Adventures in Babysitting ↠ Peter Parker [1] ✓

07 | Pop Culture References

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ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING
vii. POP CULTURE REFERENCES

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  OUTER SPACE WAS NOTHING like Riley ever imagined it would be. She sat in front of the viewport with marvel glistening across her eyes. The stars moved past the ship as they advanced through the universe, heading toward their unknown destination. Riley could make out the shape of the nearby planets, only able to name the ones you learn in school. She wondered how far they were from Earth.

   "Pretty."

   Riley turned to face Peter, almost forgetting that he had been sitting next to her. He had been staring at her. "Huh?" she asked him.

   Peter's eyes widened. "I-I mean, space is," Peter stammered, "Pretty, I mean. S-Space is... Space is pretty. Not that you're not, but I was talking about... uh, about space!"

   Unsure of why he had become so nervous, Riley just smiled at the boy, puzzled. She looked back out the large window. "I'm glad you're here. I know it's dangerous and all, but... I don't think I'd survive if you weren't here," she admitted.

   "Well, sure you would," assured Peter. "You're Riley Stark!"

   "I think Valor would be alright, but Riley? I don't think so," she said.

   Riley was confident in her abilities as Valor. Valor was almost like her alter-ego. Valor was strong and confident. Valor always knew what to do. Valor was impulsive in all the right ways and knew how to tell a damn good lie. Valor never underestimated herself. Riley, on the other hand, was just a really smart kid with a screwed up backstory.

   Peter shook his head. "You and Valor are the same person," he reminded her.

   "I-I know, but..." Riley paused. "Valor's known to be prepared. She can face anything. She's badass and powerful. At the end of the day, I'm just plain ol' Riley."

   Peter shook his head again, a bit more vigorously this time. "You're outta your mind, Riles. Valor would be nothing without Riley, and Riley would be nothing without Valor. You're a package deal because you're one and the same," he rambled in attempt to raise her confidence in herself. "Just because you're not always saving the day doesn't mean you're not a hero. I didn't look up to you and the Avengers as a kid because I admired Valor and Captain America and Thor. I looked up to you because I knew that at the end of the day, there was an entire person under the suit. And that person was the true hero."

   Peter sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as she remained silent, taking this all in. "Sorry. I'm not really sure where that came from."

   Riley laughed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Thanks, Pete," she mumbled. "I really don't know what I'd do without you."