Chapter 12: Meet The Parent

Maxine’s mind raced. It was good at racing, especially with Penny’s assistance. Once upon a time, it had raced to conclusions, usually bad ones, which had often resulted in less racing and more spiraling. Nowadays, the most rushed thing about her were her decisions. 

When she’d heard the scream coming from the house, Penumbra had leapt into action. No deliberation needed, two minds immediately working in tandem. The sound from the house had been the blood-curdling cry of someone from a horror movie who was about to get turned into a fridge magnet. 

Except that it hadn’t been. They carefully climbed down from the windowsill, holding out their hands. “I am so sorry, ma’am,” they said. “I heard you scream, and worried you were in danger.” They looked at… a girl? Wearing a superhero costume. “Um.” 

Weird, Penny thought. It’s a red one. Max wondered what that meant. No idea. But you’re seeing what we’re seeing, right? We can’t just out him… her? The mom might not know about… Penny was being diplomatic, but Maxine knew what they were thinking. It wasn’t the first time the Symbiote had come into contact with someone who was quickly turned into a girl, after all. 

“You remember me, Ms. McCoy?” Penumbra said. 

Okay, that was a silly question, of course she remembers us. It’s not like we’re a dime a dozen, Penny said, and they weren’t wrong. But right now, it was important to establish a conversation to keep her from screaming again, or calling the police. 

“I-I do,” Lauren McCoy said. “What’s happening? Why is there a stranger in my house?” She looked around. “Eric?!” There was no answer from the house, but the red-clad person took a step forward. The mom immediately took a step back. “What did you do to my son?” Max wasn’t sure who the question was aimed at. 

“Um,” Penumbra said again, and looked at the kid. Were they going to have to make something up on the fly? Oh, I hope not. I’m a terrible liar.

“Hush, you,” Max mumbled, then turned to Ms. McCoy. Nothing for it. Penny retreated, and Maxine’s perspective moved down by a foot and a half. She’d gotten used to it, of course, but it was always going to be funny how tiny she was without Penny. “Ms. McCoy, can you look at me, please?” The woman did, and seemed surprised to see a young woman standing where the usually seven foot tall superhero had been before. 

“Who are… You’re Penumbra?” she asked, frowning. Max nodded.

“Sort of, yeah. Look… When Eric was hurt, we promised to come and check up on him, so that’s why we’re here. Then we got here, we heard you scream, and the whole superhero-instinct kind of took over.” She looked back at the window. “We’ll pay you for the repairs, by the way. I’m really sorry.”

Ms. McCoy seemed to have a thousand and one questions, and they were spilling out, her mouth moving as she looked around. “Who’s… we?” She looked at the kid. 

“Uh,” Max said, “me and my girlfriend. She’s waiting in the car.” 

“Oh.”

Maxine turned to the other person in the room. “Help me out here.” She saw their jaw clench, and Eric came to a decision. Their symbiote – Amaranth? – retreated, and the girlish figure went with it. Eric McCoy stood in its place. 

“Hi, Mom,” he said. Lauren’s eyes bulged, and for a brief moment Max was worried she was going to faint. Then Mom-mode kicked back in and her eyes narrowed. 

“What did you do to him?!” Lauren said as she launched herself at Max. 

Uh oh, Penny said. Brace for impact. Even knowing it was coming, the wind was knocked out of them as Eric’s Mom grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and slammed her into the wall. Her face was inches from Maxine’s. 

“What,” she snarled with the kind of fury only a parent could bring to bear, “did you do to my boy?” Max was reminded of nature documentaries where dog moms could fight off a bear or a bobcat when she was protecting her litter. 

I guess that makes us the bobcat, Penny joked. That cracked our skull, by the way. She’s not messing around. Not that either of them thought she was, of course. But the average person probably wouldn’t be able to do much to really impact Max, even when she wasn’t wearing Penny. But she also didn’t want to . Their skull was already knitting back together. The only proof would be a slight stain on the bathroom tiles. 

“Mom,” Eric said, “it’s okay. I’m okay. I promise.” He put his hand on her arm, and Lauren was shaken out of her anger. She let Max go and lowered her hands. It was like watching a killer robot power down. 

You’re such a weeb.

Eric’s mom wrapped her son in a hug, took a deep breath and then looked at them both. “Okay. Okay. Explain. In the living room, please.” Eric led the way, Max behind him, not at all surprised that Lauren wouldn’t let them out of her sight. “You said your girlfriend is outside in the car?”

A moment later, Victoria was inside, sitting sheepishly next to an equally awkward Max, seated next to Eric who looked like he was wishing for death. “Relax,” Max mumbled. “There’s way worse things your mom could’ve walked in on you doing.” 

“What did I walk in on?” Lauren said as she walked in with a tray. “Coffee?”

“If it’s not too much trouble,” Victoria said. Max just nodded. Four cups were placed on the little table in front of them, then Ms. McCoy parked herself opposite them. 

“Explain,” she said. “Don’t spare details.”

“Mom, I–” Eric started, but his mother held her hand out. 

“Sorry, hun, but I want to hear it from them,” she said. “I’ll hear your story after.”

Max looked at Eric with gritted teeth. Not outing him, Penny said. But lying isn’t going to help either. So something in between then. Leaving out the Symbiote headmate. For now. Probably for the best.

“When your son… When we got him out of the fire, he was hurt,” Max said. “Badly. Much worse than when you saw him.” She grabbed the coffee mug. It was too warm, but she was using the pain to help her focus. “He wasn’t going to make it.”

Ms. McCoy swallowed, then nodded. “So you have some kind of healing… ability?”

“Something like that, yes,” Max said. “But it only works on myself. So I gave him some of my own powers, to give him a fighting chance. And he, uh, fought. And lived.”

“So what was with the girl in the bathroom?” Lauren said. Ah, yeah, that did still need to be addressed. And they were definitely not going to out anyone when it came to that.

“Her powers,” Victoria said, stepping in, “a part of that is a costume that disguises your identity. Penumbra is a lot bigger than she is, so nobody would suspect her, you know?” Eric’s mom nodded. That sounded like it made sense, at least. 

“But why is it still there? Is he still in danger?” Ms. McCoy asked. Penny shook their head, and Max followed suit. 

“No,” Max said. “If I’m honest, I’ve never actually done the… power-transfer thing. We didn’t know this was going to happen.” She looked at the boy again. This was where the big lie was going to happen. Since the start of the conversation. She knew it was coming. “We don’t know if we can take the powers away. We’re looking into it, but it’s going to depend on him, how he responds to them.”

That was as close to the truth as she could go without telling Eric’s mom things that might make her freak out or even hurt her own child. Penny, Maxine knew, could extract Amaranth. The two Symbiotes would be able to live inside of her for a while until they’d found the fledgling a new host. But she also knew that that wasn’t really up to them. That was up to Eric. 

“What does that mean?” Ms. McCoy asked. “Where does that leave him? Is he going to turn into a kind of superhero-monster like you? No offense.”

“None taken,” Max said, chuckling. “And probably not.” She had almost added “not unless he wants to,” but bit her tongue. “He likely has powers similar to mine, but nobody is going to make him use them, if that’s what you’re worried about. We’ll be checking up on him regularly, to see if his… powers go away on their own, or if there’s something we can do to help.” Max bit her lip. “I know this is scary, and you likely don’t want any superhero business near your son, but the sooner we can get this resolved, the sooner we’ll be out of your hair.” 

Lauren took her cup of coffee and sipped it, staring at Max like she was trying to read her mind by gazing through the front of her head. After what felt like a good couple of weeks, she lowered her mug. “What about you, Eric?”

“Uh,” Eric said. “Uh,” he added, for emphasis. 

“My son has superpowers. You’re my son, and I know you pretty well. But I can’t hear what’s going on in your head. So, what are you thinking?”

Eric paused for a second, his mouth twitching like he was trying to remember lines from a rehearsed play. It took Max a second to figure out what was going on, and only because she had help. He’s talking to Amaranth, Penny said. They’re not bonded, so the conversation is taking a lot longer.

“I think,” Eric said, “I need time to figure out what’s what.” He was chewing his lip like it was going out of style. “Like, I have superpowers now, but what if I don’t want superpowers and what if I don’t want –” he paused. Max knew what he wanted to say. What he wasn’t saying. “What if I don’t want all of that stuff that comes with it?”

“It’s a lot of power,” Max agreed. “But you’re not doing it alone. I’ll be around to help as often as I can. And you have my phone number now.” Lauren shot Maxine an inquisitive look, but all she could do was shrug. No point in hiding that now. 

Eric’s mom crossed her arms and leaned back. “You’re sure he’s fine. Healthy.” It was barely a question, but Max and Victoria both nodded. “Then I don’t really have any choice but to trust you. I will tell you this much though, young man.” She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, finger in his face. “While this is all up in the air, I don’t want to see you doing any hero-ing or anything like that. You are staying indoors and healing. Even if you’re healing faster than a normal person.”

“Okay,” Eric said, just nodding. 

“After that, if it’s permanent…” she crossed her arms again and squeezed her eyes shut like she was shielding herself from something. “We’ll talk about it.”

“Mom? What do you–”

“I mean that I know my son,” Lauren said. “You ran into a burning building, for Christ’s sake. If you have superpowers, you’re only going to take more risks. And I’d want to know about it if you do. So if you end up with powers – which I really hope you don’t – we are going to be responsible, we are going to set boundaries, and you and I are going to talk.” She looked at Max. “And if my son is hurt and it’s your fault, I’m coming for you. Superpowers or no.” The icy calm in her voice terrified Maxine to her core, which she assumed was the intended effect.

“Understood, ma’am,” Max said. Victoria squeezed her hand. There was no point in denying the threat in any way. They both knew how moms could be. They stood up. “Could I talk to him alone for a second, please?” Max asked. Hesitantly, Lauren nodded, then walked to the kitchen.

“I’ll go get the car,” Victoria said. Max leaned forward. 

“Amaranth? Are you in there?”

“Amy!” the excited, girly voice said from Eric’s mouth. 

“There’s no speculation, okay? The two of you need to decide if you want to stay together. You two, and nobody else,” Maxine said. “But if Eric doesn’t want you in his head, you respect that. No staying against his wishes.”

“Couldn’t if I wanted to,” Amy chirped. “But we’ll talk about it!”

“Y– yeah,” Eric said. “I just… I gotta talk about it with, uh, her.”

Max nodded. Okay. Amaranth seemed like a good sort. Mind if I have a word? With all the ease of breathing, Penny slipped in place. “Amy, hi.”

“Aa!!” Amy bounced happily. The way she moved in Eric’s body made him look tiny. “Penny, right?! It’s so good to finally meet you! You know I have a bunch of your memories but I don’t understand a lot of it and I want to talk about it and—“

“And we will,” Penny said calmly, “but what’s important right now is for you to find a suitable host. If that’s Eric, then that’s fine. But if it isn’t, we’ll have to do something about that, alright? Then we can talk until our hosts fall asleep.”

“Promise?” Amy asked. Her eyes practically sparkled, she was so eager. 

“Promise,” Penny grinned. “Now, you two figure things out, alright?”

Max fronted again, wishing she could spend more time with the young duo. They’d have to have a proper conversation some other time. “Alright Eric, I think your mom wants us out of the house, but we’ll talk soon, okay? And uh, Eric, if you want to talk about your… transformations, I’m always ready to talk, okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” Eric said, but he was barely listening. Maxine sighed, then left. This was going to be messy.

Elamimax

I was on holiday. But I'm back, baby!!

Chapter 12: Meet The Parent Maxine's mind raced. It was good at racing, especially with Penny's assistance. Once upon a time, it had raced to conclusions, usually bad ones, which had often resulted in less racing and more spiraling. Nowadays, the most rushed thing about her were her decisions. When she'd heard the scream coming from the house, Penumbra had leapt into action. No deliberation needed, two minds immediately working in tandem. The sound from the house had been the blood-curdling cry of someone from a horror movie who was about to get turned into a fridge magnet. Except that it hadn't been. They carefully climbed down from the windowsill, holding out their hands. I am so sorry, ma'am, they said. I heard you scream, and worried you were in danger. They looked at a girl? Wearing a superhero costume. Um. Weird, Penny thought. It's a red one. Max wondered what that meant. No idea. But you're seeing what we're seeing, right? We can't just out him her? The mom might not know about Penny was being diplomatic, but Maxine knew what they were thinking. It wasn't the first time the Symbiote had come into contact with someone who was quickly turned into a girl, after all. You remember me, Ms. McCoy? Penumbra said. Okay, that was a silly question, of course she remembers us. It's not like we're a dime a dozen, Penny said, and they weren't wrong. But right now, it was important to establish a conversation to keep her from screaming again, or calling the police. I-I do, Lauren McCoy said. What's happening? Why is there a stranger in my house? She looked around. Eric?! There was no answer from the house, but the red-clad person took a step forward. The mom immediately took a step back. What did you do to my son? Max wasn't sure who the question was aimed at. Um, Penumbra said again, and looked at the kid. Were they going to have to make something up on the fly? Oh, I hope not. I'm a terrible liar. Hush, you, Max mumbled, then turned to Ms. McCoy. Nothing for it. Penny retreated, and Maxine's perspective moved down by a foot and a half. She'd gotten used to it, of course, but it was always going to be funny how tiny she was without Penny. Ms. McCoy, can you look at me, please? The woman did, and seemed surprised to see a young woman standing where the usually seven foot tall superhero had been before. Who are You're Penumbra? she asked, frowning. Max nodded. Sort of, yeah. Look When Eric was hurt, we promised to come and check up on him, so that's why we're here. Then we got here, we heard you scream, and the whole superhero-instinct kind of took over. She looked back at the window. We'll pay you for the repairs, by the way. I'm really sorry. Ms. McCoy seemed to have a thousand and one questions, and they were spilling out, her mouth moving as she looked around. Who's we? She looked at the kid. Uh, Max said, me and my girlfriend. She's waiting in the car. Oh. Maxine turned to the other person in the room. Help me out here. She saw their jaw clench, and Eric came to a decision. Their symbiote Amaranth? retreated, and the girlish figure went with it. Eric McCoy stood in its place. Hi, Mom, he said. Lauren's eyes bulged, and for a brief moment Max was worried she was going to faint. Then Mom-mode kicked back in and her eyes narrowed. What did you do to him?! Lauren said as she launched herself at Max. Uh oh, Penny said. Brace for impact. Even knowing it was coming, the wind was knocked out of them as Eric's Mom grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and slammed her into the wall. Her face was inches from Maxine's. What, she snarled with the kind of fury only a parent could bring to bear, did you do to my boy? Max was reminded of nature documentaries where dog moms could fight off a bear or a bobcat when she was protecting her litter. I guess that makes us the bobcat, Penny joked. That cracked our skull, by the way. She's not messing around. Not that either of them thought she was, of course. But the average person probably wouldn't be able to do much to really impact Max, even when she wasn't wearing Penny. But she also didn't want to . Their skull was already knitting back together. The only proof would be a slight stain on the bathroom tiles. Mom, Eric said, it's okay. I'm okay. I promise. He put his hand on her arm, and Lauren was shaken out of her anger. She let Max go and lowered her hands. It was like watching a killer robot power down. You're such a weeb. Eric's mom wrapped her son in a hug, took a deep breath and then looked at them both. Okay. Okay. Explain. In the living room, please. Eric led the way, Max behind him, not at all surprised that Lauren wouldn't let them out of her sight. You said your girlfriend is outside in the car? A moment later, Victoria was inside, sitting sheepishly next to an equally awkward Max, seated next to Eric who looked like he was wishing for death. Relax, Max mumbled. There's way worse things your mom could've walked in on you doing. What did I walk in on? Lauren said as she walked in with a tray. Coffee? If it's not too much trouble, Victoria said. Max just nodded. Four cups were placed on the little table in front of them, then Ms. McCoy parked herself opposite them. Explain, she said. Don't spare details. Mom, I Eric started, but his mother held her hand out. Sorry, hun, but I want to hear it from them, she said. I'll hear your story after. Max looked at Eric with gritted teeth. Not outing him, Penny said. But lying isn't going to help either. So something in between then. Leaving out the Symbiote headmate. For now. Probably for the best. When your son When we got him out of the fire, he was hurt, Max said. Badly. Much worse than when you saw him. She grabbed the coffee mug. It was too warm, but she was using the pain to help her focus. He wasn't going to make it. Ms. McCoy swallowed, then nodded. So you have some kind of healing ability? Something like that, yes, Max said. But it only works on myself. So I gave him some of my own powers, to give him a fighting chance. And he, uh, fought. And lived. So what was with the girl in the bathroom? Lauren said. Ah, yeah, that did still need to be addressed. And they were definitely not going to out anyone when it came to that. Her powers, Victoria said, stepping in, a part of that is a costume that disguises your identity. Penumbra is a lot bigger than she is, so nobody would suspect her, you know? Eric's mom nodded. That sounded like it made sense, at least. But why is it still there? Is he still in danger? Ms. McCoy asked. Penny shook their head, and Max followed suit. No, Max said. If I'm honest, I've never actually done the power-transfer thing. We didn't know this was going to happen. She looked at the boy again. This was where the big lie was going to happen. Since the start of the conversation. She knew it was coming. We don't know if we can take the powers away. We're looking into it, but it's going to depend on him, how he responds to them. That was as close to the truth as she could go without telling Eric's mom things that might make her freak out or even hurt her own child. Penny, Maxine knew, could extract Amaranth. The two Symbiotes would be able to live inside of her for a while until they'd found the fledgling a new host. But she also knew that that wasn't really up to them. That was up to Eric. What does that mean? Ms. McCoy asked. Where does that leave him? Is he going to turn into a kind of superhero-monster like you? No offense. None taken, Max said, chuckling. And probably not. She had almost added not unless he wants to, but bit her tongue. He likely has powers similar to mine, but nobody is going to make him use them, if that's what you're worried about. We'll be checking up on him regularly, to see if his powers go away on their own, or if there's something we can do to help. Max bit her lip. I know this is scary, and you likely don't want any superhero business near your son, but the sooner we can get this resolved, the sooner we'll be out of your hair. Lauren took her cup of coffee and sipped it, staring at Max like she was trying to read her mind by gazing through the front of her head. After what felt like a good couple of weeks, she lowered her mug. What about you, Eric? Uh, Eric said. Uh, he added, for emphasis. My son has superpowers. You're my son, and I know you pretty well. But I can't hear what's going on in your head. So, what are you thinking? Eric paused for a second, his mouth twitching like he was trying to remember lines from a rehearsed play. It took Max a second to figure out what was going on, and only because she had help. He's talking to Amaranth, Penny said. They're not bonded, so the conversation is taking a lot longer. I think, Eric said, I need time to figure out what's what. He was chewing his lip like it was going out of style. Like, I have superpowers now, but what if I don't want superpowers and what if I don't want he paused. Max knew what he wanted to say. What he wasn't saying. What if I don't want all of that stuff that comes with it? It's a lot of power, Max agreed. But you're not doing it alone. I'll be around to help as often as I can. And you have my phone number now. Lauren shot Maxine an inquisitive look, but all she could do was shrug. No point in hiding that now. Eric's mom crossed her arms and leaned back. You're sure he's fine. Healthy. It was barely a question, but Max and Victoria both nodded. Then I don't really have any choice but to trust you. I will tell you this much though, young man. She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, finger in his face. While this is all up in the air, I don't want to see you doing any hero-ing or anything like that. You are staying indoors and healing. Even if you're healing faster than a normal person. Okay, Eric said, just nodding. After that, if it's permanent she crossed her arms again and squeezed her eyes shut like she was shielding herself from something. We'll talk about it. Mom? What do you I mean that I know my son, Lauren said. You ran into a burning building, for Christ's sake. If you have superpowers, you're only going to take more risks. And I'd want to know about it if you do. So if you end up with powers which I really hope you don't we are going to be responsible, we are going to set boundaries, and you and I are going to talk. She looked at Max. And if my son is hurt and it's your fault, I'm coming for you. Superpowers or no. The icy calm in her voice terrified Maxine to her core, which she assumed was the intended effect. Understood, ma'am, Max said. Victoria squeezed her hand. There was no point in denying the threat in any way. They both knew how moms could be. They stood up. Could I talk to him alone for a second, please? Max asked. Hesitantly, Lauren nodded, then walked to the kitchen. I'll go get the car, Victoria said. Max leaned forward. Amaranth? Are you in there? Amy! the excited, girly voice said from Eric's mouth. There's no speculation, okay? The two of you need to decide if you want to stay together. You two, and nobody else, Maxine said. But if Eric doesn't want you in his head, you respect that. No staying against his wishes. Couldn't if I wanted to, Amy chirped. But we'll talk about it! Y yeah, Eric said. I just I gotta talk about it with, uh, her. Max nodded. Okay. Amaranth seemed like a good sort. Mind if I have a word? With all the ease of breathing, Penny slipped in place. Amy, hi. Aa!! Amy bounced happily. The way she moved in Eric's body made him look tiny. Penny, right?! It's so good to finally meet you! You know I have a bunch of your memories but I don't understand a lot of it and I want to talk about it and And we will, Penny said calmly, but what's important right now is for you to find a suitable host. If that's Eric, then that's fine. But if it isn't, we'll have to do something about that, alright? Then we can talk until our hosts fall asleep. Promise? Amy asked. Her eyes practically sparkled, she was so eager. Promise, Penny grinned. Now, you two figure things out, alright? Max fronted again, wishing she could spend more time with the young duo. They'd have to have a proper conversation some other time. Alright Eric, I think your mom wants us out of the house, but we'll talk soon, okay? And uh, Eric, if you want to talk about your transformations, I'm always ready to talk, okay? Yeah, sure, Eric said, but he was barely listening. Maxine sighed, then left. This was going to be messy. Elamimax I was on holiday. But I'm back, baby!!