Fate
read on Ao3
words: 1323
The spell had worked…for a while, anyway, until Peter Parker found the two older versions of himself, freezing, standing on his doorstep after a month of living on his own.
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The spell had worked…for a while, anyway, until Peter Parker found the two older versions of himself, freezing, standing on his doorstep after a month of living on his own.
It had been a snowy day, and he was going to head out for breakfast when he found them. It was a confusing mess, with both of them not remembering how they had gotten here, still wearing their suits, and just as confused as when they had first appeared. Without Dr. Strange’s help, though, they were on their own.
The first few days were tense. They couldn’t focus on much besides preparing for the worst, waiting for the inevitable tear in the sky again, more people to fight, more people that didn’t belong in this world. But they never came. No matter how many times they swept the city, they didn’t find anyone out of the ordinary. It was only Peter 2 and Peter 3, here in this world they didn’t belong in. Peter 1 wasn’t sure what to think, but the strangest thing of all was that the other Peters seemed to be okay with this arrangement.
Suddenly, his small apartment for one housed three. They took turns sleeping on the bed, the couch, and a hammock they all helped make with webbing, because they all agreed that no one deserved to sleep on the creaky wood floor. While Peter 1 sat in the hammock, his toes barely brushing the floor, he reached for a slice of pizza. “Hey, guys…do you believe in fate?”
Peter 3, sitting upside down on the couch, lifted his head from the floor, brows knit together. “Fate?”
“What do you mean, Pete?” Peter 2 asked, taking a bite of his slice of pizza, careful to shield the spray of sauce from the sheets.
Staring down at the greasy mess in his hands, Peter 1 shrugged. “I mean, aren’t you guys upset? I would think…you’d wanna go home as soon as possible.”
The other two exchanged a look, and Peter 3 swung around to sit upright. “Hey, if we’re talking fate, then you have nothing to worry about, right? You needed us, so maybe…”
“You know we know nothing at all about magic,” Peter 2 continued, finishing up his slice of pizza with a small grin, “but I bet we were brought here for a reason. And if it turns out it’s just to support you, then we’re okay with that.”
Peter 3 nodded, and Peter 1 blinked. It was true he had been feeling really lonely, finding himself wishing to see these two again, wanting their advice for so many things. And then they showed up. It must’ve been on purpose. “Don’t tell me you wanna get rid of us already,” Peter 3 huffed, walking over to throw an arm around him, giving him a light noogie. “We are great roommates.”
Laughing, Peter 1 shook his head, pushing him away. “No, no, no, it’s not that. I’m just really glad you guys are here.”
“We’re glad, too,” Peter 2 replied, shooting a web to grab the slice of pizza from Peter 1’s hands.
“Hey!”
“Too slow, Pete.”
“You already have the whole box right there!” Peter 1 laughed while Peter 3 walked back to the couch with a smirk. All of a sudden, a pillow taken from the couch knocked Peter 2 right in the face, then landed lightly in his lap.
There was silence for a moment, and then Peter 3 grinned. “Yes!” Peter 2 reached over to close the pizza box, standing up.
“You are on, Parker.”
Peter 3 giggled and dove behind the couch, while Peter 1 shook his head and slipped out of the hammock. And to think, these guys were real adults. He was glad to know he would get to still be like this when he was older.
Looking at him, Peter 2 raised a brow. “Every man for himself?”
Peter 1 thought about it for a moment, then shot a web to grab one of the pillows on his bed. “Only if Peter 3 comes out and stops hiding like a coward.”
Immediately, the man in question sprang up, a smile curling at his lips. “Oooh, you’re gonna wish you didn’t say that.”
It was a full on war. Running around the smallest apartment in the world, throwing pillows and webs at each other, taunting and teasing, leaving it in a complete mess. Peter 1 couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed this hard, and he had a feeling that the other two felt the same way.
Eventually, sweating and out of breath, all three of them collapsed onto the bed beside each other, staring up at the ceiling. For a moment, the only sound was their labored breathing, until Peter 1 looked to his left, then to his right. “Truce?”
The others thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Truce.”
“...Man, my back hurts again.”
