Meltdown (BRANCH IS SPIDER-MAN AU)

Side Effects of Vigor May Include Hallucinations or Urges for Mass Destruction

Branch and Poppy returned home with Floyd and John Sunday morning. And as much as Poppy would have loved to stay with Branch, it was decided that she would return home to prepare for school the next day.

When John and Branch finally returned home, (Branch liked calling John's place that now), They didn't even unpack, just sat on the couch and watched TV. John had clearly missed his news channel. Bruce and Brandy didn't have a TV, trying to instill in his kids the power of imagination and reading in their early years. That was great and all, but Branch had to admit, he was curious to see what he'd missed. Of course, he could read articles for the news, but he hated doing that. Grandma Rosie always insisted that every news source was filled with bias, and the worst of all sources, was CNN and online articles.

So, when they turned it on, they were shocked to see a new hero on the screen. She had long green hair, tied up in a high, slicked back ponytail. She had ski goggles and a gasmask kind of thing on her face. From the photo, it looked like she was surfing on nothing, but as Branch looked closer, he saw the wavy trail of gas surrounding her shoes. Her outfit was very eccentric, filled with variations of purple, gold, and while with sharp shoulder blades accenting the look.

The report discussed her recent debut taking place Friday, and how she saved a subway cart from crashing after the breaks were removed. It reminded Branch of the time he stopped a bus from crashing as it's breaks failed. But this, the breaks were removed. Someone had done that to cause harm.

"I wonder if we're going to have to hunt her down like we did with Sentinel." John Dory said with a sigh.

Branch stiffened. "Yeah... I wonder."

***

The Monday after, Branch met up with Poppy early that morning. She wanted to talk to him about her birthday party. Branch sometimes forgot that he was only fifteen and she was fourteen still. It made Branch feel really weird about being with her. Him being Sentinel certainly didn't help. It made him feels years older than what he actually was.

"I was thinking, maybe we could do it at your house? If you could ask your brother that would be great but if he said no, then that would be okay too."

Branch scratched the back of his head, his mind still occupied with the news of the new hero. "Uh, yeah, sure. I can ask John. I don't think he'd mind. We can have it there."

Poppy smiled, her eyes shining with excitement. "That would be awesome! I'll help with the preparations and everything. It's going to be so much fun, Branch."

Branch managed a smile, trying to shake off the weight of the recent events. "Yeah, it'll be great."

As they walked to school together, Poppy noticed Branch's distracted demeanor. "Is there anything you need to tell me?"

Branch hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether he should share the information about Floyd knowing his identity. Eventually, he decided that it was okay for her to know. "Floyd knows, Poppy. He knows I'm Sentinel."

Poppy's eyes widened in surprise. "What? How did he find out?"

"He recognized my voice when I saved him from the robber. And then, when I revealed the guy's face I-...he just- put two and two together. He knows, Poppy."

Poppy smirked playfully. "You really have to do something about that recognizable voice, don't you?" A few moments after, her face softened and morphed into concern. "Are you okay with him knowing?"

Branch sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I don't know, Poppy. It's just... complicated. I never wanted him to get involved in this. Now, he knows, and it feels like I've dragged him into something dangerous. It's bad enough you know, now Floyd does too."