Chapter Text
The rest of the day had been quiet. Wade left a little while after lunch, leaving just the three Peters and Matt. At one point, Foggy visited the apartment to drop something off for Matt but left Immediately after seeing the fresh faces, yelling about not wanting to deal with any more strangers showing up at the apartment (though Matt had shouted before the door was closed that at least they weren’t unconscious this time, getting a laugh out of his Peter and a confused stare from the others).
They spent the rest of the day talking. After Matt was given a more in depth description of what happened a few months ago with Strange and the now former villains, Peter two and three explained what happened when they got back home.
Everyone they had helped was doing… better, for lack of a better word. Dr. Octavius had gotten right back to work on his experiments, hoping to provide a renewable energy source. Mr. Osborn went back to working at Oscorp, Dr. Connors kept working with reptiles and continued researching regeneration (Peter was absolutely positive if the man met Wade he would flip), Flint went back to his daughter and was leading a pretty normal life, and Max was helping out in the community.
Despite himself, Peter felt jealous . These were the people who had ruined his life and they were thriving . Dr. Octavius got off easy thanks to not really being in control when he broke the law and nobody except for the Peters and now Matt knew Mr. Osborn was the Green Goblin. It was hard to trace a giant lizard thing, a blue person made out of electricity, and a pile of sand back to actual human beings, so Dr. Connors, Max, and Flint couldn’t be charged with anything.
They all got off. No jail time, no punishments. Nothing.
Peter immediately felt guilty about this, of course. All of them were either not in control of themselves or blinded by their own motives. As much as it hurt to so much as think of these people, Peter knew he couldn’t blame them (That was a lie. He knew he shouldn’t blame them. He did, though. Every morning that he woke up to an empty, dingy apartment, he silently hoped that Norman Osborn suffered for what he did. No, not Norman. The Green Goblin.)
After sitting around Matt’s living room for a while, The Peters decided to go back to Queens for the night before the older two left. They made their way to the subway at around nine, all wearing warm clothes to shield themselves from the cold late February winds over their suits. Though they all would have preferred to go out as Spider-man and swing to Queens, none of them (especially Peter one) wanted to deal with the repercussions of someone seeing an extra two Spidey’s who most definitely weren’t from that universe.
They made it to Queens in no time, wasting no time as they went to Peter’s old spot.
The top of the school.
As they walked down familiar streets, Peter could feel his fear spike. It was no big deal, right? They were going somewhere that used to be a place of comfort to him.
Key words: used to.
He would never be able to go up there with Ned and MJ again. They would never share any more memories up there. They would never share any memories ever .
Suddenly, a hand on his shoulder got his attention. Looking beside him, he was met by Peter two’s worried glance. “You alright, Pete?” He asked. “We’re here.”
Sure enough, there in front of them stood Midtown High. Peter three wasted no time using his web shooter to swing himself up to the top. Peter just nodded to Peter two and gave a wobbly smile before he followed the only slightly older Peter’s lead.
Though it only took a few seconds to get up to the roof of the school, it felt like minutes as Peter recalled every memory he had made up there. It should have made him happy but it just couldn’t.
As soon as he made it to the top, he knew he couldn’t do it.
Peter fell as soon as he landed. Immediately, Peter two and three turned to him. Something was wrong. He couldn’t breathe. He didn’t have to breathe, but still. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t hear anything other than his erratic heartbeat. He could almost make out someone else talking. They were familiar but he just couldn’t. He couldn’t-
“Breath, Pete.” Peter two said as he grabbed Peter’s hand in his own and placed it on his chest. “Match my breathes. C’mon, Pete.”
It took a while for Peter to calm down. The entire time, Peter two was leading him through it and making sure he was alright. Meanwhile, Peter three sat beside him with an arm around the younger hero’s shoulder the entire time, a worried expression etched on his normally carefree face.
Finally, when he was back, the other two Peters enveloped him in a hug.
“It’s alright, Pete.” Peter three said. “You’re alright.”
Peter tried to talk, but he couldn’t form any words. Instead, a sob bubbled out from his throat and he was a mess of tears and sniffles in moments. “I’m- I’m sorry. ‘M sorry. It- it’s my fault. I’m ok.” He blubbered out.
The other Peters, to their credit, didn’t say anything. They just hugged him as tight as they could and waited as the sobs devolved and the sniffles quieted. Only then did they start asking questions.
“Pete, what’s wrong?” Peter three asked, trying to figure out what triggered his younger counterpart. Meanwhile, the gears in Peter two’s head were turning.
“We visited MJ’s donut shop first thing when we got here.” He whispered, and Peter couldn’t help but wince at the mention of her. “The way she talked about you, it wasn’t like you were close. You never got them to remember, did you?”
“I-” Now there were fresh tears rolling down Peter’s cheek that he rubbed at. “I couldn’t. She- they were doing so well without me, Ned and MJ. Without me, they’re safer. And happier. I can’t ruin that.”
“Hey, I understand. You wanna make sure they’re safe. I get that.” Peter three said. “After… after Gwen died, I stopped talking to people. Didn’t try to make friends. Didn’t reach out to anyone. Nothing. I didn’t… I didn’t want anyone else to die because of me. I was lonely, Pete. Hell, I’m still lonely. I don’t want that for you, man.”
“Look, you don’t have to talk to them again, Pete. You’re almost an adult. You get to make those decisions for yourself. We will always be there for you if you need. Always. Even if it feels stupid. Just move the watch thing and we’ll be there. We promise.”
They spent the rest of the night like that. Peter voiced all the things that he wouldn’t dare voice otherwise. They talked until an orange portal opened with Doctor Octavius on the other side. Peter two and three left, leaving Peter on the roof of the school to look up at the stars.
He wasn’t ok. Far from it, actually. But…
He was doing better.