nexus_crossings | When Life Slows Down

When Life Slows Down

It is a major downer for Peter to have a leg cast right now. His whole life seems to be crawling along at a snail's pace. He is used to being the first to class... but is now the last. He is used to living life in the fast line... but is now stuck behind some senior going half the speed limit. And he feels like he is that senior.

And he can't focus right. Which is why he was headed to his hide-away in the attic, and took all that effort to drag himself up one step at a time...

When his head popped up in a whole new area that definitely was not the attic. His eyes went wide as sights and sounds surrounded him, and he was not even all the way out into the Nexus plaza yet.

He tosses his crutches onto the ground of the plaza, then pulls himself all the way up out of the hole in the ground that is his Nexus portal. And sits there on the ground for a moment. His eyes seem to move very quickly surveying everything around him.

He doesn't seem concerned about moving off the ground right now. His finger tap quickly on the floor beside him. More than anything in the world he wants to see everything... visit every Nexus shop... sample every exotic treat. But the cast has him contained. Sullen and contained.

"What would be your version of 'being between a rock and a hard place'?"

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It is sort of fun seeing Steve's ears flush pink with embarrassment. Peter smiles.

"It is not really a secret... since some others already know." Peter admits.

He listens to Steve explain about his friends. His much younger sister is named Wanda. This is too much of a coincidence. And decides to ask. "Does he have special powers? Like... can he move really fast?"

Steve has spectacular blushing skills. He always has, but the serum somehow managed to enhance them along with the rest of his outer shell.

He sinks a little deeper into his chair and crosses one ankle over the opposite knee, frowning thoughtfully. Peter doesn't actually look like Pietro Maximoff, nor bear much resemblance to the Wanda Steve knows, and his accent is nothing close to Sokovian, but judging from his reaction there are some parallels here. He takes in a breath of surprise at the question, and nods.

"Yeah. Yeah, that was his...thing. His gift. He's not...I'm sorry, this is awkward, but he died a couple years ago. He was helping save the lives of hundreds of innocent people, but it broke Wanda's heart, losing him."

And Steve never really got to know the guy. In his opinion, the hero's sacrifice he made is as much as he needs to know to regret the loss and wish he could have known him better, as much as he needs to be kindly disposed toward an alternate of him. That, and he's heard Wanda reminisce and grieve. An alternate is never guaranteed to be similar--he knows that, academically--and this one seems both physically and circumstantially a long way removed, but he's still fascinated.

"You're American, though? The Maximoffs I know were born in Sokovia."

"Speed is my gift... usually..." Peter nods down at the cast on his leg. "But it sounds like he was sort of like me... fighting to protect innocent people."

Peter studies Steve's face for a moment. Trying to decide if he should continue his harmless flirting or not. If the other man knew someone like him, and lost that person, than he better air on the side of caution.

"I spent most of my life in the States. My mother passed when I was young, and since at that time I didn't know who my father was... I was in foster homes for most of my childhood. My sister Wanda is actually a foster sister. But I consider her family. My new foster mom and dad too."

Steve looks sympathetic. He knows from experience how frustrating it is for any enhanced person to be grounded and unable to do their usual thing. Probably even more so for a speedster. "You'll heal before too long. How about you go on a run with me then? If you're anything like Pietro, I won't be able to keep up, but that'd be a new experience for me."

He can outrun literally everyone else he knows, with the possible exception of T'Challa, who he hasn't tried to race against, and maybe Thor, who seems to mostly travel via Mjolnir when he's in a hurry, so it'd be apples and oranges.

He's eager to reach out to this kid, though. Pietro and Wanda got a raw deal, in Steve's opinion. If he can swing the balance of things in this distant alternate's favor, he sure as hell will. "I'm sorry," he says. "About your mother. I lost mine when I was about nineteen. I never had siblings, though."

“That would be fun. It is always nice when I have someone who doesn’t mind me being faster.” Peter smiles.

Peter nods at the expressed sympathy. “That makes it even more important to phrase thing right when it comes to telling Erik that he is my dad. He is the only blood relative I have left.”

"Hey, we all have our own gifts. I don't get mad because Banner's smarter or because Sam can fly. I guess the thing about having a team is embracing each others' strengths and supporting their weaknesses..."

He's straying into Captain America Pep Talk territory, but manages to catch himself. "Given we're from such different worlds, though, do you even have any idea who the Avengers are?"

His expression softens, and he reaches over to pat his shoulder, carefully. "Blood relations are important. I don't blame you for being worried about it. But don't forget, found family is just as good."

"Hey it is important that I know what their strengths and weaknesses are.In a quick situation, I have more time to assess what is needed than they do." Peter shrugs. "Sometimes they don't appreciate me... moving them into place."

"The Avengers? They have been mentioned in the news a few times..."

Peter glances up at Steve. "I just have to figure out how to tell him."

"You mean moving them literally?" Steve snorts. "I admit, I'd be a little annoyed if someone shoved me across the floor like a chess-piece, but I can see the value."

Now he's looking forward to seeing Peter fully recovered. He's interested in seeing him operate.

"So we exist in your world, too." He looks thoughtful. "Have you heard anything about the Sokovia Accords?"

It's interesting, he thinks, if the Avengers exist in Peter's world and he hasn't reacted to bumping into the public face of Captain America. Maybe there isn't one there, or maybe Steve isn't it, or maybe this kid is just so chill he doesn't care. It's kind of wonderful either way. Steve always savors an opportunity to interact with someone without his reputation preceding him.

"I think...if it were me?" His hand is still on Peter's shoulder and he gives it a gentle squeeze. "I'd just find a quiet space alone, low key, and have a talk: I'm pretty sure this is how it is, now how do you want to deal with it from here?"

"It is like you blink and you are in a different position. No actual shoving." Peter explains.

"Um... no. Sorry." Peter is pretty chill. He tries to keep up with important topics of the day.

Peter feels warm and fuzzy after the second gentle squeeze. "It is hard for me to be low key. But that is good advice."

"Okay, but do you pick them up or what? You must be pretty goddamn strong, too, not just fast, if you can do all that." Steve's amused, grinning because his question here is probably nit-picking, but he doesn't get to compare notes with enhanced individuals, other than his usual squad, every day.

Naturally, he assumes Peter had a precipitating event that made him this way, like Pietro did. Hearing about the X-gene will be a surprise to him.

"Good," he says of the Accords. "I'm going to give you my PINpoint information. If anything does come up, let me know and I'll have your back."

"Kinetic energy." Peter explains. "Through my own momentum, I am able to simulate the effects of superhuman strength."

"PINpoint?" Peter tilts his head.

"Physics was never my strong suit," he says, but the sparkle in his eye says he understand the explanation and he's just being funny.

He reaches into a pocket and fishes out his own PINpoint. He got a model that's designed to look like a pocket watch. Generally speaking, items are safer in his pockets than attached to his wrists; he does a lot of punching.

"These devices. They're pretty common around the Nexus. You can use them to transport places, and communicate through texts or emails."

"Neat..." Peter leans forward to appreciate the PINpoint that Steve holds. "Where do you get one of those?"

"There's a vending machine at the other end of the plaza--well, I guess 'vending' isn't the right term, since they don't cost anything, but you just go over and select the style you want. You want a look? I'm pretty sure I can get you over there one way or another."

"I am sure you could too." Peter grins. He is curious about the devices. So nods slightly. "Guess since you bought me a coffee, you can manhandle me now."

Steve's ears turn pink again, but he laughs companionably. Flirting isn't entirely beyond his realm of experience, it's just not something he gets much of an opportunity for these days.

...but what the hell, it ain't gonna hurt anyone.

He scoops Peter up easily, bridal style. "All right, let's do this. I'll put you back down if you say so, though, just tell me what's your safe word."

Peter huffs in amazement when Steve picks him up. He saw those ears turn pink again. Getting picked up this way brings a flush to his own face. He could get used to this.

He wraps his arms around Steve's shoulders, to steady himself.

"You don't do this for everyone, do you?" Peter's eyes twinkle. He thinks for a moment for a flirtatious safe word. Because why the hell not.

"How about boyscout?"

The fact that Steve used the term 'safe word' at all suggests a certain amount of self-awareness. It's all too easy for him to come across as the macho wartime poster-boy for heteronormativity, but that image doesn't entirely hold up to scrutiny once you get to know him.

"Nah. Not everyone asks," he answers simply, with a sparkle in his eye.

"Boyscout it is," he adds with a chuckle. "I never was one, though, were you?"

"Good. I am glad I am special." Peter chuckles lightly. He could fall pretty fast for this one. He is a speedster.

"No. Thief. Mostly." He admits.

Special, in that he's a strange, distant alternate of someone Steve would have liked to have saved. Flirting is only flirting, but he's already decided he wants to get to know him, whether on a platonic level or otherwise. (Although, let's be real, Steve Rogers is pretty slow to move on anything other than a platonic level.)

But he's never been immune to charm.

"Thief? Really? And now you save the world instead?" He should probably tell him that stealing is bad or something. And it is! It's bad. But Steve's concerns are more life and limb and planetary infrastructure these days than petty theft.

Then again, "See, that sounds like another guy I know. Scott Lang. Haven't seen him in a while, though. I hope his family's doing okay."

"Well, a few other mutants... that is what they call people like me with special abilities in my world... showed up on my door. Asking for help."

"I helped get this powerful metal-controller mutant out of jail. And then the next thing I know, I am sitting at home watching him give this big speech on TV. And my foster mom decides that is the perfect time to tell me that he is my dad."

"And I went to find him... instead, showed up to the mansion when it was blowing up with students inside. So I saved them. And then got sedated. And then joined up with the others when they went to face an Elder Mutant, mostly because the guy who is my dad was working with that Elder Mutant. And I wanted to help my dad."

Peter knows that he went through his background really fast there.

"Okay, pal, sorry, but I lost you about halfway through there." Steve smiles nonetheless, amused. "We might need to take baby steps. Start with mutants. Are you saying you were born with your abilities?"

If it makes Peter feel better, Steve seems to have zero prejudice one way or another. He's just curious.

"I only ask because I'm a science experiment. If you'd seen me before, you'd hardly recognize me." Although he misses being bird-boned, crooked, asthmatic Stevie Rogers more than he can say.

"Big fan of baby steps?" Peter pats Steve's chest playfully.

"In my world, genetics have evolved that humans are born with the X-Gene. That X-Gene usually manifests with special abilities at puberty. Right now, not all humans are born with it. So it has created a bit of a divide."

Peter grinned. "A science experiment you say?"

"Did I say that before?" He laughs softly. "I guess I use that phrase a lot."

He heard a lot of it, when being introduced to modern technology. Small wonder it stuck.

Nodding attentively at the explanation, he takes a left around some kind of empty kiosk. Around that corner, the PINpoint vending machines are easy enough to spot. "That sounds rough. People are already prone to prejudice against anyone different."

"I worried about that after the experiment. What would happen if they made a bunch more of me." He shakes his head. "It was the second World War, and a German scientist, Dr. Erskine, was testing a serum to bring humans to the peak of performance. Strength, stamina, a little cognitive enhancement. It was called Project Rebirth. I was this short, thin, asthmatic kid and I was ready to do anything to help with the war effort, so I volunteered and was eventually chosen to be the first subject."

"The serum worked, but Dr. Erskine was assassinated so there was no way to duplicate it after that. Plenty of people have tried, though."

"So you are one of a kind..." Peter notices the PINpoint vending machines. He guesses that Steve will stop carrying him soon. Shame that.

"So how old does that make you?"

When Life Slows Down

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