Finally it was time to go home. And both May and I were nervous. She changed into her civilian clothes and we walked up to May's house — or my house, if we were being technical about it.
May gulped, "this is going to be so weird."
I chuckled, "you're telling me. I wonder if I'm still hot after all these years."
"Dude, seriously, stop," May groaned. We made it to her house and spotted a car outside on the curb. She sighed, "dad's home too, yay."
"Relax, it'll be fine."
We walked up to the door. May walked in and called out, "I'm home! And I have company!"
"In the dining room, dear!" came a familiar voice that sounded older. I blinked, 'holy shit, I almost forgot about MJ!'
We walked in and found an older-looking couple sitting around a dining table — my dining table. The man had brown hair slicked back with hints of grey near the temples. He had a goatee and looked very tired. Lines running down his face showed he had spent a lot of his years frowning, not exactly what I hoped to one day look like.
The woman, on the other hand, looked hot. Like, super hot. MILF hot. Like, oh my God, please let me one day be married to her hot. MJ had only grown sexier with age. Her facial lines made her seem more calm and controlled, and she still looked gorgeous, unsurprisingly.
"Ah, May, we need to talk about—" future me looked up and stopped mid-sentence as his eyes landed on me, "what the heck is going on?"
"Peter, what are you—" MJ stopped as well as she stared at me, "P-Peter? What's going on?"
"Ah, mom, dad...this is ah," May looked at me, "well..." I smirked. Time for some fun — I'd been thinking about this moment all day!
"—Daddy!" I cried out, rushing towards Peter and hugging him tightly, "I missed you, daddy!"
"What?!" Peter and MJ cried out in horror.
"Peter! Stop it!" May growled out.
"Daddy! Big sister May is mean! Can't you tell her to stop?" I asked, putting on my best puppy-dog eyes, "also, when are you and mommy getting back together?"
"W-what?" older Peter asked in terror, "who are you?!"
"I'm your son!" I smirked, "I'm Ben Hardy! Son of Spider-man and Black Cat!"
"What?!" again, both Peter and MJ screamed.
"Alright, that's enough!" May grabbed me by the ear and pulled me off her dad, "you are so annoying! Did you have to do that?!"
I laughed, "sorry, I couldn't help it! It was so easy! Plus he looked like he had a stick up his ass — no future version of me should look like that!"
"May, what is going on here?!" future Peter cried out, getting to his feet, "who is this?"
May sighed, "dad...this is Peter Parker. He's you from another dimension."
I smiled and waved, "hey! Sorry about the little heart attack there, couldn't help it!"
MJ rubbed her temples, "I swear, Tiger, every day it's something else."
Peter blinked, "so you're not my son?"
"Nope. Clever lie."
"Clone?"
"No. Well, even if I was I don't think I would know, but yeah — definitely not a clone."
"Sigh, remember that time I went after Spyral?" May spoke up.
"Yes..." MJ trailed off.
"Well, I ended up landing in his dimension. He helped me get back home. Now he's stuck here and I figured we could give him a place to crash for a few days."
"I-I see," MJ said before looking at me, "he really does look like a younger version of you, Peter."
"Maybe," he squinted his eyes at me, "how do we know you're not lying?"
I blinked, "well...you like Felicia's breasts but you always thought her butt was three times better. You think Liz Allen was hot, but extremely annoying for your taste. You always wondered why Shocker gave himself that stupid name when his powers are based on vibrations, but then you realised 'The Vibrator' sounds like a sex toy. Oh, and you also think Sue Storm is super hot, but you're too scared of Reed, Johnny and Ben to mention it."
Future Peter looked horrified, "my daughter's right there!"
I blinked and turned to May, "yeah, about that — can't you get her a better costume or something? Honestly, man, you want your teenage daughter jumping around New York in skin-tight spandex?"
"Yup, he's you alright," MJ said as she rubbed her temples.
I grinned, "hey MJ, huh, guess in some world we do end up together, huh?"
MJ blinked, "you aren't with me in your world?"
I shook my head, "no, we're just friends. But honestly, if this is how you're going to look in twenty years, I'm totally reconsidering."
"Was I really this annoying?" future Peter asked with a groan.
"Yes," came MJ's sharp reply.
We all sat down around the dining table as I told them my story. How my Reed had created a portal that sent me here, and how I would automatically return home — but with no idea when that would happen.
"So you need a place to stay?" future Peter asked.
I nodded, "yeah, just for a few days, hopefully. I have cash, so you don't have to worry about that. Honestly I could make do in a motel, but May insisted."
"She was right, too," MJ spoke up, flashing her daughter a smile, "you're family, after all."
"From another world," future Peter corrected.
"But still family," MJ glared at her husband, "you can stay for as long as you want, ah...Peter."
I smiled, "call me Bruce Wayne — it's a lot less confusing. Don't want you accidentally calling me honey bunny or something."
MJ chuckled, "yup, Tiger, he's definitely a younger version of you."
I smiled, "yup, anyway, I have to say, all this is kind of surprising," I looked around, "didn't think you would still be living here of all places."
"I got it after Aunt May died," future Peter explained, "is she...is she still alive in your world?"
I nodded, "yeah, her, Uncle Ben and dad. They're all alive."
"What?!" Peter's eyes went wide along with MJ's.
I nodded as I took out my phone and opened the photo gallery. I showed a picture of me with the entire Parker household and held it out to Peter, "yeah, May told me Ben's dead in your world?"
"H-he is," Peter gulped, eyes slowly watering, "how?"
I raised an eyebrow, "how what?"
"W-when I first became Spider-man I was irresponsible with my powers. I used them to gain attention and money for myself. That indirectly caused Uncle Ben's death."
I blinked, "damn...I'm sorry to hear that, Pete...I...when I got my powers I didn't even actually want to be a superhero."
MJ gasped, "a Peter Parker that didn't want to be a hero? Now I've seen everything."
"It's true," I nodded, "I...I was scared. It wasn't an appealing life, really. I figured I could do a lot more good with the tech I could build, making the world a better place one step at a time. But then...MJ changed my mind."
"She did?" MJ asked in surprise, "how?"
"She told me that heroes were needed, that people need something to believe in," I sighed, "we actually went out on a date, but at the end, the Hulk kind of crashed it by dropping into Harlem and fighting Abomination. I saw so many people hurt...I just knew I had to do something to help. So...I became Spider-man."
MJ and Peter looked at each other. The redhead sighed, "all these years I wanted to keep you away from that life. I'm surprised to find there's a version of you out there who became Spider-man because of me, Tiger."
Peter sighed too, "I know...and...your father? How is he still alive?"
I sighed hard, "he and mom were scientists...is it the same in your world?"
Peter shook his head, "no, they were agents of SHIELD, they died on a mission."
May gasped, "dad...I didn't know that! Is everyone in my family a badass?!"
MJ smiled, "you betcha, kiddo!"
I nodded, "well, it's something similar with me. My mom and dad were working on recreating the Super Soldier Serum that gave Steve his powers. They succeeded, but they later found out they were actually working for HYDRA. They ran, but HYDRA caught them. My dad was taken in alive, but my mom...she committed suicide in order to ensure the formula would never reach their hands. My dad didn't know the complete formula. The only physical sample they made, they inserted into me. When that spider bit me it activated the formula, mutating it and giving me my powers. Same with you?"
Peter blinked, "no...they just died for being spies. They came back at one point, but they were just androids."
I groaned, "I hate that trick...having my dad back is weird...but I think I'm finally getting used to it."
Peter smiled, "it's funny, when I was your age I always wondered what it would be like to have my parents and Ben back...and now, you know."
I chuckled, "yeah, guess so...you know, if you want, I can bring him a message," I offered. This was Peter Parker — the real one. Not a fake taking his place and taking the love of his father. No...it wasn't fair. This was the least I could do to make it up to him.
Peter smiled, "no, I'm over it. I have another family to look after now," he smiled at May and MJ, "I'm content."
I smiled, "I have to say, I never imagined I would ever become so...normal," I chuckled.
"I'm sure you find it difficult imagining a life without the webs. But you will," Peter smiled back, "being a hero is a great responsibility, but I have a bigger responsibility now," he turned to May, "one that trumps everything else I could ever be."
I snorted, "believe me, giving up the webs won't be that hard." MJ and May just chuckled, but Peter narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
I cleared my throat, "anyway, what I'm really having a hard time getting over is the fact that MJ and I got together."
MJ smiled, "why? Who did you think you would end up marrying?"
I shrugged, "Felicia."
MJ's eyes went wide as Peter coughed in surprise, "you and Felicia are together?!" he asked in disbelief.
"Were," I sighed, "we broke up."
Peter blinked, "why?"
"She broke her father out of prison and became a fugitive on SHIELD's list. Obviously she couldn't stay with me..." I grumbled, "look, I don't want to talk about it."
"Right," May said, getting up, "I don't know about you guys, but today has been weird enough. First my dad from another world showed up, made fun of my friends, insulted the Avengers and is now sitting in my house."
I snorted, "oh please, those wannabes don't deserve to be called Avengers. They're reckless, and yes, I understand how ironic it is that I'm saying that."
"You're not wrong," Peter said with a chuckle, "those kids have no idea what they are doing."
"Ah! I'm surrounded by judgemental people!" May cried out as she walked towards the stairs, "I'm going to bed."
I blinked, "really? It's so soon."
"It's been a long day!" she yelled back, going upstairs.
I chuckled as I turned to MJ and Peter, "five bucks says she's going to sneak out in costume."
Peter shook his head, "probably. So that was you today fighting Dragon King?"
I nodded, "yeah...May and I had the situation handled, but then the avenging morons came in and mucked everything up."
"I can understand your frustration. So...what are you going to do? Just wait to be sent back home?"
I shrugged, "that's the plan. There's nothing else for me to do."
Peter nodded, "hm, I see." We talked into the night. I told him about my life. Honestly, I was excited — this was Peter Parker, the real one. I was so eager to finally meet my idol, my hero. So in order to make an impression I told him everything I felt comfortable sharing.
"So Fury recruited you?" Peter asked, surprised, "damn, that's something."
I nodded, "you're telling me. One night, bam! He's there and I'm staring at this guy who's spinning out something about Avengers."
MJ nodded, "still, trained by the Black Widow — impressive."
I shrugged, "Fury didn't want me out there untrained. He figured I was safer under his eye than running wild."
Peter chuckled, "I wish I'd had that chance. I can only imagine what you know."
I leaned back, "yeah, I guess...but, in the end, it just wasn't worth it."
Peter and MJ looked at me. Peter cleared his throat and spoke, "what happened?"
I looked up, "what do you mean?"
"I've had that exact look on my face many times before," Peter explained, "and that was when I was getting ready to give up. And from what you said earlier...you stopped, didn't you? You stopped being Spider-man."
I snorted, "figured I couldn't hide it from you...yeah, I did. I gave up the webs. That's why I don't have my costume or web-shooters on me."
"What about the helmet?" MJ asked.
I took out my red tablet and expanded it into the helmet, "a prototype I was working on for other heroes — heroes other than me. I just had it on me when I was pulled in here...it was a coincidence, really."
"Then why did you step in to help May?" Peter asked.
I looked at him, "what else should I have done? Let her die?"
MJ and Peter were silent. They looked at each other, MJ motioning towards me. Peter sighed, "listen, Peter. I've been where you have been before. I understand what you're feeling. But...running away from your problems will never solve anything."
I narrowed my eyes, "what do you know? Did you nearly die at sixteen? Did your life flash before you as a madman stood over your broken body, ready to end you as easily as he breathed?"
Peter was silent. And then he got up and pulled up his pant leg, revealing his metallic peg leg, "yes, Peter, I have. Many more times than I care to count."
"Then why the hell should I do the same?" I asked him, "if you were me, what would you do? What would you do if you lost the reason to put on that mask? What would you do if you lost the will to fight?"
MJ looked at me and smiled, "that's good."
My eyes widened, "what?"
"If you lost the will to fight, then you can simply find it again. Believe me, Peter, if you're anything like my husband, you won't let something like a near-death experience stop you," she smiled, "you'll find a way. You always do, honey."
I blushed, "P-Peter, I think your wife is hitting on me."
Peter chuckled, "don't get cocky, kid. She's mine — get your own."
MJ rolled her eyes, "you both are exactly the same."
I smiled, though it slowly melted away. I sighed, "look...I just can't anymore. I used to say to myself that the reason I fought was to protect people. But then...Doom nearly killed me and I couldn't stand the sight of the costume. I just...I just can't, is all."
Peter nodded, "I understand, Peter...come on, I'll show you where you can stay." I followed him, waving MJ goodnight.
Peter showed me to the attic. Lucky for me, they still maintained the place, even if no one lived there. We spoke for a while — he was curious about my life. Then he wished me a good night and closed the attic door behind him.
I sat on the bed and looked around. There were several neatly sealed boxes pushed into one corner and a table with an old computer and a chemistry set. It looked like...something I would use. No, not me. Peter Parker.
I walked up to the table and looked the instruments over. Each one had the stain of chemicals on its glass walls, each a visibly different colour. This must be where Peter made his web fluids. Strange, it all seemed so...familiar.
I then noticed a trunk under the table. It was unmarked. Unlike every other box in this attic, this one was locked. Luckily for me, my metal manipulation made me a very capable lockpick.
I pulled the trunk out and grabbed the lock, feeling its metallic components within its structure. Using my powers I opened it with a quick snap. I took the lock out and threw the trunk open, revealing a red and blue costume that looked awfully familiar.
I picked it up and looked at it under the attic light. It was old and covered with stitches. Whoever had stitched it knew what they were doing — they made it in such a way that the stitches matched the way the webs moved, making them part of the costume itself.
As I pulled the costume out I noticed two metallic bracelets underneath it, along with various other tools and gadgets. These were his gear, his tools. I bent down and picked up the mask beneath it all — and out came the classic red mask with sharp glass eyes that seemed to be both serious and charming at the same time.
"I see it didn't take you long to stick your nose where it doesn't belong," I turned to see Peter leaning against the wall with a smile on his face and blankets tucked under his arms.
"I'm you, technically it's mine," I responded.
"And I thought you said you wouldn't pick up a costume ever again," he chuckled as he placed the sheets on the bed, "here, I thought you would need them."
"Thanks," I put the costume away and shut the trunk before kicking it under the table, "sorry."
"You can use it if you want," he told me with a shrug, "I'm not using it and May has her own costume, so I wouldn't mind. Thing needs to be worn, not thrown away and hidden like a shameful secret."
I sat down on the bed, "why...why did you stop?" I asked him.
He looked me over and sighed, sitting down next to me, "May told me that in your world you don't have a Green Goblin, yes?"
I nodded, "yeah, but...I've only been Spider-man for about a year."
"So you might face him one day," Peter sighed, "he was...he is my greatest enemy. He's a genius who acts the fool so that you would underestimate him before he split your head open like a coconut. He...he was a monster."
"Did you kill him?" I asked.
Peter looked at me, "yes...I did."
I looked down at the trunk, "is that why you gave it up? Guilt?"
"No, no, I dealt with the guilt a long time ago. Spider-man was a responsibility I had...but then I came upon an even bigger responsibility, and soon the risks just didn't seem worth it."
"And what was this new responsibility?" I asked.
He smiled as he walked away, "being a parent...but for you...you have a responsibility towards the power you possess. That costume means something to people, not just you. Think about that. I'll see you tomorrow, Peter," he shut the door behind him.
He might be broken physically, but I could see the same spark that had driven me to leap around and save people's lives, still burning inside him even now.
Was this the difference between the real Peter Parker and me? The man who refused to give up, and a cheap imitation? Maybe. But then again, I never had any business taking on that title, did I?
But as I drifted off to sleep that night, Peter's words haunted me: 'Anything that is broken, can be fixed.' It was strange — that was almost exactly what Charles had told me, word for word.