I don't own anything except any original character and/or any original plot.
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Chapter 10: Red Leather Book
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A/n: Sorry for the late upload. Also, as an early celebration for 2k (we're so close) I made an instagram! It's: lydias.grace
~*~
Despite school starting up again the next Monday - after the world dedicated the summer to piecing everything back together - the squad insisted I meet up with them before then for our big reunion. Peter was busy helping Aunt May, which meant less awkward tension between him and Harry. The world nearly ended and Harry was still determined to hate Peter.
"Sup, New Girl. Looks like you can't drink anymore," MJ's greeting was a classic MJ - slightly detached but altogether sweet.
Hugging her tightly, I chuckled, "Not like I would, anyway. Alcohol doesn't lead to good places. Also, since when am I 'New Girl' again?"
"Since you lived five years without us and have basically become a new person."
I hummed and moved on to Ned, "Hey!"
"Did you and Peter get engaged?" He asked, quick-fire.
"No. We were a little young for that still. Too late now." Ned was always our biggest shipper. I remembered the time he tricked me and Peter into a date fondly.
"But you stayed together for like, what, seven years?"
"Sure, Ned," Ned stepped into my apartment and I could finally talk to Harry, "God, hi, I missed you."
"I missed you too. But you suck for ghosting us for a month."
"Sorry, Har. It's been hard, and then there were the recovery efforts. It's been a lot to handle. But I'm better now! Now come on, I've got Netflix and food. We can catch up."
All of us settled in the living room, and I cued up an episode of Friend - timeless- so we'd have background noise. All of them squirmed, eager to ask their prepared questioned. Before they came over, in the groupchat, I told them they could ask whatever questions they had as long as they swore to keep me and Peter not disappearing a secret.
With a little help from some contacts, it was like Peter and I disappeared in the Blip like everyone else, which would have explained why we hadn't aged. The only people who knew were the people we trusted most.
"What hasn't Peter told you?" It was the easiest way to figure out where I had to start.
"Most of the 'Thanos' Daughter' stuff- which you don't have to tell us either. We're just curious. He said it wasn't his place to tell, it's yours."
"What happened early after the snap, and right after the Blip."
"Details about your sex lives."
"MJ!" If we had pearls, we'd be clutching them. Out of the three, I'd expect Ned to ask such a scandalous question.
"You were like, twenty-two, and we're all friends who won't tell anyone. Right?"
"Yeah..."
"Right. Um, the first one I guess. Remember that time I passed out during exam week? Long story short, my soul went to space, and I met Thanos. He remembered me during our battles and brought me back to life after I saved Peter- you know about that, right?" Everyone nodded, "Good. So, he brought me back and erased my memories. And for around a month I stayed like that. He changed me."
I lifted my shirt. The trio gasped. Quickly, I tugged my shirt down, harsher than I needed to. I expected their reaction, but it didn't mean I'd get used to it.
"I used to have one on my head, but it disappeared when I aged back. During those days I killed- I killed people for him, and blood bent without restraint. It was bad. Then the Avengers saved me and yeah, we can move on to the next question now," I didn't want to say any more, or go into further detail.
"For about a year and a half after I was rescued, I was really messed up. The professor and I had sessions to get him out of my head, but it was slow going. So I drank a lot. Peter finally sat me down and we talked through everything. Which uh, which leads to the last question," my face got hot, "Before that heart to heart it was highschool stuff. Then that conversation shifted things and... yeah. It was normal most of the time, with some uh, difference here or there. I hate you MJ."
"Yeah, whatever. I'm surprised you actually answered."
Harry spoke up, "We still love you, and you're still a hero in our eyes. Riptide isn't Thanos' Daughter. You're Riptide, and by default you're a hero which means you can't get out of it."
Ned took it upon himself to initiate a group hug. I missed them. Sure, our internal conflicts were a bit more intense. But not a day went by when I didn't think about how much I missed them and their weirdness. My memories with them blurred eventually, but they were crystal clear in front of me again.
Squeezing them tighter, I cherished the moment, "I missed you guys."
~*~
After my friends left, Jess wandered up to the apartment. It was weird that she could do that, being building manager and not the main secretary.
I made snacks, and went over everything I already had when my other friends were over. When I was finished, Jess hummed, sat back, and nodded slowly. I waited patiently for her to say something.
"So, you're technically as old as me, then?" Was what she finally got out. I nodded in response. It was a technicality that Peter and I were in our twenties because we had adjusted both our bodies and our minds, but it was still true. "How would you feel if I got married before you?"
"... What?"
That was not what I expected to hear. At all. Jess, single, lesbian, secretary. Only one of those three was still true.
"You remember Via? The girl I went to college with. We've both graduated, and we have steady jobs since the Blip recovery, and well... I love her, and I want to marry her. Dying for five years sort of put things into perspective in a cliche way. So uh, I bought a ring, and yeah."
"Oh my God, Jess that's amazing!" I finally processed her words and pulled her into a hug, "I'm so happy for you! I still need to meet Via, though."
"Well, as a bridesmaid I figured you would have to," Jess' smirk grew as she casually threw in another bomb statement.
Hugging her even tighter, I laughed in disbelief, "You suck for telling me all this the way you are, but I can't say no."
"Good. I don't have a ton of friends," Jess laughed with me, "Thanks, Short-Stack, this is gonna be great, I promise."
~*~
The next morning was my first therapy sessions with Shawn Vidal. Tony Stark's former therapist.
Cold and rainy. The weather reflected my mood perfectly as my parents walked me up the steps of the blue house. I found it strange that the sessions would be at his house until my parents explained it helped with privacy. I'd gladly deal with Vidal if he tried anything, anyway, so I quickly got over my worries.
"Two hours. No pressure to keep seeing him if things don't work out. We know it can take a while to find a good therapist, or realize that a therapist isn't what you need."
"Got it."
My parents walked back to the car, and with a final wave, they were gone. I knocked on the door, and seconds later a smartly dressed man opened in. Doctor Shawn Vidal.
"Welcome (Y/n), come in, come in."
"Thank you, Doctor Vidal."
"Doctor Vidal is for my older clients. Call me Shawn, or Mister Shawn, whatever you're most comfortable with."
His house was nice. Modern and warm toned with tan walls and brown furniture. Past the living room was another sitting room with two comfy chairs and a coffee table in between. That was the session room. A piece of artwork here and there, lacking a desk which was likely somewhere else in the house. Smart, making it seem even more casual and less business-only.
"I have water and cookies, but let me know if you have any preferences for any future sessions."
"Sure will."
Taking a seat, Shawn picked up a small notepad. Our session had begun.
"Tell me about yourself, (Y/n)."
"What do you want to know?"
"Anything you think is important. Don't feel the need to spill your soul right away. I understand how nerve-wracking it can be. Especially because I know such a large secret." He was referring to Riptide.
Nodding, I listed off some more simple things, "For around ten years, I've acted as a hero called Riptide. Although for five of those years I took a step back because it didn't feel right to call myself a hero. I have good parents, good friends, and a good boyfriend."
"Steady relationships with all of them?"
"Yes. We have our issues at times, but who doesn't? My mental health has been here and there in the past. Being a hero is hard, you know? But things really changed after The Snap."
Shawn rapidly took notes down, "Can you explain how?"
"I died, then came back against my will. Thanos erased my memories, permanently modified my body, and for twenty-two days, I did his dirty work. Nebula and Gamora were raised by him, and maybe that made things easier. But I wouldn't be able to survive that."
"I'll save discussion of Thanos for a later day. For now, tell me about your childhood."
"My parents were the rare pair who didn't care about my mutation. The rest of my family wasn't so nice. So when the professor offered me a place at his school, they said yes. There, I was shy and didn't really have friends. When I was thirteen I was brought into the X-Men."
"A bit young to become a hero, don't you think?"
"I was strong-willed. A good student. I was good with my mutation. I handled it well. Until the uh, the incident."
"Incident?"
"The human body is largely made up of water, whether it's in the stomach, intestines, or blood. I control the water. I control them..."
The remaining hour and a half was dare I sat pleasant. Shawn was good at his job, and didn't force anything out of me I didn't want to say.
When my parents picked me up, we made another appointment for the next week.
"He was good, then?" My mom asked on the car ride home.
"Very. I can see why Stark like him. You guys were right. I think therapy will help a lot, and I'm glad I can be completely open with him about hero work and stuff."
"We made him sign his life away to protect you."
My parents seemed to sigh in relief after my confirmation that I'd continue to go to therapy because I thought it would help. Truth be told, I still felt like crap, but I didn't feel like shit. Shawn presented things in a way that made me rethink my mentality.
Mental problems couldn't be solved in one session, and the highs and lows were inevitable, but I was on the right path.
How did the session go?
Peter sent the text five minutes into our drive and my heart filled with warmth. He must have watched the time to know when to text me.
Good! I'm going to another session next week
I'm really happy you're getting help. All I want is for you to be healthy and happy
There was that domestic warmth again. I knew Peter was struggling with Tony's death- he lost two vital father figures- and it was something I'd have to talk through with him, but he was supporting me even still.
I love you Bug Boy
I love you too Blue
Harry
Harry wasn't sure what to think about the "Blip" as the news called it. It happened, he knew that. Bernard- the immortal being he was- took care of things until poof Harry was back in his room again.
(Y/n) and Peter lived, for better or worse. They beat the odds stacked against them and stayed together. For five years they grew together and further developed their bond through semi-shared trauma.
It made Harry heartache and his gut twist unpleasantly with a hatred that had festered and spread.
"You still love her," his father leaned casually against his desk.
The Blip complicated many things, Harry's mental state included. It was cracking before, but now it had shattered. He couldn't go a day without seeing things he logically knew weren't there. It was a Psychosis Disorder, whether it was Schizophrenia or another disorder on the Psychosis spectrum, Harry hadn't gone in to find out. He was, however, quite sure that his father suffered from similar delusions towards the end, so it was hereditary whatever it was.
The devil wasn't in the backseat, but the devil was in the backseat. And Harry was scared he'd allow him to take the wheel, and his soul during the drive.
"What's it matter?" Harry grumbled bitterly, tossing a rubber ball to the wall across from him, "She broke up with me for him almost seven years ago. I lost her and told her I was okay with her dating Peter."
"Poor boy," his father tutted with a shake of his head, "You said you'd avenge my murder. Peter killed me, continues to steal your loved ones, and you're letting him?"
Huffing frustratedly, Harry sent his late-father a glare, "And what am I supposed to do about it? I can't win against him. Not even when he's weak with grief."
"You don't have to do anything. In my old office, there's a red book in one of the drawers. Tony Stark was a competitor in many things, and I kept track of people who hated him as much as me. You'll find allies there."
When Harry was young, he came across the notebook while snooping around. Inside was names and descriptions to go with them. That's how Norman knew, and could remind Harry.
Perking up at the memory, Harry dropped his rubber ball and rushed out of his room. He had gone into his father's study twice since he died. Once to sort through his things, the other to mourn over the father he could have had.
"Second drawer," he whispered, pulling it open and digging through the files until he found what he was looking for."
A red, leather bound journal. Flipping it open, Harry scanned through the profiles, marking possible candidates that would stand a chance against Peter, and vi vatum, against (Y/n).
"Quentin Beck. Fired after Tony Stark stated he was mentally unstable. Extremely intelligent with technology. Good leader."
"That's the one," Norman concluded what Harry was already thinking, "Call him first, give him some of the other contacts and you're set."
Harry did just as his father ordered and dialed the number below the name. He breathed a sigh of relief when Quentin Beck answered.
"Hello?"
"Quentin Beck, this is Harrison Osborn, owner of Oscorp," that was another thing. Harry had officially been given his father's 50% of the company, "I believe we have a common enemy in Tony Stark. People want Spider-Man to step up to the challenge. I'd like to support you in stopping him."
"... What would you need me to do?"
Harry hummed in thought, "Make it seem like there's a hero more suited to the job. By whatever means necessary."