042 | VIDEO

[myresponsibility]

[So, Peter's actually been back for a while by now. More than a month. And he never really got around to announcing... that... Publicly, anyway. And while most people have probably seen him wandering around, looking a little older and a hell of a lot sadder since the last time he was here, and even more glued to Gwen Stacy's side than usual, he still feels like maybe this is a necessary step.

Forgive her, and forgive yourself James had said. Maybe it's time to start trying that.

So he still looks a little weird and hollow eyed when he turns on the video feed, but he looks less so than he has. A little more actively engaged in what's going on around him.]

This is Peter. Parker. [He clears his throat, hoping now more than ever that no one tries to tell him he's Spider-Man, or that they'd read about him and looked up to him and thought he was a hero.]

I came back a couple weeks ago, I'm a warden. And I guess I kind of never got around to this, so. Hi.

[This is harder than he'd thought it would be.]

I've been here for almost two years? [He says it like he's not sure, because time can be hard to keep track of when you get booted home and come back a week later, even though it's been a long, long time for him.] I help out in maintenance, and I hang around the lab sometimes, so if you want to do something with that, let me - or one of the other guys, I guess - know.

[And that seems like the end of what he has to say. Except...]

And I guess I play lacrosse now?

Comments

Video

[whatthefoxsay]

[Oh wow, it's Peter Parker, it's Spider-Man. The Barge is of course a very serious place but Kira's having a hard time getting too into the nitty gritty when all these awesome people of stories she's enjoyed keep popping up. So she can't resist when,]

Hi, Peter. [Frantic hand waggle.] I'm Kira, I'm a new warden. I'm from the same world as Scott and the rest. You're going to play lacrosse too? That's great!

I um, hope you don't mind me saying hi.

[maced_eggs]

Peter. Peter, is it?


Pete. Peteyyyyy.




So you an' Gwen.

Like, how serious is that?

I mean, if I want to, say, go for a weekend getaway, an' things get sort of hot and heavy.

...I mean, she is very good-looking.

[video ; private]

[walkingmeltdown]

Mr. Parker. What coincidental timing.

[There's a mild sneer to his voice when he says it - he's starting to doubt anything around here is ever entirely a coincidence.

Lets just say Peter isn't the only one right now who's acting more tired and drawn. Even with his skin off, Blight's manner is clearly more...subdued, than typical.]

I wanted to talk to you about something.

[fireincarnate]

Hey. [Jean's voice is soft. She hasn't sought him out, since that first day - though she may have kept an eye on him psychically, when he was out of his room. ]

...I've never played lacrosse. [Look, it's conversation.]

Video

[notsoneedy]

Lacrosse still hasn't really started yet. There's been...other stuff, and I think a lot of us are doing bootcamp right now.

But yeah, you are totally playing lacrosse! I think you're on my team. The good one.

[Needy can tell Peter's been down lately, and after talking to Gwen she thinks she knows why. But she's going to cheerfully pretend she has no clue and just be aggressively friendly at him. Maybe that'll help more than asking about it would.]

Private

[voluntaryapnea]

[Combined with his recent chat with Gwen, and his own instincts, and seeing Peter around but not seeing him really engage with anyone beyond a few words...Stiles is starting to get a terrible idea about what's happened back home for Peter. He chews his thumbnail in indecision because talking to people who've recently been devastated by trauma isn't really his strong suit. This is Scott's area of expertise -- or maybe not expertise, but Scott's a lot better at the whole soothing comfort thing than Stiles is.

Still. He likes Peter and he likes Gwen and if he's right about what happened that brought both of them back here looking like they've been through hell, then...

Then the similarities are too eerie to really contemplate for long.]

You think you're up to some lacrosse practice?

[semifreakingnormal]

Hell yeah you play lacrosse.