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Coco Baldwin- Is Peter going to become Peter Parker?
Or is there a Peter in the DC universe I don't know about?
There actually is a Peter Johnson in DC, but he isn't a character, he writes the comic books. When I first started writing Mallory's little brother, I was just writing an OC, but her last name was already Johnson, so I decided to name him after the writer as a cameo. Thanks for the review, and for reading this far into the story!
Hope y'all like this chapter, please review!
The team stretched the party all day. The group went out to eat in Metropolis, went to a carnival, and ended the evening with the team alone in the cave watching a movie. Peter and Gar were asleep by 9, exhausted from the long day. Wally pushed Peter's hair away from his eyes to make sure he was asleep, and Megan did the same to Gar, who had turned back into his human form when he fell asleep. "It takes conscious effort to maintain a form, especially when you're new at it," she explained.
"Well, I think the day was a success," Zatanna mentioned, setting the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and moving so she wasn't leaning on Robin. The Boy Wonder stretched when she moved, rubbing his arm lightly.
"Yeah, I don't think he stopped smiling for a second the whole day," Artemis replied, looking at Megan.
The Martian let out a satisfied sigh and rested her head on Conner's shoulder. "I think he had fun. And he was really excited about being let on the team. Thanks for agreeing to it."
"We did not agree to it based upon nothing. Garfield earned his place among us," Kaldur said.
"Yeah, he's gotten really good since he started coming to the cave," Robin said. He shifted his gaze to Mallory and added, "They both have."
Mallory sighed and sat up a little straighter, her shoulder hitting Wally's. The couch was getting really crowded these days. "Look, we already talked about this. If Peter says anything, I'll handle it, but I don't want him getting caught up in this. He's too young to understand what he'd be saying yes to, and I don't want him putting himself in danger. Besides, I know my parents don't want another kid doing this, and if they find out he wants to, they might not let him come to the cave anymore."
"Ok, it's your decision. I'm just saying, he's good, and it's going to be hard to keep telling him that he can't be on the team when we let Gar on, and Peter's the better fighter of the two," Robin explained.
Mallory sighed. "I know, ok? I thought about that before we agreed to let Gar on. Look, can we just get the boys to bed? I don't want them waking up and hearing this."
Robin nodded, and Mallory stood to carry her brother to her room. "I'll get him," Wally offered, and Conner got up to get Gar. "You can put them in Gar's room," Megan told them, and they nodded and carried the sleeping boys off to the rooms.
"I guess I'm gonna head out," Robin said after a minute.
"You want to patrol?" Zatanna asked, her eyes sparkling suspiciously.
Mallory and Artemis exchanged a glance, and the archer rolled her eyes. "You know, he can stay over without the two of you making excuses about it," she said.
Zatanna smiled sheepishly and Robin blushed. "No, I think I'm gonna just go," he said, and stumbled over everyone's legs on his way to the zeta tube. When he disappeared, the girls chuckled, and Kaldur and Garth exchanged a look.
"Well, I think it's time for us to go," Garth said, standing up. Kaldur followed his lead, and the two of them went to their rooms at the cave. The girls moved closer together, and Zatanna pulled her legs onto the couch, getting comfortable.
"So, how long have you guys known?" she asked.
Artemis chuckled, and Mallory smiled and said, "Oh, come on, Z. You know how small the cave can be. We've known since the first time."
Zatanna raised her eyebrows in surprise, but she accepted the answer and smiled, almost shyly.
"Ok, so do we want to talk about Gar's birthday?" she asked.
"You know, I'm good. I'd rather hear about what's going on with you," Raquel replied.
Zatanna laughed and shook her head. "Can we please talk about someone else's relationship?" she asked, looking at the other girls. Megan opened her mouth, but Artemis shook her head.
"Sorry, Megan, but you and Conner don't really count. Everyone knows everything about the two of you already."
Megan tilted her head. "No, you don't," she said, playful defensiveness in her tone.
"Sorry, Miss M, but yeah, we do," Raquel told her. Megan laughed and sat back in her seat.
"Well, I actually do have some news," Artemis said, a little hesitantly. Mallory leaned forward, interested. "Well?" Zatanna said, probing gently. They all knew Artemis wasn't the best at sharing, and sometimes she needed the extra encouragement. "Well, Wally and I have been together for two and a half years, and, well, now that we're out of high school, we're thinking it might be time to take the next step."
"Artemis, that is wonderful!" Tula exclaimed.
Artemis laughed quietly. "Yeah, thanks. We're not going to rush into anything, but we're talking about starting to look for a place together."
Mallory hugged her friend, and Artemis smiled. "Artemis, that's great. No wonder Wally's been so happy lately."
"Hey, nothing's definite yet. And he hasn't told his parents yet, so don't let it slip if you see them," she said, looking at Mallory.
Mallory shook her head. "Don't worry, I won't. But do you really think his folks'll let him move out? I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but you're both pretty young."
"We're eighteen, that's old enough. Besides, when we get our place, we'll be getting it by Stanford, so it isn't going to be anything permanent. And it's better than us sneaking around all the time."
"How does your mom feel about it? Have you told her?" Zatanna asked.
"No, I didn't tell her, but she can't exactly stop me. At least I stayed until I'm eighteen. That's more than my sister did."
Mallory and Megan exchanged a glance, and Megan put a hand on Artemis's arm. "Is everything ok with your mom? You sound kind of mad at her," she said.
Artemis sighed and shook her head. "No, not at my mom. I found a box of chocolates on my bed the other day with a card from my dad. It said that they were a late birthday present." No one said anything for a moment, and Artemis shook her head and smiled. "But I'm not going there. I want to think about my future, not my past. Anyway, enough of me. What about you, Raquel? How's Darius?"
Raquel smiled. "It's good. Things are getting kind of serious. We've been talking about where we want the relationship to go once things get a little settled. His parents just split, so he doesn't want to do anything until everything's settled with that." Mallory smiled. She was glad, Darius was good for her friend. He was calm and sensible, and he'd always been understanding about her second life.
"Tula? You have anything to share?" Zatanna asked.
Tula smiled shyly, and the girls looked at her encouragingly. "Well," she said slowly, "Garth and I have been thinking about how committed we are to the team."
"What?!" Zatanna asked sitting up straighter.
"Oh, do not worry, we will not quit tomorrow or anything, but, well, I do not think either of us thought about doing this long term. When Kaldur brought it up to us, Garth and I thought we were just going to be doing it for a few months, as a favor, you know, since Inferno took her leave of absence. Then we started to actually like it, and all of you. But it has been hard, being away from Atlantis and all. I do not know how Kaldur does it. I do not know how any of you do it," she said, looking around.
Mallory looked at the floor, thinking of all the sacrifices she'd had to make to be Inferno. Truth was, she didn't mind not living with her parents too much. Living at the cave was simpler, and that was what she needed now more than ever.
"So, when do you think you're going to leave?" Megan asked.
Tula shook her head. "Do not worry, it will not be for a while. I mean, we don't even know if we are going to leave for sure. I just thought you should know."
A silence followed, and for a moment Mallory was tempted to let it slip about her day with Isaiah all those months ago. It hadn't been anything, they hadn't kissed or anything, but she could still see the look in his eyes when they were talking on the roof, and if she thought about it long enough, she could feel the ache in her chest, the missing piece that she couldn't seem to fill.
"Mal, you ok?" Zatanna asked. Mallory looked up to see them all looking at her.
"I hope you don't mind us talking about our boyfriends like this," Rocket said, and Tula added, "it was insensitive of us. I'm sorry."
Mallory shook her head firmly and smiled. "No, oh, come on, guys. I love hearing about your stuff. I'm fine, really. You don't have to treat me like I'm made of glass or something. I'm single, not dying." Zatanna smiled at her, her eyes looking almost sad. Mallory pushed herself to her feet. "I'm gonna go to bed, I have to get up early tomorrow and patrol."
The other girls got up too. "Ugh, I'm exhausted. I've been in firefights that were less tiring than today," Rocket said.
Artemis laughed. "Yeah, you're not kidding. Hey, where'd Wally go? He never came back from taking Peter to bed."
Mallory looked towards the rooms. "Maybe he decided to spend the night here," she mentioned.
"Yeah, maybe. Listen, when you see him, tell him I'm gonna be in Central tomorrow, I'll see him then," Artemis told Mallory. She nodded and told her friends goodbye and went to her room to get some much needed sleep.
Mallory woke up at 4:30 the next morning. She decided to just get up, so she took a quick shower, using the black shampoo, and got dressed. She was in the kitchen looking for something to eat when a voice said, "we need to talk."
She jumped and turned to see her brother standing in the doorway. She sighed, annoyed at Robin for turning her little brother into a ninja, and leaned against the island. "I know," she replied.
He walked over to her, and it struck her how grown up he seemed, even at 8. He slid onto a stool, and Mallory gestured to the cereal box she'd pulled out. He shrugged, and she poured a bowl and handed it to him. He stared at the bowl for a moment.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were gonna let Gar join the team?" he asked quietly.
"Because it was a surprise," Mallory replied lightly, but she knew he wouldn't accept the answer.
"Is that the reason, or did you not want me to ask to join too?" he asked, raising his eyes to meet hers.
Mallory sighed and pushed her bowl away, suddenly not hungry anymore. "Peter, you don't have any practical experience in the field. You couldn't join the team regardless."
"I'm only inexperienced because you won't let me go in the field!" he said, raising his voice a little.
"Peter, you know mom and dad would freak if they found out that you're even training," she pointed out.
He shook his head firmly. "It wouldn't be hard to convince them if you and Wally were on my side," he said.
Mallory sighed. He had a point. "You're too young to make a decision this big," she told him.
He tried to raise an eyebrow like she did, but he ended up making a weird face instead, his eyes half closed and his eyebrows scrunched together. Mallory ignored it, knowing what he'd meant to do. "What?" she asked.
"Well, you were on your own in Metropolis when you were my age," he said.
Mallory shook her head. "I was ten, and I had powers. It's a lot different having something to use as backup or a fast getaway and going in with nothing but your bare hands."
"Robin started when he was eight," he said.
"Robin doesn't count. Batman's not exactly the model mentor. Don't tell him I said that, though."
Peter smiled a little, and Mallory took that as encouragement. She walked around the counter and sat in the stool next to him. "Look, Peter, I know you're getting good at fighting and all, I really do. But training here in the cave with your friends is a whole lot different than being out in the streets fighting criminals, and I'm just not ready to see you marching off to face dangers that you might not be able to walk away from."
"What about you?" Peter said.
"What about me?" she asked.
"You go out in the field, and you're always fine," he said.
Mallory sighed. "I don't know that I will be until the mission's over and I'm back in the cave. Peter, that's what I'm trying to tell you, this isn't some game that we like to play. People get hurt out there, people get killed. And I don't want you to be one of those people. You're my little brother. I'm supposed to be protecting you."
Peter sighed and gave her a smile that was remarkably close to the one Robin used to use when he wanted to play on the team's emotions. "You know, you can't treat me like I'm a kid forever," he said quietly.
Mallory smiled a little and brushed some hair out of his face. "No, but I will for as long as I can," she told him. He kept his eyes on her, and she suddenly realized why Lois complained about her eyes when she was trying to get something she wanted, usually the truth. They had a puppy-like effect, mixed with a look that seemed to pierce through all a person's layers and see into their soul. She wondered when he'd picked that up.
"Please, Mallory? Just let me come on a patrol with you and let me show you that I don't need you to protect me. I know I can handle myself out there, I just need you to trust me."
Mallory sighed, debating what to do in her head. She wanted to say no so bad, she wanted to keep her little brother safe from all of the dangers in the world, from anything and everything that could ever hurt him. But she knew that wasn't fair to him, and with her death looming somewhere in her future, she also knew she wouldn't always be able to protect him. Besides, he would probably find a way to patrol on his own, so it might be better for her to let him go with her for some very supervised training. "I'll think about it," she told him, and she nodded to his cereal and added, "now eat, before that turns to mush."
Peter grinned and dug his spoon in, shoveling the first few bites into his mouth. Mallory shook her head, smiling, and stood up, planting a kiss on the top of his head before going to the zeta tube to start patrolling.
I really like the way this chapter came out, so I'd love some reviews on it!