[ He really, really appreciates Miles not surfing through the streets of New York via his face. A+ Miles, already a better Spider-Man than he was two months ago. He blinks at Miles for a long moment, just taking this in. Taking in everything, honestly, but Miles first. ]
Peter. Peter Parker. Uh --
[ Lifting a hand to his head, he looks down at himself. At the buildings too. There's something off about the skyline, though he's hard pressed to pin down exactly what's different. ]
Thanks for the save back there. It's been a rough day.
It's a learning curve! It doesn't help that Miles had a rough start watching one Peter die and then getting stuck with an old, depressed version of him as a mentor. Though, how many Spider-Men are Peter Parker? There was Noir, Blonde Peter, Old Peter and... maybe Spider-Ham. His name is close enough to count in Miles' book.
Feels like him and Gwen are the outliers, though maybe there are more universes out there where they're the veteran heroes. ]
No problem, we gotta stick together. What happened before you landed on that guy anyway? No offense but you look pretty messed up.
[ This one is roughly Miles' age, at least. Older, but not that much older. So that puts them on more of the same level? He's only been doing this for, like, ten months at most, man. Veteran would definitely be overstating it.
Anyway. That. Is a hell of a question; he winces a little when Miles asks. But it also helps crystallize what's bugging him so much about the city. ]
Okay, weird-but-relevant-I-promise counter question: didn't New York get invaded by aliens yesterday?
...No? I've never had to deal with any aliens. The worst I've had is The Rhino trying to rob an armored truck last week.
[ Maybe now is the time to drop that bombshell. Especially if aliens are a thing in the dimension where Peter comes from. He scrubs a hand over his face and tries to think of a way to say it and not sound like a crazy person.
Then again, the crazy threshold for kids who have been bitten by radioactive spiders is definitely higher than anyone else. ]
I've got a counter-counter-weird question. How much do you know about alternate dimensions?
I watched the same video! You should watch out for that Dr. Octavius, just saying. Totally evil.
[ Perfect, that's the right groundwork. ]
So, imagine there's a ton of different dimensions out there. Worlds where Spider-Man exists but things are different. Like maybe it's a different decade, or maybe it's Spider-Woman instead of Spider-Man.
This... this is a different dimension. I've been through this before, I've met other Spider-people when they came in from their dimensions.
[ Why, Doc Ock. You were so cool thirty seconds ago. At least it's a good example; Peter's following Miles pretty well, even if the conclusion is kind of crazy. A lot crazy. ]
So - so you're the Spider-Man here. And I'm way farther away from home than I thought. [ A pause. ] At least I'm not dead.
[ Peter, you just claimed that the city got attacked by aliens. That sounds pretty crazy to Miles but he's willing to roll with it. You have to roll with these punches. ]
A lot further, and I don't know how to get you home. Last time there was this supercollider underneath Brooklyn that pulled everyone in.
[ He makes a face at the not dead part and chews his lip. ] ...I gotta tell you something. But you have to promise not to freak out.
[ IT'S ... well. It's not fine, honestly. But Peter is still numb in the immediate wake of Thanos, so his initial reaction is more confusion. Hardly any melting down at all. That will come later. Probably around the point where he realizes there's an Aunt May to go home to, but it's not his. ]
Oh. Dude, that is the worst. How'd I screw it up that badly twice?
[ Probably not the reaction Miles was expecting. ]
[ His voice is sharper than he means for it to be and Miles winces and looks away. It's still pretty fresh for him, sometimes he wakes up from nightmares about that night. ]
It was really messed up, he was outnumbered and trying to stop Kingpin from using the supercollider. He was a lot older than you are now and...
I saw it happen. Before he died he made me promise to finish what he started.
[ Oh. That's - his own composure starts to crack at Miles' reaction, that sharpness cutting through the mental fog about his own death. He hadn't been outnumbered, but he'd been trying to stop something at least as catastrophic as a supercollider, and -
And Miles had to watch him die. And his older self apparently charged him with keeping this up? That's - a little messed up maybe. God. None of this is okay at all. Why couldn't he have come to a version of the world where he's fine and everything is fine and nothing is messed up this badly? ]
I'm sorry. I didn't mean - I'm sure I didn't want to go. Especially not if you've gotta deal with this alone now.
[ Oh crap. Guilt flares up as he hears that crack in Peter's voice.
There's no universe where things stay fine, especially when Spider-Man is around. Heaving a sigh, Miles tries to get himself back under control. This isn't just about him, it's about helping Peter. Deep breaths until his heart rate backs down to normal. They're both kids and this is heavy stuff. Miles scoots over and sits down next to Peter, bumping a shoulder against his. ]
That's the thing, I'm not alone. Neither are you. And I'm getting the hang of this whole superhero thing.
[ They are both too young for this. Peter’s a little older, but he’s still a kid like Miles. They shouldn’t have to deal with super villains and the fact that their extracurricular hobbies could (or already did) kill them.
Peter swipes at his face, briefly, and takes a few steadying breaths of his own. Managing a weak smile at the shoulder bump. ]
Yeah? You did way better than me back in that alleyway. I don’t think I had that kinda aim after two months.
I had to learn a lot really fast, it was a whole trial by fire thing.
[ Spider-Man has so many bad guys and Miles met so many of them in such a short period of time. And the worst part is knowing he hasn't even met all of them yet! There's always someone waiting in the wings who wants to kick his ass for the crime of not wanting them to terrorize the city.
Why are adults like this? ]
Turns out you learn a lot faster when there's like, six different dudes trying to kill you.
[ Man, Peter hasn’t even met all of his bad guys yet. He’s met like one and a half? That part is gonna be a little bit insane. So many people hate Spider-Man specifically for some reason. Adults, man. For real. ]
How’d you get six dudes after you already? ... is this my fault?
It's definitely not your fault, you aren't even from here. They were the ones doing bad stuff and I got caught in it because I had to stop the collider. Everything was on Kingpin, he's the one who decided that what he wanted was worth destroying the whole city with a black hole.
[ If bad guys didn't do crime there wouldn't be a need for a spider-man. Kind of sucky but hey, better than letting crimelords do whatever they wanted. ]
They were all working for Kingpin so they kinda brought their butt kickings on themselves.
[ But there’s some recognition? He’s heard a thing or two about stuff happening with someone calling themself Daredevil. So it doesn’t seem completely crazy that Spider-Man might have to fight him.
Also: ]
Why the hell was he trying to make a black hole? Doesn’t he live in this city too?
I think he was trying to pull someone in from another dimension, someone he lost. He didn't care what happened to everyone else as long as he got what he wanted.
[ The thing is, Miles can understand wanting to do anything to bring someone back. He misses his Uncle Aaron every single day. And he wishes there was some way to bring back this world's Peter because he didn't deserve what happened to him. But there was no universe where the cost was worth it. ]
You'll know him when you see him. Big bald dude, like... big as a truck. And strong. He threw a car at me! [ Sure gravity wasn't working quite normally then but it was still a thing! Miles grins at Peter. ] I kicked his butt, though. Turns out I got some stuff in my spider-package that most others don't.
[ He does a double pistol gesture gesture and sparks jump off the tips of his fingers. It's so nice to be able to pull off that trick on command now. The camouflage he'll save for another time. ]
[ Peter is maybe a little less sympathetic, but. well. He's dealt with enough huge bald dudes to last him for a while, no matter how sympathetic their motives are.
Of course that just makes him all the more impressed when Miles describes - and then demonstrates - his venom strike. Holy shit. His eyes go wide for a moment as even tries to parse how the hell that works. Are there electrical spiders? Is it just how another spider-thing manifests? Either way -- ]
Dude, that is badass. You said it was a spider power? What the heck even is it? Is it like a taser or something?
[ Clearly you didn't get your radioactive spider from the site of a supercollider, Peter. That's where all the cool powers come from. ]
I call it my venom strike. It's sort of like a taser. If I touch someone with it they usually get knocked out real good.
[ It's also made life a little difficult. He almost zapped Ganke once already when his roommate caught him by surprise in their dorm room. Not his most graceful moment, though he'll never admit that to Peter. Gotta keep up a cool image for his new spider-bud.
Hopping to his feet, Miles offers a hand up to Peter. ]
You wanna get outta here? We can grab you some clothes from my dorm and then see about getting your suit fixed up.
[ Because, seriously, your shit looked jacked up. ]
[ Peter already thinks Miles is cool as hell, okay. Why doesn't he get taser powers? He has taser webs, sure, but the last time he used them a ferry blew up and. Okay, maybe he'll skip over that story for now. ]
Awesome. Dude, I'm jealous.
[ He gives Miles's hands a quick look - no sparks, good - before accepting a hand up. Does he have a choice? Well, sure, but what else is he gonna do? The suit's trashed, Karen is offline, he has no idea where the burrito places are in this city, and - oh man. If he thinks too hard about what the hell he's going to do long term, he's going to curl up into a ball and probably not get up. Focus on one thing at a time. Clothes, suit patching, maybe a bed. Or a floor. He could use a floor too. ]
Yeah, okay. Though if we could hit a burrito place on the way back, that would be awesome. It's been like a whole day since I was last on Earth, and they don't exactly have fast food in space.
[ Of course. You find a Peter Parker, get their disoriented ass somewhere safe and then you feed them. This is starting to feel like standard operating procedure. ]
Yeah, I got you. Don't worry about it. [ Wait. ] ...So you were serious about the aliens? You have got to tell me about that sometime.
[ But first, clothes. Then food. Then dragging Peter to May's. If anyone will know how to handle this it's her. ]
Do you have enough web fluid? I can give you one of my shooters if you need a boost.
Yeah. 100%. [ A beat. ] If I can get Karen back online, she's probably got some footage.
[ Not all of it - god, if there's a recording of him dying he's going to throw her chip out the window, sorry Karen - but he thinks she went offline somewhere around the end of the attempt to get Thanos' gauntlet off? He was sort of distracted at the moment. Understandably.
He heads for the edge of the roof, about to step off when Miles' question stops him. Oh. Uh. He presses one of his own, then the other. Nothing. Dammit. ]
No problem. [ Miles unstraps one of his web shooters and tosses it to Peter. It would have been bad if Peter had jumped off the building without checking. ]
That should last for a while, I topped it up before I went on patrol.
[ Hopping up onto the edge of the roof, Miles grins at Peter once he's sure he's got the web shooter on and then pulls his mask down over his face. ]
Think you can keep up with me? [ He drops off the edge of the roof with ease, waiting to make sure Peter's concussion isn't slowing him down before leading him across the city towards Brooklyn Vision Academy. ]
[ He'd probably have been fine? It's not that high up, and he'd probably have hit the fire escape on his way down. But. Webshooters are much better, yes. He clips Miles's to his wrist, testing the button a bit. They're at least close enough in size that it fits him just fine, and it seems to be in good shape. ]
Of course I can. I'm the veteran here, right?
[ That's more confidence than he actually has. Or deserves, frankly. The concussion has mostly cleared up, but swinging with just one webshooter? Turns out to be kind of difficult. Plus his mask is gone, which means trying to navigate without some kind of filter for his spider senses. He's gonna bang into some fire escapes after all, just sayin'.
But - he doesn't drag too far behind Miles, at least, and by the time they actually get there he's relaxed into webswinging again. There's something desperately comforting about swinging across NYC in the evening, and he could use that tidbit of comfort right now. ]
[ Every time he hears that telltale clang of Peter clipping a fire escape Miles winces and looks back to make sure he's alright. He doesn't look like he's glitching out, yet, which is a relief. Peter looks like he's been through enough without having to deal with the whole... atoms decaying thing. For the most part things seem pretty peaceful and he finds himself easily dividing his attention between navigating and keeping an eye out to make sure no one's paying close attention to the air above their heads. The last thing either of them needs is for Peter's face to get spread across some weird tabloid site.
Visions is quiet, only a few lights on in the dorms from students who didn't go home on the weekend for whatever reason. Miles hops inside, pulling off his mask again and turning on the light on the way over to his dresser. There are action figures on the desk, some Spider-Man comics spread out alongside a notebook covered in distinctive graffiti art. The room is becoming more comfortable now that he's finding his stride and it shows. ]
I think I got some stuff that might fit you, hold on. [ It takes a little rummaging but eventually he comes up victorious. He tosses Peter some pants with an elastic waist (not sweats, Miles isn't that cruel) along with a few shirts and hoodies so he can pick something that he likes. He also sends a quick text to May, letting her know that he's going to be dropping by with a guest real soon. ]
So, how long have you been doing the whole Spider-Man gig? Since you're the veteran and all.
[ He's fine, he's fine. Any new bruises at this point are just going to blend in with the rest, so. Whatever. There is also a distinct lack of glitches, when he probably should have had one by now? That could mean any number of things, frankly, but for now, at least, it means Peter isn't actively dying without a clear way home. Small mercies.
By the time they get to the dorm, Peter is a little less awkward, at least. And he is a goddamn pro at sneaking into bedrooms without making any noise at all. He slips in after Miles, shutting the window behind him. And taking a moment to look at the ... comics? Action figures? Uh. He sort of stares at them for a moment, distracted, until Miles hands him the clothes. Yeah, this will work. It helps that Peter is still pretty small and slim at this age, so there's less difference between their builds compared to other Peters.
The suit, meanwhile, is an absolute goddamn wreck. He winces as he peels off pieces of it; some parts are gonna be unsalvageable, he can already tell. Nanomachines are so cool until you run out of them and pieces of your suit are kind of built with them. ]
I - uh - [ math is hard right now, it takes him a moment ] - like, a year? Maybe a little less. I got bit and did some stuff on my own, and then the Avengers showed up, and I sort of joined them?
That's cool. I wish I'd had a chance to figure myself out before I got thrown into the fight. Doing a leap of faith into hero stuff after having powers for, like, two days was tough.
[ Miles pulls on his own civilian disguise. Which mostly means shorts, a hoodie and a coat over his suit. Who knows if he might have to do some heroing on the way to May's house? Plus no one has ever looked at him and assumed he was hiding a super suit. People see what they want to, and people in NYC tend to ignore anything that isn't actively trying to murder them. ]
Stupid question. What're the Avengers?
[ The whole name sounds pretty ominous, what are they avenging? But they can't be bad if Peter's joined up with them. ]
Two days? Seriously? I was still in bed two days after I got bit.
[ Pete's poor suit is too trashed to wear. Frankly he's still a mess right now, but less of one with clean clothes. He wordlessly asks Miles for permission before borrowing a bag from somewhere in the room, stuffing wayward suit fragments into it. There. That's all he can do for now. The webshooter he'll hold onto until he's either settled or Miles asks for it back. Man, he's going to have to find a place to make more web fluid, isn't he? He could try Avengers Tower, except -- ]
--What? You don't know who the Avengers are?
[ A horrified pause. ]
Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow? Thor? Any of those ringing a bell?
Yeah, except I kept sticking to everything. Including Gwen's hair. And I kept sweating, it was kinda gross.
[ He passes Peter a candy bar from Ganke's emergency stash as he gets his suit packed up. If he hasn't eaten in a day then he's got to be starving. And, let's be real, chocolate makes everything better. Including crash landing in a different universe. Especially that.
He shrugs and shakes his head. ]
Nope, no bells ringing. Maybe they just haven't gotten their powers yet?
Yeah, the sticking's a huge problem. You have to, like, completely relax.
[ No recognition at all at the mention of Gwen. He is desperately grateful for the candy bar though. Chocolate is amazing even when he isn't half-starved. When did he last eat? This morning? However long ago that was ...
He swallows, awkwardly. More horror in his face now. ]
Dude, that's bad. They're like the number one experts in weirdness where I'm from. If they don't exist here...
Hey, don't freak out. I know this isn't great but I think the person we're going to see might be able to help us. She's kind of an expert in weirdness.
[ May Parker seems like the kind of lady who knows a lot more than she ever lets on. She knew Doc Ock, was able to build him webshooters in less than a day. Maybe she wasn't a quantum physicist but maybe she knows someone who is.
You know what? This calls for more candy. He pushes another candy bar into Peter's hands and makes a mental note to resupply before Ganke comes back on monday. ]
It's gonna be okay, I'm not gonna leave you hanging. You'll get home.
[ An expert on weirdness who isn't affiliated with the Avengers? He still looks unsure, but. Despite having only known Miles for an hour, tops, he feels like he can trust this guy. And if Miles thinks there's an adult who can get him out of this weirdness, he can at least try not to freak out. (He's not even 100% sure if he can go home if he's dead? That's - a conversation for his future self to deal with. If he thinks about that too hard he'll probably melt down.) ]
All right, all right. You're the expert here. And you've been super helpful so far.
[ He's gonna eat this second candy bar, sorry Ganke. ]
Or this could be the start of his supervillain origin story. Miles might have to buy him some fancy snacks to protect the city from his wrath. ]
Spider-men gotta stick together, right? We'll figure it out.
[ Once Peter has all his stuff together Miles leads the way out of the dorm, this time on foot. There's an amazing little burrito place near the subway that, in his opinion, is the best one in Brooklyn. ]
So... what kind of powers do they have? The Avengers, I mean.
[ Sorry for making a chocolate-powered supervillain out of your roommate, Miles. He'll make it up to you someday.
He follows behind Miles, bag slung over his shoulder, looking up at the city as they walk. It's definitely Brooklyn, and he recognizes a decent number of landmarks? And then he'll see something that reminds him that no, this definitely isn't home - starting with this burrito place, which he's pretty sure shut down a couple years ago? He's more of a Queens guy, but the two boroughs are close enough (and his love of burritos is strong enough) that he's been here a few times. He's gawking when Miles asks that question, in fact, so he jolts a little. ]
All kinds of stuff. Mr. Stark is mostly just rich and smart, but he built his Iron Man suit himself, and it's amazing. Captain America's a super soldier from the 1940s, Black Widow has taser weapons kind of like your venom strike, and Thor's an alien who's the literal god of thunder.
[ The topic is a good distraction; he can't help but brighten when talking about them. He's an Avenger with these people. That will never not be cool. ]
[ Miles listens as Peter talks about the heroes from his world. So a rich dude, an action grandpa from the 40s, a badass lady and an alien? Sounds kind of weird. But, then again they both got bitten by radioactive spiders and got superpowers from the experience instead of a weird disease so who is he to judge?
Plus Peter seems to like them and the while spidey sense wouldn't let him hang around dangerous people, right? It was a pretty good evil jerk detector.
And in the meantime, he orders two deluxe burritos in a rapid-fire mix of spanish and english, occasionally stopping to ask Peter what he wants for filling before launching right back in. Once they're done he hands off a bulging burrito to Peter. ]
Here, told you I'd hook you up. Juan makes the best burritos in Brooklyn, you know.
[ Yeah, uh. Neither of them can talk about realism here, just saying. He could go on, but there's food here, and like any good spider child, his appetite is ferocious.
What does Peter want in his burrito? Uh, anything and everything, thanks. He's suitably impressed by the huge thing that Miles hands off to him - and even more pleased with the contents. When he takes his first bite, he looks about like he's died of bliss or something. ]
Dude. I believe you. This is amazing.
[ It probably has something to do with the fact that he's only had those chocolate bars for the last twenty-four hours, but. That's also a damn good burrito. Familiar too? He looks up at the building ... ]
I think this place got wrecked in the first alien invasion.
So does that happen a lot where you're from? Alien invasions and all that?
[ He keeps mentioning it and Miles is starting to wonder if he needs to start preparing himself for ET to come knocking at New York's door. Then again, maybe that only happens in universes with those Avengers dudes on the job. More heroes means there's more trouble to deal with, right?
Maybe it's a good thing he's the only guy coming up to bat for the city now. ]
It feels busy enough dealing with muggers and the big bads without dealing with alien stuff, too. Isn't it too much?
[ In less than ten years, no less, which is frankly kind of ridiculous. If Miles wants more details he'll gladly oblige? Not that either of them could possibly prevent an alien invasion, but maybe there's something Miles could do here. Especially if things are relatively quiet otherwise.
(Well, for certain definitions of "quiet.")
He keeps eating as they walk, though he has to slow a bit as Miles asks that question. For a moment, a vulnerable, exhausted look passes over his face. ]
It - kind of is. Now that I have to deal with it. When it was just muggers and bike thieves, I thought I was bored. Then everything got crazy and all I really wanted to do was be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man again.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Peter. Peter Parker. Uh --
[ Lifting a hand to his head, he looks down at himself. At the buildings too. There's something off about the skyline, though he's hard pressed to pin down exactly what's different. ]
Thanks for the save back there. It's been a rough day.
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It's a learning curve! It doesn't help that Miles had a rough start watching one Peter die and then getting stuck with an old, depressed version of him as a mentor. Though, how many Spider-Men are Peter Parker? There was Noir, Blonde Peter, Old Peter and... maybe Spider-Ham. His name is close enough to count in Miles' book.
Feels like him and Gwen are the outliers, though maybe there are more universes out there where they're the veteran heroes. ]
No problem, we gotta stick together. What happened before you landed on that guy anyway? No offense but you look pretty messed up.
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Anyway. That. Is a hell of a question; he winces a little when Miles asks. But it also helps crystallize what's bugging him so much about the city. ]
Okay, weird-but-relevant-I-promise counter question: didn't New York get invaded by aliens yesterday?
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[ Maybe now is the time to drop that bombshell. Especially if aliens are a thing in the dimension where Peter comes from. He scrubs a hand over his face and tries to think of a way to say it and not sound like a crazy person.
Then again, the crazy threshold for kids who have been bitten by radioactive spiders is definitely higher than anyone else. ]
I've got a counter-counter-weird question. How much do you know about alternate dimensions?
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Uh, we learned about it in school? There was some video with this scientist riding a bike and wearing leather pants.
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[ Perfect, that's the right groundwork. ]
So, imagine there's a ton of different dimensions out there. Worlds where Spider-Man exists but things are different. Like maybe it's a different decade, or maybe it's Spider-Woman instead of Spider-Man.
This... this is a different dimension. I've been through this before, I've met other Spider-people when they came in from their dimensions.
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[ Why, Doc Ock. You were so cool thirty seconds ago. At least it's a good example; Peter's following Miles pretty well, even if the conclusion is kind of crazy. A lot crazy. ]
So - so you're the Spider-Man here. And I'm way farther away from home than I thought. [ A pause. ] At least I'm not dead.
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A lot further, and I don't know how to get you home. Last time there was this supercollider underneath Brooklyn that pulled everyone in.
[ He makes a face at the not dead part and chews his lip. ] ...I gotta tell you something. But you have to promise not to freak out.
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Supercollider and no way home. Okay, sure. Why not. Not the weirdest thing I've heard.
[ At this point he's just tired. So tired. Can't a spider-guy catch a break after fighting an eggplant wizard all day? ]
I'll try, man. But if it's weirder than that, I seriously can't promise anything.
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[ Okay, Miles. Rip off the bandage and pray that Peter doesn't have a meltdown. He takes a deep breath and just... blurts that shit out. ]
There was already a Peter Parker in this dimension but he died. And that's why I'm Spider-Man instead of him.
[ Nailed it. This is fine, probably. ]
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Oh. Dude, that is the worst. How'd I screw it up that badly twice?
[ Probably not the reaction Miles was expecting. ]
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[ His voice is sharper than he means for it to be and Miles winces and looks away. It's still pretty fresh for him, sometimes he wakes up from nightmares about that night. ]
It was really messed up, he was outnumbered and trying to stop Kingpin from using the supercollider. He was a lot older than you are now and...
I saw it happen. Before he died he made me promise to finish what he started.
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And Miles had to watch him die. And his older self apparently charged him with keeping this up? That's - a little messed up maybe. God. None of this is okay at all. Why couldn't he have come to a version of the world where he's fine and everything is fine and nothing is messed up this badly? ]
I'm sorry. I didn't mean - I'm sure I didn't want to go. Especially not if you've gotta deal with this alone now.
[ His voice cracks a little. ]
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There's no universe where things stay fine, especially when Spider-Man is around. Heaving a sigh, Miles tries to get himself back under control. This isn't just about him, it's about helping Peter. Deep breaths until his heart rate backs down to normal. They're both kids and this is heavy stuff. Miles scoots over and sits down next to Peter, bumping a shoulder against his. ]
That's the thing, I'm not alone. Neither are you. And I'm getting the hang of this whole superhero thing.
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Peter swipes at his face, briefly, and takes a few steadying breaths of his own. Managing a weak smile at the shoulder bump. ]
Yeah? You did way better than me back in that alleyway. I don’t think I had that kinda aim after two months.
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[ Spider-Man has so many bad guys and Miles met so many of them in such a short period of time. And the worst part is knowing he hasn't even met all of them yet! There's always someone waiting in the wings who wants to kick his ass for the crime of not wanting them to terrorize the city.
Why are adults like this? ]
Turns out you learn a lot faster when there's like, six different dudes trying to kill you.
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How’d you get six dudes after you already? ... is this my fault?
[ His fault. Peter Parker’s fault. Whatever. ]
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[ If bad guys didn't do crime there wouldn't be a need for a spider-man. Kind of sucky but hey, better than letting crimelords do whatever they wanted. ]
They were all working for Kingpin so they kinda brought their butt kickings on themselves.
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[ But there’s some recognition? He’s heard a thing or two about stuff happening with someone calling themself Daredevil. So it doesn’t seem completely crazy that Spider-Man might have to fight him.
Also: ]
Why the hell was he trying to make a black hole? Doesn’t he live in this city too?
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[ The thing is, Miles can understand wanting to do anything to bring someone back. He misses his Uncle Aaron every single day. And he wishes there was some way to bring back this world's Peter because he didn't deserve what happened to him. But there was no universe where the cost was worth it. ]
You'll know him when you see him. Big bald dude, like... big as a truck. And strong. He threw a car at me! [ Sure gravity wasn't working quite normally then but it was still a thing! Miles grins at Peter. ] I kicked his butt, though. Turns out I got some stuff in my spider-package that most others don't.
[ He does a double pistol gesture gesture and sparks jump off the tips of his fingers. It's so nice to be able to pull off that trick on command now. The camouflage he'll save for another time. ]
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[ Peter is maybe a little less sympathetic, but. well. He's dealt with enough huge bald dudes to last him for a while, no matter how sympathetic their motives are.
Of course that just makes him all the more impressed when Miles describes - and then demonstrates - his venom strike. Holy shit. His eyes go wide for a moment as even tries to parse how the hell that works. Are there electrical spiders? Is it just how another spider-thing manifests? Either way -- ]
Dude, that is badass. You said it was a spider power? What the heck even is it? Is it like a taser or something?
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I call it my venom strike. It's sort of like a taser. If I touch someone with it they usually get knocked out real good.
[ It's also made life a little difficult. He almost zapped Ganke once already when his roommate caught him by surprise in their dorm room. Not his most graceful moment, though he'll never admit that to Peter. Gotta keep up a cool image for his new spider-bud.
Hopping to his feet, Miles offers a hand up to Peter. ]
You wanna get outta here? We can grab you some clothes from my dorm and then see about getting your suit fixed up.
[ Because, seriously, your shit looked jacked up. ]
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Awesome. Dude, I'm jealous.
[ He gives Miles's hands a quick look - no sparks, good - before accepting a hand up. Does he have a choice? Well, sure, but what else is he gonna do? The suit's trashed, Karen is offline, he has no idea where the burrito places are in this city, and - oh man. If he thinks too hard about what the hell he's going to do long term, he's going to curl up into a ball and probably not get up. Focus on one thing at a time. Clothes, suit patching, maybe a bed. Or a floor. He could use a floor too. ]
Yeah, okay. Though if we could hit a burrito place on the way back, that would be awesome. It's been like a whole day since I was last on Earth, and they don't exactly have fast food in space.
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Yeah, I got you. Don't worry about it. [ Wait. ] ...So you were serious about the aliens? You have got to tell me about that sometime.
[ But first, clothes. Then food. Then dragging Peter to May's. If anyone will know how to handle this it's her. ]
Do you have enough web fluid? I can give you one of my shooters if you need a boost.
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[ Not all of it - god, if there's a recording of him dying he's going to throw her chip out the window, sorry Karen - but he thinks she went offline somewhere around the end of the attempt to get Thanos' gauntlet off? He was sort of distracted at the moment. Understandably.
He heads for the edge of the roof, about to step off when Miles' question stops him. Oh. Uh. He presses one of his own, then the other. Nothing. Dammit. ]
-- thanks, man. I'm completely out.
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That should last for a while, I topped it up before I went on patrol.
[ Hopping up onto the edge of the roof, Miles grins at Peter once he's sure he's got the web shooter on and then pulls his mask down over his face. ]
Think you can keep up with me? [ He drops off the edge of the roof with ease, waiting to make sure Peter's concussion isn't slowing him down before leading him across the city towards Brooklyn Vision Academy. ]
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Of course I can. I'm the veteran here, right?
[ That's more confidence than he actually has. Or deserves, frankly. The concussion has mostly cleared up, but swinging with just one webshooter? Turns out to be kind of difficult. Plus his mask is gone, which means trying to navigate without some kind of filter for his spider senses. He's gonna bang into some fire escapes after all, just sayin'.
But - he doesn't drag too far behind Miles, at least, and by the time they actually get there he's relaxed into webswinging again. There's something desperately comforting about swinging across NYC in the evening, and he could use that tidbit of comfort right now. ]
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Visions is quiet, only a few lights on in the dorms from students who didn't go home on the weekend for whatever reason. Miles hops inside, pulling off his mask again and turning on the light on the way over to his dresser. There are action figures on the desk, some Spider-Man comics spread out alongside a notebook covered in distinctive graffiti art. The room is becoming more comfortable now that he's finding his stride and it shows. ]
I think I got some stuff that might fit you, hold on. [ It takes a little rummaging but eventually he comes up victorious. He tosses Peter some pants with an elastic waist (not sweats, Miles isn't that cruel) along with a few shirts and hoodies so he can pick something that he likes. He also sends a quick text to May, letting her know that he's going to be dropping by with a guest real soon. ]
So, how long have you been doing the whole Spider-Man gig? Since you're the veteran and all.
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By the time they get to the dorm, Peter is a little less awkward, at least. And he is a goddamn pro at sneaking into bedrooms without making any noise at all. He slips in after Miles, shutting the window behind him. And taking a moment to look at the ... comics? Action figures? Uh. He sort of stares at them for a moment, distracted, until Miles hands him the clothes. Yeah, this will work. It helps that Peter is still pretty small and slim at this age, so there's less difference between their builds compared to other Peters.
The suit, meanwhile, is an absolute goddamn wreck. He winces as he peels off pieces of it; some parts are gonna be unsalvageable, he can already tell. Nanomachines are so cool until you run out of them and pieces of your suit are kind of built with them. ]
I - uh - [ math is hard right now, it takes him a moment ] - like, a year? Maybe a little less. I got bit and did some stuff on my own, and then the Avengers showed up, and I sort of joined them?
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[ Miles pulls on his own civilian disguise. Which mostly means shorts, a hoodie and a coat over his suit. Who knows if he might have to do some heroing on the way to May's house? Plus no one has ever looked at him and assumed he was hiding a super suit. People see what they want to, and people in NYC tend to ignore anything that isn't actively trying to murder them. ]
Stupid question. What're the Avengers?
[ The whole name sounds pretty ominous, what are they avenging? But they can't be bad if Peter's joined up with them. ]
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[ Pete's poor suit is too trashed to wear. Frankly he's still a mess right now, but less of one with clean clothes. He wordlessly asks Miles for permission before borrowing a bag from somewhere in the room, stuffing wayward suit fragments into it. There. That's all he can do for now. The webshooter he'll hold onto until he's either settled or Miles asks for it back. Man, he's going to have to find a place to make more web fluid, isn't he? He could try Avengers Tower, except -- ]
--What? You don't know who the Avengers are?
[ A horrified pause. ]
Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow? Thor? Any of those ringing a bell?
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[ He passes Peter a candy bar from Ganke's emergency stash as he gets his suit packed up. If he hasn't eaten in a day then he's got to be starving. And, let's be real, chocolate makes everything better. Including crash landing in a different universe. Especially that.
He shrugs and shakes his head. ]
Nope, no bells ringing. Maybe they just haven't gotten their powers yet?
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[ No recognition at all at the mention of Gwen. He is desperately grateful for the candy bar though. Chocolate is amazing even when he isn't half-starved. When did he last eat? This morning? However long ago that was ...
He swallows, awkwardly. More horror in his face now. ]
Dude, that's bad. They're like the number one experts in weirdness where I'm from. If they don't exist here...
[ How the hell is he getting home? ]
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[ May Parker seems like the kind of lady who knows a lot more than she ever lets on. She knew Doc Ock, was able to build him webshooters in less than a day. Maybe she wasn't a quantum physicist but maybe she knows someone who is.
You know what? This calls for more candy. He pushes another candy bar into Peter's hands and makes a mental note to resupply before Ganke comes back on monday. ]
It's gonna be okay, I'm not gonna leave you hanging. You'll get home.
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All right, all right. You're the expert here. And you've been super helpful so far.
[ He's gonna eat this second candy bar, sorry Ganke. ]
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Probably.
Or this could be the start of his supervillain origin story. Miles might have to buy him some fancy snacks to protect the city from his wrath. ]
Spider-men gotta stick together, right? We'll figure it out.
[ Once Peter has all his stuff together Miles leads the way out of the dorm, this time on foot. There's an amazing little burrito place near the subway that, in his opinion, is the best one in Brooklyn. ]
So... what kind of powers do they have? The Avengers, I mean.
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He follows behind Miles, bag slung over his shoulder, looking up at the city as they walk. It's definitely Brooklyn, and he recognizes a decent number of landmarks? And then he'll see something that reminds him that no, this definitely isn't home - starting with this burrito place, which he's pretty sure shut down a couple years ago? He's more of a Queens guy, but the two boroughs are close enough (and his love of burritos is strong enough) that he's been here a few times. He's gawking when Miles asks that question, in fact, so he jolts a little. ]
All kinds of stuff. Mr. Stark is mostly just rich and smart, but he built his Iron Man suit himself, and it's amazing. Captain America's a super soldier from the 1940s, Black Widow has taser weapons kind of like your venom strike, and Thor's an alien who's the literal god of thunder.
[ The topic is a good distraction; he can't help but brighten when talking about them. He's an Avenger with these people. That will never not be cool. ]
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Plus Peter seems to like them and the while spidey sense wouldn't let him hang around dangerous people, right? It was a pretty good evil jerk detector.
And in the meantime, he orders two deluxe burritos in a rapid-fire mix of spanish and english, occasionally stopping to ask Peter what he wants for filling before launching right back in. Once they're done he hands off a bulging burrito to Peter. ]
Here, told you I'd hook you up. Juan makes the best burritos in Brooklyn, you know.
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What does Peter want in his burrito? Uh, anything and everything, thanks. He's suitably impressed by the huge thing that Miles hands off to him - and even more pleased with the contents. When he takes his first bite, he looks about like he's died of bliss or something. ]
Dude. I believe you. This is amazing.
[ It probably has something to do with the fact that he's only had those chocolate bars for the last twenty-four hours, but. That's also a damn good burrito. Familiar too? He looks up at the building ... ]
I think this place got wrecked in the first alien invasion.
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[ He keeps mentioning it and Miles is starting to wonder if he needs to start preparing himself for ET to come knocking at New York's door. Then again, maybe that only happens in universes with those Avengers dudes on the job. More heroes means there's more trouble to deal with, right?
Maybe it's a good thing he's the only guy coming up to bat for the city now. ]
It feels busy enough dealing with muggers and the big bads without dealing with alien stuff, too. Isn't it too much?
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[ In less than ten years, no less, which is frankly kind of ridiculous. If Miles wants more details he'll gladly oblige? Not that either of them could possibly prevent an alien invasion, but maybe there's something Miles could do here. Especially if things are relatively quiet otherwise.
(Well, for certain definitions of "quiet.")
He keeps eating as they walk, though he has to slow a bit as Miles asks that question. For a moment, a vulnerable, exhausted look passes over his face. ]
It - kind of is. Now that I have to deal with it. When it was just muggers and bike thieves, I thought I was bored. Then everything got crazy and all I really wanted to do was be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man again.