Love From Another Universe

~10~

This world Peter explains is the plan. "We draw them there with The Box. It's the one thing they all want. All we have to do is figure out how to get there."

"Oh, we could portal there." Ned says, by the look on this Earths Peters face, he doesn't know he can use Stranges ring. "What?" he says, "I'm magic now!" Ned says proudly. "He has Stranges portal ring, thing." I say to try to speed up this process. The other Peters and Mj nod in agreement.

"Wait, really?" this universe Peter asks Ned, I clearly didn't speed up the process like how I wanted to. "Dude, I got Dr. Strange-magic." "No way!" "Yeah! And I promise you, I won't turn into a super villain and try to kill you." Ned says proudly.

I burst out laughing, doubling over. Ned looks at the other Peter and he nods, proud of him. "Okay...thank you?" this world Peter says confused, "um, all right. here goes nothing." he stops and looks at Mj, "What's that thing you always say: 'Expect disappointment and-'" Mj cuts him off, "No, no, no. No... we're gonna kick some ass." Hey I said that earlier.

Older Peter corrects them, "Cure. Cure some ass." "Cure that ass." Ned says smiling, I laugh, I like this kid!

This universe Peter decided he needed his reputation to be somewhat saved, so he decided to go to Bugle and tell them about how we are going to save their universe. While he does that, the rest of us wait at the Statue of Liberty where our battle would take place.

I walk over to the other Peter and sit by him. "Hey," I say. "Oh hey." he responds, still looking at this universe Peter. "What do you think you'll do when you get back home?" I ask, trying to spark up a conversation. "I don't know. Probably go back to being Spiderman and Peter Parker. Go back to being a freelance photographer." "Woah, you do photography? You must be good since you can get all the good angles." I say chuckling and nudging him, "Ha, yeah, I guess." He looks at me with those big brown eyes, "What about you?"

"Well since I don't really have a home, I'll go back to traveling the multiverse to make sure someone doesn't have the same fate as me." While finishing my sentence I look at this worlds Peter. "Oh yeah, forgot about that." he says. After a moment of silence, he puts his arm around me for a side hug, I can feel butterflies in my stomach. "You're a good person, and a funny one," he says chuckling, "But remember we can't save them all, but if we tried our best that's all that matters." he finishes the last part and looks at me, I look back up at him.

"I can say the same for you." I say. He looks at me again, those eyes are something else, same with that smile. I want to say that I've seen him before but that'll sound creepy. We both look back at the view. I miss these views.

This world Peter jumps up to the group, he must be finished. "Okay guys, it could be any minute now." he says. We all stand up and spread the cures across the scaffolding. Older Peters sets up the last cure and we all meet at the scaffolding. The calm before the storm, I knew this feeling all too well.

Other Peter breaks the silence, "You know Max was, like, the sweetest guy ever... before he fell into a pool of electric eels." "That'll do it." Older Peter says, I chuckle in response. Older Peter tenses up, "Ah, there it goes." "You oaky?" other Peter asks concerned. "Oh, it's my back. It's kinda stuff from all the seining I guess." "Oh yeah, no, I got a middle back thing too." These old farts. "Really?" older Peter asks, almost shocked. "Yeah. You want me to crack it?" "Yeah! Yeah, that'd be great."

Other Peter walks over the Older Peter. "All right. You ready?" "Yeah." Other Peter has Older Peter cross his arms and then cracks his back. "Oh, that's good." Older Peter says in the middle of it. He sets him down, "How is it?" "Wow.. that's good!" "Right!" Other Peter says proudly , then looking at me. I clap, "Bravo!" I say. He takes a bow and sits down.

"Ah, this is so cool. I always wanted brothers." He looks at me, "and a sister I guess." Pretending to be offended, I open my mouth and place my hand on my chest. I get a small snicker out of the group.

Curiously, the other Peter asks me and the older Peter, "So you guys like, make your own web fluid, from your bodies?!" "I'd rather not talk about this." Older Peter says defensively. "No! I didn't mean to-" "Are you making fun of us-?" I say jokingly. Clearly they didn't get I was joking because this world Peter chimes in, "No, no, no.. he's not teasing you guys. It's just that, we can't do that, so naturally we're curious as to how your web situation works. That's all."

"But if it's personal, I do t want to, like, pry. But I just think it's cool." other Peter says. "No, I wish I could tell you, but it's like I don't do it. Like I don't... like I don't "do breathing." Like breathing just happens." Older Peter says, I nod in agreement when they look at me. "Whoa.." other Peter says.

"Like, does it just come out of your wrist or... does it come out of anywhere else?" this world Peter says. Before older Peter could respond, I say, "Get your head out of the gutter Parker, just the wrist." I say laughing.

"You've never had a web block? 'Cause I run out of webs all the time. I have to make my own in a lab." other Peter asks "Right. That's-" Older Peters starts to say before he stops."And it's a hassle compared to what you guys have." other Peter finishes. "Sometimes the toxins incased in my webs crusts over so I have to pick it out. That gets annoying." I say, then I realize how disgusting that sounds.

"Sounds like a hassle. Yeah... but I did actually, you said that, I was like, 'Oh! I had a web block!'" Older Peter states."Whoa... why?" other Peter asks, "Existential crisis stuff." "Yeah, I mean, like, don't get me started in that."

This universe Peter changes the subject, "Hey, what are, like, some of the craziest villains that you guys fought." "Seems like you've met some of them." Older Peter says. We all laugh, and the other Peter says "That's a good question."

"Yeah, I fought a...an alien made out of black goo once." Older Peter says. "Oh, no way! I fought an alien too. On Earth and in space." This world Peter says. "I fought the same purple raised alien, but only on Earth." I say. "I want to fight an alien!" other Peter says laughing.

Older Peter looks at this universe Peter and says, "I'm, I'm- I'm still, like... that you've fought an alien in space." "I'm lame. Compared-Like, I fought a Russian guy in, like, a rhino machine." other Peter says. "Can we wind back to the 'Im lame' part? 'Cause your not." Older Peter says in response.

"Aw, thanks. No, yeah I appreciate it. I'm not saying 'I'm lame.' I'm just saying, like-" I cut him off, "But it's the negative self-talk. You should know that you're not lame." He sighs, "You're amazing and you need to take it in." I finish. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can take it in. No, I can take it in." other Peter says. "You... you are amazing." Older Peter says. "I can take it in." other Peter repeats to himself. To really make it stuck, Older Peter says it again more aggressively. "Thank you. Yeah-" "Will you just say it?" I say finally.

"No, I kinda need to hear that. Thank you." other Peter looks at older Peter and then me smiling bigger. I return the smile.

Other Peter jumps up to the crown of the statue. Somethings coming, I can feel it. I get the same feeling I did when Thanos' army came into Wakanda that day. My heart starts racing faster along with my breathing. Older Peter has already left. Other Peter rushes over as I grip my chest. No, not a panic attack. I thoight I was down with these.

"Hey, hey. Shhh it's okay." He catches me and just hold me. "You can do this it's okay. You're new, and better than before." I look at him and I'm starting to calm down, this isn't like me. "and now you have me to watch your back." he says confidentially, I push him slightly laughing.

I was too busy having a panic attack to notice Peter was talking in the comms. "-focus up. You feel that?" We all agree in the comms. A lightening storm brews and comes closer to us. A giant flash of lightening reveals a floating being, looking at other Peter.

"'Sup, Pete?"