Chapter Text
Peter kept moving.
It was really the least he could do. What else could he do?
It was strange, living by himself. There was no hand shaking him awake in the morning after a rough night of patrol. No post-its on the fridge with a bolded reminder and a doodled smiley face. No warm hugs to ground him.
The only sounds were him, his neighbors, and the city.
The first nights were the worst, but he eventually began to force himself into a rhythm.
Get up in the morning. Eat something. Spend some time studying for the GED (only a few more weeks before he would take it). Go on patrol; half-heartedly deal with any injuries, crash, and repeat.
And yeah, it was painful at first. Incredibly painful. On patrol, he would sometimes stop and linger on the roof across from a certain doughnut shop to catch sight of a familiar face or two. At night, he listened to the stifling emptiness of his apartment.
It was almost easy to let the numbness that slowly grew in the pit of his stomach engulf him.
He focused on being Spider-Man. Focused on the words that had carved themselves into his soul.
Great power. Great responsibility.
He missed all of them more than he thought was possible.
And then, one night, around three months later, something changed.
His spider-sense went off just as he was collapsing into bed, right around 2am. (Swinging was often an easier alternative to trying to sleep at a reasonable hour.)
Peter tensed, looking around warily. He checked every crevice of his apartment, including the brickwork outside. He checked the street below, the hallways, even daring to peer into his neighbors’ windows.
No matter where he moved—even far from the apartment—the persistent chant refused to stop.
It went on for hours. Peter swung throughout the city once, returning to his apartment—he couldn’t quite bear to call it home—only after he had insured there wasn’t some huge threat looming over the city that he had somehow missed.
There was no threat. His spider-sense just wouldn’t shut up. Maybe it had finally snapped, after everything. Peter spent the next hours pacing his room, unable to sleep due to the unnerving hum.
It wasn’t until two long, almost agonizing days later that he found out why.
He was sitting on a rooftop, dangling his legs off the edge and attempting to ignore his spider-sense’s persistent complaints, when the air next to him suddenly...tore. Bright, colorful light split into a crackling existence.
Peter didn’t really have better words to describe it. He didn’t have time to think of a better word, either, because the next thing he knew, something was bowling into him. Hard.
“Grrgh!” He yelped, at the same time another voice said, “Oof.”
Peter pushed at the mass of red and blue pinning him, shock filling him as he tumbled backward and fixed his eyes on—
“Peter?” Wide brown eyes met his own.
“Peter!” Peter exclaimed in response. “And Other Peter!”
Peter 2 and 3 leap to their feet, all three of them pointing at each other in non-verbal surprise.
“How are you—”
“What happened—?”
“I was just—”
“Why are we here?”
There was a bewildered beat of silence. Then—
“How are you guys?!” Peter 3 beamed, pulling them into a crushing hug.
Peter 1 tore away his mask as he leaned back, his mouth open as he searched for words. “I was just sitting here, and you guys...came through a portal?”
All three of them turned to look toward the direction they had come from. The burst of color that Peter 1 had seen out of the corner of his eye was nowhere to be found.
“I didn’t mean to,” Peter 3 said, his unmasked face showing confusion. “I was just...Uh, sitting at home, honestly.” He gestured to his dark hoodie and sweatpants.
Peter 2, who was in his Spider-suit, pulled off his mask. “I was on patrol,” he said, looking at Peter 1. “I didn’t go through any kind of portal. I just felt myself suddenly getting pulled by this invisible force, then there were all these bright colors—and I ended up here.”
“Then it...must’ve been someone or something else?” Peter 1 offered weakly.
“I dunno, but can I just say,” Peter 3 stepped closer, putting an arm around each of their shoulders, “I am really glad to see you guys again.”
Peter 2 smiled, while Peter 1 felt his own lips quirk up.
“Yeah, I am too,” Peter 2 said. “I just hope it’s not another multi-verse collapse.”
“I...guess I know who we have to go to to find out,” Peter 1 said grimly. “But I don’t think he’s gonna remember—me...” he stared at the other two, suddenly freezing.
“Wait...You guys remember me?”
“Remember you? Of course I remember you!” Peter 3 said enthusiastically. “We saved all the universes together. Kinda hard to forget.”
“I would have to agree with that,” Peter 2 said.
“Yeah, but...everyone was supposed to forget my identity and existence beyond just being Spider-Man. Like, everyone.” Peter 1 took a nervous breath, possibilities flying through his mind.
Had the spell somehow been reversed?
“Maybe there was an exception,” Peter 2 said.
“Only one way to find out,” Peter 1 said nervously.
They ended up going to the Sanctum in more casual attire than their spider-suits. Peter 3 kept his sweats, but Peter 2 and 1 had to make a quick wardrobe change in an alley.
Peter hovered his hand over the Sanctum’s doorbell nervously, staring it down for a few seconds, before finally going to press it.
The doors swung open before his finger could touch it.
Three pairs of eyes all fixed on the bedraggled, slightly-out-of-breath man that stood in the doorway.
“Oh, great,” Dr. Strange said. “Because I didn’t have enough to deal with today.”
“Mr.— Er, Dr. Strange, sir?” Peter 1 asked tentatively, searching his features. “Do you...”
“Remember you? I do now,” Stephen answered. Peter blinked, hope blossoming in his chest.
“Then the spell—”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Strange cut him off again, gesturing for the three of them to enter.
They did, the other two Peters taking in the grand room as the doors slammed shut behind them.
“The spell hasn’t been changed,” Strange explained as he led them up a staircase. “What did change, however, is the multi-verse itself. I only just got back from a week spent between and in other dimensions.”
“Why?” Peter 1 asked, brow furrowing.
“It’s a very long story, which I don’t really feel like rehashing at the moment. The long story short is that myself and Ms. Maximoff have gained certain...insights about how the multi-verse works. We had to learn a few new tricks to contain the threat that would have destroyed not only our lives, but those of countless other worlds.
“And one of those new insights,” he turned sharply to face them. “Included suddenly recollecting what transpired with you three a few months ago. I’m the only one who remembers you, unfortunately.”
“Oh,” Peter 1 said, his voice faltering. “You didn’t happen to learn another method to keeping all the bad guys out of this universe, right? One that would...let my friends remember me?”
“No.” Strange said, his gaze softening almost imperceptibly.
Peter 1 nodded, glancing away. “Ok. That’s kinda what I figured.”
The other two Peters frowned.
“If the spell didn’t change, how come we remember him?” Peter 2 asked.
“That,” Stephen said, “is an interesting question. And one we are going to find the answer to right now.” He led them into the wide open space below the Sanctum’s circular window.
“All three of you hold still,” he said curtly, beginning to weave glimmering strands of orange around them. The Peters exchanged a look, glancing back at the doctor with somewhat dubious expressions.
Strange’s magic seemed different from before. The runes were more loopy, and the color swirled to an almost hypnotizing rainbow blend as he worked.
A few moments later, and he gave an abrupt jerk of his hands.
The colorful strands snapped into condensed, straight lines at the gesture, weaving between the three Peters in a bold, intricate pattern.
Stephen raised a brow. “Well, this both explains and complicates things.”
“Care to enlighten us?” Peter 3 gave him an expectant smile.
“You’re...linked.” Stephen continued to study the lines. “In complex, invisible energy. It must be why you ended up in this universe after the multi-versal shift. It seems that the change caused you to be snapped back together, so to speak.”
“...Ok? So what caused that?” Peter 2 asked.
“If I had to hazard a guess? This link probably formed when you originally came here.”
The doctor crossed his arms, leveling a gaze at all of them. “There’s more than a few possibilities for how this transpired. Bonds like this are rare, but can form under the effect of a variety of different magic types.”
He paused, considering. “If you ask me, the most likely reason is that it is a misplaced effect of the initial spell that brought you here. It’a not out of the question, given the tampering that occurred during its casting.” He sent Peter 1 a pointed look, which he answered with a sheepish smile. “So, the initial spell created a bond, the recast didn’t fully or even partially destroy it, and then the multi-verse changed. The magic of the bond was stirred up by the change, and resulted in all three of you getting tugged right back together.”
“And that explains how they didn’t forget me...how?” Peter 1 furrowed his brow.
“Either the recent shift affected the spell’s reach across dimensions...or I’m right, and the strands tying you resisted it.”
“Soo...Why didn’t it tie me to all the villains, too?” Peter 1 asked hesitantly.
Strange lifted a hand in a vaguely annoyed and confused manner. “Because the three of you are all Peter Parker? You’re more or less duplicates of each other in your own world.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is much more of a clusterf—” Stephen’s eyes flitted to Peter 1, “—luff than I anticipated.”
Peter 1 scoffed. “Hey, I’m not two. It’s ok to curse around me.”
“So what you’re basically saying is...we’re connected via some form of magic, and it’s because we’re all the same? Did the spell just...get confused and lump us together as the same person or something?” Peter 3 asked.
“Wouldn’t bet on the last part, magic is more complicated than that,” Strange warned, “but in extremely simple terms, yes.”
“So, we have to what? Cut it?” Peter 1 asked, the blunt and somewhat bleak tone of his voice drawing surprised glances from the other two.
Strange opened his mouth to reply, pausing in thought. He frowned, his tired eyes moving to stare into the distance.
“If I’ve learned anything in the last...week. It has been that nothing is ever so simple when it has to do with the multi-verse. I don’t see any negative effects resulting from your,” he gestured vaguely, “bond. It doesn’t seem to be causing our worlds to collide, or bringing in anymore unwanted guests. So if it exists, and isn’t causing chaos...It should more than likely be left intact.”
The three Peter’s each fell into a silent moment of contemplation.
“So...we just go home and ignore it?”
“Yep.” Strange popped the ‘p,’ adjusting the intricate ring on his hand and beginning to draw glowing runes in the air. “Better sooner than later; things tend to pile up when you leave the universe for awhile. I would know, given the amount of things I should be dealing with right now.”
“Wait, hold on.” Peter 3 stepped forward. Strange grit his teeth, but dropped the runes, letting them fall away. He clearly didn’t want a repeat of the last time a Peter had interrupted his spell.
“Sending us home is great, and pretty necessary and all,” Peter 3 scratched under his chin. “But what if we want to come back?”
“‘Come back?’”
“Yeah.” Peter 2 shifted to stand next to Peter 3, glancing at Peter 1’s surprised expression. “You know. To keep in contact.”
Peter blinked, feeling a sudden lump in his throat as he swallowed.
They wanted to...see him again?
“I’m not a universal taxi service.” Stephen stated bluntly, his exhaustion coming through in his somewhat clipped words. “Being tied together is one thing. Actually going from universe to universe is another. You’re not supposed to be here.”
“How do you know?” Peter 3 asked, tilting his chin. “Maybe the multi-verse wants us to be here.” Peter 2 smirked slightly, nodding in agreement.
Stephen sent them an exasperated look. Then, his eyes moved to Peter 1, lingering.
Peter stared back at him, parting his lips slightly. “It...would be actually really nice,” he said in an uncharacteristically soft voice. “To see them again.”
Strange studied him for another long beat. Unbeknownst to Peter, he was taking in the dark circles under his eyes; the droop to his shoulders. The kid looked...drained. Losing all of your loved ones, directly or indirectly, would likely do that, he thought to himself. His eyes moved back to the other two Peters.
“...It depends on how well you could handle it,” he said slowly, holding up a finger as all three immediately went to speak. “And by that, I mean making sure a magical item doesn’t fall into anyone’s hands but your own.”
“Whoa, ‘magical item’? That sounds so awesome,” Peter 3 beamed.
“It won’t be ‘awesome’ if you end up using it for the wrong reasons,” Stephen said sharply. “I could modify a sling ring with the enchantment I have learned for universal travel. With restrictions to keep it between your three worlds only, of course. The magic from your bond should make wielding it possible. But it will still be a huge liability. And responsibility.”
The three of them exchanged a glance. Peter 2 smiled, turning to Doctor Strange.
“Well, luckily for you, responsibility is kind of our speciality.”
And that was how they ended up with a sling ring in each of their palms within the next hour.
“Like I said,” Strange spoke as he watched them test the rings out, sparks sputtering weakly. “They will only grant you access between your three universes. If I catch any wind of anything potentially dangerous interfering between the three, then I’ll be forced to cut the communication between you.”
“It sounds like you and Ms. Maximoff have everything under pretty good control.” Peter 1 spoke up, watching the other two attempt to wield magic.
“For all our sake’s, I would hope so,” Strange replied. “She’ll sense if anything’s awry, too. The double safety net is the only reason I’m allowing this.”
“Thanks for the confidence, Doc,” Peter 3 spoke up, lowering his hand as a wobbly, yet functional portal showed an alleyway presumably in his universe. He turned to the other two Peters, giving each a squeeze on the shoulder. “I’ll see you guys soon!” He sent them a salute, before stepping backwards into the portal.
“I wasn’t done—” Stephen tried, but it was too late. Peter 3 had vanished.
“We can catch him up to speed,” Peter 2 volunteered, still working at his own portal. The glowing ring grew steadily stronger.
“The ground rules are basically not to bring anything or anyone but yourselves through. And don’t stay too long; I’m not sure if there could be any adverse effects.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Peter 2 retraced the circle as his portal fizzled out once more. “Just for friendly visits, right?”
Stephen glanced at Peter 1. “Right,” he said, pushing away the thought that this was a questionably absurd plan.
There wasn’t too much that could go wrong here. He and Wanda had it handled, unlike before, when the multi-verse was a complete unknown. It was still a mystery, of course—but he had more control of it now.
“There we go,” Peter 2 muttered, his portal finally stabilizing. “So when we want to come back, we just picture this place, right?”
“I would prefer you not to make a habit of coming and going through the Sanctorum,” Stephen said, already envisioning the annoyance. “Try to find somewhere else.”
“Alright, fair enough.” Peter 2 lowered his hands, turning back to Peter. Peter gave him a quiet smile, returning the brief grasp of his arm the older spider gave him.
“See you soon, Peter.”
“See you soon,” Peter replied.
Peter 2 vanished through the portal, leaving Peter with a strange mix of emotions.
The empty pit in his stomach felt a little lighter.
Someone remembered.
Maybe he wasn’t completely alone.