I know i know, usually sabbatical/disappearing act, yet as I've stated before I only go on these extremely long breaks when life gets stressful so please don't call for my head. Jokes aside, I hope you all enjoy.
Bayville Highschool Parking Lot.
"I want to make a deal, Parker." Peter hated hearing that sentence at this point. He was halfway tempted to just snatch Frank's camera and smash it on the ground.
Still, all that would result in is Rogue being weary about his reactions, and Frank just continuing to pester and possibly expose him to the public. So he opted to hear out the lesser of two blackmailers.
"Fine Frank. Let's make a deal on my blackmail."
"I'm not planning to blackmail you."
"Yeah, I know I don't have a cho-" The realization of what Frank said just hit Peter. "What'd you just say?"
"I don't have any intentions of blackmailing you. I just needed a way to get your attention for a while."
"Ok, you lost me." Peter responded, visibly confused. Frank shook his head as a smiled formed on his face.
"Seriously, I'm not in the business of blackmail. Makes me look like a crazy freelance journalist. I want your help with a story."
"A story?" Rogue interjected.
"A simple story. Following the Kingpin." Peter and Rogue both sighed hearing the name, remembering the factory and what Frank's request meant.
"Frank, this isn't exactly a great time to ask for a inside scoop on criminal I don't know about in a town I just moved to."
"I get that, hence why I want us to work together on this." Frank could see Peter was hesitant about the whole ordeal, so he tried playing into his better nature. "Look I meant it when I said I wasn't going to hang knowing your identity over your head, but from what I gathered in this town so far is that it's criminal underworld is running around under the radar because of the Kingpin."
"Wait, running under the radar?" Rogue asked.
"Yeah. Nothing major gets done without Kingpin's say so. Petty stick ups, grand theft auto, vandalism are all fronts for when they pull off more major crimes-"
"So the police are spread too thin to handle all of the crime." Peter finished.
"Exactly."
Peter admitted to himself, if what Frank was saying wasn't a lie, he had to investigate the Kingpin in some way shape or form. But currently the main issue Peter needed to solve was what exactly Frank wanted out of all this.
"So you've told us what we wanted to hear and why we need to stop the Kingpin, but you still haven't told me what exactly you get out of this."
"And I still haven't told you what you get out of this too." Frank gestured towards his camera. "We both get mutual coverage on the future story. I get credit for the pictures and coverage of the story, you get actual good press from the Bayville Gazette. Not the one sided crap you're used to from Jameson."
"All good, except I don't do what I do for my popularity Frank. I do it because it's the right thing to do."
"And I respect that but let's be honest, you rather do your...uhh...Spider-Maning with the city hating you, or helping you?" Frank was good, and Peter was beginning to truly understand why he was revered as a famous Photojournalist. He knew exactly what to say to get what he wanted.
Still, Peter had to think over what Frank was trying to sell him. Besides the fact he still didn't have a viable suit to use, he still had the X-Men and The Brotherhood to deal with and making himself public without dealing with those problems first would mean putting more pressure on himself and Rogue than what they needed.
"I don't know...we gotta think this over." Peter responded, indicating to Rogue that she was a part of the decision.
"I understand." Frank pulled out a pair of business cards and handed them to the teens. "If either of you change your mind, call me and we'll set up a meeting. But trust me Peter, I wouldn't be coming to you with this if it wasn't serious." Peter simply nodded his head and Frank got back into his car and drove off.
"So about repairing your suit..." Rogue brought up. Peter simply sighed in defeat thinking about the week's events as the pair of them headed home.
Parker Residence.
After the stressful and silent ride back home, Rogue and Peter were ready to talk plans for dealing with their current situation going forward. That was until they noticed a limousine in front of the house.
"Peter, do you know anyone who would visit us with a limo?" Rogue asked.
"Only 2 people, and either one isn't a good sign. So let's be prepared for the worst."
"The worst being?"
"My ex-best friend or Tony Stark. Either case not being exactly a good time." Peter opted to open the door first with Rogue behind him. After all, with the week he's had it didn't seem like much of anything could make it disastrous.
He would turn out to be right, as instead of Harry coming to settle his score with Peter, or Tony trying to make a play to supervise him with a scholarship and oversight, a man in a wheelchair was with Aunt May drinking tea.
Peter mentally breathed in a sigh of relief that maybe his week of problems wouldn't have more added to it. "Hey Aunt May, we're home."
Aunt May turned from the man and looked at Peter and Rogue with excitement. "Oh just on time you two. We were just talking about you two."
"You were?" Rogue asked.
"Yes. But where are my manners? Charles Xavier, nice to meet the both of you." Xavier stated. "I was talking to your Aunt Mr. Parker, and your current caretaker Ms. Rogue, about possibly enrolling in my academy."
"Academy? Sorry to break the news to you Mr. Xavier, but we're already enrolled in school-"
"And ah'm not exactly too keen on leaving it for yours." Rogue snapped. Peter palmed his face as he knew that the conversation would begin to go downhill if someone didn't save it, as well as Aunt May would get upset at the hostility.
"Rogue!"
"No no, it's perfectly fine Ms. Parker. I didn't explain it properly to them." Xavier turned his wheelchair to face them as he explained his school.
"My academy isn't to replace your regular schooling. In fact, most of my students are enrolled in Bayville High-" Once those words came together, Peter understood Rogue's sudden hostility. They were face to face with the creator of the X-Men.
"What we offer is a chance for our students to develop their...special talents, to say the least. Your Aunt says that you excel in science based learning."
Peter folded his arms, somewhat positioning himself in a defensive manner. "Yeah, I'm a pretty big science fanatic."
"Your Aunt also tells me that you had a incident in midtown with a bully as well..."
Peter turned towards Aunt May. "Aunt May, seriously?"
"Now wait a minute Peter. I only told him because Mr. Xavier said that he focuses on both gifted and troubled kids. And well...after what happened the last few weeks, its safe to say you're both."
"So what, that gives him the right to know about it? Let me guess, he also can magically get rid of the criminal record I have now too, right?" Peter snapped now, only calming himself when he felt Rogue's hand on his shoulder.
"Peter, relax." Rogue said. Peter realizing he was letting his anger get the best of him again, took a deep breath and looked back at his Aunt.
"I'm sorry."
Aunt May was saddened by Peter's sudden change in behavior the past few weeks, and seeing as he's become more reclusive and distant about what happens outside the house, she didn't know what to do.
Xavier sensed the uneasiness of his visit, as well as Peter and his Aunt's current relationship and decided to make a risky move with the information he knew.
"Ms. Parker, if I may. Maybe it would help if I talk to Peter and Rogue privately?" Xavier suggested. The two teens didn't seem all that receptive to the idea, while May figured he couldn't do much worse than how it was already going.
"Ah don't think that-"
"That sounds like a great idea. You three can talk out in the porch." May interrupted. Rogue sighed in defeat.
"Oh and when you two are done, dinner's on the stove. I'm heading to bed." Rogue and Peter both nodded in acknowledgment and said Good night to May as they went outside, albeit hesitantly, with Xavier to talk. What they weren't expecting was the face of every X-Men from yesterday to be waiting for them as well.
"Great...maybe I'll hit the trifecta of bad luck with me getting locked out after this is all done." Xavier turned to both Rogue and Peter as all the other X-Men stayed near the limousine.
"Before I start, I will ease your worries by saying I didn't tell May about both of your abilities."
"Right right, and ah'm guessing this is the part where y'all try to strong-arm us?"
"Look, we get that the two of you don't trust us. We're just asking that you at least hear us out." Jean said.
Peter and Rogue both thought about it. Compared to the meetings with The Brotherhood and Frank, the X-Men were the only ones not holding something over their heads. However, Peter was more worried about how Rogue was feeling about the whole situation.
"It seems like I don't really have a choice either way." Peter said as he turned to Rogue. "What do you think?"
Rogue took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down as to not run into a full sprint down the street. She looked at Peter and while she knew he was tired of everyone finding some dirt on him, he seemed relatively calm now, which helped ease her worries.
"We'll hear you out." Rogue said. She made sure to stand close to Peter just in case anything was to happen.
"Thank you, both of you. I appreciate your willingness to give us a chance to explain ourselves."
"Did we really have a choice? You came up to my Aunt's house and-wait a minute, how did all of you find my Aunt's house in the first place?"
A few of the students moved out the way to reveal a short but burly man who Rogue instantly recognized as the guy who showed up at May's door the night she ended up with Peter and May. The memories of him chasing her with his claws flooded back and Rogue started to slowly move back, hiding part of herself behind Peter, who noticed Rogue's change in demeanor and was starting to become hesitant about this whole interaction.
"Name's Logan. And we found you two after the little tag team you two pulled yesterday."
"We understand that you might not agree with how we found you two-"
"Not agree?" Peter started. "You guys nearly killed us back in the city, a-and now you all show up in front of my Aunt's house as what, some sort of intimidation tactic?"
"Believe me Bub, we're not the type. That would be your friends in The Brotherhood."
"We know about the blackmail they got on you guys." Scott added. Peter had a small smile form on his face, ready to have the feeling of a "I got this" moment wash over him.
"Then you shouldn't worry. Because I handled it."
"Maybe. But what makes you think they would give up?" The feeling went as fast as it came. Charles was right, if they could easily catch him in an alley way without his knowledge, as well as Frank catch him after a fight, he was in trouble.
"But, the main reason we're here. I want to apologize for what happened in the cemetery. Yet I want to assure you both that a third party was involved. We wouldn't have recklessly provoked a fight like that."
"Oh really? Because I remember getting blasted into a shed and my entire outfit getting a breezy hole in the middle." Peter stared at Scott, who looked annoyed at the constant mention of that incident.
"Wait, that really happened? I thought that, like, Kurt made that up." Kitty blurted out, getting disapproving looks from all the rest of the X-Men, as well as a angry look from Kurt for bringing his name up for that.
"Hehe, sorry I'll shut up now."
Xavier sighed. "As I was saying-"
"You guys weren't intentionally trying to kill us and there was a third party involved. We got that."
"If there was really someone who was hell bent on me not joining y'all, then who was it?" Rogue asked.
Xavier hesitated to answer, something that Peter noticed. "I...do not know."
Peter, being the expert on telling when someone was lying and being a frequent liar himself, called out Xavier. "You're lying."
"Excuse me?"
"Sorry to burst your bubble Xavier, but if you and your band of "heroes" know who I am, then you know the amount of times I've had to lie to everyone close to me about my secret identity. Hell, I've had to do it this week already."
"I have...no idea what you mean."
Peter turned his attention to the group of teens by the limo, either hoping for a name or to catch Xavier in a lie.
"Do any of you know who it was that tried to pin you guys as crazy psychopaths?"
A combination of muttered no's and head shakes confirmed they didn't know either, but the main difference was they answered immediately while Xavier seemed to be beating around the bush on the subject.
"I don't know what you're trying to pull Xavier, but I'm not liking it, and I don't appreciate you bringing your posse to my Aunt's house."
"Mr. Parker, if you would just let me-"
"Leave. That's the only warning I'm giving." Peter made it clear to everyone that he was done talking and ready to start fighting if needed. Xavier knew for a fact he messed up, but couldn't do much of anything now besides give up on talking to them for now.
"I understand." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two communication devices that matched with the outfits both Rogue and Peter had seen multiple times.
"Just at the very least, take these. I know we haven't earned your trust, but if you ever need our help, we'll be there." Rogue and Peter both took the communicators and pocketed them as the X-Men began to leave. Peter sighed and headed back into the house as Rogue stayed on the patio for a while, staring at the communicator. She held onto it as she walked back into the house.
Midnight.
The new bed situation for Rogue was that since there was more space in this house than the one in Queens, they were able to set up two twin beds on opposite sides of the room. While the room wasn't majorly big, it made sure that Rogue and Peter at least had some personal space.
In the middle of their beds, and in front of the only window in the room big enough for anyone to fit through, they had set up a desk and currently it was Peter's tailoring station as he desperately attempted to fix the major hole left by Cyclops.
"I am never fighting that guy with the visor again. Fixing this is gonna take some serious patience...and money that I don't have." Peter put his head down on the table, knowing it was a losing battle trying to fix this suit. He contemplated making a new one altogether with clothes he already had, but tailoring a new suit from old clothes would still be a challenge in of itself if he didn't plan it out.
While Peter's brain was going 100 miles per hour on his suit, Rogue's mind was going as fast but on the issues the both of them faced all. Guns, blackmail, attempted murder, fights in abandoned warehouses, and now the possibility that someone was trying to frame the X-Men.
Peter turned to Rogue to hopefully get some ideas, but noticed she was in her bed, still staring at the communicator. "Hey Rogue, you ok?"
Rogue snapped out of her daydream and put the communicator on her nightstand. "Yeah, ah'm fine."
"You don't seem fine. What's up?"
"Its just..." Rogue took a breath as to both calm herself down and think about what she fully wanted to say. "Do you think that they're telling the truth? That someone wanted us to think they were trying to kill us?"
"I won't lie, it's a likely possibility. But if that's the case, then we would need to start figuring out either who's got a vendetta against the those X-Men guys, or..."
Rogue looked at Peter, who trailed off his thinking. "Or what?"
"It'll sound crazy, but bear with me." Peter stated, bringing the chair closer to Rogue. "What if the principal is working with the Brotherhood?"
"You lost me Parker." Rogue responded.
"I know I know, just...hear me out on this. We've only been here for a few days at most, and already another group of mutants not called the X-Men were able to figure out my identity. Not only that but Duncan literally told me that the Principal leaked the reason I'm at Bayville high in the first place."
"Now that ya mention it, she's been trying to be friendly with me, saying ah should stay away from you because of your record." Rogue added.
"Well obviously she's never saved you from a cemetery." Peter quipped.
Rogue chuckled a bit. "Ah guess your right about that. But still, you think the principal is involved somehow?"
"I don't know, but no normal principal would do what she did unless I made it clear from the get go I was a threat to the school. Either she's got it out for troublemakers, or she's hiding something as well."
"And you're gonna try and find out the answer tomorrow?" Rogue asked.
"Certainly not gonna wait for Duncan to shove me in a locker tomorrow."
"Do you even have a plan Parker?"
"I have...the beginnings of a plan." Rogue sighed and prepared for the answer.
"Let's hear it."
"Well the plan right now is to...maybebreakintotheprincipal'soffice"
Rogue nearly fell off the bed when she heard what Peter said. "Are you insane Peter? Are you forgetting about the record you have?"
"Well what other options do we got Rogue? The X-Men know where we live, The Brotherhood are going to keep coming after us unless we join them, and now the whole school knows about said record because of the Principal." The stress of his situation started to manifest in his words as Peter played back each situation in his head. A few days in and already his life was turned upside once again.
Rogue seeing the stress on Peter, tried to comfort him. "Peter, Ah think Ah know you well enough to know trying to change your mind on this is pointless. But...you're right."
"Rogue I-wait, I am?"
"You said it yourself, the principal told the school your record when you gave her no reason to. Plus what she's been telling me about you, something's up."
"So...what you're saying is my plan isn't bad?"
"No, ah still think that its a stupid plan. But its the only one we got right now."
"We?" Peter asked, figuring Rogue would've wanted to stay as far away from drawing attention to herself as possible.
"Peter, do you even know if she has a camera in her office? Or when she's away from said office? Or when's the best time to break in?"
Peter had to admit, despite Rogue's constant reluctance on wanting anything to do with Superhero stuff, she had a knack for planning out things that required his Superheroing expertise.
"You make a fair point on that. Alright, tomorrow we'll double team this, see when's the best time and what we can find." Peter then stuck his hand out with his glove on to counteract Rogue's power.
"But since I'm a sucker for these things since I don't have the freedom to do so, lets make it official. Partners?"
"Seriously? What are you, five?" Rogue quipped, which caused Peter to laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh nothing, just never thought I'd ever see you make a quip."
"Yeah, wonder why that is?" Rogue asked sarcastically.
"Rogue, I know you don't want to do the whole team thing after the factory, and I get that. But you got powers that can actually help people. I mean, what happens if we find some real sinister crap with our principal?"
Rogue stood silent, just listening to what Peter was saying to her.
"Maybe all 3 parties are evil or something, I don't know. But I rather we set it in stone that we got each other's back."
"You think ah don't have your back Peter?" Rogue turned to him. "You've done more for me in the span of two days than anyone has since ah was born."
Hearing those words hit Peter. He was used to the praise and thankful speeches as Spider-Man, but Rogue was the first person who was truly grateful for both his identities in a while. Needless to say, he was left sorta speechless.
"Wow Rogue... I don't know what to say." Peter began to put his hand down when he felt a weight suddenly take in his hand. He looked up to see Rogue's hand had enveloped his.
"You don't gotta say anything, partner."