Copycat: Origins (Marvel Fem!OC)

The Unknown.

When she visited Tony's place, the nice cabin in a private area where he had the peace and quiet he'd longed for years, Pietro decided to join her. 

Kurt stayed at the compound cause he'd never celebrated Christmas and he had no interest in doing so. He was, however, captivated by the religious aspect of it. Steve and Nat had given him all kinds of books that he'd devoured, his training consisted of the one thing he'd missed out during his years at the lab: Humanity. Copycat enjoyed helping him with the lessons.

She wondered if attending the Christmas dinner was the right thing, with all the memories of the people they'd lost, but now they were at the Starks' doorstep and she could not walk away. 

"Harley!"

"Stray," He smiled, opening the door fully so they could walk in. "Did ya miss me?"

"Yes!" She jumped into his arms, Pietro watched the scene in shock, she'd never done that with anyone except her closest friends. "If I'd known you'd be here I would've brought you a present!"

"With what money?" Pietro raised a brow. 

"Hush!" She glared at him. "I could've cooked him something!"

"You can cook now? That's a relief," Tony was looking at them with a warm smile. "How was the ride? Your carsickness isn't as bad as it used to?"

"I took something," She said cheerily. "Happy gave it to me."

"There you are!" Pepper walked down the stairs to join them, Tony helped her with the last steps, he would fuss about everything now that she was pregnant. "Come, C.C! Let me see you!"

The girl realized she'd grown quite a lot in the last year, she was almost reaching Pepper's nose.

"You're Harley," Pietro approached the younger boy. "Copy's newest friend?"

"You must be Pietro," He smiled, though it looked taunting. "Her fake brother."

"I prefer the term adoptive," He corrected. "Why did you call her Stray?"

"He says I'm a stray cat."

Pietro's eyes went from calculating to scary. "Sorry?"

"It's a joke, don't get testy," Harley glanced at him with disinterest. "She likes it."

"Don't take it the wrong way, Pi. He's an idiot, but he's good."

"I trust your judgment," When she turned around he leaned closer to Harley. "You better watch your mouth."

Harley's smirk didn't vanish after Pietro walked away.

***

It wasn't that much different from the dinners she used to have with May and Peter. Harley and Pietro seemed to have started on the wrong foot, but eventually, they warmed up to each other's presence, and by the end of the night they were rather friendly.

She wondered why it was so hard to tell these people she'd be leaving Earth soon, she'd had no problem announcing it to Nat during breakfast a few days back.

Cat had some kind of attachment to this group, they'd showered her with affection and kindness. Unlike Nat and Steve, who hadn't been around long enough for her to worry about their opinions. This felt like telling her parents she was moving out...

One more thing I can scratch off the list, Ned. The girl thought.

She was on Tony's porch watching everything with absent eyes, freezing, but too lost in her reflections to notice. Harley walked out of the house and dropped a blanket on her shoulders, Cat wrapped herself in it without paying attention.

"I have something for you."

"A present?"

"Sorta," He glanced at her sideways. "Didn't bring it, though. I didn't know if you'd come."

"What is it?"

"I needed time to organize it..."

"Keener, just tell me already."

"Come to visit and you'll find out."

The girl stared at him. "I'll leave the planet in a week."

Harley gasped shortly, then coughed by the force of it. He had no idea of what to say. Cat explained further.

"Rocket says he can take me to meet the Skrulls. He'll be leaving around New Year's, Kurt said he'll join us."

"What!"

The girl put one hand over his mouth, her blanket slipped off one shoulder. "No one here knows!"

Harley grasped her wrist and moved it away. 

"You're going to space?"

"And I won't come back."

"That's crazy!"

"Maybe I'll like it better than here," She moved again to face the trees instead of the boy. "Who knows? Maybe that's where I should be..."

"If that's where you belong, you wouldn't fit here," he stated, "and you do."

Copycat smiled with a bit of pity. "This planet has much to offer... But I can do and be anything I want! I have to try this, at least to see if I can find out more things about my parents."

Harley was determined to convince her she could be happy with him, but the only thing that came out was:

"Okay."

"You're not angry?"

"You deserve to know more about your family," He cleared his throat, averting his gaze to the nearest tree, "but you should still come to my house. On Friday."

"Definitely," She nodded. "I'll be there."

"You'll tell the others that you're leaving?"

Cat sighed. "Don't have a choice."

_______________

The adults didn't want her to go, but just like Nat, they had no right to decide. Happy had protected her since the start, Cat promised she would call often to let him know she was okay. Tony gave her the lullaby protocol so she could upload it wherever she needed to.

The girl decided to visit the city as C.C. one last time.

Her old dream team seemed to be always lurking around the corner. She walked past the cat cafe waiting to see Peter seated at their usual table, beckoning her to join him for dessert. In MJ's street, she stumbled upon the bakery they used to love, now closed because the owners had vanished. Ned's house had a light on, but she didn't dare to approach.

Her feet took her to the Parkers' old neighborhood. In a moment of weakness, she climbed up the fire escape to the apartment. She snapped the window lock and entered, the empty flats throughout the city were being taken by new residents, but the Parker household was still intact. 

Cat stood in the middle of Peter's bedroom, she could almost feel him seated on the bed, watching her. If she focused, she could pretend May was in the kitchen preparing snacks while they were quietly solving their math homework.

In the closet, the girl found several hoodies and sweaters, but there was no sight of the spider suits, they'd evaporated with the owner. There was a picture of them on his nightstand: Peter's seventeenth birthday. 

C.C. was hugging him from behind, the boy was laughing. She was talking to the cameraman —Ned— probably asking him to wait until they stopped moving to take the picture.

Cat took the photograph and put it in her pocket. She had many, but most of hers also had Ned and MJ, she wanted one where it was just the two of them. The young mutant had no interest in creeping around the rest of the home, it would be too painful.

She would not forget, but she had to grow up. The unknown was a big, scary place, and she wanted to be ready.