Chapter Text
His head throbbed, it felt like the time a bus ran straight over him. But this time, he was laying on a small couch. He could hear a steady, familiar heartbeat from the other room. He forced his eyelids open slowly, squinting under the morning light seeping in through the windows. It looked to be late morning—though Peter wasn't sure. He had no idea where he was or who was with him.
With all the strength he could afford to use right now, he lifted his head. Through his blurry eyes, he saw a pretty medium sized apartment, it had big windows. In front of him was a coffee table with a nice rug underneath it. The walls were a grey color and the curtains were red. Whoever decorated this apartment has no concept of interior design. Peter still had absolutely no clue where he was or how he got here. His head still hurt and his body still ached. He could feel his healing factor trying desperately to fix him, heal his body and be strong again, but the lack of eating got to him. He could feel his body consuming itself from his lack of eating.
He needed to leave. He had to get out of this persons apartment while they were still asleep. he did not want to be bombarded with questions by this person, but he could still barely move. Everything that's happened in the last 24 hours took a lot more from him than he'd anticipated. His body hurt, he didn't know where he was, he was starving.
He sighed as he let his head fall back down on the couch. If he wanted to escape, he had to play dumb first.
JASON'S POV
Jason could hear the kid wake up, if the quiet groans of pain and shuffling was anything to go by. He sighed, opening the bedroom door and stepping out into the dimly lit living room.
The kid set up, moving back to look up at him. Jason stood next to the couch, watching him. "Gonna at least tell me your name? I don't wanna keep calling you kid." He asked expectantly.
The kid in front of him stayed silent. Jason huffed impatiently. This kid was not going to budge easily. "If you talk, I'll get you lunch." The kid perked up at him. "All you have to do is tell me your name first."
PETERS POV
Peter huffed. This man drove a hard bargain… but his stomach was growling, and it's not like he could find anything out about him anyway, right? Plus, he felt weirdly inclined to trust him. Even if he could definitely snap Peter like a twig right now, and he smelt so distinctly like gunpowder, his spider-sense was weirdly… quiet. But Peter trusted his spider-sense, it had not done him wrong yet.
Peter hesitated, standing up in front of the much taller man. "Peter."
"Peter? Peter what?" The man stared down at him expectantly, clearly not budging.
"Parker." Peter relented. His want to not be known gave way to his need for food.
The man nodded, straighting up and gently putting his hand on Peter's shoulder, guiding him towards the bedroom. "Come on, you’ll need clean clothes to come out with me." The man spoke as he searched through the dresser drawers, pulling out a simple red hoodie and a pair of jeans that looked just a little too big for him.
Now that Peter was looking at him, he was big. He had wide shoulders and definitely worked out. He was tall, too. He had the same bright green eyes and white streak in his hair as Peter. Did he also come from another universe? Maybe this is like a… common thing here? Could he trust this man?
"Why do you have kids clothes?" Peter questioned, crossing his arms. The man glanced over at him with an unimpressed look.
"I have a brother. He stayed with me for a few months before going to live with his dad. I try to keep his sizing still because he likes to come over sometimes."
Peter nodded at that, it made sense… but he was still a little suspicious of this man. For some reason, the lack of his spider-sense going off around him made him more suspicious.
"What's your name?" Peter asked, just now realizing he didn't know.
The man raised his brows, staring down at him. "Jason." After speaking, he started walking out of the room, likely to let Peter change in peace.
"Jason what?" Peter shot back with a smug demeanour. If Jason got to know his last name, it's only fair.
Jason turned back around for a moment, staring at Peter with a hint of humor on his face "Todd. My name's Jason Todd, kid." And with that, he turned back around and shut the door behind him, leaving Peter with nothing but his own thoughts.
Peter picked up the clothes he was given, inspecting them. They looked to be about his size, clearly pretty high quality—especially compared to what he was wearing now. At the moment, he was wearing some science T-shirt that was about three sizes too large and covered in dirt and sweat, along with a pair of jeans about four sizes too big. They were already baggy in his universe, but they were almost falling down in this one. His shoes were scuffed to shit, but they would still fit well enough to pass as presentable.
He pulled off his shirt first, wincing at the stretching of his sore body. Every part of his body was in a dull ache—his legs were the worst. He knew running for a good hour without stopping was a bad idea… but it was better than getting picked up by CPS. He honestly didn't remember much of what happened after that.
Peter remembered running into some vigilante, and then he was pretty sure he passed out. Then he woke up here. He tried to remember more, absentmindedly changing into the clean clothes he was given. He took his fucked up, slightly damp suit from his pockets, putting it in his jeans pockets. He tried to make it as non-suspicious as possible but it still looked a bit weird. These clothes did fit a lot better. Still a bit big, but manageable.
When he stepped out of the room, Jason was sitting on the couch, phone in hand. He looked up as he heard the door creak open, settling his gaze on the child in his apartment before standing up with a sigh. "Alright, kid. Let me take a shower first and then we can go. The TV remote is on the coffee table. Watch what you want." Jason said, walking past Peter into the bedroom to grab clothes before heading to the bathroom.
Peter sighed, sitting down on the couch and picking up the remote. He really hoped this universe had Star Wars.
He heard Jason walk past him into the bathroom, stopping momentarily—probably to see what Peter was doing. As he clicked on the first Star Wars movie, he heard Jason continue walking, shutting the bathroom door behind him and turning on the shower.
It was nice, being able to sit and watch star wars. He had been so busy being Spider-Man with everything happening, he and Ned barely hung out outside of school, and even when they did, it certainly wasn't enough time to watch the whole series. So, despite his very less-than-good circumstances, this was nice.
It reminded him when he was younger: Right as he got home from school, he would sit in front of the dvd player he made from dumpster-diving broken ones until he put them together in a franken-player and put in whatever Star Wars DVD he could borrow from the library that week as he waited for Aunt May and Uncle Ben to get home. Those were the good days. Before everything happened. Before his life turned to shit.
He looked up when Jason came out about 20 minutes later. Hair still dripping, clothes slightly damp. He smelled like drug store shampoo and cheap body wash. The sight and smell of him oddly familiar. Almost comforting.
JASONS POV
When Jason opened the door, his eyes immediately drifted to Peter. He knew he was staring at his face and hair again. He wondered if he knew what it was from, if he knew what the Lazarus pits were… or if he was just dropped in and left there. He needed to find out more about this kid.
"Okay, squirt, you ready?" Jason asked, heading towards the door and putting on his boots, grabbing two jackets and throwing one at the approaching kid.
Peter caught it, sighing dramatically. "I don't need a jacket. I'll be fine."
Jason raised an eyebrow. "Kid. it's fucking freezing out there.,and we're taking my motorcycle. Put the damn jacket on."
He had a point. Peter couldn't thermoregulate and he wasn't particularly interested in catching a cold along with everything else that was going wrong right now. He reluctantly slid the jacket on. It was warm and smelled almost like Deadpool. "Do all your clothes smell like gunpowder?" Peter asked before he could stop himself, hoping that he didn't bring on too many questions.
Jason raised his eyebrows, clearly wondering why this kid knew exactly what gunpowder smelled like, and how he could smell that through the multiple wash cycles he had put those clothes through. After a moment, he responded. "Yes. It's Gotham, kid. I'm always carrying." He said, pulling up his shirt to reveal a pistol attached to his hip.
At the sight of it, Peter took a small step back. He wasn't a fan of guns. It was clear this guy was dangerous, so he had no idea why his spider-sense was not going off around him at all. It was so weird.
When Peter took a step back, Jason covered the gun once again. Putting his jacket on, making sure to cover it. If he was going to get any information, he needed Peter to trust him. "Okay, kid. Come on, we need to get there before one preferably. Is there anywhere else you wanna go while we're out? I can take you."
Peter thought about it for a moment. Nodding, he responded. "Can we go to the library? I need to get some research done."
Jason hummed in agreement. "Sure, kid. We'll go after I get some food in you. You look like you haven't eaten in days." Peter couldn't really argue with that.
He followed behind Jason as he led him down, out of the apartment, and to a sturdy-looking motorcycle, tossing Peter a helmet as he put one on himself.
"You ever rode before?" Jason asked, slightly muffled by the helmet. Peter shook his head. If his Aunt May ever caught him on one, she would've had his head. "That's alright. Just sit behind me and hold on tight, okay?" Jason answered, swinging his leg over the bike and turning it on. Peter soon followed, wrapping his arms around the man in front of him and using his setules to hang onto him, hoping Jason didn't feel it.
Jason absolutely had, in fact, felt it. It felt like a bunch of really tiny splinters in his waist, which honestly he should've expected. This kid was most definitely a meta. A non-enhanced person cannot run that fast nor throw grown men. He wondered what exactly his abilities are.
He tried to ignore the pricking sensation, quickly reving the engine, pulling out of where the bike was stationed and ripping down the street. He made a point to drive a bit slower than he normally would, not wanting to scare the kid clinging on to him.
Peter closed his eyes, feeling the wind whipping around him as they flew through the city. It was weirdly calming. It reminded him of late-night patrols, swinging through the city back when he was still just the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, when he was just fighting regular muggers and purse thiefs.
It wasn't long before they pulled into the parking lot. Peter immediately let go, not wanting Jason to notice the microscopic hairs digging into his stomach the whole way there. He swung his leg back over the bike, barely making it over with his newly short legs.
Jason soon followed, swinging off the bike with practiced ease after killing the engine, shoving the key in his pocket as he clapped his hand behind Peters back, walking him forward into the restaurant.
Peter wanted to leave as soon as they stepped in. Everything was so loud. The sizzling oil in the frying pans. The scraping of chairs against the floor. The constant buzzing of people talking. Bags rustling. His hearing had definitely gotten a lot more enhanced, somehow, since being dropped here; he could hear the heartbeats of everyone within a 15 foot radius and it was making him nauseated.
Jason noticed something was wrong. The kid was almost tripping over his own feet as he walked, Jason made sure to keep a hand on his back, guiding him to a booth table in the corner.
He had Peter slide in first, sitting right next to him so he was on the outside of the booth. A waitress quickly walked over with two menus in hand, placing them in front of the two boys. Jason was here a lot so they all knew him and his favorite spot.
"What can I get you boys?" She asked, pulling out her notepad and clicking her pen.
"I'll have a cup of coffee and he'll get some hot chocolate." Jason answered for them both, jerking his head towards Peter as he said the last part.
Peter couldn't move. Everything was so loud and bright. He was so so nauseous. He felt sick. He knew Jason was talking but he couldn't bring himself to focus on the conversation, stuck in his own mind and the whirling stimulation all around.
"Hey, kid, you okay? You still with me?" Jason asked, staring at the boy looking ahead at nothing in particular. He was slightly shaking , his eyes glossed over.
Peter felt a heavy hand being placed on his shoulder but he couldn't respond, just sucking in a sharp breath as his eyes blurred.
Jason sighed, realizing why the kid was acting this way. If he had enhanced strength and scent, he likely also had other enhanced senses. He reluctantly pulled out his phone, opening his messaging app.
Littleredhood: I need help with the kid.
Jason only had to wait a moment before the three dots appeared.
Dickwing: is he okay? What's wrong?
Littleredhood: I think he has enhanced senses. I took him to batburger and he completely shut down. Do you have an extra pair of headphones you can bring over?
Dickwing: Already on the way.
Jason closed his phone and slid it back in his pocket, bringing his attention back to the kid that was now relying completely on the booth backing to hold him up.
After a few minutes, the waitress had dropped off the drinks and Jason asked her to give them a moment before actually ordering. Dick walked in a moment after that, a pair of headphones and sunglasses in his hands as he almost jogged towards their table. He handed the things over to Jason, who gently nudged peter to be a bit more upright so he could slip on the headphones and sunglasses.
"Learn anything about the kid yet?" Dick asked, being his usual ball of energy, just more anxious this time.
Jason nodded, speaking quietly. "His name's Peter. Peter Parker. That's all I got." Dick nodded, making a mental note to pass that information on to Barbara and then Tim. Between the two, they could find anything.
"Well, I'd love to stay,” Dick sighed, clearly not excited for his shift, “but I gotta go clock in…"
Jason nodded. "Don't want you to be late, Dickie. Go." Jason responded, gesturing towards the door. Dick took the hint, quickly walking out the door and back to his bike.
The moment the headphones and sunglasses were placed on his head, Peter breathed a sigh of relief. He could tell the headphones were really good quality as they blocked out a lot more than his old ones did. And the sunglasses helped a lot with the bright, fluorescent lights overhead. He could focus on Jason a little better now. He was talking to someone. Not the waitress but another person. He had a familiar heartbeat, kind of like the one that cop had.
Peter didn't dwell on it too long though. Instead focusing on regaining his senses. It had been so overwhelming that he kinda just… blacked out. After just breathing for a second, letting his mind catch up to him, he looked up at Jason, who was adding a couple of those little creamer cups to his coffee. He looked at his spot on the table, realizing there was a cup of hot chocolate there.
He sipped on his hot chocolate in peace. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes.
After a moment, Jason broke that silence as he set his cup down, opening up his menu. "What do you want, kid? Our waitress is bound to remember us eventually."
Peter looked in front of him, just now realizing he had a menu. It had quite a bit of options, he had no idea what to pick. He was still overwhelmed from the lights and the noise and the leather seats just felt just a bit too rough. The menu names all looked foreign to him. This restaurant didn't exist back in his universe, he had no idea what was good or not, what some of the names meant, how everything would taste. It was all too much at the moment.
Jason looked at Peter as he stared at the menu like it was personally giving him a migraine. He figured he still wasn't ready to start making decisions and talking yet so Jason just took the menu, placing it under his own.
Just then, the waitress walked over again. "Y'all decided what to get yet?" She asked, holding her notepad and clicking her pen open once again. Jason nodded, glancing over at Peter for a moment. "I'll take the bat burger and he'll have the bat mite." The waitress nodded, scribbling down the order before taking their menus, heading back to the kitchen.
They sat in silence for a bit, just drinking and existing. Jason wanted to ask Peter so many questions. This kid just appeared out of nowhere, clearly having been dumped in the pits, being a super powerful meta—maybe even an alien—and being extremely malnourished. He couldn't begin to imagine what he'd been through, what had made him like this, who had dumped him in the pit, and what they had done to him to need it.
His jaw ticked, face hardening. He had seen some horrible, evil people, but child abusers were by far the worst. The trafficking rings, The medical experiments, the parents who just hated them. It made Jason sick. His stomach turned and twisted at the thought of what the child sitting next to him has been through. If Jason could, he would tear apart each disgusting monster who dared to lay his hands on Peter.
The waitress returned shortly, placing down the two plates in front of them and grabbing Peter’s cup to refill it. Jason nodded in thanks as she walked away.
Peter perked up at the food placed in front of him. He was no longer near as nauseous he was before, so he was excited to eat. He hadn't actually eaten anything in a long while, especially not since entering this universe.
It felt almost like his teeth had shifted as he picked up his fork. It caught him off guard. His hand reached his face and he gently stuck his finger in his mouth, feeling around for the loose(?) tooth. Instead, he found his canines had grown, sharpening into what could only be described as fangs. He gasped, he didn't have fangs in his universe. Did he have them in this one? Could he liquify his food with them?
Well, only one way to find out. He picked up his burger, inspecting it before taking a bite.
His eyes widened, he felt some weird liquid dripping down his teeth, turning his food into liquid. Honestly, he didn't mind it that much. Less chewing meant less energy, and his food still tasted the same so it was honestly pretty cool. He swallowed the first bite quickly. He had to make sure he at least looked like he was chewing so Jason wouldn't get suspicious.
Jason thought it was a little weird, how the kid was eating. It almost looked like when kids would pretend to eat fake food when playing. But he elected to ignore it. Maybe that's just how he ate. He instead focused on his own plate, though he still watched him out of the corner of his eye.