Copycat: Genesis -(Marvel Fem!OC)

Copycat Finds A Way.

What was it about Parker that made everything so wholesome? Cat wondered if it was her instead. Pete was right, everyone was a shapeshifter, people changed, and as a consequence so did their perception of things.

The mutant snuggled closer to Parker on the bed, now that she was waking up a new feeling was crawling up her chest. Parker couldn't stay, his time here was ending, and so were their chances to be together. She couldn't abandon this universe, especially now that the Young Avengers needed a leader. 

She'd finally gotten something she wanted to explore as Cat, though, and she wanted to hold onto it too. The mutant never tried to hold onto anything, but this seemed like the right time to try that out.

Parker stirred awake as she pressed tighter against him, and his arms wrapped around her soothingly. He kissed the top of her head and breathed in like he'd had the most pleasant sleep of a decade. "Had a bad dream?"

"A bad life..." she mumbled against his chest. "And now that I can change that... I'm scared I won't be able to."

Parker looked down at her with worry. "Listen, I'm a stubborn guy so I can handle whatever comes next, but I need you to tell me face to face, now that you've calmed down, that you want to be with me for sure."

"I already told you," Cat huffed.

"But you were going through many things yesterday, you said Kurt's leaving, and you've run out of fights, makes me feel like you're looking for a new challenge. I'm not the next big milestone, okay? Wanna make sure we agree on that."

Cat pushed herself up, she thought hard about her answer. "Well... how do you feel about us?"

Parker sat up too, they were shoulder to shoulder now. "I really, truly want you. But there is no bigger reason than that. I have a personal pathway that's really clear to me, all I'm asking is if you'd like to keep each other company on the go. What about you?"

Cat fidgeted with the sheets. "Saying I'm in love with you feels cheap, Peter. You're good and I suck. I love you is not enough."

"I don't think you suck," he shrugged. "I think sometimes not even you understand yourself, but you're loyal, and you're capable of loving in an amazing way. In my opinion, that's enough to keep things running."

"You think so?"

"I do, yes," he smiled, eyes full of adoration. "I love you because you make me happy. That's all I need to know."

"Hah," she covered her face with both hands. "Y'know, it had been a while since someone made me feel like this..."

"I'm pretty sure that's on you," Parker raised a brow. "I know some tried and you never let 'em."

"Shouldn't you be glad I didn't?" She nudged his shoulder. "Kept the path cleared out for you."

"Not if it made you miserable," he reached for her hand. "You deserved to be looked after, you should have been loved every day of your life."

"I had love..." Cat thought of all the things that happened just so Parker could be there, all the ways it could've ended up differently. She didn't know if she would've done it all over again, but it didn't feel like the worst outcome either. "And I'm ready to accept more of it."

"You won't regret it," he kissed the back of her hand. "We'll be a great team."

Cat squeezed his hand. "We'll need so much help before we can get to that, though..."

"After all you've done for your friends?" He replied, lips still lingering on her knuckles. "The least they can do is hear you out."

"Again, most problems they faced were my fault."