Ugh, no - it's okay. I'm fine. [ Quickly: ] Potato bugs and June bugs. Or any bug, really. Not - not a huge fan of bugs, not just spiders.
[ Yeah, let's just talk about all the other myriad of bug-types that exist to distract from any further discussion of spiders. Spiders are ... sure, common, yeah, but the point of conversation still feels a little too specific to be a good thing. ]
Oh, hey - [ He shifts the small stack of wood he's got in his arms to briefly take the older man's hand, and if there was a moment for a little surge of electricity to spark from the Bond They Share, it probably should be now, but all he gets is a warm and firm-ish handshake from this teen. ] - I'm Peter. It's good to meet you, Patrick.
[Oh, that's a weird feeling alright; that weird twin psychic energy thing you'd see on some talk show like Montel. We're just gonna pretend that didn't happen at all, nope, just gonna smoosh those spidey senses down with a broom. He nods toward the greenhouse, and away he goes, bidding the teenager follow him.
Also he's just gonna grab a shitload more wood to carry, grunting like it weighs so much. So so much.]
Nice to meet you, too, man. Feel free to call me 'Pat' if you're feeling winded.
[Since we're walkin, and all — small talk!]
Sooo... Where are you from, Pete? Your accent's kind of familiar, but I'm not about to embarrass myself guessing from 50 nifty states and proving I can't pin a voice to save my life.
[ He'll grab one more log, too, before they head in the direction of the greenhouse. Not because it's a competition or anything but, really, he could handle a hell of a lot more and collecting one extra log won't give his identity away while speeding up the storing process.
He nods. ]
New York. [ Boy, it feels like a long, long time ago since he'd last seen the City. ] Queens, actually, if you're like, familiar with it at all.
New York? [He whistles.] I'm way too broke to visit, but it sounds great; I'm actually from California, myself. Lotta 'duuuudes' and 'gnarly' and overpriced wheatgrass shakes.
[Yes, those were done in stereotypical Californian accents that don't really exist over there.]
What's it like there? I mean, if you had to explain it to some random traveling soul.
Whoa, really? [ Peter laughs. ] I always thought the west coast was like, so much more chill than New York.
I've never been anywhere outside of the city before.
[ Beat. ]
Well, until Berlin. It was for a - [ Hmm. ] - this internship I was doing. [ Anywho. ] But - yeah! New York's awesome. I mean, the people and the food and the buildings? It's got everything you could ask for. And my whole family's from there.
[His expression softens considerably, and he's kind of glad he's not facing him completely; he'd probably get a weird look for how wistful he looks. But luckily, there's plenty of stuff to redirect on — especially since he's kind of thrown by the 'until Berlin' point.]
Berlin? Berlin, Germany? What kinda' internship takes a kid to another country?
[This sounds really interesting; he definitely never went to Berlin at this kid's age. Though to be fair, they don't look like the same person. Related, maybe, what with the similar enough complexions and hair color and whatnot, but...
Oh. It's a - it was the Stark Internship. [ AKA his cover for all things Spider-Man. ] I'm not - I don't really do it anymore, I mean, back home, I stopped. But, yeah. It was awesome. It was a really awesome experience.
[ Speaking of wistful, Peter's voice trails off a little, realizing just how much he misses being back home. Being awake. Did time move a whole lot differently here than it does back home? Would a year here only be an hour back home? Or would his aunt worry? Would Mr Stark worry? ]
Uh, anyway. [ Eh-hem. ] California must be really different to this place. Nightmares and stuff aside.
[His eyebrows rise as Peter talks, and — oh man. Either this is a cover for the Avengers and they actually took him on a mission in Berlin, or Tony Stark's keeping him on the straight and narrow with an actual internship... ssssort of... he means, you know. For Tony Stark. Or hey, maybe it's both. The idea is an interesting one, though, and he has to admit, he's totally interested (and he did have Iron Man's number in case he ever wanted to take him up on the offer, but-).
Does the kid work in his labs, too? Does he hang out with Black Widow and Hawkeye in a bird nest somewhere, or whatever they do on their off-hours? Does Tony lock the liquor cabinet when the kid visits? He's got to have a liquor cabinet in there somewhere.
Well.
At least Tony Stark is probably a better role model than Otto Octavius. But let's not, uh. Let's not think about that for long. Especially when the kid looks a little sad to think about — ]
Hmm?
Oh! Yeah, yeah. It's got a lot of... hills. And, uh.... a lot of palm trees.
[Oh, thank goodness. He has no freaking clue how to explain California; he's never been there. But most importantly, the greenhouse looks completely empty, which is a perfect place to admit to the kid he's been pulling his leg all this time.
As they get to the door, he turns and deposits his entire stack of wood onto Peter's.]
Hold onto that for me, I'll get the door.
[Such a stack probably feels pretty damn light still, for a Spider-Kid. But you know, on second viewing of the woodpile, it's definitely not feasible for any other person of Peter's stature.
[ While Peter has no real reason to suspect Patrick of lying about his hometown, he sure is keeping it vague. Maybe he's not a big fan of the place; maybe something bad happened there. Maybe he's just really private.
Who knows?
He doesn't have any further opportunity to ask any other California-related questions, you know, really get into the meat of the other man's home, when he gets a pile of wood stacked in his arms, adding to the already existing heap and obscuring his view of the door - and of Patrick. He waits expectantly, and then as the weight of the wood starts to burn a little into his muscles, he realizes - a little too late, honestly - that this isn't a normal pile of wood for a normal sixteen year old kid.
Oh, crap.
Ohcrapohcrapohcrap. Bucky's gonna be so mad. So would Tony, but he's not here anymore. At the last second, he definitely lets the wood pile drop at his feet, like oh man! It was so heavy! How could you, Patrick? How could you possibly think that a kid of his stature could carry this much lumber in his spindly, weak child arms? ]
Oh, man - sorry! [ He exclaims. ] Sorry, sorry ... I just - it was heavy, I couldn't hold it anymore.
[............ not to Peter Parker Jr., that's for sure.
It's okay, though. He wouldn't have been much of an actor himself. Heck, he still probably would suck at it enough to not win any awards; it's a miracle more people haven't figured out his identity with all the near-misses, or the number of... backpacks he's left stuck everywhere...
Shut up.
He quirks a brow at the sound of crashing wood, moving quickly to help out.]
Oh, jeez — sorry about that, man...! I totally thought you had that. Here, lemme help get those back- [He starts patiently helping recollect the wood, duh. Because you've totally fooled him with your acting abilities. Jokingly, as if to brush off Peter's embarrassment for him:] You should really work core strengthening if you're gonna be a mountain man.
[He effortlessly lifts a stack, and starts walking it into the greenhouse.
And in case Lil' Pete asks about Big Pete's mad skills in lumber carrying:]
California's all about the protein powder and nature trails.
[ wow excuse u he put on the best act of his life tyvm!!!11
But - no, really, Peter immediately drops down to grab some of the chunks of wood back too, mostly because he'd rather not have to show his bad-acting (yes, okay, fine) face and also because he wants to get a better look at good ol' Patrick too.
Because, sure, Peter's a little dense at the best of times but that felt incredibly ... intentional.
Yeah, he'll keep a mental note on that. ]
I'll - uh - yeah. I'll keep that in mind for next time I want to carry like, more logs of wood than twice my weight. [ Pls, Big Pete. ] Mountain man isn't like, on my list of dream jobs but man, being one could be so useful now.
[ Okay, and we're back to carrying a normal (if still quite impressive) bundle of wood logs into the greenhouse. ]
[Meanwhile Patrick looks totally chill and not at all ominously intentional about his weird test of power he just did (yeah, you better keep that mental note, buddy). He just shrugs casually and holds the door open for Pete with his (spider)butt. The greenhouse is empty, so nobody's gonna hear anything about ye ol' secret identity.]
Hey, hey, it's cool; you've got plenty of time to work on your muscles. Gym, football, maybe some track and field... [As Lil' Pete dumps the pile of wood on the big ol' stack in the back, Patrick tosses his nonchalantly on the ground next to the table, near the front door, which he kicks casually closed with a foot.] Or are those all activities you avoid doing because of your powers... Spider-Man?
[He may or may not had a nasally tone to it, like a generic comic book villain.
... What? C'mon, he's always wanted to be the one to say it like that, after all these years.]
Whatever Peter had been doing previously no longer matters. His entire body freezes, and yeah, okay, he rapidly tries to think back on any time during his brief meetings with this guy when he might have let slip his secret identity. He'd told Bucky he'd be more careful about it, he really did - and he gets why he's supposed to be. People could hurt his aunt, they could hurt Ned, his friends ... his school. He swallows and slow-turns to look in Big Pete's direction, his body soul-less and numb. ]
Uh - whahahahat? [ There's a nervous laugh if there ever was one. He frowns, fingers slowly reaching for his webshooters. You know, just in case this guy is actually a total nutjob and wants to kill him.
And he seemed so friendly, too! Ugh! ] What'd you just say?
[God, that nervous laugh is like listening to a pitchier version of himself when Mary Jane asks if he's actually paid his rent yet.
But excellent, hazing is complete. Now he can drop the spooky (not remotely cool) villain tone and pat his hands off on his pants, because gross, wood chips. Despite this sudden revelation, this weirdo is still just as pleasant and friendly in tone as he was before.
At the fingers twitching, he holds his hands up in surrender.]
Hey, don't you go getting spooked and webbing me up; you sense any danger here, dude?
Besides, you totally started this when you gave away our identity here, not me.
[ Peter is still reeling from this, honestly. It's like his thoughts and his brain just aren't syncing and he's panicking a little, and also his fight/flight mechanism is going haywire, and - okay, fine, no, his spider-sense isn't going off but that doesn't mean a whole lot in Deerington. A lot of things don't make sense and seem completely pleasant until they try to attack you or kill you or eat you or psychologically torture you, and he isn't about to rule anything out just yet. ]
How do you know - how are you - what do you mean by 'our', man? What is this?
[Oh, yep, there's the short-circuiting. He winces.]
Don't go having an aneurysm on me. Then I'll get crucified for freaking out Spider-Man Jr. to death. [... Actually, he didn't think this far ahead on the whole 'explanation' thing. But is there really any way to explain it without sounding like a psychopath? He figures that at the very least, if Bucky was aware of it, this kid'll either be aware or (if he's a science nerd to the extreme like Peter suspects he is) he'll accept it over time.
He holds out a hand for a handshake???
Please don't web me????]
Name's actually Peter, and I'm definitely not from California; I was just messing with you earlier.
Wait, did he just say - ] I don't know how I feel about alternate universes. [ It's an honest answer, given with an honest ogling stare at Patrick's - no, Peter? Did he just say Peter? (He has a very bad feeling about this) - hand and no other movement aside from that. ] I mean, I've read theories, seen like, movies about them. There's a guy here who looks exactly like I do, but he's not me. That's as alternate as it gets for me right now.
[ There's a funny pit in his stomach, like maybe he's about to be a little sick, but he holds himself with a fair amount of superheroic stoicism and waits for confirmation of what he thinks he already knows this guy is about to spell out for him. ]
[He drops his hands to his sides, sighing through his nose. Woooo boy.
(Hey Pete, maybe you shouldn't have poked fun at the kid, he looks pretty freaked.)
(Please don't faint????)
(Seriously though don't throw up in the greenhouse, they grow food here.)]
Yeaaah, well... About that... I introduced myself to your pal, Bucky? And he knew right away that I was Spider-Man. Probably has to do with the fact that I let him know my name's Peter Parker, too. And I'm, uh. I'm Spider-Man! [Wags hands at his sides, like it's confetti time, only it's absolutely not.] Just... older. With a different face and voice.
[... And not any taller than this Peter. As is Parker luck.]
Whoa. [ It comes out a little more like an exhale, soft and shocked and surprised yet unsurprised all at once. He probably needs to sit down, but barring any seats in this greenhouse, he's just going to stand and hope his legs don't give out beneath him, because this is a lot. ]
How are there two of us? [ No, no, that's - they'd already covered that. Peter shakes his head and mumbles: ] Oh, right. Yeah. Alternate universes. [ And then he makes an attempt to gather this information and sort it out.
You know, logically. ]
So, like. Does that mean wherever you're from, you already did the stuff that I did and I'm about to do? How much of a difference is there? Is it mostly a temporal thing or - like. I dunno.
[ Yeah, they do look and sound different, but their names are the same. ]
[... Ah. He kind of expected this question, so it at least doesn't completely blindside him with aches and pangs that are visible from space. Besides, if he pretends she's not gone, then she's not, right? Perfect logic, right there.]
Yeah, I do. Our parents died when we were pretty young, and May and Ben took care of us after that.
[We, because unless Lil Pete says differently, he's gonna just assume the origins are all the same. But hey, maybe there's a lot of inconsistencies; he has to admit, he's really curious about the differences.]
And it's hard to say. I've been Spider-Man for eight years now, so there's a lot I've done since I was your age. Things could be pretty similar — or they could be wildly different. I know for a fact you're a crazy-smart kid, so you can figure up the conjectures and theories about parallel timelines and universes.
[A pause.]
What villains have you fought, yet? Kingpin? Vulture? Mysterio?
[ There's your confirmation, Big Pete. He's still got his aunt May, at least, but the sting of uncle Ben's death is still raw enough that he has to force himself to go on and not dwell in that soup of guilt.
He hates the idea of any other person going through something like that, and he hates it even more that this might be something they have in common. Losing their parents, losing their uncle ...
Oh.
Right.
Peter forces himself to tune back into the rest of it, marveling at the idea of being Spider-Man for almost a decade (that's so cool!). He shakes his head at the mention of Kingpin, but - ]
Vulture!
[ Yep. That one definitely rings a bell. ]
I've fought him, definitely, but I don't know the other guys. I guess they might show up in my future if I ever wake up from here.
[He huffs a laugh at that. Good ol' Toomes. Making all kinds of messes, all across the universe. That old geezer really needs to have better hobbies than torment a teenaged superhero, but you know how it goes.]
Hopefully they don't give you too much trouble. They're all a raging pain in the butt. Lucky for you, I happen to have it on good authority that we can take 'em in a fight. [Not always without getting beat to hell, but he's not about to tell the kid that; he's gonna do this no matter what, and Big Pete knows from experiencing it firsthand. Especially when MJ fretted about him, asked him if he should keep doing it; there was no question, at the time.
Now he doubts, sure, but it... took a while. And he's gonna keep going now.
... Especially after all his research turned into literal villainy.]
If there's anything you wanna ask, I'm 90% sure I'll answer honestly, if you want.
That's awesome. [ Knowing that they can take any of those colourfully-named villains down in a fight. There are days when Peter still wonders whether he's got the strength for it or whether he's capable of doing this whole spider-gig on his own, without Tony Stark and the Avengers to give him a little back-up. But he'd made his choice not too long ago, and he sticks by it.
His last encounter with the Vulture proved that a fancy suit and some advanced tech were helpful but not at all the key to being Spider-Man, and that's a lesson he won't soon forget. ]
2018. Why? What about you? [ And is the answer going to break his brain a little? ]
[Aha. Now this is where the brain-breaking comes in. Yeesh.]
... 2018, same as you. October 2018, actually. Kind of perfectly lined up with coming here, actually. Which is luck I didn't think I'd get, but I'll take it. [He bites his lip, testing the waters very damn carefully.] Aaaand I'm guessing Devil's Breath doesn't ring any bells, either.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
( BIG ) PETER.
Ugh, no - it's okay. I'm fine. [ Quickly: ] Potato bugs and June bugs. Or any bug, really. Not - not a huge fan of bugs, not just spiders.
[ Yeah, let's just talk about all the other myriad of bug-types that exist to distract from any further discussion of spiders. Spiders are ... sure, common, yeah, but the point of conversation still feels a little too specific to be a good thing. ]
Oh, hey - [ He shifts the small stack of wood he's got in his arms to briefly take the older man's hand, and if there was a moment for a little surge of electricity to spark from the Bond They Share, it probably should be now, but all he gets is a warm and firm-ish handshake from this teen. ] - I'm Peter. It's good to meet you, Patrick.
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Also he's just gonna grab a shitload more wood to carry, grunting like it weighs so much. So so much.]
Nice to meet you, too, man. Feel free to call me 'Pat' if you're feeling winded.
[Since we're walkin, and all — small talk!]
Sooo... Where are you from, Pete? Your accent's kind of familiar, but I'm not about to embarrass myself guessing from 50 nifty states and proving I can't pin a voice to save my life.
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[ He'll grab one more log, too, before they head in the direction of the greenhouse. Not because it's a competition or anything but, really, he could handle a hell of a lot more and collecting one extra log won't give his identity away while speeding up the storing process.
He nods. ]
New York. [ Boy, it feels like a long, long time ago since he'd last seen the City. ] Queens, actually, if you're like, familiar with it at all.
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[Yes, those were done in stereotypical Californian accents that don't really exist over there.]
What's it like there? I mean, if you had to explain it to some random traveling soul.
u sneaky bastard
I've never been anywhere outside of the city before.
[ Beat. ]
Well, until Berlin. It was for a - [ Hmm. ] - this internship I was doing. [ Anywho. ] But - yeah! New York's awesome. I mean, the people and the food and the buildings? It's got everything you could ask for. And my whole family's from there.
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Berlin? Berlin, Germany? What kinda' internship takes a kid to another country?
[This sounds really interesting; he definitely never went to Berlin at this kid's age. Though to be fair, they don't look like the same person. Related, maybe, what with the similar enough complexions and hair color and whatnot, but...
... Universes, man.]
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[ Speaking of wistful, Peter's voice trails off a little, realizing just how much he misses being back home. Being awake. Did time move a whole lot differently here than it does back home? Would a year here only be an hour back home? Or would his aunt worry? Would Mr Stark worry? ]
Uh, anyway. [ Eh-hem. ] California must be really different to this place. Nightmares and stuff aside.
1/2
Does the kid work in his labs, too? Does he hang out with Black Widow and Hawkeye in a bird nest somewhere, or whatever they do on their off-hours? Does Tony lock the liquor cabinet when the kid visits? He's got to have a liquor cabinet in there somewhere.
Well.
At least Tony Stark is probably a better role model than Otto Octavius. But let's not, uh. Let's not think about that for long. Especially when the kid looks a little sad to think about — ]
Hmm?
Oh! Yeah, yeah. It's got a lot of... hills. And, uh.... a lot of palm trees.
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[Oh, thank goodness. He has no freaking clue how to explain California; he's never been there. But most importantly, the greenhouse looks completely empty, which is a perfect place to admit to the kid he's been pulling his leg all this time.
As they get to the door, he turns and deposits his entire stack of wood onto Peter's.]
Hold onto that for me, I'll get the door.
[Such a stack probably feels pretty damn light still, for a Spider-Kid. But you know, on second viewing of the woodpile, it's definitely not feasible for any other person of Peter's stature.
Funny.]
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Who knows?
He doesn't have any further opportunity to ask any other California-related questions, you know, really get into the meat of the other man's home, when he gets a pile of wood stacked in his arms, adding to the already existing heap and obscuring his view of the door - and of Patrick. He waits expectantly, and then as the weight of the wood starts to burn a little into his muscles, he realizes - a little too late, honestly - that this isn't a normal pile of wood for a normal sixteen year old kid.
Oh, crap.
Ohcrapohcrapohcrap. Bucky's gonna be so mad. So would Tony, but he's not here anymore. At the last second, he definitely lets the wood pile drop at his feet, like oh man! It was so heavy! How could you, Patrick? How could you possibly think that a kid of his stature could carry this much lumber in his spindly, weak child arms? ]
Oh, man - sorry! [ He exclaims. ] Sorry, sorry ... I just - it was heavy, I couldn't hold it anymore.
[ And the Oscar goes to ... ]
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It's okay, though. He wouldn't have been much of an actor himself. Heck, he still probably would suck at it enough to not win any awards; it's a miracle more people haven't figured out his identity with all the near-misses, or the number of... backpacks he's left stuck everywhere...
Shut up.
He quirks a brow at the sound of crashing wood, moving quickly to help out.]
Oh, jeez — sorry about that, man...! I totally thought you had that. Here, lemme help get those back- [He starts patiently helping recollect the wood, duh. Because you've totally fooled him with your acting abilities. Jokingly, as if to brush off Peter's embarrassment for him:] You should really work core strengthening if you're gonna be a mountain man.
[He effortlessly lifts a stack, and starts walking it into the greenhouse.
And in case Lil' Pete asks about Big Pete's mad skills in lumber carrying:]
California's all about the protein powder and nature trails.
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But - no, really, Peter immediately drops down to grab some of the chunks of wood back too, mostly because he'd rather not have to show his bad-acting (yes, okay, fine) face and also because he wants to get a better look at good ol' Patrick too.
Because, sure, Peter's a little dense at the best of times but that felt incredibly ... intentional.
Yeah, he'll keep a mental note on that. ]
I'll - uh - yeah. I'll keep that in mind for next time I want to carry like, more logs of wood than twice my weight. [ Pls, Big Pete. ] Mountain man isn't like, on my list of dream jobs but man, being one could be so useful now.
[ Okay, and we're back to carrying a normal (if still quite impressive) bundle of wood logs into the greenhouse. ]
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Hey, hey, it's cool; you've got plenty of time to work on your muscles. Gym, football, maybe some track and field... [As Lil' Pete dumps the pile of wood on the big ol' stack in the back, Patrick tosses his nonchalantly on the ground next to the table, near the front door, which he kicks casually closed with a foot.] Or are those all activities you avoid doing because of your powers... Spider-Man?
[He may or may not had a nasally tone to it, like a generic comic book villain.
... What? C'mon, he's always wanted to be the one to say it like that, after all these years.]
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No.
No no no nononono no .... no. That can't - no.
Whatever Peter had been doing previously no longer matters. His entire body freezes, and yeah, okay, he rapidly tries to think back on any time during his brief meetings with this guy when he might have let slip his secret identity. He'd told Bucky he'd be more careful about it, he really did - and he gets why he's supposed to be. People could hurt his aunt, they could hurt Ned, his friends ... his school. He swallows and slow-turns to look in Big Pete's direction, his body soul-less and numb. ]
Uh - whahahahat? [ There's a nervous laugh if there ever was one. He frowns, fingers slowly reaching for his webshooters. You know, just in case this guy is actually a total nutjob and wants to kill him.
And he seemed so friendly, too! Ugh! ] What'd you just say?
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But excellent, hazing is complete. Now he can drop the spooky (not remotely cool) villain tone and pat his hands off on his pants, because gross, wood chips. Despite this sudden revelation, this weirdo is still just as pleasant and friendly in tone as he was before.
At the fingers twitching, he holds his hands up in surrender.]
Hey, don't you go getting spooked and webbing me up; you sense any danger here, dude?
Besides, you totally started this when you gave away our identity here, not me.
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[ Peter is still reeling from this, honestly. It's like his thoughts and his brain just aren't syncing and he's panicking a little, and also his fight/flight mechanism is going haywire, and - okay, fine, no, his spider-sense isn't going off but that doesn't mean a whole lot in Deerington. A lot of things don't make sense and seem completely pleasant until they try to attack you or kill you or eat you or psychologically torture you, and he isn't about to rule anything out just yet. ]
How do you know - how are you - what do you mean by 'our', man? What is this?
[ If this is a trick, he s w e a r s!!! ]
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Don't go having an aneurysm on me. Then I'll get crucified for freaking out Spider-Man Jr. to death. [... Actually, he didn't think this far ahead on the whole 'explanation' thing. But is there really any way to explain it without sounding like a psychopath? He figures that at the very least, if Bucky was aware of it, this kid'll either be aware or (if he's a science nerd to the extreme like Peter suspects he is) he'll accept it over time.
He holds out a hand for a handshake???
Please don't web me????]
Name's actually Peter, and I'm definitely not from California; I was just messing with you earlier.
Hooooow do you feel about alternate universes?
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[ That would imply ...
... no.
Wait, did he just say - ] I don't know how I feel about alternate universes. [ It's an honest answer, given with an honest ogling stare at Patrick's - no, Peter? Did he just say Peter? (He has a very bad feeling about this) - hand and no other movement aside from that. ] I mean, I've read theories, seen like, movies about them. There's a guy here who looks exactly like I do, but he's not me. That's as alternate as it gets for me right now.
[ There's a funny pit in his stomach, like maybe he's about to be a little sick, but he holds himself with a fair amount of superheroic stoicism and waits for confirmation of what he thinks he already knows this guy is about to spell out for him. ]
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(Hey Pete, maybe you shouldn't have poked fun at the kid, he looks pretty freaked.)
(Please don't faint????)
(Seriously though don't throw up in the greenhouse, they grow food here.)]
Yeaaah, well... About that... I introduced myself to your pal, Bucky? And he knew right away that I was Spider-Man. Probably has to do with the fact that I let him know my name's Peter Parker, too. And I'm, uh. I'm Spider-Man! [Wags hands at his sides, like it's confetti time, only it's absolutely not.] Just... older. With a different face and voice.
[... And not any taller than this Peter. As is Parker luck.]
... Pretty similar fashion sense, though.
[Bet you had glasses before the bite, too.]
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How are there two of us? [ No, no, that's - they'd already covered that. Peter shakes his head and mumbles: ] Oh, right. Yeah. Alternate universes. [ And then he makes an attempt to gather this information and sort it out.
You know, logically. ]
So, like. Does that mean wherever you're from, you already did the stuff that I did and I'm about to do? How much of a difference is there? Is it mostly a temporal thing or - like. I dunno.
[ Yeah, they do look and sound different, but their names are the same. ]
Do you have an aunt May and an uncle Ben too?
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Yeah, I do. Our parents died when we were pretty young, and May and Ben took care of us after that.
[We, because unless Lil Pete says differently, he's gonna just assume the origins are all the same. But hey, maybe there's a lot of inconsistencies; he has to admit, he's really curious about the differences.]
And it's hard to say. I've been Spider-Man for eight years now, so there's a lot I've done since I was your age. Things could be pretty similar — or they could be wildly different. I know for a fact you're a crazy-smart kid, so you can figure up the conjectures and theories about parallel timelines and universes.
[A pause.]
What villains have you fought, yet? Kingpin? Vulture? Mysterio?
Any of those ringing bells?
no subject
Yeah. That's what happened to me too.
[ There's your confirmation, Big Pete. He's still got his aunt May, at least, but the sting of uncle Ben's death is still raw enough that he has to force himself to go on and not dwell in that soup of guilt.
He hates the idea of any other person going through something like that, and he hates it even more that this might be something they have in common. Losing their parents, losing their uncle ...
Oh.
Right.
Peter forces himself to tune back into the rest of it, marveling at the idea of being Spider-Man for almost a decade (that's so cool!). He shakes his head at the mention of Kingpin, but - ]
Vulture!
[ Yep. That one definitely rings a bell. ]
I've fought him, definitely, but I don't know the other guys. I guess they might show up in my future if I ever wake up from here.
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Hopefully they don't give you too much trouble. They're all a raging pain in the butt. Lucky for you, I happen to have it on good authority that we can take 'em in a fight. [Not always without getting beat to hell, but he's not about to tell the kid that; he's gonna do this no matter what, and Big Pete knows from experiencing it firsthand. Especially when MJ fretted about him, asked him if he should keep doing it; there was no question, at the time.
Now he doubts, sure, but it... took a while. And he's gonna keep going now.
... Especially after all his research turned into literal villainy.]
If there's anything you wanna ask, I'm 90% sure I'll answer honestly, if you want.
But first, I gotta ask, to clarify:
What year are you from?
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His last encounter with the Vulture proved that a fancy suit and some advanced tech were helpful but not at all the key to being Spider-Man, and that's a lesson he won't soon forget. ]
2018. Why? What about you? [ And is the answer going to break his brain a little? ]
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... 2018, same as you. October 2018, actually. Kind of perfectly lined up with coming here, actually. Which is luck I didn't think I'd get, but I'll take it. [He bites his lip, testing the waters very damn carefully.] Aaaand I'm guessing Devil's Breath doesn't ring any bells, either.
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sorry this is 84 years old
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