Valen | Peter Parker

I Need a Small Favor

Valen didn't know where she was going. She wasn't going to the Avenger's compound, that would be stupid. She didn't know where Peter lived. The only thing she could see from that memory was a fire escape, which was not helpful since many buildings in the state of New York have fire escapes.

She closed her eyes trying to make herself remember something. If people could see her, they could see how she looked like she was sitting on the toilet constipated. She grunted as nothing was showing up.

Valen continued walking until her vision blurred over with Peter. He was smiling while looking like he was ready to spar with her. They were standing on a mat and he made the 'come here' gesture with his hands.

As if she was back in time and able to control her movements at that moment, she looked down at his shirt. The words, "Midtown School of Science and Technology" were plastered onto a blue shirt.

Valen blinked and ran into a person. They stumbled back and looked around for what they had hit. They spun around a few times looking for the object that just shoulder chuckled them, but there was nothing. Valen stepped to the side around them, annoyed they were in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Really brain? You give me nothing when I'm trying and give me something when I'm not trying. What is up with that?" She threw her hands in the air as she looked for the school that was on Peter's shirt.

It was still very late out. Though it had been about an hour now since she had left Hydra in flames. She didn't know the time, but it was around four in the morning. The moon was still the main light in the sky. The street lamps were brighting up the road. Well, at least those that worked. She she was still in her suit Hydra made her. It started to make her feel suffocated being it. Her hair was still in two braids going into a bun, but it was now super loose and falling out after the fight.

After stopping at a subway station to look at map of where she was going. She jumped over the turnstile and hopped onto the one headed towards Queens. There were only two other people with her. One was passed out asleep at the end, and the other looked like she just got done partying. Her dress and bra strap was falling off of her shoulder. A heel was broken while her hair looked like a rat's nest.

Valen jumped out as fast as possible when it was her stop. She didn't stop running until she was met with the footsteps of a very large school. She didn't want to break in through the front doors so she looked around for a more unsusceptible door. Rain had started to sprinkle as she froze over the locked door and kicked it open.

She made her way to the principal's office, breaking the lock there as well, to look through the student's files. She flipped through looking for every single Peter since she didn't know his last name. She opened them up to make sure the picture matched who she was looking for. When she found a weird looking senior photo of her Peter, she jotted down his number and address on a post-it note.

Lights flickered on in the receptionist's room that was just outside the principal's office. Valen never turned visible while being in the school, but she was still cautious enough to put everything back just the way it was. The only thing she couldn't fix was the locks she broke along the way.

She got up and made her way to the exit door looking for a pay phone. The rain had picked up now, but it didn't matter to her how wet she was getting. She ran to the nearest one and called Peter's number.

"Hello?" Peter sounded completely awake, not an ounce of tiredness in him.

Valen thought he would be sleep right now, which caught her off guard. She was the one to call him, but she thought he wasn't going to answer right away.

"Valen?" Peter was up all night in his room. He had been thinking nonstop about what she said before disappearing.

"Before you say anything else, is it true?" She closed her eyes scared of what his answer was going to be compared to her thoughts.

"Is what true?"

"The night ... on the fire escape. You and me. I said ... but then you said it today, the exact words you said that night. Tell me it was real and not just in my head."

Peter already knew what she was talking about. He stood up out of his chair and faced outside his window wondering where she was. "Valen, it was all true. I love you. It is not just in your head."

Valen rested her forehead against the pay phone, still pressing the phone against her ear. She closed her eyes and sighed with relief. She was drenched from the rain, but all she could feel in that moment was relief.

"V, are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Where are you?"

Valen bit her lip, not knowing if she should tell him. She had this one memory of him, but didn't know if that made him trustworthy. But, she had to take a leap of faith. If she wanted her memories back, he was the best starting point. "I'm in front of your school."

Peter was already in his Spider-Man suit. It was faster than taking the subway. "Okay, don't leave. I'll be right there." He was about to hang up the phone and crawl out the window, but he needed reassurance. "Will you be there?"

"Yes."

That was all he needed. Peter took of swinging as fast as he could. He landed a few feet in front of her, stumbling as he landed from going way too fast. He looked at her with relief and happiness even though he had his mask over his face.

He took slow, precautionary steps towards her, trying not to scare her off. Valen stood still holding her arms.

"I stayed." She shrugged her shoulders.

Peter wanted to run up and hug her or kiss her, but when his approach quickened, she stepped back. Her movements hurt him, but he also understood she's confused and doesn't remember him much.

"Sorry." She whispered.

"No. No it's okay. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have scared you. It's just surreal to see you again and have you standing here in front of me."

"What's something you know about me."

Peter laughed in confusion, but he saw how serious she looked. "You hate flowers. You think they're too girly and smell too pretty. But I secretly know you like the snowdrop flowers." Valen didn't respond, so he continued. "Your favorite color is blue. You like to imagine things and then make them appear on your hand. You like to-"

"Okay." Valen put out a hand to stop him.

Peter took another step. "V, can we get out of the rain?" Valen nodded her head. "How about the compound?"

"NO!" Valen saw how her yelling startled Peter. "Sorry. I mean no. Not yet."

"That's fine. We can't go to my place. May thinks your dead, and I haven't explained everything to her yet. It would just freak her out if you showed up ... not dead."

Valen didn't know who May was, but she took his word for it.

"I have an idea." Peter opened an arm looking like he wanted a side hug. "I'm going to take us there. You'll have to hold on tight."

Valen slowly walked over to Peter. She looked up at him before wrapping her arms around him. He put his arm around her and pulled them both up. They took off heading somewhere he knew would be safe to keep her for a little bit.

They landed in front of a small house. Peter grabbed Valen's hand and led her to the back window. Peter tapped on it a few times before someone inside opened it up. They poked their head out not looking surprised that Spider-Man was at their house.

"Peter?"

Peter took off his mask soaking his dry hair. "Hey man, I need a small favor."

They looked down at their watch. "It's late, what's going on?"

Peter stepped to the side to reveal the small silver headed girl. The person gasped and looked at Peter.

"Can you hide her for a few days?"