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Kingston Brown woke up to his alarm blaring.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had woken up to his alarm. Normally, he woke up to the sounds of the city. Cars outside, neighbours talking through the thin walls, pigeons screeching and scratching at his window. It was a melody that talked to Kingston’s soul. But today- today, Kingston woke up to the blaring sound of his alarm clock, beeping at him. He turned it off, blindly hitting a button, and stood up. It was raining, outside, too. Heavily. Normally, it only rained when Kingston didn’t have to get to the hospital for a shift. It’d probably stop when he left. Kingston’s alarm blared again, because apparently he hit snooze, not stop. He tripped when he got dressed. He dropped his keys when he went to lock his door. The rain didn’t stop when he left the apartment, and he didn’t remember an umbrella. He didn’t even think he owned an umbrella.
It was just one of those days, Kingston guessed.
He stopped by the corner store. Cosmo didn’t answer when Kingston said good morning, and his coffee was nearly cold. And more bitter than usual. He went to walk across the street to the bus stop- and nearly got hit by a car. Kingston couldn’t remember the last time a car had honked at him. A time that traffic hadn’t parted for him. He dropped his coffee, during the whole thing, and ended up at the bus stop wet from both rain and coffee. He waited thirty seconds for the bus, it didn’t come. Then a minute. After five minutes, Kingston didn’t think the bus was coming. Had he missed the bus? Kingston had never missed the bus. Granted, he had never actually looked at a bus schedule, either- but that was just how New York worked, for Kingston. The bus came to him.
But not today, apparently. What the hell was going on?
Twenty minutes later, Kingston was soaked, but there was still no bus. It seemed that Kingston was walking to the hospital today. In the rain. Just great. Still, the walking gave him time to think. There was something wrong, Kingston was sure. Something severing his connection to the city, maybe. Or- maybe, Kingston thought, as he saw a street sign for a road he had never heard of before, maybe the city itself was changing. Or it was- it was changed. It didn’t feel like his New York, Kingston had to admit. It wasn’t talking to him, like it normally did. No one had said good morning to him, the bus hadn’t come, he kept hitting red lights as he tried to cross the street. Everyone was yelling at each other, and a tv playing the news at a store Kingston passed talked about some of massive fight, and the rain wasn’t letting up at all. So, yes, Kingston was certain. This wasn’t his New York.
But even if this wasn’t Kingston’s New York, Kingston was still himself. And if he saw someone hurt, he had to help.
“Hey, kid,” Kingston said, slowly walking up to the curled up heap of blue and red, cowering in the corner of an alley. He was careful not to scare him. “You okay?”
Kingston, apparently, didn’t need to have to worry about scaring him. “Oh, yeah, I’m okay!”
“You’re bleeding,” Kingston pointed out.
“Oh, it’s fine,” the man- or, rather, the kid? He sounded so young- said with a shrug. “I didn’t expect the robber to have a knife-“
“You got robbed?” Kingston asked, stepping closer.
“No, no, I was stopping a robber,” the kid said. “He’s over there.”
Kingston followed the kid’s finger, around the corner to-
“What the hell?” Kingston asked. He stared at the unconscious man, tied up in silvery white… webs? It looked like someone had unwoven a bunch of cotton balls and thrown them at the man, and yet it was hanging the man from a telephone pole without him falling. “What the hell is that stuff?”
“My webs,” the kid said, slowly. “I’m Spiderman. Have you not- have you not heard of me?”
“Never heard of you, kid,” Kingston said.
“Are you new to New York?” The kid- Spiderman (and what kind of name was that, anyway?) said.
Kingston wasn’t new to New York. He was New York. And yet- this wasn’t his New York. He could feel it.
“Yeah, I’m new,” Kingston said, even though the words felt bitter in his mouth.
“Well, welcome!” Spiderman said, cheerily. He moved the shake Kingston’s hand, and then winced.
“Shit, kid, yeah,” Kingston said. “You got cut.”
“I’m fine!” Spiderman cried out. “I might’ve gotten stabbed, but I have- I heal faster than you’d think!”
“Stabbed?” Kingston said, eyes going wide. He’d thought the kid had gotten nicked, or something, not- not stabbed! “Kid, you need to get to a hospital. Or at least let me look at it, I’m a nurse.”
“Oh!” Spiderman exclaimed. “You’re a nurse?”
“Yep,” Kingston said, rushing to look at the stab wound. It was on his stomach, no knife still in. And the kid should’ve bled out, already, honestly. “Kingston Brown, nurse, at your service.”
“Nice to meet you, Kingston Brown, nurse!” Spiderman chirped. “But really, I’ll be okay!”
Kingston stared at the wound he was looking at. It really was healing faster than it should’ve. Kingston had seen something similar before, but only with magic-
“Are you part of The Unsleeping City, kid?” Kingston asked.
Spiderman stared blankly at Kingston, as much as one could stare blankly at someone through a mask. “What’s that?”
“Nevermind,” Kingston said, shaking his head. “I meant- is this magic, kid?”
“Not magic,” Spiderman said. “Science. Radioactive science.”
“You’re radioactive?” Kingston asked, leaning backwards.
“Not like- actively!” Spiderman said. “Or- I don’t think so? I don’t really hang out around any Geiger counters. But I’m not going to make you radioactive, or anything! It’s not a Marie Curie speed run, or anything, promise!”
“Thanks for the reassurance, kid,” Kingston said. He was still staring at the wound. “Do you know how long it’ll take for you to heal fully?”
“Fully?” Spiderman asked. “Half a day, maybe. But don’t worry about me. I can get out of this alley in a few minutes, especially if you wanted to help me stand up. I’m all good, Mr Kingston Brown.”
“Kid,” Kingston said, slowly. “You’re in pain. I’m not gonna let you use your spider webs and fling across the city.”
“Swing,” Spiderman said.
“What?” Kingston asked.
“You said fling across the city,” Spiderman said. “I swing. Not fling. Have you really never heard of me?”
“Never, kid,” Kingston said. He sighed, putting a hand on Spiderman’s knee. “I don’t know if this is gonna work, but I’m gonna try.”
“Try what?” Spiderman asked.
“New York,” Kingston muttered, prayed, really, even if this New York felt far different than the one he was used to. “Heal this protector. This boy.”
And then- just like normal- Kingston’s hand glowed, and Spiderman’s wound was cured.
“Woah,” Spiderman said. “You do have magic! You asked if I was magic but I thought it was a ‘oh wow, a thing I don’t understand magic’ thing, but you have magic!”
“You know about magic?” Kingston asked. “You know someone with magic?”
Spiderman nodded excited. He sat up more. “Oh, hey! That doesn’t hurt! For real! Thanks!”
“It’s what I do, kid,” Kingston said.
“You’re a magic nurse?” Spiderman asked.
“I’m a regular nurse too,” Kingston said. “But sure, I’m a magic nurse. Now, you said you know people with magic. Are they part of the Unsleeping City?”
“I still don’t know what that is,” Spiderman said. “But, hey! Maybe he does! He’s a magic doctor. I bet you two would get along great.”
Spiderman rushed to stand up.
“Hey, kid, no rush,” Kingston said, rushing to support him. “You got stabbed, remember?”
“Fast healing,” Spiderman said. “Add that to your weird magic stuff, and I’m feeling great!”
“Really?” Kingston asked.
“Really,” Spiderman said, nodding. “Come on, I can swing you over and introduce you!”
Kingston frowned. “Swing me over? Can- are you sure those web things can hold a person?”
“They can hold two people,” Spiderman promised. “Actually, they can hold a whole semi truck, a boat, oh and they held a whole blue whale one time-“
“A whale?” Kingston asked.
“Yes, a whale,” Spiderman said. “But that doesn’t matter. My webs are safe, that’s what matters! And the whale. The whale is also safe, just to be clear. Or- it was when I saved it, anyway. I hope it’s still doing-“
“We could just take the bus,” Kingston said. “Instead of trusting literal webs.”
“Not literal webs,” Spiderman said. “They’re kind of- metaphorical webs? I call the, webs but they’re way sturdier. And stickier. And-“
“I pick the bus, kid,” Kingston said.
“Right,” Spiderman said. “But the bus is like- really bad. You do know that, right? It never runs on time and we’d have to take like four different buses just to take to him and-“
“Oh,” Kingston said. It was easy to forget that this wasn’t his New York, with busses that listened to him and coffee that was always warm and an Unsleeping City ready to help him. “And your webs are safe, for sure?”
“Fully safe,” Spiderman said. “But- hey, if you have magic, can’t you use portals or something? Or are you not a portal guy?”
“Not a portal guy,” Kingston said. He wasn’t quite sure what a ‘portal guy’ was. Was Alejandro a portal guy? Maybe he was. “But I am, apparently, crazy. So, come on, kid. Let’s fling across the city.”
“It’s swing!” Spiderman cried out. “It’s not fling! It’s-“
Kingston laughed, cutting him off.
“Hey!” Spiderman cried out. “You did that on purpose!”
“Sorry, kid,” Kingston said. “I’ve gotta get my joy somewhere.”
“And that’s by bullying a kid who’s about to graciously introduce you to Doctor Strange?” Spiderman asked.
“Yeah,” Kingston said with a grin. Then he paused. “I’m sorry, his name is Doctor Strange. Did he give himself a wizard name?”
“You’d think so,” Spiderman said. “But, no! That’s just his name. He’s always been Doctor Strange. Or- I guess, always been Doctor Strange since he became a doctor, at least. Huh. He used to be Mr Strange. And like- Doctor In Training Strange?”
“Resident,” Kingston said. “Or med student, I guess.”
“Wow, you really are a nurse!” Spiderman said.
Kingston frowned. “Why would I lie about that?”
“It’s New York,” Spiderman laughed. “Everyone lies about everything.”
“Did you lie to me, kid?” Kingston asked.
Spiderman laughed. “Well, no. But still! Most people lie about most things, is that better?”
“Come on,” Kingston said. “Let’s get swinging. Unless you really lie about Doctor Weird?”
“Doctor Strange is real, promise,” Spiderman said. “Although- I dunno if he’ll help you, if you call him Doctor Weird to his face.”
“We’ll see,” Kingston said. “Now, come on, let’s swing across a city full of cars, hundreds of feet off the ground, in the rain, being supported by spider webs.”
“Radioactive spiderwebs,” Spiderman corrected.
“Whatever,” Kingston said. “Just don’t let me splat on the pavement, please.”
“I’ve got you,” Spiderman said. He stood up fully, and grabbed Kingston with one hand. With the other, he held his hand up and- shot webs out of his wrists. What the hell. Kingston kind of thought they’d be in a little spray can, like silly string, or something. “Let’s go!”
And just like that, Kingston was swinging through the air. He had felt a lot of strange sensations before. Weird magic. Being cursed. Kugrash trying to give him a massage. But flying through the air, swinging, with the only tether being a kid’s arm wrapped around his waist- It was a whole new sensation. Kingston never wanted to touch the ground again. Kingston wanted to throw up. Kingston felt more like this was his New York, up here, in the sky, than he did on the ground. He could hear the traffic, see the people, feel the energy of New York, all while swinging from building to building. He could also feel his coffee threaten to leave his stomach every time the kid switched where his webs were, and they plummeted for a fraction of a second. The rain hit Kingston in the face, but it felt less dreary from up here, everything felt less dreary up here. It was terrifying. It was exhilarating. It was- it was over, and Kingston’s feet were back on merciful ground. Kingston was grateful and upset all at once.
“You alright, Mr Brown?” Spiderman asked.
“I’m fine, kid,” Kingston said. He stared up at the large, silver skyscraper in front of him. “So- your magic doctor friend lives here?”
“Well, a few more stories up, but yeah,” Spiderman said. “I could’ve swung right up to him, but apparently climbing through a penthouse window is both very noticeable and tends to break the window, so-“
“This guy lives in the penthouse?” Kingston asked.
“Well, yeah,” Spiderman said. “Here, just wait a second. I’ll have him buzz us up.”
Kingston stood there, feeling out of sorts. The building looked exactly like Misty’s building, but if this guy lived in the penthouse, and not Misty, then-
“We’re all clear, Mr Brown!” Spiderman called, holding open the door. “I kinda don’t want to be photographed holding open the door, no offense.”
“Photographed?” Kingston asked, as he walked into the building. The inside looked like Misty’s lobby, too. “What, you got paparazzi following you?”
“No?” Spiderman said. “But, kind of. You know. Newspapers. Spiderman is kind of a big deal. And not everyone likes me, even though all I’m doing is stopping robbers.”
“And getting stabbed,” Kingston added.
“Okay, yeah, and that,” Spiderman said, as they entered the elevator. “Normally I’d go up here not in my suit, but, no offense, I don’t trust you.”
“Smart thinking,” Kingston said. “Not that I’d recognise your face.”
Spiderman shrugged. “You can never be too careful.”
“Too true, kid,” Kingston said. “Too true.”
“Do you have a super hero suit?” Spiderman asked. “Or a wizard name?”
“Not a wizard,” Kingston said, shaking his head. “Or a superhero. I’m just Kingston Brown.”
“But you have magic?” Spiderman asked.
“I do,” Kingston said. “And I do help people, like I did with you. Just- as myself.”
“And nobody gets pissed at you?” Spiderman asked.
Kingston shrugged. “Nobody notices, not really. Most New Yorkers don’t notice things, unless they try hard enough.”
“I thought you said you weren’t from New York?” Spiderman asked.
Kingston was saved from answering when the elevator doors opened to the penthouse.
“So,” a man said, standing ominously in the centre of the room. This was, most likely, Doctor Strange. “Who’s this you brought, P- Spiderman?”
“Kingston Brown,” Kingston introduced himself.
“He’s magic!” Spiderman added.
“New York is magic,” Kingston corrected. “I’m just good at using it.”
“And why did you need to speak to me?” Doctor Strange asked.
“Because I don’t think I’m in my New York,” Kingston admitted.
Spiderman stared at Kingston. “Wait, what?”
“Yes,” Doctor Strange said. “What does that mean?”
“My New York is- it’s different,” Kingston said. “Different street names. I’ve never heard of ‘Spiderman’, or any superhero, in my life until today. The bus was late-“
“You come from a New York where busses are on time?” Spiderman asked.
“On time for me, at least,” Kingston said. “New York chose me. Likes me, really. The bus always goes where I want it to go. It never rains when I don’t have an umbrella. And yet-“
“You’re soaked,” Doctor Strange said. “And we have had superheroes for years, at this point.”
“And our busses have never been on time,” Spiderman added.
“So,” Doctor Strange said. “You appear to have been taken out of your own New York.”
“So that’s why you wanted to find someone else who’s a wizard!” Spiderman exclaimed.
“I want to get back,” Kingston said. “I need to get back.”
“Or,” Doctor Strange said. “You could be lying.”
“I’m not,” Kingston said. “I just want to get home. This isn’t my New York.”
Doctor Strange turned to Spiderman. “Where did you find this guy, anyway?”
“In an alley,” Spiderman said. “I had just stopped a robber, totally held my own-“
“You got stabbed,” Kingston pointed out.
“You what?” Doctor Strange asked.
“He got stabbed,” Kingston said, flatly.
“I was handling it!” Spiderman cried out. “I have super healing!”
“And, what,” Doctor Strange said. “You saw Spiderman stabbed, and begged him for help with your problem?”
“No,” Kingston said. “I helped him. I’m a nurse, I looked at his wound. And then-“
“Then he healed me!” Spiderman added. “With super cool glowy magic stuff! I told you, he’s a wizard!”
“Not a wizard,” Kingston said. “Not magic, either.”
“You say New York is magic,” Doctor Strange said. “You healed him using… New York?”
Kingston shrugged. “I didn’t know if it would work, considering it’s not my New York. But all New Yorks are similar enough, I guess.”
“And, what, you draw upon the innate power of the people in the city?” Doctor Strange asked.
“Not really,” Kingston said. “I don’t really know how it works. Never really thought about it. I help New York, and it helps me.”
“You have a symbiotic relationship with New York?” Doctor Strange asked, with a raised eyebrow.
“You’re a symbiote?” Spiderman asked, taking a step backwards.
“I have no idea what that is,” Kingston said. “But- it is a mutually beneficial thing, me and New York.”
Doctor Strange nodded. “Then we should get you back to your own New York.”
“Thank you,” Kingston said.
“How did you even get… here?” Spiderman asked.
“Last night, I went to bed in my New York,” Kingston said. “And I woke up- and everything was just slightly wrong.”
“You didn’t happen to piss off a wizard, did you?” Doctor Strange asked.
Kingston shrugged. “I’ve upset my fair share of people. Including people with magic. But not all that recently.”
“Then maybe this is something one of our angry wizards did?” Spiderman asked. “There’s always someone, trying to bring people from other universes.”
Kingston furrowed his eyebrows. “You all just know about other universes?”
“Do you not?” Spiderman asked.
“No,” Kingston said. “Until today, I was convinced that my New York was the only New York.”
“If I don’t know how you got here,” Doctor Strange said. “Or what universe you actually come from…”
“You don’t know how to get me back,” Kingston said, with a sigh.
“But we’ll figure it out!” Spiderman exclaimed. “Right, Doctor Strange?”
“I’ll try,” Doctor Strange said. “It isn’t good for people from other dimensions to stay in the wrong one.”
“Okay,” Kingston said. “Just get me back to my own New York. My own universe. Please.”
“We will,” Spiderman promised.
Doctor Strange’s cell phone began to ring, cutting off whatever he was about to say.
“Hello?” Doctor Strange said.
Kingston couldn’t hear whoever was on the other end.
“Yeah,” Doctor Strange said. “There’s one here, too.”
Another pause, as the person on the phone answered.
“I’m working on it,” Doctor Strange said. “I’ll call you back when I have more news.”
He hung up, and then stared at Kingston.
“What?” Kingston asked.
“That was The Fantastic Four,” Doctor Strange said. “I don’t think you were the only one who ended up in the wrong universe.”
“Seriously?” Kingston asked.
“Cool!” Spiderman added.
“Is it- is it someone from my universe?” Kingston asked. Was it one of his friends? Someone else from the Unsleeping City? “Do you know who it is?”
Before Doctor Strange could answer, his phone rang. Again. And again. And again. And-