daybreakacademy | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: Peter Parker + you!
What: Various open prompts.
Where: Aube, STARR Club HQ and Soleil
When: The week after zombie mission and Gwen's arrival.
Warnings: None anticipated!

Fixer-Upper (Aube Floor 3)

[ Multiple midnight dumpster runs later, Peter finally has a decent collection of stuff to work on here. The common room on the third floor of Aube has been temporarily taken over by junk and tools, which have been loosely sorted into different piles. Here's a bunch of electronic parts. Here's some casings that seem mostly intact. These are screens, that appears to be a pile of ancient game console tidbits... The biggest item is an old CRT TV that is just wrecked. But - it's not what he's working on right this second. No, he seems to be focused on multiple funny-looking bracelets laid out on a cloth. He's had at least three requests for webshooters by now, and he aims to get them done today. Also, finally fix the one that Kano busted.

See what he's up to? Yell at him for taking up all the space? Or maybe if you ask him nicely, he'll build something fun for you.

In this prompt (as well as all of the others!) Peter has a fresh set of claw marks on his face. The cuts are clean and healing nicely, but obviously very fresh. Someone ran into something nasty lately. ]

STARR Club

[ Who the hell was dumb enough to let Peter start a club again? Oh wait, this is technically Gohan's fault probably. Though honestly, it's safer than just letting all these technically inclined idiots blow up their dorm room or something.

The STARR Club (Science, Technology And Runes/Robotics) was technically up and running in the first few days of school. Pete's definitely been in and out doing stuff. But now? It's officially, definitely open, and Peter is heading up the first meeting. He's. Frankly a bit overwhelmed? Please someone else take this over so he can go back to making webshooters in the corner like he actually wants to do. ]

So uh - I guess we need rules? Or something? To be official.

[ He has a whiteboard set up, on which he already has a helpful list started:

DON'T BE A DICK

Clean up after your own explosions

Annnd that's it. ]

Soleil, Returning Late

[ Of course that just covers the daytime activities. At night ... Peter tries to sleep, he really does, but inevitably he wakes up at some point and just needs to leave. Swing out to Soleil, get some fresh air come back at an ungodly hour, whatever. Today he's donned his hobo spider suit to go foil some midnight muggings in the local town. He's also taking a swing through campus too, so maybe you see this mysterious Spider-Man out and about?

Or, perhaps worse, you catch him just as he's sneaking back into Aube at 3 AM. The suit is tucked away, but he definitely is sneaking through the hallways up to his room, trying not to look guilty. ]

Spider Astronomy - CLOSEDish

[ Whose idea was this again? It doesn't really matter, honestly; Peter would have been up here regardless and the other two spider kids are nerdy enough this likely appealed to them too. Early in the morning of January 21st, Peter sneaks his way up to the roof of the Aube dorms, carrying a duffel bag full of junk with him. It's cold, as always, but the night is clear, and they have a perfect view of the moon. Pete's here to set up some blankets, put together the world's worst telescope, and watch the lunar eclipse with Gwen and Miles. He's even gotten a couple thermoses full of hot soup from the kitchen. ]

D'you think the faculty does some kind of weird blood moon ritual or something for this?

[ It wouldn't surprise him, honestly. This place is weird enough already.

Of course if you're up on the roof at about the same time (doing the same thing, maybe!) it wouldn't be hard to run into the trio. ]

(( Hit me up @

katoptron if you want me to write up a starter just for you! Otherwise all prompts are OTA. Will match format. ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ "Customer" would be stretching it. "Weird kid who rummages through their garbage" is more accurate.

Anyway, he shakes his head. ]

May and Ben didn't want me to get a job until I was sixteen.

[Well, that's a sentiment that she can't fault them for. She gives Peter a brief but sweeping up and down with her eyes, then lifts a brow at him.]

How old are you right now?

Sixteen. Birthday in August. I - uh -

[ He sort of looks her over in turn. And decides not to even try the Stark Internship bullshit. ]

I was going to get a job over the summer, but my powers turned up in July, and ... things got crazy.

[She makes a small 'hmm' behind closed lips. Crazy. Yeah, she can imagine that, but she also gets the impression that he's not giving the whole story.] What kind of crazy?

[ Does he even try to keep Spider-Man secret? He'd sort of tried before, but he feels like after leaving a care package on her windowsill with Kano, he kind of can't keep that BS up. If he ever could before. Sigh. ]

It's a long story. Some of it's weird? Some of it's great, and some of it's not.

[ He wants to tell her? But he's not sure she actually wants to hear all of it. So there's her chance to back out. He won't judge. ]

[She sees that opportunity to back out, and she settles in where she is.]

Go on. I'm listening.

[ Well. He warned her, anyway. He's gonna start idly picking up some of his things - mostly the parts that are legitimately a mess, leaving his tools where they are. ]

So. Early July. I'm dumpster diving outside this tech company? Found out later it was super sketchy, also a bad idea to get anywhere near it. But - there was a Blighted spider, it bit me, I almost died? I was sick for a week straight. I know that scared the heck out of Ben and May both, so they hovered a lot. Right when I suddenly found out I was strong and athletic for the first time in my life.

[There's a lot of things she could say right off the bat... Dumpster diving at a tech company doesn't sound like something an almost-16 yr old should be doing. The fact that he says he only found out later that he shouldn't have been... It requires patience not to sigh at that. The bit about the blighted spider... She could understand that fear, maybe a little too well.]

Not the best introduction to this world, I'm sure.

[ Look. Peter was and always will be kind of a dumbass. That's just the Parker constant. ]

Definitely not. But I didn't die, so. I got that going for me.

[ The next part is ... harder. He has to look away, fiddling with one of his tools instead of meeting her eyes. The rest will go quickly, but this? Never easy. Not even all these months later. ]

Uncle Ben and I fought. Like, a ton. He was still worried about my health, I just wanted to go out and like - have fun? I could stop cars with my bare hands. Do backflips between buildings. Like hell I was gonna sit around at home. He gave me a lot of lectures about being responsible, and I ...

[ He sets the tool back down. ]

I got mad and stormed off. Stayed out late on purpose, just to spite him. I came home and - he was out in the neighborhood looking for me. That's when the lycan showed up and tore out his throat.

[If she wasn't already worried about Peter from the start of this story, she is by the time he reaches this point. When he looks away to fiddle with his tools, she can tell something bad is coming, and her own expression sobers.

She's still not quite ready for that shoe to drop, though. There's a prolonged silence after as she just absorbs what he's saying and the gravity of what it must have meant to him. When he voice does finally come, it's quiet and full of sympathy.]

Peter... I'm so sorry. [He says it was a few months ago, but she can't imagine recovering from something like that in only a few months. It's her turn now to feel uncertain about all of this.] ...Are you sure you want to be talking about this?

[ It's been longer, of course, but he doesn't know that. And to him, it's been maybe six or seven. Too short a time for anyone to grieve.

At her question, he just sort of shrugs quietly. ]

It's part of the whole story. Wouldn't be fair to skip it.

[It wouldn't be fair to skip it, no. It also doesn't seem fair to just move past it. She watches the boy for a second, unsure of how to handle this. She's only known him for a few weeks, but her instinct to comfort him is strong.]

Would it be alright if I gave you a hug?

[ He sort of jolts at that. Not put off, but startled? Totally startled. And kind of staring at her. ]

Huh? You want to?

Yes?

[What kind of question is that, Peter?]

If you're okay with it.

Well - yeah, of course. I just sort of thought you hated me.

[Well now it's her turn to look completely baffled.]

I don't hate you. [Pause.] I've been frustrated with you, yes, but I can tell your heart is in the right place. You're not a bad kid.

[Children very rarely are, in her opinion. Usually it comes back to the adults in their life. To some way that those adults have failed them.]

[ That's a relief, at least. He still looks a little doubtful? But his shoulders slump in relief. ]

Good. I - look, you're way nicer and cooler than I thought you were, and I've honestly kind of been an asshole.

[She hadn't really realized he'd felt that way, but it does get her to smile very faintly.]

You've been... a teenager. I think that about sums it up. [Teenagers can be assholes sometimes, but she's not going to hold it against him. Like she said, she doesn't think of him as a bad kid. A little thoughtless and impulsive, sure. But still good.]

[And so, if he doesn't have any objection, she'll scoot a bit closer to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders so she can pull him in for a hug.]

Edited 2019-02-13 01:06 (UTC)

[ He can't really argue with that, he supposes. Especially when she's letting him off the hook. And - most importantly, hugging him.

He hugs her back. Tentative at first, then extraordinarily gentle. He has so much strength he's kind of afraid of hurting her. ]

Still. I'm sorry. And I'm glad we're talking now.

[If she notices how gentle he's being, she doesn't comment on it. She just holds that hug for a few seconds, then squeezes his shoulders a little tighter.]

I'm glad to be someone you feel you can talk to. [Her smile turns wry for a brief moment.] Even if you thought I hated you.

[ He nods a little bit against her. Then delicately moves to let her go. ]

I've probably said enough for now though. Like, there's more, but it's mostly vigilante stuff.

[When he moves to let her go, she'll release him as well--but not without a brief fluff of her hand against his hair. A parting gesture of affection.]

It's your call. I'm here to listen; but if you need a break, I won't complain. [Hearing about his uncle seems like such a low point to end this storytime on, but she isn't going to push for more if Peter's not willing to give it.]

[ Oh. That gesture chokes him up a bit; it reminds him of his aunt for a moment. ]

I - I mean, the next part is better? The Avengers recruited me. Like, this crazy rich dude shows up at my door and says he saw my stuff on Youbute and he needs my help.

[ A beat. ]

I almost didn't go, but he threatened to tell my aunt.

[Define: Better.]

Wait, wait... Hold on. You're saying some stranger just... showed up at your house and asked for your help. With... this vigilante stuff that you're talking about? And threatened you if you didn't agree?

[Are those really the words that you're saying to her right now, Peter Parker.]

[ They really kind of are. Peter puts up a hand in protest though. ]

Well - he was probably bluffing? I think.