For Peter

[miniclaws]

Laura never forgets a face, at any point she can pull fifty facts on a person. However, she does not often go and seek a person out after the first meeting. Peter is ....different, Laura cannot explain why but she looks for him, watches him, studies him.

She realises she wishes to talk to him again but she is not known for her conversation starters. It is hard. Eventually, she stands outside his room in the evening and waits for him to emerge. She is silent until the door opens so Peter should have no idea she is there.

When the door creaks open she catches his scent and puts her hand in the door. She peers around.

"You owe me a joke."

Comments

[spideys]

"Not so far," Peter says, frowning. "I mean, I hope I don't."

He's been doing his best to keep to himself, pretend he's a completely normal, run-of-the-mill teenage boy with no real special talents to speak of.

This is a complete lie, of course - and the mask hidden in his things suddenly feels like it could burn a hole through them, revealing everything - but no one has to know that.

"You and the doctor guy are the first people I met on-board. Other than that, I've been mostly keeping to myself, taking the occasional picture here and there."

[miniclaws]

"What do you take pictures of?" She does not find it strange that Peter has only talked to a few people as she has only talked to four herself, and two of them are mutants.

There is no developing room on board the ship as far as she knows so she doesn't expect to see the pictures unless he uses a digital camera. But she is curious. What is so interesting to him that it needs to be documented?

[spideys]

"Anything, really," Peter replies. He gets to his feet to grab his camera, which is sitting in one of the little spaces in the wall not officially designated a shelf-space but it keeps his camera out of the way when it's not in use.

"I mean, they aren't really works of art or anything but I like documenting moments in life, the seemingly 'unimportant' stuff that you tend to remember best when you think of the 'good times'." And when you spend your 'professional' career in photography capturing only the big moments - sports games, prom, social justice events, etc. - it's a nice reprieve.

"Like now. This moment."

[miniclaws]

"Like me, sitting here." Laura does not understand the appeal. She searches through her memories of something she wishes there was a picture of. Her memory is perfect and the only person she wishes she had a picture of was her cousin.

"Professional. Do you catch people unawares at these events?"

[spideys]

"Yeah," Peter confirms, nodding. He starts to wind the film, advancing it to the next frame. "Like you, sitting here. Because, you know what? This - this moment's kinda special. It'll be the day you and I became friends. Like, officially.

"Nothing big happened, no epic fight or some celebration with fireworks or whatever ... but I dunno, it's still an important moment to remember."

He lifts his camera.

"Do you mind?"

[miniclaws]

Officially. Laura hesitates and evaluates. Peter is like none of her 'friends' at the Xavier Institute, he's accepted her as she is and he does not look at her as a killer. She likes being around him. Her green eyes widen and her lips curl up, into the beginnings of a smile.

"I do not mind. I would like a photo of you to commemorate this moment." She pauses and adds, "This is the first time, I have voluntarily had my photograph taken."

[spideys]

"Hey, well there's a first time for everything, right?" Peter's smile is kind, and veers a little crooked on one side.

He focuses the lens, sets the aperture and shutter accordingly, and clicks the dial to a timer. He's usually not keen on being in front of the camera, and very rarely does, but Laura's request for a photo of him, too, makes him change his mind last minute.

"Put on your best cheesy smile, okay?" He laughs a little because he's not exactly sure what to expect from her but he's kind of enjoying the moment anyway.

[miniclaws]

Laura knows what a cheesy smile is, she's seen people pose with smiles that take over all features on their face. It is not natural for her to do, but she shows her teeth as she draws her lips back into a small smile. It probably looks a little forced, but she is trying.

"They used to say 'say prunes' before they changed it to 'say cheese'."

[spideys]

"Prunes?" Peter repeats as the camera goes off and a picture is captured with the ol' familiar (and, frankly, comforting) click. "You serious? Why prunes?"

He shakes his head.

"I mean, that doesn't exactly get you to smile. You end up having a weird O-face."

He demonstrates with slight exaggeration for effect.

"Not exactly model-perfect."

[miniclaws]

The 'weird O-face' hides Peter's teeth. "They had bad hygiene when they used the word prunes so it meant they hid their teeth from the camera."

She tilts her head on one side. "They did not need to be models." It was almost a joke, almost. Laura pauses awkwardly.

[spideys]

Peter's laughter easily slides into the silence that might otherwise have, maybe, been awkward for both of them.

He leans forward, grabs the camera from its perch, and advances the winder for a new frame. But instead of taking a picture, he sets it back down again.

"You know, that - that makes sense, actually. Personal hygiene was lacking back then, and I'm sure they weren't exactly making any special effort for a Colgate smile. Prunes and cheese, though ... it's weird the things people will come up with to get a smile out."

[miniclaws]

"I do not understand." She wraps her hands around her knees in thought. "Perhaps they got hungry while they were waiting for the perfect photograph." Many people did not make good snipers, Laura could go for days on basic rations. She did not eat sweets or crisps as a child.

[spideys]

"... I don't think that was it, no," Peter says, laughing again. "It's just the way the words sound, the effects they have on the shape of your mouth when you say them."

He repeats the words.

"Prune."

His mouth turns into an 'O' shape, effectively hiding his teeth.

"Cheese."

The demonstration allows his teeth, in all their fantastic glory, to be shown in a grin of sorts.

He feels really silly, but humour has always been his crutch, especially when he's a certain costumed crusader, and besides which, the rare times he can get Laura to smile seem like little victories.

[miniclaws]

Laura watches and a smile tugs at her lips, Peter is being silly and she cannot find it wasteful after he laughed at her joke. "You look better when you say cheese. It does not contort your face." It is a simple statement of fact.

She finds she is very relaxed in his company. "Do people object to you taking photographs, of them?"

[spideys]

"Yeah, I definitely prefer 'cheese' over 'prune'," Peter agrees. "But uh. I'll prefer not to have to say either word if I can help it."

He shrugs, toying with the hem of his jacket, picking at a loose thread absent-mindedly.

"Some do," he answers. "I mean, not everyone likes getting their picture taken. Most people are pretty cool with it though. Or they just - uh. They don't notice, I guess. Here I've been a little more careful. It's not as easy to sneak a photograph in. The whole -" He waves a hand to their surroundings. "- Close quarters thing."

[miniclaws]

She nods, she understands, she dislikes how few places she has found to watch people unobserved. "I have found three places where security do not pass by often, though they do not offer a full view of the corridors. I can show you them." It is not often Laura offers to share any of her secrets. It is almost as though she wishes for Peter to be able to find her at all times.

"No one else has found them, I have not detected anyone else's scent in them."

[spideys]

"Yeah?"

Peter's smile as he tilts his head towards her is a little crooked, but true.

"Man, I'd love to see them." Jokingly: "Even if they lack the stalking advantage."

It's still a little strange that Laura has the kind of ability to smell things beyond what normal people can pick up. But then, most would say all of his spider abilities are strange too. Freakish, even.

[miniclaws]

Laura tilts her head up. "Would you like to see them now?" She does not want her time with him to end soon. A smile tugs at her lips.

"You can show me any spots you know of."

[spideys]

"Yeah, sure. Why not? It's not like I've got a busy schedule or anything," he says, laughing a little.

Because sad but true, he feels like he's been doing a lot of sitting around, reading up on things, exploring for the ship simply for the sake of exploring it, but ... nothing's felt ... productive.

This, at least, might be an adventure.

And for someone who's used to doing things alone, company doesn't seem so bad.

"There might be a spot here and there, probably - uh. Nothing as cool as yours though."

[miniclaws]

"One of my spots is warm," Laura said, " It is near one of heating vents." She is deliberately turning his words into something else. She unfolds her legs and springs catlike from the chair to land on her feet. "I have not covered all of the ship, there is a high chance you will have found somewhere different."

She glances up at him. "Do you have a problem with heights?"

[spideys]

"That's -"

Totally not what he meant, but he's not even going to bother with it this time around, choosing to laugh amusedly instead.

He gets to his feet too, though not with as much cat-like grace as Laura demonstrates, opting instead for a more natural, teenage-boy slouch-and-rise motion. He grabs his jacket from where he'd flung it, and puts it on.

"Heights?" It takes Peter a fraction of a second longer to answer because his instinct is to answer, 'What, seriously?'

If heights were an issue for him, he'd have a hell of a lot of problems being Spider-Man.

"Uh - no, no I guess I'm okay with them."

[miniclaws]

"I know teenage boys with powers who shake if they stand on anything higher than a table." Laura is not hinting that she suspects Peter is not completely human, it is not any of business - she simply spent the most time with mutants.

"I do not have time for people who have unfounded fears." She has the corridors memorised and leads the way, winding down different corridors in a zig zag pattern away from the bedrooms.

[spideys]

Unfounded ... fears? Peter almost laughs at that. She sounds so serious, and yeah, she is probably dead serious about it too, on account of the whole ... not joking thing.

But still.

It's kind of hilarious that someone could be so ... blase about stuff like that.

Nevertheless, it's easy enough to keep up with her. He's got long legs and the proportional strength and agility of a spider. He can move quickly when he has to, and while he tries to pretend he's perfectly normal and 100% not special, it's hard not to want to keep up with someone like an X-Man.

"So uh - what do you do when you go to these spots?"

[miniclaws]

Laura pauses by a door that leads into the maintenance area to answer his question. "I watch," she says simply. "People act differently when they think people are watching them." All her life, she's been taught to be constantly vigilant, to assess, to prepare.

"What would you do, in hidey-hole?"

[spideys]

"I dunno. Think about stuff, maybe. Think about ... how I want to go home, wonder what my aunt is up to." What Gwen is up to ... "Maybe read a book or something, if I had one."

He shrugs a shoulder.

"Mostly the thinking, though, I've - uh, I've done a lot of that since I got here. I've been ... wondering what I'd do if I ever met Q. Or if I could talk to the captain."