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It was so weird. You had no signal. In big 2026 ? In the middle of NYC ? You couldn't call or text anyone. No matter where you were. No matter how much you tried.
To make things worse, New York had like magically changed or something. You were trying to buy some snack at your usual spot, but suddenly it was a library. The coffee shop nearby was a cinema. You tried to go home, but your building was a grocery store. So many places had changed. Even the streets names were different. Were you going crazy ?
So you walked around, hoping that you'd fall on Peter. Surely he was still patrolling around, no matter what was going on with the city today. After hours of wandering you asked to use a passerby's phone, and called Peter. But instead an old man named Robert replied. Weird. Did he change numbers without telling you ?
Because your apartment was no longer existing, you had to crash at some hotel nearby. Were you in another dimension ? Was it a different earth ? You sat silently on the bed, thinking. How can something like that just happen ?
At some point, you turned the TV on. The Daily Bugle was live broadcasting, you were about to change channel when you heard them talk about May, making you frown.
Why are they talking about her death ? She died years ago. And why was it making it into the news ? Now especially ?
Your eyes grew in size when you heard them talk about Spider-Man being the reason of her death, and that Peter Parker was the danger.
How the fuck do they know Peter is Spider-Man ? What is going on ? You had to find him.
You tried the roof of May's place before dying, but you couldn't find it, why did the whole city change ? Maybe he was at his old school ? You stormed down the streets and grabbed a taxi.
You hadn't been in that school in a long while, and like the city, everything inside had moved. You kept searching for the way to the rooftop until you heard voices. They weren't talking loudly, but the silent night still carried their voices.
Carefully, you approached, head peeking into the room and-
Peter was there. With a girl. And they seemed awfully close. Intimately sitting face to face, his forehead resting against hers. A wave of sadness rushed over you.
"Are you serious, Peter ?"
And suddenly, everyone's focus snapped toward you.
"Are you cheating on me ?" You asked, voice wavering in utter disbelief as you entered the lab. "And you knew, Ned, you knew ? Why didn't you tell me ?"
You felt betrayed. You were so upset you didn't notice the two other men behind them, or how Ned looked at you with a completely confused expression.
"What ?" Peter asked. "Who- who are you ?"
"Oh, wow, yeah, right, act like you don't know me. Are you fucking kidding me ? What is going on ? Why are you doing this ?" Then you turned to Ned. "I know you're Peter's friend before being my friend, but you still could've told me. That's such a fucking dick move, man."
"Uh… I don't… I don't know you." He replied, still lost. "Do I ?"
Your eyebrows were raised as you could not believe your ears.
"You're doing that too ?" What was their fucking problem ?
"You're from another earth." The girl quickly stated before it could escalate further.
"What ?"
She seemed hesitant, unsure on how you'd react.
"That's not your Peter. You're from a different dimension. Like them." She added, pointing at the two men behind her. That's when you noticed them.
One was dressed like Spider-Man in a lab coat, though his suit was a bit different than your Peter's. And the other was like… a pastor ? Maybe ?
"They're both Peter Parker. Both Spider-Man. Like him." She explained, a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Like the one you know."
You stared at them, one after the other, studying them, everyone was frozen, waiting for the next words to be spoken.
"Are we dating ? In your world ?" Peter finally asked.
"Yeah." You replied slowly. "You look… exactly like him."
You were confused. How did you get here if it's not your earth ?
"And him ?" You asked, nodding your head toward Ned, still trying to debate wether to believe them or not.
"That's my friend. He's- he's from here too."
Ned looked at you with a surprised expression on his face before turning to Peter and the girl.
"There's a Ned in another universe." He whispered, completely amazed.
"So you- that's- you're not actually… cheating on me ?"
"No."
"Because you don't know me."
"Yep."
"Okay." You swallowed, your stance relaxing a bit. "How did I get here ?"
"Uh, that's my fault. I think."
"Doctor Strange's too." The girl added. "Mostly him, actually. He's the magician."
"Okay…" It didn't really make any sense but it was believable. "Wait, what's your name ?" You finally asked.
"MJ. You ?"
"I'm [Name]. Sorry for uh, bursting in like this. I did think I was on another earth but I thought I was just being crazy."
"No, that's fine, that's fine. That's- It's a strange situation." Peter admitted. "I'm sorry we pulled you into it."
You hummed.
It felt a bit awkward, you barged in with big feelings, ready to tear everyone in the room a second asshole and then learned you were simply misguided. You didn't really have time to dwell on that, though, because Ned, curious as ever, started asking question about the Ned from your earth.
He also quickly filled you in about what was going on, showing you Doctor Strange's magic ring as well. As you listened, amazed both by the situation and by the fact Spider-Man seemed to be a constant, you kept eyeing Peter and MJ.
They looked close. Younger too, you realized. Your Peter must be a few years older. You felt sad watching them, though you knew now he wasn't the Peter you knew, the fact he had the exact same face didn't help. You hoped your Peter wasn't too worried about where you were.
You missed him.
When they had seemingly made a cure for everyone, you waited with Ned and MJ in the lab as the three Peters exited through a magic portal leading to the Statue of Liberty. The plan seemed perfect, and everything was going well until Peter threw the magic box your way, signaling Ned to close the portal.
But Ned could not close the portal.
He kept trying, without much success. You had to abandon the lab to escape Connors who found you, forcing you to go through the magic portal, running up and down the scaffolding, luckily the Peter from this world managed to use the serum on him to give him back his human form.
Ned continued to open portals, and suddenly, Doctor Strange came in. He looked so mad. Ned and MJ rapidly informed him about Peter's plan, telling him it was working, and suddenly his demeanor changed, he seemed pretty impressed.
But peace didn't have time to settle when a green goblin appeared, trying to take the magic box away from Strange, only to make it explode. The Captain America's shield the Liberty was holding fell, destroying the scaffolding on its way down. Ned managed to catch himself, but you and MJ fell, unable to grab anything.
Instantly, her Peter threw himself in the air to catch her.
Shit. You were so gonna die.
But instead, the goblin hit him and he was sent your way, so he grabbed you as he heard another Peter yell "I got it !".
You held him tightly, your heart nearly bursting through your chest in fear, only for you to land softly on the ground.
"You okay ?"
You opened your eyes, shock marking your features.
"Y- yeah. Thanks."
You watched as he looked to the side, the other Peter having successfully saved MJ as well.
"Thank you." You repeated shakily, and Peter nodded. He gave your arms a squeeze, checking if you could stand on your own before looking one last time at MJ, making sure she was safe too, and then, webbed himself to the Goblin's glider. There was a small explosion and they both crashed.
You followed MJ, searching for Ned who slowly landed on the ground thanks to Strange's cape. Was he controlling it ? Was it… alive ?
No time for that.
"MJ ! Ned !" Peter called. "[Name] !"
"Peter ! We're here !" MJ yelled back as she and Ned waved down his way. Although he didn't know you, it was nice of him to still think about your safety. Caring about everyone is really a Peter thing.
You watched as he fought the green goblin. You could hear how his feet hit the giant shield they were on, the way it echoed… if the goblin hadn't moved, his skull would've been crushed.
As he was about to kill him, the Spider-Man-pastor stopped him only to be stabbed by the goblin. Still, he did not give up and managed to convince Peter to drop the glider and to use the serum they had prepared for him.
They had won.
Everyone had been… saved.
You let out a relieved sigh, watching Peter quickly climb to the top of the Liberty. The sky looked really worrisome. Are you seeing people ? Are they gonna come ? Is this not over ? How long are you going to stay here ? Peter's not gonna believe this.
You waited, trusting Strange to repair it, but Peter came back down. You watched as he hugged MJ and Ned tightly, happy they were all safe. Happy it was over. When they finally separated, he gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze. A silent "I'm glad you're fine too.".
And as appreciative as you were, you really wanted to go home.
"Oh my god you're bleeding." Peter pointed out as he cupped MJ's face.
"I'm fine- I'm okay." She quickly reassured him, holding his hands. "I promise. I promise."
"Okay."
"We should go, right ?"
"You're gonna forget who I am." Peter blurred out.
"What ?" Ned asked, incredulous.
"Forget ? What are you talking about ?" MJ added, confused as well.
"It's okay. I'm gonna come and find you, and I'll explain everything." Peter reassured her. "I'll-"
You were no longer listening.
You too ? You too, you were gonna forget who Peter is ? You don't care if you forget this Peter, but will you forget your Peter ?
You watched silently as Ned and Peter did their handshake.
Shit.
You're gonna forget your Peter too. There was no way the spell was gonna go around you. You won't remember who he is. You're abandoning him. Oh, no.
As you felt yourself disappear you quickly called him.
"Do you think- do you think the Doctor Strange from my world can undo it ? To me ? I don't want to forget my Peter." You voice was shaky as you spoke quickly, worry evident.
Peter looked at you, and you knew then he didn't know.
"Your Peter will find you, too." He finally replied.
When you reopened your eyes, you were walking toward a bookstore. You had seen Project Hail Mary a couple weeks ago and wanted to read the original story. You came out an hour after, a couple of books under your arm as you walked back home. You spent the whole day at peace.
Until you heard someone knock at your door.
Peter was waiting. You were supposed to meet him for a date together the day before but you never showed up, you didn't text or call him about it, and when he checked your home, you weren't there, so he hoped you were back by now.
He heard footsteps approaching, and he relaxed, you were home. The door opened, just enough for you head to pop out as you stared at him.
There was no particular emotion on your face. Not that he expected you to jump at his neck, but a blank stare seemed a bit too… "nothing". While he was smiling, happy to see you, you seemed confused, and almost bothered. Did he arrive at a bad time ?
"Hey." He said softly, awkwardly waving a hand.
"Hey." You blinked, remaining mostly hidden behind the door.
"Are you okay ?" He asked, trying to know why you were being so distant.
"Yes." You replied. "May I help you ?"
Strange. Why were you looking at him like that ?
"What ? What do you mean ?"
"You knocked at my door. What do you want ?"
He frowned.
"Nothing. I just- I just wanted to check on you." He smiled again, you were making him nervous. Were you mad at him ?
"Okay ?" You looked at him. "And ?"
"Can I… come in ?" He raised an eyebrow tentatively, thinking you were joking.
"No." You seemed almost offended by his question. "You're mad weird, I'm closing the door. Goodbye."
"Wha-"
Clic.
Peter was stunned. Shit. Did he fuck up somehow ? Did you- did you just doublelock ?
"Did I do something ?" He asked through the door, not understanding what was going on.
You didn't reply.
"C'mon, [Name], what's happening ?"
Silence. How the fuck did that man know your name ?
"Go away, or I'll call the cops !"
"Are you mad at me ? What did I do ?"
"I don't even know you !"
"What ? It's me, it's Peter ? …Parker ? Did something happen ? I- I stood right in front of you, did you somehow not see me ?" He chuckled nervously, unsure on how to react.
"I'm gonna call the cops !"
It doesn't make any sense. You've never acted like this, no matter how mad at him you ever were.
"[Name], please."
"Leave !"
When you didn't hear any retreating footsteps, you menaced to call the cops once more, phone in hand, though he could not see it, ready to dial the number.
Peter walked away, looking around as if the walls could give him answers, was it not your building ? Your apartment ? You ? Did you have a twin ? He took his phone out, checking your shared texts, scrolling, rereading, calculating, thinking. Even there, there was no explanations. He exited the building and followed the street to the corner until he could get to the back, and climbed up the fire exit.
Maybe someone was in your apartment, and for some reason you had to act like you didn't know each other ?
When he arrived at your window, he quickly looked inside. No one, except you. He knocked on the glass, making you jump.
"Why-"
"Fuck ! What are you doing here ?!" You rushed toward the window, grabbing a baseball bat that was resting behind the couch and held it in a threatening way. "Leave !"
"Wow, wow ! Wait !"
You watched as the man took his phone out, visibly looking for something, and you did the same thing, but instead you dialed 911.
Thud.
His screen was against the glass, showing you a picture. It was him. And you. You ?
You hung up. What the fuck ?
"Is this AI ?" You asked, pointing at it quizzically.
"What ?" He did not understand. What were you trying to accomplish ? Why did you look so… distraught ? He thought showing you a photo of you two together would make you drop your act, forced to admit you know him, but you seemed really anchored into your role.
It felt uncanny for you. It's your face, your clothes, your smile, yet you didn't live it, you didn't experience that moment.
"Are you a stalker ?" You asked, looking at him.
"No ! Look !" He then showed you another photo. And another. And another. "What is going on with you ?"
He did not understand why you were acting like you didn't know him. Yet, you sounded so… honest. How could you forget him ? What happened last night ? Did you went drinking with friends ? Did you get too shitfaced ? Was it the aftermath ? Too hungover to remember your own boyfriend ? You didn't smell like alcohol, though.
Peter watched as your face went from curiosity to certainty, as if you had placed all the pieces of a puzzle correctly.
"You're a stalker." You blurted out. "You're delusional. You made pictures and now you think it's the truth. Oh my god, you're insane. I'm calling the cops."
"No ! Wait ! Look !" He quickly turned back the screen to rapidly find your shared texts and show you. "That's you talking to me !"
"Could be anyone with the same name." You shrugged, gesturing vaguely, growing nervous.
The man turned the screen once more, typed something, and-
DING.
You looked at your phone, you just received a message from an unknown number : 👋🏻.
He showed you his screen, the same emoji appearing in the discussion. What the fuck ? How did he do that ? You slid the window open.
"Give me your phone."
He stared at you, taken aback.
"Alright. Give me your phone too, then." Two could play that game.
You did not want to, you squinted your eyes, before slowly complying. The bat was still in your other hand, if he tried anything, you'd whack him.
Now that's weird. That man, a total stranger straight up guessed your password to unlock your phone. How did he do that ? You always use face recognition.
"Your password ?" You asked, tilting the screen his way.
"Just show it your face."
"W-" Unlocked. "What ?"
You stared at him, not understanding how he could pull a trick like that.
"I saved your face in it months ago." He replied without looking up. Focused on something else. "In case of emergency."
He felt like he was hallucinating. He did not understand.
You had no call history from him, and the only text you shared together was the emoji he just sent you. You also had no photo of him on your phone. He looked at all of them, family, friends, your cat, random cats you see outside, buildings, landscapes, the moon. He was nowhere to be found.
And then he noticed it.
He remembered this photo. It was at one of your friend's birthday a few weeks ago. It was a group photo, you and Peter were huddled together on the right side, you were making bunny ears at Ned while your other arm was around Peter's shoulders, his cheek squished against yours, a toothy smile on your face. But here, there was an empty spot where he was supposed to be. He looked at more photos and it was the same thing. And they don't even look like something is missing or that they had been edited. They straight up looked like he had never been there. What the fuck ?
You were equally confused. He had seemingly endless discussions with you, text messages, Telegram, TikTok, Instagram. You could recognize your typing pattern, your jokes, the way you use emojis. And his gallery was full of photos of you, either candid shots he took of you, or selfies together, and kind of a lot of photos from New York City but seen from very high. Like, flying-between-the-highest-buildings high. Also, why did he have photos of Spider-Man like they were his selfies ? Was he Spider-Man or something ? You couldn't help but let out an amused sound at the thought.
"What ?" He instantly focused back on you, hoping it was because he fell for your prank.
"Are you Spider-Man ?" You asked, eyebrows raised in an incredulous way.
Oh. You still acted like you didn't know him. Okay…
"Yeah. You know that."
You stared at him, your smile dropping.
"What ? How would I know that ?"
"[Name], we're dating. I'm your boyfriend." He was starting to really worry. Did you hut your head ?
You stayed silent as your eyes never left him.
"No, you're not." You finally said.
"How do you think I got all those photos ? And the messages ?"
"I don't know, dude, your flip phone is full of AI. You most likely made it y-" What ? That's Ned in the photo. Why does he have a photo with your friend ? Did he stalk him too ? "How do you know Ned ?" You asked, showing him his screen.
He let out a surprised chuckle.
"That's- that's literally my best friend."
You hummed, clearly not believing him.
"C'mon, [Name]. Please, stop it."
This was so not fun. Why were you doing this ?
"Listen, man. You seem to really believe you know me, but…" You shook your head, grimacing. "I'm… I'm giving you back your phone." You added, taking yours from his hands to replace it by his in a cautious manner. "And I'm closing the window. Leave."
"We know each other !" He was growing desperate. What was going on ? "You hate anything that's related to coffee, even tiramisu, you drink a Pipeline Punch Monster every weekend as a self congratulation for making it through the week, you keep waking up at night and you don't know why, you're starting to hate French fries, you-"
You stared at him with a concerned frown. All those things were right. A stalker would know it too, but how your sleep is ? What you think of fries ? That's a bit too personal for a simple stalker to know.
Peter quickly stopped upon seeing your panicked eyes. You really forgot about him. You… forgot. How could this happen ? What happened last night ?
There was no love in your eyes, only genuine fear and confusion. He felt his heart break, a literal pain squeezing and shattering it.
"[Name]." He called after a beat, trying to hide the hurt. "I'm not here to harm you. I- I don't know what happened, why you forgot me, but, I'm telling you the truth. I'm Peter Parker, your boyfriend. You know me."
You stayed silent. You could see the desperation on his face, eyes shining with sadness and worry.
"Please. I need you to trust me."
…
Should you ?
It was so strange. Too strange. You couldn't wrap your head around it. Your lips twitched, visibly thinking, calculating what to say. Until finally…
"No."
He stared at you, visibly shrinking on himself. Taken aback. Please, don't close the window. Don't shut him out.
"I'm sorry, it's just- I can't, it's so- I don't know, too weird. I'm sorry." You said quietly, offering a polite smile, closing the window, and shutting the curtain.
Peter didn't know what to do, what to think. Slowly, he stood up, his heart breaking into pieces as he climbed down, leaving you. It did not make any sense.
How could you forget him ? What happened last night ? What was he supposed to do, now ? He's just sticky and shoots webs, he can't make your memory come back. He can't build anything for that. He doesn't have magic powers, he can't magically make you remember him, he can't-
Wait.
He can. Not him, but Doctor Strange. He's magic. He can ! He can help him get rid of whatever modified your memories, he can help him find what happened.
With a renewed purpose, Peter rapidly made his way to the Sanctum Sanctorum in hope Strange could help him.
But things did not go as planned.
"I'm sorry, Parker, but I can't do that."
"Why ? Why not ?"
"Because-" Strange sighed. "Unless they have been locked away, I can't do anything. Erased memories are gone forever."
"What if it's like you said ? What if they had been locked away ? Not erased, but hidden ?"
Strange looked at him, he did not want to give him false hope, but he could not just deny him and do nothing. Maybe Peter was right. Maybe someone just wanted to play a sick prank on him.
"Okay. Bring him here."
Peter eagerly nodded, ready to bolt outside only for Strange to stop him.
"Not now, though. You probably scared him, so I don't think he'd agree to go anywhere with you. Give him some time to sit on it, and then bring him here."
"Oh. Okay. Uh, right. Okay."
How long was he supposed to wait ? A day ? A week ? A month ?! His heart was thumping hard in his chest, swinging from building to building as he thought back about how you looked at him. Like he was some random guy. Like you didn't care about him. It really wasn't a nice feeling.
As he stared at the busy streets below, waiting for something to happen, his mind was elsewhere. He kept trying to convince himself it was fine, not to worry, you'd get your memories back. But your confused words kept resonating in his head.
What if his plan doesn't work ? What if your memories are lost forever ? You'll keep looking at him like he's a stranger. Like he's no one to you.
Peter tried to focus on patrolling, doing everything, anything he could, even if the situation didn't really require Spider-Man. But he was afraid. Afraid to lose you. Your bone crushing hugs, your cocky smile as you proudly talk about what you accomplished, the way your eyes shine when you look at him, your loving words encouraging him, reassuring him, keeping him in check, your hands gently cupping his cheeks as you pepper kisses all over his face, your laugh accompanying his, serenading him.
What if all of this never comes back ?
He drowned himself in work to not think about it, and when it didn't work, he followed you around. Time seems to go on so slowly for Peter, impatiently waiting for a sign you might be ready to come with him to meet Strange.
Today seemed to be in his favor, though. You were with Ned. Peter crawled close to watch you two, his suit's enhanced hearing allowing him to listen to your discussion.
You were talking calmly around a drink, when Ned mentioned him.
"Peter's really going all out on patrolling these days. Did something happen between you two ?"
"Who ?"
Ned snorted.
"Peter. Parker. Your boyfriend. The love of your life." You could be a bit sappy at time, it's funny.
But you continued frowning. Was he talking about the man at your windows a few days ago ? He did have photos of Ned on his phone.
"What's wrong ? Did you two have a fight ? You know, in relationships, there are always times that are-"
"Stop it." You cut him off. "What are you talking about ? I do not know that man."
Ned frowned.
"He came at my door then at my fucking window a couple days ago, acting like he knew me and saying we were dating. He has so many photos of me ! Even you ! He said you were best friends."
"That's uh, that's because it's because it's the truth, man."
"Yeah, and he's Spider-Man ?" You added half jokingly.
"Yeah."
You stared at one another. What was going on ?
Ned did not understand either. Maybe you were mad at Peter and wanted to be petty and act like you don't know him ? But you looked awfully serious. Your annoyance seemed legit.
"Okie dokie." He pulled out his phone, as if he had just been challenged, and then showed you his screen. "Then explain this."
It did not make sense. His phone had lots of photos of you, him and Peter. Did… AI, again ? Why would he do that ? Were you going insane ? Did you really forget you knew Spider-Man ? Did you forget your own boyfriend ?
You sat still, staring into the numerous photos Ned was showing, explaining the context behind each of them.
"I don't- I don't know him." What was going on ? "I have nothing about him on my phone." And so, you pulled out your phone and showed him.
"That's so strange…" He quietly whispered, studying the pictures. Your phone was Peter-less. Not even in deleted folders. "Did you meet a sorcerer ? Like Doctor Strange ?"
"No."
"Are you sure ?"
"I would remember."
"Mmmh, no. You literally forgot Peter."
"Okay. Fair. But why would a wizard do that ?"
"I don't know…" He seemed to think for a moment. "Did you do anything that could upset one ?"
"I don't think so. I don't go around insulting people."
"True… True…"
You stayed silent, until Ned spoke again.
"You need to see Doctor Strange. He's magic. He can help you. I do not want to be a child of divorce."
You let out a chuckle, amused by the term.
"Okay. I guess I'll uh, text… Peter, and tell him about it."
"Did you not notice things that weren't yours at your place ? Things you own but can't remember how you got it ?"
"I, I don't know. I'll check."
"Keep me posted."
"Uh, yeah. Okay."
When you and Ned parted ways, Peter discreetly followed you home, observing you from afar as he watched you sort through your apartment.
You were looking for anything that wasn't yours. A shirt you'd never wear, a decorative item you wouldn't buy, a sweatshirt smelling like someone else, a signed sticky note, a book you'd never read. Something that didn't make sense.
But everything was yours. You can remember how you got all of those. Gifts. Souvenirs. Or compulsively bought. But if you were dating that man, shouldn't you have something that's his ? Hell, there not even a forgotten sock !
It didn't make any sense.
Peter stared for a moment, hope building, excitation growing as he decided that he should try to contact you again. You were getting curious about him, looking for answers, and he could give them to you. He swung away, he needed to get physical proof. Quickly.
Then, your phone lit up. You unlocked it, seeing your had gotten a message from Peter's number. Under the waving hand emoji, a simple question.
"Can we talk ? Please ?"
You stared at it for a moment. You could remember his face when he asked you to trust him. He seemed pretty miserable, like your words were crushing him. Were you really dating ? Ned seemed very confident about it.
You sighed. Could this situation get any weirder ? You looked at the screen and sent your response.
"Okay."
You pushed your phone in your pocket and began cleaning up, you kind of made a mess by looking for something that wasn't yours.
And right as you were done, you heard a knocking sound, you looked around and saw Spider-Man at your window. You stood there staring at one another for a couple seconds.
Was it… really him ? They weren't joking ? That guy is really Spider-Man ?
And as if he had heard your thoughts, he took his mask off, waiting —eagerly— for you to approach, a nervous smile on his face.
You slowly moved closer, sliding the window open. You stayed silent, unsure of what to say, until you saw what he was holding.
It looked like your favorite hoodie.
"It's yours." He stated. "You forgot it at my place because it was too hot to wear it."
Peter let you take it, watching as you studied the hoodie. It really was yours. Your could remember the stains on it, the worn-out holes by the sleeves and collar. It even had your smell. You definitely wore it.
"I saw Ned today. He seems to really believe he's your best friend."
"Because he is."
You hummed, still unsure. Placing the hoodie on a chair nearby.
"Someone used magic on you." He finally said as you stayed silent. "I don't know why they would do that, but your memories about me are… hidden. Somewhere. That's why you don't remember me."
You blinked, staring at him, approaching once more. Like you told Ned, you don't remember meeting a sorcerer or anyone magical.
"Are you, uh, would you, please, come with me ?"
"Where ?"
"To meet Doctor Strange. He can help you. He can recover your memories."
You seemed to think for a moment, should you really go with a stranger-not-stranger ? Ned seemed to trust him.
You exhaled through your nose, not very pleased before finally agreeing. It was gonna be on your terms. You walked away as he looked at you, confused.
"Where are you going ?"
"Getting my bike's keys. How else are we supposed to go ?"
Peter smiled, visibly amused.
"…I can swing you there, it's faster."
"A motorcycle is fast too."
"Yeah but-"
"I'm not swinging in the air." You interjected, grabbing your keys and your helmet, pushing the gloves in your pocket.
His shoulders dropped in defeat. He should've known, taking you with him as Spider-Man has always been a struggle. You were a man made for the ground, not the air.
Peter sighed before quickly entering your apartment and closing the window, you side eyed him, still careful. He seemed awfully familiar with your home as he simply followed you out the door, webbing something from your couch to his hands.
Was that a second helmet ? Why do you have two ? How did you not notice you had two of them earlier ? Did you have other things you didn't notice ? Could there be a magic spell stopping you from seeing things ?
You gave him a confused look before locking the door, walking silently out of the building, you had to admit it was a bit funny how Spider-Man seemed really bummed out at the idea of not being allowed to swing in the air.
You took your place on your bike and put your gloves and helmet on, looking at him, waiting for him to do the same. You could not see his face as it was hidden under his mask once more, but you could feel the awkwardness emanating off of him.
Peter felt nervous, it wasn't the first time you forced him to ride with you, but now that you didn't remember him, it felt a bit weird to touch you. He didn't want you to think he was being too much. Too… sticky. Clingy.
"Mister spider ?" You called jokingly, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry." Quickly, he put on his helmet, and sat behind you, allowing you to take the road, following his directions.
You could feel his arms around your waist, trying to hold on without actually touching you too much. You had to move his hands yourself to tighten his hold. Even if he was Spider-Man, you had ride safely.
His heart was beating uncontrollably, his chest pressed against your back. He tried to be normal about it, it's not the first time he rode behind you, and it won't be the last time. But he couldn't help but fear, a small voice in his head telling him to enjoy it before it was too late.
You quickly parked your bike nearby the Sanctum Sanctorum and walked inside with Peter. Doctor Strange was talking to a man, and upon seeing you two, the man left through a portal.
"This is [Name], I assume ?" Strange asked, looking at you then at Peter.
"Yeah." You replied. Trying to act nonchalant. He's a hero. He's super powerful. And he knows your name. Classic Tuesday. Were you used to that when you were dating Peter ?
"Come with me."
Strange walked you into another room, sitting both you and Peter face to face. He wasted no time, hands moving strangely, eyes closed as golden like words you couldn't read appeared, circling around the three of you.
Peter's eyes never left you, his memories about you playing in his head, hoping it'd help Strange link them back to you. But minutes passed and the sorcerer only frowned.
"There's… nothing." Strange said, eyes still closed as he continued to look for something inside you.
"What ? What do you mean ?" Peter asked.
"I can feel your memories. I can see them. But… His… they're gone."
"They're just deeply hidden. Right ?"
Peter looked at you, hoping to see in you a sense of familiarity, just a spark of remembrance, a sign it was working. But instead you smiled apologetically. You did not remember him.
His plan did not work.
He was still a stranger to you.
"Please, try again. He needs to remember. He has to." His voice sounded suddenly quiet, heartbroken.
"I'm sorry. I can't. It's… it's another me- a me from another dimension, I don't know why he did it but I can sense my magic. He didn't hid the memories, he erased them. 'Everyone must forget Peter Parker.' And… he forgot."
"Wh- how can it be possible ? Why would you do that ?"
"Did you say I traveled to another earth ?" You asked, confused.
"Yes. You weren't tricked." Strange replied, the golden words disappearing as he reopened his eyes. "You somehow found your way to another Peter. To another me. And when he threw the spell, you got included. You forgot Peter."
"Can't you use my memories ? Give them to him so he remembers ?"
"It won't work. He won't remember them as him experiencing these moments. It would be like recalling a story you told him about, a story he did not actually live."
Peter was frozen, looking at you with a completely destroyed expression as he slowly took in what it meant. This could not be true.
"You really remember nothing ?" He finally asked.
"Sorry, man, I- No. I remember nothing." You replied, still trying to wrap your head around the fact you went to another earth. How did you do that ?
"…Okay." His mind was racing, unsure on how to act. He tried to remain composed, not wanting to crash out on you. It wouldn't be fair to you. You didn't ask for this.
Still, he felt so hurt.
"I'll… I'll accompany you back home."
You didn't really need it. You weren't in any danger, and you didn't need help for the way back to your building. But you stayed silent and nodded, following him outside after saying "Goodbye" to The Doctor Strange.
The drive back to your apartment was tense. Heavy. You could tell he was still trying to resolve this, to find a way to get your memories back, but he kept hitting walls mentally, unable to find a solution.
Unlike the earlier ride, this time Peter was holding you tightly, as if he feared you would disappear. Slipping away from his hands, forever out of reach. He felt bad about it, using the proximity to hug you close, trying to physically and mentally memorize how your body felt against his.
When he followed you inside, he was still calculating. You took your helmet and gloves out, the keys were back to their hanging spot. You stared at him as he stood still in the middle of your living room. You had to remove his helmet yourself, throwing it back on the couch. This seemed to snap him out of it as he took his mask off.
"I just- I don't understand how this could happen." He finally said. Nothing made sense. He looked at you, desperate. "I love you. I really do. And so do you."
But instead of repeating these three words back at him like you used to, you stayed silent.
Fuck, not hearing them in return was painful.
"Can we… can we start over ?"
"Huh ?" You frowned, not understanding.
"I mean. Being friends ? Starting over ? Would… would you ?"
Starting over was the only solution left. He'd just need to be patient. To wait for you. To-
"No."
What ?
"Oh."
"Listen. I don't know you. I don't remember you. I don't feel for you what you feel for me. And being your friend wouldn't be fair for you… You'd- you'd constantly be waiting for me to catch feelings for you. You'd over analyze everything I do or say, you'd keep hoping for me to say I love you back to you. I don't want that. I don't wanna feel that pressure."
Peter stared at you. This was not how it was supposed to go. He was losing you.
"And I don't feel like something's missing. My life feels nice how it is. I feel fine by myself. I don't need a boyfriend, at least for now. And I don't want you to wait for it to change."
Peter swallowed thickly, his whole body felt heavy and fuzzy in a sickening way.
"You don't want to ?" He asked again. His voice sounded so far away, like he was not in his own body anymore. "But you're everything to me. You're the sun."
You felt bad. He really seemed to love you dearly. And you probably did too, maybe, but not anymore and you don't want to make him hope and wait for things that may not happen. You had never been a relationship kind of person, even friendship was hard. You have friends because they're stubborn and refuses to abandon you. But romance was a very rare sight for you. You only had one crush during your early teenage years and then a lot of nothing.
Well, not entirely since you were apparently dating him. You had no idea how it could've happened.
"I'm not who you love. Not anymore. I'm sorry, Peter, but you're a stranger for me. I have enough in my life. I'm satisfied with how it is." You hated how it sounded, you didn't want to be harsh, but you didn't know how else to say it.
He stared at you silently. Tears welling up in his eyes. Quickly, he wiped them off.
"I'm sorry." You said.
He seemed so vulnerable, you didn't know what to do or say. Were you being mean ? Were you making the wrong decision ? You simply… didn't want him. Your heart feels full of friends and family, it doesn't feel like he was missing from it.
"I… Okay…" Peter nodded. "I, uh, I'll leave you, then. I'm- I'm sorry."
You watched as he put his mask back on, leaving through the window. He stood there for a moment, looking back at you, hoping you would change your mind, but you didn't. You stared back at him with an apologetic look on your face.
And finally, he swung away.
As you tried to shake the tension from your body you remembered Ned. He was not going to like it.
"A child of divorce…" You whispered, grimacing.