coveted magics, 2
“So... what would you think of the idea of moving in too?” Peter asked while he and Harley were touring Peter’s new apartment together. It was now unofficially already his, and Daisy said she would put the deed in his name if he wanted it. He liked the feel of the space. Past the front door was a hallway with two rooms on either side. Closest to the entrance on the left was the smaller of two bedrooms, which was still quite big, and then further down on the left was a bathroom. On the right was the laundry room first, and then the master bedroom with its own ensuite bathroom down the hall. Then out in the space past the hallway was a large common space on the right that would work well to put a TV and couch in, and on the left was the kitchen and dining space. It was nice. Not particularly fancy by design, but nice.
“Oh,” Harley uttered, leaning against the kitchen countertop. “Uh... well, the anxious part of my brain worries that it might be too soon? But the more logical side says maybe we could talk about it and see if it’d actually work. I mean, I think it’d be really nice.”
When Harley’s own words made him flush a little, Peter couldn’t help but grin and blush a little too. “In fairness, we did get together... what, an hour and a half ago? I just really like the idea of waking up next to you and sharing space with you more. I probably would have asked even if I hadn’t yet.. you know, realised my feelings for you.”
Harley snorted. “Honestly, if that were the case I’d have been scramblin’ to find an excuse to turn you down. There is no way my gay ass coulda handled livin’ with you without first confessin’ my feelings for you and then havin’ a long and uncomfortable discussion about boundaries.”
“I’m about ninety-nine percent sure that you confessing to me would have made me realise how I feel for you anyway,” Peter confidently declared. He moved over to the wall between the kitchen and common space, planting himself right under a wide glass window. “Come sit? And if you’re happy to have the talk now, I am too.”
Harley sighed, and sat down close enough that his and Peter’s sides were pressed together. Quickly and easily, Peter leaned across and planted a small kiss on Harley’s cheek before resting his head on Harley’s shoulder.
Harley sighed again, a light and dreamy sort of sound. “I’m still gettin’ used to the fact that this - us - is real. I... what if we move too fast? And ruin us?”
Peter hummed a little. “We can keep talking to set the pace. And there are lots of options! Of course you don’t have to move in. If you do, there’s always that second room if sharing a bed every night - or at all - is too much right now? And we both will still have our dorm rooms. How about... what if we just talk about all the various things that could happen living together and see what we’re ready for?”
“Sounds good,” Harley agreed, nodding enough that Peter could feel the movement shake his own head a little. “I guess I’m okay with sharin’ a bed? But personally I’d like to get a big one so if I need space I have it.”
“Same here,” Peter responded. He kept his mind from diving head-first into repeated imaginations of waking up next to Harley because he knew it was just too enticing of a thought and it would distract him from the conversation at large. “What about... sharing a bathroom space, and being naked around each other? I don’t mind either, I think.”
Harley’s face reddened quickly. “I, uh... I think I do mind? I mean... I think I’ll be less bothered if we, you know, start havin’ sex. But for the moment the idea of seein’ each other naked makes me a bit nervous. Down to our underwear is probably fine, though. And I don’t mind sharin’ a bathroom space - I shared with Xander all the way until I moved here.”
“What about needing alone time?” Peter asked. “Are you comfortable telling me if you need some space to yourself for a while? I know it’s something I struggled with in the past verbally, but we could come up with another cue like a hand gesture or something which I know would be easier for me.”
“I like the sound of the hand gesture,” Harley agreed. “Though for me, growin’ up with Xander gave me plenty of experience learnin’ how to ask for some space. I guess if I can put on my noise cancellin’ headphones and give you some indication I want space, I don’t mind takin’ it even in the same room as you if I don’t have the energy to go elsewhere.”
“Of course I’ll respect that,” Peter assured him. “The fact that we’re dating now and we’re used to being around each other most of the time doesn’t mean we don’t still need time away from each other. May and I used to be really good about talking about new boundaries and dealing with conflicts about sharing space. What about you?”
Harley grumbled. “I’m not proud to admit that Xander and I tended to fight about small things, and Ma usually had to intervene and sort us out. But yeah, that was a thing.”
“Hah,” Peter chuckled, “May and I had a trick for dealing with that. It was something that she and Uncle Ben learned together. Whenever they started to disagree about something and it wasn’t an easy fix, they’d take ten minutes apart and then write down what they want the other person to know, and then come back and discuss it after reading what the other had written. That way instead of it getting heated, they could actually talk it through and already know what it is that the other person wants. Would you be down to try that?”
Harley’s eyes widened, and he grinned in his particular expression of excited amazement. “I love that, darlin’. I, um... well, I guess the idea of livin’ together isn’t so intimidatin’ now. I think we could do it. Can we... just, can we make time to go on dates and stuff even though we’re already gonna be around each other so much more?”
Peter’s heart soared, and a warm comforting joy spread across his body. “Harls, yes. God yes. And you know what one of the amazing things about being a part of a hero team is? Barring emergency situations, if we want to plan a date, the others can patrol or deal with anything that comes up. So long as they’re free, of course. We might need to negotiate with them a little sometimes. But damn am I excited to make time just for us.”
The heart-warming motion of Harley’s grin appeared in the corner of Peter’s eye before the blonde slowly rested his head down against Peter’s. Harley hummed a little pensively; there was something he wasn’t saying, and if he was comfortable sharing then Peter absolutely wanted to know what it was.
He gave Harley a little bit to see if he’d speak, and once the silence persevered for several seconds, Peter spoke. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s... silly,” Harley tried unconvincingly. Peter wasn’t buying it, and happened to be of the opinion that nothing Harley could feel a need or desire to say right now would be silly or unimportant or not worth hearing.
In an attempt to comfort his boyfriend, Peter put a hand on Harley’s thigh and gave a small squeeze. “I’m sure it’s not, Harls. And you gotta know I won’t judge you, yeah? I asked you this big thing and I really just want to make sure you’re comfortable and happy.”
Harley tensed ever so slightly for a fraction of a second, but it was enough for Peter to notice. “I... what if- well, what if I stay over a whole bunch but don’t say I’m officially movin’ in for a while? Like, I know I’m basically movin’ in anyway but it feels... safer to not say so?”
Peter shrugged. “So do that? I asked you if you wanted to move in knowing you might not be ready. I mean... we literally got together less than a couple hours ago! It is fast, regardless of how close we already are. I won’t be upset if you barely stay over, so to hang out here all the time and wait until you’re ready to make any official declarations is beyond fine. How about we just say you’re crashing at my place? Call it that for now?”
“I...” Harley started, and then groaned. “What did I do to deserve you?”
Peter flipped his hand upright so that Harley could take it - an action that was swiftly met with Harley’s hand clasped around his. “Give yourself some credit, boyfriend of mine! You. Are. Amazing. Got it? If it makes you feel any better, I also don’t have much of a clue what I’m doing. Jess gave me some surprisingly cheerful and uplifting pointers and I am also just running on the high of new relationship energy all the way through.”
“Okay,” Harley said mid-exhale. “Okay, that does make me feel better. It was honestly so easy to be confident in the suit earlier, and now here I am bein’... nervous. But you’re right, we’ll take things as they come and communicate a lot and we’ll be okay. So, what’s the plan for the rest of the day now?”
“Well... there’s that new IKEA that opened up in Somerville? I could be down to go and look at furniture and buy some stuff. What if we go together and decorate a little?” Peter suggested, before a pressing thought emerged at the front of his mind and he realised that there was, in fact, not enough time to traipse around at IKEA all day. “Teddy’s coming to the Playground at four for the training thing I offered him, so... maybe there’s only time to get the absolute basics.”
“Hah, no fancy rich designer apartment plans in mind?” Harley joked.
“Ew,” Peter teased back. “Maybe I shouldn’t ask if you wanna make out, or I might get rich people cooties.”
Harley raised a single eyebrow. “One, that ain’t a thing, and two, I grew up poor as fuck.”
Peter hummed in a joking faux-contemplation. “Eh, I guess you’ll do. So, wanna make out and then head to IKEA?”
Harley grinned, and lifted up his head. “You drive a hard bargain, darlin’.”
It was an easy thing, then, for the two to slot their lips together in a heat of new, excitement-filled desire. They definitely still needed some practice; Harley angled his head one way at the same time that Peter made the same movement and their noses collided, but it didn’t stop them. Now that Peter knew what he felt for his best friend and now boyfriend, and had worked through the mental block that held him back before, he wanted. Harley was attractive to him in and out, and exploring the contours of each others lips was something Peter could feel content in doing forever, perhaps.
Unfortunately that forever just had to get interrupted when the front door to the apartment swung right open. With the fact that Peter and Harley were sitting under a window that was directly opposite that door - albiet at the other far end of the apartment - the two of them were now in full view of whoever had just come in, making out almost without a care in the world. But Peter was sensitive to sudden noises, and rather regretfully broke away from Harley to see who had just shown up. A grinning face and a shock of chin-length blonde hair became the focus of Peter’s vision, and then Gwen started cackling.
“Oh, you’re being gay. Good job, carry on!” Gwen called out cheerfully, giving Peter and Harley a double thumbs up.
Peter groaned. “Did you just reference Heartstopper at us?”
“Yup, bye now!” Gwen shouted, and then promptly left.
“That line doesn’t sound familiar, good as it is. Spoilers, much?” Harley teased, and Peter responded by groaning once more. “So...”
Peter cleared his throat. “So. IKEA trip?”
“IKEA trip,” Harley easily agreed, and off they went.
It was with an uneasy gait that Wanda stepped into the three bedroom apartment, so far inhabited only by Daisy Johnson. Daisy Johnson whose decision to believe in Wanda had observably impacted the decisions of those around her. It was her and Spider-Man who led the choice to welcome her, even knowing all that she had been responsible for. Even now, she wasn’t sure what to make of it. Mostly, she wasn’t sure that she deserved this. Not after Westview, and certainly not after Kamar-taj or the other Earth whose leaders Wanda personally decimated. To be welcomed like this? She just wasn’t sure.
The apartment itself wasn’t all that clean, but nor was it worryingly dirty. Dust accumulated around the corners of the walls. Electrical cords ran along the floor in ways that might be a tripping hazard even with the sparsely spread pieces of duct tape holding it all to the floor, and the lack of decoration made it all just a tad more noticeable. There were three bedrooms along the entry hall, the largest at the very end, followed by a bathroom right past it. After that was the main open space, with a barely separated lounge room and kitchen ahead and to the left respectively. A modest table sat in the middle with a few old dishes waiting to be cleaned, and Daisy stood over a kettle dropping tea bags into mugs.
“Pardon the intrusion,” Wanda said as she stepped her way through, and then stood awkwardly a half metre away from the furthest chair around that modest table. She didn’t want to get too close. It felt... undeserved. These people had welcomed her, but Wanda still felt it best to keep her emotional distance in preparation for the inevitable abandonment.
Briefly, she considered asking if there was any way to help out around the apartment, as if some kind of service would make her trespass that was supposedly not a trespass more permissible. Of course, her mind simply had to flash itself back to when she was being contained by Tony Stark before the fallout that temporarily split the team in half. To when she had done the same, and tried to help with housework to make herself useful. To when Vision had denied her any opportunity and taken it all upon himself. To Vision. Wanda winced, curled in on herself ever so slightly and dismissed the thought. Now wasn’t the time for her grief to return.
“Oh,” Daisy uttered, fumbling and almost dropping one of the bags all the way into a mug. “...tea?”
“Thank you,” Wanda said with a curt nod, and accepted one of the mugs. The tea wasn’t even remotely ready. Rather than making a simple task of swishing the tea bag around through the hot water with her magic, she opted to do it by hand. She didn’t want to scare this woman away, after all. Well, she didn’t want to end up back on the run so soon. “I...”
“How... how are you?” Daisy then tried. The concern in her voice sounded forced, though perhaps Wanda wasn’t the best judge of that these days. Trust wasn’t quite something she knew how to give.
Wanda sat herself on one of the stools by the counter Daisy still stood on the other side of. “Tired. The Department of Damage Control are... persistent.”
Daisy hummed. “I really do wonder if they might be HYDRA. Not a nice thought, I know, but they reek of it. I’ve looked into their ops before, and they’re... well, shady. But they won’t be able to touch you here, not when you’re under the protection of these kids. They’ve won themselves quite the reputation in this city, and the people won’t take well to Damage Control barging in after this morning.”
“And yet the world knows of my crimes,” Wanda sighed. “Whatever favour they’ve won will be lost soon if they don’t give me up.”
Daisy’s head shook. “Don’t be so sure. I think this might be just what you need. There’ll be some turbulence, fine, but with people like Spider-Man and Ms Marvel in your corner, the public will start questioning your wanted status. Just lay low for a little, and let the public debate work itself out.”
A few minutes of silence that afforded Wanda the near-peace she needed to organise her thoughts were soon broken by the opening and slamming shut of the apartment’s front door. Gwen, the unmasked hero who bore quite a strong resemblance to Daisy, barged in complaining of a fight with someone known as ‘Black Cat’ that still had the older teen wincing as they regaled both Daisy and Wanda with the tale. It was all Wanda could do to stifle the chuckles at the story of a speedster meeting their match against pure bad luck, but Wanda managed to hold it in all the same.
It all just seemed too good to be true, this hope that Daisy offered, and the liveliness of these young heroes. But Wanda was tired, and she wanted to at least give it a try.
“I didn’t expect you to be back so soon, what with how you guys were hyping up that secret mission of yours!” Teddy exclaimed even as he jogged laps around the Playground’s main room. Peter already knew that the kid had some impressive super strength in addition to shapeshifting abilities, so the enhanced stamina really wasn’t all that surprising. “Huh, I could be coming on some of those missions in a few years. You know, when I’m ready!”
Peter chuckled. Maybe it was just Teddy’s excitement from the shiny new training he was being offered, or maybe the support in his quest to one day be able to make a difference as a hero had unleashed some kind of energetic optimism from within him. Either way, he’d sprung into the Playground all of ten minutes ago with energy and enthusiasm aplenty. According to the Rabbi, who’d driven him here, he’d been “over the moon” to find out that Peter was offering to start training him today, instead of next week.
“Yeah, you really could,” Peter agreed. “And what with how Boston is growing on me, I might just stick around to see it. How was school this past week?”
Teddy leapt up at the wall, landed almost side-ways and kicked off of it, only stumbling a little bit when he landed back on the ground. Peter remembered being like that, when he was perhaps a little older than Teddy and quite a bit more bubbly than now. “Same old, you know? Classes are fine and I only got into one fight. The gays keep things interesting, though. Zoe - she’s one of the seniors - was a bit mopey at this week’s club meeting because apparently she asked out one of her friends. Said friend turned her down on account of being straight, but she’s taking it like a champ. What about you? How’s your... college, and everything?”
A smile won its way onto Peter’s face, and he just couldn’t help share his own news. “Iron Lad and I are going out.”
A gasp broke loose as Teddy’s running came to a halt. “For real?”
“For real,” Peter confirmed with a chuckle. “Since just this morning, actually. You’ll probably get to meet him soon, either here or if I decide to bring him along to a shabbat service.”
Teddy grinned, and returned to his running with an even greater bounce in his step. “That’d be pretty cool. Any other cool queer superheroes I’ll get to meet?”
“Actually, yes,” said Peter, remembering something he’d had in mind since not long after offering to train Teddy. “If she’s cool with it and you are too, I was thinking of inviting Ms Marvel to some of these training sessions.”
“I’m definitely cool with it!” Teddy exclaimed quickly as he finished his last lap around the Playground’s central hall. Peter had been watching his form as closely as he could when he wasn’t busy being distracted by the conversation, and couldn’t help think of what Nat might say if she was here. She’d say something about how Teddy’s form was wasteful, that he was using too much energy in his strides and he’d only wear himself out when it mattered most. Well, Peter had a good idea of how to help him with that. He’d been calling on a lot of what the Black Widow had taught him when training others, and this was no different. It felt like a way of honouring Nat’s memory, so it was something Peter did with pride.
After a deep breath to soothe the strong wave of feelings that came in remembering Nat like that, Peter started his advice-giving. “I’ve been watching you run, and I want you to work a bit on that. You have a lot of strength, and you’re using too much of it in your usual steps. Even with enhanced stamina, you could get worn out at a bad time so I want you to work on pushing off the ground less hard as you run next time, okay?”
“Okay, got it,” Teddy affirmed. He then worried at his lower lip with his teeth a little, which Peter guessed to be a sign that he had a question on his mind. As it turned out, Peter didn’t even need to prompt him to find out what it was. “Is it true that you guys protected the Scarlet Witch from the government? That she’s still alive?”
Peter had to pause to consider whether or not to tell Teddy the truth. With how integrated he’d soon become with the team, even just as a kid coming in for training, he was bound to find out at some point. It was just a matter of whether or not Peter could trust Teddy to keep the news quiet, and whether he thought Teddy would take it well in the first place. But knowing what he did of the kid, Peter’s doubts were quickly cleared. This was a kid who fought for tolerance, and understood what it meant to be judged for things out of one’s control.
“What would you think if I said yes?” Peter asked, realising that by turning it into a question he could make it a teaching opportunity as well.
Teddy hummed thoughtfully, and leaned forward to stretch out his leg muscles a little. “I’d think you guys had a really good reason for it, and that maybe she isn’t as bad as the world says. Or that she’s mind controlling the whole group of you, which would be... bad.”
“Safe to say that it’s not the mind control - Wanda can’t take over people’s minds as much as she can influence them by showing them visions,” Peter explained, reciting what he’d once been told by Mr Stark himself a few years back when his curiosity had been piqued about the possibility of similar scenarios. “The short story is that Wanda was under the influence of a powerful demon and deserves every chance to make amends for what she was led to do. Oh, and that Damage Control shouldn’t be trusted. Okay, ready for some sparring?”
Teddy’s eyes widened. “You’ll go easy on me, right?”
Peter smirked a little teasingly. “Hmm, I’ll have to think about that.”
Teddy winced, but then visibly relaxed when Peter poked out his tongue to make it clear he was joking.