Chapter Text
Peter had the gauntlet in his hand, Thanos was barreling towards him. He saw only one option at that moment.
He slipped the Gauntlet onto his hand, felt the power that was coursing through him, and did the only thing he knew he could do in that moment.
Peter snapped his fingers, wishing that Thanos and his army would disappear, and that the Avengers would be safe.
He didn’t know what happened, but next thing he knew, there was a blob in front of him. That looked vaguely familiar, like he’d seen them before.
“..ete? Hey Pete? It’s okay I got ya” Peter squinted his eyes and looked at the blob. Was that..?
“M‘ser s’ark?” He mumbled.
“Yeah kid, it’s me. Hey, Pete, look at me,” Mr. Stark gently touched Peter’s cheek, guiding his face so he was looking him in the eyes. “You did it, bud, you saved everyone.”
Peter could see a faint glimmer in Mr. Starks eyes, but his vision was still blurry.
He coughs, red coming up with it. “M- M’ser S’ark.. I.. I’on eel so goo’..” he mumbles, trying desperately to get his arms to work, to grab ahold of his mentors hands.
“Hey, hey, Peter, you’re gonna be okay, kid,” Mr. Stark must’ve figured out what Peter was trying to do, because he feels his hand tightly grasped and lifted up to his mentors chest. “You’re Spider-Man, Spider-Man always gets back up.”
Now, Peter’s vision is still extremely blurry, but he could swear that’s a tear dripping down Mr. Stark's face.
Peter tries his best to give a sad smile, but he’s not sure if it comes out right. “I-I’m sorry, I love you, Dad”
With that, Peter promptly blacks out.
•.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~.•
Peter slowly comes to awareness, and the first thing he takes notice of, is the overwhelming green in his vision. It’s almost suffocating.
He takes stock of himself, he could have sworn he’d just died. He didn’t expect the after life to be this.. green.
He attempts to pry his eyes open, and comes to realize he's in a pool of green. That’s why it felt so suffocating. He can’t breathe. Okay Peter.. don’t panic, just find a way out. There’s gotta be an exit.. right?
Peter navigates the green that he’s surrounded in, trying to locate a way out. Eventually, he breaks through at the liquid’s surface.
He grips onto the rocky edge and hoists himself out of the pool, not wanting to spend a second longer in the substance. It puts his Spidey sense on edge.
He looks around at the area he has found himself in, a cave of some sorts. When he takes stock of himself, he still has the iron spider suit on, but it looks a bit bigger than it was before. That’s… odd.
Peter shoves that thought to the back of his head. That’s a concern for another time. He’s almost positive he’d just died in Tony’s arms. Again.
He shakes his head, not wanting to think about the implications of dying right now. He just needs to figure out where he is. And how to get back to Mr. Stark.
Peter looks around in the cave, trying to find an exit of some sort. He spies a faint hint of light, at the very top of the cave’s ceiling. He makes his way over to the wall closest to where he spotted the light, and carefully sets his hand on the wall, testing if he still has his sticky powers. His hand stays firmly planted, so he takes that as his queue to start scaling the wall.
When he reaches the top, the light is coming from a small pin prick hole in the ground from above. Peter reaches up, using some of his super strength to open up just enough room for him to crawl through.
When he slips out into the open air, he doesn’t recognize where he is. He crawled out into the middle of what appears to be a lavender field. He glances around, and spies a city in the distance, but that’s not New York. It’s too.. Gloomy. Don’t get him wrong, New York can get pretty gloomy, but the city he’s looking at is on another level.
It has a thick layer of fog coating it, and looks like it came out of one of those black and white movies.
His spidey sense tingles uneasily while he’s staring at the city, but he doesn’t see any other option, so he begins his trek to the city.
It takes him about five minutes to get there, and when he does, his spidey senses have picked up even more, sending shivers down his spine.
Everyone in the city has their head down, avoiding each other, minding their own business.
Peter tries to stick to the shadows, at least until he can find some clothes to change into out of his spider suit. He’s not sure where his mask went, and he doesn’t feel like getting his identity leaked today.
He lucks out in the first alley he enters, spotting a clothes line with some clothes hanging out to dry. He snags a hoodie, short sleeved shirt, and a pair of black cargo pants.
He hides behind the dumpster, quickly changing, pressing the spider symbol on the iron spider turning it into what looks to most like a fancy watch.
The hoodie has a strange symbol on it that he doesn’t recognize, a diamond with an S in the center of it. He shrugs it off, figuring it’s for some indie band he hasn’t heard of or something.
Peter goes to exit the alley, then realizes he doesn’t have any shoes. That’s gonna be an issue in a city that looks like murders happen every two seconds.
Shoes will have to wait for now, though. He needs to worry about figuring out where he is. And that means finding a library.
With that, Peter exits the alley into the streets of the unknown city he has found himself in, looking for any sign of a library.
The buildings he passed had a dreary look to them, all in shades of grey or black. They were in terrible condition, with cracking paint, broken windows, and some of them missing chunks out of the walls. The city smelled heavily of gunpowder, blood, and vomit.
Every alley he passed had an eerie feeling, like something was hiding within the shadows.
Look, watch it
Wait, what’s that voice? Peter hesitantly glanced around, trying not to look like he was crazy. Suddenly, the hood of his hoodie was snagged by something and he was dragged into the alley he had just passed. He felt the cold metal of a gun press to the back of his head as he was aggressively shoved against the wall. That’s gonna leave a mark.
“If ya know what’s good for ya kid, fork ova all ya cash,” the man drawled out in an accent that Peter was unfamiliar with.
Now, Peter normally knows when to shut his mouth, not cause trouble, but he could feel the tremble of the gun. This man was inexperienced. And if his enhanced senses were still intact, the gun had no smell of gunpowder. Meaning no bullets.
And honestly, Peter was tired. He just wanted to figure out where he was so that he could track down Mr. Stark and take a well deserved nap.
“Does it look like I got money to ya?” He snarked, shifting a little uncomfortably as the gun was jammed further into the back of his head.
“Watch ya mouth ya little punk or I’ll shoot ya. Just gimme the cash and you can go home to mommy and daddy,” Peter snorted at the parents comment. “What’s so funny punk?”
Peter snorted again. Listen. He’s had a long day. “My parents are dead dude. And I ain’t got any money.”
“We’ll see about that,” the man said under his breath, beginning to attempt to rummage through Peter’s pockets.
Hey! Friend! Help?
There’s that voice again! Peter tried as best he could to look around, but the gun was pressed firmly into his head.
Suddenly, he heard loud footsteps land somewhere behind him, making the man stop what he was doing.
“Drop the gun.” A man with a deep, rough voice announced.
The man holding the gun to Peter’s head hesitated, before attempting to stand his ground. “And what’cha gonna do ‘bout it?”
A gunshot rang throughout the alley, and suddenly the gun was gone from Peter’s head. Peter slowly turned to see what happened, then sunk against the wall, seeing a man with a gunshot wound to the leg fleeing the alley, his gun left behind on the ground.
Peter pulled his knees up close to his chest, resting his head on them, giving himself a second to breathe.
Hello! Friend!
“Hey kid, are you..” Peter’s head shot up, his eyes locking with emerald green eyes that looked like they had a hint of recognition in them. The man that was now crouched a few feet in front of him had dark hair with a shock of white, right at his temple. If he was standing, Peter’s positive that he would be massive. He was wearing a simple white T-shirt and baggy jeans, even in this chilly weather.
When did it get so cold? Last Peter remembered, it had been in the middle of summer.
Suddenly the man was moving closer, causing Peter to tense up, wanting to flee.
The man immediately froze, raising his hands in a placating manner, as if Peter were a wounded animal that was being coaxed not to flee.
“It’s alright kid, I ain’t gonna hurt ya. You’ve got a nasty head wound there, just wanna check, make sure there’s nothing worse, get ya patched up.”
“Who.. who are you?” Peter asked, tilting his head ever so slightly.
The man appeared unsure how to go about the situation. “You can call me Jason,” he decided, giving a subtle nod.
“Peter..” Peter replied, a bit unsure.
“Can I check your head now?” Jason asked, carefully gesturing towards Peter’s head in a way as to not spook him.
Peter thought about it for a second. The voice in his head had called Jason a friend, and he could start to feel the warm trickle of blood pooling down his head from being smacked into the brick wall earlier.
“Yeah,” he breathed out, in a voice that sounded too small.
Jason carefully maneuvered himself to where he was directly in front of Peter, and began skimming over Peter’s head with gentle hands.
After a moment, he pulled back and looked at Peter, telegraphing every move he made. “Luckily, ya only got the wound on your temple, and it’s not as bad as it looks, just gotta clean it and bandage it and ya good ta go,” Jason stated.
Peter just sat there for a bit, staring back at Jason, until he realized he was waiting for permission. “Oh! Um sorry- yeah. You can.. yeah.” Peter fiddled with his fingers, avoiding eye contact after clearly just embarrassing himself.
“Alright, this might sting a tad,” Jason said, proceeding to carefully and gently clean Peter’s head wound.
Peter’s had worse. It stung, yes, but he’s used to this by now that he stayed still while Jason worked.
Jason then reached down, pulling out what appeared to be a bandaid with a strange w symbol that Peter did not recognize. Peter just wanted to go home. He was sick of being in a place where everything was unfamiliar.
Jason smoothed the bandage over the cut on Peter’s head, then backed up a bit, his eyes drifting over Peter as if checking for other injuries that may be hidden. He then stood up, and.. Peter was right. Jason is a giant among men.
Jason stuck his hand out to Peter, clearly offering him help getting up.
Peter looked at his hand, then made his decision. “I can get up just fine on my own.” He bit out, then thought of Aunt May, she raised him better. She would smack him on the back of the head if she heard him speak to a grown up like that. He decides to tack on “thank you, though,” then lifts himself off the ground with some help from the wall behind him.
Jason seems unsure what to do with his hand, it twitches slightly as if he just wanted to grab Peter up and go, before he puts it firmly in his pocket.
“Where ya heading, kid?” He asks.
Peter’s pretty sure the number one rule for kids is don’t tell strangers where you’re going.. or something like that, but he’s 16, which is basically an adult, so he can take care of himself.
“The library,” he says, then glances around, checking where his exits are in case he has to bolt if Jason turns out to be some kind of creep.
“I was heading that way anyway, I can walk ya there,” Jason states, not giving Peter time to respond by already leaving the alley.
Peter’s eyes widen slightly before he quickly speeds after the man.
He’ll figure out where he is at the library. Then find out how to contact Tony.
•.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~.•
{Batchat}
Members: Bman, deadgirlwalking, spoileralert… plus 8 others
[deadgirlwalking]: babs, heading your way with kid just saved from mugging in ca
[Iseeall]: oh?
[theoriginalone]: Little wing?? You never message on here!!
[deadgirlwalking]: this is why.
[Iseeall]: do you have a description of the kid? Name?
[deadgirlwalking]: we’re almost there, you’ll see him yourself.
•.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~.•
Looking up, Peter could only stare in awe at the building in front of him. The library Jason had brought him to was massive, with a grand staircase and large marble pillars. It was a clear contrast to the rundown part of the city that he had been in minutes ago.
Jason was already halfway up the stairs when Peter realized he’d spaced at staring at the library.
Peter hurried up the stairs after him, sliding through the door that Jason had held open for him.
The inside was even more exquisite than the outside.
He heard a soft chuckle from beside him, startling him, until he remembered that he had come here with someone.
“Pretty fancy, huh kid?” Jason asked, giving Peter a mischievous smirk.
Peter went to respond, but with that comment realized just how dirty he was. He had a thin layer of the green liquid dried to his skin, and dirt and blood was caked on his hands, arms, and feet. He also became aware again that he was not wearing any shoes.
He was staring at his feet when Jason’s voice startled him for a second time. “You good Pete?”
Peter’s breath hitched at the nickname, but he quickly brushed it off, looking up at Jason. “Yeah. Totally fine. I'm just gonna..” he gestured vaguely to where he thought he saw the front desk, and started making his way that way without waiting for a response.
Spotting the desk, he saw who was presumably the librarian organizing some papers. She had fiery orange hair that was up in a messy bun. Her face was framed by black rectangle glasses.
Upon Peter’s arrival, she glanced up, startling a tad. Recognition flashed in her eyes, but Peter wasn’t sure what for.
Jason suddenly materialized beside him, placing a delicate but firm hand on his shoulder. “Hey Babs, how are you?”
“I’m good, Jay. This is an unexpected visit.” She raised her eyebrows, as if having a silent conversation with the man standing beside Peter.
Jason just shrugged, glancing down at Peter in a way that would have been hard for a normal human to spot.
The librarian shifted her gaze to Peter, smiling kindly and extending a hand. “Hi there sweetheart, I’m Barbara Gordon, but everyone just calls me Babs.”
Peter takes her hand, careful not to use his strength. “Peter.” He opts not to give his last name. This city creeps him out too much.
Barbara released his hand, settling back into her seat.
Either the desk was tall or Peter had somehow shrunk. Which was impossible. Right?
“Is there anything I can help you with?” Barbara asked.
Jason had taken his hand off of Peter’s shoulder, giving Barbara a nod before heading down an aisle.
“Um, are there computers here that I can use?” He asked, fidgeting with his fingers. It was a nervous habit he needed to break, but wasn’t sure if he could.
“Of course sweetheart, right back there,” she replied, pointing to the back corner of the library.
“Thank you so much Miss Barbara!” Peter exclaimed, speed walking towards where the computers were.
He settled down at a computer that gave him a complete view of the entire library, a bit shocked to see clunky box computers.
He hit the power button on the computer, then leaned back, waiting for it to boot up.
Peter knew that libraries normally weren’t that well funded, but Stark tech had been the norm for years. A library as grand as this one should have at least the basic Stark models.
The computer finally came online, and he clicked the guest profile. Clicking google, he began looking for the fastest way to get into contact with Mr. Stark.
Tony Stark…
No results found
That’s… odd… Mr. Stark is a celebrity, known worldwide. Something should come up at least when you search his name.
Peter backspaced and changed his search, hoping it was just an error, not what he was beginning to think that it was.
Stark Industries…
Did you mean: Wayne Industries
What? What’s Wayne Industries. Peter’s starting to panic a little now. He searches one last thing that will confirm his suspicions, and if he can truly panic.
The Avengers…
a•veng•er
noun
plural noun: avengers
- a person who exacts punishment or inflicts harm in return for an injury or wrong.
Peter quickly stood up from his chair, ignoring the awful squeaking noise it made, scanning for the bathroom. Once he spotted it, he quickly rushed over, ignoring the calls of his name.
He slipped in, pressing his back to the door, breathing heavily. Okay. So he died and ended up in another universe. Not the craziest thing that’s happened in his life. He was bit by a spider and got super powers. He can figure this out.
Peter slowly pries himself from the door and makes his way over to the sink, preparing to splash his face with water, when his reflection catches his eye.
He recognizes himself.. but.. is that his 12 year old self staring back at him? He carefully touches his cheek, watching as his reflection does the same. He’s definitely back to 12 years old. Great.
Not only that, upon further inspection, his eyes are now a toxic emerald green with only faint traces of the brown that was once there. His curly brown hair is mostly the same, save for the fact that now right at the center of his temple is a shock of white hair, just like he’d seen on Jason.
He’s startled out of looking at his changed appearance by knocking on the door. “Peter? Sweetheart? Are you okay in there?” Peter sighs. It’s Barbara.
“Yeah,” he hollers, heading over to the door and opening it just a crack.
His eyes widened a little upon seeing that Barbara was in a wheelchair. He quickly cleared his expression and tried to give what he thought was a smile, but might’ve been a grimace.
“Are you sure, sweety? You scared me when you took off running like that..” Her eyes swept over him and what little of the room was available to her, cataloging everything she could see.
He opened the door the rest of the way, and she wheeled back, giving him space to exit. “Yeah, I’m fine, thank you Miss Barbara.”
She smiled at him kindly. “I told you, you can call me Babs, Pete.”
“Alright Miss Babs,” Peter said, rocking on his toes a little.
Babs’ eyebrows rose a little, as if in challenge, but she appeared to have thought better of it and changed the topic. “You know.. we have a lost and found bin here, there might be a pair of shoes in there that’ll fit ya.”
Peter’s eyes lit up, and he glanced down at his feet, then back up at her. “Really?”
She chuckles softly under her breath, reminding him vaguely of Aunt May. “Yes, it’s right this way.”
Babs waves for him to follow her, then begins rolling past the front desk, to a side room that appears to be a storage closet. “Right in there. Buckets on the left, you can’t miss it.”
Peter hesitates for a moment before heading in and finding the bucket. He digs through it until he finds a pair of beat up converse that look maybe a size or two too big, but the closest to fitting him. He slips them onto his feet, then heads out to find that Babs had waited for him.
“Did you find a pair that fit okay?” She asks.
“Yep,” Peter replies, popping the p. “They’re a bit big, but I’ll grow into ‘em.” Peter rocks on his feet a bit, thinking about what to do next. New universe means that he doesn’t exist here. That also means that he’s homeless. He can’t just go back to the computer today after that little freak out, plus, with a quick glance at the clock hanging on the wall, it’s getting late.
He was homeless for a bit with Aunt May and Uncle Ben after the battle of New York, so he’s not super worried. He just needs to hurry before all of the good buildings are taken.
Babs opens her mouth, as if to say something, but Peter quickly cuts her off. “Well, it was nice meeting you Miss Babs, but … my um parents,” he says the word with a bit of hesitancy, lying has never been his strong suit. “ are waiting for me, bye!”
He doesn’t give her a chance to respond, too scared his lie will be called out, turning to book it out the door.
•.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~.•
{Barbara Gordon created new chat}
Barbara Gordon added Jason Todd
Barbara Gordon added Tim Drake
[Tim Drake]: ?
Barbara Gordon changed group name to Who’s the Father???
[Barbara Gordon]: *.png photo taken from library surveillance footage. Peter can just be made out fiddling with his fingers*
[Tim Drake]: is that another mini Bruce???
Jason Todd changed Tim Drake’s name to Idiot
[Jason Todd]: that’s clearly a mini Dickhead.
[Barbara Gordon]: I mean.. I think he looks kinda like Jason tbh
Idiot changed Jason Todd’s name to Dumb
[Idiot]: well, did anyone get a name? Something we can work with?
[Dumb]: the only dumb one here is you. And yes, his name is Peter.
[Barbara Gordon]: girls, you’re both pretty.
[Idiot]: can’t do much with only a first name, I’ll try and run his face through face recognition next time I’m at the cave
[Barbara Gordon]: thanks Tim.