myresponsibility | 043 | SPAM & VIDEO

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[Peter has been cataloging the damage to the ship in every nook, cranny and corner he can get at, taking video, snapping pictures, and writing everything down. He revisits certain trouble spots, ones where they seem bad, but maybe not bad enough to focus on immediately just to make sure they haven't totally fallen apart yet. That means he's on the ceiling of the dining hall, going in and out of unoccupied cabins, knocking on doors of anyone who's got rot outside their cabins and sometimes climbing around in the elevator shaft just to make sure they've got all their bases covered.

He's doing this all in his Spider-Man costume, sans mask, because it's less likely to get caught in the mechanics of the elevator shaft or you know, anywhere else, and he's not looking to get squished or stuck anywhere, thanks.

It's... weird to be wearing it again after so long. He still really doesn't feel like he should, but at the same time, it kind of feels like he's supposed to.

(No, that doesn't really make sense, but bear with us.)

He's also keeping an eye out. It seems like more people are displaced than not, and he's not stupid: even with the power dampeners back in place, there are people who are going to be serious problems, and he's got the ability to stop them, and the moral obligation to do it.

So watch out, Barge. Peter Parker is (a little reluctantly) back in the saddle.

Which means he's got some other stuff to take care of.]

[Warden Filter]

Hey. I'm Peter Parker. Not the fangy, gross, kind of possessed by I don't even know what Peter, [The joke still falls a little flatter than it should, like he can't quite reach the same easy glib humor as before. He sounds (and looks) a little older than he should. He (and his costume) also looks a little grimy, because the elevator shaft is a bit dusty and gross? Maybe we should clean that more often?] Just, you know. Me. Spider-Man. [He tries really, really hard not to let on how weird it is to say that.] And I'm the other warden on Maintenance and Repair.

So, you've all already heard Anya's speech, and I'm not gonna give it to you again, but seriously: we need help. Even if you don't want to go back there, you're gonna have to if this place falls apart. I've been doing a lot of digging around trying to figure out what the best plan of attack should be, and if you need a hand learning how to play nice with power tools, I'm around.

And if you can't handle your inmate, even with reduced powers or whatever? Call me. I can help.

[Anddd now he's a bit uncomfortable, maybe a little unsure, and it shows in his expression a bit, but he clears his throat and furrows his brow and kind of just powers through.] Thanks.

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[ truth be told, Gwen doesn't hate seeing him in the costume. it doesn't wig her out like she thought it might, doesn't remind her of the things she's trying to come to terms with. all she remembers right now is the good - kids wearing shirts with his symbol, the police force recognizing that he was more than just a vigilante, words webbed on the Brooklyn Bridge. it scares her, the life that comes with being Spider-Man, it probably always will, but she's more proud of him than worried about him. which is why she takes her time eating her lunch even once she notices him in the dining hall, doing who knows what on the ceiling. he looks occupied though, he's not just watching what's going on down below him at least, so yeah. she takes her time before moseying over his way, fingers linked behind her back as she moves to stand riiiiight under where he's roaming around on the ceiling, following him along for a bit before- ]

Looking good, Spider-Man.

[ yes, she said it a little tiny bit louder than she probably needed to, but no, she isn't feeling bashful about it. everything is pretty- not awesome right now, she knows, she's aware. but she's really proud of her boyfriend? and she's not going to pass up an opportunity to be silly about it. this is what he gets for smooching her at graduation. well, it's one tiny part in a long-term revenge plan. of mild embarrassment. ]

[Peter startles a little, both because he'd genuinely been caught up in his work and, well, that voice and that name sort of sends an unpleasant shiver down his spine, because he's working on it (forgive her, forgive yourself James had said, and he's trying, damn it, he's trying), but he still has bad days where he feels like he can barely convince himself to get out of bed.

There are better days when all he wants to do is wrap himself around her and hold her close, listen to her breathe and try to remind himself that it's okay, this is okay, they're going to figure this out. And now there's this, apparently.

So he looks down and smiles, sort of shy and maybe a little wounded, or just bashful. Her smile is still pretty much the best thing ever, though, so he might be missing James and his best friend might be a psycho werewolf right now, and a couple of his other buddies are kind of crazy, but. Gwen's here.]

Hey. [He takes a look around just to make sure it's safe (and maybe that Scott's not around...) before hopping down to the ground, sliding his camera over his shoulder and reaching out to take her hand, his smile turning a little bit more like his old self and less like whatever he is, now.] Can I tell you something?

Hi.

[ her fingers lace up easily with his, like she was expecting it ( even if she's trying to not expect anything, just be grateful for what they have, all those very selfless things that Gwen needs to work on accomplishing ), or maybe she just would have reached for his hand anyway if he hadn't first. she turns to maybe give him a kiss on the shoulder, but sniffsniff. oh Peter, where have you been? but she's more curious about what he wants to tell her, first ]

Yeah, anything.

[Yeah uh, he probably could use a bath and the costume will need to go through the wash (on a color cycle so his white don't get dyed pink and blue again, oops), but hey, this is probably better smelling than certain other adventures have left him...?

Anyway.

Peter leans in a little closer and drops his voice to a stage whisper, the grin sort of spoiling any attempt he's making to make this look like it's actually a secret.]

I really, really love you.

Oh.

[ okay, wow, maybe he really did surprise her with that. not that she's completely shocked to hear him say that, but she wasn't expecting it just then, and so her "oh", despite the way her eyes widen and her lips purse up, isn't all that exaggerated. ]

That's quite a thing to say. Um. [ so much for not sounding completely bashful. she takes a second to hide her face against his shoulder ( no matter how dusty his costume smells okay ), sort of nuzzling, but mostly hiding. not for too long, though! ] Uncanny, also, because I was just thinking the exact same thing about you.

Wow, really? [The grin that comes is wide and almost effortless, and it feels good to be able to do that again, instead of feeling like his face is splitting in half, or like he doesn't remember how to do it.] See, I always kind of had the feeling you were psychic, but now I guess we know for sure.

[He wraps his other arm around her shoulders and presses a kiss to her temple, forcing back memories of cradling her lifeless body as hard as he possibly can, because she's alive and breathing with him right now, and he still kind of really hates himself for what happened, but he doesn't want to waste any more time, either.

So he takes a breath, and tries to hold onto that, because he loves her and she (for some crazy reason) still loves him, and if that means he's moving to England or staying here forever, he doesn't care so long as she's with him, too.]

How are you doing?

I'm okay. [ she doesn't sound particularly bummed, it's not a "no, I'm fine, really" answer, she's just being honest ] This is all- [ enough to make her press her mouth shut and shake her head a little bit ] I'm trying to just focus on what we're dealing with and how to fix things here, but I keep catching myself feeling really worried. About everyone - here, and on that other Barge and it's not helping in the whole ..being productive thing.

[ she's feeling worried and selfish, the latter because of how glad she is that she has Peter, her Peter, here with her still ]

I feel weirdly guilty over the thought of our friends dealing with that other me. Really, really guilty.

[Peter could tell her that's ridiculous, that there's no reason to feel guilty about it, because it's not like they have any control over it. He could.

Of course, he'd also be a giant hypocrite if he did, because it's not like he hasn't been feeling much of the same thing.]

Yeah. [His gaze gets kind of distant for a moment, like it does when he's working on a new science project and can't quite wrap his mind around what's the next step he needs to take, because that's the problem here, isn't it?] It'd be easier if we actually knew what we were dealing with, like if it'd just be as simple as building some kind of bridge or a door or something.

I mean, my friend Tim and I- [He's probably mentioned Tim - fellow teenage vigilante photography enthusiast and total nerd - before in passing and it's been forever since he's been here, but Peter still thinks of him as a friend. He's been to visit him a couple times.] We've been trying on finding a way to communicate between the Barge and the outside world for like, years by now, and we're still pretty much right where we were when we started. The science doesn't really make sense, and the ship's always changing stuff you try and build.

It feels like the science behind all this isn't really- stable. Not just unpredictable, but spiteful sometimes. Which makes it sound like I believe the Barge is sentient, which I know it's not, but- [ but the Admiral is where the rest of that was gong to go, but she honestly doesn't really know how to describe her worries and doubts about the Admiral ]

Maybe it's good we can't communicate with people back home. Think about it- with all the changes we're making here, with our deals? It might only do more damage than good.

[ a beat ]

But we so, so need a project. After all this- [ because it will be resolved, she's sure ] -or sooner, even. I've been seriously considering taking samples of that rot to try and figure out what's making it spread so quickly. [ her lip snarls up a bit because gross, but she's curious ]

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