Chapter 44: Heart Problems
Ben tossed the tennis ball across the backyard, and Rye bounced after it. The small dough creature's version of fetch meant absorbing the ball into its body and waddling back.
Hulk sat cross-legged on the grass and watched Rye return the ball to Ben's feet. "Little guy's not afraid of me."
"Why would he be?" Ben scooped up the ball and threw it again.
"Ate his relatives on Liberty Island."
"Well, I did too, so we're both in the same boat."
Janet floated nearby in her small form and landed on the patio table. "Technically, those were failed bioweapons created by a Nazi scientist."
"Still ate them," Hulk muttered.
Ben grinned. "And you helped. Pretty sure you punched at least three of them into paste."
Hulk grunted, which Ben had learned to interpret as reluctant agreement.
Janet shifted back to full size and sat on the edge of the table. "Speaking of projects that aren't going anywhere, Hank's still buried in the lab. We were supposed to go out this week."
Ben shrugged. "Tony and Hank are still working on getting Simon back into human form. It's slow going." While Azmuth said he wasn't going to do the work for them, he agreed to make edits here and there to ensure Simon didn't accidentally die.
"I know..." Janet looked down at her hands. "I don't want to come off as needy, but I wish he'd spend more time with me like before."
"There's nothing wrong with feeling that way, Jan." Ben leaned back in his chair. "Can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, but how did you two even get together? There has to be a story there. You seem so different."
"Well, we are different," Janet admitted with a small smile. "I grew up wealthy. My father was Vernon Van Dyne, a world-renowned scientist. I lived like a socialite, always at galas and parties. I wanted to pursue fashion design, which my father supported even if he didn't quite understand it."
"Sounds nice," Hulk thought back to his own parents before shaking those negative thoughts away.
"It was, in some ways." Janet grew more serious. "I used to accompany my father to scientific meetings, and that's where I met Hank. He was a young scientist who everyone thought was crazy for his shrinking formula."
"But he was right in the end," Ben muttered.
Janet smiled slightly. "I was interested in him immediately. He was brilliant, passionate, and completely different from anyone in my social circle. I invited him to dinner the first time we met."
Ben huffed. "Let me guess. He said no."
"He did." Janet's smile faded. "He was too focused on his research, and he was still mourning his late wife."
Both Hulk and Ben were surprised. "Huh. Didn't know Hank was a widower."
"From what he told me, Maria was as strong-willed as me, which made sense since I didn't give up. Eventually, he agreed to casual friendly dates. Like a river through a canyon, I wore him down."
"Stubborn scientist type," Hulk observed.
"Exactly like that." Janet took a breath. "There was an issue with my father but…"
"Everything okay?"
"Maybe another time, then." Janet sighed. "I understand that Simon needs help, and I know Hank wants to fix things. But sometimes I feel like I'm back at those early dinners, trying to get him to look up from his research long enough to notice I'm there."
"Have you told him that?" Hulk asked. Banner had many regrets about things they never got to say prior to going on the run.
"I've tried. He promises to do better, and he means it, but then something else comes up in the lab." Janet slid off the table. "I love him, but loving Hank Pym means competing with his work for attention. I mean, you saw how he reacted with your flying bug form."
"Don't remind me. In any case, I'm sorry that it's putting a strain on things."
Janet didn't reply, continuing to watch their new pet as a distraction.
Ben tossed the ball again, and Rye took off after it. "You know… now that I'm thinking about it, it's kinda weird we've got two people dealing with the exact same thing."
"Two?" Janet tipped her head.
"Simon and Klaw," Ben said. "Both of them got turned into, like… living energy until we can figure out how to fix it."
Janet frowned. "Okay, yeah. When you say it like that, it is weird."
"Right?"
Hulk plucked at the grass. "Simon gonna be okay?" Gamma stuff was Hulk and Banner's lane, but this whole matter-to-energy thing wasn't really his thing.
"I hope so." Ben's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and went, "Huh. Hang on." He put it on speaker. "Hey, Emma."
"Hey, Ben. You free sometime this week? I wanna hang out again."
Ben glanced at Hulk and Janet, who were both doing a really bad job of pretending they weren't listening. "Yeah, I can do that. What's up?"
"A lot's happened since last time, and I wanted to catch up and talk about it."
Ben leaned back a little, watching Rye trot back with the ball. "I could say the same."
"Okay… is this a good 'a lot happened' or a bad one?"
Emma let out a short laugh. "Both, I think."
"Awesome. Love that for you," Ben said dryly, then softened. "Seriously, though, are you okay?"
"Yeah. I mean… I think so. I'm just…" She cut herself off, like she wasn't sure how to explain it. "Are you still in the city?"
"I'm around," Ben said. "Not busy busy. Just regular busy."
"Good, can you come to campus? Same spot?"
Ben looked at the sky like it might hand him an excuse. It didn't. "Yeah, sure. When were you thinking?"
"Tomorrow afternoon? Around two?"
Ben nodded. "Two works. If the city goes into a crisis lockdown again. I'll text."
"Let's hope it doesn't become a regular excuse," Emma said, but she sounded amused.
"No promises," Ben said. "I'll be there. I'll let you know if anything changes."
"Okay. Cool." Another pause. "Thanks, Ben. Seriously."
"Anytime," he said. "Get some sleep, alright?"
"I'll try," Emma said. "Bye!"
"Bye," Ben replied, and the call clicked off.
He pocketed his phone. When he looked up, Janet was grinning at him. "Who was that?" she asked innocently.
"A girl I met back in Boston before I came to New York. Helped her apply to Empire State University."
Janet's grin widened. "Oh, so it's a date?"
Ben rolled his eyes. "We're friends. Besides, she's super busy with school... among other things."
That last bit piqued Janet's interest, and she leaned forward. "Things like?"
Ben thought about it and considered Janet's compassion. "She's still learning to use her powers."
Janet's eyes lit up with renewed energy. Now she could butt into others' potential love lives. "Oh! What can she do? Can she fly? Super strength? Energy blasts? Telepathy? Wait, can she turn invisible? That'd be so cool."
Ben held up a hand. "I've already told you enough. If you ever get a chance to meet her, you can ask yourself."
"Aw, come on!" Janet hopped off the table. "Give me something. Elemental powers? Shapeshifting? Does she have any connection to mythical creatures?"
"Not telling."
Hulk snorted, which might've been a laugh. "She's got you curious now."
"I know!" Janet threw her hands up. "And he's being stingy about it. To think I shared my relationship troubles with my so-called friends."
"It's literally not my story to tell." Ben threw the ball one more time for Rye, who wobbled after it with undiminished enthusiasm. "You'll survive."
"Barely," Janet muttered, but she was smiling once more.
#
The next afternoon, Ben found Emma waiting near the library steps again. She looked more confident.
She spotted him and waved. "Hey. Thanks for coming."
"No problem. It's nice to hang out for a bit."
They walked across the green, and Ben noticed Emma was a bit contemplative. "So, how's Christie? You two still getting along?"
Emma's shoulders tensed slightly. "We're fine."
Ben made a face. "That was the least 'fine' 'fine' I've ever heard."
Emma shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. "I mean it. We're fine. It's... complicated."
Ben waited, and after a moment Emma sighed. "I still haven't confronted her about Ian."
Ben frowned. "Your academic advisor, right?"
"I've seen her thoughts, Ben. Memories of dates they've been on. Every time I ask her about it directly, she lies."
"Unless she was actively neglecting you, you would only feel this upset if…"
"I still had feelings for him," Emma cut in defensively. "I know. I thought I was over it, but I was wrong. And watching my roommate sneak around with him is not exactly helping."
Ben winced. "Oh. That's... That's messy."
"Exactly." Emma kicked at a pebble. "I feel like such a loser, still hung up on a high school crush."
"Emma… Believe me you're not the only one with a complicated romantic past?"
"Oh, yeah?"
"Alright, so my best friend agreed to marry this girl because of some deal he made with her dad."
"I have so many questions already."
Ben was quiet for a moment. "Emma… believe me, you're not the only one with a complicated romantic past."
"Oh, yeah?" She looked at him. "And yours is supposed to make me feel better?"
He let out a short laugh. "Alright. So my best friend agreed to marry this girl because of some deal he made with her dad."
Emma stopped. "I have so many questions already."
Ben lifted a hand. "There's more. I interrupted and stopped the wedding."
Her eyebrows rose. "You did what?"
"Good news, I cancelled her engagement." He paused. "Bad news, I put myself in his place as her fiancé."
Emma stared at him. "You're serious."
"Yeah."
"Why would you do that?"
His mouth tightened. "Because it was wrong. Because he was doing it for the deal. And because no one else was going to stop it."
Emma exhaled. "So you're engaged."
"Technically."
"Technically," she repeated. "That's not normal."
Ben's expression softened. "I'm telling you because you're insulting yourself over feelings you had when you were sixteen. That doesn't make you a loser. It makes you human."
Emma looked down, then back at him. "I still have questions."
"I know," Ben said. He hesitated, then shook his head once. "It didn't stay that way."
"What do you mean?"
"I had to confront her," Ben said. "I had to end the engagement myself. There wasn't a way to do it without saying it out loud and dealing with what came after." He drew a breath. "There's only one thing to do," he added, "and it's rip the bandage off."
Emma held his gaze, her face unreadable.
"It took time," Ben went on. "It was messy. But she eventually moved on to someone else. And after that, it was cancelled."
Emma glanced at him. "I was really hoping you had a plan that involved a conversation."
Ben spread his hands. "If I find it, I'll let you know. But yeah, confrontation. It sucks, and then it's over, and you can stop stressing over it."
Emma exhaled through her nose. "Thanks. Even if that's not what I wanted to hear."
"You know what they say. Keep moving forward."
"Yeah… Yeah..."
They soon found a bench near the edge of the green and sat down. Emma stretched her legs out and turned her head to look at him. "So what about you? What've you been doing in New York?"
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Me?"
"I didn't want to pry, but I've been wondering ever since Westchester. You knew Tony Stark. You took us to the Xavier Institute and met Steve Rogers there. You mentioned Avengers Mansion back when we were talking."
Ben leaned back against the bench. "There's some stuff I can't talk about because it's classified."
"Okay."
"But what I can tell you is I've been working with Ant-Man on something," Ben said, pausing like he was trying to figure out how to put it. "We're trying to set up some kind of support system for empowered people. People like us."
Emma blinked. "Support system?"
And, thankfully, it wasn't a lie. Ben had listened to Hank vent about how the current system treats superpowered people, and Ben had floated the idea that the Avengers, being private, could actually build something, especially with Tony's lawyers in the mix.
"Yeah," Ben said. "Most people who end up as supervillains don't start out wanting to hurt anyone. Usually they're just stuck and don't have anywhere else to go. If we don't want to keep… you know, making supervillains, we've gotta deal with the actual problem."
Emma got it. If she hadn't gotten help when she did, she would've had to use her powers in ways she wasn't proud of just to survive.
She studied him for a second. "That's… actually really smart."
Ben shrugged. "It's still pretty early, but I think it could really help."
"And Tony Stark's cool with this?"
"Tony's… busy," Ben said, a little too quickly. "We'll talk to him once we've got more of it figured out."
Emma's expression softened. "That's a good thing you're doing."
"Thanks."
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, watching students cross the green.
Emma went quiet. "So, uh. Training with Astrid. There's been some progress."
Ben glanced at her. "How's it going?"
"Good. Mostly." Emma sat up a little straighter. "She's been teaching me how to keep other people's thoughts out."
"That sounds useful."
"It is. She taught me this visualization technique. You pick something strong, something solid, and you focus on it. For me, it's a diamond."
"A diamond?"
"I picture it in my mind, this perfect, unbreakable gem. When I focus on it, the noise quiets down. It's not drowning me anymore."
"That's great, Emma. Really."
Emma looked away. "It helps a lot. But there's other stuff she's been teaching me, too. Stuff that's... I don't know. Some of it feels a little off."
Ben's smile faded. "Off how?"
"She showed me how mind control works."
Ben blinked in surprise. "I… didn't know you could do that. And… she showed you?"
"We were walking near campus. There was this professor with his dog, and the dog kept chasing pigeons the way it always does. Astrid... made the pigeons fight back as a little prank."
Ben's eyebrows rose. "As a prank?"
"She told me controlling animals is one thing, but controlling humans is unethical. That you only do it in life-or-death situations."
Ben considered that. "I mean, I agree with her on the human part. Mind controlling people except in emergencies? That's a hard line you don't cross." It's why he had to go through so much to avoid those problems in the future.
"There's more…"
Ben waited.
"She told me how she learned everything she knows. She said, 'When human minds are engaged in reading and studying, their thoughts are less guarded yet incredibly more organized.' She told me she got her entire education by piggybacking on other people's thoughts while they studied."
Ben stared at her. "She can steal knowledge?"
Emma cringed. "Not exactly. Stealing implies that they lose memories, which isn't the case.
"I see… That's something to think about."
"That's why I wanted to talk to you."
Ben paused, then asked, "Do you still want to train with her?"
Emma bit her lip. "I don't know. She's the only telepath besides that Xavier guy I know who's willing to teach me. But I'm starting to think that maybe I need to be more careful about what she's teaching me."
"Trust your instincts. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for."
Emma looked at him, then nodded. "Thanks."
"Anytime."
Emma straightened her jeans. "So, uh. Speaking of Astrid. She's been curious about you."
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Curious how?"
Emma kept her tone neutral. "She wants to meet you. I told her I'd introduce you two. Probably later this week. Coffee, maybe."
Ben studied her. "And you're okay with that?"
"I think so." Emma paused. "I mean, you're my... friend. It makes sense for you to meet. I wanted to give you a heads-up first."
Ben nodded slowly. "Then let's do it."
Emma's shoulders relaxed slightly. "Okay."
They stood and started walking again. Ben couldn't shake the uneasy feeling settling in his gut. Whatever Astrid Bloom was, he'd deal with it when the time came.
Later that Week
Emma checked her phone again at a corner table with a black coffee.
The bell above the door chimed, and Astrid walked in. "Emma." She slid into the seat across from her. "You look tense."
"I'm fine. Thanks for coming."
"Of course." Astrid flagged down a barista and ordered an espresso. "Well, we've got exams coming up, what's the deal for today?"
Emma hesitated. "Actually, I invited someone to join us. I hope that's okay."
"Someone?"
"A friend." Emma glanced toward the door. "Ben. I told you about him."
"The one who helped you get into school." Astrid leaned back in her chair. "The mystery benefactor."
"He's… a good person."
"Of course." Astrid teased. "I'm curious to meet him."
Ben walked in and spotted Emma. He waved and headed over.
"Hey." Ben pulled out the third chair and sat down. "Sorry if I'm late."
Emma gestured to both of them. "You're right on time. Ben, this is Astrid Bloom. Astrid, this is Ben."
"Nice to meet you." Ben extended a hand.
Astrid shook it firmly. "Likewise."
When Astrid touched Ben's mind, as Emma had, she found white noise. 'Static? That's new.' "So, Emma's told me a bit about you. You helped her get on her feet when she needed it."
"I gave her a little support." Ben shrugged. "Emma did all the hard work herself."
"Modest," Astrid acknowledged. "Still, it's not every day someone steps in to help a stranger like that. What made you do it?"
Ben met her gaze. "I've seen the other side of that."
Astrid could see he was important to Emma and strangely blank.
"Emma told me how you guys have the same powers and how you're tutoring her."
Astrid went cold. "Did she, now?"
Emma blanched. 'Oh, right, she forgot to tell her…'
"Emma…"
"I know what you're gonna say, but-"
"But nothing. You don't go around telling people other people's private business." Astrid's gaze locked onto Emma. "Especially not humans."
Ben rolled his eyes. "As long as no one's going the evil supervillain route, I'm fine with people having powers."
Astrid turned her attention back to him. "So what would a normie like you understand about it?"
"You and Emma made the same assumption. Who said I was normal?" Like before, Ben held out his hand. A soft blue bead of light gathered over his palm.
Astrid watched the light. "Huh. Now you've got my attention."
"That's a party trick," Ben said. "Nothing fancy."
"So you're not as ordinary as I expected, but full of surprises."
"You could say I have an entire deck of them."
Astrid smiled. "Emma's learning from me. And I'm not sure what you think you can offer her."
Ben gave her a sour look. "Seriously?"
"Would you say that you faced the same struggles as Emma or me? Have you ever had to hide what you are?"
"I've been lucky that I haven't, but I've met a lot of those who weren't." Ben had met more of his alternate selves over the past five years, and it was clear that he didn't get the short end of the stick.
"Then I suppose what you share with Emma won't be meaningless after all. Hardship is an excellent teacher."
Then, Ben's phone buzzed a moment later. He sighed after reading. "I've gotta bounce. One of my co-workers is having a problem and needs my help."
"Of course." Astrid smiled. "We'll do this again, maybe, Ben."
"We'll see." Ben stood and looked at Emma. "Next time, I'll try not to get dragged away. Text me."
Emma nodded. "I will."
Ben squeezed her shoulder briefly, then headed for the door.
#
By the time she got back to the dorm, Emma sat on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Christie was out again, probably with Ian. Her mind kept circling back to Astrid's words.
Emma picked up her phone and stared at Ben's contact for a long moment. 'This is stupid,' she thought. 'He's probably busy. He's got whatever work he does with Tony and the Avengers to deal with. He doesn't need me bothering him with…' She hit the call button.
The phone rang twice, then Ben answered. "Hey. You all right?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. I… I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure. What's up?"
Emma took a breath. "Do you want to go see a movie with me? Just us."
There was a pause. "Like… a date?"
Emma's face burned. "I mean, it doesn't have to be. We could hang out. Either way is fine, I just thought…"
"Emma." Ben chuckled. "It's fine. Even if it's casual, I'd like that."
Her chest loosened. "Really?"
"Really." Ben paused. "When were you thinking?"
"I don't know. This weekend? If you're free."
"I'll make time. Send me the details when you figure out what you want to see, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks."
"No problem." He hesitated. "You're fine, Em. Don't second-guess yourself."
"I'll try."
"Good. I'll see you this weekend."
"See you."
That Weekend
Emma sat next to Ben in the back row. On the screen, Heavenly Creatures spiraled into its finale.
Blood splattered across the frame. The girls on screen laughed in hysteria.
Emma felt her stomach twist. "Okay…" She exhaled as the credits rolled. "That was… definitely not what I expected."
Ben stretched his arms overhead and grinned. "What, you didn't think it'd be a wholesome coming-of-age story about the power of friendship?"
"I mean, it was about friendship." Emma stood and grabbed her jacket. "A really, really messed-up, co-dependent, murderous friendship."
"Fair." Ben followed her out into the lobby.
Emma focused on dimming the external monologues pressing against her skull.
"So, verdict on the movie? I thought it was all right. I just wish we got more of their earlier years."
Emma considered it as they pushed through the glass doors. "It was entertaining, at the very least. Weird, but it's refreshing, honestly."
"Refreshing?" Ben raised an eyebrow.
"It makes my own life problems seem almost normal by comparison."
"That is a low bar, Em." Ben held the door for her. "But sometimes you need something completely different to clear your head."
They walked down the street toward Village Pizza. The restaurant was tucked snugly between a 24-hour laundromat and a dusty used bookstore. Ben snagged a booth near the back.
"So, how's the rest of school been? Besides the whole Christie and Ian drama-fest?"
Emma grimaced. "Fine, I guess. Exhausting. I'm mostly trying to keep my head down with all the mutant paranoia."
"That's progress, but must still suck."
Emma picked at the frayed edge of her napkin. "Actually, I've been thinking a lot about what you said last week. About how I should be using my powers day to day."
Ben leaned in, resting his elbows on the table.
Emma paused as their waiter dropped off two glasses of ice water. She waited for Steve to walk away before continuing. "There's this guy in my psych class, Max. He's on the basketball team. Huge guy, nice enough, but… well, he's been trying to get my attention for a while now. I wasn't interested." Emma waved a hand dismissively. "But we got to talking one day after class about the whole mutant thing, hypothetically. He said he wouldn't want to compete against mutants in regular sports because it wouldn't be fair. He said it'd be like an eighth grader pretending to be in preschool to dunk on toddlers. I can see what he means."
"That makes sense," Ben said thoughtfully. "I mean, think about sports in general. Sports are only fun when everyone has a chance to win."
"Exactly. But then there's the flip side. If someone's powers aren't something that they can turn off, is that cheating? Or is it a natural advantage? Like being born taller or faster?"
Ben tilted his head, studying her. "I think it depends on the context. Some people might say it's like using steroids. Others would say it's biological, part of who you are, so why shouldn't you use them?"
"Yeah." Emma's fingers drummed a nervous rhythm against the table. "That's what I keep coming back to. Where's the line between actual cheating and being… better at something?"
The waiter returned with their pizza, a large pepperoni with extra cheese. Ben grabbed a slice. "From what you told me, people can share knowledge with you, right?"
"Yup," Emma took a smaller slice. "It can help me learn faster, but I still have to apply that knowledge to complete an assignment or do a test."
Ben took a bite. "At least in your case, it's more of a tool than doing the heavy lifting."
Emma felt her shoulders drop an inch. "That's what I told myself. But I wasn't sure if I was rationalizing. Okay. That… actually makes me feel better."
"Anytime."
When they finished, Ben paid the bill over Emma's protests and they headed back toward campus.
The streets were quieter now. Emma walked close to Ben, her hands shoved deep into her jacket pockets.
"So, do we want to consider this a first date?"
Emma glanced at him sideways. "I… don't know."
Ben scuffed his shoe against the concrete. "Tonight was nice, but I know things are complicated with your… situation and our schedules."
Emma stopped walking. Ben stopped, turning to face her.
"I don't know exactly where we're headed." Emma looked up at him. "But wherever it is, I'd like to take our time getting there. I feel like my life is moving at a hundred miles an hour right now. I need this part… us… to be steady."
"Steady sounds good."
"Really? You're not disappointed? I don't want you to think I'm leading you on or holding you back."
"Emma, look at me." He stepped closer. "We'll go slow. If it feels good, we keep going."
Emma felt something warm unfold in her chest. She stepped closer and rose on her toes and kissed him next to his lips. "Thanks, Ben," she whispered.
"Always," he murmured, a bit taken aback by the gesture.
With that, they walked back to the dorms, shoulder to shoulder.