Kraven had to be sedated before they could take him away. Fury and Agent Ross showed up to complete the task, now that Harley was awake, he'd been able to call for backup.
"What happened?" Cat scowled as she and Kurt mended the few bruises and scratches he had. "This was unlike you, Harley, didn't you say you took precautions?"
"I did! But he was crazy fast, Cat. He killed half of my people in like a minute, knocked me out in less than a second. I don't know how you could fight him alone..."
"I wasn't alone," Cat smiled up at the others, who were explaining who Kraven was to Fury and Ross. "My team was looking after me."
When Cat spotted the black man approaching, her posture straightened out of habit, she almost blurted out a "Hi, sir." But clenched her jaw before any sound could come out. She thought he'd be mad, she'd shown up here and there doing whatever she wanted for years, but to her surprise, Fury chortled.
"If it isn't Miss I'm-no-hero!" He taunted her, the most striking part about him was that he no longer wore an eyepatch. "How's that working for you?"
Cat felt terribly self-conscious about the logo on her back. "Alright, yeah, I might've spoken too soon..."
"No shit!" He raised a brow. "Imagine my surprise when I heard that little country prince had been saved by Copycat and her team of young Avengers!"
Cat grumbled her response like an angry kid. "What's it to ya? You're not the boss anymore..."
"So you'll be the leader?" Fury pressed, his smile evaporating. "You can provide transport, weaponry, and contacts?"
Her brows furrowed. "Maybe."
"Maybe!" He let out a short, dry laugh. "Eyes up, agent!"
Cat obeyed. She groaned, scolding herself for having such a quick response. "What?"
Fury eyed her with amusement, Cat had always been impertinent, he enjoyed seeing her eat her words. The man reached to shake her hand. "I look forward to working together, Copycat."
Cat stared at his hand, she shook it firmly and spoke in a wary voice. "Yeah... I guess."
He glanced over her shoulder at Spider-man and the rest. "That your whole team?"
Cat responded with certainty this time. "No, just the Hawkeye."
"What about the rest?" Fury scowled.
"They're just my friends," she shrugged. "This concerned Nightcrawler too, so he came here to put an end to this. Spider-man's just a good guy, he likes to be helpful."
The man glanced at the other mutant. "Why is he not on your team? Heard he's good."
"He's not here to stay." Cat smiled, her eyes a little dejected as she spoke.
"Keep an eye on him either way. Do you have recruits in line?"
"A few," she nodded. "But don't meddle with that, I'll take care of 'em."
"What about the compound?"
Cat gestured at the mansion. "You're looking at it."
The man huffed, might've been a laugh, but she wasn't sure. "Is that right?"
She smirked. "If you can get someone who can make it happen, I guess it is."
Fury groaned. "Always getting me in trouble..."
"Wouldn't be me otherwise," Cat joked.
Fury said he'd look into it, he and Agent Ross left with Kraven numbed and handcuffed. Kurt approached her hesitantly. "We need to talk..."
"You're leaving," she didn't meet his eyes, still looking at the black vehicle that was driving away. "To become a Guardian."
Her friend stared at her carefully. "Who told you?"
"I kind of guessed it, when I heard you talking with Rocket," she sighed. "You called him 'Boss' and 'Captain', which means you're working with him again."
Kurt drew out his blaster and started tinkering with it. "Out in space, no one bats an eye when I walk into a room. I'm normal, handsome, even... It feels right. "
"I think you're handsome—"
"You know what I mean," he pressed. "You met a mutant that lives underwater, not so long ago. You said he proved to you that we can do anything... so I'm doing it. I'm reaching for the stars."
The thought of Kurt living galaxies away made her soft, but not for the reason she'd expected. Cat was happy for him, and very proud. "I knew this would happen," she said. "When we met I promised you a good life in space... and you used to love it there, I never forgot."
"I love being here as well," he shrugged, "it's not bad, it's just..."
"It's not for you," she pushed. "Your real family's out there. Apart from me, the Guardians were the first group of people who loved you, I understand why you want to be with them."
"But you'll always be my best friend," Kurt said hoarsely.
Cat teared up, yet she did her best to smile. "We're soulmates, Kurt. Nothing's gonna change that."
They hugged as if trying to suffocate each other. It felt weird, knowing they were parting ways. No more team-ups unless they faced a Thanos 2.0, and if she was honest, she hoped that would never happen.
Maybe he'd visit, maybe he'd call, but they would never spend time like this again, and it wasn't bad, but it made her feel uneasy. Cat broke the hug and cleaned her nose, Kurt dried his tear-stained face.
Kate approached with worry. "You okay, guys?"
"Kurt's leaving," her lip started quivering again. "I need a moment..."
She walked away while Kurt explained everything to their friend, what he'd decided to do now that everything was over. Cat had barely controlled her crying when Spidey approached and tapped her shoulder.
"What?" She asked quietly.
"There's something you should know..."
"Oh man, what now?" She complained, rubbing her eyes tiredly.
"Please, don't get mad," Peter groaned, pressing his hands over his masked face. "Maybe it's not a good idea..."
"Just say it, Webs," Cat sniffed. "I can take it."
She was trying to be brave, considering she most certainly could not take any more. Peter hesitated, but in the end, even if she couldn't, he had to do it. "Parker's not gone, he's in my apartment. He wants me to go to his universe with him so I can take the beeper back once he gets there."
Cat stared at him. "Oh my god," she breathed. Parker would leave forever because he thought Cat didn't care, that she didn't like him. He was right, Cat didn't like him. She loved him.
It came down on her overwhelmingly fast. That feeling of despair was longing, the fear she felt when he was around her was only a rush of expectation. It was her brain asking many questions at once.
Can I do this?
Can I be happy?
Do I deserve it?
Is it real?
"He can't go," she said, more to herself than to her friend. "Not like this."
"I thought the same," Peter's voice brightened. "What are you waiting for, C?"
All this time, the ticking in her head had been three words in disguise.
Is this real?
Is this real?
Is this real?
Every time she lost the sources of joy in her life, those thoughts pestered her relentlessly. But Parker was real still, she hadn't lost him yet. He'd looked into the darkest parts of her soul and treated them with respect and understanding since the start, and even knowing all she could be, he'd stayed.
Cat gave Peter a brief hug. "Tell the others I'll see them tomorrow— Make sure Harley is truly okay and tell Kurt he can't leave without saying goodbye!"
"Will do!"
She sprinted out of there, the mutant heard the others shouting her name but before any of them could reach her she teleported to Peter's apartment.
***
The place was empty, the sun was going down, and she was panicking a little. What if Parker decided to leave and destroy the beeper in his universe?
No, the beeper was a gift, she didn't think he'd have the heart to break it. Cat copied Matt's ability and heard a heartbeat on the rooftop: young and anxious.
She stormed out of the apartment, went upstairs jumping two steps at a time, and quickly reached the rooftop access. Cat tugged the door open struggling to breathe, everything seemed to be moving fast and dreadfully slow at the same time.
"Peter Parker!" Her eyes spotted the young man standing at the opposite end of the roof. He turned to her, confused.
"What the—" he never got to finish the question, because Cat rushed to his encounter, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him as if her life depended on it. Her hand went up to his hair keeping him in place.
Parker's hands found their way around, one settled on her waist and the other on her cheek. He reciprocated so eagerly that Cat's knees buckled. Peter kept her steady. "I—" she was cut short by his lips, then tried to speak without moving away. "I...mmove... u."
"What?" He pulled away to breathe just a second, his eyes remained closed as he leaned down once more, searching for her mouth blindly.
Cat positioned both hands on his shoulders, she needed him to hear her as clearly as possible. "I love you. I couldn't let you go thinking I didn't care. Peter, I want you so badly it makes me look stupid."
"You hate looking stupid," he replied in awe.
"I don't care anymore," she shook her head, breathing heavily. "Kurt said he'll reach for the stars, and if he's brave enough to leave this place, then I should too."
Parker's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"I've been too comfortable in my misery," she sulked. "It's a type of pain I know how to handle... and I've met people who make me want to be better but you... you make me better. That scared me. There is always a chance to fall back to rock bottom when you're good."
"I'm scared too," Parker cupped her face tenderly. "But you're worth the risk. And I want to be worthy of you. Even if it hurts, or if you're scared. Even if you can't promise to stay forever. You are worth trying for," he emphasized his last sentence. "So, please, let us try."
Cat let out an incredulous laugh at how certain he sounded, she was overwhelmed. "But I'm... I'm so hard to keep, Peter..."
"That just means you're human," his brows furrowed. "Doesn't mean you don't deserve to be happy. I know you don't know what to call yourself outside that suit, but you wanna know who you are to me?" He leaned his forehead on hers, voice tender. "The whole package."
Cat's eyes softened. "It's a package with a lot of mistakes, though..." she replied, though no longer trying to argue against him.
"Everyone makes mistakes," he shrugged, Peter didn't seem tired of hearing the same response over and over, he was willing to repeat himself too. "And if somebody doesn't, they aren't trying at all. The beautiful part is that we keep learning, we can always get better. Your mistakes are just a part of who you're meant to be, but I don't see them as something unforgivable, only things that make you a real person."
Tears started spilling down her face and onto his thumbs, she held his wrists gently. "What if that's not enough to keep us together?"
"We have so much to experience, so many dreams to accomplish, and people to meet... we'll get hurt, Cat, we don't know why or how much... but I rather live through that with you, than never see you again. The life we could live is worth being a little afraid. And I love that. I love you."
Cat leaned in for another kiss, not as passionate as before, just enough to feel him close again. "Have you considered starting a career as a poet?" She said with a shaky voice. "I think you'd make more money than by working as a scientist..."
"Shut up," He chuckled, his smile only getting bigger. "I know what you're trying to do, but I won't let you ruin the moment. Let me have it," his doe eyes gazed down at her as he brushed her nose with his. "I have to go back, don't I?" He said, pouting a little. "I can't take you away... I won't do that to you."
"I may have a way of fixing your problem," she said, starting to come up with one of her outside-the-box plans. "It might be nonsense, though... can you stay one more day?"
"Probably not," he shook his head, biting his lip to try and stop smiling. It wasn't working. "But I bet we'll have fun if I do."