nextgenerationmarvel | And the Spider Came back, the Very Next... uh. Month?

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And the Spider Came back, the Very Next... uh. Month?

The window quietly slides open with barely a whisper and a bag of clothes goes sailing into the neat room. No bed bugs. Harvard wouldn't allow it.

She wasn't thrilled with Harvard. Yes, she was not thrilled with Harvard. She should have stuck with Columbia, she should have but... well, May Parker wanted distance. She's tried of being a super hero, someone else is out there being spider man and she's getting awfully close to the Legal Age of Everything and Girl isn't quite cutting it. So she's still May, and she's hanging out with the Avengers for spring break because that's what everyone dreams of, right?

So she closes the window behind her, feet creeping over the carpet. She quietly opens her door into the hallway.

Sneak. Sneak. Sneak. All the way down to the kitchen... so she hopes.

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For all of the distance that Roxie Danvers herself wants from some specific Avengers, she still finds herself coming to the Mansion more often than one usually would. But when Jarvis calls and says that he's baked a strawberry rhubarb pie specifically for you...well, you come by for a visit.

Currently, the brunette Avenger is standing by the coffee machine, waiting for the last drop of hazelnut coffee to drop into the glass coffee pot so that she can pour herself a glass. She hasn't been here for a couple of weeks - not since the Frost Giant incident - and things around the Mansion seem a little quiet for spring break.

She looks up just as May enters the kitchen and gives the other woman a friendly smile.

"Welcome back?"

There are very few things that one can debate with in the realm of things. Uncle Ed making anyone anything of sugary variety is all that needs to be said on why smeone is lurking in the mansion. Of course May's been gone for so long, she doesn't quite realize that Roxie and Vincent are... less than together.

The quiet pussyfooting pauses and there's a sleek sound of the bottom of May's sneaker on the ground as she turns back to poke her head through the doorway. May had assumed the quite came from a mission or from the fact it's New York City and the sunny beaches of the South are some distance away.

She flashes a bright smile, "Hey Roxie. Yeah, I'm back for a ..." Visit? For good? She really doesn't know just yet.

Roxie smiled at May, somewhat understanding where the other woman was coming from. She indicates the huge pie just sitting on the island of the kitchen, waiting to be cut into.

"Pie," she says, finally pouring herself a mugful of steaming, heartwarming coffee. "When I'm not sure what I'm back for, pie's always the perfect excuse," she adds. "Coffee?"

"Pie! I think that's where my spider sense truly lies." It's not quite about Jay, it never was. It's more or less trying to figure out things. And the thing she drifted to isn't making her happy at all.

She finds a chair and pulls it close to the counter, perching on it gracefully. "Sometimes you gotta go home to check it out, see if all the things are still in order and how you left them. Something... to count on?"

"I wish my seventh sense was as keen," Roxie said lightly. "Not that it's ever really come in handy all that much." Either that, or Roxie really just didn't know how to listen to it. It really could be the latter.

She nods at May's last statement. "I understand. It's why I keep on being pulled back here, no matter how much I try to keep my distance." Yes, she was still on the Avengers roster, and that probably wasn't a position she was going to give up any time soon, but at the same time, with the Kreenapping and everything, she wanted to keep her personal distance from the people there.

Even if people like Bruce and Jay had been there for her to help try sort out her issues.

"Everything around us sometimes tends to change so fast that we hope that home is at least frozen in time, so there's some small sense of normalcy in our world."

"Mine... has it's ups and downs, really." She cups her hands and rests her chin on him. Her eyes half lidded. "I know mine is useful but I just... Oh, it's frustrating."

She drums her fingers on the counter for a few moments but she listens attentively. It's all nerves, really. "Home is home is home? Or familiarity. You're doing okay though?" Whatever okay really is after something like that.

"Well, the place I called home got blown up a few months ago. The new condo is really great, though?"

"I've been alright," she nodded after a moment. "Moved into a new place, started fresh." She paused and took a thoughtful bite of pie, savoring the sweet tartness of the filling and the warm, buttery goodness of the crust. "I had to end things with Vincent though. I just...needed time to myself?" She shrugged, as if brushing the break-up off, even though it hadn't been the easiest thing for her to come to terms with. "Yay for the new home, though. Does it feel like home yet, or are you still settling in?"

"All right is sometimes the best we can ask for." That sounded so dry. "But I know it's going to improve after a while." Then she glances at the pie, then at Roxie and looks akin to a little lost puppy begging for food. That expression stops when she hears about Vincent. "Did he take it hard? It's reasonable you want some time to yourself, to figure things out." Sometimes break ups are shrugged off because... well. It hurts to dwell. "Nope, not at all. It smells too new and my room is too big back home."

Roxie noted the look and pulled a rectangular, white dessert plate out of a nearby cabinet - similar to the one Roxie was eating off of. She deftly cut a thick, wide slice for May and slid it over to her. "It's amazing, but with Jarvis, that's eighty kinds of expected," she said. "It was out of left field for him, and I feel horrible for that." After all, the last time he'd seen her, she'd been this perky, full of life, wildly sexual blonde warrior nymph. When she'd returned to break up with him, she'd been a solemn, angry, brunette warrior woman. "But I let him keep my apartment for himself and Audhild, because the last thing either of them deserved was to be rudely uprooted."

She started to take a sip of her coffee and stopped, indicating her mug. Did May want a cup?

"It takes forever settling into a new place. Jay was the first visitor I had at mine - he came over to make sure I was doing okay, since this was post-break-up - and I was still working on making the place feel like home." Which was difficult when one didn't even know who one was anymore.

And then Roxie paled a little bit. "I'm sorry. Jay...should I not have brought him up?"

A fork was gladly taken and May smiles, easily sinking the fork into the pie. Sweet and tart and it reminds her of Aunt May. "He really did spoil me when we lived here for a while. Mom complains I never appreciate her or Dad's cooking." She nods, twirling her fork, "It's not far to either of you for keeping up something that might not work now."

A shake of head. Coffee and May still weren't friends. She had Mt. Dew, why get coffee?

She looked up at the mention of Jay and the fork quietly tapped on the plate. Her smile was nervous and she gave a little shrug. "We didn't split because of anything... I mean, I thought I was going to be out of State for years. He deserved someone who was going to stick around and wasn't drifting all the time, y'know? It's odd but not painful. It's okay."

Edited 2012-10-27 04:38 (UTC)

The topic of conversation was oblivious to anything going on in the kitchen. He had earbuds in and Indigenous playing on his mp3 player clipped to the waistband of his gray workout shorts. He had a towel draped around his neck and was wearing a slightly sweaty sleeveless t-shirt that said "Just Did It."

He walked in humming and barely glanced at the redhead and brunette eating pie. He absently thought maybe Liza and Roxie had dropped in. Until it registered that was a more familiar shape than Liza. His sneakers squeaked on the kitchen floor as he turned back around. He blinked and popped one earbud out.

"Uhh..." That was his eloquent greeting for the moment.

Roxie looked up at the squeaking of the sneakers.

Speak of the Hulky devil.

"Jay!" Roxie exclaimed, sounding a little bit like her older self. "Look who dropped by for a visit!" Because from his reaction, it wasn't obvious at all that he realized who it was, nope.

She looked at May thoughtfully for a moment, and then smiled. This was time to make her exit and to let them speak. The first meeting was always obvious, and she didn't need to be present for it.

Roxie reached out and gently squeezed May's wrist. "It was nice catching up with you," she said. "If you need to talk later, I'll be in the common area." She poured herself some more coffee, cut herself another hefty slice of pie, and made a hasty exit, whispering the words, "Good luck," to Jay as she did so.

This. This was unfair as she gives a furtive glance to the tall man entering the room. She quickly stuffs another mouthful of pie in, hoping that she won't need to speak until Jay passes by.

And then Roxie-

No, wait. Roxie. NO! She's supposed to hide behind you! Hide perfectly behind you. See if you'll ever get to hide behind her when Vincent enters the room.

She gives the other Avenger a mournful look while she chews her mouthful of pie slowly. Then glances at Jay.

Waves.

"Wait, Rox, you don't need to-" And then it was too late. The brunette was out the door. He just stood there for a second with his hand in the air. "Uhm."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, May."

He should go get what he came in here for and leave May to enjoy her pie. However, his feet felt stuck to the floor at the moment.

Why did you think Rox would stay, Jay? Why? May watches him for a moment wondering if she could get away with another mouthful of pie. But Jay's timing was too perfect. She swallowed the fruit and crust just as he greeted her.

She looks up at her ... err. At Jay and smiles sheepishly. "Hey, Jay. Uhm. I don't think Roxy would mind if you have a slice."

"What kind is it?" The question was mostly a cover for him to get his brain on track. May was in the Avengers' kitchen. She was on break from Harvard and just popped in. That's all. She probably had some really smart boyfriend back at college that she totally deserved instead of a guy who turned into a monster full of anger.

Jay really hated his own brain sometimes. Though he covered his internal musings with a half-smile.

"Ah. Fruit. Rhubarb, that fruit you don't really know exists until someone puts it in a pie with strawberries." She grins sheepishly as she quietly runs the fork on the plate's edge. "I am eating it for the strawberries and Roxie is just kind enough to indulge me on that."

She's making friends. Some asking why she isn't staying in New York City. To this she gives them looks of 'why didn't she get away sooner'. But it's nothing thick, it's nothing sharp or meaningful and the guys. Well, smart guys are talking to her.

Like she's sure nice girls who aren't total flakes are talking to Jay. "How are you guys doing?"

What would make it seem not weird? Nothing. But he did just finish working out. Boo could wait on his food for a bit.

"Sure. I'll have a slice." He made his way over to sit not quite across from May. Just far enough away that casual contact really had to be meant to be done.

"We're kinda in flux a bit. There was a blow-up when we were rescuing Audhild from Asgard, and Vincent was forced to take some time away. How's-How's Harvard?"

Oh course he was working out. Walking around with clothes that are going to cling and or not even on to being with. That's how the trouble all started prior. Jay walking about showing off his pecs and making stupid girls look.

"I'm a little wary of knives lately. At the school all the pie and deserts are cut out for you." She says lightly, though she handles the knife with ease.

"Is Hildy okay along with Vinny? What did he do?" She slides the plate over to him and shurgs, "It's... boring. I mean there's work but it's... y'know. Teen stuff."

Working out was a daily part of Jay's keeping himself buff regimen. It helped him gain strength for being a Hulk. Though he was oblivious to girls looking.

"Yeah. She's fine. Who knew Kristoff would be a stabilizing influence? As for what Vincent did, he went off half-cocked on his own plan for glory and got Marcus, Erin, and Aether hurt." Jay sounded most peeved about the winged horse getting hurt. He might have had a thing for horses.

He took the plate with a nod of thanks. "Huh. Here I thought Harvard would be all ivy and weird mathematicians mumbling to themselves. With pre-law kids running around objecting to everything."

It was something that May tended to do, but found it hard at the college's gym. What she could do was beyond most gym equipment and plodding on the treadmill? Sucked. It bored her to tears.

"After the crazy he was raise with? Both by a Doom and a Richards? Who knew." She pauses, looking confused. She knew about Marcus and Aether. She was going to have go and give the winged creature sugar cubes but. "Who's Erin?"

There's laughter. "Oh, there's that! But the pre-law kids like to drink like crazy, and it's a boring mess."

"Erin's the new girl. Mutant. Aqua-kinetic. Had never been to a food court before. Has problems with treadmills in our gym." Jay shrugged before digging into the pie.

He grinned around his chewing at May's laughter. He kinda missed that sound. "Oh! Yeah, there's Kitty Pryde around now to ride heard on us. SHIELD liaison and stuff."

"Oh!" This is good, isn't it? A new girl. A normal new girl who never has been to a food court and probably just. A lot better than her.

She keeps toying with the fruit though, "Kitty Pryde? You're serious? I thought the X-Men would keep her under lock and key?"

"So, you just on Spring Break?" He tried just to sound casual at it. It wasn't like any answer she gave would make him go into hiding in his room. He just needed to be braced for... something.

"SHIELD must have busted her out and sent her to spy on Mr. Stark or something." He scooped up pie to make himself seem busy chewing.

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And the Spider Came back, the Very Next... uh. Month?

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My God, I've been gone too long. ROXIE IS A BRUNETTE.

LOL!

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