The Greatest of Them All

by Kazama Yokaze

Peter was tired of being the universe's punching bag. Couldn't the poor guy catch a break? After the events of Kindred, a nice calming patrol seems like a great idea. Nothing could go wrong so soon after right? Norman is reformed, Kingpin as far as he knows is keeping his hands clean. No super world ending events on the horizon...a patrol sounds nice. After all what could go wrong?

16. First Dates

I am still here. Explanation at the bottom. But first, chapter. I can only hope it was worth the wait.
And also, thank you to all of you who waited patiently.

---

Peter Parker - Parker Industries

Peter sighed to himself as he went over his pre-made schematics for future villains. After yesterday's emotion-filled evening and an empty bed - Peter assumed it had to do with Death speaking with Umar and Clea about something in relation to asking for more of his time - he wanted to distract himself from both worrying about Silver, who asked for more time to process things on her own, and his discomfort at losing out on bedmates for a night. He was blaming the latter on the fact that he had nothing to distract him from thoughts of Silver. There was no way he was missing the feeling of their soft warm bod– Yeah nope he was going to stop that line of thinking.

Snkt

"Good morning Peter." Ernst's gruff voice greeted, causing Peter to lift his head where he was greeted with a warm smile. The man was wearing the standard Sable International uniform, as he was on duty. Something Silver always seemed to be wearing.

'Wait, with her words from last night that would make sense. She probably felt like she was always on duty around me… Or at least felt like she had to be…' He sighed internally before greeting the elder Sablinova. "Good morning Ernst. Stopping by to do the rounds, or something else? I heard Walter and Black wanted to keep you on your toes today. Heard they might even get Felicia involved." Peter said with a grin.

Ernst snorted. "I'm ready for them, though I am curious to see if that little kitten has developed any claws. I know she and Silver have a little rivalry going. And if Silver's not careful she'll learn to respect felines more."

Peter quirked an eyebrow. "I know Felicia likes to tease Silver, but I always thought it was one-sided."

Ernst chuckled and shook his head. "No, Silver for all her professionalism still lets Felicia get to her, rare as it may be. She's tried ignoring her, and in fact I'm sure she still does. But she does so by actively pushing thoughts of her away when she's not nearby. Not a great thing to be doing when you know a person is an adversary, no matter how benign. Anyways," The man turned to walk out the room. "You guessed right, just doing the rounds since your floor is a likely target. Have a nice day Peter!"

Peter smiled, waving goodbye. "Thanks, you too!."

Snkt

Now what was he supposed to do? He took a glance at the current schematic he had up, a recreation of the machine used to de-power Electro, just in a mobile platform. 'To be honest, this is almost child's play to come up with, not much of a distraction.'

He sighed, should he try to plan for Cindy's release? The blueprints for Cindy's and his masks were ready, they just needed to be created, but he was hesitant to do so because of two things. One, Natasha's words were ringing through his head about Morlun and he had to seriously ask himself if he was ready to deal with the parasite so soon - potentially subjecting himself to a foe that has been shown to continuously come back even if he was confident he could deal with him. And two, unless Parker Industries absorbs WebCorps, Ezekiel was liable to disappear into the shadows, and Peter didn't have the time to go searching for the man. 'I still can't decide if I want to beat him to a pulp or try to convince him of Cindy being out and about being the better option… maybe both?'

A presence made itself known in his mind and he stilled. 'Hello?'

"Greetings, my Champion. I wanted to relay to you that Clea and Umar are requesting to be courted in Earth's most popular custom.'

'Uh, so a date?'

'Correct.'

'... I guess this is what you decided to speak about with them yesterday? And did it really take all night?'

Death laughed. 'Yes. Umar specifically was perplexed about the need for this type of activity in the first place. I had to explain to her why it was a courting custom. Along with the many possible activities. She and Clea have both chosen to let you choose said activity. They also are asking you to choose the time. Understanding that you may choose to patrol first or not.'

Peter raised an eyebrow, not sure if she could see it. 'Wait, I can choose the time? Like right now even? They wouldn't be angry about that?'

'Is there a reason they should be if you wanted to do so now? Both of them have a lot more free time in comparison to you, it's only logical that you set the time to spend together.'

'I guess that makes sense, I just didn't want to possibly offend them if I didn't choose to go out with them first…'

Death laughed. 'Peter. You worry too much. Now, I'll give you time to think over your decision, simply call out to me as you did before and I'll answer to relay your plans. With that, I will speak with you later.'

'You got i–'

Peter paused, feeling his phone vibrate.

'Uh, I'm getting a phone call, but I'll let you know what I've decided.'

'Thank you.' With those words Peter felt as Death's presence left his mind.

Looking at the caller ID Peter had to hold back a jolt at seeing the name 'Nancy Rushman' appear. 'Okay, so it's just Natasha…'

"Peter speaking."

"Peter?" Natasha asked. "It's me, Natasha. Sorry I was–"

"–Using your cover identity? Yeah I know. That's why I answered. I'm guessing SHIELD hasn't issued you a number like Val's then?"

"... Yes. I assume I shared my cover identity with you then before?"

Peter paused, quickly flashing through his time with Nancy the school teacher. "Yeah you could say that." 'Does it count if your cover identity had a persona itself? Eh semantics.'

"That's… Well, I must have trusted you a great deal. In regards to my call though, I want to preface that I am still aware of our previous conversation, however after your recent admission that your… Spider-sense? I believe that's what you called it. Sorry, anyways after your admission that your Spider-sense activates if someone is watching you even through recording devices, but not with recording devices alone, Val and I were in agreement." She paused, and Peter heard some shuffling. "We've requested a SHIELD training facility here in New York for the entire day."

"YOU'RE FUCKING LUCKY ABOUT THAT SPIDER-MAN! I WAS GONNA SHOW OFF MY MOVES WITH MY BOW!" A man yelled at the other end of the phone.

"Uh, was that Clint? Wait, you're there already? But I swore I saw you following me to Parker Industries." Peter asked.

Natasha hummed. "I did. Val was the one who filled out the paperwork and commandeered it from Agent Barton–"

"Benefits of having a higher security clearance" Val's smug voice cut in.

"Oh hardy har har." Clint snarked.

Natasha sighed. "When it was ready I decided to head here and train myself for the remainder of the day."

Peter frowned. "So that means?"

The spy sighed again. "Val and I would like for you to spend the day here training… But if you'd rather not that's also fine, but we'll be staying here for today. You'll have no SHIELD overwatch."

Peter had to pause, wondering if he guessed what was happening correctly.

"Are you trying to guilt trip me?"

"Yes." Natasha replied, stopping Peter short. Who admits to guilt tripping? "I won't insult your intelligence by denying that fact, but without getting into an argument you should realize that both Val and I agree that your Spider-sense is probably the one thing you should train as soon as possible."

Peter scowled, not that Natasha could see it. "Yes, bu–"

"Peter. I said I don't want to argue, all I'll say is that if you take a moment to think on your reasoning I hope you can see the fault with that logic in regards to the current state of affairs. This is training, everyone you've ever known that has seen combat knows the importance of this. I refu– No, I apologize I said I didn't want to argue. Look, just, come to these coordinates whenever you want if you are willing to train. I hope regardless your day is fruitful. Goodbye."

Peter didn't get a chance to reply before the spy hung up. 'Wha– What am I supposed to do?' Did Natasha not understand that Peter didn't want to take the chance he'd miss out on saving someone? That said, he was aware that perhaps his hesitancy to actually do so might have to do with some emotional hang up… Natasha's logic was sound.

The young man let out another sigh.

Snkt

'What now?'

"Is this a bad time?" Tessa asked, a frown present on her face as she stepped into his office.

"What? No, no you're fine Tess. I just have some personal stuff going on and got asked to do something I said I don't have time for." Peter shook his head and turned to look her in the eye. "What do you need from me?"

Instead of answering he was greeted with Tessa's face looking on in consternation before she paled and took a few steps back in shock.

Peter stood up. "Tess? What's wrong?"

The secretary shook her head. "I'm sorry, I just felt… faint." She cleared her throat before moving around to give him a quick hug. "What I came for can wait though. Also, it appears that Silver forgot her phone, one of the guards found it on patrol. I'll call her home phone and let her know to come pick it up."

Peter blinked in confusion. Did Silver forget her phone? 'I could have sworn she–'

Tessa sighed and shook her head, backing away from Peter a slight pained look on her face. "I should get going though, I'll come back another time okay?" Without waiting to hear his reply she left the office quickly, Peter's last view of her was of her quickly entering her own office before his door shut with another Snkt.

Peter groaned and rubbed his head. Was something going on with Tessa now as well? He shook his head, he could come back to her later. Worst comes to worst he might have to bribe her with her favorite chocolate and take her out to eat or something. He knew she wasn't someone to just come out and say what was bothering her. He'd make sure to remember it, for now he should go back to mulling over Natasha's offer.

Of course, there were Umar's and Clea's dates as well now on his mind… What to choose? He slumped with a sigh.

Well… it would probably be better if he went out with Umar and Clea first, there was no telling what could happen throughout the day and if he was out on a date he'd probably be nearer toward a scene… Wait, did he just decide to go on dates just to be able to possibly respond to an emergency faster… He'd get back to that later. But he was certainly rattled by that internal revelation.

'Hey Death are you listening?'

'Always my Champion.'

'Where am I meeting up with Umar and Clea? Am I taking them out at the same time or separately?'

'Meet us in your room, and despite their amiable relationship together, I think it would do you well to take them on separate dates Peter. You know should be trying to get to know them alone at a time.'

Peter nodded his head following her logic, he preferred that himself if he was being honest… though maybe group dates shouldn't be off the table 'Got it. I'll reach out again when I get to my room. Going to patrol what I can as I head home.'

'I look forward to it, my Champion.'

---

Tessa Fox - Parker Industries

There were a lot of things Tessa would call herself throughout her life.

Orphan, Survivor, Savior, Killer. But right now? She'd call herself a bitch. After all, what could her recent actions be named as anything other than bitchy? Not to mention what she planned to do now.

Tessa let out an internal sigh as she sat down at her desk and called Silver's cell.

"This is Sable." Silver answered tiredly. "Why are you calling me exactly on my vacation, is my father indisposed?"

"No," Tessa answered quickly, she sighed. "This is Tessa, Peter's secretary."

Silver drew a sharp breath. "Why didn't he call me directly? Does he need to speak with me?"

"No. I do."

"Why?"

"That's… while I trust Parker Industries encryption, discussing this over the phone is impersonal. Not something I want to establish for our first 'real' conversation."

"I'm sorry, real?"

"I want to talk to you about yesterday night."

Silver's breath hitched over the phone before she growled out. "If you read my mind, somehow, that's a gross breach of privacy."

Tessa sighed and closed her eyes. "It wasn't yours I read. So, is there a place you'd like to meet?"

---

Peter Parker - Peter's Room

'And another one– err three bites the dust!'

Peter had just arrived home for his dates after his mini-patrol. He felt vindicated concerning his and Natasha's not-argument, after: stopping a bike thief, saving a family from a burning building, and… helping an old lady cross the street. He paused the last one causing him to review his mini-patrol with more conscious thought. There was an on-duty cop ahead of where the thief was going, and firefighters were already at the burning apartment before the fire could really spread to be dangerous, and to be honest that old lady was more concerned with squeezing his bicep. In short, it reaffirmed Natasha's implied words. That New York could handle the 'small stuff' itself.

Could he have just asked Death to teleport him home then? Or just took his time swinging back?... No…of course not. What was he thinking?

He shook his head arriving into his room and quickly started to get changed, not noticing the three lovely women watching him undress.

"Very nice, my champion." Death said with a smoldering gaze.

"Yes, his glutes are mesmerizing." Umar nodded in agreement.

"My Queen!" Clea exclaimed, but did not turn away either.

Peter shrieked… in a manly way and turned around just now noticing the other occupants of the room.

He sighed seeing them, he must have been too lost in his thoughts and forgot. "That's… on me. I'm sorry but you all startled me." He decided to ignore their objectifying comments and quickly got dressed. Thankfully no one commented on his outburst, though he swore he saw Death smirking.

He composed himself after he was done."So, being honest. I'm not entirely sure who to take first. Is there an activity either of you are looking forward to? There might be a time constraint if that's the case." Peter asked toward the two literal otherworldly women in front of him. They were both sitting on his bed dressed in what would pass for modern clothing, a simple blouse and black pants, though both women also kept their respective color themes showcased by their shoes and shirts. Death, forever in her black dress, as well, was seated on his bed, but looked content to sit and watch the proceeding events.

"Clea will go first." Umar commanded, looking pointedly toward the younger woman.

Sighing, Clea nodded her head and stood up motioning her head toward the room's door. "Death explained that your room is enchanted to prevent anyone from entering until she removes it, and for us to be able to use the door as a teleportation gateway." She stopped before the door and looked sheepishly at Peter. "As for your first question, um, I'm not entirely sure myself. Death shared some common activities to perform on a date, but nothing exactly 'spoke' to me. I was actually hoping for you to choose something for us to do."

Peter mentally sighed. 'Well she is new to Earth. So…'

"How about we get a quick snack, and just eat? Get to know each other better, I'm sure I'll be able to think of a new activity to try after if you're up for it."

Clea smiled. "Sounds splendid my lo– I mean Peter."

'Oh that doesn't bode well.'

"So uh, I just think of a place?" Peter asked, turning to face Death with a quirked eyebrow. He received a nod in return. He turned to face the door again.

'Uh? I guess getting some food would be good to start. Maybe that cafe on…'

With that thought Peter opened his door to see… his bland hallway.

"Step through," Death said, noticing his confusion. Peter did, stepping into his hallway. He turned around, was Death jok– He was in the middle of the street. And based on how no one was staring at him in surprise he was likely transported seamlessly.

"Is something wrong Peter?" Clea asked from beside him.

Peter turned, shaking his head. "No, just the teleportation was delayed. I don't suppose you know how we'll be getting back?"

Clea blinked and hummed in thought. "I suppose that Death will transport us back when we are done. We can always ask her after." She perked up. "So, where are we going? There are a multitude of stores on this walkway and they all look interesting."

Peter nodded toward the nearest store, the cafe he was thinking about earlier. "Just right here. It's a cafe more near my home, but I think they still have some of the best cup o' Joe this side of Queens. Oh and can't forget the pastries. You ever had pastries?"

Following him Clea took the time to glance around curiously before responding. "I have not, no."

Peter nodded his head. "Thought so, come on." He led Clea to an empty table gesturing for her to sit and headed to the counter. Purchasing some drinks and an assortment of pastries, mainly donuts and cookies he headed back, smoothly presenting said purchases to the center of the table.

"Dig in." Peter said with a smile, before sitting down and grabbing a simple glazed donut.

Clea stared curiously for a second before tentatively grabbing her own donut and taking a bite. She perked up, a small rush of color rising to her cheeks. "This is very sweet." The sorceress said with a smile, taking another bite.

Peter simply continued smiling before eating more himself, content to spend a few minutes in companionable silence. Clea, as well, seemed content to stay in silence as she continuously tried everything else Peter brought, her eyes lighting up at each new sensation.

"So, how's life under Umar's rule?" Peter asked, deciding to get into the meat and potatoes of what a date should be, that is, getting to know your date.

Clea smiled. "It's similar to how it was under Dormammu's rule," The sorcerer hummed and nodded something to herself. "That said, there are differences as well in that without magical items that lord Dormammu eventually obtained from Earth, my queen compensated by being more aggressive in our expansion of the Dark Dimension. Our population is far larger now and due to the magic power taxes–"

Peter blinked before interrupting her. "I'm sorry magic power taxes?"

Clea nodded. "Yes. Umar decided that in lieu of her powers being halved to create me, on top of my conscription into our armed forces–" Splurt! She quirked an eyebrow at Peter, who was choking on his drink before waving his hand for her to continue. "–when I was of a suitable age, the denizens of the Dark Dimension would pay a tax with their magic reserves going forward. I was still a ball of flame at the time, but denizen accounts state they were glad to be contributing to the protection of the realm."

---

Clea

The man named Peter Parker was staring at her wide-eyed. "Uh, that's… surprising?"

Clea tilted her head. "Do you not approve?"

Peter grimaced. "I mean… kinda? I thought Umar would be a better ruler than Dormammu even if she seemed to have a conqueror mentality, but conscripting your own daughter to fight? And from my understanding of magic it's personal to everyone, are you sure your people are really fine with giving part of themselves to Umar however often these taxes are?"

The half-faltine hummed in response. "I believe this is what Mistress Death calls 'culture shock'."

Peter frowned and shuffled uncomfortably. "I mean, I guess that's one way to put it."

Clea gave a soft smile. "I thank you for your concern but truly, my people are more than fine with the arrangement since not everyone can fight. I am thankful as well for the opportunity to defend my home." She paused, noting that Peter was listening intently despite his earlier disagreement and felt a surge of affection. He definitely was open-minded as he first seemed to her. She continued. "My home has historically been targeted by others and despite the reign of peace we had before my Queen and her brother arrived, the conflicts I've participated in more actively under Queen Umar have shown me the peace my home knew would have broken eventually due to our success and others' jealousy. For that, I am grateful for my Queen's expansionist attitude and my training. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if we stayed on our plane of existence doing nothing."

Again, her hero frowned, though this time he looked contemplative before sighing and muttered something under his breath.

"I'm sorry?" Clea asked, wondering if she angered Peter.

He shook his head again, "Nothing, don't worry about it." He sighed again, "I guess, it's not that different from how we pay taxes for civil servants or our military." Shaking his head he joked, "Not that taxes are fun." He nodded to himself before giving her a piercing stare, the sunlight hitting his head at just the right angle to accent his features. A rush of blood reached her face. "And what age were you when you were conscripted?"

Clea calmed herself before, smiling brightly. "I was 30 years old."

Peter noticeably relaxed and sighed. "I guess if you were that old I can't really complain. That's a lot older than I thought you'd be for being conscripted."

For a moment, Clea wondered if she should clarify, for the sake of transparency, since Peter seemed aghast earlier, that as a Faltine she aged biologically slower and so was still in the form of what many would consider a little girl at the time. However, seeing Peter now calmly eating his food Clea decided against letting him know at least at this point in time. She'd tell him at the end of this courtship day, she felt being selfish like that would be fine.

Smiling, she continued eating, stealing glances at Peter every so often. Despite having a now combined mental age of 48 great years she's never met anyone who could be so genuinely caring and honest in conversing with her as an equal. Her time under the rule of Dormammu was not bad, truly, and the denizens of the Dark Dimension were happy and amiable for the most part, but despite the peace gained she always felt that people were insincere in talking to her. Perhaps, though that was due to lingering paranoia from her father and his teachings?

Her time with Umar was… different. While a direct comparison in overall happiness for her people was still the same in Clea's opinion, their treatment of her hindered on… worship. Umar was not afraid to be honest about her heritage, and despite the vitriol that was clearly directed at her father everyone treated her as royalty. Umar herself became fond of her, though Clea thought that might have had to do with how strong Clea was on top of clearly behaving in a manner Umar thought befitting of her progeny. Even their former allies treated her as such, if not even more so knowing her mother and how vindictive she could be.

"So, you never did answer me? What does Clea do in her spare time?" Peter suddenly asked with a smile, wiping his mouth with a napkin to get the last remaining crumbs and breaking the companionable silence.

Clea vibrated in her seat, she felt like she could actually answer that now, under her Uncle's rule Clea mainly was a head priestess and helped her father with his work. But now!

"I like learning more about magic!" Clea all but shouted, beaming she continued. "I know that probably sounds foreign, but there's something about creating a new spell or understanding a new concept of magic that excites me. Compared to when I served under Dormammu I'm able to learn what I want outside of predetermined spells! Right now with the alliance of Earth I have access to so many tomes thanks to your Sorcerer Supreme! I'm still getting used to your world's magic but I've gotten a handle on the basics." She waved her hand, a donut flying straight toward her before she caught it.

Peter quirked an eyebrow after checking their surroundings, noting that thankfully everyone else was absorbed into their own conversations. "Telekinesis?"

Clea nodded. "Yup, like I said, the basics. But I'm excited to see what the differences are between our magic the more I learn, but so far it just seems to be a different energy pool, though your magic also unfortunately seems susceptible to being negated for a time from my research."

Clea frowned, surely there must be some benefit from that being the case then? After all, her own home's magic and the magic energy of the Faltine weren't able to be negated… at least to her knowledge. She shook her head, she was getting off track.

"Sorry, anyways, if I'm not studying magic I tend to wander around my city. I'm not sure if it's because under Umar's rule I've taken a more active role in its protection, but I find peace in seeing my people go about their day or hold events. I particularly like the re-enactment plays of Queen Umar's ascension–"

"–Wait, your people still put on plays about Dormammu's fall? Does that mean I'm…" Peter paled.

Clea smiled brightly but a little confused. "Yes you and Stephen Strange are given the role of heroes," She giggled. "Though if I must say my lor– Peter, they don't quite do your image or personality justice. Sometimes I think they focus a little too much on making you a jester," Peter wilted at hearing that. Clea became nervous wondering if she upset him somehow, "That's not to say you don't still play an important part my lord." Clea winced at her drilled in term to refer to Peter as squeaked out of her, but continued as he seemed to gain a dark countenance and did not seem to be hearing her clearly. "Everyone finds that the mirth spread from Spider-Man is a welcome reprieve from the intensity of the rest of the moments shown. Like how Strange's role is relegated to almost a cloak and dagger approach." The half-faltine paused before blushing slightly. "But, if I'm being honest I think it highlights the important moment when you come back from the edge of defeat! You looked so gallant towering over Fath– Orini after so soundly defeating him with your menacing eyes and austere appearance! After reliving the moment myself I–" Clea stopped herself and coughed noticing that Peter was staring at her in wonder. She was being too honest.

"Well, everyone cheers when they see 'you' stand tall. Even more so when you save Queen Umar… though I don't know where the romantic scenes came in regarding that moment." She muttered the last part under her breath before shaking her head, not noticing Peter twitch. "Then of course there's Dormammu's fall thanks to Mistress Death and Strange's work. With Queen Umar's ascension getting a more theatrical drawn out scene, before 'you' are wedded."

Red-faced Peter asked, "So that's it then?"

Now it was Clea's turn to quirk an eyebrow, and misunderstanding what exactly Peter meant, hummed. "I mean there is that statue of you in your uniform standing next to Queen Umar that I like to gaze at in my off time…" She trailed off a small smile spreading across her face, not noticing Peter's blush deepen.

---

Peter Parker - Central Park

After getting past the knowledge that he had a statue made of him, and the fact that Clea liked admiring it when she had the time, the rest of the date went pretty well. Finding out that Clea enjoyed the atmosphere of parks made it easy. Not that Clea wasn't already easy enough to talk to, but it seemed that once he opened the floodgates so to speak, she started asking him questions as well. Thankfully, either due to manners or with pre-told knowledge from Death, Clea steered away from questions about his heroics and mainly asked about his family, something he was more than happy to speak about!

"So you say your sister pesters you?" Clea asked with a giggle. Turning in her seat on the bench to make sure she was facing him.

Peter sighed in pseudo exasperation. "She's always asking for some of my food, to follow me around, or to follow my friends." He raised his hands in the air as though he didn't know what to do. "If she wasn't so good for my fragile ego I'd have to tell her to stop, maybe leave me alone."

Clea giggled again, her eyes crinkling. "You sound like you love her very much."

Peter beamed. "Of course."

Clea blushed at the intensity of his smile and turned to watch the other park-goers as they walked by. "I'd be glad to meet her. Your family sounds wonderful." She said wistfully.

At those words, Peter's mind, unbidden, wondered if Clea had compared her own relationship with Umar to Peter's own with his family. He shook his head, that was wrong of him. Clea clearly was having a good time and displayed nothing to make him think that. 'The only reason I even thought that was because–' He jolted, turning to face forward as well, a blush of his own spreading across his face.

Clea stood up suddenly, turning to give Peter another big grin. "I suppose I've taken up enough of your time for today Peter. Knowing my queen I'm sure she's looking forward to her turn to go on a 'date' with you."

Standing up as well Peter quirked an eyebrow, incredulous. "Really? She seemed kinda more into…"

Clea coughed with a light blush. "Yes, well, don't tell her I told you this, but my Queen is… was ignorant of relationships… among other things. My initial birth from what I've gathered was an accident due to her ignorance of material beings and how they are born, and a misunderstanding of her own material form's instincts combined with a small understanding of what females aim for in a partner. I digress, the point is, despite her emphasis on copulation my queen truly does want to foster a relationship with you. She just doesn't know how to convey that without being aggressive. I suspect her pride along with her… excitement–"

'That's a polite way of saying lust I suppose.'

"–makes her believe she has to behave the way she does to get what she wants."

Peter paused after Clea was finished; digesting what she told him. "So, Umar's a tsundere?"

The half-Faltine woman tilted her head, she looked lost. 'Heh, cute.' "She's a what?"

Now it was Peter's turn to cough. "Nothing. I think I understand though. You're essentially telling me to be patient with her, yes?"

Clea beamed. "Yes, exactly my lo– Peter. Also," She laughed nervously. "If you show her something new and she believes her pride is at stake she'll probably behave the same way. Your patience might be tested today unfortunately."

"I see. I can only imagine how she is as a leader."

"... I have heard that the first 10 years of her rule felt like those of a mad dictator." Clea shook her head. "As I said before her rule is similar to that of Dormammu's now, and despite how he was at the end lord Dormammu clearly cared about us and tried his best for the denizens of the Dark Dimension. I…" She trailed off.

Peter sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Clea. Anyways, don't worry about me and Umar. I know how to deal with her. Umar's not the first person who I've dealt with that has a sensitive ego." 'Honestly, she sounds like a female Flas– Hurk! Nononono don't go there brain.'

"Peter? Are you alright? You just turned pale."

The hero shuddered. "My brain just tried giving me an image that I'm going to do my best to forget." He blinked before giving her another smile. "Thanks for the advice though."

Clea stepped back letting Peter's arm fall. Her arms folded behind her back as she twisted her legs together, a dusting of pink was on her cheeks as she looked up at him. "Thank you m–Peter." She squirmed. "Um, would you mind if I…" She trailed off her face now red.

Peter couldn't help the smirk that grew across his face. Clea's shyness was endearing and also did wonders for his ego. Enough so that he felt comfortable enough to forget his own misgivings about his… unusual romantic life now, though the heartfelt conversation yesterday with Silver also helped. "I wouldn't mind."

A small smile graced Clea's face as she leaned upward to quickly peck Peter's lips, before ducking back down and instead tried wrapping her arms around him to duck her face in his chest.

Blinking in surprise, Peter gave a small chuckle before deftly moving his arms out of Clea's to hug her back.

She squirmed before sighing into his chest, relaxing somewhat if her muscles were anything to go by.

'I wonder what makes her so shy around me?' He shrugged internally, noting it for later before he blinked again, noticing he was relaxing too as he continued to hug Clea. Huh. Maybe he needed a hug? He held her closer, deciding not to dwell on it too much, he needed to get a grip anyways.

Peter sighed, not noticing the small smile on his face.

Returning was just as easy as Clea suggested with a thought aimed toward Death bringing Clea and him back to his room. Death and Umar were still on his bed where they left them and were both staring as they appeared.

Barely giving them a moment, Umar stood up from his bed, giving a nod toward Clea, and an expectant look at Peter.

'Go time.'

"You hungry?" Peter asked with a confident grin. Stone faced, Umar nodded, walking briskly toward Peter. And now that he was looking for it, a noticeable tension in her shoulders was present as she got closer to him.

'Oh yeah, I can see it now.'

Before Clea's words about Umar, he would have assumed the Dark Dimension queen was only interested in him for sex; explaining her comments and awkwardness thus far. Which he liked to think would be a fair assumption since in his initial interactions with her that's what she alluded to wanting most out of a marriage and it was clear she was used to getting her way.

With Clea's explanation though…

Peter offered Umar his arm, which she hesitantly took before pressing it firmly against her, staring at him expectantly. "Fair warning," Umar stiffened, but paid rapt attention to his words. "Where we're going it might be a bit… loud. But I think you'll have a greater time here than in a normal restaurant." With that he led them to his bedroom door and waved at both Clea and Death before walking through.

---

Umar

The location Peter chose for their emotional bonding activity was certainly… loud.

"Woah there!" The young hero exclaimed, deftly diverting a giggling male child from colliding with the pair, before three other children followed the new path the first child was directed to. Deep into… whatever the people of Earth called the area with bright blinking lights, clashing music and sharp ringing chimes. Looking closer, she could see that there was a bevy of children running around, their hands grabbing black short sticks or black wheels, some even stomping brightly colored arrows on the floor.

'I… can certainly see why children would enjoy this area.' Clea's early years wizened Umar to the fact that most children were easily distracted by flashing lights and rhythmic sounds. But why were they here? Umar sighed in confusion before letting out a yelp as Peter wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her away from a large group of raving children that charged through Umar's previous position. 'Do they know no manners?'

"Ah, Let's sit down, yeah? Before anymore kids try to run us over." Peter asked with a nervous smile, his hand burning into her side, before leading her over to a set of tables filled with adult humans.

'They're staring. Why?' Umar's eyes narrowed and glared, taking satisfaction in how all of them either paled or became flushed and looked away.

"Hey, there's no need to glare." Peter said placatingly as he brought them over to an empty table. "It's not everyday you see someone on the level of a supermodel in an arcade."

The queen frowned. "Supermodel?"

Peter blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "A supermodel's someone that companies hire for their beauty to promote products. Normally clothing."

Umar raised an eyebrow but nodded. A compliment then. 'Yes, I suppose if they were just stunned by my radiance then I can't exactly fault them.'

"And I assume this place is an 'arcade'?"

The young man nodded. "Correct. Normally it's a place where kids or teenagers hang out to play games," Peter motioned toward their seating area, specifically the adults near them. "But I chose a family-oriented one so that we wouldn't look too out of place as a couple."

Umar felt a heat of pride rush through her at the admission. 'Progress!'

"That," He motioned to an area with a small line. "And they serve food here. Speaking of which, do you want to sit here while I get us some food? Or do you want to wait in line with me? I sat us down first so we'd have our spot saved." He placed a rectangular object down before standing up.

Umar stared at her consort mulling over the choices given. Standing next to her consort would be a good way for the denizens of this dimension to see their partnership, on the other hand, sitting here and waiting would give her mind the opportunity to think, as well as observe how her consort acted with his people.

"I would like to stay here, my consort." Umar finally replied after a moment. She received a smile and a nod, before he froze. "Do you mind – wait nevermind. We can share mine first and see if you like it, if not we can get you your own." Before Umar could begin to reply he quickly walked toward the line.

'I assume he meant to ask me what I would like to eat? Hm,' She looked over at the dishes displayed on the other attendants tables. What appeared to be bread with… cheese? Was the main dish. Though based on the smells and colors, it appeared there were a variety of toppings. Hm, yes perhaps it was best for Umar to try out her consorts preferred topping for this meal. She was not familiar with Earth's comestibles, well, that was untrue. Asgardian cuisine was similar.

She shook her head, Umar was getting distracted. She scowled, the cacophony of voices wasn't helping either. She needed to plan on how to maximize the greatest amount of affection she could achieve as well as watch closely to see how she should act. It wouldn't do well for the ruler of the Dark Dimension to appear uncultured; especially for a realm her consort hailed from.

So Umar watched intently as Peter… calmly waited behind a line of others. 'Well, he did politely ask one of those waiting in line something…' Umar, fought to stop herself from groaning at the mundane act. One because it'd be unbecoming of her to show her frustration. Two, her actions reflected on her consort, and vice versa, however, as they were in his home dimension she believed that his actions were the best ones to emulate.

She was getting distracted again. Fine then. If she couldn't watch her consort to know how one of his station should act in this world, she'd plan on how to maximize Peter's affection for her on this 'date'.

…

---

Umar had no idea how to do so. She regretted rebuffing Death's offer for her to watch over Clea and Peter's date. Citing that she would 'woo' her consort on her own merit.

'And look where that got me…'

She fought back a snarl and turned instead to watch the children run around while exacting entertainment from the bright colored area. It was better than watching the adults chat to themselves and fill their stomach's. Children were amusing in their own way.

A little boy was being pestered by what appeared to be an even younger little girl with similar features to him and much to his chagrin she didn't look like she would stop until she got what she wanted before finally, he relented. Letting her take over his position in front of the machine, a grin overtaking her features as her tiny hands reached to the black pole jutting out in front of her.

'Hah! How amusing! It reminds me of–' Umar's face paled and she swiftly turned her head to instead turn and look at her consort… who was not in the line anymore. 'Where di–'

"Yo!" Peter exclaimed with a grin as he suddenly appeared into her field of vision.

Only Umar's years of combat experience prevented her from jolting, thankfully.

"Consort?"

Peter chuckled nervously. "Yeah sorry for scaring you. I just went to get our drinks." Finishing his statement he handed her a yellow paper cup, the liquid inside fizzling beneath a white top, an opaque stick was jabbed in the middle.

"I was not scared. I was just… surprised." She fought the instinct to cough and coolly moved the conversation to another topic. "And… what is this?" Umar hated having to ask for something that was probably trivial in this dimension, but it was better to ask a question and show ignorance then appear knowledgeable and make a fool of herself later. She was reminded of her beginning years of ruling and fought back a grimace.

If her consort believed her or not, he at least had the grace not to mention it as he moved to sit across from her again and answered her question.

"It's soda in a paper cup. I got you Coca-Cola since Root Beer isn't everyone's favorite, but Coke's almost universally loved."

Umar nodded, thankful for the information and eyed her drink. How was she to drink from it? Either thirsty himself, or mayhaps showing her, Peter placed the opaque stick between his lips and shortly after a dark liquid climbed upward.

'Curious…' Umar copied the motion and noticed nothing was happening before noticing that Peter's cheeks were sunken just the tiniest amount. 'Ah I see.' Copying Peter's actions fully this time Umar's tongue was greeted with one of the most sugary sensations she's ever had. Dare she say it rivaled Asgard's desserts! She let out a very pleased hum that was probably inappropriate in a public setting, but at the moment Umar didn't care.

When Umar released her opaque stick with a 'pop' she noticed her consort's face was flushed red, staring at her wide-eyed. "Is something wrong Consort?" She asked.

Peter coughed, and shook his head. "I uh, don't worry about it."

Umar stared at him before shrugging it off. Perhaps her consort was just lost in thought.

"Also, Umar…" Peter began, his tone cautious.

The Queen of the Dark Dimension stiffened. "Yes?"

Peter sighed. "I'm sure you mean well, and are just being well-mannered. But could you just call me by my name while we're alone or away from anything requiring titles to be stated? I'm not used to being so formal with a partner… Actually being formal in general, makes me feel stuck up."

Umar frowned, "Is it truly that bothersome?"

Her consort grinned. "I mean, if pressed, no it's not that bothersome, but ignoring my preferred manner of speech. I just think having to worry about formal conventions of speech or behavior around each other would put a barrier around us."

Umar frowned, agreeing somewhat with his logic. The problem was she hadn't spoken to anyone like that since her brother. Well, that was untrue, sometimes she found herself calling out to Clea that way before quickly getting ahold of herself. 'Didn't mother and fa–' Umar stopped that thought before it could finish… She decided that calling her consort by his proper name wouldn't be too bad.

"...Peter?" Umar tested the name out loud, before cursing herself she made his name sound like a question.

Undeterred by what Umar considered embarrassing, Peter grinned. "Umar?" He responded, teasingly.

A rush of heat erupted on her face and she quickly tried to calm herself. "Our food?" She asked suddenly.

Peter's grin dimmed, but still somehow had the same amount of cheer. "Gonna be a bit since I ordered an extra large pizza just in case. Would you like to talk or…" He trailed off and motioned his head toward the light filled area.

"Isn't that area for the children?"

Peter snorted. "Don't you remember what I first told you? Arcades are the main attraction of places like this. Having some fun while we wait for our food won't be a problem. Now come on!" He stood up, reaching a hand out to her, grinning widely.

Death had told her he did that alot, it was one of the cosmic being's reasons for being enamored with him. Something about it being a unique and admirable trait when taking into account his life. Umar still didn't know what Death meant by that, but she was finding his grins to still have charm of their own without his life as context. Specifically, she was beginning to feel pleasant when seeing it, and not the same pleasant feeling she got from her kisses with him… Would they…? Ugh, she was getting distracted.

Umar stood up, accepting Peter's hand, making sure to take her 'Coca-Cola' with her and let herself be led toward the bright colored area, before feeling the eyes of some adult humans on her back.

The queen stopped letting Peter lead her, and threw a gla– Umar yelped and stumbled into Peter, her body unprepared for his strength. His arm caught her before she could tumble into him and half-carried, half-pulled her toward a black box that stood as tall as her. Grotesque decaying humans reaching out toward the viewer served as decoration on its sides.

Peter gave a heavy sigh. "It's okay Umar, they're just curious. I swear they don't mean anything by it." Peter said, releasing her to stand in front of the box.

Umar opened her mouth to retort, mainly about how if she wanted to be stared at she'd– 'Patience.' Patience Umar. She had to remember that she wasn't in her own realm. 'Just think of it like being in Asgard… just without an old man trying to get close to you after you both just put down a mutual enemy.' She held back a shudder.

She sighed before nodding toward her consort and turned to look at what he brought her to. Now that Umar was in front she could see the box had a title, House of the Dead 4 – Death had transferred knowledge of the most popular written scripts for earth to work with her All-Speak spell –was emblazoned on the top. In the center, was what she guessed was a 'screen' that Death informed her of to display moving images for electronics. The sound of low-groaning emanated as the screen showed flashes of light erupt on the deteriorating humans depicted. Below the screen was a black stand with similar pieces of plastic on top, colored blue and red respectively.

"Er, What exactly is this my– Peter?" Umar asked, irritated that her wariness was audible in her voice.

"House of the Dead 4. It's a zombie arcade game, where the objective is to get a high score while killing said zombies using these fake guns." Peter answered succinctly, motioning toward the pieces of plastic.

"I see. And I take it these 'Zombies' are the undead?"

"Correctomundo." Peter said, ruffling through his pockets before producing two silver coins. "So… wanna play this game? If not there are some others we can try, there racing games, off-shoot carnival games, a dancing game." He paused, perhaps to not overwhelm her with options. "But this one's fun, easy to learn, and interactive with co-op being key to winning."

Umar's ears perked up, as her eyes started to bore into Peter. Her greed at possible riches competitive spirit awakening. "Winning? What do we win?"

Peter let out a laugh. "Bragging rights." He placed his own drink down on the box and grabbed the blue gun, clicking its trigger twice. The box's screen flashed before listing English Letters, Numerical titles attached to said letters, "scores" that listed numbers as well as something called "Chapters" with letters and numbers below. "This is a leaderboard of the uh… previous top users." He said, blanching at the screen. His face scrunched up like he wanted to tell her something before muttering something about "two years and no one else?". He coughed, waiting for her to speak.

Umar took a look at this 'leaderboard'.

The letters with the rank #1 attached had a 'PPMJ' listed at the top with a 'Score' of upwards of 500,000 and an 'S' attached to the number 6 under the 'Chapters' column.

As a queen who ruled her dimension with a brilliant mind, well suited to finance, and the skill to write diplomatic documents she easily came to understand the leaderboard. 'So if I choose to play this, my consort and I will be going up against this "PPMJ" for a high score...' Umar thought to herself, automatically dismissing the rest of the numbered letters like PPTF, PPSS, PPFH – there was a weird amount of letters with PP at the top of this list, she absentmindedly thought and then promptly forgot– as inferior and unneeded. Ignoring the similar but lower scores attached to said letters.

"I would like to play this game Peter," Umar answered with a menacing grin. "Let us show this realm what the queen of the Dark Dimension and her consort can do!" She finished before moving closer to the box, imitating the hero by placing her own drink down and grabbed the red piece of plastic before internally faltering at not knowing how to operate it. Was she getting ahead of herself?

She narrowed her eyes at her own doubt and hugged the piece of plastic closer, and kept her eyes trained on her consorts hands to mimic his motions.

Peter chuckled nervously. "Great. Just hold on okay? Let me teach you how to play."

Umar nodded, thankful that she did not need to ask, before seizing up straight as her consort stepped behind her to grab her arms, his hands deliciously warm, before positioning her into a stance where her gun was faced toward the screen, letting her feel his arms and chest engulf her for a moment. His words seemed to melt into her ears as he explained what a trigger was and how to 'reload' before releasing her arms and moving to insert two silver coins into the machine. The word "START" now flashed on the screen.

BANG!

The noise erupted from the machine and awoke Umar from her daze. Peter was looking at her expectantly. Her face flushed before she pressed her gun's trigger, a similar Bang! going off before a voice erupted from the machine narrating the setting.

Umar's eyes narrowed. It was time to prove her words!

…

Umar and Peter did not unfortunately prove her words. Or to be fair to her consort, Umar was not pulling her own weight as she 'died' again before her partner quickly fished out what she now knew was a quarter to bring her back to 'life'. She held back a growl as she held down her guns trigger, the screen showcasing her inaccuracy as a line of undead were stopped by the hail of digital bullets the word's 'GOOD' flashing on her side of the screen in a corner before Peter's gun spattered out concise burst shots, the words 'PERFECT' erupting on his side.

"ORDER FOR PETER PARKER IS READY." A voice sounded over the sounds of gunfire and groans of the undead.

Peter stopped shooting, uncaring of the next line of undead moving forward and smiled toward Umar. "Well, that's all for now. Our food's ready. Let's eat and decide to play another game after a bit, before calling it a day."

Umar continued shooting before flipping her head over her shoulder. "But if we do that, we'll lose!" Her voice was angry and determined. "I'll stay my consort." The queen hastily stated, before turning to face the screen again.

Peter frowned before sighing. He let out a chuckle. "Guess you really like the game huh?"He reached into his pockets to grab a small handful of coins and placed them on the stand connected to the machine. "Just in case…" He said, before walking to get their food.

Umar nodded, before stomping her foot in aggravation as she died again. Her consort's character as well. She shoved in two coins determined to try again.

…

It was only Umar's dignity as a queen that prevented her from slumping over in defeat as a 'Boss' called Justice slashed her consort's character to death. A countdown shortly started and Umar had no more coins to use. Umar had underestimated the work her consort did as waves of undead quickly ate through the coins given to her until she had to use her consort's own character to progress before being stonewalled by the mountain that was the disgusting pile of flesh called Justice.

"Hey Umar our food's on th– hey what's wrong?" Peter asked, concerned.

Umar closed her eyes and raised her fist. "I lost my consort. But I swear I'll–"

"Hey don't worry about it. Remember this was just a game for bragging rights." Peter quickly cut in, her eyes snapping open as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She was pleasantly surprised that it brought her a measure of comfort. "Speaking of let's 'immortalize' our initials. Grab your gun."

"Hm?" She sounded, before facing toward the screen seeing her and her consort reached 48th place, a measly 100k score given to them. 'Ugh, how low.' She thought to herself before moving to follow her consort. The letters 'PP' were entered before a blinking '_' symbol appeared after.

"So, your initials will be U for Umar and… er…" Peter paused before chuckling nervously… again. "Um this is awkward but I don't know your last name."

Umar shrugged as she 'shot' the letter U. "I don't have one."

Peter winced. "Oh… well I guess we can leave it blank or…" He trailed off a shy grin on his features, "Er you can use mine. Since we're 'married' and all."

The queen nodded and promptly hit the P. Wherein her consort shot the words 'Enter' and their initials flashed and solidified amongst the leaderboard. 'Next time.' Umar promised herself before facing her consort. "Let us eat then."

Peter laughed before leading her back, making sure to grab their drinks, to the table they were seated at, a large platter of cheesy bread with red circles scattered on top awaited them along with what appeared to be plates and napkins.

"I got pepperoni, a popular meat choice, to be safe, but let me know if you don't like it and we can order you your own and discuss other toppings." Peter said, moving to sit down. Umar sat across from him and nodded before accepting a plate, as Peter removed a piece and slid it onto her plate. The smell was amazing and the creamy white cheese promised to deliver. 'Let us see then.' Umar thought to herself, before reaching for the slice, knowing to use her hands based on her earlier observations. She took a bite, making sure to include a 'pepperoni' piece...

"Mmmm" Umar moaned, causing Peter to choke and cough.

She stared and quickly chewed her food before asking. "Are you alright my consort?"

Peter nodded. "Yup. Yup. I'm alright just… choked a little on my food in surprise. Nothing to worry about."

Umar stared for a bit before shrugging and continued eating, Peter sighing in relief for some reason.

They stayed like that in companionable silence, the sounds of their environment overtaking them before finally Umar's belly was full and their plates were clean.

"Thank you Peter. That was delicious." Umar said with a pleasant smile.

Peter grinned. "No problem. You wanna just sit and talk for a bit, I promise we'll play some more games after."

Umar nodded in agreement, bonding with her consort was the point of this "date" anyways.

"Is there anything you wish to discuss first consort?" Umar asked politely. She had some topics she'd like to discuss as well, but wanted to see what Peter had to talk about first.

Peter hummed as he thought over a question. "What's it like being the ruler of the Dark Dimension? Stressful? Boring? Exciting?"

Umar paused to think over her rulership the past 28 great years. "Right now I'd say it's mostly boring. I've not interacted with many other leaders such as Asgard's Odin for a while now. The Dark Dimension is still assimilating the latest conquest into our society so most of my days spent ruling now are resolving anything that needs my attention if there are issues with integration. But after so long, everyone knows what to do for the most part. So I'm generally able to have a lot of unoccupied time. Normally by having Clea accompany me if I want to have a companion for a time. She's the only one who's proven worthy to train with me. The rest are too weak or enamored with me that they can't focus."

"I see." Peter said mutely, looking pensive. "Surprised you're not busy honestly… most leaders I've talked to say that they hate paperwork."

Umar waved dismissively. "I assume you mean for reports and such. But for me and I'm sure many other magic users we can just use a memorization spell to remember such menial things."

Peter nodded eagerly. "I see."

Seeing Peter was done for now, and feeling satisfied and full. A comfortable lull started for Umar.

Peter shortly broke it. "Soooooo, any questions for me?"

Of course. "Yes." Umar straightened. "Why do you not aim to lead your world? The Sorcerer Supreme is your world's defender, but they have taken a vow to stay away from actively leading your world. With your world under divided governance, it's ripe for an invader to come in and capture your planet piece by piece. That being the case, since you want to protect this world and are free from vows preventing you, wouldn't it make sense for you to lead?" Umar asked curiously. From what she gathered doing so would provide optimal efficiency in protecting his planet and its denizens. After all, it's what she did… after getting her proper dues in wealth and power of course. A very symbiotic relationship.

Peter spluttered and choked a bit, having tried drinking from his own cup. "E-excuse me?"

Umar frowned. "I asked why yo–"

Peter rapidly shook his head. "No no, sorry I meant that rhetorically. Honestly I was just surprised." He drummed his fingers. Her consort's expression shifted through too many emotions for Umar to properly gauge his feelings.

"There's a lot of reasons. But the most prevalent point is that usurping power to rule is…wrong." Umar didn't immediately know what she felt at those words, anger certainly but it felt worse. She was hurt as well. She was reminded of Dormammu's betrayal… And now she really wanted to burn something.

Peter hastily raised his hands. "Wait, that came out wrong."

The queen crossed her arms, her expression guarded. "In my experience, only fools let their mouths run before their minds can speak."

Peter winced. "You're not wrong." He sighed, before looking into her eyes. "Look, I meant that it's wrong here on Earth, especially in this day and age. Forcing others to follow your rule is considered morally wrong here. What with the advent of democracy and the world being more interconnected socially. And I have a hard time thinking that mindset should change here. I mean for the most part Earth has been doing well overall, and despite knowing that there will be other forces trying to invade, it's not as though we can't defend against those attacks. On top of that, there's no guarantee that I would even make a good ruler."

"What do you mean?" She said.

"What?" Her consort looked stumped. "What do you mean, what do I mean?"

Umar let out a huff and glared. "While I believe I know better in regards of what form of governance Earth should fall under, I am aware that this time was meant to be one reserved for strengthening our bond, so I won't say more than that." After all there was plenty of time to help her consort see that most people were sheep who if left to their own devices would probably send their souls onwards to Death if given the time without someone there. "However, I do take umbrage with your statement about not being a capable ruler. I will not have a consort that does not know how to lead if I was ever unable to for my people. Do you perhaps have some experience leading and you did poorly? Are you simply unconfident?"

Peter sighed. "You could say that… How much has Death explained to you about my situation? I can guess she hasn't shown you my memories if you have to ask that."

Umar nodded. "She explained that viewing your memories was only a need to you for those that you think you'd be 'manipulating' into being one of your mistresses. Like those from your past as an example. As you didn't know Clea or I, we'd be exempt from viewing them…" She paused and huffed and added. "Unless you show them to us at your own discretion."

Peter blinked, confused at her final words before nodding back. "Well yes I do have experience leading others. Not just small groups but a company. Specifically as a CEO." He paused, elaborating. "A CEO is considered the leader of a company or large group." Seeing her nod in understanding he sighed and fiddled with his drink. "I wasn't exactly the best. I got lazy. Arrogant." He sighed again, his face pained and slumped. "It's embarrassing to look back on it." He allowed himself another sigh before shaking his head "Regardless it just showcased that I'm not fit to be in any leadership role. Let alone leading something like…the world." He said, waving a hand. "I don't know if you realize how many people that entails, it's almost 7 billion as of right now. And that number keeps growing."

Umar fought the urge to scowl. That explained nothing. Lazy? Arrogant? While Umar didn't know her consort too well, that type of vague description painted an all too different image of the man across from her. Peter was humble or reserved in her short time knowing him. Perhaps a little too much in her opinion, but certainly not arrogant. And his dedication to his people was felt through his words… She had trouble picturing how someone like her consort could behave the way he was describing his actions. Granted he was being vague and for all she knew he simply had a poor view of his own actions due to the jealousy of others and their own words.

She opened her mouth, prepared to dive deeper into this. She needed more information. Despite the very unlikely possibility of her being indisposed her people did need someone else to lead them if that were to ever occur, her brother's fall showcased it was a possibility. Then she saw Peter's face, it wasn't particularly bothered or annoyed, but he was clearly not going to relent without a longer conversation. No matter, she had time.

And then she remembered Death's advice. Vividly.

"...A date is meant for a couple to bond and build their relationship while also having fun. While it's not uncommon for a deep or engaging conversation to happen during it, it's only welcome when said conversation is one of discovery between the couple. Not arguing. I say this more for your sake Umar rather than Clea's - don't protest Clea your mother needs to hear this - but it's not like a negotiation where you need to win or have the bigger advantage at the end. Sometimes it's better to save a conversation for later, either when you and Peter have grown closer or for a more appropriate time and place. Peter especially so, prefers to have potentially quarrel inducing discussions to happen in private. Not for his public image, but so that the time spent on a date isn't soured by aggressive emotions such as anger or sullenness."

Umar scowled, remembering Death's tone throughout her lesson and afterward as it continued. Peter, tensed at her expression.

Noticing her consort's rigid state Umar sighed before closing her eyes to gather herself and remember the proper way to… apologize. She opened her eyes to stare into his. "I apologize, my con–" No, she needed to use his name. "–Peter. I let my feelings about this topic interfere with our date. I didn't mean to sour our time together. This was supposed to be a time for fun." Umar explained, before a sudden feeling of gloominess captured her. This was a failure wasn't it? What did Death say was the proper amount of time to try again if she did? She looked away from her consort as she delved into herself unconsciously clasping her drink tighter.

Warm fingers squeezed their way into her own. She startled and stared up at Peter.

"Sorry," he explained with a gentle smile. "Thought it'd be better to get your attention this way. You're fine, Umar. I'm not angry. Was I prepared for an argument? Probably, but I wasn't angry. I can tell that you take your rulership seriously and… you're not wrong to depend on me since we're married now… Er… bonded spiritually? The point is, you shouldn't be beating yourself up for almost leading us into an argument. I had a part to blame as well since it's a sore topic for me. I should've been mature enough to let you know when it was getting heated." He released her fingers and Umar fought herself from reaching back to clasp them on her own… finding that the act of holding them as he spoke to her was calming for some reason.

"If you're not tired of talking, I'm more than happy to continue for a bit before we go back to playing something for the rest of the date" Peter offered, his stance now relaxed. And Umar noticed that she herself was relaxed as well… curious.

Umar nursed her drink as she thought it over. Should she just go back to spending their remaining time pursuing activities or speak a bit more? While she didn't think her remaining burning questions would possibly get them heated, she could admit to herself that she was worried she'd set herself up for failure. She glanced over to the childr–...activity area. The urge to surpass those in first place at House of the Dead 4 arrived again, before she sighed, no she could do that next time. She paused and turned back to Peter with a question ready. "Are… are you having fun?" Umar cursed herself at the unsure tone, but despite his words about not being angry, Umar was still worried she'd failed at the goal for their date.

Peter laughed and smiled. "Yes. Are you?"

Umar breathed a sigh of relief. "I am. Um, I don't trust myself to ask something and… what is one of your euphemism's… put my foot in my mouth?"

Peter sighed and stood up before reaching out with a hand. Umar took it.

"That's fine. To be honest I'm worried about the same even if I don't look like it. How about we play some Pac-Man and try out some other games and talk while we play. We can always do both at once."

"Pac-Man?"

Peter grew serious. "It's a game that'll test your reflexes, planning, and patience?"

"Patience?"

"...You'll see." He said ominously.

Umar did, in fact see as after showing her how to play with his own quick game as an example Umar felt her frustration rise as she reached level 3 for the fifth time. "ONE DAMN YOU…" Umar trailed off, saying 'red one' was too vague.

"Blinky."

Umar simmered. "One damn you, Blinky."

---

Peter Parker

"I would dearly like to come back here if possible Peter." Umar asked as they exited the building.

"Same… I mean, I'd like that as well, Umar. But there are other places for dates other than the arcade, we can't always come here."

Umar scowled before sighing. "I understand."

Peter held back a chuckle before scratching the back of his head. "I guess it's time to go then."

Umar blinked, looking like she wanted to argue before nodding. "That it is…" Her gaze drifted to his lips. "...Death said it's customary for a couple to kiss after a date." Umar said, a pointed look on her face.

'Ah, so that partly explains Clea's actions.' Peter didn't know if he should be irritated that Death gave them that impression or be thankful. After all, both Clea and Umar were beautiful women, and kisses from women like them do wonders for his ego. Plus, when he wasn't blindsided by it, he could admit it was hot. That said, on the very unlikely chance they ever have a bad date it was best to curb when that should happen. The last thing he wanted was to make them think they needed to kiss him if they weren't happy with him. "Yes, but only when the date goes well."

Umar stiffened and looked away nodding. "I see."

Peter winced and pulled Umar towards him, willing themselves back into his room with a thought towards Death. "I had fun, Umar, didn't you?"

Umar stared at him, her gaze drifting back from his lips to his eyes. "Yes." She stepped closer, her breathing became short.

Peter had to take the time to admit that having a partner as open about her attraction to him as Umar was awesome. Not that his other partners were ever afra– he should stop there. It wasn't polite to think of others when he was with Umar. He dipped his head towards hers.

"So that means?" He teased.

Umar pressed her lips against his, her arms quickly wrapping around his body in hunger. Peter briefly was surprised before chuckling into the kiss before wrapping his own arms around her and he deepened the kiss to Umar's satisfaction if her hum was anything to go by. He felt himself twitch.

"Should Clea and I undress my Champion?"

Peter jolted and broke the kiss. Umar, though apparently didn't get the memo and continued kissing his cheek and tried moving his head back to face her.

He saw Death and Clea watching them both. Death was clearly amused as she casually sat with her back against his headboard, her fingers drifting toward her dress. Clea was alert and sat wide-eyed as she stared at Umar who was clearly still trying to kiss Peter. Clea's fingers twitched as she looked at Death, Peter and Umar in that order before landing back onto Peter.

"Um…"

"Consort." Umar growled, gaining Peter's attention. Her expression was ravenous, her tongue flicked out to lick her lips as her eyes drifted down from his face to the rest of his body.

'... Not today.' Peter said as such and gave a rueful smile. "Er, not today. I had fun and all, but I…" Peter drifted off.

"We understand Peter." Death said calmly, an amused smile on her face. "Don't we Umar?"

Umar snapped her eyes at Death incredulously before turning to stare back at Peter and her eyes widened and before glancing aside, reproachful. "Of course, consort. I forgot that consummating our marriage should take time."

Peter couldn't help the small blush at the reference to having sex.

It wasn't because he was embarrassed at the physical act, but more so because of the emotional meaning of the act and what that entails. Call Peter a sap since he was sure most guys in his position would be more concerned with the sex, but Peter held equal value in making sure the person he had sex with was someone he was close with. For all the carnal enjoyment he got out of the act it meant nothing if the person he was with was just an outlet. It's why when he has–no, had sex with Felicia when they were both single he only did it with her and not anyone else. And for all her talk about not minding if Peter found someone while they were only having sex because she was still certainly looking, Peter knew Felicia wasn't out hunting for dates when Peter was available. He should know because if he wasn't in her bed at night, she'd make sure he was somehow…

He was distracting himself, the point was that he was more embarrassed at the emotional meaning than the physical act itself. It probably had to do with his confidence, despite MJ and Felicia's words Peter did not feel he had the capability to be with someone like them and Umar. For all his growth some part of him still felt like socially awkward Peter Parker from Midtown High. The one no girl would like to have sex with, let alone be seen on a date with.

Peter tried giving Umar a smile. "Don't worry Umar. I still had fun, and not just at the arcade. Kissing you is fun as well… you know?"

Umar paused before a small grin graced her features. She nodded. "Yes… kissing you is… fun."

Feeling proud he conveyed his feelings properly Peter took a look back at Death and Clea. "So… what are you all going to do now?"

Clea answered for them. "I believe the plan was to convene and share our feelings and time spent with you while you… er patrol?"

Peter blanched. The women were going to what now?

Death picked up where Clea left off. "We'll be waiting here for you when you get back Peter. As Clea mentioned, I wanted to take the time to talk with them about the dates. I think Clea and Umar are not only dying to speak about their experience, but want to know more about what to do moving forward."

Peter made a keening noise that got stuck in his throat as Umar walked toward Peter's door, Death and Clea making their way over as well. Death made sure to brush her hand against his face, soothing comfort quickly washing over him before continuing on her way. He stared in wonder before chuckling and giving her a nod of thanks.

"Also, forgive me consort but while I did promise to not spy on your dates, I did already get a glimpse into your mind earlier. Have you decided on Natasha's offer?" Death asked.

Peter jolted and stared at her alarmed at first before sighing as it was kind of a given she'd see that. He nodded. "Yes. Unwinding with Clea and Umar and talking with them both I found I was probably too high-strung to follow the simple logic of training for the worst while I have time."

Death smiled sweetly. "That's good then. It saves me time being a pest." Peter stared at the cosmic woman, holding back a guffaw at her subtle sass as she opened the door, showcasing what Peter assumed was Umar's throne room based on the throne in the center surrounded by what was probably the picture of opulence with the treasures surrounding the chamber it was in. "Remember we'll be here at night to rest." She said with a sultry smile and a sway of her hips before walking through.

With that the two other women made their way through the door. Umar took the time to give her consort an awkward nod not knowing what else to do when so far away, while Clea gave a shy smile and wave, closing the door behind her.

And then, Peter was alone. He took a moment to enjoy the silence before moving to grab his backpack. He had a training session to get to.

Exiting his home without a word since his family were all still out but knowing it would quickly change noting the time he jogged toward the exit of the neighborhood and checked the text from Natasha. Finding the location to be at the warehouse Natasha led him to Peter shook his head. Whether that was due to SHIELD warehouses being multipurpose or not he didn't know. What he did know was that he was going to get Clint to cool his jets (he didn't control the women above him), and show up Natasha and Val… somehow… it depended on what training they had in mind.

---

30 minutes later - SHIELD Warehouse

Spider-Sense: Oh no. Arrows and bullets with some behind you. Your body will be in so much pain! Not.

Spider-Man laughed as he dodged the plunger arrows (while he knew they were real he still couldn't help laughing when Clint brought them out) and rubber bullets from Clint, Black Widow and Agent 14 respectively..

"Come on, I've seen children in paintball be more accurate than you three!" The hero yelled playfully, before dodging the next salvo with a backstep and flip before launching himself up toward the ceiling.

He let out a snicker at seeing the only man among the three huff in irritation and threw his hands up in the air. "How the fuck are you dodging from behind you!?"

Ignoring the sore loser Peter focused his ears on the two dangerous women who despite asking for this training for Peter, were growing irritated with themselves despite knowing his power.

Agent 14 turned to her partner. "Call in backup?"

The redhead looked up at the hero with a glare. "Backup."

Spider-Man snorted. "I'd like to see this backup. Who you gonna call, Fury? A minigun?"

Black Widow ignored him and turned to Clint, signing to him something. The man blinked before he smirked. "Acknowledged."

The three SHIELD agents became irritatingly silent after that, but continued attacking him in short order after a resupply, he did see Nat press a button on some small device but other than that no backup came.

It started with faint, but rapid footsteps. But Peter ignored it in favor of taunting Black Widow as she threw some bola's at him, unfortunately hitting Clint as he dodged. "Come on Nat, I know you can do better than that. You're above friendly fire!"

With a snarl Black Widow unloaded on him with her dual pistols causing Peter to roll his eyes playfully as he dodged her fire with a twirl and cartwheel before jumping again to dodge Val's backup fire. The footsteps got louder as the sound of a door swinging open reached his ears underneath the gunfire.

WHOOSH!

Spider-Sense: SHIELD INCOMING! DODGE OR GRAB!

Eyes widening Peter turned to grab the thrown proto-adamantium shield in an awkward turn mid air before using it to block more rubber bullets and crushed some more plunger arrows.

Spider-Man shortly landed and stared at the newcomer as his enemies resupplied as quickly as they could now that backup was here.

'He's certainly backup…'

Captain America smiled. "Mind returning my shield son? This is a training exercise after all and it looks like you win this round. Despite my sneak attack."

Spider-Man stared down at the star painted shield before looking back up at the national hero and his now supplied allies. With one more look at the shield he tilted and shook his head. "No. No. I don't think I will."

Captain America stood there stunned at the lack of decorum before narrowing his eyes as he felt Clint hand him a pistol, he checked the magazine and chamber noting it was filled with rubber bullets. He was quickly handed 6 more that he quickly stowed. "Well then… ATTACK!"

Peter laughed with joy as he used the shield to block from the front before quickly having to dodge as he was flanked.

---

Tessa Fox

The Balkan woman sighed as she knocked on Silver's apartment door. Without even entering the woman's mind she could feel the tumultuous thoughts within. She shifted her peace offerings in her other arm. Silver's favorite cheesecake, and some pasta (fettuccine alfredo) for two from Parker Industries. Admittedly it was heavy but as a fellow woman Tessa was positive that this is something Silver would appreciate.

Silver's door opened and blue eyes met blue eyes tinged red from crying. The formerly crying ones quickly noted said cake and pasta in surprise and delight before they narrowed.

"A peace offering." Tessa quickly stated. "Can we eat before we talk?"

Silver's eyes stayed narrowed before sighing and nodding her head, making way for Tessa. She closed it as the black haired woman entered.

---

And that's a wrap... So... about that explanation... In short? Procrastination. Readers who've read my FF profile know what for a time I was updated it almost monthly with what was stopping me. And other than the first two months consisting of me deciding just how a date with Umar and Clea would go without going OOC the rest that followed were simply me becoming invested in the games that came out this year. Seriously FF16, TOTK, Baldur's Gate 3... I just... I had no chance (or at least that's what I tell myself). Till eventually I sat down and finished the majority of the chapter in one sitting and then these past two months the chapter sat at 98% as I struggled on HOW to finish it. I'll out myself and say Peter and Umar eating is where I was stumped. I knew I wanted to touch on the topic. But how do I NOT make it too heated that the date would be a fuck up, but how do I also get it so that their stances were clear (mainly Umar's) I still don't think I did a good job. I know I've mainly received words of praise from you all but I seriously am open to any feedback (of course only give it at your own volition - I hate begging for reviews... because I hate seeing those words as a reader myself xD) on what I could have done better.

That said, I'm also hoping again that the wait was worth it somewhat. I know there wasn't much if any action this chapter, hence why I didn't just end it with Peter deciding to take up Natasha's offer despite that probably being a clear point I could have ended Peter's POV on. And despite my best efforts I couldn't see where else to end except on Tessa's POV as a teaser. I'm pretty sure this is the first chapter I'm not ending it on Peter's POV and it's eating away at me xD

Speaking of Tessa, I'm going to cut off any cries of me forgetting my own story/creating a plot hole. Peter has a mind shield I am aware of that (I had Charles give him the damn thing). The thing is, it doesn't block those who know how to get around it hint hint. That and Peter still needs whoever is in his head to announce that they are their with their presence. That's all I'll say on the subject as this is one thing I've had in mind for a while that you can see hints of hit all the way back in chapter 11. Which... numerically isn't that long but the point stands dammit!

The long awaited RANT (since some of you are weird about it) is below.

It's been a while so a lot has happened but suffice to say in Spider-Verse Peter is now not the center of the Web. It's Silk (Holy crap who would have thunk it?) now. And Peter (who's not the center of the Web) has a sidekick tween called Bailey now. Oh wait. I mean he's ALWAYS had a sidekick named Bailey (Cindy being retconned in was bad sort of, but it gave a reason as to why she never appeared until she was introduced. Now Peter had a kid (sort of adopted?) that was with him for a couple years?)

Anyways, in the main comics line this Rabin plotline or whatever the thing Dark Web kinda just interrupted itself into, has ended. WHAT DID PETER PARKER DO? Was it's tagline. So what did he do? Try and save Mary-Jane when the FF wouldn't let him use a fusion reactor since they couldn't confirm Peter was Peter, and THEN not stop and talk to Captain America when he asked him calmly what the situation was.

Instead, Peter roflstomped him as I'm pretty sure he could anytime but it definitely was not in the way I would have wanted, anyways he succeeds in saving MJ (who was in an alternate desolate Earth where time passed... insanely fast due to said Rabin plotline - it's not important. Like seriously, it's just Slott's OC villain(s) that he brought back from a one-off. All that's important is that she and Peter were sent away immediately after they were about to move in together) and while she was gone 6 months from reality, 4 years had actually passed. In that time she found and raised 2 kids that names constantly changed throughout this whole trainwreck of a book, and got together with Paul... and by Jove did they hint at a MULTITUDE of ways MJ has drifted from Peter. That just completely shit on the relationship canon (She gave up on Peter in 4 months when she's been kidnapped for 6 month's+ and never gave up on him in that time) and made MJ seem like... well it's probably a personal opinion anyways, but it was not good how she came across to Peter. (She's been cold this entire book really). And when Rabin and... whatever the actual threatening villain was arrived Rabin killed Kamala Khan (Oh yeah she's there too just for this one thing) who was a disguised MJ and that fucked up Rabin's entire plan. So the kids disappear, and now MJ and Paul are struggling, but still together. Oh yeah and Peter's been forgiven by the FF and apparently the rest of the super hero community now xD
Fast Forward a bit Peter himself actually, is in TOO healthy of a relationship with Felicia during this time that Felicia says that since Peter and her AREN'T trying to make either one a hero or a thief that they should split. So he doesn't fight it and they do... WHAT? xD Fast Forward AGAIN. And Peter gets hit with Norman's Sins (from a team up from Kraven's Clone and Kafka's clone - and for this teamup for some reason the writer had to make them have hate sex...) anyways, Peter's hit with Norman's sins. Goes apeshit on Kraven's clone and tries to kill Paul. He's stopped by Norman in short order and once free of Norman's sins says to MJ that she did nothing wrong. "I know." is what she responds with xD Annnnnd that's about it... oh wait. Norman now has hints that he's becoming the Green Goblin again (Oh no who would of thunk it xD) In short, this trainwreck is now on fire and is not worth your time... at all.

Also as an aside apparently Night Crawler is now the result of two women getting it on? I just...

Rant done.

Anyways, please forgive the slowness of this chapter. I will be going on an actual long vacation in December and I'll have nothing but time on my hands so we can get back into the actual plot of the story, and not the 'plot' of the story xD