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ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING
xiii. HOW TO GROUND A SUPERHERO

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   RILEY WAS SO GROUNDED. Well, technically, she wasn't sure if her parents could ground her, but she didn't want to take her chances. Nonetheless, Riley had been expecting her grounding to occur when she returned home—not 30 minutes after the press showed up to Camp Mirkhaven.

   No one could settle down after the infiltration of the press. The news that Riley was "still keeping secrets" from the public spread like wildfire. She had tried to ignore it and kept to herself, but when she ran into some reporters hiding around Mirkhaven, Principal Morita decided Riley would be better off staying in her cabin until her press conference.

   So, really, Riley had been grounded by her old high school.

   Being the wonderful friend she was, MJ had chosen to retire to the cabin for the night to keep Riley company. She figured being supportive would mean a lot to Riley. Additionally, MJ took a few extra measures to soothe Riley's nerves, which included calling in some backup to help pass the time.

   But until "backup" arrived, Riley was left feeling annoyed and a little overwhelmed. Everything had happened to fast, and frankly, she still wasn't used to the media's presence yet. It was so much easier to avoid them when no one knew her name, but things were different now. This wasn't just an ordinary interview about Thanos or time travel; this was a press conference to talk about matters including harboring an alien and Spider-Man's identity.

   With MJ's phone (courtesy of one empathetic Principal Morita) pressed against her ear, Riley released a loud groan. "Don't you UGHHH me," declared Tony Stark. "You've dealt with worse things. I mean, remember when you had to cancel that puppy interview with Buzzfeed?"

   Rather than responding, Riley groaned again, causing Tony to add, "C'mon, what'd I just say?"

   "I know, I know," grumbled Riley. "I'm just worried, Dad! I feel like the only thing the public really knows about me is that I keep secrets. I'm supposed to be trustworthy and loyal to the public, but there's a new scandal every day!"

   "You—"

   "Did you know people are already comparing me to Steve?" interrupted Riley. "Do you know how hard it is to live up to someone like him?"

   "...Are you seriously asking me that right now?"

   Riley faltered. "Uh... can I phone a friend?"

   "I'll accept all apologies in the form of a therapist."

   Riley rolled her eyes at the comment. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm just not used to this shit. Just... The public... they wanna know everything. I can figure out the stuff about Roman, but you know they're gonna ask about Spider-Man and why I've spent so much time in Queens. I can't throw Peter under the bus, right?"

   Tony paused. "Look, I can tell you what you want to hear or I can tell you what you need to hear."

   Riley narrowed her eyes as she sat up in bed, her back facing MJ. "Is there supposed to be a difference?"

   "Uh, am I a genius? Is the sky blue?" mocked Tony. "Duh."

   Meanwhile, MJ had been trying to not eavesdrop on Riley and Tony. It was a little hard not to because they were so incredibly entertaining. Their relationship was fascinating to MJ, but maybe that was because her father wasn't exactly present in her life. The thought of her father made MJ's chest hurt.

   MJ's head snapped upward when the door swung open. One by one, Peter, Ned, and Roman trailed into the small cabin. They were bustling with a lively conversation. Well, except for a silent Roman, though he did acknowledge MJ with a subtle nod. That was worth something, right?

   Peter briefly explained to MJ how the nightly campfire was canceled to allow Principal Morita to inform everyone regarding the situation. Peter and Ned snuck away from the little "talk", retrieving Roman in the process.

   MJ was about to explain what she and Riley had been up to for the past few hours, but she was interrupted by Riley shouting, "Jesus, Dad, I know you're a traumatized war veteran, but are you a crackhead now, too? Pick a struggle!"

   The others merely exchanged glances before shrugging and getting comfortable. Riley, on the other hand, had hardly noticed their presence because she was so focused on what Tony was saying to her. Now on her feet, Riley stood with her back facing them.

   "You're acting like this is the craziest thing I've ever suggested," argued Tony. "What's wrong with telling the press a little white lie?"

   "Everything!" cried Riley. "Everything is wrong with that! Why would I combat the public's trust issues by lying to them!?"

   "All I said was that you should devise a little lie to get them off your back," insisted Tony. "Just one. Then, you can go back to telling them the truth and make your nose smaller, alright, Pinnochio?"

   Riley frowned. "That's exactly what your publicist told you to do when you wanted to tell everyone you're Iron Man."

   "Yeah, except I wanted everyone to know I was Iron Man because I was arrogant, selfish, and egocentric," Tony fired back. "Well, you're a little arrogant, but my point is: you're not me. You're so much better." He paused. "Do you think the government's never lied before? It happens all the time."

   Riley hesitated. "Yeah, but—"

   "It's just to get them to trust you again. Telling them a little lie won't kill you or them," insisted Tony. "It's what's best for everyone. Lie about Roman, lie about why you've been in Queens. You lied about your identity for 16 years. You can handle this. I know you can."

   Riley wasn't sold on it. She knew it, he knew it, they knew it. She didn't like the idea of lying anymore, especially after being a victim of the public's wrath. But Tony had a point.

   "Admit it," said Tony when Riley didn't say anything. "You just want to win the public over because you hate when people don't like you."

   Riley scoffed. "Pfft, I don't... I don't hate it when..." She paused, remembering how she devoted her life to proving people wrong just to win them over. "Okay, you're right."

   "I know," replied Tony. "Trust me, Tink, I've been at this longer than you. Just think of this as a loophole."

   Riley was still concerned. She didn't want to create any future conflict. It was already a controversy when Steve handed the Avengers to a mentally ill 16-year-old girl. Riley was on thin ice. Then again, did she have any other choice?

   "Alright, I'll think about it," decided Riley. "You guys are coming tomorrow, right?"

   "And miss the chance to see you piss yourself in front of the nation? I wouldn't miss it for the world."

   Rolling her eyes, they shared their goodbyes and hung up. Riley gripped MJ's phone tightly as Tony's advice echoed in her head. Conflict and hesitance overcame her. She just couldn't decide with confidence.

   When Riley motioned to return MJ's phone, Riley was surprised not only to see her friends in her cabin but to also see that they were shouting at one another.

   "I WON THE BET! YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST!"

   "UH, WRONG! I WON THE BET!"

   "TIME OUT, TIME OUT, I DON'T THINK EITHER OF YOU WON?"

   "SHUT UP, PETER!"

   Riley watched her friends argue in surprise, a smile stamping her face. The Midtown students sat in a circle with Roman getting comfortable on Riley's bed. Roman seemed to be observing the teenagers in silence. Riley grabbed a small stress-ball that was sitting on her bedside, throwing it at Roman's face. The alien caught it with ease, flashing his middle finger in the process.

   Riley snorted as she sat on the floor beside Peter. The two weren't keen on PDA, even if they were with their friends, but a bit of hand-holding never hurt anyone. With their arms intertwined and their fingers locking together, Riley immediately felt content.

   "So what are they arguing?" wondered Riley. She turned to Peter, her stomach doing flips when she realized he had been staring at her with that same look in his eyes. She could never exactly pinpoint it.

   "A bet," Peter simply answered. "Ned and MJ betted on when we would... uh."

   Riley smiled at how awkward he became when it came to talking about such personal things. However, her peace vanished as Ned and MJ turned and abruptly shouted at the same time, "RILEY!"

   Her eyebrows shot upward. "Alright, alright," she began with a laugh, "why are you guys so hung up over this bet?"

   "Because we made a bet and I won fair and square," argued Ned, motioning to himself. "I said Peter and Riley would start dating at the end of camp. It's the end of camp, isn't it?"

   MJ glared at him. "And I said that one of them would confess by the end of the first week," she argued. "And it happened. Riley confessed to Peter the night we found Roman!"

   Ned argued, "Okay, but they didn't even start dating until last Friday."

   "Doesn't matter," asserted MJ. "I said one of them would confess. I didn't say shit about them dating. Honestly, I thought they'd be pining for the rest of eternity, but Riley's a bad bitch, so it makes sense that she confessed first."

   Ned laughed. "Well, at least we can agree on one thing."

   Peter's face twisted, slightly offended. "Guys, I'm right here."

   "Nah, they're right," Riley taunted, nudging him lightly. "So what does the winner of your bet get anyway? It's gotta be something good if you're arguing so much about it."

   Ned turned to face the hero properly as he proudly answered, "Any dessert of the winner's choice for a week!"

   Roman scoffed from where he laid in Riley's bed. He tossed Riley's stress ball in the air and caught it repeatedly. "You guys are arguing over some dessert?"

   "It's very important to us, E.T.," sassed Ned, causing Roman to roll his eyes.

   Ignoring the two, MJ turned to her best friend. "Look, we need you to pick the winner."

   Riley tilted her head to the side. "Why not Pete?"

   "'Cause he's Ned's best friend," explained MJ. "He's biased."

   Ned paused. "Wait, but you're Riley's best friend. That makes her biased, too! Someone else has to decide who won."

   Silence crossed the four. All eyes fell onto the only person that could make a formal, unbiased decision: Roman. When he realized the four humans had fallen silent, Roman adjusted his sitting position. His typically vacant eyes scanned their faces before he sighed.

   Roman laid back down, staring up at the ceiling. "Well, your bet makes no sense because you guys agreed on different things. MJ betted on a confession, Ned betted on a... union, if you will," he calmly said. "But I'm gonna say MJ won because her half happened before Ned's. Plus, she's not annoying."

   With that, the four teenagers erupted with all kinds of declarations. Shouts filled the tiny cabin, leaving Roman to roll his eyes. He found it intriguing how Riley could get along with just about anyone, bringing all kinds of people together. She was the light people sought out. At least, that was what Roman believed.

   Riley looked around at her friends with a smile, her heart swelling with happiness. Part of her couldn't believe they had come so far from the beginning. What started as a stupid mission for Tony Stark slowly became one of the best decisions Riley ever made. No matter what happened between then and now, Riley knew she'd look back on these days and smile.

   Riley's heart twisted—a newfound sensation overpowering her. Riley had never thought about the future like that.

   She never stopped to consider what she'd be leaving behind as she headed back to her world. These past few years had been the most impactful on Riley's life, and now she was just supposed to, what? Leave it all behind? Riley had been so focused on her future that she had forgotten about what she'd already accomplished.

   Riley spent her days and nights with the Avengers for years. Steve, Tony, Thor, Clint, Natasha, Bruce, and Riley—the seven of them were a family. Even before his death, Roman was apart of that family. When Wanda and Pietro joined them, Riley welcomed them with open arms because she knew what it was like to come from nothing—no family, no home, no one. 

   One by one, her village grew: Sam, Bucky, Sharon Carter, King T'Challa, Peter, Dr. Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, even her childhood hero, Carol Danvers. And while her family was abundant in heroes with all kinds of abilities, some of the people with the strongest hearts didn't have powers, like MJ and Ned.

   Flashes of memories whirled through Riley's mind like rose petals in the wind. They were nostalgic, bittersweet. Riley became reminiscent of the times she shared with her friends and how quickly she forgot to truly cherish her time with them.

   "Dude, are you crying?"

   Riley jumped, reaching up to wipe away her tear; however, she faltered when she realized she wasn't the one who had been crying this time. Ned's face skewered up in annoyance as he said, "Uh, duh. You know how much I hate talking about Dumbo."

   Riley didn't know how her friends had gotten onto the topic of animated movies, but she dismissed that instantly. "Guys," beckoned Riley, "can I just say, I'm really gonna miss this when it's all over."

   All eyes fell on her. "How did you get that from a debate on the best Disney movies?" wondered Ned.

   Riley shook her head. "I'm not talking about that," she insisted. "When summer ends, Roman and I are going back to work and you're all going back to school. This is probably our last chance to just... hang out."

   Silence. The same thought all hit them at once. Our last chance. "I... guess you're right," Peter realized with a frown.

   MJ stifled a quiet laugh. "Well, it's been a crazy few years," she pointed out. "Remember D.C.?" The Midtown students each cringed, sharing different memories from that day. Roman wasn't sure what that must've been like, but he was empathetic.

   "Remember when we all thought Riley was just a random transfer student?" chimed in Ned.

   "You really had me fooled for a while," admitted MJ. "At least that proves you're good at your job. Peter, on the other hand..."

   Peter perked up. "Hey, I hid my identity from you for a long time!"

   MJ narrowed her eyes at him. "You and Ned used to talk about it in gym class like no one was listening," she retorted. "Were you even trying to pretend you weren't Spider-Man?"

   Riley chuckled. She squeezed Peter's hand supportively as Ned encouraged, "Hey, you tried, Pete."

   "You know what?" she spoke up. "At the end of the day, when we look back at this trainwreck, even I'll have to admit that these are the glory days."

   Peter hummed. "Yeah, allegedly," he returned. "I definitely wasn't expecting to have a building drop on me before getting my license though."

   MJ nodded. "Yeah, dying was seriously a big cockblock in my plans, if that makes sense," she mumbled.

   "You're telling me," chimed in Roman, earning laughs from the others.

  "But at least we're stronger from what happened to us, I think?" Riley noted. She shrugged. "Or something like that, at least."

   Roman snorted. "Great speech, boss."

   Riley shook her head. "I'm serious! Whatever happens next, I'm glad we were all brought together."

   And that was true. Riley meant what she said. No matter what happened, she was thankful that everything happened the way it did. She wouldn't change a thing—well, aside from some of the more traumatizing stuff.

   "Yeah, yeah," dismissed Ned. "Shut up before one of us cries again."

   "Too late," grumbled Peter.

   The group's laughter rippled through Camp Mirkhaven as they shared one of their last moments together. They all seemed to know then and there that nothing would be the same ever again, and in a strange way, they were all okay with it. At least, they were trying to be. For now, that would have to be enough.

   After all, no one's born ready to move on from each big moment in life. You're simply pushed into the next stage of life without a warning. Though isn't that a warning in itself?

  Riley thought so.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

lol did i forget to mention this fic is ending at chapter 15 (+ a post-credits chapter ofc) hahhahh (im screaming)