Chapter Text
"I can't believe only Alfred knew," Peter laughed, still wrapped in the group hug. “I mean, how could you not know? Tim! I talked to you about Mr. Stark! In the suit!”
All eyes turned to Tim, various “what the fuck” expressions aimed his way. Everyone squeezed tighter to get a better view of Tim's guilty face.
“What? No!” Tim sputtered. “When?”
“The E.D.I.T.H. glasses! I told you Mr. Stark left them to me in his will!” Peter laughed.
“Wha- oh… In my defense, I hadn't slept in 47 hours. And, I was too busy freaking out that you’d hacked into the Watchtower and none of us noticed.”
"You what?" Dick asked, eyes wide. He flickered his gaze between Peter, an even guiltier looking Tim, and a stony looking Bruce.
"I'm sorry Mr. Wayne! I never did anything bad! I just-"
"Peter! It's fine," Bruce interrupted his rambling. "You'll just have to help us update the security."
"Oh," Peter bit his lip. "The thing is, I don't know how."
"What?" Tim looked confused. "Then how did you get in?"
"It was just one trick a friend back home taught me. He used it when he hacked into Mr. Stark's tech, and I thought it might be useful know." Peter shrugged.
"Lord help me," Bruce mumbled. "Tim, connect with Barbara about it later."
Tim nodded, glad to move on from his obvious mistakes quickly. The cave fell into a quiet lull, everyone brimming with questions but unsure where to start.
“So, let me get this straight,” Dick, as usual, broke the silence. “How’re you seventeen? You look like a baby.”
“Yeah! And was it really magic? That let you figure it out?” Tim added, now that everyone moved on from him, he had questions.
Peter cringed internally. He knew he should just tell them about the multiverse, but for some reason he couldn't just spit it out.
“Nope,” Peter smirked, choosing to delay the inevitable, and have a little fun while he was at it.
“What was it?” They all sat forward, matching expressions of alarm.
“The butts. They matched,” he shrugged. Eyes wide, Bruce Wayne was actually blushing. “Just kidding! It was definitely magic… It kind of sent me back in time, in a way. I guess I could, um, tell you a bit more about it?” Peter winced at the sound of his own voice, unsure and unsteady.
“Only if you actually want to,” Bruce said, though clearly it was killing him to be so close to the information and still give it an opportunity to slip away again.
Peter took a deep breath, and blurted, “I’m not from here.”
“Yeah, we know. You’re from New York,” Dick jumped in, again quick to break the tension.
“Right, only… not the New York you know. I’m from Earth-616. Or at least, that’s what Karen decided to call it. 616 is my favorite experiment from Lilo and Stitch,” Peter knew he was over explaining, but he couldn’t help it. It wasn’t everyday he had to explain inter-dimensional travel via magic spell to a family of heroes.
“What Earth is this?” Tim asked the first question his brain actually formed into words as he processed the new information.
“I don’t know,” Peter shrugged. He was still unsure how exactly to explain.
“How’d you decide to come here?” Steph asked, much calmer than Tim.
“What happened that sent you here? What about your family and friends?” Not to be outdone, Tim managed a couple more questions before Jason elbowed him to shut up.
“We don’t have time to unpack all of that,” Peter said the quote nervously, his brain telling him to escape.
“What? Why not?” Tim asked, even more desperate for answers. He managed to dodge Jason this time.
“Sorry, sometimes I quote John Mulaney when I’m nervous… Do you guys have John Mulaney? No? Those comedy specials save lives, let me tell you-”
“Master Peter,” Alfred interrupted. “Perhaps we can return to comedy later?”
“Right,” Peter ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t choose to come here, the spell decided… My world was falling apart, and the only way to fix it was to send me somewhere else.”
“Why?” Damian eyed him critically. A few months ago, Peter would have thought Damian’s glare was directed at him. Now, he could tell it was in defense of him instead.
“Why don’t you let him tell the story?” Alfred chimed in again. “No more questions,” that earned a desperate, pleading stare from Tim. “Until he says he’s done.”
“When should I start? I mean, I could start with the spider bite? Or maybe Thanos… Oh, the Battle of New York would provide a lot of context. And Ultron! And the accords… Then there’s fighting Captain America in Germany and-”
“Peter,” Alfred forwent his usual title to help calm the boy down. “Take a few deep breaths.”
Peter did as he was told, appreciating Alfred’s taking control. He was spiraling, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to pull himself out.
"Why don't you start at whatever you consider the beginning," Alfred instructed. "ANy other stories can be shared another time."
So, Peter jumped into the story.
“It started on a field trip to Oscorp- that’s basically like a slightly evil and far less successful Wayne Enterprises…”
Peter found that telling his life story took longer than expected. Granted, he has lead a fairly exciting life. He mostly skipped over the Avengers focused stuff, deciding to just mention them in passing. That could be one of those stories for another day Alfred mentioned. Tim would probably have eight thousand questions to clarify everything anyway.
He may have also decided to skip over most of the trauma. Still, his whole body cringed when he mentioned fighting on Titan, so he figured the Bats would circle back to that as well. Not to mention the whole turning to dust thing. What a wild ride.
“Then, after Mr. Stark died to save the world, I met this guy named Quentin Beck…”
Peter regaled them all with the woes of trusting the wrong people, something the Bats know all too well. He made sure to emphatically explain Happy’s role in saving him in the middle of it all too. Just because he wasn't actually on this planet, didn't mean Peter wanted them to think Happy was a bad dude.
“So then I asked Dr. Strange, he’s a sorcerer- and that's his real name! Isn't that wild?- if he could make the world forget I was Spider-Man. Only, I interrupted the spell too many times and it got messed up. It called a bunch of villains from across the multiverse to me instead.”
Jason was staring with a look that very clearly said “how can a sorcerer mess up that badly?” but Peter carried on. He explained trapping Dr. Strange with math in the mirror dimension and trying to cure the villains instead of sending them to their deaths.
He talked about how May really died, breaking down into tears when he said she was just supposed to be catching her breath.
He explained how Ned accidentally brought two different Peter Parkers to the world, and how they all worked together to fix things. He spared no detail in the fight, especially when he remembered how close he’d come to killing Green Goblin.
“I wanted to do it. I wanted him to feel what she felt, but Peter 2, he stopped me,” Peter was still crying as he remembered Goblin’s words. “And Goblin. He wanted me to do it too. If he couldn’t win, he’d at least bring me down with him. But, Peter 3 threw me the cure and it helped him…
“We cured them all, but it wasn’t fast enough. The sky was... breaking open and anyone who’s ever wanted to hunt down Spider-Man was coming… it was all my fault.”
“Peter. It wasn’t your fault.” Bruce disobeyed Alfred’s no interruptions rule, but he couldn’t take it anymore. It was going on two hours of the sweetest kid he’s ever met spouting out trauma he’s been through like it was a random Tuesday activity. The horrified expressions his kid wore helped to justify the disruption.
“Yeah, maybe,” Peter took a fortifying breath, actually relieved to hear someone say it wasn’t his fault for the first time. Relieved to even be talking about it. “I’m almost done. Dr. Strange didn’t want to do it, but it was the only way. Everyone had to forget me. Not Spider-Man. Me. Peter Parker."
“Oh, Peter…” Dick whispered, not intending to interrupt, but unable to keep it in.
“Along with forgetting, he had to send me to a new dimension. One that didn’t already have a Peter Parker. That’s why I’m here. This is the world the spell chose to put me in.” Peter shrugged. The words had a certain air of finality, but the Bats were still curious.
“But how did that tell you who we are?” Steph was the only one brave enough to ask.
“Oh, right!” Peter laughed. “Dr. Strange said it would look for something familiar. It wouldn’t be the same, obviously, but as close as possible I guess? I'm not 100% sure, because the world was falling apart and he didn’t have much time to explain, but he said to picture each universe as a branch on a tree.”
"And you needed a branch that was far enough away to not have some version of you. A tree on the other side of the forest.” Jason whispered it, but Peter still heard.
“Exactly... how’d you know that?” Peter interrupted his own story this time. It was weirdly refreshing to be the one asking the questions.
“Something you said when we first brought you to the cave. Karen said you were a bit high from over-oxygenation, and you were mumbling about trees and forests." Jason smiled, glad to finally understand the mumbling. He was starting to feel like Tim with how obsessively he thought about it.
“Huh. Well yeah, that’s what he told me. I guess this was as familiar as it could get. I knew your identities, because back home, Batman is a comic book character…” he winced as he said it, unsure how they would react. “You’re all comic book characters.”
Everyone one stood still, even Alfred surprised at this revelation.
“No way,” Tim was vibrating again. “No freaking way! That’s so cool! Do you have any of the comics?”
Peter was so surprised, he couldn’t manage anything but a small, “Karen?"
“Yes, Tim. We have a few panels from the comics saved from texts Peter and his friend Ned sent each other.”
“No way!” He repeated. “I have to see them!”
“I’ll send them now.” And Karen did just that.
Before long, most of the Bats were crowded around the computer, looking at random comic book panels about their lives.
“They’re not perfectly accurate. Obviously, but close enough that the names are the same. And some of the stories.”
“That’s so bizarre,” Dick shook his head at the idea of just being a character on a page. “Imagine if we had Spider-Man comics,” he laughed.
“You’d certainly have a lot to read about,” Peter joked, but the truth of it all hit him. He couldn’t help but remember his conversation with Duke a few days ago. Was it ungrateful for him to wish he could still have his old life? The Waynes were so kind to him… He felt himself retreating, mentally pulling away from the family he’d grown to be a part of. What he wouldn’t give for Aunt May to tell him everything would be okay.
“Peter?” Bruce called to him while everyone else was still looking at the comics.
“Mr. Wayne,” he forced a smile.
“I thought we talked about that,” Bruce smiled.
“It’s a tough habit to break,” Peter shrugged slightly, a small laugh escaping.
“Do you want to go back?” Bruce wasted no time in getting to the point.
“I… I can’t,” Peter cried. "Even if we somehow figured out the magic, the whole world would collapse..." He was desperately wiping the tears when Bruce took a step closer. He reached out to hold Peter’s hands in his own. He looked directly in Peter’s eye and tried again.
“Sometimes, I can be a bit too blunt. I only meant, it’s okay if you do want to go back.”
“But, I can’t-”
"I know,” Bruce acquiesced. “But when has impossibility stopped us from wanting what we can’t have?”
Peter looked up at the man, unsure of the turn the conversation was taking. Bruce lead them to a quiet corner of the cave and sat down on the couch.
“When my parents died,” he took a deep breath, still feeling the loss. He let the memories wash over him before he continued. “I would have done anything to get them back. Alfred, bless him, did everything for me. He fed me, and taught me, and did what he could to keep the press from making it that much worse. He raised me. And years later, I still would have given anything to have them back. And Alfred, he knew all of that without my having to tell him. And he didn't hold it against me.”
Peter glanced at the man they were talking about, unsurprised to find him already looking their way.
“Alfred seems a lot like Aunt May,” Peter whispered.
“He does,” Bruce agreed. “When I became Batman, he understood why I had to do it. Much like I assume your aunt did.” Peter nodded. “What I’m trying to say is, you can want to go back. You can want to visit your family and see your friends. You can wish you had your old team. You can want all of that, and no matter what, you’ll still be a part of this family.”
Peter looked around the room, smiling at each person he came across. Most everyone was still laughing at their comic book selves, but Cass and Alfred were looking at him.
Alright? Cass signed.
Alright. Peter replied.
Alfred nodded at the interaction before turning back to the other Waynes. Following his lead, Peter turned back to Bruce.
“This group, we understand each other. In ways most people couldn’t fathom. In ways I don’t wish for anyone to experience. You’ve lost more than you have ever deserved, Peter. I only hope being with us can help you through it.”
Peter surprised them both when he threw his arms around Bruce. The Dark Knight stiffened for just a moment before relaxing into the embrace.
“Thank you,” Peter whispered. “For everything… Bruce.”
Bonus:
“What the hell is this I hear that Spider-Man hacked into the Watchtower?” Barbara came storming into the cave, unaware for once about what was happening inside. "And why would his AI tell me?"
“What?” Bruce looked at Peter only to find him guiltily staring at Tim. “Tim?”
“Karen helped me hide it!” Peter blurted, trying to take the focus off Tim. "She told you because I'm coming clean!"
“Peter?” Barbara took in the scene before her, noticing the Spider-Man suit for the first time.
Peter braced himself for some distraught reaction, feeling a slight tingling from his spidey sense when suddenly Barbara picked up a batarang and threw it at him. He easily caught the projectile.
“Babs!” Dick noticed the commotion and came running over. “What the hell!”
“How do you avoid the cameras?” She practically shrieked, ignoring Dick. “I know Bruce was all ‘give him time’ and for literally the first time in his life didn't go digging, but I figured if I happened to catch your identity on camera it wouldn’t count as pestering you. So. How! How do you do it?”
“Um, I can sense the danger of revealing my identity and therefore… don’t do it?” Peter wasn’t sure if the description would placate her, but to everyone’s surprise Barbara just shrugged.
“That is so cool.”
The silence after the bizarre interaction didn’t last long.
“While we’re asking questions,” Clark cleared his throat. “How do you control your heartbeat?”
“Huh?” Peter looked more confused than anyone else in the room.
“I can hear your heartbeat.”
“Yeah, I got that part,” Peter agreed.
“In the suit, it sounds like a normal human.”
“That’s because I am a human, albeit not the most normal,” Peter joked, still unsure where he was going.
“When you took the mask off, it’s like suddenly your heart stopped. I thought I was losing it…”
“What?! My heart stopped??? Karen??” Peter stared wide eyed at nothing, fully panicking.
“Your heart did not stop, Peter. It merely slowed to an average of 9 beats per minute. It’s an instinctual response from your spider DNA to help disguise your identity.”
“That’s actually so insane,” Peter gaped at himself. "How did I not know that?"
“I wonder if there is anything else you don’t know…” Tim observed him, a slightly manic look in his eyes.
“I guess we could do some tests?” Peter shrugged. “Maybe coming to Gotham changed my DNA!”
And before long, he and Tim were practically lost to the rest of the room. They were far too invested in running every test imaginable to deal with anything else.
Bonus Bonus: A few days later
“OH MY GOD,” Peter screamed. Bats came running, converging at Peter’s workbench. Even Superman appeared, apparently noticing the change in Bruce’s heart rate.
“What? What is it?” Dick asked as they all crowded around Peter. He took his headphones out and queued a song.
“I just realized, this is definitely SuperBat coded,” Peter smiled, pressing play.
Tall, dark, and Superman. He puts papers in his briefcase and flies away. To save the world or go to work. It’s the same thing to me.
Bruce froze, eyes darting between Peter’s phone and Clark. Sure, his kids gave him a hard time about it, but never around Clark. At least, not so obviously.
“SuperBat?” Clark questioned, a perfect look of confusion on his face.
The kids burst into laughter, cackling louder than ever. It took Peter several tries to get any more words out.
“First verse, Batman’s pov,” he wheezed. “Second… Superman. Oh god. It hurts,” he laughed harder.
Tall, dark, and beautiful. He’s complicated. He’s irrational, but I hope someday he’ll take me away and save the day. Something in his deep blue eyes has me saying, he’s not all bad like his reputation.
“Oh my god,” Jason and Dick wheezed out at the same time. “It’s perfect.”
“Truly, so accurate,” Tim added.
Steph was laughing too hard for words, Cass preoccupied with holding her up. Duke merely chuckled, but the more his siblings laughed, the more he did the same.
Damian, a small smirk on his face, looked between his father and Clark.
“Well, this appears to be the perfect opportunity, father. Do not waste it.”
The kids filed out of the cave, leaving Bruce and Clark to figure the rest out themselves.
Bonus Bonus Bonus:
“Parker,” Damian called as he walked into the room. “It appears your song did in fact spur father into action. He and the alien appear to be happy.”
Peter was slightly taken aback by Damian’s clinical tone, but he was getting more used to it. “Uh, I’m glad it helped.” He wasn’t entirely sure what Damian wanted from him.
Before he could get an answer, the rest of the Bats filed into the cave as well.
“What is going on?” Bruce asked, no nonsense in his tone. It put Peter on edge.
“Do you have any other songs that may help father process his emotions?”
“What?” Peter asked, stunned.
“WHAT?” Bruce yelled at the same time.
“B, he’s got a point,” Dick laughed. “One listen of Peter’s music and you’re suddenly in a committed relationship?”
“It’s practically magic,” Jason snorted.
“Taylor Swift has that effect on people,” Peter smiled. “I do have another song, but it might make you cry.”
“Who?” Tim asked warily as Peter surveyed them all.
“Honestly? All of you.”
“Impossible,” Damian snapped.
“That is a tall ask, Pete,” Steph smiled. Cass nodded along with her.
“I believe him,” Duke added his two cents, smirking at Peter.
“Well, let’s hear it,” Bruce sighed, but he was secretly glad to be spending this time with his children.
“Well, it’s about doing everything you can to maintain a child’s innocence before the horrors of the world take over and taint everything,” Peter gave them a preview of the song’s meaning.
“Damn,” Jason whistled. “Still a big ask.”
“Yeah,” Peter smirked. “But it’s called Robin. And I have a mashup of it with a song begging your child/your younger self to Never Grow Up. Worst comes to worst, I'll cry and you all can just watch."