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MISADVENTURES IN PARADISE
iii. BUG-BOY AND HIS GHOST

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   THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL to have when it comes to fighting, no matter if you're a hero or villain, is never about being the strongest, most powerful person in the room. It's not even about being the smartest or the biggest. It's all about finding your opponent's tell — a sign that reveals their innermost thoughts.

   Tells aren't technically weaknesses, not unless your opponent can read you, in which case, you better hope you can move fast enough before they can subdue you. Sometimes, it's a twitch in an arm before a punch, a flickering gaze, an unsteady gait, even something as austere as a breathing pattern. All of these can reveal everything you need to know about your opponent's next move.

   Riley was always lucky since she could easily turn invisible. Even she didn't know what her tell was (though Natasha could probably list ten if she asked). But she never worried about being weak during a fight. It was always before or after, whenever she was off the battlefield, really. The true fight sometimes came from your own team. Getting them to listen, to understand. It was no easy feat. Those were the times when she was, once again, just a little girl with too much on her plate. She was a trusted hero unless she opened her mouth at the wrong time about all the wrong things.

   For example, whenever she wanted to make a case to Fury, she tried to make herself bigger and taller than she was to hide the fact that her hands were trembling.

   "I'm telling you," Riley said, chin held forward, standing while the others sat comfortably. "I saw him."

   It was always troublesome trying to figure out what was running through Fury's mind, but for once, he made himself clear. "Even Rogers couldn't break the Avengers out of the RAFT without being noticed. Your father would drown in his blood before he could throw himself into the sea."

   "He was there, Fury! He looked right at me!" Riley pleaded. "Why aren't you believing me?"

   "Because if he escaped, we would all know. We'd all be alerted by now."

   "We do know! I saw him! Doesn't my word mean anything to you?"

   Beck was the only one showing any kind of emotion on his face. Confused but concerned, he spoke with care. "I don't understand. Rob is your father?"

   "Only by blood." Saying that willingly was like slowly pulling a dagger from between her ribs. "He lost custody after he faked his death when I thought I killed him. He ended up stalking me using his weird shadow powers for 13 years. He could be here right now, eavesdropping, learning all of our secrets, and we wouldn't even know. That's how dangerous he is. He's the most dangerous person we've put in the RAFT!"

   "Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Hill asked. "A lot was going on out there. You know stress can make you see things differently than they are."

   Riley hesitated. "Yeah, I hit my head, but I always do—"

   "There. Everything makes sense again. Case closed," Fury said. "The way I see it, we took care of one more Elemental. One more until we can pack it up and go home." He stood, his leather jacket swishing behind him. "I'm going out. Got a package to pick up."

   Fury didn't wait for anyone to reply as he exited the room, not that he would've if they tried. An exasperated breath left Riley, tension seizing her jaw. "Rob O'Dair is casually running around the streets of Venice, and he's going out. Unbelievable!" The chair squeaked as she dropped herself into it. "Fury has got to be the most unbearable bastard I've ever met!"

   "You can say that again," Dimitri said, earning a few chuckles from the other agents working around them.

   "I'm serious. If you get close enough, you can actually hear the echo of elevator music bouncing off the walls of his empty skull," Riley grumbled. "He disappears for five years and still thinks the world is his."

   Plenty of things could shake Riley now that she knew what she had to lose, but the only one that truly made her blood run cold was Rob. No alien, no weapon, no natural disaster or explosion scared her more than him.

   Seeing him get locked away was the first time in her life where she felt peace about her childhood, about her past with her parents. She hadn't stopped to look under her bed or behind cracked doors in years. And look at her now. Riley had only seen him for a matter of seconds, and she was already back to flinching at every flicker of a shadow in the room. Like a tick, a reflex she didn't mean to pick up.

   This was always going to be part of her. He was always going to be part of her.

   Everyone went back to their duties aside from Riley. She stayed in that chair, not paying much attention when Beck moved to the seat next to her. She could feel him watching her as she squeezed her hands into fists to get them to stop shaking.

   "This is really serious to you, isn't it?" he finally asked. "I thought I heard you shout his name before, but I didn't realize... I didn't know. If I did, maybe we could've... I don't know, stopped him before he got away."

   What Riley wanted to say was, He wasn't trying to run away. He wanted me to see him. But she knew she couldn't get the words out without choking on them.

   "No, I shouldn't have let myself stand stagnant long enough to even notice him," she said. "I promise I'm a lot more poised than I was today."

   "I have a feeling this might insult you, but you're still human. At least I think you are," he said. "If something scares you, don't push it away. It's healthy to feel sometimes."

   She raised an eyebrow knowingly. "Sometimes?"

   "Well, most of the time, I like to pretend I'm the greatest soldier there ever was, even though I know I'm far from it," Beck said. "Pretending is good, but it doesn't change what's real. Whatever's in front of you, that's what's real. You can only run from it for so long before you have to face it. That's usually when things get a little easier. Ah, what am I saying? I'm sure you don't need me telling you that—"

   "It's good to be reminded," Riley assured. She summoned a small ball of light, rolling it between her fingers and across her knuckles. "No one understands what Rob's capable of. My powers are pure light, his are pure darkness. He's everything I'm not, but he's still just as strong as I am. Maybe stronger. He's always followed me, even when I thought he was dead. He's the reason I'm still scared of the dark." She gave a pathetic laugh. "Go ahead, make your jokes."

   "Just because I haven't felt your pain doesn't mean I can't see that it hurts. Besides, I have no room to judge. Losing my family... It made me realize how much time I wasted..." Beck shrugged dejectedly. "Like I said, the past has a strange way of following us. But sometimes, it makes us better. It's why I fight so hard now. For my family, my home. Never forget your reason to keep standing."

   Sometimes, when Beck frowned or cast his eyes downward, he seemed a little more familiar to Riley. It was like he held that cloud over his head on a string, letting it drift and return as he wished. Gritty bitterness suited him.

   "You're right. Thanks." Riley wore a gentle smile. "And as far as I'm concerned, you're a damn good soldier. What you did today... I'm glad you're here."

   "Oh, come on," Beck chuckled. "Now you're just saying things to make me feel good."

   "Only a little, but it's mostly true," Riley said. "Just wait. If you stick around long enough, I'll give you the best motivational speech of your life."

   Though Riley wasn't sure whether she trusted Quentin Beck, it was nice to have a new friend. Someone who didn't know much about her past, not the bad parts, not even the good. She could never be the kind of person, like Natasha or Fury, who kept their company at a distance. But even Riley could understand the world turned a little smoother without the pressure of a bond tethered to your heart.

   It was Beck's solace that kept her calm until Fury returned with his so-called package.

   Fury's voice echoed down the hall of the underground vault. "You can lose the mask. Everyone here has seen you without it. You'd only be feigning anonymity and breathing through spandex for no good reason. Come on."

   His footsteps were paired with another's. Riley looked up, watching the entrance with feline eyes, feeling her tranquility vanish as Peter Parker trailed through the room after Fury.

   "Over there, we have Maria Hill. This is Dimitri," Fury introduced. "You already know Riley—"

   "Are you kidding me?" Riley rose. The coals of hell replaced her eyes as she glared at Fury. "What the hell is he doing here?"

   "Riley, it's okay—" Peter started.

   "I told you, I needed Valor and Spider-Man. You created a hindrance when you decided not to bring him to us. I went around it," Fury said simply. "Now, we're in business."

   "You knew he was here this whole time, didn't you?" Riley shot back. She had known Midtown High was going to Europe for a school trip because MJ and Ned were texting her about it not even a week ago. But she hadn't realized Peter would be going, too. The last she heard about it, he couldn't afford it unless... Tony and Pepper. Curse her philanthropist parents. "You're jeopardizing the secrecy of his identity when you already have what you need. Now, you're getting greedy."

   "It's time to stop chasing ghosts, Stark. Maybe now you'll focus a little more on what's important," Fury ricocheted.

   "Are you... Are you trying to use my boyfriend against me!?" Finally, she and Peter exchanged glances. "I mean, not that he's..."

   "Technically...?" Peter stammered. "I mean, we haven't really had that... conversation..."

   "No, I mean... Yeah, I don't..." Riley sharply inhaled through her nose. "Look, if it were your business, maybe I'd explain that to you, but it's not!"

   Fury stared at her. "You want me to make saving the world ten times harder than it has to be because you're having boy troubles? You must've hit your head too many damn times if you think that shit matters to me or anyone here. I trained you better than that. Your business will always and forever be my business. Keep your eyes open, Agent."

   Fury stepped aside, moving on to introduce Peter to other agents around the room. There wasn't any tension in the room that anyone could feel besides Riley and maybe Peter. She was currently holding her breath, hoping it would instantly kill her. Way to make things super awkward, Riley.

   No, she wasn't concerned about Fury being a huge asshole. She was more concerned about making Peter uncomfortable. Priorities.

   "And this is Mr. Beck," Fury finished.

   Peter's eyebrows furrowed. It was the first sign of astonishment he'd shown since entering the room and seeing Riley again. "Mysterio?" he greeted, hesitant.

   "What?" Beck asked.

   Nervously, Peter dismissed, "Doesn't matter. It's just what my friends have been calling you."

   "Well, you can call me Quentin." They shook hands. "You handled yourself well out there today. I saw what you did with the tower. We could use someone like you on my world."

   "Thanks," Peter said. "I'm sorry, your world?"

   "Mr. Beck's from Earth, just not yours," Fury explained.

   "There are multiple realities, Peter. This is Earth Dimension 616. I'm from Earth 833," Beck clarified.

   "Sorry, you're saying there's a multiverse?" There were stars in Peter's eyes as he whipped toward Riley. "Why didn't you tell me that sooner!?"

   "I thought I did!" Riley confessed, arms folded to cage the butterflies in her stomach. "I mean, I wasn't entirely sure, but ever since last year, it's always been highly probable. But it completely changes how we understand—"

   "How we understand the initial singularity! Exactly!" Peter eagerly agreed. Every word that left him came out faster and faster and faster, his grin widening. "We're talking about an eternal inflation system! And how does that even work with all the quantum—? It's insane!" His face fell, cheeks flushing when he realized Fury and Maria were looking at him with exasperation. "S-sorry. It's really cool."

   Riley was glad all eyes were on him because she wouldn't have known how to explain why she was smiling so widely.

   "Don't ever apologize for being the smartest one in the room," Beck said. Peter's smile returned at the flattery. He didn't even notice Fury's faint scoff.

   Technically... Riley thought, but she didn't say anything. She still wasn't sure who was smarter between her and Peter.

   "Anyway." Maria pressed a button, triggering a holographic projection of the Elementals. It hovered between the group, a mostly orange swirl with blues and purples gathered among freckles of stars. They reflected against the irises in Peter's eyes, his face glowing with it in awe.

   "They were born in stable orbits within black holes. Creatures formed from the primary elements: Air, water, fire, earth," Beck revealed. The holograph changed. Four shapes emerged from the swirls. "The Science Division had a technical name. We just called them Elementals."

   "Versions of them exist across our mythologies," Maria said.

   "Turns out, the myths are real," Beck added.

   Peter nodded. "Like Thor. Thor was a myth, now I study him in my physics class."

   "These myths are threats," Fury said.

  The Child of the Sun was a myth, too, thought Riley. She was a teenage girl, but her fated power was inscribed in ancient texts and recalled by sorcerers like Strange and Agatha Harkness. The world was lucky Riley used her powers for good. No world would survive if she ever let herself become a villain.

   Watching the holograph attentively, Riley found herself wondering aloud, "How come I didn't get the cool presentation when you all told me the backstory?"

   "Because you don't need bright colors and pictures to understand things anymore," Maria said, shrugging.

   The holograph changed to represent Beck's planet as he said, "They first materialized on my Earth many years ago. We mobilized and fought them, but with each battle, they grew, got stronger. I was part of the last battalion left trying to stop them." Flames engulfed the planet's crust, swallowing its life, leaving behind nothing but a charred wasteland. "All we did was delay the inevitable."

   "The Elementals are here now, attacking the same coordinates. Our satellites confirm it," Maria reported.

   "So thank Mr. Beck for destroying the other three," Fury chimed. "There's only one left: fire."

   "The strongest of them all," Beck mentioned. "The one that destroyed my Earth. It's the one that took my family."

   Peter watched as Beck twisted his wedding ring remorsefully. "I'm sorry," he softly said.

   If Beck couldn't destroy the Elementals with an entire army the first time, how was he managing to defeat them so easily this time on his own? Riley wondered, but she shook it off. Muscle memory, maybe.

   Maria said, "It will be in Prague in approximately 48 hours."

   "We have one mission: kill it," Fury declared. "And you're coming with us."

   Riley debated with herself over whether now was the time to step in, whether it was her place to argue against this. She believed in Peter. She had seen him fight and think his way through nearly any altercation all by himself. But this was why they needed a break. She kept trying to push him away from the action. She thought the distance was helping him, but in the end, all it did was push them apart.

   Peter had a right to choose. If he wanted to volunteer for the war, who was Riley to stop him? She never had a choice, and she would be damned if she took that option away from him. She knew better now.

   Nonetheless, she was surprised when Peter started to panic.

   "I'm sorry, did you say Prague?" Peter gulped. "Mr. Fury, this all seems like big-time, you know, huge superhero kind of stuff. And, I mean, I'm just a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, sir."

   "Bitch, please," Fury said. "You've been to space."

   "I know, but that was an accident!" Peter insisted. "Sir, come on, there's gotta be someone else you can use! What about Thor?"

   "Off-world," Fury said.

   "Okay, um, Doctor Strange?"

   "Unavailable," Maria said.

   "Captain Marvel?"

   "Don't invoke her name," Fury rebuked.

   "What about Valor?" Peter motioned to the girl standing across the room. "She's your best shot at handling this, and she's even better when you let her plan it out on her own. Trust me, you only need her."

   "I don't need you to tell me what I need," Fury ricocheted.

   "Sir, look, I really wanna help. I do," Peter said. "But if my aunt finds out I left my class trip, she's gonna kill me. And if I'm seen like this in Europe after the Washington Monument, my whole class will figure out who I am, and then..." His anxiety and desperation could drown the whole room. "And then the whole world will figure out who I am. And then I'm done."

   Fury looked at Peter. He didn't say anything, only looked at him. His eyes were of stone, but Riley had known him long enough to hear the click of each gear turning in his head. It reminded her of the days she spent barging into his office, making demands, begging for this and that, complaining about who said what. Did she ever look like Peter back then? Innocent, unsure of the world and how big it was?

   "Okay," Fury finally said. "I understand."

   Peter, who had heard nearly every story Riley had about Fury, wasn't sure if he heard him right. "I'm sorry, what?"

   "Why don't you get back before your teachers miss you and become suspicious?" Fury suggested. "Dimitri, take him back to the hotel, please!"

   To everyone's surprise, including her own, Riley offered, "I can take him. Uh, I can turn us both invisible. It'll be easier to sneak him back without people seeing... you know, that Spider-Man's in Europe. If that's okay with you, Pete...r. Peter."

   "Yeah, sure! I mean, uh, sure. Of course. No problem with me," Peter said, nodding purposefully slowly. "And, uh, good luck... to the rest of you."

○ ○ ○

   "Thanks," Peter said when they arrived at the shabby hotel his class was staying at. It was pitch-black inside, nestled on a street littered with trash. "You didn't have to do that, bring me back here."

   It was the first either had spoken since leaving. It was a strange bond they shared. Things changed since that night, yet a certain gentleness lingered. They didn't speak, but they also didn't need to. They didn't speak when they left, nor when Riley held out her pinky to turn both of them invisible. They were silent as they treaded the calm canal waters on a forcefield, wind howling in their ears.

   They didn't speak until the journey was reaching its end, but now that it was, they were both realizing they wanted to. They just didn't know what to say.

   "I don't mind," Riley promised, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Dimitri doesn't make good company anyway."

   "Yeah, he seemed... intense." Peter rubbed his arm. "So, uh, how have you been?"

   Riley tilted her head. "You don't need to get back?" She didn't know why she said that. She didn't want him to go yet.

   "O-Oh, I mean, technically? I guess not. Everyone's already asleep, and Fury shot Ned, so—"

   "Wait, what!?"

   "With a tranquilizer dart!" Peter quickly yelled. "He's okay! He's fine!"

   "Oh!" Riley sighed in relief, a giggle fleeing with it. "That's good. I'm glad he's okay. Uh, I've been alright, I think. I've been better. Sorry if I made you feel awkward back there. Being around Fury brings out a part of me I thought I buried. I really didn't think he was going to try to drag you into all of this. I didn't even know you were in Europe until a few hours ago."

   "You don't have to explain yourself. You didn't do anything wrong," Peter assured. "At least Mr. Beck seems cool."

   "Yeah, he's nice. He really covered for me earlier." This was certainly not what Riley wanted to be talking about, but she also didn't know what there was to be said about that night. "How's your trip going?"

   "Good! Good. Besides the whole... water monster thing. That sorta cut the day short. I'm glad you were here though. I didn't have my suit on me. Guess I thought I could enjoy a vacation without worrying about bad guys," Peter said. "We're supposed to head to Paris tomorrow."

   "Leaving so soon?"

   "I know. I wish I got to see more of Venice, you know? Since this'll probably be the only time I'm on this side of the world." He watched as her face lit up. "Oh no, I know that look. That's your scheming face. What are you thinking?"

   "Oh, nothing! Just that I've been to Venice a million times for work and know all the best spots for sightseeing because I may or may not have a history of sneaking out," Riley innocently said. "But if you need to get some rest for Paris tomorrow—"

   "I'm in."

   She looked surprised. "You sure?"

   But there wasn't an ounce of uncertainty on his face. "Can I say something stupid? I don't... think I wanna be a superhero on this trip," Peter said. "But... I don't know if I wanna be Peter either. I guess I wanna be... anyone else."

   She offered him a small smile. "Well, I'll let you in on a secret. We can be anyone we want in Venice," Riley revealed. "Those are the rules that I didn't just make up two seconds ago. But we'll need code-names. Let me think... Bug-Boy is obviously yours."

   Peter perked up. "Pfft, alright. Then you're going back to Ghostie."

   "Demoting me while I'm being nice to you? That's evil, but I'll take it," she laughed. "Come on. I know exactly where to go."

   Venice was, by no means, notorious for its wild nightlife, but Peter and Riley were always skilled at making the most out of the hands they were dealt. Quiet nights like this were never innocent, as they had learned from their years of patrolling. For the next few hours, pinkies locked, they sought out the action, and the night did not disappoint.

   The city swayed with the cool breeze. Dim lights bordered the canal, illuminating against the water. The streets were mostly deserted, with the tourists being either tucked in bed or squeezed into nightclubs. Some sauntered into the market square, hooting with their loved ones or paying for overpriced souvenirs with half-empty drinks in hand. Musicians played late into the night, and it could be heard all throughout Venice as Riley played tour guide.

   They did nothing but everything with only the comfort of each other, and they talked about everything but nothing all the same. They laughed at drunken tourists, only to accidentally steal cups of poorly mixed alcohol that they mistook for water, and snapped pictures for May (who was, according to Peter, apparently dating Happy Hogan). They spoke butchered Italian to one another and even screwed with a couple of amateur thieves by pretending they were violent ghosts. Silence only arose when they were seated in places that were simply too pretty to do anything but breathe and take it all in.

   It was almost too easy, perhaps even dangerous slipping back into the way things were. Riley found herself thinking this as they ended up seated on a rooftop overlooking the city. Some things would never change between them.

   "Before I forget, you should have this." Legs dangling over the edge, Peter pulled out a small case from his pocket. "Fury said Tony left this for me, but... I think he really meant it for you."

   Riley recognized it with a sharp gasp. "Where did you find this? I've been looking for it for weeks!" But she didn't take it when he tried to hand it over. "No, this is for you, Peter. Tony wanted to leave a piece of Iron Man behind for you after he retired, so we've been working on this on-and-off for the past few months. I didn't realize he finished it and sent it off to Fury." Though considering recent events, it made sense. "Did you open it already?"

   "No..." Peter rubbed the hard casing like it was a magic lamp, wondering what kind of incredible piece of technology lingered at his fingertips this time. "Should I?"

   "NO!" Riley blurted. "I mean, you can. It's yours. But... I, um, left you a message that I haven't touched since before we..." She nervously giggled, gazing out at the horizon. "And I don't really wanna watch you listen to it."

   The gentle strum from the band below seemed to fade. Even the footsteps of those dancing and stumbling grew softer, conversations falling into a hush, and the unseen new moon somehow gleamed at them, like the whole world was leaning in, hanging onto every word they shared, every glance the other missed.

   "About that..." Peter trailed off.

   "Sorry, sorry, sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. I didn't want to—" Yes she did. "—It just... came out, I guess."

   Peter refused to look away from her. "You don't have to keep apologizing—"

   "I do. I really, really do." She grimaced. "I hurt you, Pete. Badly. It would be so easy if I didn't know why I... acted like that. Like I could push it aside and we could pretend it never happened and just move on. But it's not like I accidentally hurt you in training or forgot your birthday. I made you feel small when we're... when we were supposed to be a team."

   It was always a little jolting whenever he heard her admit to messing up. Part of Peter, the part that still wore footie pajamas and was missing his front teeth, would always see her as the Valiant Valor first. A hero. A denizen of light. An Avenger. That part of Peter struggled so deeply to understand that heroes made mistakes and sacrifices to make everyone else's lives better, never their own. Even now, he couldn't fully accept it, that his dreams had splinters in their perfect hands.

   No louder than a whisper, he asked, "Can I ask why you did it?"

   Riley was fidgeting with her hands again. "I always thought you and I were so different, but we really aren't. We're just a few steps off from each other. I guess I thought since I was already ahead, I could protect you before anything that happened to me happened to you. If I could shield you from the bad parts of this life, everything would work out the way you wanted it to. Graduation, college, your identity. Everything."

   "I hate to say it, but you've always been part of the bad parts of this life. That's the only reason we know each other," Peter admitted. "You can't push it away from me without pushing... us."

   "Yeah, I'm realizing that." Her shoulders fell as she finally turned to him. "You don't have to accept my apology, but I am sorry. I'll be sorry for the rest of my life. If there's anything I can do— I mean, if you want to throw me off this roof or something—"

   "You know, sometimes, you can just have a conversation with someone without thinking they have to hit you to fix things," Peter teased. Riley surprised herself when she chuckled. "There's that smile."

   It was his turn to look away, his head hanging low as he went on, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry, too. Don't try to argue with me on it, alright? I can apologize for not talking to you about everything I was feeling sooner."

   Riley nodded. There was nothing more to be said than that. The apologies were exchanged, some being more necessary than others. What happened beyond that was up to them or maybe the gods pulling the strings.

   "Do you think we could start over?" Riley asked.

   It seemed so simple, yet Peter found himself wondering, "I do, but... What does that mean for people like us?"

   "Whatever you want it to be, I guess." Riley watched him intensely. She wished she could take off his mask and just... look at him. "What are you thinking?"

   He sat up a little straighter. "I miss you," he admitted.

   "I miss you, too, Pete," she said, maybe a little too quickly, but with all of the certainty In the world. She wasn't sure how she knew it, but she could sense his stupid smile. "I don't know why you don't want to be Peter. He's the best person I know."

   "So are you, Riles."

   She scoffed. "Are you seriously piggybacking off my compliment right now?"

   "Hey, it's a good compliment!" Peter defended, and just like that, they were back. Laughing, nudging each other just to have an excuse to touch the other, rolling their eyes but always finding a reason to keep looking at the other. Peter suddenly jumped to his feet, offering a gloved hand. "Come on."

   Riley eyed him. "You're not gonna throw me off the rooftop, are you?"

   "Well, you did give me your consent, so..." But Peter shook his head, and she let him pull her up. Electricity buzzed through him as he took her hands, guiding them to his shoulders and placing his on her waist. "Is this okay?"

   But she just interrogated, "What are we doing?"

   "Dancing. Ever heard of it?"

   The reluctance on her face was clearer than the night enveloping them, but she was melting into his touch like he'd never left her side. Nerve by nerve, Riley became undone again, the only way she could let herself, under his embrace. The sweet music below carried through the breeze as the two heroes danced on the rooftop.

   It wasn't long before Riley wondered, "What does this mean... for us?"

   "I don't know," Peter confessed. "But I think tonight, we can just be us."

  The answer didn't make much sense, in hindsight, but in the moment, it did. That night, they were no one. Not Valor and Spider-Man, not two Avengers, not even two teens out way past their curfew. They were just Riley and Peter, Bug-Boy and his ghost, and maybe that would never be enough for the world, but it would always be more than enough for them.

   That night, they were nothing but the kids they used to be, the ones who dreamed of happy endings and eternal sunshine.