Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Peter woke up with a startled gasp, clutching his head. What the hell-
He shook his head and looked around at his surroundings. He was in the same alley where he had left his backpack, which was a relief.
He got to his feet but then tripped over the suit. He felt his face meet the ground and let out a whimper.
Wait, why did he do that? He had taken plenty of falls before and never let out a whimper that loud.
“What the-” he began before he paused in shock. His voice hadn’t sounded like that since…
Scrambling to his backpack and unzipping it as quickly as he could, gaping at how small his hands were, he grabbed his phone and held it in front of his face.
His six-year-old self, with a slightly tear-stained face, looked back.
Peter dropped his phone and fell to the ground, backing away until he slammed gently against a wall. No, no, no, this couldn’t be happening.
He could feel the burning sensation of tears forming in his eyes but immediately scrubbed them away. He was Spider-Man, for fuck’s sake. He couldn’t cry now, he wouldn’t.
With one final sniff and swipe at his cheeks, Peter stood up. He pressed the spider emblem on his chest and felt the suit shrink to better fit him. He adjusted his web-shooters so they would around his wrists, silently thanking Mr. Stark for helping with the feature.
After shoving his mask into his sleeve, he took a deep breath. He held it for four seconds then exhaled. What had Mr. Stark said to him? Right, take things slow when things seem rough and hard.
Peter thought back to what happened before he ended up 10 years younger than he should be. He had been fighting a rookie villain, he had dubbed ‘Roodie’, when the baddie had sprayed him with some green mist from a fucking spray bottle. He had spluttered for a bit but eventually webbed up the villain, left a note for the police and went back to the alley where he had left his backpack before he suddenly blacked out.
So the mist must have been what had turned him six again. Okay, no problem. All he needed to do was find some smaller clothes to cover his suit, see if he still had his powers and find his way back to the tower. He placed his hand on the wall and felt it stick right away. He grinned and jumped, landing on all fours sideways. He let out a delighted laugh before he began to climb.
He reached an open window and peeked inside. It looked to be a college student’s room, with papers and clothes strewn everywhere. Peter’s eyes caught sight of a basket filled with a multitude of clothes. Taped onto it was a note that read, ‘Shrunk in the wash, maybe give them to a preschooler?’
He smiled, at least the clothes would be put to use.
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Peter looked himself over. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants which covered his suit pretty well. Except for his neck and feet, there was nothing he could do about it.
He grabbed his phone, gave his backpack one last look and walked out of the alley. Everything thing looked different from a six-year-old’s perspective, especially the size of things that were previously smaller.
He desperately tried to avoid crowds and interacting with adults as it would raise suspicions about why a young kid was out on his own without a parent.
But after 2 hours of wandering the darkening streets and still no KAREN online, he was forced to admit he needed help.
He walked over to a public park area and looked around. Most people had already left but a tall man on his phone was still present. Looks like that was his chance.
Peter could feel his Spider-Sense humming in the back of his head but decided to bite the bullet anyway, approaching the man cautiously. “Excuse me, sir?”
He inwardly cringed at his childish voice, but the man smiled at him. “What’s up, kid?”
“Can you tell me where Stark Industries is?” he asked, wringing his hands behind his back. The man needed to buy his lie or else he would be toast. “My parents work there so I can find them there.”
The man crouched down to his level and smiled even wider. “Are you lost?” the man asked, placing his phone in his pocket.
Peter started to worry a little, his Spider-Sense screaming at him to leave and escape. He slowly began inching backward, giving the man a small smile. He just noticed how strong the man looked as he nodded.
The man got up and withdrew a syringe filled with a sedative, as he grinned. “Good.”
Peter let out a cry of alarm and tried to run, but the man caught hold of his arm and stabbed the syringe into his neck. As the crook took it out, he could feel his vision begin to cloud. But he continued to struggle and flipped his legs forward. As he felt them connect with skin, the man let out a cry of shock and dropped his arm.
He didn’t hesitate, taking the chance to run. He had only got a few steps away when he felt a hand snag his leg and pull him back, causing him to fall forward. The pavement sped upwards too quickly and he let out a cry as he fell back into the darkness.