Archive of Our Own ^beta

You felt disoriented as you looked around your surroundings. Yes, this was New York… but not your New York. One minute, you had been in the Sanctum Sanctorum, working on a new spell, the next, you found yourself in the middle of Central Park, with everything around you feeling just a little… off.
Whatever had happened, you were pretty sure it wasn't your fault. Yes, you had been in the process of reading up on some very tricky and somewhat dangerous spell, but merely absorbing information on a certain topic couldn't have caused such an odd event to happen.
Being the Sorcerer Supreme wasn't always easy. It could be quite lonely sometimes. Living in such a big house, all alone. The worst were the nights. That loneliness, that emptiness, was the reason you even approached magic in the first place.
After losing the love of your life, you hadn't been able to bear your own existence. Every waking moment was pure agony. And so you had looked into ways to bring him back. That's how you'd made your way towards the path you were now on.
At first, it was only about him. Find a way to save him, find a way to bring him back to you. And after a few failed attempts and some near catastrophes, you finally accepted that it simply wasn't meant to be.
By that time, you had learned so much, you had become the most powerful witch known to exist. Your drive to get your love back had pushed you to your limits. And so when your mentor tragically passed, you then became the new Sorcerer Supreme.
You turned around slowly, scanning everything around you. You couldn't put your finger on what the problem was. Everything looked normal, but there was just something weirdly off about the energy around you.
Well, going back home would be a good start. You had absolutely no idea how you ended up in Central Park, of all places, but opening a portal right then and there would probably not be the best idea, so you opted to make your way to a more secluded area first.
After making sure no one could see you, you opened up a portal to the room you were last in before you landed in the park. Cautiously stepping through, you looked at the table where your book had been, now completely bare of anything.
The strange feeling you'd had in the park never left you. Everything felt different. Not bad, but not yours. Some things were the same in the Sanctorum, but a few little details were out of place. You continued to explore, slowly making your way through the rooms.
How did this happen? And more importantly what was "this"? You kept mentally going through everything you knew about spells and magic as you looked around.
This sort of felt like… no. No, there was nothing that proved that the multiverse was real… you'd looked into it before, fascinated by the concept, but came up empty.
Buried deep into your thoughts, you almost didn't register your knee-jerk reaction of conjuring up shields and turning around as magic awfully similar to your own lashed out at you.
"And who the hell might you be?" asked the man who had just attacked you. He sounded bored, but you could see in his eyes that he was intrigued.
"I could ask you the same question, cape guy." At this he raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you doing in my house?" you demanded.
"I'm sorry… your house? Last I checked, the Sanctum Sanctorum is the home of the Sorcerer Supreme. And that would be me." The little smirk on his face made you want to roll your eyes.
When he'd seen your shields, he opted for the same tactic. So there you were, fifteen feet apart, holding your defenses up and eyeing each other with mutual uncertainty.
"I can feel the power radiating from you… whoever you are, you're strong," he mused, more to himself than addressing you. "How come I've never seen you around before?" Now this was actually directed at you. And you were wondering the same thing. He was clearly very powerful too. And if he were around your Sanctum Sanctorum, your New York, about an hour ago, you would've sensed him. Which meant that…
"What do you know about the multiverse..?" you started cautiously, not sure how he would react to such a question, although he surely would get the implications.
All he did was slowly lower his hands, letting the magic fade away. You let your own fall as well, looking at him, awaiting his answer.
"Fuck." Was all he said.

~

You panted, trying to recover your breath after the exertion of the last few moments. You shook your head in disbelief as you looked at the giant lizard-like creature staring and growling at you from behind its invisible barrier.
You and this reality's Sorcerer Supreme, who you'd learned was named Stephen Strange, had barely had any time to discuss the situation before a young apprentice of his came running to tell him of a big disturbance in the streets.
He hadn't seemed too trusting of you, but he still opted to let you come with him, probably so that he could keep an eye on you.
You'd seen some pretty weird things in your time as the Sorcerer Supreme, and even some before that. But you had not expected to come face to face with a huge talking lizard.
Two skilled wizards made quick work of the beast, but it did manage to land a few hurtful blows. You brought your hand to your bleeding temple, trying to judge how deep the cut was.
After deciding it wasn't bad enough to require stitches, you turned to Strange. "So, before we were so rudely interrupted by the lizard, you were about to say?"
He looked at you then, coming out of his thoughts. "Hmm? Oh, right. That. Yes, well, our new friend here seems to be confirming what I suspected."
You raised an eyebrow at this, willing him to explain further.
He sighed deeply before continuing, "You see, this young man needed my help. He needed me to make everyone forget about his superhero identity. But he kept- that little- anyway, long story short, the spell got messed up. I had to contain it, which I thought I had. But it seems… that some people have slipped through. Like you."
You nodded slowly. You could see how that could've happened. If a spell got changed too many times mid-casting, it could quickly turn into a disaster.
"Okay, yeah, so your spell got messed up and it pulled a bunch of people from different universes into this one." He nodded in acknowledgement, wincing slightly. This was clearly a very proud man who stood before you, and admitting to any sort of error seemed very hard for him. You understood that well. You weren't very tolerant of your own shortcomings.
Up to that point, it made sense. Well, as much sense as this situation could make. But… "What you're gonna have to explain to me, though, is what me and that thing over there-" you gestured vaguely to the lizard in front of you, "-could possibly have in common that would drag the both of us here?"
"Would you, by any chance, know of a man named Peter Parker, who likes to dress in a skin-tight red and blue suit and swing around New York City?" he asked you. And the air was once again gone from your lungs, but for a completely different reason this time.
"What," you whispered, barely audible.
"Peter Parker, young man, swings around-" he started to repeat, but you quickly cut off.
"No, stop. I heard you the first time. Yes… yes, I know him. I mean, I- I knew him… are you saying that- that he's here? I don't-" you stopped yourself from rambling, trying to calm your breathing. No, this couldn't be- couldn't be happening. There had to be some mistake.
"Wow, okay, that's quite the response, I'm sorry," Stephen said awkwardly, avoiding your gaze. "I didn't mean to upset you. But this all comes back to him. If everyone who knows Peter Parker is Spider-Man in the multiverse gets pulled here, we will have a much bigger problem on our hands. I- I really hate to say this, but I could use your help with this."
You nodded, too stunned about everything you'd just heard to speak, but agreeing nonetheless.

~

Strange was readying to bring Peter in. You were doing your best to calm yourself, hiding your hands behind your back to mask your shaking. You knew you would be disappointed, but you couldn't help the sliver of hope you felt deep inside.
And then, there he was. At least, you assumed that was him. He was just a kid. You felt a pang in your chest as you saw his face. You knew there had been no chance, but still, a lone tear fell down your cheek as you looked at the young man who was this universe's Spider-Man.
The boy hadn't seen you yet, too engrossed in his conversation with Strange. You'd taken a step back, not wanting to intrude on the conversation. And if you were honest with yourself, you needed a minute to compose yourself. You'd been through a lot of emotions in the past few hours, and this was all beginning to be a bit too much for you.
"Um Sir- I mean, Stephen, who is that?"
You snapped back to reality as you saw the young man approaching you cautiously. You chuckled a little as you saw his hands in a near fighting position as he observed you, ready to attack at any moment.
"She's another one of our multiversal guests. But unlike the others, she doesn't seem to have a strong desire to see you dead, so I decided she might be more useful out here then in there." Stephen explained, as he gestured to where the lizard and the tentacled man were.
"Gee, thanks." You chuckled darkly. That comment about Peter dying affected you more than you would've liked. Even though he wasn't anything like the man you lost, you instantly felt a need to protect this kid from anyone that might want to harm him.
"Oh, um, I'm sorry," Peter said quickly, lowering his hands as he shrugged in a little apologetic gesture. "Just a bit on edge at the moment." He said humorously.
Maybe there were in fact some similarities between him and your Peter. That simple gesture he had made. The mere sight of that nervous energy made you tear up again.
Peter looked at you curiously, slowly taking a few steps towards you. "Um, ma'am? Are you alright? You're crying," he said softly. You shook your head a little, willing the tears to stop. This was ridiculous. You had to get a hold of yourself.
You wiped a stray tear from your face before answering him. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay kid. Don't worry about me." You let out a small laugh when you thought of how you must seem to this kid who didn't know you. And the mere sight of him causing you to break down like this… You really would never heal from this.
"And please, don't call me ma'am. Makes me feel old. I'm Y/N," you added, giving him a smile.
"Okay… nice to meet you, Y/N," he said as he eyed you cautiously, not sure he believed you when you said you were okay, but deciding to drop it.
You were grateful for that, because you couldn't even begin to explain to this young man what your reaction had been about. Especially if you didn't want to start crying in front of alternate reality strangers again.
"Nice to meet you, too, Peter."

~

"Peter, don't."
You watched as the young man webbed the device Strange and you had created to send everyone back to the universes they belonged to. You understood where the kid was coming from. He wanted to save everyone. He didn't want to send these people back to their deaths.
But Strange was right, if it was their fate, that's how it had to be. It was a matter that shouldn't be messed with. And plus, you had to say, you were looking forward to returning to your own world.
You glanced at the new people Peter had brought in. They were an odd bunch. A guy made of sand, an electricity dude, and a seemingly perfectly normal man. But you knew better. You could sense it. There was something deeply disturbed inside that man, fighting for control. He probably was the most dangerous of them all.
You saw Peter and Strange begin to struggle for the box. You were about to help Strange, but you noticed the electric guy getting agitated, and the lights flickering as he moved his fingers worried you. So you decided that Strange could handle this on his own, and opted to go reinforce the force field around the man's prison.
You had to be careful, as he seemed to absorb almost any kind of energy into himself.
Once you were satisfied with your work, you looked at the two young people who had been observing you the whole time. "Stay out of trouble, you two. I'll be right back. Or, actually… I probably won't. Anyways, it was nice to meet you both," you told them as you opened a portal to just outside the Sanctum Sanctorum.
"It was so cool to meet you, Miss Sorcerer Supreme!" Ned exclaimed, making you laugh as you stepped through the portal, letting it close behind you.
You looked around, searching the energy around you, trying to feel where Strange and Peter had gone.
Realization hit you when you couldn't sense them anywhere. Yes, of course, Strange would've taken him to the Mirror Dimension. That's where he could be in control. Joining another universe's, another sorcerer's mirror dimension wouldn't be easy. It took a few attempts for you to be able to make your way through.
And once you were there, you felt so disoriented. It felt like the first time you had been in the mirror dimension. You felt like it was controlling you, instead of the other way around, as it should be.
You couldn't see Strange or the kid anywhere. You felt completely out of place here. You shouldn't have tried to join them. You'd be a liability more than an asset right now. So you opted to get out and wait for them to come back.
You tried to step out, back into the normal New York streets. But… nothing happened. No, this couldn't be happening. You couldn't be stuck there. You took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself. Before trying again.
And again.

~

You gasped as you finally made your way back into New York. You had no idea how long you'd been stuck in the Mirror Dimension, but you knew it had been a while.
You'd tried finding Strange, but to no avail. The kid must've gotten the better of him somehow, cause if he had pressed the button, you would've gone back to your own reality. At least, you hoped. You hoped the Mirror Dimension hadn't screwed up your one shot at going home.
You shook your head, not letting yourself go there. Even if somehow you had missed the window to go home, there had to be another way to make it back somehow. If you had crossed universes to get here, you could do it again.
But first, you had to find the people responsible for this mess.
Your search of the Sanctorum turned up empty. No sign of Strange, or the kid. Or anyone else for that matter. Even the cells were empty. Not a good sign for you. Maybe you really were the only one left from a different reality.
You took a steadying breath, calming your racing thoughts, before trying to search the energy around you to locate Strange. Two Sorcerer Supremes would be better than one to be able to find another way to get you home.
It was faint, but you could feel something. It didn't feel quite like Strange's signature magic, but it was definitely worth checking out.
You opened a portal leading to the source of the energy, quickly stepping through, readying for whoever you might find on the other side.
The surprise was evident on your face as you realized that the only people present in the room with you were MJ and Ned. No sign of Strange anywhere. Or Peter.
You let your defensive magic fall away when you came to the conclusion that there was no imminent threat around you.
Your attention went to the tv playing in the background, speaking of an attack on a building, at least one dead, and the "spider menace" being responsible.
Shit. You'd been stuck long enough for something terrible to happen in your absence.
Your gaze then landed on the device on the kitchen table. If it was still there, and there'd been an attack, it meant that…
"How come you guys have this? What happened to Strange?" you questioned the teenagers, pointing at the box.
"It's um… a long story." MJ said, gesturing vaguely, offering no information whatsoever.
You raised an eyebrow expectantly, waiting for elaboration.
MJ stayed quiet, but Ned then began to ramble. "Oh Miss Sorcerer Supreme, things have been so crazy! Peter trapped Doctor Strange in that cool geometry dimension place, and he escaped with the box. He gave it to us, for safekeeping, and he went off with all the supervillains to cure them at Happy's place, but… but I guess something went wrong, cause they turned on him, and now May's dead, and we don't know where Peter is, and- and-"
"Dude!" MJ cut him off, her tone exasperated.
You felt a pang in your chest at hearing of May's death. If this Peter was anything like yours, May was his only family. And he was still so young. Just a kid.
"Look, guys, I'm really sorry this is happening. But we need to hit that button right now. It'll put a stop to all of this. The longer these people stay here, the more damage they'll cause. And the more your friend will get hurt." You tried to explain as gently as possible, but as soon as you brought up the box, MJ reached out for it and held it tightly against her chest, shielding it from you. They weren't gonna make this easy.
You sighed heavily.
"No! This was Peter's decision. And if we take that away from him, it'll make everything that just happened be for nothing. It'll mean May died for nothing…" MJ tried to reason with you. You understood where she was coming from, but letting these people run loose for even five more minutes could have disastrous consequences on this reality.
"I understand, MJ. But these people… and even me, we don't belong here. We have to go back. The longer we stay, the more at risk your world is. And with Strange… incapacitated-" you frowned at that, you couldn't help but be impressed by the fact that the young Spider-Man had managed to neutralize the wizard. "I feel like it's up to me to see this through. So please, don't make this any harder than it has to be. Just… give me the box, MJ," you finished your plea, holding your hand out towards her. But she only shook her head fiercely, taking a step back.
You sighed again. "I really don't wanna have to do this," you said apprehensively as you conjured a sliver of magic.
"Wait! Wait, please!" Ned exclaimed, and you looked in his direction, giving him your attention. "Just… just let us see him first, please. He… he really needs us. And right before you got here I was- I was about to open a portal!" You raised your eyebrow at this, doubtful, you eyed MJ who quickly nodded in affirmation of Ned's claim. "It's true, I swear! Just look!"
You shook your head at his antics, but before you could say anything, he started moving his hand in a circling motion. "I just wish we could see him! I wish we could see Peter!" Sparks flew as Ned spoke and gestured. A portal slowly began to appear, and all you could do was gape.
Damn, the kid was actually telling the truth. Impressive for someone with absolutely no training whatsoever.
The portal opened onto Peter Parker. He was standing in an alley. He turned to face the new light illuminating the street, slowly making his way towards the portal.
Yes, this was definitely Spider-Man. But… it didn't seem to be their friend. He was taller, a bit leaner. He made his way into the kitchen and as MJ went into a defensive position- you liked her spirit, that girl- he raised his hands in surrender, indicating he meant no harm.
And then with one of his already raised hands, he reached to remove his mask, uncovering his face.
Your heart stopped beating altogether when he did. You gasped, tears instantly starting to fall down your face.
"Peter," you said, barely above a whisper.

~

"Yeah, Peter, that's me!" He pointed wildly to himself. "Peter Parker, I'm Spider-Man, well, not your-" His rambling instantly stopped. As well as any and all movement of his body. He had finally taken his eyes off the young people looking at him with mistrust, to look towards the person who had called his name. Any words he had been planning to say left him completely as his eyes landed on you. His arms fell to his sides. Tears began to fill his eyes as he looked at you, not believing what he was seeing.
"Y/N?" He said your name like a question, voice cracking as he said it.
"Peter." Was all that would come out of your mouth as tears kept falling down your face.
The next few seconds were a blur. One second, you were looking at him from across the room, the next, you were in his arms as he held you tightly to him.
You buried your face in his neck as you pulled him closer to you, never wanting to let go. You felt his body shake with silent sobs as he caressed your hair. You could hear him mumbling to himself, "This is real, you're real." Over and over again.
You pulled away slightly, feeling the need to see his face, needing that same reassurance as he did that this was in fact real.
"Peter," you whispered, bringing a hand up to his face, to feel his skin beneath your fingertips. The smile that lit his face as he watched your own made tears escape your eyes once again.
You couldn't believe this moment, after all these nights spent dreaming of it.
"Y/N, I thought I'd never see you again." He used his thumb to brush away a few stray tears from your cheeks. "But- but how is this possible, I don't- I- I lost you…" he trailed off, and that statement brought you back to reality.
"Right. I, um-" You disentangled yourself from him, needing to put some distance between you two if you were expected to form a coherent thought and put more than two words together. He frowned in disappointment at the sudden lack of contact, but respected it and looked at you with still tearful eyes.
MJ cleared her throat awkwardly and you turned to look at her and Ned, who both seemed uncomfortable as they observed you and Peter.
"I'm guessing you guys know each other," said Ned as he shot a knowing glance at MJ.
"Um yeah, you could say that," you responded a bit awkwardly, just now realizing that you'd had your little moment with Peter with an audience. The second you'd seen him, you had completely forgotten about the existence of anyone else in the room. Anyone else on earth.
You glanced back to him to make sure he was still there, that you hadn't imagined it. His eyes were still glued to you, never leaving you for a second. There was so much going on in his eyes. Those eyes you adored so and never expected to see again. You saw hope and pain mixed in there, with some relief and confusion.
"So, that means he's really Peter? He checks out?" MJ asked you, eyeing him suspiciously as she pulled the box closer to her.
"Yes, he's-" your voice cracked a little, but you willed the tears to stay at bay. "He's really Peter." You looked at him again, committing every feature of his face to memory.
"Prove it." You heard MJ say, addressing Peter. "Stick to something."
"What?" Peter said, taking his eyes off you for the first time since he saw you to look at the young girl who was staring at him menacingly. "No." He shook his head quickly.
"Yes!" she exclaimed, nodding.
"MJ, this isn't necessary, I told you, he's-" you started, but stopped talking, shocked as you saw MJ pick up a piece of bread and throw it at Peter, who watched it bounce off him and fall to the ground.
He shrugged slowly, lifting his arms up with the movement. "Why'd you do that?" he asked softly.
"I wanted to see if you had the tingle thing," she said, watching his movements carefully.
He exhaled before speaking. "I have the tingle thing… just not for bread," he explained slowly, and you couldn't help the little chuckle that escaped you.
God, he really was your Peter. Not just the looks, but the personality as well.
Without even realizing, you took a step towards him. Needing to be close to him again.
He sensed your movement and closed the distance between you two, coming to stand close enough to you that your arms were touching. You fought the urge to pull him into a hug again, to bury yourself into him and never let go. Now was not the time. There would be time for that later, you'd make sure of that.
You turned your attention back to the girl on the other side of the table. "MJ, please, put the bread down. I'm telling you, he is Spider-Man." She didn't seem to fully believe you still, but she finally resigned to putting her makeshift weapon down onto the table.
"And-" you heaved a sigh, not fully believing what you were about to say, but speaking wholly from the heart, "-you can put the box down. I'm not gonna take it from you. I'll die before I let anyone press that button." You looked back to Peter as you finished your sentence, another stray tear falling down your face. And MJ must've sensed the truth behind your words, because she dropped the device back on the table, nodding slowly in understanding.

~

You hadn't had a second alone with Peter since that first encounter. Things moved pretty fast from the moment Ned tried to find his Peter again, and instead opened a portal onto yet another universe's Peter.
The two Peter's had a little showdown as soon as the new one came into the picture, but things settled down pretty fast. You all agreed that this universe's Peter needed his friends, and could also use the other two's help.
You'd almost started crying again when your Peter mentioned the Empire State Building, instantly remembering all the times he brought you there with him to get away from everything. Those moments were some of your best memories with him. It felt like being on top of the world, untouchable, completely disconnected from reality, just the two of you.
MJ had said she thought she knew where that place would be for her Peter, and so you opened up a portal to their high school. Your Peter had shot you an incredulous look then. "Woah okay, that's um- that's something," he said, glued to his spot, his eyes on you.
"Yeah… it's a long story," you told him. You hoped you'd get a chance to explain later on, but right now was not the moment to get into all that.
You looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to go through and join the others, but he was still frozen in place, staring at you.
"Pete," you said gently, nodding your head towards the portal.
A small smile appeared on his face at the nickname, that was what you always used to call him. He gave his head a little shake, getting out of his stupor. "Right, yes, sorry," he said quickly, finally willing his legs to move and stepping through the portal.
You couldn't help the smile that formed on your own face. This situation was a proper mess, but it also was starting to feel like the best day of your life. This was all you'd ever dreamed of, just to even be able to see his face again, let alone hold him in your arms, feel his skin on yours.
You shook your head, realizing you still hadn't made your way to the other side, the others staring at you, waiting. You felt quite silly, standing there with what was probably an awful longing look on your face, just after chastising Peter for wasting time.
You made your way to them, letting the portal fade out behind you.

~

You let MJ and Ned have a moment with their friend before you and the two Peter's made your way down to them. You knew what it was like to lose someone you loved more than anything. Nothing could ever fully sew up that wound, but the love of friends was the best way to heal from it.
But now there you were, trying to help this kid get back on his feet. You saw it in his eyes, something was broken in him. You understood that feeling all too well. You'd gone down a dark path yourself for a while, you didn't want the same thing to happen to him.
But you felt the other two men with you would be more suited to get through to him, so you stepped aside, staying quiet while they spoke to him.
"Don't tell me you understand, cause you don't!" The youngest Peter shouted. Such raw pain in his voice, it broke your heart. You wished there was something you could do to make this better for him.
"I lost… I lost Y/N." You heard the break in your Peter's voice as he spoke, your head turning towards him as you heard him say your name. You saw that his eyes were already on you. "She- she was my MJ," he said, tears spilling down his face as he tried to get the words out through his sobs. "I couldn't save her. I'm never gonna be able to forgive myself for that." He looked back to Peter as he finished, trying to swallow back his tears.
Your heart broke into a million little pieces again. You had suspected as much, but hearing him say it, you couldn't bear to think of him having to endure the same pain you went through.
You had opted to stay silent up until now, but you had to add something. "I lost my Peter." You shot a quick glance at the one who looked and acted and was in every way that mattered just like yours. You saw that his eyes were on you, but you turned back to the youngest Peter, knowing you couldn't get through saying this while looking at the man you loved, the man you lost.
"He was… he was everything to me. He was the best thing in my life. I got in trouble…" You bit back on the sob that tried to escape your throat. "And of course, there he was, swooping right in. He saved me. He saved me, and it cost him his life. Loving me cost him his life." You couldn't help the tears now, your voice cracking on every other word. You finally dared to look at your Peter, and you saw that he was crying as much as you were. "There hasn't been a day since where I don't wish I was the one who'd died…" you trailed off.
"Don't say that," your Peter said, shaking his head, tears still falling down his face. "Don't… just don't say that." He kept shaking his head, and you took a small step towards him. "Please." That last word had been so quiet, so broken, barely above a whisper, you were pretty sure you were the only one who'd heard it.
You closed the distance between the two of you, letting your hand rest on his forearm, giving it a comforting squeeze. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have." He kept on shaking his head, and you took your other hand to wipe a few years away from his cheek. "Hey, it's okay. Look at me." His movements finally stopped, his eyes resting on you. "It's okay," you repeated. He gave a little nod, trying to smile through his pain, for your benefit.

~

You were looking at the two Peter's across the room who seemed deep in conversation, wishing you could hear what they were talking about, but not wanting to intrude. Your eyes fell onto the youngest Peter, who was forehead to forehead with MJ, loving smiles adorning both of their faces.
You couldn't help your gaze from jumping back to your Peter as you felt a longing for what they had, for what you once had, with him, only to find his eyes already on you. You quickly looked away, but his eyes never left you. You didn't dare look back, but you could feel the intensity of his gaze.
It was harder than you'd imagined, being around him. Not that that's how you'd imagined this happening. No, in the million different scenarios you'd made up in your head as to how you might get him back, to make falling asleep a bit more bearable, this never came up.
You knew he wasn't actually the man you lost, back from the dead. But in every way that mattered, it was him. And it took everything you had inside of you not to just open a portal, whisk him away to some deserted island and never leave. You were feeling again, and after so many years of being numb to everything, this sensation was overwhelming.
The need to be near him, but not knowing what to say to him.
The growing fear, as this threat looming over your heads got closer, of having to see him die again.
So far into your own head, you didn't sense the person approaching you. A tear fell down your cheek as someone spoke up next to you. "Hey. You okay?"
You jumped a little, turning to see the eldest Peter was standing beside you. You nodded at him, wiping the tear away. God, you'd cried more in a few hours than you had in a whole year. The smile you tried to send his way felt forced, even to you. "Yeah."
"I can't imagine... how hard it must be," he said gently. "For the both of you." Your eyes followed his, who went to your Peter. He was focused on his lizard cure, grabbing something out of the pockets of his lab coat. His tongue poked out a little on the side, and you smiled fondly at the sight. That was Peter's concentrated look. He always denied doing it. It was one of the many things that made him absolutely endearing to you.
"But, you know," Peter continued, and you turned your attention back to him. "To me, this seems like… like a second chance. I know it's not the same as it was before. But… you both ended up here. Out of the infinite amount of people who could've slipped through, you did. You and him. I think that's the universe's way of giving you another shot at happiness. And despite what you both seem to think, you deserve to be happy." The smile on his face was so warm, his words so comforting, you couldn't stop yourself from pulling the man into a hug.
He let out a surprised laugh, but hugged you back instantly, patting your back gently.
"Thank you," you said as you pulled away from him. "I needed that. And I- I think you're right." You smiled tentatively, and he gave your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Well, go on then," he said, still smiling, as he jerked his head towards the man in the lab coat.
You nodded, making your way towards your Peter.

~

He was captivated by his work. So focused on the serum he was concocting that he didn't even notice your presence next to him. Or maybe he thought it was just the other Peter back again.
"So, how's it coming along?" you asked him, and his head quickly turned to you, surprise evident on his face.
He looked at you for a long moment before mumbling almost inaudibly: "What?"
You let out a small laugh, gesturing with your head to the thing on the counter in front of him. "What you're working on, to cure Dr. Connors," you clarified. You found it slightly amusing, how he seemed to be completely unable to focus on anything else when you were near him. But you couldn't really blame him, considering you felt the exact same way about having him so close to you. Close enough to touch, but not knowing if you could allow yourself to. It was torture.
"Oh um yeah, it's- it's done actually. As soon as we get him to-" he picked up the device, and mimicked biting down on it, earning an amused smile from you. "We'll have ourselves a cured lizard." He put the thing back down, turning his body to face you fully. That caused the distance between you two to be reduced even further than before, and it took up most of your concentration to keep your hand from resting on his chest.
You took a small step back, needing to if you were to form a coherent sentence. And you'd had enough displays of affection in front of all these, although very nice, still near strangers. You had to show some restraint. At least in public.
Peter frowned a little in disappointment when he saw you move away, but he didn't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable, so he stayed where he was.
Now it was your turn to be too busy staring at him to talk. You'd approached him with the confidence earned by your little pep talk from the other Peter, but you didn't know where to even begin with this conversation.
"So… what's up?" he ended up asking when he realized you wouldn't speak without being prompted, his hand going to the top of his head to scratch at his hair. He always did that when he was nervous or unsure about a situation.
You shook your head a little, willing yourself to say something. You had to do this, you'd regret it for the rest of your life if you didn't at least try. "Right. Well, since you're… done with the cure for Connors… and the others are still busy, do you think we could, I don't know, maybe go somewhere a little more… private and… talk?" You managed to get the words out, and you looked at him, your eyes hopeful as you awaited his response.
He nodded, a smile appearing on his face. "Yeah, sure. That'd be really great, actually." He nodded again in affirmation, his smile growing at the thought of being alone with you, finally, and you allowed yourself a smile of your own, letting some of the tension in you go.
"Hey guys," you addressed the whole room, raising your voice a little to be sure everyone would hear you. They all turned to you and waited for you to continue. "Me and Peter… we'll just be up on the roof for a little while. We'll be back soon, but if you need us before, just let us know…" you trailed off a little awkwardly. This universe's Peter just nodded and returned to his work, but the other one gave you an encouraging smile and a thumbs up with both hands. "You got this," you saw him mouth to you. You blushed a little, hoping your Peter hadn't noticed the other's little display, but looking at him, you knew he had. He had a questioning look in his eyes, but a hint of a knowing smile appeared on his lips.
"Okay so... shall we?" he asked you, gesturing towards the staircase with his hand. But you didn't wanna waste any time and give opportunity to the other Peter to embarrass you further, so you conjured a portal and swept it over you two, making you instantly be on the top of the highschool.
"Oh, okay." Peter laughed, a little shocked by the sudden change of surroundings. "I guess that's one way to do it." He grinned, impressed by your skills, and you returned his smile with a small grin of your own.
"Now that we don't have an audience..." he started, and you waited for him to finish his thought, as he seemed to be hesitating. "Do you think… would it be okay if I um…" He looked at the ground as he trailed off, his feet shuffling with nervous energy.
You didn't know what he wanted to ask, but whatever it was, it was definitely okay. "Yes," you told him, making his head snap up to look at you.
"But I didn't even actually a-" he started quickly, but you interrupted him.
"Peter, yes." You looked at him intently, willing him to understand that there wasn't a single thing he could do that would make you uncomfortable.
He nodded, more to himself than at you. "Okay, good," he mumbled, and then his arms were around you.
You let out a small sigh of contentment as he held you tight, his face buried in the crook of your neck.
"You sure this is okay?" You heard him ask, his voice muffled as he hadn't bothered to remove his face from its position before speaking.
"This is far beyond okay," you responded, running a hand through his hair. You felt him hold on a little tighter, if that was even possible.
T he whole world faded away in that moment. No crazy evil scientists, no multiverse, just you and Peter.
You didn't know how long you'd stayed like that, just enjoying the feeling of him. But you were brought out of that moment when you felt his body shake with silent sobs.
"Hey, hey, talk to me," you said, your tone gentle and loving. You hated to see him in pain. But he just kept silently crying. "Pete, please," you whispered into his ear. He finally pulled away a little, enough to let you see his tear stained face, but not letting go completely.
He still held you in his arms as he spoke. "I just… I never thought I'd see you again. And I still can't believe you're here, standing in front of me." He bit back on another sob before continuing. "I want to hold you and kiss you and never let you go. But there's a part of me that hates myself for that. There's a part of me that says I should just let you go, that you're better off without me." He brushed a hand over the tears that had started falling on your face as he spoke. "And the thought of having found you again and having to lose you all over is just more than I can stand."
You shook your head at the last part, refusing to even entertain the possibility. "No," you said firmly, and surprise overtook his features. Surprise at the intensity with which you had said that simple word.
"No," you repeated, this time a bit more gently. You looked deep into his eyes as you spoke. "There is no world or universe in which I am better off without you. You are the only thing that has ever made me happy, and without you, I feel empty." Your voice cracked a few times, but you pushed past the tears and kept going. "After I lost you, I did everything in my power, I learned new power, to try to get you back. You died because of me. You died because you loved me, you died to save me. And when I realized I couldn't undo that, fix it somehow, I hated myself even more. It sent me down a dark path. And the only way I eventually managed to stop myself was when I got hit by the realization that you'd want nothing to do with the person I was becoming-"
"That would never happen," Peter interrupted, shaking his head, crying along with you.
You smiled through the tears at his reassurance, even though you knew he was wrong. "The me that is happy, the me that is good, the me that is alive and not just surviving, is the me that has you by her side." You took one of his hands in yours, intertwining your fingers with his. "So don't you dare tell me that I'm better off without you in my life, understood?"
He looked down at your hands, bringing them up to his face, and then kissed each of your knuckles one by one, his thumb rubbing on the back of your hand.
"You know I could never stay away from you, even if I tried," he whispered. He took his free hand and put a stray strand of hair back behind your ear, his hand then lingering on your cheek. You leaned into his touch, reveling in the feeling of the skin to skin contact.
You let your forehead rest against his. "I love you, Peter," you said quietly.
He brushed his nose against yours a few times, looking intently into your eyes, making you smile and laugh a little at the adorable gesture. "I love you, Y/N. I love you more than I ever thought was possible to love someone. This is the moment I've dreamed of every night for years, and I will cherish it for the rest of my life. I'm never letting you go again."
He smiled lovingly at you, doing the same little movement with his nose again, before bringing his lips down to yours in a sweet but passionate kiss.
He held on to your hand still as he kissed you, his other hand going behind your neck to pull you closer to him.
You moaned lightly at the gesture, your lips parting in delight, and that was all the much desired access Peter needed.
You felt yourself getting completely lost in Peter. Your free hand grasping at his lab coat to pull him as close to you as humanly possible.
You eventually had to get some oxygen back into your lungs, and so you pulled away, but kept your grip on him, not wanting him to get too far.
You let your forehead rest against his again. "That was…" you breathed.
"Yeah," he agreed, a grin on his face.
"Even better than I remembered," you finished, sighing contently.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed, but you saw that he was still smiling.
You smacked his chest lightly. "Oh come on! You know what I meant," you chastised.
"Yeah. Yeah, I know," he said, nodding. "I thought I'd never have this again… And now I- now I get to just-" He didn't finish his sentence, going back in for another kiss instead.
You smiled against his lips, still not quite believing your luck.
"As much as I'd rather stay up here on this roof with you for the rest of eternity," you told him as you pulled away just enough to be able to speak, your lips still brushing against his as you did so. "We should probably head back downstairs, before someone comes to get us." You turned away from him, taking a few steps in the direction of the staircase, but you didn't make it far before you felt a tug on your wrist, quickly realizing it was one of Peter's webs.
"I don't care." You heard him say in a low tone as you felt yourself twirling back towards him, straight into his arms. You anchored yourself to him, your arms around his neck, as he kissed you once again.
You laughed softly as you pulled away. "Well, that's a neat trick." He grinned at you. "But seriously, Pete, we should-"
"Oh shit! My bad guys!" You heard a voice exclaim from the other side of the roof. You jumped at the sound, putting some distance between you and Peter. You turned towards the source of the noise to find Ned standing there, half covering his eyes as he didn't dare look at you. "I didn't mean to interrupt! But like, we have to go soon, and you said to come get you if we needed… Anyways, I'm gonna go back down now, just… Come when you can? Preferably soon?" he rambled on awkwardly, still not daring to look your way.
"It's okay, Ned, you can uncover your eyes," you laughed, and the young man cautiously took his hand off his face, bringing his eyes to you slowly. He sighed in relief when he saw that what he'd interrupted hadn't been as far along as he had feared.
"You can go back to the others, we'll be right behind you," Peter told him, and Ned nodded, making his way back to the staircase, leaving you and Peter alone once again.
"Well, I did say we should go back before that happened," you said with a small laugh, pointing at where Ned had been standing a few moments ago. You couldn't bring yourself to be embarrassed, though. You truly didn't care, you'd kiss Peter in front of the entire world, let them all know he was yours and you were his.
"Yeah, yeah." He chuckled, pulling you back in for a quick peck on the lips. "Smartass," he mumbled against your lips as he let you go.
You laughed again, happy to find your old banter with him making a return. You brushed your hands quickly over your clothes, doing your best to make yourself look presentable after what had just occurred.
"Oh and by the way," Peter started, making you pause your movements to look at him. "This whole, witchy thing you got going on-" he motioned to your clothes, moving his arm up and down a few times. "It is incredibly hot, and it's doing things to me," he finished, shooting you a suggestive look.
You threw your head back as you laughed. You took a step towards him. "I'm glad to know you appreciate my new style," you told him, leaning near his ear to whisper, "You're not so bad yourself, Spider-Man." You said that last word in a husky tone, not giving him any time to react before making your way towards the stairs.
"Oh believe me, it's more than appreciation," he mumbled to himself, but you heard, and a smirk appeared on your lips as you felt him following.

~

The battle was raging on around you. That lizard was quite tenacious.
You hadn't seen the boys in a little while, you hoped they were alright.

Before you had all made your way to the statue, your Peter had advocated for you to stay with MJ and Ned, to keep you as far away from the fight as possible, afraid to lose you once again.
"Peter, I am not going to hide while all three of you fight," you'd told him, frowning slightly.
He'd shook his head a little frantically in response to your statement. "No, no, Y/N, you… you have to be safe, I can't lose you again," he protested.
"Pete." You'd taken his hand into yours, looking directly into his eyes as you said, "I'm not the same girl I was back then. I can take care of myself. I have my magic-" you let sparkles flow from the hand that wasn't holding his. "And I can't stand by on the sidelines while you all fight to defend this world. I can't lose you."
He nodded, albeit reluctantly, knowing that arguing with you about this was a lost cause. "Yeah… yeah, alright. Just, be careful. Please." He gave your hand a tight squeeze, not letting it go as you both returned to the planning for the battle that awaited you all.
"You too," you responded.

You quickly opened a portal in front of your face, just as a huge lizard hand was reaching for you, closing it back as soon as the hand traversed. Causing the thing before you to howl in pain as his arm got chopped off. You backed away, regaining your footing, as the scream of the lizard morphed into a laugh as he looked at his arm regrowing at an incredible speed.
Fascinating, you thought. But you didn't have time to think more of it, as he lunged for you once again.
You lashed out at him with your magic, pushing him back. It would be quite easy to kill him, if that's what you had wanted to do. But alas, you had to keep him alive and distracted, while he waited for his turn to be cured.
You saw a red and blue suited figure sling by you, but he went by so fast, you couldn't be sure which of the Spider-Man's it had been.
That split second of distraction caused you to miss the lizard's newest assault, you sent him whirling through a portal at the last second, but not fast enough to avoid the laceration you felt on your side.
You bit down on your scream of pain as you tried to locate where you'd sent him. With the sharp pain hitting you, you hadn't been able to focus on where you sent him, just away from you.
You looked down at your side to assess the situation, your hand coming back all bloody. This wasn't good. But you'd live. You used some of your magic to temporarily seal the wound. It'd have to do for now.
You strained your ear to hear the lizard. What you heard instead were screams.
Shit. Ned and MJ. What were they doing here?
You made your way to them as quickly as possible, conjuring up a portal to send them back to safety. "GO!" you yelled, and they started running towards the portal, but just before they could step through, you felt yourself getting knocked down to the ground. With your concentration broken off, the portal disappeared.
The lizard was snapping at you. "Run!" you screamed to Ned and MJ as you struggled against him. You used your magic to keep him at bay, but with him on top of you it wasn't easy.
"Y/N!" You heard a voice scream, and suddenly, the weight on your body was lifted, as you saw the lizard fly into the air and down a few stories. Your Peter landed in front of you, panting. "Y/N! Are you okay?" He didn't wait to hear your answer before checking you for injuries.
"Yes, I'm okay, don't worry about me. Thanks for the assist though." You smiled at him, but he began to frown deeply as he saw the blood on your clothes. The wound must've reopened while you were fighting off the creature.
"No, you're not. You're bleeding." He was shaking his head frantically. He brought his hands to the wound, gently as he could. "How bad is it?" he asked, and you could hear the fear in his voice.
"Pete, it's fine, I swear," you reassured him. "Nothing a little magic can't fix." You brought your hand on top of his, doing what you had done before, but making sure it would stick this time.
He didn't seem to believe you, but he slowly took his hand off your side, giving you a small acknowledging nod.
You pressed a quick kiss to his lips before stepping away from him, getting ready to get back in. "Come on, they need us." You shot him a wink before stepping off the ledge and portaling off.

~

It all happened in slow motion. Strange had returned, and was about to mess everything up, hitting the button. And then he showed up. The Green Goblin. Blowing up the box. Attacking everyone.
And then…
MJ was falling.
Her Peter diving to reach her.
Osborn stopping him at the last second.
And then your Peter screaming.
Diving after her.
Not doing anything to pull himself back until she was safe in his arms.
And finally, them both landing on the ground, unscathed.
A tear fell down your face at the sight. Knowing how healing that must've been for him. You managed to get out of your shock, getting your body to respond to your commands once again, you portaled down to where they were. He was putting MJ down when you arrived, and she thanked him before running to Ned.
You saw his tear stained face as he turned to you, and you ran up to him to pull him close to you, your arms around him.
"You did it. You did it," you whispered in his ear, and he let out a sob, his hand burying itself in your hair.
"I did it," he croaked out, barely above a whisper, nodding slightly.
"You saved her, Pete," you told him, and he pulled you closer to him, another sob escaping him. "I'm so proud of you, my love." You kissed his cheek gently, taking one of your hands to brush the tears away from his face. "It's okay," you whispered reassuringly as you let him feel what he had to feel.

~

It was finally over. Osborn was cured. Peter 2 had stopped Peter 1 from doing something he'd regret for the rest of his life. But…
That box exploding, it created a rift. Rifts, actually. You could see an infinite amount of realities piercing through the veil. If they all came through, it would be a complete disaster.
You looked over to where your Peter and the other one stood, yours supporting the other one's weight after he had gotten stabbed.
You felt awful for even thinking it, but God you were glad it hadn't been your Peter getting stabbed. You didn't think you would've survived the sight, even if he ended up being okay.
You wanted to head over to him, but first, you had to see Strange. You had to figure out if there was anything to be done about this situation.
You saw that the young Peter was already up there with Strange, and so you portaled near them.
"But it would work, right?" You heard Peter ask Strange.
"Yes," Strange said to the young man, making you frown. How could they possibly have found a viable solution to this?
"But Peter, you have to understand. This means that everyone who knows and loves you… we'll forget all about you."
Peter nodded at Strange. "I know."
Ah. So it wasn't a viable solution. That made more sense.
You approached Strange as Peter left to say his goodbyes to the few people he had left.
"No. You can't do this. You can't put him through that," you told him, shaking your head as you walked up to him.
"It's the only way… I wish it could end differently. There isn't much time. I've seen you with the other one, you should go say your goodbyes, while you still can." He looked at you apologetically.
You gave him a stern nod in return. "Fine." Was all you said to him as you turned away.
Say goodbye. To Peter. To the love of your life. Like hell that was happening. But the less Strange knew, the better. You didn't want to have to fight him on this.
You walked onto the shield, finding two out of the three Peter's there. The kid must've been with MJ and Ned.
"Peter," you said, and they both turned to you.
"Yeah?" they said in unison, making you chuckle.
"Um… my Peter," you clarified, and he smiled at the term.
"Right, of course, I'll give you some privacy." The other one said, limping away slowly. Before he got too far, he turned around, addressing you. "It was nice meeting you." He gave you a warm smile. "I'm happy you both got to find each other again. Whatever time we can have together with the person we love is always precious, don't forget that," he finished, turning back to be on his way.
"Hey, Peter," you called to him, causing him to turn his head back towards you. "Thank you," you said, smiling at him. He returned your smile, giving you a nod before he left you two alone.
You turned back to your Peter to find him crying before you. You frowned, starting to ask: "Pete? What's wro-" but before you could finish your sentence, his lips crashed onto yours, kissing you with incredible passion.
He pulled away just enough to speak, letting his forehead rest against yours as he held you, your arms around his neck. "Y/N I can't do this, I can't lose you again, I can't go back to my world, back to my life that's just been empty and lonely ever since I lost you. Now that I've found you again, I don't see how I could survive that." You gasped at his confession, your eyes tearing up, only now realizing why he was so upset.
"Oh Peter, my love." You pulled back from him a little, brushing a strand of hair off his forehead before leaning back into him. "There is no way in hell I'm gonna let that happen," you continued.
"What? How would you-" he looked at you in confusion, but you interrupted him.
"Magic, remember? I'm as powerful as Strange. He won't notice a little tweak to his spell. Or if he does… well, nothing he can do about it at the moment. What's two more super people to this world, anyway? I told you before, we're not losing each other again." You brushed a tear away from his face, wishing to never see him hurting ever again.
He sighed in relief at your words, hugging you close to him. "God, I love you so much," he mumbled against your temple, placing a kiss there.
"I love you, too. More than anything." You smiled at him as your thumb stroked his cheek. "We can make a life for ourselves here. As long as we're together, we can do anything."
He nodded. "As long as we're together. That's all we need." He pressed another kiss to your lips.
"And plus," you added. "Your newfound little brother could use some friendly faces nearby." A bittersweet smile formed on your face at the thought of the kid. You wished there was a way for him not to have to go through this. But at least he wouldn't be completely alone.
"We'll be there for him." Peter smiled lovingly at you as he spoke. "And we'll be there for each other."
"You and me, forever," you said softly.
"Forever," he repeated, placing another kiss on your forehead.

~

You woke up in a bed, in a room you didn't recognize. It seemed to be a hotel.
Everything was starting to come back to you. The battle on the Statue of Liberty, the spell, you modifying it at the last second to stay. It must've put quite a strain on you, cause that was the last thing you remembered. Looking into Peter's eyes before you had begun your own spell to counter some effects of Strange's.
Peter…
"Peter!" you cried out, suddenly nervous. What if it hadn't worked? What if you were back in your own universe, and Peter in his? What if-
But your thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sight of him racing into the room, kneeling beside the bed next to you, taking your hands in his. "Oh Y/N, thank God, you're okay! you're okay, right?" You chuckled at the concern on his face, giving him a smile and a reassuring nod. "Good, good."
"What happened?" you asked him.
"One minute, we were on that shield, and then I was in Central Park. I couldn't see you anywhere, and I started to panic. I called out for you but you weren't answering. I thought it hadn't worked, that I was back home, alone again. But I wouldn't stop searching for you. I found you laying on the ground. My heart stopped completely when I saw you, any relief at finding you instantly gone when I saw that you weren't moving. I rushed to you and realized you were breathing. That allowed me to breathe again, too. I figured that little spell you did must've knocked you out, hoping that's all it was and that you'd wake up soon. So I picked you up and brought you to the nearest hotel I could find," he finished, gesturing to the walls surrounding you.
"When I woke up and I didn't see you, I was afraid I'd failed… that I'd lost you again," you confessed to him. You'd presented a confident exterior to him back on the statue, but that had been to reassure him. You had no way of knowing if this really would work. But thankfully, it did.
"I'm sorry, I was out in the hall, pacing. The more time passed, the more I was afraid you wouldn't wake up. But then you called my name, and I came running so fast that I banged into three walls making my way back here." He smiled sheepishly, and you laughed at the thought of him tripping over himself to get back to you. He brought your hand to his lips, kissing it softly.
"C'mere," you said, moving over in the bed to make room for him. You didn't have to tell him twice. He jumped into the bed next to you, pulling you close to him. You nuzzled your face into his neck, a sigh of contentment escaping you.
For the first time since you'd found him again, there was no rush, no threat looming over your heads. You pressed a kiss to his neck, your fingers running through his hair. "I love you, Peter."
He brought your face to his, kissing you, before he flipped you on your back, getting on top of you, kissing you once again, more deeply this time.
His hands roamed your body as his lips attached themselves to your neck. He went back for another kiss, then mumbling against your lips: "I love you too, Y/N."

~

You were walking down the street, hand in hand with Peter. It had only been a few days since the battle. A few days since you'd gotten the love of your life back.
You were on your way to the diner you'd heard MJ mention, saying they liked to all hang out there while she worked. You figured the kid might try to go there, to see his friends.
And you had been right, just as you arrived, you saw him exiting the diner, a sad look on his face. It broke your heart seeing him like that.
He didn't seem to notice you as he walked away from the diner.
"Hey, Peter!" your Peter called out to him, making the young man turn rapidly in surprise. You saw the shock on his face as he took the both of you in.
"What- how- what are you doing here? How are you here?" he questioned, babbling in confusion.
"The how can be explained later. What matters, kid, is that we're here. You're not alone. Alright?" you told him, and he nodded slowly, tears starting to roll down his face. He closed the distance, running to you to pull you both into a tight hug.
"It's okay, Peter, we got you," your Peter said, patting the younger one's back. "We got you," he repeated, and you smiled at him.
Despite the circumstances, you couldn't remember the last time you had been this happy.
You had everything you needed, right there with you.
And you were never gonna lose it again.