Veins and Wires // Peter Parker

Unexpected Visitors and Friends

Dedicated to @MaryMilonas who has been very patient for this particular chapter lol

Tobey!Peter = Middle-aged Peter, old Peter (sorry Tobey, you're amazing but your fanboys (and CGI, and writing and movies in general) make me very biased against you)

Andrew!Peter = other Peter, younger Peter ( I googled his age and HE'S 38??? How??)

Tom!Peter = "my Peter" (cue audience awes), original Peter

I flew down quietly onto the roof of Midtown High, the place where we always had lunch together to get away from paparazzi and weird teachers. The place where we'd get away from reality. I knew he'd be here. Instinct, I guess.

I saw a familiar boy huddle up by himself, staring up at the sky and I walked carefully toward him. I knelt beside him and not knowing what to say, I decided not to say anything. Instead, I wrapped my arms around him silently and felt him shake as tears started flowing down his face.

"I know," I whispered the only words I could muster at a time like this. "I know."

"She's gone," he sobbed, barely intelligible as his body shuddered wildly and all I could do was hold him. "She's gone. Because of me."

"What? No-" I began but he stopped him with tears still running down his cheeks and I finally saw his bloodied face, disheveled hair, and shattered expression in full view.

"Hailey, you were right! About everything! I..." Peter trailed off weakly and didn't bother to finish his sentence.

"Don't say that, I'm a sociopath, you're-" Good. But I stopped myself before I could say the last word, knowing right now was not the best time for a pity party. "May wanted to help people, that was her decision, alright? It's not anybody's fault," I emphasized and I knew it was the truth though I knew it would take more convincing for Peter to fully believe me. But now wasn't the time for that either. Now, all I need to do was hold him for as long as I can.

After a few minutes, I heard footsteps come up onto the roof from behind us and MJ and Ned embraced him as well.

"Peter, there's... there's some people here..." MJ sniffed vaguely, standing up with Ned. I furrowed my eyebrows and stood up with the rest of them and looked where they were looking.

"Who?" Peter asked weakly but MJ didn't have to answer when two shadowy figures dramatically appeared on top of the roof of the neighboring building. They both jumped down to reveal two men, one middle-aged and another slightly younger. In Spider-Man suits. Of fucking course.

"Hey. Wait, wait, whoa," Peter- uh... my Peter, stopped them with his hand out warningly causing them to stop a few feet away from us with their hands up beside them in surrender.

"Sorry... About May," the middle-aged Peter said although I was more focused on wrapping my mind around two other Peter's even though there were two other me's running around somewhere.

"Yeah. Sorry. I got some understanding of what you're going through..." the other Peter started to empathize but my Peter stopped with.

"No, please don't tell me that you know what I'm going through," my Peter winced and looked down, refusing to meet their (his?) eyes. I sighed quietly and looked down.

"Okay," other Peter whispered sympathetically. My brain hurts.

"She's gone. It's all my fault. She died for nothing. So I'm gonna do what I should've done in the first place," Peter stated gravely, arching got the box that would send them all home in MJ's hand.

"Peter-"

"Please, don't. You don't belong here. Either of you, so I'm sending you home. Those other guys are from your worlds, right? So you deal with it. If they die, if you kill them... That's on you. It's not my problem. I don't care anymore. I'm done. I'm really sorry that I dragged you into this. But you have to go home now. Good luck," Peter asserted shakily and tried to grab the box from MJ's hand but she didn't let go, giving him a pleading look instead.