Chapter Text
When Peter woke uo the next morning, he continued his search through the apartment. Going into closed rooms he didnt enter before.
Peter eventually found a bedroom, though the dust was worse than the living room, he quickly found the dresser and searched inside.
The dresser had already being mostly emptied by whoever lived here last, but Peter managed to find a pair of jeans and a shirt. It was dark blue baggy jeans he had to hold up with a belt he found, and a faded band tee that may have been a few sizes to big.
He kept the shirt he found the day before on, since it was long sleeved and Peter came to notice the scars littering his.. tanned skin? Peter didn't remember having tan skin, then again, all his memories are hazy and half of them he didn't even remember getting!
One of the memories were clearer than the rest, a white lab, pristine and blinding. Like a hospital.
Peter hates hospitals, they're so bright.
He shook off the thoughts as he slipped on the white socks he found and black sneakers he found near the apartment enterence. They looked small but Peter fit them?
While Peter was getting ready, thoughts of a conversation with Tony came to mind.
Memories of Tony's "If You Get Stranded: A Quide" and Peter deemed his current situation pretty stranded.
Step 1! Good shelter! check! (though Peter is certain Tony meant an actual shelter)
Step 2! Food supply!
Step 3! Warm clothes!
Peter deemed step 3 complete but doubted Tony would agree. The clothes hardly contained the biting breeze of Autumn.
Peter was also sure there was more steps, but he cannot recall what they are!
Said breeze hit Peter strong as he climbed down the Fire Escape. He rubbed his hands together and slipped them inside the sleeves of his undershirt.
Peters senses warned him against certain alleyways, offering a pleasent walk through, what Peter assumed was "Crime Alley", if the spray painted "Welcome to Park Row!" (Crossed out and made to say 'Welcome to Crime Alley') was anything to go by.
He quickly found, as the comics so "daringly" suggested, this place was rather dirty.
Peter could hear the sound of something he could only assume to be a grappling hook. Now, Peters memory of the comics he read in childhood are rather limited, but he can only think of one family who uses grappling hooks, and only one member of said family who runs around crime alley!
Red Hood!
Peter wanted to observe! Maybe take pictures and sell them like he was planning to do as Spider-Man if things went south!
But, he didn't have a camera! He also would rather not be involved in the Bats, or anyone adjecent, like the villians.
Peter could feel himself shiver at that thought, or maybe the cold.
As he kept walking, off in his own world, he managed to take a wrong turn, and felt himself being shoved against a wall.
Peter internally groaned, nearly slapping himself in the forehead.
'May as well give them what they want' Peter though grimly
"Hey man, i don't want any trouble" Peter heard himself say, his voice squeeky and his vocal cords hurt from being unused.
Peter almost jumped at how high pitched his voice was, it hasn't been this way since Pre-Bite!
He must have been spacing off because he felt a punch to his face and a deep voice say "Just give us the money, kid!"
Peter almost laughed, he would love to have some money right now.
"I don't have any money, honest!" Peter said, holding his hands up and glancing between the group of thugs.
The voice from earlier began talking again, the tallest of the group, and bulkiest, was yelling now, "Ah, quite fuckin' lyin' kid, jus' give it to us and we'll be on our merry way!"
His voice kicked a migraine into Peters skull.
Offbrand Hulk, as Peter will henceforth be calling him, continued yelling at Peter while the others got ready to beat him for money.
Peter kept repeating that he didn't have any momey and that they were wasting their time, when he heard a 'thunk' at the end of the alley.
Peter didn't need to turn to see who it was, and it seemed the thugs didn't hear it.
He continued playing the helpless victim, offering Red Hood just enough time to begin taking out the weakest of the group.
Just as Red Hood was about to take down the last one, Peter attempted to make a run for it.
Well, attempted being the keyword, since Red Hood managed to grab him.
"I told you to stop messin' with the alley kids, didn' i?" Red Hood said to Offbrand Hulk, to which the guy on the ground scurried to apologize, being brushed off by Red Hood, who turned his attention to Peter.
Peter swallowed and began waving when Red Hood froze.
Peter was confused, extremely confused.
"Kid what's your name?" Red Hood said cautiosly.
"Uhh.. stranger danger?"
Peter offered weakly, Red Hood let out a huff, almost a laugh.
Red Hoods eyes lingered on the stark white streek at the front of the kids hair, the slightly glowing green eyes, and the crusted green goo.
Peter was growing nervous now "I-i appreciate the help Mr.. Red Hood, sir, but can you put me down now?"
Peter felt pathetic, why couldn't he reach the ground? He didn't think Red Hood picked him up that high!
"Where ya from, kid?"
Kid?
Kid???
Peter knows he still has most of his babyfat, but he also knows for sure he doesn't look young enough to be called a kid!
"None of your business."
"Alright.. then how'd you end up in crime alley?"
"Took the wrong turn" Which was, mainly the truth, if you didnt count the fact he bunkered down in a run down abandoned apartment complex just on the outskirts of Crime Alley!
"Uhhuh.. A wrong turn, ay?"
"Yes! So you can let me down and i'll be on my merry way!"
"Sure kid, are those shirts even keepin you warm? You're shiverin"
Peter didn't even notice he was shivering until Red Hood pointed it out.
"I'm fine." He said, like a liar.
"Are you?"
"Yup!" Peter said, accentuating the P to make a popping sound.
Red Hood sighed and let Peter go, Peter watched as Red Hood reached for something in his—
How the hell did Red Hoods motorcycle get here?
Didn't Red Hood come from the roof??
Peter didn't have time to process before a heavy material was dropped on his shoulders.
"Here, ion need it"
Peter shot the taller man a glare before adjusting the leather jacket, it was warm.
Peter had to supress the urge to purr.
Huh? Purr?
What.
Peters losing his mind!
He doesn't purr!!
Red Hood seemed to want to talk further but Peter just clutched the jacket tight and turned around, running out of the alley.
Peter could hear Red Hood sigh and talk to Oracle. "Did you see him, Oracle?"
"Yeah, he looks like him"
Peter didn't really care to hear what was next as he ran, and ran, and ran.
He found himself in the better part of Gotham, and was thoroughly lost!
He found a worn down tourist map outside a subway system, he decided he'd walk around before headed back to the apartment, but he needed to figure out how to get back.
It took him around 15 minutes to remember the windy lines of Gotham streets and he set off. Walking in the general direction of the "richer" part of Gotham.
He was lonely afterall, and what better way to cure lonliness than dumpster dive for parts to make a homemade ai?
He missed Karen, and if he could just remember the code Tony taught him on how to make her, he'd have his own! He'd be able to access the recordings from his suit of his original world, he'd be able to see Aunt May, Tony, Happy, Ned, and—
Peter really needs to stop thinking.
Around 2 hours passed as he dumpster dived in various bins, and he even found a small, worn, black backpack to hold it all in!
He was bringing his haul back to his apartment when he could hear screaming, and explosions!
His first instincts were to follow the screams, but his brain thought better of it.
He'd already met one Bat, he didn't feel like meeting more!
Peter went anyways.
He helped the people caught in the destruction evacuate, careful not to reveal his powers, or stick around long enough in the end to be questioned.
He slipped into a dark alley and began running in the general direction on the apartment.
He made it there in 20 minutes.
He dumped his haul out on the living room floor. A banged up old phone, some computer chips, some wires, and plenty of scrap metal, amongst many other materials, and tools. (Even some unopened granola bars! score!!)
He even found a spray paint can! It was a dark red, similar to the color of the jacket he was wearing, that he was very careful not to bring into the dumpsters with him.
Upon finding the backpack (that was definetly not inside an abandoned school!), he tucked the jacket deep inside to keep safe.
And now, he had it back on!
He began tinkering with the metal, attempting to make nanotech like Tony taught him with the various materials he had infront of him.
Well, after a few hours, he successfully finished making nanotech! Trial and error experiements lay off to the side, but he didnt exactly care for those.
Maybe they'll come in handy later?
Now the tricky part: remembering enough about coding to recreate Karen.
"This'll be easy enough!" Peter said encouragingly to himself as he rolled up his sleeves.
Peter grabbed the first needed tool
A few hours past as Peter simultaneously worked on making Karen, and eating a granola bar.
He was extremely hungry, and running earlier didn't exactly help.
He remembers eating a hearty meal before dying, but the dusting and universe switching probably disolved all that food.
Much to Peters dismay! It was such good food!
Well, anyways. It's time to test if the coding worked!
He'd finished fixing up the phone during coding so he'd have something to well.. code on?
He shook his head and tapped a few buttons, and the familiar voice of Karen flooded the empty space.
"Hello Spider-Man."
"Peter.. not.. Spider-Man right now, Karen."
"Ah, my apologies. Hello Petter."
"Thank goodness.."
Peter could feel himself tear up. Its only been a day since he's been alone! Ah well, almost 2.. Well whatever! He was being pathetic!
He furiously wiped his eyes "Hey, Karen, i made some uh.. Nanotech, if you could connect to it?"
"Of course, Peter." Karens kind voice said shortly. "Shall I make them take shape of Hearing Aids?" Karen asked gently.
"Oh.. that'd be.." Peter trailed off, it'd be helpful. It'd block out some noise without people questioning why he was wearing headphones while he was talking to them.
If he ever talks to anyone, that is.
"Ah, right, that wiuld be lovely, Karen, thank you." He whispered finally.
The nanotech morphed into 2 Hearing Aids, both white in color. Peter was quick to put them in.
One, to block out extra noise.
Two, to listen to Karen.
"This is nice, Karen"
"You're very welcome, Peter." Karen said evenly.
The boy and AI sat in comfortably silence for a few moments before Karen spoke, "Where are we, Peter?"
"Oh.. uh, Earth!" Peter said awkwardly, "Well, not our Earth, but uh-" He fumbled over his words for a moment "We're in the universe of the Batman comics, Karen"
"Oh?"
"Yeah, a stupid comic i read when little"
"But Peter, you're little right now"
"What?"
"Your bodily structure suggests you're much younger than you were on out Earth."
"Excuse me?"
"Have you not noticed?"
"Well-" Peter recalled his brief encounter with Red Hood and how Red Hood simply towered over him. How the bins were suprisingly tall, how the-
Ok, so he was shorter, that didn't mean he was younger!
Right..?
"Peter, have you not looked in a mirror since arriving?"
"No!!"
"And why not?"
"Well-"
Peter didn't have a good argument. There was a broken mirror in the Bathroom that he simply refused to look in.
"I'll go look.." Peter grumbled to himself as he stood from the floor, stretching his aching muscles.
He dragged his feet towards the Bathroom and pushed open the door.
Peter looked in the reflection and-
Holy shit?
Why was he so short?
No, why was he littered in scars!
And why was there a white streak in his black hair!
Black?? SINCE WHEN WAS HIS HAIR BLACK
Why are his eyes green!
His blue eyes were his Aunt Mays favorite!
God he looked like a mini Jason Todd!!
Thats what the green stuff was!
He came out of the lazarus pit!
Why was he covered in scars!!
Peters mind raced. He could distantly hear a calming voice urgently calling his name.
"-ter? -eter? Peter? Can you hear me?"
"Y-yes Karen.."
"Good, can you take some deep breaths for me?"
Peter breathed in, then held it, then breathed out.
"Good.. are you ok now?"
"Yes.. i'm fine.."
Peter was catching his breathe, he turned on the sink to splash his face with the cold water.
He watched the green stuff swirl down the drain. He really needs a shower.
"Karen.. can you.. ugh"
"What is it Peter?" Karen asked gently, voice oddly soothing.
"Make me an identity. Use the pictures in the backup files, just.. I'm gonna go take a shower."
"Understood, Peter"
Peter took the hearing aids out and peeled off each layer of his clothing, turning slowly to the sink in the dark Bathroom.
The water was freezing, and all he had was.. old hotel soap.
He washed all the grime off his body and stayed in the freezing water for 40 minutes before stepping out and using his dirty clothes go dry off.
Peter grabbed the hearing aids and put them back in as he slipped clean-ish clothing on, laying down on the run down couch he's been sleeping on.
"Peter, i finished creating it. It's not perfect, but i-"
"Thank you Karen.."
"Of course Peter, but let me-"
"I'll go over it in the morning.." Peter grumbled as he shut his eyes.
There was anmoment of silence from Karen before a soft "I understand" and a hum of a lullaby played.
Peter fell into a peaceful sleep to the lull of Karens soft voice.