'Do you really expect me to put my hands on that?' Bobby Drake asks, frowning as he looks down at a plate of food. 'Don't judge by appearance' the man standing next to him smiles. 'I never really considered Collard Greens Street Cart food is all I'm saying' Bobby adds, to which the man with him suggests that the Ethiopian vendor took liberties with the theme, but that it is still a lot of fun watching a date eat with his hands. 'Shows you a lot about a person' he explains, to which Bobby smiles. Bobby and his companion carry their trays of food through the busy Manhattan Street Cart Named Desire Festival. 'If that's the case, Carlos, bring on all the finger food you got' Bobby exclaims, before asking Carlos how long he has lived in New York for.
Carlos reveals that he has lived here his whole life, that his Mom is still in the Spanish Harlem apartment that she raised them in. 'Manhattan, to boot!' Bobby remarks. 'When you've got that rent control...' Carlos starts to reply, before they stop at another vendor and get more food, and Carlos tells Bobby that his brother wishes their mother's overstuffed chinero would fall on her so he could get her lease. 'That's brutal' Bobby replies. 'That's having family in New York' Carlos jokes, to which Bobby tells Carlos that he is glad he doesn't have that cutthroat quality, as he is over dating bad guys. 'You're sweet, Bobby' Carlos smiles. 'Yet somehow savory, too' Bobby remarks.
At a nearby table: 'Peter Parker, I can't believe you're starting with dessert' Mary-Jane Watson smiles as she and Peter sit across from each other. 'Listen, Mary-Jane, when you see a stand called Churronimo, you gotta support' Peter replies, shoving another churro into his mouth. 'Let me live my truth' he adds. They hold hands across the table and Mary-Jane tells Peter that she knows he is just filling the air with banter, but truth-wise, she loves this chapter they are in. 'We're both being honest and leaning on each other, and it's -' she begins, to which Peter smiles and asks 'Better than ever before?' 'Yeah!' Mary-Jane smiles, touching Peter's face. 'Yeah' Peter agrees, before holding up another delicious churro and telling Mary-Jane that while he is on a sugar high, she should ask him anything. He jokes that the churro's creamy glaze filling is actually a truth serum. 'Do you have a thing for redheads?' Mary-Jane asks. 'Baby! Phoenix who?' Peter replies, telling Mary-Jane that she is his red ace. He points to a young woman walking nearby and tells Mary-Jane that while she is objectively pretty, his eye doth not linger for her fiery strands.
That young woman carries a tray and smiles at the man walking beside her, 'It was like “Eat, Pray, Love” but with pirates' she grins, adding that it was a really good novel to talk about in book club, but it wasn't a good book. 'Sure, Angelica, I guess' the man replies as he places his tray on a table nearby and starts to sit down. Angelica Jones sits opposite him and calls him Dirk, and asks him if he reads much. 'Nope' Dirk responds, sipping his drink. 'Aw, yeah, kind of a prehistoric hobby at this point' Angelica supposes. Dirk reminds Angelica that her profile said she is active and into fitness, so asks her if she likes sports. Angelica explains that she is a gym bunny more than anything, but that she does go to hockey games enough that she should just get a season pass. 'Hockey's good' Dirk replies, suddenly appearing more interested. 'Common ground, yes!' Angelica exclaims.
'Don't even get me started on -' Angelica begins, when suddenly, a voice calls out'Ang?' 'Oh my God! Dirk, this is my amazing friend, Bobby Drake!' Angelica exclaims as Bobby and Carlos stand near her table. 'Angelica Jones as I live and breathe!' Bobby gasps, before introducing Carlos as his date. 'I just found something to talk about with my date' Angelica whispers as she and Bobby hug. Bobby tells her that he will leave her to it, and that she should have fun.
'That was Firestar!' Carlos exclaims as he and Bobby carry on towards another table. 'Yeah, how did you know?' Bobby asks. 'I keep up with my mutants, Mister Iceman' Carlos smirks. 'My cover's blown' Bobby points out as they take their seats at a table nearby. Carlos then admits to doing a little cyber-sleuthing before their date. 'And I passed?' Bobby asks. Carlos explains that he wanted to make sure Bobby's pics were real and that he wasn't getting catfished. 'Cheers to being real' Bobby tells Carlos as they press their drinks together. Carlos then asks Bobby if his parents are going to come to the Mutant Pride Parade. Bobby moves his seat closer to Carlos and holds up his phone, revealing that his parents aren't as progressive as he would like them to be, and they are on a cruise at present – grossly rekindling their passion. Carlos looks at the photo and tells Bobby that his parents seem so happy and in love. Bobby informs him that they used to bicker a lot, but that he thinks his coming out brought them closer, like reeling together helped them bond in new ways. 'Cute' Carlos tells Bobby.
'I'm glad you think that' Bobby smiles, to which Carlos tells him that it is beautiful that people can find new ways to love each other, no matter how many decades in. 'There's something about this chat, or watching you eat corn out of a cup... whatever it is, I just really wanna kiss you right now' Bobby replies. 'I wish you would' Carlos responds, so Bobby leans in and they lock lips – but suddenly, Bobby glances sideways when he hears some crashing and screaming – and as a car is hurled through the air into the Street Cart Named Desire Festival Bobby leaps up and extends an ice barricade to block the car from landing on anyone as panicked civilians begin to run for their lives.
'Stay back!' Bobby and Angelica call out in unison to their dates as Bobby ices up and slides into the air, while Firestar removes her coat and reveals her costume underneath as she takes to the sky as well. 'Seriously, you went on a date with your costume underneath?' Bobby asks. 'I always come prepared. Also, cute date!' Firestar replies. 'Likewise!' Bobby responds.
They move through the air alongside each other and Firestar points out that the car was more flung than driven through. 'I'm betting all my money is... that' Bobby calls out as he and Firestar arrive at a nearby road, where large monster with an icy-exterior has upturned several cars as it makes its way down the street. 'One of yours?' Angelica asks. 'To quote Mariah Carey, “I don't know her”' Bobby responds. The strange creature then hurls a motorcycle towards Iceman, who catches it on an ice-sled. 'I know this is an anti-gridlock zone, but...' his voice trails off as the creature opens its mouth and blasts a stream of water at Firestar, who narrowly dodges the attack. 'You both are looking awesome!' Carlos exclaims as he rushes onto the street, filming the battle on his phone. 'Carlos, get out of here! You're gonna get -' Bobby begins, before the creature turns its attention towards Carlos and blasts a stream of water towards him. 'No no no no no' a voice can be heard.
'Hey, buddy. Take it from me. You'll get better photos from up here' Spider-Man remarks as he clings to a lamp post, while suspending Carlos above the street with webbing. 'Spider-Man!' Firestar calls out as Spider-Man swings down the street, Firestar flying alongside him and Bobby following on his ice-sled. 'How's your dance card? Got room for a team-up?' Bobby asks. 'For you, Frosty? Anything' Spider-Man replies as the heroes give chase to the creature. 'The Barney's Warehouse sale is in the other direction, sir' Spider-Man jokes, calling out to the creature as he swings around in front of it and covers its face in webbing. The creature struggles to pull the webbing from its face, and as it does so, neglects to see the wall of ice that suddenly appears in front of it. 'Cold stop' Bobby calls out, as he appears on an ice-sled above the creature, with Firestar and Spider-Man alongside him. 'It's time you answered to Iceman and his Amazing Friends' Bobby exclaims. 'Uhh, that doesn't sound right...' Spider-Man mumbles.
The creature gets back up and lumbers towards the heroes. Spider-Man fires some webbing around the creature's wrists, while Firestar blasts some microwave energy towards it, asking Bobby if he is sure this isn't one of his. 'He's not talking, just grunting' she points out. Spider-Man then swings the creature around, knocking it into a nearby building. 'No more mister ice guy!' he jokes. 'Dude, I made that joke already' Bobby exclaims. 'Today, tho?' Spider-Man enquires. The creature roars as it knocks Firestar aside and slams a fist through Iceman's ice-sled. Bobby falls to the ground and surround himself with an ice-shield as the creature attempts to blast him with a surge of water. The creature then slams its fists into the ground, creating a seismic shock that knocks Bobby and Firestar backwards.
The heroes watch as the creature keeps lumbering on down the street, and Bobby realizes that the creature keeps running downtown, while Firestar observes that it doesn't look like he stole anything, decides that it seems too autonomous to be a creature. 'And he has zero respect for street food' Spider-Man points out. Iceman asks his friends if they noticed their foe's mouth, as he saw some tech around it, and assumes that could be what is controlling the “ice puke”. The heroes rush after their enemy and Firestar tells the others that they should stop him from throwing up all over them and see if he can talk. Bobby and Spider-Man both like this plan. 'Slow down, guy. What's the rush?' Firestar calls out, blasting the strange being's leg with microwave energy. He turns to her, as Spider-Man pulls himself to the behemoth by latching webbing onto his shoulders. 'Stay with us for a second...' Iceman calls out, while Firestar darts about around their foe in an attempt to keep him distracted.
'C'mon, Spidey!' Bobby exclaims as Spider-Man struggles to remove the strange device from their opponent's mouth, while the mysterious being narrowly misses Firestar once again. 'Almost... got it!' Spider-Man calls out as he manages to pull the tech from their foe's face, ending the stream of water. The being looks confused, and suddenly roars loudly, knocking Bobby, Spider-Man and Firestar backwards as the icy exterior around him gives way – revealing a red-skinned mutant underneath. 'Gotcha!' Spider-Man remarks as he catches Bobby and Firestar in webbing, preventing them from being flung away any further. The heroes move in closer to the mutant who has since fallen to the ground. 'That was quick' Firestar points out. 'That's what she sa-' Spider-Man begins to say, but Firestar interrupts him: 'Are we in seventh grade?' she snaps, before Bobby announces that he knows this guy – Ash, the missing Morlock, Maddin's brother. 'Oh, Madin, right! Who?' Spider-Man responds.
Bobby helps Ash up and asks him what is going on, and who did this to him. Red eyes were set on you... wanted me to invite you. Red eyes with all the bodies made me find Iceman' Ash responds, cryptically. Suddenly, 'Freeze!' a voice calls out, and the heroes find themselves surrounded by several police officers, who aim their weapons at them. “Freeze?” Spider-Man quotes. 'I'm sorry, I can't. Too on the nose' he remarks, while one officer instructs the heroes to step away from the mutant. 'It wasn't him! He didn't do all of this' Bobby starts to explain, as the officers cuff Ash and move him towards one of their cars. 'Red diamond. Cordial invite...' Ash utters, while Bobby tries to tell the officer that he was mind-controlled or something, and that this isn't fair. 'Civilian calls and footage shows him attacking the festival' the officer responds. 'The red diamond wanted bodies. Wanted yours the most and made it mine. He's in the ballroom, waiting' Ash adds as the police officer helps him into the car. 'What just happened?' Bobby wonders, while Carlos poses next to him, 'Stay posed just like that... you look truly heroic with the sun hitting your ice' Carlos remarks. Bobby frowns and asks Carlos if he is kidding. 'What? Oh, did you want me to tag you on social?' Carlos asks.
Later, the Amazing Friends are sitting on a rooftop. 'Do you see this? He just dumped me in a text! I save the city and I get punished for it!' Firestar exclaims as she shows Spider-Man and Iceman the message Dirk sent her. 'Brutal. Men are pigs' Spider-Man replies, while Bobby informs them that he just had to do that to his date. 'Why? He seemed cute and into you' Firestar points out. 'It's never okay to jump into the fray for a selfie' Bobby explains, shrugging his shoulders and adding that civilians don't get it – mutants are complicated. 'You could try for a Celestial? Really commit to the stoic, tall, dark and handsome type' Spider-Man jokes, adding that there is a part of him that wants to push the power of friends-as-soul mates, but realises he would be a liar and a hypocrite. Spider-Man raises his mask over his mouth and tells his friends that they have it harder than anybody. 'How can we build relationships of trust when secrets are our business?' he asks them, adding 'Who'd wanna be plus-ones to this lifestyle?' “Sorry I'm late, and for Hobgoblin burning your dress. Here's babka that's been boiling in a web napsack for two hours” he jokes.
Spider-Man fires some webbing away from the others and tells them that this isn't the first time in the world that someone has been a super hero looking for love, and adds that he has faith it will be okay. 'In spite of everything, I found the one lady in all five boroughs whose life seems to fit with mine' Spider-Man adds, before pulling back his webbing which is now connected to a bag of churros. 'Here, take the train to Churro Borough' Spider-Man smiles, joking that he has already lodged a petition to get Queens renamed. The three heroes begin to eat the churros, and Firestar tells Bobby and Spider-Man that she knows she will be fine, but that it is maddening going on all these first time dates, but she has the faith that she will find her diamond in the rough, too. Bobby then stands up, and declares that he has to go, as he thinks he's figured it all out. The trio make their way out over the city, and Bobby tells the others that, weird mystery aside, they should do this more often. 'Seriously!' Firestar smiles. 'If I'm not in the Avengers, I'm all yours!' Spider-Man calls back.
Soon, in the catacombs, Bobby finds the Morlock Madin and informs her that her brother Ash was used against him, that Mr Sinister messed with his powers to draw him out, but the police took him away. Bobby assures her that he is going to fix this, and asks if Ash is a minor. Madin asks Iceman why his age matters. 'You still don't get that the system works differently when you're not a pretty man who can hide the ice' she declares. Bobby asks Madin why she thinks he is against her. Madin's powers light up as she produces some sort of energy knives from her hands and tells Iceman that they all just bodies to the X-Men. 'Some $#%& is using my brother to get at you? So what's your big move, what are you gonna do about it?' she snarls. Bobby ices up and replies 'I'm gonna break him out'.
