[ the comment about judging people by their worst mistakes earns a startled glance but no comment — he knows he's his own worst critic when it comes to those, and he knows that he's going to spending a long time making up for it (them). he knows he's done good, he knows he's helped people, but he also knows that he's probably never going to do enough to feel like it balances out.
(he's aware, too, that therapy would probably be great, but who can afford that? who has the time? and knowing his luck, it'd end up being with mysterio again.) ]
Sure. [ he agrees after a moment, expression shifting into brief discomfort. he holds up a hand and— ] Listen, in the interest of transparency, I don't think national disgrace is actually a judgement call on my character. Honestly, all else being equal, it's kind of an achievement — you know, kid from Queens earns enough recognition to have a very dramatic fall from grace? [ but it's not exactly overachieving perfectionism, and there'd been a very real reason may had chewed him out when he'd gone to visit her post-fact. ] How many people can say that? And it actually did me a favour, but it's a really long, complicated story and I like to take refuge in audacity, so I'll leave the rest to your imagination. [ beat. ] But for what it's worth, someone very close to me found it hilarious, so it's definitely not as bad or as low as you're imagining.
[ the question of what he likes to be called shuts him up, and the momentary blank expression reflects the fact that he has never, not once, been ask that. he opens his mouth, pauses, and then laughs. ] I feel like I should have a wittier answer than 'Peter', but it is my name, so — that.
—Are you saying knowing your first name and where you live isn't enough? [ equally playful, though it's followed by a moment of pointed, deliberate consideration and he eyes her appraisingly, just for a second. ] The other option was comparing you to that boss I mentioned, which is insulting on a level I can't even begin to put into words, so unless you're doing a really good job of hiding a moustache and you're wearing a wig to obscure a hairstyle that's definitely been inspired by the cutting-edge development of yard brooms over the last, I don't know, thirty years, it seemed like the safer bet.
[ Even if he doesn't see it as that big a deal, it still strikes her as - interesting, that it would be one of the first things he tells her about himself. It almost makes her wonder if he's intentionally trying to lower her possible expectations of him, or if he's simply trying to normalize it but putting it out there like it's no big deal. ]
So... basically you're trying to tell me you've achieved meme level infamy. [ Managing a wry, half-grin as she makes the choice to not push the subject further. Not that it will stop her from calling him out if she feels he's slipping into self-deprecation but she's not so oblivious that she doesn't catch that flicker of discomfort. This wasn't the hill she was going to die on. Not today, anyway.
A bubble of laughter rises up, Allie's fingers becoming tangled in her long curling hair as she tries to comb through the length. ]
I only wish this were a wig. [ Always the way. People with straight hair envy curls, while those who have them would kill to not. ] I think I'll stick with Peter. [ Her grin widening a touch. ] All things being equal.
On and off, [ peter admits with a short laugh. to say the last year or so had been wild would be an understatement, from horizon labs to parker industries, to everything after and now this. he'd take sitting through being considered local threat and menace as peter parker and spider-man countless times over if it meant not being stuck in a bizarro pocket dimension. ] Infamous enough for my elderly downstairs neighbor to know me for my escapades, but not so infamous she doesn't want to use me for my frankly spectacular grocery-carrying skills. [ of course, it wasn't that simple and neither was marnie — even if she definitely did use and abuse him for nefarious, elevator-avoiding means.
he eyes her hair when she speaks again, and he looks somewhere between surprised and confused — as far as hair goes, it seems like perfectly fine hair. nice, even, in his totally unqualified opinion. ] —Really? [ breath of a pause; eyes her, then her hair again, and then he lifts a shoulder, the corners of his lips quirking. ] I mean, I'm not a professional, so I can only speak aesthetically, but your hair is — well, it doesn't look like a broom, so that's got to be a plus, right?
[ a breath out. ] —Okay, great, we've established that we're going to call each other by our given names, and not to bring this back to awkward non-invitations, but standing in a doorway isn't quite my idea of a fun evening, so did you want tea? I won't be offended if you say no, I promise. [ his face scrunches up a little and he glances up towards the ceiling; small talk has never been a strong point of his. rambling? yes, but only when he has a topic of conversation — or when he wants to avoid an entirely different topic of conversation. ] I feel like we kind of got a bit distracted with the topic at hand earlier, and I'm still interested in hearing your thoughts on [ he gestures vaguely with a hand: "everything", in how they can have more structure.
even if it's going to be okay for now, what she'd said about things changing fast has stuck with him; and there's a flicker of hesitation before he adds: ] My aunt used to help run a homeless shelter. I know you've said about how bad it can get, but people in rough places can be good too, you know? More kind than they have any right to be.
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(he's aware, too, that therapy would probably be great, but who can afford that? who has the time? and knowing his luck, it'd end up being with mysterio again.) ]
Sure. [ he agrees after a moment, expression shifting into brief discomfort. he holds up a hand and— ] Listen, in the interest of transparency, I don't think national disgrace is actually a judgement call on my character. Honestly, all else being equal, it's kind of an achievement — you know, kid from Queens earns enough recognition to have a very dramatic fall from grace? [ but it's not exactly overachieving perfectionism, and there'd been a very real reason may had chewed him out when he'd gone to visit her post-fact. ] How many people can say that? And it actually did me a favour, but it's a really long, complicated story and I like to take refuge in audacity, so I'll leave the rest to your imagination. [ beat. ] But for what it's worth, someone very close to me found it hilarious, so it's definitely not as bad or as low as you're imagining.
[ the question of what he likes to be called shuts him up, and the momentary blank expression reflects the fact that he has never, not once, been ask that. he opens his mouth, pauses, and then laughs. ] I feel like I should have a wittier answer than 'Peter', but it is my name, so — that.
—Are you saying knowing your first name and where you live isn't enough? [ equally playful, though it's followed by a moment of pointed, deliberate consideration and he eyes her appraisingly, just for a second. ] The other option was comparing you to that boss I mentioned, which is insulting on a level I can't even begin to put into words, so unless you're doing a really good job of hiding a moustache and you're wearing a wig to obscure a hairstyle that's definitely been inspired by the cutting-edge development of yard brooms over the last, I don't know, thirty years, it seemed like the safer bet.
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So... basically you're trying to tell me you've achieved meme level infamy. [ Managing a wry, half-grin as she makes the choice to not push the subject further. Not that it will stop her from calling him out if she feels he's slipping into self-deprecation but she's not so oblivious that she doesn't catch that flicker of discomfort. This wasn't the hill she was going to die on. Not today, anyway.
A bubble of laughter rises up, Allie's fingers becoming tangled in her long curling hair as she tries to comb through the length. ]
I only wish this were a wig. [ Always the way. People with straight hair envy curls, while those who have them would kill to not. ] I think I'll stick with Peter. [ Her grin widening a touch. ] All things being equal.
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he eyes her hair when she speaks again, and he looks somewhere between surprised and confused — as far as hair goes, it seems like perfectly fine hair. nice, even, in his totally unqualified opinion. ] —Really? [ breath of a pause; eyes her, then her hair again, and then he lifts a shoulder, the corners of his lips quirking. ] I mean, I'm not a professional, so I can only speak aesthetically, but your hair is — well, it doesn't look like a broom, so that's got to be a plus, right?
[ a breath out. ] —Okay, great, we've established that we're going to call each other by our given names, and not to bring this back to awkward non-invitations, but standing in a doorway isn't quite my idea of a fun evening, so did you want tea? I won't be offended if you say no, I promise. [ his face scrunches up a little and he glances up towards the ceiling; small talk has never been a strong point of his. rambling? yes, but only when he has a topic of conversation — or when he wants to avoid an entirely different topic of conversation. ] I feel like we kind of got a bit distracted with the topic at hand earlier, and I'm still interested in hearing your thoughts on [ he gestures vaguely with a hand: "everything", in how they can have more structure.
even if it's going to be okay for now, what she'd said about things changing fast has stuck with him; and there's a flicker of hesitation before he adds: ] My aunt used to help run a homeless shelter. I know you've said about how bad it can get, but people in rough places can be good too, you know? More kind than they have any right to be.