“I’m not!  Shut up!”

Parker laughed and Sam did his best to glare at him threateningly, an action that simply resulted in more laughter.  One day soon, he’d be free of the idiotic web-head, but until then he was going to have to suck it up and do his damned job.  At this rate he was never going to get any credit for his work.  It wasn’t that the Nova Corp held any particular value to him, but the helmet was the only thing he had left of his father and it had felt like the right choice at the time.  But now, he was stuck with a dorky web-head that seemed to get sadistic satisfaction from tormenting him.  Great! … Just fantastic!

What was Parker’s problem, honestly?  He’d been the Nova officer assigned to escort Spiderman from Terra to the colonies as a show of good faith, couldn’t Parker just accept that?  Happy with Parker or not, all of Xander was counting on him to extend a hand of friendship to Terra and he was going to heed his commanding officer’s words very clearly on this one, and not, as she’d put it, “fuck up” as to avoid “an intergalactic political shit-storm”.  Gee… such trust they had in him.

“What is it about me that you detest so much?”  The words were out of his mouth before he was able to clamp it shut and stop them.  He really needed to learn to thing before he spoke, and avoid potentially insulting influential figures from other planets—well technically he was Terran born and raised in Carefree Arizona, but he’d left it all behind when he’d joined the Nova Corp.  Honestly, he wasn’t even sure if he still had Terran citizenship.

Parker’s eyes trailed across him as if there was something he could not quite wrap his mind around about the Nova Corp member in front of him.  It was an eerie feeling, having one scrutinize you so closely, as if their gaze might crawl beneath your skin and unearth your every secret.

“I don’t…” Parker’s mouth clamped shut, choking his words.  “I don’t hate you per say, but you are quite fun to tease.”

So this was all a game to Parker?  Well fuck him then!  Sam Alexander was going to do his god damned job, the childish whims of one Peter Parker be damned.  He supposed the frustration was evident on his face when Parker visibly shrank ed in on himself ashamed beneath his glared.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yeah whatever…” Sam was taking none of this shit today.

They sat in silence for what felt like ages, Sam dutifully staring out the decimeter thick glass window in search of anything that might constitute a reasonable excuse to go blow shit up.

It was Parker that broke the palpable silence first.  “What’s your name?”

“I’m sorry what?” Sam shoot back.  Utterly confused.

“I thought we might try starting again.” Parker looked uncertain, as if he felt like Sam might be liable to jump down his throat at any point and challenge him, which to be honestly was probably not unfounded.  “Hello.  My name is Peter Parker.  You are?”

Sam blinked in shock before responding.  “Sam Alexander.  Private of the Nova Corp.”  His hand offered itself to Peter of its own accord.  If they were really going to do this, they were going to do this properly, and if that meant re-dubbing Parker “Peter” in him mind and shaking his hand than so be it.

Peter accepted the gesture, and grinned at him.  An infectious grin that Sam couldn’t help but propagate, the corners of his lips twitching upwards beneath his helmet.

“Say?” Peter asked him.  “Protecting this ship, seems like a rather dull job.  It practically flies itself out of danger.  Wouldn’t you rather hang with me for a while instead?”