Light & Shadow

Chapter 15

"You doing okay?" I ask Peter and take his hand as New Asgard fades in the distance. All I get from him is a nod in reply; and I don't blame him, I know it's different for him. This is the beginning of when things really begin to change. Because from here on out, there's hardly any proper beds, decent food, or any sleep. It's all staring over your shoulder and pushing down the paranoia and anxiety. "Are you missing your hair yet?" I tease in the hopes of lightening the mood.

It earns a light chuckle out of him as he runs a hand through his now short hair. "A little bit? What about you?"

"I did the first time I had to cut it." I sigh and fiddle with the ends of my hair. "Then it reminded me a lot of Nat, and I didn't mind so much. Plus, it's hair—it's gonna grow back. But if I'm being honest, I really miss your curls."

Peter laughs, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're gonna miss them more than I am."

"I guess, we'll both be dealing with an adjustment period." I sigh and fiddle with my hands. "It's not too late, you know. Fury's clearing your name, and Mysterio certainly won't ever be a problem again. And before you get upset with me, it's only going to get infinitely worse from here."

"Lia, I know. You've given me the run-down. Rarely sleeping, constantly on alert, horrible food, and always moving forward." I avoid looking at him and fiddle with the bright red ends of my hair. "We've talked about this, and nothing will change my mind about it. Now or ever."

"I know, but I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't warn you at least one more time." I lean back and close my eyes for a second just to enjoy the sunlight on my face.

"So—" Peter draws out the word, "—you never really told me about your new powers. I mean, if it's because you're not comfortable talking about it, that's fine. It's just, we—we have to sit here, and I'm curious."

"Love, take a breath." I lift my head and smile at him. "I never really brought them up because—because I'm still trying to figure them out."

"How did you even discover them—beyond the supernovas—I mean."

"You remember that letter I found—the one from my grandfather? I found out that during the Blip, Trish talked to and recorded everything my Gran could tell her about her life." I sigh and try to think over how to phrase all of it. "So while I was gone, I started branching out—trying to work with the energy of more than just shadows. I figured out, I can channel the same energy that builds into supernovas into other things." Peter's eyes go wide as I hide myself from his sight. "I have a few more tricks, but with everything that happened with Mysterio, I don't think should give a demo."

"I appreciate that." Peter breathes, and I can see he's already fighting off a panic attack. "Anything else?"

"A few things, but they're not that different from what I do with shadows." I shrug. "The main tricks are manipulating what people see. It's helped me slip out of a few sticky situations."

"Have you—have you ever done that to me?" I look down at my hands in shame. "Wait, really? Wh-when?"

"Before—before Mysterio showed up, back in Venice." My fingers fiddle with the glass necklace resting against Dad's. "I hadn't seen you in months, and when I saw that your were coming to Europe, I—I just wanted to see you—even if it was just for a second. So I went to Venice. ARTI thought he was being clever and had us at the same hotel, but I was careful. The only time you got close was-was, um, when you went to the glass shop."

"You were—you were there the whole time?"

"Yeah, I was." My chest grows tighter as tears brim in my eyes, "I'm sorry I didn't do enough—that I couldn't stop Mysterio before he started. I was scared, and I knew I couldn't talk to you without putting us both at risk. But I should've—I should've just given you the drone part myself and stopped it all before it got too bad."