heartstumbles | Open RP Post/TFLN Overflow/Etc.

[After Peter steals one last look at MJ and Ned and swings away into dawn rising over New York City, he begins the painful process of picking up the broken pieces of the aftermath of him trying to fix things. First things first, he makes his way back to his apartment with May, to salvage what he can of his own belongings. He won't be able to stay here, not with everyone forgetting who he is.

He also won't be able to have any direct input for arranging May's funeral, but he still signs up at FEAST when the offer for volunteers makes the rounds. (The only way he can attend his own aunt's funeral is by working at it, but, in all honesty, that seems really fitting, and he feels like May won't mind.)

He has to also find himself a new place to live, find a job to be able to support himself, obtain his GED so he can maybe go to college one day, and, of course, continue as Spider-Man.

It is, to say the least, a whole lot.

Through FEAST, Peter is able to find himself an apartment that isn't entirely a fire hazard. The rent is still obscene, but the sort of obscene that's manageable, so Peter's not about to complain any time soon.

After moving in, Peter makes quick work of unpacking what few belongings he has, and decorating the small space to the best of his ability. He then sets to work making himself a new Spider-Man suit, given that the nanotechnology of his old one no longer recognizes him.

He falls into a routine, a pattern of working on his GED, working his job at the crappy dinner five blocks from his apartment, and patrolling as Spider-Man.

He's only followed this routine for a few days, nearly a week after moving into this place, when, one early evening, Peter hears a sudden thump against the window by his desk. He jerks up, and the hair on his arms raises upwards, as if he's caught out in a thunderstorm. His Tingle is...well. Tingling.

He makes his way to the window, and opens it, staring, gaping, even.]

Wait. Peter Three?!

( so, he does remember something happening. propping up CYPM (Cool Youth Pastor Me), weird bubbly sensation and wildfire through his spider-senses. it didn't feel quite like it had to suddenly end up in an alternate universe, and, turns out: there's a reason for that. because he didn't. and Peter has no idea why.

he does know, however, that something big happened. New York changed in a flash from the other version of him all over every front page and billboard and news report to... well, the more familiar Spider-Man coverage. without his name attached. there's naysayers, and it's so weird that J. Jonah Jameson has like, a blog??? what's that about??? he's got the same loud protests going of anything Spider-Man, as usual, there are more forgiving outlooks from other publications. talking about a final showdown at the statue of Liberty and strange happenings around the city, just nothing about Peter Parker.

which... good... kind of... maybe? Peter isn't sure. probably only other Peter can comment on that one, didn't seem like the guy was enjoying his identity splashed all over. still weird though, because that's not how things were like, yesterday. and while Peter rather wonders if he got shipped to a new but similar universe for a second, there's really only one way to answer that question.

it's harder to find the other him the second time around, because there's not a pair of pals with a magic ring doing half the work for him. Peter doesn't manage to find Peter 2 either. maybe the guy made it home? doesn't matter, first things first is finding the younger him, seems like that's the best objective to maybe getting himself home at some point. it is hard but not impossible, because of course the other him is still wall-crawling and webslinging. it was just a matter of time before Peter figured out where the guy was wallcrawling home to each night. he feels a little bad putting more on the kid's plate, so he hesitates a little in making himself known. it just turns out that it's sort of hard to hash it in the wrong universe? his ID doesn't bring up anything and that's sort of bad. none of his cards work, he's out of cash, and it's sort of cold to sleep on top of the Empire State Building? it's a whole thing.

so, yeah. he smiles, almost bashfully, at the inquiry, offering a slight wave. ) Yeah. Sorry. Man, is it a relief you remember me? ( just because, you know, the universe suddenly changed to one that had no idea Peter Parker was Spider-Man. just not his universe. unfortunately. ) Or, uh, hi. I don't mean to barge in, but, could I though? It's cold out here.

Oh, yeah! Of course, come in, please!

[Peter hurries to open the window for Peter Three, feeling bad that he's out there in the cold, especially on a night like tonight, which, even for New York City in the winter, is brutal. He moves to give Peter space to climb in and starts hurrying to pick up what he can and make his apartment presentable.

He turns to look at Peter, curious as to how he's still here. He wonders if Peter Two is also still here? Crap, he thinks. Did the spell backfire on the two guys who deserved to return home most? Just his luck, he figures.]

What happened? Did you get stuck here? I'm sorry, I thought the spell worked! Oh, can I get you anything? I have...ramen, mac and cheese, coffee, and half of a cake a really nice lady bought Spider-Man the other day.

[He's internally panicking, wondering if this is how one goes about being a good host, but also trying to figure out what he can do to best help Peter.]

Don't know. Maybe. Kinda. Yeah. I felt weird and bubbly and not entirely right and then boom, still here, so.

( given an opening he does gratefully crawl in the window, with the practiced ease of a guy that has crawled through a ton of windows. Peter doesn't really care if the other him has a messy apartment. his is not really much better, way back in a different universe, and it's a bit sadder really because he's 27 and should have probably figured out how to live on his own by now. mostly he's just glad it is warm in here because yeah, New York is pretty cold as winters go, and the spandex spidersuit doesn't really insulate well.

he still offers a weary smile, fluffs up the mess of hair that was recently stuffed under his mask, and glances around. ) Spell? Sounds wild. What spell? Is that what's going on? Everything's different but not that different because you remember me still. I was really really worried you wouldn't. ( what a relief that they don't have to unpack how he's him right now, huh? food is... well, food has been hard to come by, excluding nice ladies that do give him food because he's got a spider-suit. )

Mac and cheese. I can handle the coffee. Teamwork. We can team and talk, tell me about this spell. ( he gives the kid a well meaning set of fingerguns and then wanders to the kitchen like he owns the place. if you're forgiving about it, maybe he kinda does, right? )

Oh no. I guess that spell didn't work one hundred percent then.

[Which makes him wonder if other aspects of the spell went awry in the process, if anyone might still remember who he is, or if anyone else from either of the other Peters' worlds got left behind as well.

He shakes his head.] The spell Strange cast to make everyone forget me and send you guys home. I thought it worked but maybe some wires got crossed? Or magic fritzed out?

[Peter manages a smile.] Maybe there's some hidden rule about how you can't forget other versions of yourself? I don't know that much about magic.

[He nods, grins, and follows Peter to his small kitchen area, moving to grab the stuff for mac and cheese, including his nicest bowl and fork for Peter.] Teamwork it is! Uh, so the spell was supposed to make everyone forget me and send you home. As far as I knew, it worked. No one remembers that I'm Spider-Man, or that I even exist.

[He starts to stir and mix the mac and cheese, moving to turn on his small stove. He prays it actually works tonight, and that he doesn't have to fight with it just to make food. It's been a long enough day as is.]

Neither do I.

( magic is way out of his wheelhouse. Peter has always been a science guy. before he was dragged unwittingly through universes, Peter would have said he didn't even believe in magic. the guy with major mutton silver mutton chops and a cape that flew around on its own making mystical rings around the Statue of Liberty was sort of hard to dispute. )

Wait, everyone forgot about you? What about MJ? Ned? ( aka the only support the kid had left, with Aunt May gone? Peter does know how this whole mess started, but in a way the Peters are a little too similar, he persists, ) They remember though, right?

( hopefully little him likes coffee the same way. black enough to make you wince, but mix it up with the wild creamer so it tasted a little less like tar. because that's how he's making it. )

That makes two of us, at least?

[And, unfortunately, Peter knows that, considering Strange probably doesn't remember him (any version of him), he probably can't approach Strange for help. Maybe as Spider-Man, but all Strange would remember of him as Spider-Man would be the battles they fought together, and little else. Peter doubts he would be willing to let him research effects of magic on goodwill alone.

As Peter manages to turn on the oven in less than five tries (a miracle!), Peter asks about Ned and MJ, and he bites his lip, stirring the mac and cheese for a moment before answering. His shoulders tense and he focuses his gaze on the pot of mac]

They don't remember. I was going to tell them, but.

[Ned and MJ sharing their delight in getting accepted to MIT, the bandage on MJ's face, and the way they both just appeared so carefree without Peter all reminded Peter of how he protect them by staying out of their lives.]

Knowing me just puts them in danger and gets them hurt. They're safer this way; they can go to college and not have to worry about getting kidnapped or put in danger just from knowing me.

[He's happy to trust Peter to make the coffee however he likes; Peter tends to like his coffee black, mostly, but he'll drink any and all forms of coffee as are available to him at any given moment.]

In the wake of his multiversal adventures, Peter is trying to adjust to his new life. He has his new apartment, and new jobs as a Door Dash delivery person and a dishwasher at a local restaurant; he obtained his GED and now attends Empire State University, saving money by commuting to campus instead of living in the dorms. And, of course, he has his nighttime activities as Spider-Man on top of it all. A balancing act, one Peter struggles with, but, for the most part, manages, depending on the homework he has, the amount of rent he's behind on, and, of course, the kind of costumed villains with alien tech and/or magic he's dealing with.

This week is particularly challenging, with Wilson Fisk recently announcing his run for the conveniently now vacant position of Mayor. (Peter hasn't yet been able to firmly connect the previous Mayor's disappearance to Kingpin but he knows that connection's there.) His platform of choice? Outlawing vigilantes and masked heroes.

It's also been nearly a year since Peter lost May, and he feels her loss keenly every time he passes by anything and everything to do with F.E.A.S.T.

After he gets out of his chemistry lab, Peter realizes that, for once in a very long time, he actually has some free time. He stops at a bus corner, blinks, as he tries to process this.

A flash of a moment later, Peter is jumping into the nearest alley and pulling out his phone. Now seems as good as time as any to try out the special project he's been working on, a means of communicating across universes with the other Peters. He opts for Peter 2, and he presses several buttons as he hopes he's got this right.

[Peter has never been to LA before, nor did he expect to go anytime soon after his whole multiverse adventure. But life keeps finding a way to keep Peter on his toes, and so, when the opportunity arises to visit LA as a part of his physics class, Peter signs up, using the money he's saved up from working extra shifts to help pay for the cost of said field trip. (He's still shocked college even has field trips, but hey. You learn something new everyday right?)

He, of course, brings his Spider-Man suit. But he doesn't expect to have to use it the first night in California, after they've all gotten settled in the hostel that they're staying in for the trip.

He has his scanner app on his phone, and it picks up instantly on the serious fire going on down in the middle of LA, close to one of the museums they're supposed to visit. Peter quickly makes an excuse of not feeling well after the long flight and locks his room, swiftly changing into his Spider-Man suit and making his way out into the city.

LA is not New York, and it takes Peter a minute to get his bearings. He manages to find his footing, and he makes his way towards the fire.

As he swings in close, he can hear that there's at least one firefighter trapped inside, with a civilian as well, and the rest of the first responders are unable to reach them up on the tenth floor. Peter doesn't hesitate; he leaps right in, swinging up and trying to find both people as well as a good opening to get himself inside.]

Hello? Anyone in there? I'm here to help!

[He calls out, eyes searching for any signs of movement.]

Every so often, Peter would wake from a strange dream and wonder if he'd made the whole thing up. It seemed so unreal that he'd traveled to another universe and met up with two different versions of himself, and if it weren't for the fact that his abdomen still ached from his now-healed stab wound every once in a while, he'd be convinced it was all a hallucination.

He'd given MJ a Cliffs Notes summary of his adventure, and they'd talked it to death over the course of several nights, but as the months passed, he allowed it to fade to a memory. Back to normal life he went, doing the best he could as a husband, father, scientist, and the world's one and only Spider-Man.

So, imagine his surprise when his phone lights up with a call from a number he's never seen before, but one that his Caller ID automatically identifies as "Peter Parker (1)." His heart leaps into his throat and he presses the answer button, wondering if he's gone crazy.

"Hello? Peter?"

As Peter answers, Peter brightens, grin stretching wide across his face. "Hi Peter! It's Peter, but you already knew that. Oh man I can't believe it worked!"

It's lucky that he's secluded in an alley, he thinks, because he can picture how he must look to other people, and it's at least a seven on the Richter Scale of weird. He can't stop pacing, or smiling, for that matter. Just hearing Peter's voice again is comforting in the way that a warm bowl of soup on a cold winter's day is comforting; the way the comfort warms him, Peter knows that he's been colder for awhile now, longer than he wants to actually admit.

"Oh right, I should probably explain. I was experimenting with trying to find ways to keep in touch with you and Peter 3, and I finally figured out a way that worked without setting my smoke alarm off at three in the morning."

He's rambling, he realizes, even as he keeps rambling.

He has no idea how it works at all, but his brain is already working on inter-dimensional telecommunications and the possibility of opening the portals again. If they could harness that ability and travel to other universes whenever they wanted, it would be a massive scientific breakthrough.

"That... really doesn't explain much, but we can talk about it later. Is something bad happening? Any of my bad guys slip through to your universe again?" Three of the five had been his, which did make him feel bad. If Venom had somehow made it over, that would make it even worse.

Peter sits down at the kitchen table, since it's quieter than the living room, and grabs for some scrap paper and a pen. "If the wizard's refusing to help you out again, I'm willing to pay him a visit."

Peter's so excited about this experiment working and talking with Peter Two again; this feels like a victory, one of the biggest ones he's had recently. He's going to enjoy this before life eventually throws another curveball his way and knocks him back on his ass.

"I know, sorry, I got too excited that it worked at all, but I can definitely explain and go into detail about what I did," he says. And the thought of talking with Peter about his science experiment is particularly exciting because he knows Peter gets it, both in the literal, scientific sense and in the emotional meaningfulness of establishing another way of communication across the multiverse.

The alleyway is quiet, despite the general bustle of the city. And Peter trusts in his Peter Tingle to alert him if anything's wrong. Out of the corner of his eyes, he thinks he sees a blurry movement of something black, but he figures it's probably just a rat. Possibly a radioactive rat, but still.

"No, none of your bad guys did, I think," Peter says. "But uh. It's not great over here. If you have a Wilson Fisk in your universe, watch out for him, he's dangerous."

He laughs at the mention of Doctor Strange.

"No, it's fine. I'm handling it, mostly," he says. "Hopefully you're doing good back home? How's your stab wound?"

He wants to hear about Peter's life, and how he's doing. He still feels so guilty that he got stabbed in the process of helping him.

"I'd like that. Maybe once I can write on something a little more durable than used napkins." Peter twirls the pen with his free hand while keeping the phone clutched tightly in his other hand. His mind is already overflowing with his own ideas, and he idly sketches out a portal with some calculations next to it before they leave him.

"I haven't heard that name before, but I'll keep an eye out." He hadn't experienced too many supervillains in the past decade, but someone with an animal theme and a weird suit would show up every once in a while. "Home's been okay. Quiet. And I'm all healed now, so you don't have to worry about me." Although he'd scared the hell out of MJ when he'd reappeared clutching his stomach and bleeding all over the bedroom. Not his finest moment.

"How about you? Peter You, I mean. No Hero You."

"Yeah, used napkins make for more notes, but they do an okay job in a pinch," Peter says, thinking of all the times he's desperately tried to keep key information on napkins himself. He remembers his own sweat ruining a lot of his own notes. He's written on worse, though.

Peter paces, skipping every couple of steps as he can't contain his excitement. It feels so good just hearing Peter's voice; it feels like it's been so long since he's last spoken with a friend, someone who understands the superhero life and balancing it with the rest of life.

"Yeah, he's uh, well. Over here, at least, he's also known as Kingpin, and he basically runs the city already from the shadows. He's trying to make it official now, and he's running on a campaign of outlawing vigilantes. It's not great."

Just getting to talk about his struggles helps Peter feel better; he feels himself relaxing as he lets a lot of the weight he's been carrying fall off of his chest.

"I'm glad to hear you're all healed," he says, very much grateful for that good news. He still feels so guilty that Peter got stabbed in the first place.

When he asks about him, not hero him, Peter pauses. He tries to figure out how he wants to answer. Instinctively, he wants to assure Peter that he's good, but he also doesn't want to lie.

"I'm okay, I think," he says, which is the most truthful answer he feels. "I'm working and going to college, and doing hero stuff, so it's a lot. This afternoon is the first chance I've had at a break in...well. A long time. I'm glad I was able to get in contact with you."

He leans against the wall of the alley and lets out a long, low breath.

He can hear ambient city noises as Peter talks, which indicates that he's on the move. He finds that he's missed how quickly this younger Peter speaks, like the ideas are spilling out of his brain so fast that his mouth can't possibly keep up. It's endearing, and he finds himself smiling involuntarily.

"I've dealt with my share of gangsters and mafia," he offered, unsure if it was helpful. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was one person at the head of it all." In fact, when Peter Three had mentioned he'd stopped holding back, mobsters had been the first targets that popped into his head.

'I'm okay' doesn't sound very convincing. Peter had no idea what deal his younger self had made with the wizard to get their universes back to normal, but there was always a price when you messed with magic, it seemed. There was probably a lot that the other Peter wasn't going to tell him.

"You ended up going to college after all, huh?" He tried to pick his tone up to sound more excited. "That's great. Do you have an Empire State University in your world? That's where I went."

"Dealing with gangs and mafia almost makes me miss fighting bad guys in weirdly themed costumes," Peter says. There's something comforting about gangs and mafia being a constant across the multiverse, though.

It's nice to talk to Peter because he doesn't have anyone else he can really talk honestly with, after fixing the multiverse with Strange's spell. He misses Ned and MJ more than he can put into words, and so getting to talk to Peter feels a little bit like gathering up some of the broken pieces of his life that he's lost.

He nods when Peter asks about college. "Yeah, I did and I'm going to Empire State too! I got my GED and I just started classes this past fall. It's taking some getting used to but I'm really enjoying my classes. I really like my physics class, especially the lab. Still don't know what I want to major in, though."

He knows he has time to pick out a major, but the problem is, even as much as Peter loves science, he still doesn't know how to focus that into a possible career. He doesn't think he wants to be a doctor, but that's as close to narrowing down the possibilities as he's going to get, he thinks.

But that does give him an idea for a question to ask.

"How did you like college? What did you major in?"

Did you know Richard Nixon was kidnapped on the monorail at Disneyland in 1959? (Buck looked around quickly, making sure that everything was stable for now. He quickly calculated and figured they had about an hour before they ran out of air. Not that they were in Anaheim right now.

Only if he could keep the Vic calm. A big if as far as Buck was concerned. He rechecked the wrap on her head just as he heard the callout. Buck hopes that the 118 has the fire under control. The door to the room they are in is only warm to the touch and no smoke is coming under the door. )

LAFD! Are you from another house?

[Peter listens, catching the person he assumes to be the firefighter reciting off a fact about Richard Nixon and Disneyland.]

Well, I definitely didn't know that before but I do now! The more you know.

[When asked if he's with the LAFD, Peter pauses for a moment, trying to decide how to answer. Realizing he really doesn't have the luxury of wondering for too long, he decides honesty is the best policy. He reaches the door where the voice comes from, and he checks it for warmth and smoke. The door is warm but there isn't any smoke, a good sign. Peter gradually opens the door, revealing himself in his Spider-Man suit.]

Not exactly. I'm a little ways away from the neighborhood but I'm still your friendly Spider-Man, ready to help!

It's an absolutely mundane conversation to be having, talking about college while they're connected between universes on some sort of modified cell phone. Peter shakes his head in amazement as the younger Peter keeps talking, and he wonders what his life has become over the past 20 years.

"Sounds like you're doing all right for yourself. It's okay to not know what you want to do with your life in your first year. Just take a whole bunch of classes that sound interesting, and if something really catches your attention, that might be the one." He rubs at the bridge of his nose when he realizes how his Teacher Voice is starting to come out. No need to lecture the kid.

"College wasn't bad for me. Of course, I ended up missing quite a bit of it due to, you know, the Spider thing." How he managed to graduate at all was something of a miracle. "I definitely didn't have a social life. Didn't get to join clubs or go to parties. So if you get that opportunity, I'd take it."

The front door opened, and he could hear two female voices getting closer. How did he explain that he was on the phone with himself from another universe? "Uh, and the other question was... right. My major. I did my Bachelor's in Chemistry. My ESU had an amazing professor in that department who was also my advisor." He had looked up Dr. Connors after he'd arrived home, worried that he'd turned into a lizard monster like Peter Three's Connors had. Fortunately, Kurt Connors in this universe was still a regular human.

Peter nods as he listens to Peter, grinning. He's so proud of himself for figuring out a way to communicate between worlds. It occurs to him then that he should probably not brag openly about this particular invention, in case someone tries to use it for less wholesome purposes than talking to a different version of oneself one has come to think of as the brother he's never had.

"Yeah, I think that's what I'm going to try and do," he says, shifting back and forth on his feet. His Tingle hasn't acted up yet, so he thinks he's secure enough where he is for the moment. "A little bit of everything and figure out what clicks." He's considering journalism as an elective next semester, just to try something different.

"Yeah, I uh, I'm still trying to balance that," he admits. He hasn't really had the chance to meet new people outside of his classes. "My lab partners seem really nice though."

He doesn't know what kind of clubs he'd join, if he had the time. Between school, work, and Spider-Man, Peter tends to use what free time he does have to catch up on sleep, when he has the chance.

"Oh that's so cool! How was Chemistry as a major? Did you work a lot with your advisor?"

"That's good. I'm glad you're not alone." He hadn't wanted to leave as abruptly as he did; of course, he would've been better at making decisions when he wasn't bleeding out, too. He shifts the phone to his other hand and ear as MJ pokes her head in the kitchen and waves and mouths something at him. He's not a good lip reader, so he just nods, hoping it suffices.

"I was pretty far ahead in high school, so it wasn't much of an adjustment for me." He sighs. "I mean, I hope that didn't come off as bragging. It was just nice being with other people who were on the same level as me. And Dr. Connors-" He pauses, just to let that sink in. "He had high hopes for me. Wanted me to go on to a PhD and everything. But when you work multiple jobs and fight crime every night, taking on more debt doesn't sound that appealing."

Next, he sees a smaller figure in the doorway. May peeks around the side and grins at him, her long red hair swaying with her. "Who are you talking to?" she asks, as loudly as a five-year old typically asks things.

Peter smiles and gives her a quick wave before turning back to his conversation. He's sure the other Peter had to have heard the other voices by now. "So this tech you've been working on, am I the first person you tried to call? Have you talked to Peter Three with this?"

Peter laughs. "It didn't come off as bragging, but even if you were bragging, I think you deserve to brag," he says. He wishes he got more of a chance to talk more with both Peters, to dig deeper into different theories and science in general. Obviously they had more pressing matters to attend to, but still. Peter wishes they'd gotten more time together.

He arches an eyebrow when Peter mentions Dr. Connors. "Wait, you have a Dr. Connors too?" Now he's even more curious about who else they all might have in common in their worlds. And then a thought occurs to him. "Also um, this might sound like a weird question, but did Peter Three ever tell you the last name of his Gwen?"

"Yeah, I wish debt was a costumed villain I could punch in the face," he admits, shaking his head. "I can't even imagine going after a master's degree, much less a PhD."

He hears the other voice, the volume of it. How young it seems. He wonders. "Is that your kid I just heard?"

When he asks about reaching out to Peter Three, Peter shakes his head, as if Peter Two could actually see him. "I haven't yet, I was going to try him next," he says. "I'm wondering if we might actually be able to FaceTime."

"Yeah, Kurt Connors is a professor and scientist in my world, but he never turned himself into a monster." At least, not that Peter knew of, though if there were a giant lizard running around New York, he'd probably have heard about it by now. "And no, he didn't tell me her last name, but if I had to guess, her last name might be Stacy. I knew one, too, although we never made it past a couple of dates."

Not that he minded. He had so thoroughly embarrassed himself with Gwen that he purposely avoided her for years after. By the time he was finally brave enough to look her up, he saw that she had moved to England. After the psychotic way the symbiote had made him act around her, it seemed like a fantastic decision on her part.

Ah, so he had heard her. "Yeah," he admits sheepishly. "That's our Mayday. I should probably talk to her again about using her indoor voice." And leaving footprints on the ceiling. And trying to web things to her instead of just getting up. So many lectures, so little time.

"FaceTime would be great," he says. "I wonder how good the video quality would be across three separate dimensions."

"That's good," Peter says, hearing that the Dr. Connors of Peter Two's world. "And it's really cool that Dr. Connors was your advisor."

"Stacy, right," he nods on his end of the phone. Well, that sounds like another person they all have in common. "That's the last name of one of my lab partners I was telling you about." Now part of him wonders if he's going to have to worry about his lab partner, who seems really nice and like she could possibly become a friend.

Well, he tells himself internally, nothing's written in stone. He should probably worry more about studying for his upcoming exams and Kingpin's looming plans as mayor before anything else.

He grins to himself as Peter describes Mayday. "Mayday, huh? I love the name," he tells him. He wonders what she looks like, if she looks like Peter Two or his MJ. "She likes talking loudly huh?"

"Right? I'm going to try and figure it out on my end, when I get the chance," he says. "I'm sure video quality can be adjusted. I've been experimenting with multiversal aspects of different parts. Well, what parts I can find, but it's actually amazing how much people waste, especially in the physics department of college campuses."

"There could be slight differences between all the people we know," he said, trying to be reassuring. "What happens to one version of someone doesn't necessarily happen to all of them. Or so I'd assume." For better or for worse.

It was always easy to talk about his daughter, so he welcomed the subject change. "Yeah, her actual name is May, but we've been calling her Mayday since she was a baby. Chaos seems to just follow her wherever she goes," he added with a laugh. "She's almost six, so we're still working on the manners thing. Volume is part of that."

If they could figure out video calls, he'd love for May to meet her 'uncles.' The prospect excited him and he went to search for actual pieces of paper to start making more sketches. "I want to help you. You've already done most of the legwork on your own, but I'll assist in any way I can. Perhaps if I boost the signal from my world, it'll amplify our connection. We can get Peter 3 to do the same and triangulation should get things steady."

"I hope so," Peter says, quietly. He likes to think that there are versions of Aunt May who are still alive out there, along with hoping that the Gwen Stacy he's just met isn't set for a doomed fate. "Hopefully there's versions of us with better luck," he jokes.

He brightens as Peter talks about his daughter. Just from the way he describes Mayday, Peter can tell how much he loves his daughter. "Sounds like she keeps you on your toes," he says, grinning. "Almost six, really? Wow! She's growing up fast." It's really nice to hear about Peter Two's life; to listen to how he's built a life for himself with a family. It gives Peter hope.

"Oh that's a great idea!" Peter says, perking up even more. Getting to video chat with both Peters would be even better than phone calls. "Yeah, we definitely need to catch Peter Three up and work on getting multidimensional Discord to be a thing! I can text you some of the formulas and specifics I've been working with, and maybe you can improve on them?"

"If universes are truly infinite, there has to be at least one of us whose life isn't a complete and total mess." Was it possible to be a Spider-Man without loss, pain, and sorrow? He certainly hoped so.

Peter One sounds happier just hearing about his life, so he was happy to talk more about it. "Yeah, only a few more days left before kindergarten is over. It flew by so fast. I feel like I spent the entire last summer worrying about her accidentally using her powers in front of her classmates, but we didn't end up having any incidents."

He's idly sketching now, cradling the phone in his right hand while marking up the paper with his left. Peter wasn't entirely sure what Discord was, but that could just as easily be a generational thing as a multiversal one. Not that he particularly liked being reminded how much older he was than the other two Spider-Men. "That sounds like a plan. I've needed a project to get my mind turning again, and this could be just the thing."

"Someone has to be the Spider-Person with their life together," Peter says. He likes to imagine that one of them has gotten that lucky enough. "There's like, a rule of probability about that, I think?"

"Wow! She's almost out of kindergarten? That's so...wow. They grow up fast, huh?" He asks, grinning as he listens to Peter describe Mayday and worrying about her using her powers in front of other people. His expression softens as he conisders the implications of that. "Wait, so you passed your powers to your kid?"

He doesn't know how he feels about that. On the one hand, he'd love for his future (highly unlikely at this point but he's trying to be optimisitic) children to be able to defend themselves. On the other hand, what kind of danger could kids with these powers attract?

He does perk up when he hears Peter discussing needing a new project. "Glad to help! It's been fun working on this, honestly. It's a nice distraction from classes and Spider stuff. Oh, I wonder if I can send you my notes? I might be able to put them in a text or a picture."

"Whoever he is, I'm jealous." He wasn't entirely serious saying that; as many mistakes as he'd made in his life and as much pain as he'd been through, he wouldn't trade it for a life without MJ and May.

He should've expected Peter to be surprised about his powers being hereditary - after all, he'd felt the same way when Mayday's abilities first started to manifest. "Yeah. You remember how weirded out you and Peter Three were by my webs? She can do that, too. Plus, all the other standard stuff like wall-crawling and Spider-Sense." For what it was worth, he'd been weirded out that the other two Peters had created synthetic webbing, like they knew they were supposed to be shooting it from their hands.

"It's good that you have some things to look forward to." He meant it. After seeing Peter lose his aunt and stopping him from focusing solely on revenge, healthy outlets were a must. "Try attaching them to the text? Maybe a PDF I can download?"

"Me too," Peter agrees. Instinctively, he knows there's good with the bad, and that the good supposedly makes the bad worth it. He's still working through a whole aftermath of bad right now though, so he probably isn't the most unbiased perspective in the world considering that point of view. Just from what he's heard so far of Peter's life with his MJ and Mayday, he's very much happy for him.

"Wow! I imagine discovering she had abilities was a fun surprise," he says, smiling as he tries to imagine a young daughter swinging around the living room and crawling onto the ceiling. "I bet she's fast!" He's so glad to hear about Peter being a father; just from how he talks of his daughter, fatherhood really seems to suit him.

"Oh yeah! A PDF would be great, I have a lot of notes, and please excuse the doodles on the sides, I was kind of...designing my new suit at the same time," he says, wondering if he can text without hanging up.

Peter inhales deeply, ready for the spell to sink in; he drinks in the sight of Ned, MJ, and Dr. Strange, saying goodbye as though he were attending their funerals. Which, given the weight of what he's about to do in order to fix his own mistakes, feels apt, in this moment. He closes his eyes as he turns, trying to release his own complicated feelings in the process.

And suddenly he's...falling out of the sky? What the hell?

"Hey, whoa, wait. What?" Peter panics; he shoots out a web to try and avoid crashing into anyone but he does not succeed. Instead, he flails and finds himself crashing into a car just below.

Izzy frowns as she starts to drive back upstate, feeling like she blew the Columbia interview, the NYU one went okay... god, those were her top two choices, she didn't want to go anywhere else, sure she'd applied, but....

"Shit shit shit..." She slams on the brakes as the guy falls from the sky, and bounces off the hood of her jeep.

"Oh my fucking god..." She says, hoping out of the car, happy that she had made it far enough out of the city that no one was behind her, or in front of her. Still two hours away from the school.

She looks over the guy's outfit and blinks a couple of times, Mutant, other flavor of hero, weird ass villian... "Are you okay?"

Peter winces as he bounces off the hood of the Jeep below him, managing to at least twist his body enough so that he lands almost on his feet. He wobbles as he steadies himself, blinking at the sudden, bright daylight that seems the complete opposite of the December weather he found himself in previously.

He hears someone ask if he's okay and he turns, taking in the sight of a young woman who seems close to him in age.

He shrugs. "I've had worse."

"So uh," he continues, rubbing the back of his mask-clad head, "where exactly are we?"

Izzy blinks as the guy bounces up to his feet like he didn't just get hit ... tapped, she only tapped him...

"Uh, just outside of New York City," she says, her hand held out of her side fingers twitching a little, better safe than sorry with a masked guy that just bounced off her jeep.

"You not from here?"

Peter blinks behind his mask, trying to take stock of apparently still being in proximity to New York City. His gaze lingers on a billboard that seems really old school, and then the date catches his attention: 2003.

"Wait, it's 2003?!"

He doesn't mean to shout but uh. He has so many questions. Clearly, Strange's spell didn't work as intended.

When he shouts, she starts a little, shadows pulling out from the nearby tree line, wrapping around her hand and partly up her arm.

"Yeah 2003, April... where are you from?" Izzy asks, looking around, we should uh get out of the middle of the street..."

Peter brings up his hands and rubs them down his masked face, trying to contain all of his internal screaming lest any of it escapes from between his gloved fingers. 2003. The spell sent him back to 2003.

"Wait, did you say April too?" He has...so many questions. But she isn't wrong when she suggests that they get out of the middle of the street.

He nods. "Yeah, uh. That's definitely a good idea. I hope I didn't dent your car."

"Eh, it's fine, girl, it's pretty tough, have someone up at the school hammer it out if you did," She shrugs a little.

Shaking her hand, the shadows disappeared, "Look, you take off the mask and swear you're not some weirdo, I we can head up the road a little bit, was going to stop for coffee on my way back up to the school anyway," Izzy says pushing her fingers through her hair," she pauses, "Professors gonna wanna know how my college interviews went," she huffs.

"School?" Peter asks, confused. "I'm not...oh God. I'm not like, making you late for class am I?"

He is so confused. And he needs to focus on the here and now, and this young woman with him, before he completely gives in to the panic building within him. He takes a long, deep breath.

He gets why she's asking him to take off the mask. And Peter really wishes he could grant her request. But what if he messes up the spell even further by taking the mask off somehow?

"The mask thing is...complicated," he says. "Hey, so uh. Quick question for absolutely no reason, what does magic mean to you?"

"Not unless you're a student at Xavier's?" her tone is questioning, but she's taking a few steps closer to him, "Hey, hey, hey sit down, try to get a breath," Izzy holds her hands up, "I'm Isadora, uh, everyone calls me Izzy though, well most people," she says.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was real... but uh I've only seen the jazz hands kind, most people who can do it are mutants or mutates..."

"Xavier's? I've never heard of it," Peter says. "Are they...well-known?" 'Xavier's' sounds like the name of a school he should know, like Stanford or MIT.

He watches her and he nods, following her suggestion to take a breath. He takes another. At least talking with Izzy is helping, even if he feels ready to flee at any given moment.

"Nice to meet you Izzy," he says. "I uh. Well. I'm Spider-Man and I'm pretty sure I wound up here because of magic gone wrong. What's a mutant or mutate?"

She hums a little, "Well, if we're going by those names, people also call me Shade," she smirked a little.

"It is and it isn't, it's a special school for mutants, it's uh well given how people feel about mutants, it's a if you, you know, kind of place," she explains, "6th grade through 12th, give or take," she explains.

She blinks at him, "Mutants are people born with the X-Gene on the 23rd chromosome," Izzy says like everyone knows that or should know what a mutant is, "At puberty it pops off and you end up different, school calls them gifts, everyone is kind of different, mutate is like lab accident, or some other shit that happens that changes you, I'm a mutant."

"Shade, huh? I like it," Peter says, grinning under the mask. Shade sounds cool and badass all at once; a hell of a combo.

"So it's like a boarding school?" He asks, even more curious about this Xavier's now.

He listens as Izzy explains mutants and mutates, growing even more curious in the process. He seems to have gone back in time and wound up in another universe, from what he can tell. Although, her explanation of mutates catches his attention.

"So like, say, someone was bitten by a radioactive spider and wound up with powers. Would that make them a mutate?"

"That is oddly specific," she says, nodding at the passenger side, and miming taking off the mask, "But yeah, that would make someone a mutate," she nods, "I need coffee, and I need to get back up to the school, The Professor will probably be able to help you if it's weird shit, he deals with all kinds of weird shit, might even know you're already here, he's a telepath, a strong one," Izzy explains, "But uh can't really let randos into the school wearing masks, safety of the kids and all of that shit," she smiles a little, "Also coffee, and maybe a doughnut, they have Dunkin where ever your from?"

Peter takes a moment and glances around. Well, he supposes, if he's in another time and universe, no one will actually recognize him here, will they? He's probably breaking several multiverse rules anyway, but screw it. Izzy seems nice and she's helping him figure out where he is. He can show her who he is under the mask.

"Yeah, they definitely have Dunkin," he says, slowly taking the mask off and clutching it in his hand. His hair is all messed up from being under the mask for so long. "I like my local coffee shop but whatever you have around here will be great. Thanks for helping, by the way."

"I like the local place up in New Salam, but the Dunkin' is right off the highway," she pauses as he buckles his seatbelt, "Might want to wait in the car, until we get you some clothes, that aren't a suit," she laughs a little.

"But uh, to answer the earlier question, yeah it's a boarding school, a lot of mutants don't have a place to go, parents kick us out, or we don't have enough control to be around baseline folks," She explains.

She gets there coffee and hands him a bag with a doughnut in it, before taking a long sip of her iced coffee and shoving it into the cup holder.

"Alright off we go, so uh where are you from?" Izzy asks, pulling back out on to the highway, "and is there something other than spider-man I can call you," she laughs a little.

Peter buckles his seatbelt and laughs as he settles into the car. "I think I can manage waiting in the car for some new clothes," he agrees. He doesn't want to stand out more than he already has so far; finding civilian clothes will help him blend in as he assesses his situation and tries to find a way back home.

"People kick you out for being mutants? That sucks," Peter says, shaking his head. He thinks of May, who would sooner throw hands than ever kick him out and who constantly advocated for treating people with dignity and respect. His chest aches.

"Thank you!" He says, grateful, when she hands him a doughnut. He devours it immediately and shamelessly, realizing he's hungrier than he originally thought.

"Um," he says, swallowing his last bite of doughnut, "I'm Peter, Peter Parker, and I'm from New York, actually."

"So, like a different New York, or this New York, some weird shit has happened here, like," she just waved the hand around with the iced coffee in it, making the ice rattle, before she took a sip.

"Yeah, people are scared of us," Izzy says, frowning, "They're trying to pass the registration act again; a few years ago, they tried to 'cure' us," she shakes her head.

"Professor might be able to help you; not every day a spider falls from the sky," she smirks a little.

Open RP Post/TFLN Overflow/Etc.

For webdesigned [NWH Spoilers]

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For agiftandacurse

For Buckaroo118

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Re: For Buckaroo118

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Sorry this took so long ;w;

No worries! I'm always happy to back tag! <3

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For theshadowed

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