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“She was awesome!” gushed Cassie. “Properly awesome. She was, like, pow, then slash, then she jumped up and…”
Scott nodded along. He’d missed five years of his daughter’s life, he wasn’t going to waste a moment of the miracle second chance he’d gotten. Though spending that time listening to her rave about a rebel-lady he was pretty sure had been willing to kill them was… disconcerting.
“And her abs! I want abs like that,” Cassie said.
Had she come out already, Scott wondered - had it been in the last five years? Maybe he’d missed that too, and she just hadn’t realised she hadn’t told him.
(Because, come on, Scott had been on a team with Captain America, he knew gay)
Cassie’s voice trailed off, and Scott’s dad senses prickled.
“Cassie,” Scott said. “Everything okay?”
“Um,” Cassie said. “It’s just… I mean, I’m obviously glad we all got away, but Kang is gone now, sending a signal to the quantum realm isn’t dangerous anymore. We could get a gateway up and running. I know Janet wanted to extract quantum energy from the place, and…”
“And you want to go back,” Scott said.
“Just to check on Jentorra- I mean, the rebels. Make sure they’re doing well,” Cassie said. “It’s the responsible thing to do.”
She so clearly thought she was being subtle.
So. His daughter had a crush on a warrior from another dimension. That was, well, another instalment in what had rapidly become his life.
Huh.
“So, er, Maggie,” Scott said.
A phone call should not be more intimidating than fighting Kang.
“I just thought I’d ask,” Scott said. “While I was away, did Cassie ever, like… see anyone? Or mention anyone? Boys, er, girls. Anyone?”
He paused, listening through the phone.
Staying with the Pyms was rarely quiet; he’d found the best room he could, the indoor gym with padded walls to muffle the sound of some of Hank’s noisier experiments. Hope was a few steps in front of him, staying fit and practicing her kicks on a dummy.
“No one serious?” Scott said. “No, it’s just, I mean she sounded like she was into someone, I didn’t know if…”
First crush. Well, first proper crush. On someone she’d mostly seen tearing her way through Kang’s soldiers with ruthless, bloody precision.
Scott watched as Hope leapt into the air, scissor-kicking the dummy and bringing it crashing down to the mat with a loud thud, while she landed poised to pounce and with a fierce grin on her face.
Hm. He had no idea where Cassie got that from.
When in doubt, ask for advice. Scott had mentally gone through his social circle, musing on who was the best to ask for tips when it came to, well, this. He was a cool dad! He wanted to be supportive, and he was fine with his daughter being gay, but what was the polite way of saying that he was very concerned about her taste in women?
Scott imagined having that conversation with Luis, promptly decided that was a terrible idea, and went back to Hope.
“So, like, what happened with you?” Scott said. “If you’d dated someone… unexpected. What would Hank have done?”
“Ignored it,” Hope said.
“Huh?”
“We didn’t exactly have the best relationship after mom vanished,” Hope said. “Why did you come to me for family tips? I am ninety percent sure my mom slept with Kang. We are not the family you want to model things after.”
“It was you or Kurt,” Scott said.
Hope paused. Then nodded in understanding.
“If you want a doorway back down there, dad could probably help you,” Hope said. “He’s been looking at it. That’s all I’ve got.”
“Good idea,” Scott said. “And I can ask his opinion when I do, y’know, dad to dad.”
“You want to ask my dad his opinion on his daughter dating someone he might not approve of?” Hope said. She raised an eyebrow. “Brave of you.”
Scott paused.
“Okay,” Scott said. “Maybe just talk about the quantum stuff.”
This was a bad idea.
The quantum realm was, well, indescribable. Multi-coloured, multi-faceted, swirling stuff made up the horizon, shifting shapes as far as the eye could see. Scott slowly moved forwards; this time, at least, they had a kind of navigation. His suit was tracking a signal from Cassie’s quantum satellite.
On their way to the freedom fighters. Yep. Bad idea.
And Cassie was a few steps ahead of him, marvelling at the scenery. This time, without the looming pressure of being trapped, it was easier to actually appreciate it. This place ought to have been beautiful, in its own impossible way.
“This place is so cool!” Cassie said.
They crested a subatomic hill, to look out onto the city. Ships were rising and falling there, quantum specks of people just visible in the distance.
“Remember, we’re just checking in,” Scott said. “Ask me before starting another revolution.”
“But if-” Cassie began.
“I’m not saying no, I’m just saying ask,” Scott said.
“Fine, dad,” Cassie said.
“And no staying in the quantum realm past eight,” Scott said.
“But dad,” Cassie said.
“No buts!” Scott said. “You can check on everyone, let them know we’re okay, but we still need to head home.”
Cassie’s face fell. Scott folded immediately.
“But we can always come back later,” Scott said. “Once we know it’s possible. Sound okay?”
Cassie grinned again.
“Yeah. It does. Thanks,” Cassie said. “You’re the best, dad.”
Enough people recognised the two of them, that navigating the city was easy. Rather unsurprisingly, Cassie had wanted to reach out to Jentorra first - the rebel leader was in the heart of the city and helping to mastermind the rebuilding efforts.
They found her, catching sight of her on the far side of the square, and suddenly Cassie was uncharacteristically skittish. Scott tried not to smile.
Even taking care of rebuilding, Jentorra still had swords at her hip. Scott tried not to think about the fact that his daughter seemed a little too enamoured by that. Still, whatever made Cassie happy, that was what mattered.
“Okay, she’s fine, that’s good,” Cassie said.
She turned a hundred and eighty degrees and started to walk away. Scott slipped in front of her.
Oh, no way was he processing his daughter having a thing for sword-wielding terrorists and charting a path back through the quantum realm only for her to back out at the last step.
“Oh come on jellybean, come all this way and not even saying hi?” Scott said.
Cassie stammered. Okay, Scott knew where she got that from, it was all too easy to get tongue-tied.
“I- I mean, she looks like she’s busy, and- and I wouldn’t want to interrupt, we made sure the place was still standing, that’s enough,” Cassie said, flustered even just from being in the same square.
Her attention drifted. Jentorra’s muscles flexed as she helped heft a crate of equipment. Cassie swallowed.
Okay, Scott reflected, this situation called for an Avenger.
“Hey!” Scott shouted.
Several heads turned. Cassie squeaked.
“Hey! Jentorra, wasn’t it?” Scott said. “Cassie wanted to see if you needed a hand. Love what you’re doing with the place!”
Scott waved as obviously as he could. And, with no other option, Cassie stood up as straight as she could (which, admittedly was not all that straight) and managed a nervous smile.
“Er, h-hi Jentorra,” Cassie said.
“Cassie! You’ve returned,” Jentorra said.
“Yeah. Um. I have,” Cassie said.
They looked at one another. A little nervously, Cassie hurried over to meet her, and Scott hung back, smiling with admittedly a little pride.
One day they were a kid, the next you were turned to dust, they grew up, and were flirting with a quantum freedom fighter. They grew up so fast.
Cassie had a slightly giddy grin on her face. She stood with Jentorra, on a balcony in what had once been Kang’s city, looking out on the vast and alien landscape. Already, the city below looked better, the gentle chaos of living overwriting Kang’s rigidity.
She’d been here a few hours, and Jentorra had already shown her so much, and Cassie had managed to actually word good while they’d been together. She’d loved seeing Jentorra in action, and Jentorra had expressed a similar admiration for Cassie’s exploits - and Cassie was still internally squealing at that and one thing had led to another and….
Well. It was good to see the quantum realm again.
The place was never quiet. Weapons were always close at hand for Jentorra, more from habit, but she used building tools and her voice more than she did a blade. Pieces of Kang’s old hallway were being torn up, and repurposed.
Hand in hand, they moved down through the crowd.
Veb sidled closer. The well-spoken, red, goopy creature seemed to have a habit of squeezing out of places.
“You’re back!” he said, brightly.
“Hey,” Cassie said. “I… needed to check up on a couple of things.”
“Do you need to drink any more of me?” Veb said.
“Er. I think I’m good,” Cassie said.
“I was just… getting to know Cassie,” Jentorra said. Even she was smiling, a little. “I may have misjudged people from above. A little.”
“Aww,” Veb said. He paused, then hopped happily. “I have a hole now! Do you have any holes?”
“She’s got a couple of fun ones,” Jentorra said. Cassie flushed.
“Jen!”
“What?” Jentorra said.
There was a cough. Awkward, Cassie turned around to see her dad halfway to approaching.
“Okay,” Scott said, slowly, eyes wide. “It’s nearly eight. Um.”
Cassie faltered, for half a moment wishing she had on her suit and could just shrink out of view.
“I’ll… wait outside,” Scott said.