Chapter Text
Peter sinks down on his creaky bed and buries his face in his hands. He looks through his sparsely furnished apartment, past the piling trash from his take-away food and his undone laundry. It feels as lonely as he does.
Another day has passed where he tortured himself by walking past the coffeeshop where MJ is working. Glancing through the window, he had seen her and Ned poring over their books for their GED’s. For a moment, Peter had imagined himself with them, in a world where everybody still remembered him. It brought a bittersweet kind of ache with it.
Visiting Aunt May’s grave was another kind of ache, one full of grief and regret. He tries to regularly lay down her favorite flower, although it doesn’t stand out from the countless lush floral wreaths. She had been beloved by many, and Peter isn't the only one to miss her. It brings him some solace. He hopes that he could make her proud, as he has sworn to himself that her death would never be in vain, that he would carry her last words with him. With great power comes great responsibility.
His mind wanders, remembering his alternate selves. Although their experiences had been different, they all had learned their lesson in the worst way possible.
A sad smile crosses his lips. Peter may not have known them for long, but he already misses them. But they were as unreachable to him as everybody else he had lost.
Glancing at the window, Peter contemplates another patrol through the streets. Swinging through the air, he would push the pain away and focus on his task as Spider-Man. Spider-Man is the beloved hero of the city. Peter Parker is a depressed teenager with too many regrets. More often than not, it is easier being Spider-Man than Peter Parker. Seeing the relieved faces of the people he had saved has always sparked elation inside of him. But the growing loneliness inside of him would snuff that spark out like a candle in the wind.
Peter wraps his arms around his knees, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes.
Lonely. Peter feels so lonely. Nobody is here to comfort him, to cheer him up. Mister Stark and Aunt Many are gone. MJ and Ned don’t remember him. His best friend and his girlfriend have no idea who he is. He misses them both so much, he might as well tear his heart out. He is all alone.
His spider-senses pick up the swooshing noise and he catches a glimmer of orange. The footsteps are quiet, but he hears them with his heightened senses. It cannot be, Peter panics. Did he really sacrifice everything only for the spell to fail anyway?
“Hello Peter-one,” his two alternate selves say in unison, and Peter breaks. Tears stream down his face as he tries to stifle the sobs escaping his throat.
“I didn’t imagine our reunion to be like that,” Peter-three deadpans sadly, before sitting down next to Peter. His older self, dressed in a gray hoodie and dark jeans, wraps his arms around him and Peter leans into the hug, realizing how long it has been since somebody had comforted him. It makes him cry even more.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Peter-two, the oldest of the three, asks gently. Peter looks up and sees nothing but genuine concern swimming in his eyes.
“You’re here, which means that the spell failed, and I sacrificed everything for nothing,” Peter’s voice cracks at the end, but he doesn’t care. Peter-three is rubbing soothing circles on his back, and Peter-two puts his hand on Peter’s shoulder. “But at least you’re here and I feel better, and I’ve missed talking to somebody about my problems so much.”
“You might want to start the story from the beginning,” Peter-two suggests gingerly, sitting down on his empty side.
Sandwiched between his two alternate selves, Peter begins his tale. He tells them that after sending them back, the spell had become out of control, pulling people from all the universes.
“I had no other choice,” Peter whispers, knowing that they would understand. “Erasing myself was the only way to protect the multiverse and everyone I care about.”
“Oh kid,” Peter-two says with a soft sigh.
“That’s rough,” Peter-three says, the usual humor lacking from his voice. The older Peters lean against him, and Peter closes his eyes, basking in their presence.
“How long do you think will it take before people from other universes come through?” Peter asks, guilt gnawing at his gut. He made a mess and couldn’t even clean it.
“I think the spell worked,” Peter-two states, and Peter tilts his head in confusion. “Maybe our presence here is some reward from the universe, to help you after you’ve helped so many.”
“He’s right,” Peter-three adds seriously. “Before the portal opened, I felt an intense wave of sadness, and it was weird. It wasn’t my own sadness, but it felt so familiar.” His eyes are clouded by sorrow for a moment, before he stands up suddenly. Peter doesn't want to think too much about the implication that his pain is so vast that his other selves can sense it.
“I know something what might cheer you up,” Peter-three teases with a smirk, ripping Peter from his thoughts. “Do you know the forest west of the city? The last one to reach it has to buy donuts for the winners.”
Excitement shoots through him, and Peter no longer slouches, ready to push himself through the window and take the lead. But then he remembers that his last big mistake had been to reveal himself, although it had been Mysterio’s fault. He might want to keep a low profile for the moment.
“I don’t like the idea of three Spider-Man spotted,” Peter argues weakly, and feels the weight left to him shift.
“Then you still have a lot to learn, young spider,” Peter-two challenges him with a raised eyebrow.
In the blink of an eye, he’s alone in his apartment and for the first time in forever, Peter grins.
“For the last time, I was faster!” Peter protests, earning himself a scoff from his alternate selves. They are lying in hammocks made from their web fluids and have been bickering and arguing and talking for what felt like hours.
“We could come to terms with a tie,” Peter-two suggests, only for Peter-three to shake his head violently.
“Well, I guess we have to repeat our race again,” the middle Spider-Man announces boldly, and hope rises inside Peter’s chest. He really like the implication of seeing the other Peters again. He remembers Peter-three’s words: I’ve always wanted brothers. They echo true inside of him.
“I would like that,” Peter says as he pulls himself up to look at his older brothers. Terror curls low in his stomach as Peter sees them fading away, just like they did when they returned to their universes.
“You’re disappearing!” Peter screams, knowing that even if he reached them, he couldn’t make them stay. The familiar wave of loneliness rises inside of him.
“I guess that we did our job and cheered you up,” Peter-two states calmly, and Peter’s thundering heart slows down. He’s right. They have chased the cloud of grief and solitude away and just for an evening, it has felt good to be Peter Parker.
“Until next time, little bro,” Peter-three says with a wink.
“Try to eat healthier,” Peter-two orders with the stern concern of the oldest sibling.
They’re gone, but Peter doesn’t feel the loneliness swallow him. They will meet again. Peter will see them soon and tell them that his life is getting better.