I wrote this chapter listening to "Rat a Tat" By Fallout Boy.
The sound of an elastic ball bouncing echoed through the quiet streets; the sound of rapid footsteps and children yelling followed suit.
A little boy named Henry Jackson was racing down the court, dribbling the ball to the beat of his heart, hell on his heels, selfishly keeping the ball to himself for glory if his plan pulled through.
Eyes locked, arms ready, he held the ball firmly within his tiny grasp, taking the two steps before his legs lifted him far into the air, and like a machine that has performed the movement a thousand times, he raised his arms and took his shot.
The trajectory of the ball was perfectly aligned.
The speed was what he had aimed for.
By all indications within his child-like mind, it was going to go in. His expression grew from one of seriousness to a celebratory one as he got excited, a proud smile plastered on his face.
"Nah."
Henry stopped his celebration upon hearing those simple words.
He turned around in shock as his hazel eyes met blue ones.
Peter had caught the ball and with an overly self-assured smirk on his face, he tilted his head and simply said:
"You didn't think it'd be that easy, did ya?"
Chapter 10.2: Rat a Tat
With his ego hurt, Henry made an attempt to challenge Peter but he simply weaved through Henry when he attempted to take the ball. Tyler then tried to make a move immediately after this though, which forced Peter to spin around the young boy as Tyler tried swiping the ball from him but not one to be a bystander, Leah joined in and tried taking the ball from Peter mid-spin.
The game was reduced to the three children trying to take the ball from Peter, who elegantly danced around them, a big smile on his face as he toyed with them. He got so cocky that he started doing freestyle tricks which completely baffled the three children. He crossed, he twitched, he even delayed his movements, breaking their brains.
They stumbled, they fell, they recovered and tried again.
As they tried taking the ball from his hands, in a blink, it would be in another, and eventually, Peter decided to confuse them by doing back dribbles and tricks from behind the back.
It worked because they eventually lost track due to the ball no longer being in his possession. They looked at Peter, wondering if this was another trick, but he gave a shrug, for he was just as confused as they were.
Where had the ball gone?
The sound of hard elastic hitting the ground behind them had reached their ears.
The three children managed to turn around just in time to see their defenseman, Lamar, fruitlessly chasing after Laura, who was mid-air, in the process of dunking the ball.
Their jaws dropped with the ball as it fell down through the net, earning another goal for team Peter and Laura.
Peter held his stomach as he burst out laughing.
Laura simply rolled her eyes as she travelled back to her side. Peter's trick on the children was far too flashy.
"Must you show off?" Laura asked as she and Peter got ready for the next round.
"No," Peter casually said, "But it's like half the fun," he finished with a laugh.
Laura shook her head in response to this, but that didn't stop the corner of her lips from softening and the pounding of her heart.
She snorted in the next round as Peter was left utterly dumbfounded upon having the ball taken from him in the middle of a trick.
Served him right.
The children got points that round and the one after that.
She tried to recover points by scoring, for she was not fond of losing.
There were issues with how she scored though.
Apparently, it was against the rules to start a round by scoring.
She did not know that.
Now there were new rules.
She and Peter had to pass the ball twice in order to score.
"Goth-Girl!" Peter called out as he passed the ball to her.
He had just stolen the ball from the children, and upon catching it, Laura made her way towards their half of the court with no effort or contest, for she was faster than those who opposed her.
She looked to the right side of the court where Peter was, not surprised by the overconfidence he displayed by running backwards.
They locked eyes, and she passed the ball to him.
He caught it with a devilish smile, but that quickly changed as he tripped when trying to turn around. He fell, face first, on the hard pavement beneath them, the ball leaving his grasp and 'randomly' approaching the children who took the opportunity and scored.
Laura was surprised upon seeing Peter make such a clumsy mistake.
With his powers and experience, such a fluke-
Peter sat up and smiled as he watched the children cheer upon scoring.
Laura's surprise quickly faded away.
She should have expected his "fluke."
Logan was still inside his spot in the Parker dining room, quietly enjoying the pie he immensely enjoyed. The others had moved to the living room once more, finalizing the enrollment by having his aunt sign the papers for guardianship and things like that.
He cleaned up his plate, gobbling what was left of the mixture of cherry pie and whipped cream which was on his plate before looking to grab some more. Plenty of pieces remained, reserved for the two teens who were still strangely absent. The Parker kid and Laura had left to get milk to replace the expired one Parker had mistakenly bought. It had been about half an hour, and yet, the two were still gone.
He could detect they were nearby through his nose, but what were they doing?
He shook his head; it was none of his business.
He looked back at the pieces of pie reserved for Parker and half contemplated eating it, with that half contemplation turning into full intention. He took the portion given to him, halving Parker's own, before putting whipped cream over it and gobbling it in a matter of seconds with great pleasure.
He breathed in deeply through his nose and sighed as he got up.
"Damn, that pie was good," He thought as he tucked his chair in.
If he could get more of that pie, he could certainly stand the Parker kid's incessant 'jokes.'
He furrowed his brow as the scent of Nick Fury filled his nose once more.
He noticed that scent the moment he walked into the house; it was faint, as usual when it came to Fury, but still present, meaning he left something within the kid's care.
Probably relating to the whole Wilson Fisk shit he, Laura, and the other costumed heroes would deal with.
It was none of his business.
He found himself inside Peter's room shortly after that previous thought.
He grumbled; he was horrible at minding his own business.
He let out a sniff, trying to locate and find out what Fury had left. With the smell of paper and plastic intertwined with it, he knew it was a document of some kind, holding information most likely classified at the highest level.
He went down on his knees, finding out that the folder was hidden underneath his bed. He scowled slightly as the smell of dried blood hit his nose when he raised the sheets, hiding what lay underneath Peter's bed.
There were used bandages dried with blood hidden underneath his bed, not too far from the folder.
They were laced with Laura's scent, which surprised Logan.
She was a superhero and was now playing nurse for the Parker kid.
What the hell else was she going to be doing next? He asked himself as he grabbed the folder and stood up with it.
He ignored the printed S.H.I.E.L.D. logo and the red stamp over it and went right into its contents. With each page turn, his eyes grew wider and wider until…
"Shit…" he mumbled.
He should've just stayed downstairs.
He read through most of the document before returning it, gaining all the essential details.
To avoid being caught snooping, he flushed the toilet in the bathroom before descending to the lower floor, a sour look on his face as he pondered his thoughts. Though the contents of the folder were severe, they weren't what annoyed him; what troubled him was why he went through them.
If he just looked at the folder for Laura's sake, he would understand it a little, but it wasn't just for her, but for Parker's sake too.
Was it because he cared about Laura and that she cared about him, which made his mind command him to know what they were up against? Why was his mere appearance gnawing at the back of his mind and consciousness? It was as if his mind was growling at him, viscously snarling at him for not knowing why? But what the hell was he supposed to know? He asked himself as his gaze instinctively fell on one of the many photos which hung on the wall beside him.
He shook his head in annoyance as a headache started to set in.
He needed booze.
Instead, he got Ororo, who had just entered the house once more after being gone for some time.
"And where have you been, Ro'?" He asked his friend, hoping it would help him get his mind off things.
"Well, I would tell you, but I think it would be better if I just showed you instead," Ororo cryptically said with a smile as she beckoned Logan to follow her.
Logan raised a brow, wondering what this was all about, already not a big fan of cryptics.
"That is... if you aren't doing anything, of course," She politely told Logan, who she knew was not doing anything.
Logan sighed as he put his hands within his pockets, "Eh…sure… beat's waiting on them," he admitted as he nudged his head towards The Professor's way. "But can you at least tell me what we'll be doing for once instead of being mysterious all the damn time?" Logan added, openly displaying his annoyance with cryptic answers.
He was too old for that.
Ororo chuckled, "But where would the fun in that be?"
"It is quite a sight, isn't it?" Ororo asked as she watched the scene before them with amused eyes while Logan was still comprehending it.
Laura and Parker were playing basketball with children.
Laura Kinney, X-23, one of the most dangerous assassins in the world, was playing basketball.
She had just blocked a shot and was currently running down the 'court' with Parker ahead of her. The children they were facing had made attempts to take the ball from her, but she gracefully danced around them, giving them multiple chances to take the ball only to take it away. Her movements were not nearly as smooth as Peter's though; holding herself back to allow the children to stand a chance was not something she had ever done before.
She got the idea from Peter, who gave them several chances to take it from him, which gave them hope of being able to take it; it was like gambler's fallacy, though not random, the children believed that their chances of taking the ball were getting larger based on their previous attempts.
It was fun for them.
She passed the ball towards Peter, who had a broad smile on his face as an idea came to mind.
He caught the ball, and as one of the boys went to take it from him, he circled the ball around the impulsive child's head, making him believe that he had passed it to Laura, only for the light bounce of it off his back to inform him that Peter still had it.
Peter had a smile that displayed he was having too much fun with this, and while dribbling the ball, he used his other hand to cover his eyes before looking away, daring the children to come and get it.
And they took him up on his dare.
Soon enough, Peter, with one hand, and no eyes, was fending off the little fiends who wished to take his ball with ease. His tricks had gotten more eccentric. He was crossing and dribbling with much more extra movements, blatantly doing things that only the greatest of players could do.
She did have to admit, though, his showmanship was making things more entertaining than they already were.
Eventually, he did a trick with the ball landing on his fingertip. Knowing that he was setting her up, she ran up to him, grabbing the ball from his hand and dunking the ball.
But unlike the other times when she simply did it, she copied a move from Peter and put it in between her legs first before putting it through the net
"Did she just do an Eastbay?" Logan asked himself as he watched her come back onto the ground.
The children looked at her in awe, and Peter merely put his hands on his waist as he locked eyes with Laura.
"Did you really have to do that?" he asked her with a smirk.
"No," Laura simply said softly, with a slight curvature at the edge of her mouth.
Peter let out a chuckle as they both returned to their sides to continue their game.
"She's…" Logan began to say as he had his eyes glued on Laura's figure.
"She's having fun," Ororo stated with a pleasant smile as they watched the children slowly move away from their net and prepare their counterattack.
Logan let Ororo speak for him as he watched Laura. She had managed to snatch the ball from them. Her face had a softer look on it, devoid of all attempts to keep it stoic. She managed to grab the ball from the children and passed it to Peter, only for him to fail to catch it and have it hit him square in the face. He recoiled in mock, poorly acted-pain before he fell flat on his ass. The children had once again gained possession of the ball and passed it towards one another hastily with the idea that Laura couldn't steal it before eventually scoring on the two teens yet again.
She did not bother contesting them.
If the Parker kid's poor acting wasn't a giveaway, the fact that she did not have the ball within her grasp ten out of the ten times showed that both Laura and Parker were letting the children win.
However, she did it in a manner that didn't embarrass herself.
She had gone to make a gesture to try and help him up but immediately retracted her hand before it even left her side as she felt the gazes of the children fall on them, as they made fun of Peter with joy and fun written all over their faces.
Instead, she opted to shake her head at Peter, judging him for his less-than-stellar acting skills.
"I didn't know you were an acting critic," Peter said as he dusted himself off.
"I am a master actor," Laura stated, as acting fell under a category of deception.
"What aren't you a master of?" Peter asked as they made it back to their sides.
"Losing," she stated confidently.
Peter chuckled, "Well, let's hope we cancel each other out then cause I'm a master at that."
"Hmmm," she simply responded.
"How long have they been at this?" Logan asked as he looked at the woman who stood beside him.
"About twenty minutes," Ororo stated. She had left the house initially to observe and smell Mrs. Parker's fantastic Garden, but her ears had caught the sound of children playing sports, and the woman couldn't help but take a glance.
Much to her surprise, she found that the cause of such joy was Peter Parker and Laura Kinney.
"You know Logan…" she began to say as a nostalgic smile hit her face, which did not go unnoticed by the smaller man who accompanied her, "Me and this boy…we would always play soccer with the neighboring kids…and just like Mr. Parker, he would always let them win," Ororo said with a soft smile.
"Did he also make himself look stupid?" Logan asked with a snort as he watched Peter fumble yet again.
"Not intentionally, no," Ororo commented with a small laugh, "Nevertheless, Mr. Parker reminds me a lot of him," Ororo said as she looked at him with fondness and nostalgia.
She turned her attention back to her hairy companion as Peter and Laura made it back to their sides after scoring another goal, despite Peter's earlier fumble.
"You think she's ready?" Ororo asked her friend.
Logan sighed as he thought about Ororo's question, Laura's behavior with the others, and her behavior with Peter.
"I dunno…I don't think she'd be a team player with the others. I doubt she'd even take orders from Summers…" Logan said as he thought about the brown-haired pain in his ass.
"You don't take orders from Summers," Ororo commented with a short and soft laugh.
"Yeah, and you know where she comes from?" Logan rhetorically asked with a snort.
"I do…" Ororo said softly as she briefly turned her attention back to her friend before returning it to the game. "Is that why you expect the worst from her?" She said as she watched the raven-haired girl.
Logan scratched his mutton chops, "It's why I did, but… now…I dunno what to expect…"
"From her or yourself?" Ororo stated, finishing his sentence.
Logan didn't respond.
"Maybe we can run a couple simulations with her once she gets back," Ororo recommended, which prompted him to shake his head.
"She'll be getting back late… but…we can try it out tomorrow though. Parker will be arriving in the morning anyways; maybe, it could go smoothly with him there," Logan said as she watched her pass the ball to him, emphasizing the word 'maybe.'
Laura was not one to hold back because he was not one to hold back. Even in a simple streetball game, he noticed her difficulties of not using her abilities to the fullest.
If she were to go and do simulations with the others, who were mostly significantly inexperienced and not nearly as skilled as her, two things might happen: She might just end the simulation herself, or, she might end it herself and get angry at the others.
Peter Parker had the experience, however, and the capabilities to keep up with her.
Not to mention he had something else too.
"If the news is correct, though, Spider-Man is kind of a loner," Ororo pointed out as she tried doing research on the webbed-wonder once news of him being a mutant reached her ears.
"Well, the two can clearly work together, and that's fine with me," Logan stated as he sighed before putting his hands in his pockets.
"It won't be fine with Scott," Ororo said with an amused, gentle laugh.
"Yeah, well, he can kiss my hairy ass once he's done with Chucks," Logan said as he blew off her statement and decided to walk back to the house.
Ororo rolled her eyes.
"You're not staying for the finale?" She asked as she saw the form of Logan get even smaller as he walked away.
"Eh…Leave her," Logan said as he took one hand out of his pocket to make a waving gesture. He didn't bother turning around to face Ororo, "Don't think she'd like it too much if she caught us watching her like this."
Ororo contemplated his words, giving the game and the teenage duo one last look before following Logan back to the house.
Logan was right.
Besides, she knew how this would play out.
Laura briefly looked down the empty street before returning to the game. It was match point now, and the children were slowly coming down to their side as they planned out their victory.
"Don't win too hard," Peter said to her with a smile as he challenged the kid one last time in the twilight hours of the game. She paused, contemplating his words, before following suit.
Henry had begun passing the ball to his friends slowly, not wanting to ruin his chances of winning due to his ego. They all stared Peter in the eye as they passed the ball between them. It was like a cowboy stand off, as they waited on the other to act, Peter could swear he could see a tumbleweed in the background.
A car horn going off in the back prompted them to make their move, and instantaneously, Peter had the ball in his grasp once more. He moved toward the enemy net, the kid's behind him desperately trying to give chase. They pulled on his shirt in a folly attempt to slow him, but he managed to pass the ball to Laura, who was parallel to him.
They let go to chase her, but she effortlessly avoided their moves and passed it back to Peter.
She watched him trip, screwing up on his shot on their net, the ball hitting the backboard and heading in her direction.
She caught it and re-oriented herself for the perfect shot before…
…She had accidentally stepped with the side of her foot, stumbling and missing her shot.
It hit the back of the rim, bouncing vertically up before landing right in front of the kids who were chasing her. Surprised, caught off guard, and not expecting a fluke coming from her, they paused in shock, surprise, and hope, before claiming the ball for themselves.
With no one to give chase, they passed it amongst themselves until it fell inside the hands of the only girl on their team, Leah. With her brother and his friends urging her to score, she used their hopes to give her power and lift her up farther than ever.
And with a large smile on her face, she dunked the ball within the net, winning the game against the two teens who were left in the dust.
When she landed, she was overwhelmed with praise and hugs as her friends gathered around her, cheering her and each other on as they let out a collective roar upon their moment of triumph over Peter, who did nothing but show off, and Laura, who was seemingly an unstoppable and uncontestable force.
From his spot on the ground, Peter turned his attention to Laura, a confused look written on his face as he looked at her. She uncharacteristically stumbled, missing the shot and almost tripping in the process.
Last time he checked Laura was a master…
"…Actor…" he thought as he watched her look at a group of cheering kids with praise with a small smile that brightened her pale and petite face.
She turned her attention onto Peter and made her way towards him as the children started to recollect the previous' plays' they had made throughout the game.
"I thought you were a master of not losing?" Peter said with a stupidly large grin on his face.
"Unfortunately, I am tied down with you," She stated in her typical flat and harsh voice, "Besides…it is better this way..," she stated as both she and Peter looked on at the children who laughed with each other, "...it is… fun… this way," Laura said as she let out a gentle smile towards Peter which made everything in his body stop.
Peter let out a brief chuckle.
He shouldn't have expected anything else from her.
He returned her smile with one of his own.
He turned his head around to admire the sight of a happy crowd but Laura kept her gaze on him as she moved.
Hearing the shifting of movement, Peter brought his attention back onto Laura, but doing so caused him to freeze in surprise
Laura was bent over, her face near his as she slowly but surely extended out her hand towards him. With the sun shining above her and its bright light reflecting off her emerald eyes, Peter found himself captivated by her figure.
"Are you going to get up? or are you planning on sitting there all day?" Laura impatiently asked with a furrowed brow, for she wasn't used to doing such gestures and hoped he'd take her hand as fast as possible.
Realizing that he had been staring, obviously flustered, Peter's cheeks soon turned a shade of pink as he took Laura's hand while struggling to maintain eye contact.
Laura pulled Peter back onto his feet and he immediately went to dust himself off as she returned her hand to her side, questioning her action.
"Thanks," Peter genuinely said, which caused Laura to look at him and be met with his gentle smile.
She merely crossed her arms and looked away from him and back to the children.
Peter let out a small amused breath and shook his head before putting his fists on his waist and doing the same.
Yo, looking back and reviewing all my previous chapters especially the 8th one, yo why the fuck do i have 200+ favs and followers?
Anyways, I've corrected like 90% of it, there will always be errors I am blind too but the wrost offenders are gone.
Regardless, I promise to do better and give you guys high quality chapters.
I'm glad you've been enjoying these more light hearted stories, but for ones wanting it to get serious, the Ring has been prepped, I've been cooking on how to do the side characters for the superhero side and I think I know how to do it in a good ass way. I was initally going to have like 3 plots going on kinda like how when you come back to school from vacation or don't do your homework and realize you have 20 things to do, but now I've settled to have one plot, with subplots for set up. What do you guys think though? do you want me to continue on this approach or do you want the chaotic, 3 subplot shit?
Anyways, If you guys ever want to pm, this website sucks, Heres my alt discord account so you can message me: Forget the Hyphen#7097
Do any sus stuff I'll block you.
Anyways, Special Thanks to Mr. Starman, John Spider Fiction (who's offered to make a spiffy drawing that im excited to see,) and ayerdehoy who wants to translate my giant mess.
Have a good one.