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WHO: Spider-Man and Amanda Waller
WHERE: At a greasy spoon diner in-town
WHEN: Sometime after the Vulcanus mission
WARNINGS: Nothin'!
SUMMARY: Spidey has noticed that Jessica and Amanda talk a lot. Spidey would like to know what that is all about!
FORMAT: Whateverrrr

So he wanted to talk, apparently.

Fine with her. So long as it was downtime from all that Vulcanus, Metamen, DeConnick is a pain in the ass crap. As much as she liked the familiarity of being in that kind of work again, she did not like dealing with stupid assholes once more. Wanted to spend time with Hank, or just get some relaxing in.

She supposed talking with Spider-Man over lunch counted as relaxation.

Amanda sat in the booth, having already ordered, waiting for her sandwich and salad to turn up. Would've liked a cold beer, though.

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[If his hands weren't a mess from his food he'd facepalm; as it is he huffs a little and flops back in his seat, head leaning back on the headrest, a little too resigned and just plain worn out to be petulant.]

I think you're doing a better job with this than I am, whatever that says about me.

[As fast as that he's already leaned forwards again, but he's not quite meeting her gaze as he picks up another fry.]

I think it says you want to be more involved with her life and training her, but you're too busy to be, so you blame yourself.

[Big bite of her sandwich. Almost done.]

Now, my turn.

What exactly is the deal between you and Parker?

I wish it were that simple.

[But now she's brought up the other point of contention. He takes a fortifying sip of coffee and a couple bites of his reuben, keeping her at bay that much longer.]

We're acquainted. Have been, for a while back home.

I don't think 'acquainted' quite fits the fact that you two seem to mention each other every time I'm around.

The way it comes off as is you've either been best friends for years, or you're dating each other.

That would explain a lot, actually.

[And it's a good thing Peter hadn't been taking another fortifying sip of coffee, because otherwise there would've been a repeat of the earlier choking incident.]

That -- wha -- it's not like that!

[And Amanda just shrugs.]

Just going with what the evidence presents me. You two mention each other all the time, which means you're on each other's minds. But he's always careful to distance himself a bit after the fact - after all, if somebody found that he knew Spider-Man's secret identity because he was dating him, that would make him a target, right?

Meanwhile, you joke about it, through some mix of care and trying to downplay the connection.

Superheroes, and their significant others, care deeply about their secret identities being kept that way - and with good reason. But they still have slip-ups. Which is what a lot of this looks like.

Heh. Well, you're right it was a slip-up ... thing is, back home everyone knows Parker's my -- well, a former business associate, I guess you could say. It's hard to remember that's not the case here, what with so many people from the same universe...

[He polishes off the last of his reuben, then wipes his hands and clasps them loosely on the table.]

Back when he did photography, he was my official unofficial news photographer. I let him know where I'd be, he'd take the shots, we'd split the proceeds. He's been out of that for a while now, but you know a guy for ten years, you stay in touch, you know how it is.

Edited 2011-08-10 21:46 (UTC)

You've known each other for ten whole years.

[The only way that dissuades the 'Spider-Man is dating Parker' idea in her head is that Parker would obviously have a boyfriend after that long.]

Yeah, I see.

The only other potential explanation is that you are Peter Parker... and I'm just not seeing it there.

Same kind of sense of humor, though. [Which was weird all on its own, but.]

[A wry, and not at all uncomfortable chuckle.]

Well, he wasn't much more than a kid when I went him -- I've been told I'm a bad influence.

Mm.

Well, I believe that addresses pretty much both of our mutual concerns. You could always ask Jess what she thinks of me, though.

Speaking of - have you been able to help her out? She's not about to accept outright money for me, and she's working two jobs, going to school, and is a superhero. I admire the drive, but she's going to burn herself out at this rate.

Oy. Well, it's nice to know just how much she listens to my advice...

[He chomps on a fry irritably.]

She's actually moved in with me as of a week ago. She's welcome to stay as long as she likes -- if it becomes permanent we'll find a bigger apartment outside the MAC, no problem. I've also gotten an account set up for her paid from my own funds, so she has a nest egg if I get ported out. Though I haven't told her that, yet. Given the ... particular situation, I'm trying not to push. She's not used to -- well, to people looking out for her.

[He shrugs a little, polishes off the last of his slaw.]

I'm sure you've figured that out, too. With us it's -- well, there's another layer. So I've been trying to balance looking out for her well-being and giving her the space to set her own boundaries --

[He makes an exasperated noise.]

Obviously, I could be doing a better job of that.

[Just then, the waitress arrives to clear their dishes, and after a bit of banter Spidey orders himself another coffee and a slice of cheesecake.]

Time was, I would've just told her to shut the hell up, there's a reason you're a teenager. [Ah, memories of tough love to her kids. Tough, tough love.] But she's too timid around me to push my buttons like my kids did.

You'll do fine. It takes some getting used to the role. Plus, you're both superheroes, which complicates things on a whole other level.

[Tapped her finger to the table. A thought crossing her mind.]

... I just thought of a way to maybe deal with her hair without her having to change her costume or get a cut. But I'll have to talk to a friend of mine, see if he's willing to share.

Trust me, the superhero part is the least confusing bit.

[Spidey cocks his head, watching her think.]

I'm assuming you mean something a little more complicated than a ponytail. She's got way too much hair to manage a wig comfortably ... what, are you talking about some kind of color-changing solution? Not a permanent dye, but one activated and deactivated on a trigger, something like that?

That's exactly what I'm talking about. Got a friend with a gas that does that, and a bit more... or I could just have someone at Global Dynamics make it, but that'd be a misuse of resources.

[Has a think on it.]

Wait, no it wouldn't, that would make for an incredibly popular product. Highly effective, easy to wash out temporary hair dye.

[Slight smile.]

Bet you Parker could reverse-engineer that in a jiffy. He does like his tinkering.

[Squinting at Spidey a bit.]

If I wanted to know your ID, I'd just have to have Parker's brain scanned, wouldn't I.

Good thing for you that that's not particularly important to me right now, eh?

I'll hit him up about it, see what he can do. Give Global Dynamics a boost, the kid a way to disguise her identity, and maybe throw a raise Parker's way if the thing does well on the market.

[Just then the waitress arrives with dessert on tray, and he waits until she's set things down before he continues the conversation.]

First of all, I don't think you'll do that as long as the benefits of Parker's trust and my goodwill outweigh the value of yet another secret. Second, I think you'll find it won't be quite as easy as you think it'll be.

I'm sure he'll appreciate the consideration, though.

Edited 2011-08-11 02:24 (UTC)

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yeah this is not un-convincing Waller about the boyfriends thing, Peter

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