No Way Home

13

You stood up from your chair, throwing the blanket off your lower half and ignoring the dull ache spreading from your legs.

"Do that again Ned." You say almost in unison with MJ.

"I wish I could see Peter again." Ned tried to say it how he would say a spell.

He made another circle but again, it fizzled out before it could fully develop.

"Keep trying." You add, patting him on the back in encouragement.

He said the same words again, only this time opening the portal onto a dark alley.

A tall figure loomed over the dustbins as the wind swept through the portal and into the room.

MJ's hair blew slightly as she and Ned shouted for Peter.

You had that same tingle that you had when you met Peter previously but it felt slightly different this time.

The boy's head lifted, noticing the three of you standing there calling his name.

His mask sparkled in the moonlight, confirming that he was indeed Spider-Man.

But there was something about the way he walked that made you realise that it wasn't Peter from this universe

The weird thing was that it reminded you of someone you'd tried to forget a long time ago.

When the guy wondered through the portal, it was crystal clear that he wasn't Peter from this universe. Unless Peter had suddenly designed a new suit and grown a couple of inches.

You couldn't shake the feeling that he was the Peter from universe. I mean, your suits were similar. And some of the villains had been brought back from the dead, so why couldn't Peter?

"Trans-dimensional science, the multiverse," He says, "Knew they were real."

Even his voice sounded familiar. Nerves started to creep up your throat, making you swallow in anticipation.

"Magic." Ned corrects.

"Don't tell him." MJ spits, clearly not trusting who this guy was.

You stare at the masked figure, something about the way he stood made you more certain than ever.

"Who are you?" MJ says, noticing it wasn't her Peter. 

"Peter, Peter Parker." He pulled his mask off, showing everyone his face.

It was him. It must've been. But he looked at you as if you were a complete stranger. How was that possible? You were best friends in your universe. How?

MJ reached for the bread bowl and chucking it at the man.

"Hey! Hey! I'm one of the good guys!" He held his arms up, "And I'd appreciate it if you stopped throwing bread at me."

"No, but if you were Spider-Man wouldn't you be able to use your powers and sense it." MJ continues, still not letting her guard down

"Not against bread." The guy says, noticing how you were staring at him.

He did look a little older than the Peter you knew if you were being completely honest but who knew what the side effects of Doctor Strange's spell were.

"Prove it." MJ says, "Prove that you're Spider-Man. Crawl across the ceiling."

"No, I'm not going to do that." He says rolling his eyes.

MJ gripped the bread tighter.

The guy sighed, "You're an untrusting person and I respect that," He stuck his arm to the ceiling, proving his identity.

Ned's grandma wondered into the room and said something in Filipino. She seemed amazed by the magic her grandson had completed.

"Err.. she's asking if you could get the cobweb up there, you know, since you're up there." Ned says, realising how silly that sounded out loud.