Chapter Text
“I’m sorry, you’re doing what?” She demanded, phone pressed to her ear by her shoulder as she grabbed her jacket and shoes.
This certainly wasn’t the first time Peter Parker had called to tell her something absolutely insane. It’s just that it progressively got more insane as time went on. It started with him calling about being bitten by a spider and not knowing how to treat it. Which, mind you, she made fun of him for. Their junior year, it was to tell her that Tony Stark wanted to talk to her about an ‘internship,’ (which roughly translated to meeting the Avengers and refusing to take part in anything they had going on. Absolutely not. She may have weird powers but she was not a superhero). But then, recently, the most insane thing was calling her five years later, after the Blip, to tell her he was alive. That the Avengers had done it and saved the universe, that everyone had come back.
That one hurt the most; Peter, MJ, and Ned had returned —all 17, all still in high school. But her?…Well, she didn’t Blip. She didn’t…turn to dust. So five years had actually passed for her. She had an internship at Stark Industries —an actual internship —and an apartment and a degree underway. She’d grown up, mourned, kept going. And while it was certainly amazing to have her friends back, it was a bit strange knowing she was now older than them all.
But back to the point —no, this wasn’t the first time Peter Parker had called her to tell her something insane. But it was the most insane by far. Multidimensional travel and magic, all thrown into a mess of alternative universes and different versions of Peter who were there to help.
“We’re…I don’t know; we’re gonna cure these guys and send them home,” Peter explained again, though his tone was unsure. “I have to. We have to.”
She almost fell over as she slipped her boots on, but steadied herself as she yanked open the door of her apartment. “Peter Parker, you’re out of your damn mind. Where are you?”
“Unless you’re going to help —”
“Peter!”
“We’re at the high school science lab! Ned —he can open a portal —”
In the background, she heard Ned’s voice, repeatedly saying that he wanted to see her. She looked around in confusion, arguing with Peter once more that this wasn’t a funny joke, that Ned wasn’t magic. She threatened up and down, but then suddenly a portal did, in fact, open before her. Eyes wide, seeing her friends, she dropped her phone.
“P-Peter?”
“Yeah?” Echoed three voices as she stared at the portal, heart threatening to burst from her chest.
In the years that she had powers —most of her life —she had seen a lot of things. Met a lot of strange people (specifically Thor, who was literally an alien-god). But this…this was the strangest. A fiery portal sat open in her apartment hallway, showing the AP Physics lab she used to dread walking into every day in high school. And standing inside that lab were all her friends, waving frantically.
And three Peter Parker’s.
Well, she assumed they were Peter Parker. Since they all responded, anyway. One of them was significantly older than the rest of them; he looked tired but content, smiling awkwardly at her as he waved some. Though he was dressed like a youth pastor. The other seemed younger, though still older than her Peter. He was taller and lankier, with messy hair; she assumed he was Peter simply because he wore a lab coat and the Spider-Man uniform.
She pointed at her Peter, hand shaking a little as she did so. “Uh…I meant him.”
The other two nodded, getting back to work. But she couldn’t help but notice that the Peter with the messy hair kept glancing at her as she stepped into the lab from her hallway. The portal behind her closed, causing a small yelp to escape her lips. She looked to Ned, pointing between him and the empty space of the lab. He nodded excitedly, about to explain but her Peter cut in with a strong hug. She threw her arms around him tight.
“What do you need me to do? How can I help?” She asked as she pulled away, hands resting on his shoulders. While she was older, he was still slightly taller than her.
Peter explained everything, what each villain needed in order to be saved, how they planned to do it. As it turned out, the oldest Peter had been working on an antidote for the Goblin (“The Green Goblin?” She had asked, brow raised. “We weren’t all the creative when he came around.” He had defended with an awkward shrug). And the other Peter, he’d already cured Dr. Connors once before (“He’s…he’s a talking lizard that wanted to make all of New York into lizards?” She’d asked, staring at him with mild horror. “Well I mean yeah, but he didn’t, so we’re good. I can cure him again. No big deal”). All they had left was Marko and Max, which all the Peter’s agreed would be easier than the others.
She got to work on Marko’s cure, grabbing various chemicals from the list that the oldest Peter had given her. Her Peter was working on Max’s. Any chatter between the group had died down as they got into the groove of their work, though she glanced over as MJ and Peter started whispering, having an intimate moment. Feeling strange watching the two, she glanced over to the other Peters, who were whispering.
“So…” She started, spinning in her chair to face them fully. “Is there a me in your universe?”
The older Peter nodded, looking back at his work for a moment as he spoke. “Oh yeah. We’ve been friends for years. I met her through my friend Harry, actually.”
“She got superpowers?”
The older Spider-Man now looked at her curiously, brow raised. “Not…that I’m aware of. Do you have powers?”
She shrugged some, but a set of goggles suddenly flew across the room and into her hands. Both Peters had perked up, clearly sensing something was about to happen but they weren’t expecting it to be her. The Peter in the lab coat made an excited sound, clapping his hands together.
“Nothing as exciting as being Spider-Man but a little telekinesis here and there is pretty neat.”
“I’m sorry, let’s go back to that. Any kind of powers are awesome —like you can move things with your mind!” He argued, motioning to her.
She laughed some, looking down at her hands for a moment. “Okay, well what about you? Does your me have powers?”
He hesitated for a moment, looking back at his work. “I…haven’t talked you in my universe in like ten years, honestly. She lives in my apartment building and I’ll say hi but we weren’t really friends in school, and I don’t uh…Leave through the lobby a lot.” He motioned to his suit, shrugging some. “Don’t have time for Peter Parker things, you know.”
She watched him for a moment, leaning on her lab table. “You probably should make time to be Peter Parker. If you’re anything like mine, I bet you’re pretty cool. Honestly it kinda helps that you’re cute too.”
He chuckled in response, blushing some as the older Peter rolled his eyes. “She’s got a point. Not the cute part —”
“Oh you don’t think I’m cute —”
“You need to make time to be you. Living…in the suit, it doesn’t solve anything. Whatever guilt or anger you’re holding onto, it’s not going to change just because you never take off the mask.”
The three fell silent, letting the wisdom of the older Peter sink in. She didn’t know either of their lives, but she knew her friend. And she knew enough about life to know that the older hero was absolutely right. But Ned broke the silence, yelling about the computer, and then everything was back in action once more.
Ned opened a portal to the Statue of Liberty, allowing the three Spider-Men to make their way there. They reiterated the plan again, leaving the magic box of Dr. Strange’s in the capable hands of Ned, MJ and her, and luring the villains to the fight. She bid her Peter good luck, hugging him tight to remind him that she trusted him. He thanked her, moving on to talk to MJ.
“I think you’re right,” the other Peter said, running a hand through his hair as he approached her. “Or well, like you and the other Peter are right. I…I need to live my life again. I think I’ll have to start when I get home.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at him with a soft smile. “Two out of three Peter Parker’s have me to support them so maybe start by finding a friend in her. If she’s anything like me —”
“She’s probably pretty cool,” He finished, grinning at her some.
She nodded. “Good luck, Peter. And if I don’t see you before you go home…I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
He nodded some, looking back at the other two Peters. “So do I.”
*****
That was, in fact, not the last time she would see the cute, lab coat wearing Peter. Though she wished it had been, honestly.
The portal didn’t close when Ned tried though, and they were open season for whatever bad guy found them. Powers or not, she was hardly a hero. A little telekinesis wasn’t going to save them as a massive talking lizard man burst into the lab and started chasing them. Even as she threw items at him and shoved MJ and Ned ahead of her, he was still quicker and stronger. Their Peter swung in and started his fight, forcing the three of them into the construction railings of the statue. MJ and Ned kept running as the Lizard chased them down, but Ned opened another portal, forcing water out and letting them escape.
As Ned opened another portal, though, Dr. Strange stepped out, anger radiating off of him.
“Did you just open a portal?” He asked, looking at Ned, who handed over the ring.
“Oh yeah, I’m magic!”
Strange looked between the three of them, shaking his head. “Give me that.”
He snagged the box from MJ, who protested. Focusing hard, forced the box out of his hands and into hers. He looked at her now, eyes narrowed some.
“It’s working. Peter’s plan is working.” She snapped at him, holding the box against her chest.
“What plan? I don’t have time for this!”
“He’s curing them!” She yelled again, yanking the box out of his reach. “Look!”
Strange did look around, eyes widening as he watched three different versions of Spider-Man fighting. The two Peter’s were being helped by Otto Octavius, who had taken the arc reactor now off of Max, rendering him powerless. Dr. Strange seemed impressed by all of this; they were all being cured. Their Peter landed in front of him, causing the group to call out in surprise.
“Peter, I’m sorry. But we have to send them home.” Strange said, though he was clearly torn.
“Sir, please. I’m begging you. It’s working.”
“It doesn’t —“
But before Strange could finish his sentence, the Green Goblin appeared, throwing them into a spiral of fighting over the box. Strange got it back rather quickly, but it was too late; Peter’s reaction wasn’t fast enough as the box blew up, causing Strange to be thrown back against the blast.
And before she knew it, so was she. She screamed out, reaching for anything to hold onto. But her powers didn’t grip things; she wasn’t going to save herself. Silence surrounded her as she accepted death, closing her eyes just as she saw her Peter reach for her but get pulled away by that damn Goblin. This was her death, and there was no way to twist it.
But she didn’t hit the ground; just as soon as she as accepted death, strong arms wrapped around her tightly. Shaking violently, her arms wrapped around whoever had grabbed her, keeping her as close to them as possible. But she refused to open her eyes, too afraid to even consider it.
“Are you okay?”
She hesitated, hearing the other Peter’s voice whisper to her. But her eyes slowly opened and she looked up at him, tears falling and chest heaving from panic. He was also crying, trying to catch his own breath, looking down at her with something so tragic glossing over his eyes. Something that screamed agony.
“Y-yeah,” she finally whispered, holding herself closer to him. “Are you…are you okay, Peter?”
He sniffled some, nodding frantically as he put her down gently. Her legs shook and she kept her hold on him as tight as she could.
“Thank you,” she said, hugging him tight. “Thank you for saving me.”
He hugged her back, just as tight. Just as desperate. Peter refused to release her, taking in the moment as long as he could. She didn’t know what catching her meant to him, but he needed this as much as she did.
She would have no idea after all of this, but something changed in Peter Parker that night.