeling strong when you're able to do that to others, it's a monsters way."

Clearing my throat I wiped under my eyes. The elevator dinged and opened on my floor. Peter walked with me until we stopped in front of my apartment door. Peter looked down at our hands.

"I don't think you're a monster."

It was a weak response. One that made me giggle sadly. "Thanks Bug-Boy."

We stared at each other. I wasn't moving to unlock it and Peter wasn't making any moves to leave. I kissed Peter's cheek, looking down to hide my blush as I pulled back.

"This is better than the new Shane Dawson video," I heard from behind the door.

I jumped away from Peter. We must have looked like panicking anime characters. Our cheeks were flushed brightly at the situation. Peter awkwardly waved and sped off down the hallway back to the elevator.

I unlocked my apartment door, glaring at my dad who was innocently sitting in a kitchen chair he had pulled over to the door.

"Why did you feel the need to that?"

"Well, I got out of work early and I heard you coming down the hall so I looked through the peephole," he shrugged, "It looked a bit weird but I could the gist of things. You wanna talk about your crush?"

"I don't have a crush," I took my shoes off, hanging my purse on the rack.

"That's not what that said."

"Liz just moved Dad. He had a crush on her for years. I'm not... Even if I like him- which I don't- he wouldn't like me back. It's unnecessary heartbreak. I'm going to shower."

I walked away from my dad, ignoring the Disney love songs he was shouting as I walked into the bathroom. To be fair, Peter was attractive. I could acknowledge that even before my feelings went awry. I was attracted to him, but that differed from liking him.

I set my phone on the counter and put my playlist on shuffle. Turning the shower on I took off my clothes and stepped inside.

Focusing on the wall in front of me, I washed my hair, going through the motions robotically. I froze when the next song came on. It sent my thoughts into spirals.

Helpless from Hamilton.

Stop it, I scolded myself mentally, One 'moment' and suddenly you're falling in love? God, don't be stupid. It can't be like that. Can it?