Flower Child (Peter Parker, MCU)

Ted Landry, F.O.S.?

Press — Cardi B

The gathering crowd was frightening, to say the least. But when they only saw Lila emerge from the apartment building, and not Peter, the crowd lost interest. She still had some anonymity, though she didn't know how long that would last. She was mentally wondering about any social media accounts she had that weren't private, and remembered they all were anyway. But thoughts on privacy evaporated when she saw Ted Landry appear between two bystanders.

He saw her first, and marched over to her. She suddenly grew nauseous, even though Ted didn't look remotely angry. That didn't mean Lila could rest easy — he didn't express any particular emotion. It was Poker Face Ted, and that was something Lila never had to deal with. So, as the pair silently walked through the small lobby towards the elevators, Lila's heart raced with sheer nerves.

The elevator was smaller than the one she'd ridden down, she was sure of it. Either that or the silence was suffocating her. She'd give anything for a different reaction from her dad, but she also had no idea what to ask for. Anger? She'd avoid that if she could. Forgiveness? Thor knows she would need it, for all the lying that Ted was likely working through in his head.

"Dad—?"

Ted held up a hand, an unreadable mixture of emotions swirling around his eyes as he interrupted. "I just — let's talk about this inside, Lila."

Lila. Not Tulip, but not Delilah, either. It wasn't much to go by, given that her dad rarely used her full name, but at least he wasn't entirely detached from his emotions that he stuck to proper names. On the other hand, he made a concerted effort not to ever interrupt her, so this middle ground they found themselves on was completely foreign. And as the elevator dinged, signaling their arrival back to Peter's floor, Lila wished she could simply take the stairs back down and run out of Queens.

She led him down the hall and softly knocked at the door. She called out to Peter, letting him know it was her outside. She heard a slight scuffle, May calling out to someone before the door swung open to reveal Happy Hogan on the other side. He peered at Ted after seeing Lila, and nodded to the both of them to enter, double-checking behind them to fend off any invisible strangers that might have been there.

May greeted Ted first, standing up from the couch to invite him to sit. Ted obliged wordlessly, sitting on the edge of his seat, his posture upright but not rigid. Peter arrived from his room, thankfully with a pair of pants on to accompany his shirt, his hair combed and his expression nervous.

Nervous because as soon as he entered, Ted immediately appraised him. His eyes pierced through his very being, and Peter couldn't help but look like he wished to melt into the wall. Something in Ted's gaze softened, like he remembered Peter was only seventeen before he sighed heavily.

The television, which was muted but still showing the news, was what he gestured to. "They're saying you murdered somebody?"

"No, Dad, it's a lie—" One look over from Ted killed Lila's voice, the remnants of shame writhing in her throat.

Ted merely shook his head, "I'd like to hear from Peter, please, Lila."

"With all due respect, sir, it might be best if I started from the beginning," Peter answered, turning the television off and standing across from Ted. May had gone to the kitchen and returned with glasses of water, looking between them nervously. Happy was halfway through his glass of water before Lila was even handed one, apparently just as nervous as the rest of them. Peter continued, "And I'll need Lila's help to tell the whole thing."

A request, just a small one, but Ted nodded minutely. Lila pulled up a chair from the kitchen and shifted the other lounge chair in the living room to sit in front of Ted. She wished she could sit closer to Peter somehow, but she would just have to draw her strength from being next to him. Once they were both seated, Peter began to tell the truth.