3: Opening Up

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**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Mulan as mentioned in the chapter. I did not create it, nor take credit for adding it to my story.**


Tony Stark left in the Avengers elevator. I stood in the middle of the room, unsure what to do. Moments later the rest of the Avengers entered, each taking some seat in the room. Two came over to wait by the elevator with me, Spider-man and The Falcon guy.

I decided to head to my room, though I had nothing to do. Spider-man pressed the up button, possibly indicating he was going to his room too. Tony had informed me that all the avengers had a room in the tower, mostly on the floor mine was. 

The doors finally opened and I entered first, my wings taking up half the elevator alone.

Spiderman and The Falcon squeezed in on the other side, Spider-man pushing the button for our floor, and one labeled helipad for The Falcon.

"How ironic, two birds in one elevator," Spiderman remarked.

The Falcon snorted, and I stared, confused.

"Because he's The Falcon," Spider-man whispered, giggling quietly. I nodded.

"I have wings too, kid." He added. "Not real, they're functional solar-powered titanium models." 

I nodded my head, just going along with it.

The elevator stopped, and The Falcon exited. 

"Sorry, that was a bad joke," Spider-man said. 

I shook my head.

"That's a first." He paused. "I assume you're going up to your room?"

I nodded.

"Cool." He nodded too. "Me too. Going to my room-not yours. That would be weird."

I stared at him.

"Sorry. Do you have anything to do?" He asked. "I know you just got here yesterday, and you probably don't have much to entertain yourself. Unless you do, and then that sentence won't apply to you. Do you?"

I shook my head again, stepping out of the elevator as the doors opened. 

"Do want to hang out with me?" He asked. "It's really boring around the tower, especially when you're one of the only teenagers here."

I nodded. He was a teenager.

"Cool!" He exclaimed. "What do you want to do?"

I shrugged my shoulders, my wings hitting the wall as I did. I pulled them tighter, not used to the skinny hallways this place had.

"Are you okay?" I nodded. "Good. We could watch a movie, or just hang out and talk or something I don't know."

I shrugged I'd never had a full conversation with someone, and I'd already spoken more than I did in a year, so what was a couple more words. At least this time I wouldn't get scolded for speaking.

He looked surprised at first. "Really?"

I nodded.

"Awesome. Let me just change out of my suit really quickly."

I waited outside his door for a few minutes. At one point, there was a loud thud, and the word "shit" was spoken more than once.

"Sorry." He opened his door again, this time wearing a plain t-shirt and sweatpants. He had fluffy brown hair and looked about my age, though I couldn't tell for sure. He smiled, leading me in.

His room was clean, except for the desk which was covered in papers and pens. A backpack sat in the corner, and his jacket slung over the chair. On the walls were posters, newspaper cutouts, and polaroid pictures of him and maybe his friends. I couldn't tell.

His bed was made, and he sat on it, motioning for me to sit next to him. I carefully maneuvered my way around the desk, drawing my wings in to not hit anything.

"Oh. Right. He stood up, allowing me to get everything right so I wouldn't smack him in the face, then he sat back on the other side. "I'm Peter, by the way. Peter Parker."

I nodded. "Max." 

"Do you have a last name?"

"Pierce."

"Cool. What do you want to talk about?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Sorry."

"So, what's your backstory. Not the trauma, but the super part. Unless that's traumatic."

I motioned with my hands typing on a computer.

"Oh, right." He responded. "Let me get my computer real quick and you can type the answers."

I nodded as he handed me his laptop with a blank document opened. I typed:

I was born with my wings.

"Oh cool. Do you have any powers?"

No, you?

"Yeah. I got bit by a radioactive spider on a school field trip. I have super strength, heightened senses I call spider-sense, and I have regenerative powers. Also, I'm sticky."

I glanced at him, a confused expression on my face.

"I can climb walls and stuff." He explained.

I have heightened senses as well.

"Oh, did you hear the end of the conference?"

I nodded.

"Oh, sorry." He fiddles with the hem of his shirt. "If it makes you feel any better, Mr. Stark told everyone I was an orphan the first team we met. He kinda has a thing for oversharing. I guess I do too. Sorry I was talking a lot."

It's okay.

"I know we've changed the subject like, three times already but how do your wings work?" Peter asked.

What do you mean?

"How do you control them?"

They're just like my arms and legs, they're attached to me.

"Okay cool. How big are they?" He asked.

23 feet.

I stood up and moved to the center of the room.

"Oh," He stepped back.

I stretched out one wing, standing on one side of the room. It was the first time I'd opened just one of them, and it felt much better than keeping them curled up all the time. Fully extended it came about halfway across the room.

"Holy-" Peter leaped up from his spot and peered closely at them. "And those stay folded up all the time?!"

I nodded.

"Geez. I can't imagine how uncomfortable that is. How heavy are they?"

Shrugging, I went back to sitting on the bed.

"Wow."

We "talked" for a while longer. Then, we turned on a movie and laid on the floor with his computer in front of us. We watched Mulan, which was also the first real movie I'd ever seen.

Talking to Peter had made me realize how much I didn't like that place. The facility was too organized, and I wasn't allowed to do anything about it. The last time I'd spoken to someone for that long was when I'd explained to the doctor that I had a fever. Then I'd gotten 'tests' done because I'd talked back.

Though I was only at the tower for a day, I already felt more at home hanging out with Peter than living in the facility.

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