Catching Up

Only one chapter this week. I did finish the next one, but I wanted to post the next few chapters together. Also, there's a bit of a time-jump in this chapter.

-Pandalien

"I'm sorry, but what is speed-force again?"

Harry's expression was akin to that of someone having great difficulty digesting something which, Peter supposed, he was, just in a much less literal sense. Unfortunately, Peter wasn't sure how he could make the explanation any easier to understand. The third time hadn't been the charm and number ten wasn't likely to be much better. This was not least because Peter was having a tough time with it himself, despite his better physics background.

Thankfully, MJ came to the rescue… sort of.

"It's like this Harry," she said, taking a sip of her drink. "You know how Captain America's shield does all kinds of weird stuff when he throws it?"

"Threw it," Harry corrected "He's dead now."

Peter knew that Captain Rogers wasn't actually dead. At least not yet. Just retired, and old.

"Whatever, you get the point right?" MJ continued.

Harry nodded.

"It does all that physics defying stuff because it's 'vibranium'. Sounds to me like speed-force is like that. It's just scientists hand-waving because they don't know what else to do and they can't just say 'because magic'."

"That's not true!" Harry protested loudly. "Vibranium obeys predictable physical laws, no matter the form. Saying 'vibranium' is not hand-waving!"

"Hey!" The shout of the grey haired, mustachioed bartender drew the attention of their little group. "Keep it quiet over there or I don't care what state law says, you aren't getting any more booze!"

"Sorry, Stanley," Harry apologized sheepishly, wilting somewhat under the proprietor's glare which was somehow only made more menacing by his thick-rimmed, square glasses.

Stanley owned their new Friday night haunt which was appropriately, if unimaginatively, named "Stanley's". It was smaller and somewhat more run down than what MJ had dubbed the "bad pun bar" but there was a bonus in that this was a place that Flash Thompson would never be caught dead in.

Some weeks back, he'd intruded on them at Willodale Bruce and attempted to introduce himself to Harry as Peter's best friend (and PR agent). It had all ended with Peter pointing out that Flash used to call him "Penis Parker" which Flash then attempted to turn into an innuendo prompting the early departure of the three of them. That incident hadn't seemed to deter Flash so they eventually just switched bars.

"Look," Harry continued, drawing their attention back to the topic of the speed-force. "All I'm saying is that everything is governed by consistent physical laws and even I, a chemistry guy, understand that this 'speed-force' basically shits on the laws of physics."

"Harry," Peter began, "take it from someone who's actually fought Captain America and seen him use his shield up close. That thing 'shits' on physics as much as Dr. Anders's speed-force explanation for why my organs didn't get smashed against my ribcage when Wally saved us from the man-Alice."

Harry shook his head and leaned back. "This is just like the mutant spider conversation so we'll just have to agree to disagree. Also, you really need to come up with a better name for that crazy Russian who tried to kill you guys and framed the Blur."

"You mean Flash," MJ corrected.

Harry shook his head. "No, Flash is a sad rich kid who has this fantasy about being besties with Spider-man and can't pull his head out of his Twitter feed."

"And what are you?"

"Me?" Harry gestured to himself. "I'm a not-sad rich kid who's besties with Peter Parker and his snarky GF and who tastefully posts on social media when appropriate."

"Gonna have to tell Ned he has some competition then Peter," MJ teased.

"Why?" Peter asked in faux exasperation. "There's no reason friendship has to be exclusive."

"Exactly," Harry added with a confident smile as he finished off his drink. "But it would be easier if I could actually meet him in person."

"It's not like he can just come down from MIT and have a drink with us at Stanley's every Friday," Peter replied.

"And yet you manage to go to upstate New York every other weekend for the past month and a half," Harry returned. "And on a quinjet no less."

"That's different," Peter defended. "I'm helping Dr. Anders with her research—"

"But you still can't explain speed-force," MJ pointed out unhelpfully.

Peter ignored the interruption and continued on. "And besides, I'm an Avenger."

"Isn't Ned also an Avenger?" Harry asked.

"No." Peter wasn't sure what gave Harry that idea.

"But I thought he was your 'guy in the chair'."

"Only sometimes, like when we're back home. That doesn't' make him an Avenger."

"So make him one," Harry said, as if it could be done as easily as Harry ordered another drink.

"I can't do that!" Peter protested.

"I said quiet!" Stanley scolded as he set down Harry's glass.

One the cranky bartender had left them again, Harry asked, "Why not? Didn't Stark put you in charge? Wasn't that what the whole EDITH thing was about?"

To tell the truth, Peter still wasn't entirely sure what Mr. Stark had meant by the note he'd left with the now stolen pair of glasses.

"I'm not ready to be in charge," Peter replied. "At least not completely, and not yet. I'm still learning. And besides, I can't just make Avengers and even if I did, Fury's not gonna let us fly the quinjet down here just so Ned can have drinks with us every Friday."

"Fair enough," Harry conceded, shrugging. "S how's the interdimensional speedster?"

"Much better now that Fury's stopped suspecting him of coming here to gather intel for an invasion," Peter replied.

"It probably helps that the President very publically refused to extradite him to Britain and actually explained why this time," MJ added.

"The British don't seem convinced though," Harr pointed out. "The prime minister's making a big deal about it."

"Won't matter before too long," Peter replied, grinning. "Dr. Anders thinks she may have the dimensional collider finished by tonight."

"Even with Doc Oc hanging around and distracting her?" Harry asked grinning slyly.

"You know he doesn't like being called that," Peter admonished.

"Can't help it," Harry replied. "You've seen that creepy harness of his with all those weird tentacle things moving about as if they were part of his body. Honestly, what did he expect?"

"I think it's actually kind of cool," MJ put in. "He's got to be pretty good if he and Dr. Model built that out of boredom when they were in college."

"You wouldn't think it was so cool if you actually saw them in the flesh," Harry replied, shivering for effect.

"It doesn't matter how creepy you think they are," Peter replied. "You shouldn't call him that."

Harry just shrugged. "Sue me."

Peter and MJ rolled their eyes simultaneously at the remark. "To answer your question though, Harry, Dr. Octavius has actually been pretty helpful. Even when he can't help with the more technical stuff, I think him just being here helps keep Dr. Anders motivated. It may not seem like it in class and in lab, but she can take roadblocks pretty hard and Dr. Octavius helps with that."

"Sounds like you're shipping them," Harry said nonchalantly.

"Nah, that's more Wally's thing."

"Wow," MJ remarked. "That's quite the change."

"Huh?"

"That first weekend after Fury'd caught him, you'd said he seemed kind of depressed, and now he's shipping your professors?"

Peter shrugged, "I guess he's got hope again. Every breakthrough is another step closer to home for him."

They chatted some more about this and that, classes, professors. MJ occasionally railed on Flash Thompson, complaining about his behavior in their shared general studies classes at Culver. Since Harry was driving, they had to cut him off after that last drink. When they finally thought he was sober enough, the three of them left Stanley's.

"Why is it that I'm always driving?" Harry asked bitterly as he led the way through the parking lot.

"Because you're the one with the car," MJ deadpanned.

Harry didn't reply.

Peter lagged behind Harry some and he was pleased that MJ kept pace. "This dating thing's been going better lately hasn't it," he said, smiling pleasantly.

"Is it really a date if Harry's always with us?" MJ asked from next to him, reaching out for his hand. "I think so," Peter replied as his hand grasped hers. "Though I think he'd prefer it if you brought along a friend or two."

"You know me," MJ replied. "Don't really have friends. Except for you guys and Ned that is."

"And Betty," Peter pointed out.

"Eh… less so."

They continued to follow Harry in companionable silence. Peter felt like he couldn't have asked for a better Friday night.

Then MJ broke the silence. "Peter?"

"Huh?"

"Isn't that the bus driver from the Europe trip?"

Peter followed MJ's finger to the edge of the parking lot and his heart sank as he laid eyes on Dmitri. Fury's agent was swiftly making his way toward the three of them.

Peter had just been thinking about how well things had been going too.

Should have knocked on wood.