Chapter Three: Peter, Part One

"There will be days where you feel all alone and that's when hope is needed most."


POV: Peter Three

If Peter could roll his eyes, he would. Venom had been 'searching'- Peter used that term loosely- for Old Man Parker for almost fifteen minutes. Sure, it didn't seem like that much, but when one took into account how big the city was and also the number of innocent people Venom smashed through, fifteen minutes was an eternity.

This isn't working.

Yes it is! We will find him and then eat him!

Is that really all you think about?

Venom answered Peter's rhetorical question a few minutes later by grabbing a thief- thank you, random citizen for shouting that the guy had stolen something, very convenient- and biting her head off. Peter recoiled, nausea bubbling.

Hey, a bit of warning next time! I really don't need to see it! Peter just hoped he didn't have leftover bits in his mouth when he had control again.

Venom threw a car at an oncoming police car before the sirens could register. Sirens from a distance were one thing, but up close? Peter would rather not experience Venom's pain again, thank you. He'd thought his own sensitive hearing was an issue.

"PETER PARKER!" Venom shouted again.

You know, he's very much not going to show up if you keep shouting his name like that, Peter commented dryly.

"Well, what do YOU suggest?"

Peter thought for a moment. The Old Man doesn't know we're together, you and I. So, so if it's just me who shows up, he won't expect it when you decide to-

"KILL HIM!"

No, for the love of- No! Go ahead, beat him up, break some limbs-

"ALL his limbs!"

-But don't kill him. He really isn't a bad guy.

"He killed me in this world!"

Okay, you got me there. But! It was probably in self defense.

"Why do you defend his actions?" Venom asked, agitated. Peter didn't know what to make of it, so kept his mouth shut. Or…tried to keep his thoughts to himself, rather. Of course, Venom read the flickering half-formed ideas no problem. "You care about him. I don't understand. He thinks you are weak, but you are not! We are not!"

Peter recalled what Venom had shown him before. Irritation clouded his mind. Why was he defending Old Man Parker?

Peter mentally shook the memories away. He wouldn't mind giving this world's Peter a good beating, but killing another Spiderman left a bad taste in his mouth.

"We will do it your way," Venom soothed, brushing away Peter's hesitance. "I will even let you get in a few punches."

Peter agreed without a word. Speaking wasn't necessary between them, after all. Not for something like that.

But still… Help me look for Gwen, too. I'll help you, but you need to help me, too.

Venom rounded a corner as he retracted back into Peter's body. Peter stumbled but pushed gratefulness towards the alien. Due to the turn and Venom's speed, it took another few seconds for the news cameras to catch up. Of course, by that time, Peter was already walking away, no sign of goo anywhere.

Oscorp is the other way. Left, you fool!

Peter jolted and nearly ran into a bicyclist as he stepped off the curb without a second thought. A quick look both ways and then Peter jaywalked to the other side.

Would Gwen actually be at Oscorp? Peter couldn't imagine her anyplace else. She was brilliant, she had to be scientist. Peter just hoped this Gwen hadn't gotten some top-notch job halfway across the world. Not like she didn't deserve it! She totally did! It would just make it a lot more difficult to find her, that was all.

Peter's heart pounded, hands sweaty. It had been so long since Gwen- since… uh, that happened. What would he say? What could he say? 'Hi I'm Peter, I'm from another world and I'm in love with your counterpart who died, anyways wanna date?' Yeah, that would go over well.

Peter slowed to a halt. He'd been so excited, so determined to get Gwen that he really hadn't planned anything beyond getting to her. He couldn't just show up like that, could he?

Yes you can.

"Aren't you a real pal," Peter muttered, but his thoughts were frenzied.

Just go up to her. And kiss her.

"I'm pretty sure that's assault," Peter countered. He started moving towards a more isolated area when people began staring. He smiled awkwardly at them and ducked his head down, walking just a bit faster. "I don't want to scare her. I just… need to convince her I'm not crazy."

Good luck with that.

Peter snorted.

And then stopped walking. "Okay, I'll be honest here, I'm totally lost." He didn't think they were that far from where he'd first gained control of their body again, and yet they were far enough away that he didn't see any news cameras. In fact, this area was pretty quiet, not many people around- strange for New York, but hey even big bustling cities have quiet spots.

Look.

"Where-" Peter's head snapped to the side of its own accord. "Ouch! A little less violence, maybe?"

Look!

And then Peter saw it- the Oscorp building. It was far enough away that it would take a while to walk there, but seeing it brought dormant emotions to Peter's mind. He sniffed back tears. Gwen- Gwen could be there.

Don't cry.

Peter scowled at the command. "I'm not crying." He wiped at his watery eyes. And then, he was the one who saw something first. Venom lurched in rage, almost exposed himself, before Peter reminded him, "Me first."

Standing on the roof of a nearby building was Spiderman. Or, rather, this world's Spiderman. Peter's heart began rapidly beating for a completely different reason. His hands shook not with fear but with anger. His or Venom's, it didn't matter.

With great difficulty, Peter pushed down his fury until it was hidden. He loosened his body, leaned on one leg a bit, pushed down his sleeves to better cover his web shooters. Then, donning a wide smile, Peter shouted, "Hey Spiderman! Fancy meeting you here!"

It was only due to his own years of wearing the suit that Peter was able to interpret Spiderman's jolt, following head tilt, and slight leaning forward as shock and wary curiosity. Spiderman leapt to the ground but kept a healthy distance between the two.

"…Peter? Peter Three?" Peter's smile froze. He perhaps waited a split second too long to reply.

"Yup, it's me!" he confirmed with a flourishing gesture. "Bet you never thought you'd see me again." Woops, his voice was definitely too sharp there. Spiderman crossed his arms defensively.

"How did you get here?" he asked, tone light. Peter knew it was fake. It was the same tone he was using currently.

He had to do better. Get Old Man Parker to let his guard down. Peter rubbed the back of his neck, smile turning sheepish. "Heh, well, you see…" A well-timed sigh and fading smile. "I, uh, wasn't doing so hot. Back in my own world. It was just too much." He curled in on himself just the slightest bit. "Maybe it's dumb, but I wanted to go away, go anywhere- and you were the first person I thought of who I wanted to go to." The words tasted like acid on his tongue.

It was working like a charm though. Spiderman's posture had relaxed, body angled towards Peter in what he knew was concern.

Keep going! He is eating right out of our hands!

Right. Time to lay it on a little thick. "And after- after everything with Gwen, in my world." Thanks Venom, for the tears. Might be a bit too much, but Peter rolled with it. "I haven't really connected with anyone, like, at all since then. But I felt that with you and- and the other Peter, just for a little bit. You know?" He laughed softly with a small shake of his head. "Stupid, I know-"

"No, it's not stupid," Spiderman interrupted gently. He stepped closer and reached for Peter, but his arms froze before ever making contact. "Uh, is hugging okay? Is that something we do?"

Uncertainty churned in Peter's stomach, but ultimately he nodded with a watery smile.

Okay, Venom, enough with the waterworks.

Spiderman brought Peter into a hug that was all sharp angles. His body unintentionally tensed at first contact before he forced himself to relax. His own arms awkwardly wrapped around the shorter man.

"Sorry," he muttered into Spiderman's shoulder. Icing on the cake.

Spiderman chuckled quietly. "Do we need to talk about negative self-talk again?"

Peter forced his own chuckle as he pulled away from the hug. "Nah, I'm- I'm good. Scout's honor!"

Spiderman nodded for Peter to walk and talk. They meandered slowly away from piercing eyes. Once it was clear no one was around, Spiderman removed his mask. Peter was surprised to see the smile.

"It's good to see you again," Old Man Parker said sincerely. Peter's gut twisted. Something wasn't right. "Although, I am sorry you're having a hard time." Peter blinked. That friendly smile seemed sharp suddenly.

He is mocking you.

Peter turned his gaze away, not knowing what secrets his eyes revealed. He shrugged noncommittally.

Be patient, he still has more experience than I do. We gotta be smart about this.

"Peter?" The call jerked him out of his thoughts. The Old Man's brow furrowed just the tiniest bit. "What's wrong?" The tone wasn't quite accusatory, but it was no request, either. Peter hid a scowl, even as annoyance skyrocketed.

"Nothi- Nothing! Just, you know, typical Peter Parker getting lost in his head," he joked. Old Man Parker narrowed his eyes. Peter crossed his arms with a huff. "What?" he snipped, unable to contain it. "You don't have those moments? Shoulda guessed. You're the only Peter who has his life together."

Oops.

Reign it in a bit.

Venom's dark humor jostled him. Metaphorically, of course, because if it had been physically he was pretty sure the Old Man wouldn't still be so calm.

Okay, maybe 'calm' wasn't the correct word, Peter realized. The Old Man's body was loose but his eyes seemed to stare right through Peter, calculating.

"That's a pretty broad statement," he said lightly. Peter could just see the wheels turning in the other man's head.

He's onto us! Let me eat him!

Peter aborted a shake of the head. Not yet. I can still save this. Besides which- I'm still not convinced he should be eaten, dude.

Old Man Parker opened his mouth, but Peter interrupted. "Sorry, I just- Sorry. Maybe I do need some of that self-talk." His hands squeezed his arms where they were still crossed, before quickly loosening them before he gave himself away.

You already gave yourself away!

Not quite. He doesn't know what's up.

Old Man Parker gave a noncommittal hum. He looked back towards the street. No, Peter realized with dread, he was looking in the direction where Venom had wreaked havoc.

I did not wreak havoc!

Pretty sure you killed a bunch of people, buddy.

"Did you see what happened?" Old Man Parker asked Peter.

Peter shrugged. "No, I didn't. I mean, I heard the chaos or whatever, but like, I didn't exactly think it through coming here- Don't have my suit or anything." Please don't see the web shooters.

The Old Man nodded slowly. Peter resisted the urge to tense up again. This was absolutely not going as planned. Shit, had Old Man Parker seen Venom himself? Oh, that was very much not good.

Peter may not have thought this through.

This has been useless!

Don't!

Venom's annoyance and anger bubbled into Peter, but ultimately he didn't emerge.

"I didn't see anything either," the other man admitted. "I heard screams and then a couple people saying something about a 'monster.'" He chuckled. "But you know, in our line of work a 'monster' could be anything these days."

Oh, good. He conveniently didn't see any of the news reports Peter was positive had been airing live at the time. Good. Great. Fantastic.

"But it's weird," the Old Man went on, clearly choosing his words carefully. Peter set his jaw. "There's this whole trail of destruction- it was what I was following to try to find whoever was doing all this- and then it suddenly stopped." Shit. Had Peter wandered far enough away from the scene to not be connected?

No.

Oh, well, that's great! Thank you for your input! Totally helpful!

"Really? That is weird." Change the subject, change the subject. He turned. "Uh, hey, is that your Oscorp? Like, this world's, I mean, not yours specifically." Wait, he could use this. "You know, my, uh, Gwen, she worked there. In my world."

Old Man Parker's gaze seared into Peter's skin. "Peter-"

"And I was thinking, I mean I was curious-" Peter went on, the words pouring from his mouth. "Is there a Gwen Stacy here?" That was too forward. Quick, reword it! "That is, do you know a Gwen Stacy? Is she a scientist here? I just figured- both you and the other Peter have MJ's so why not have Gwens in your worlds too?"

"I'm really not sure," the Old Man said with caution, answering both questions at once. "We met years ago, went on a couple dates, but I don't know what she's doing now."

Peter's filter had officially broken, thoughts focused on getting information on Gwen. "Oh wow, so she does exist here? That's wild." He spun to face the older man once more, each question becoming more demanding. "What's she like? Is she- Is she alive? Mine's, uh, yeah. But yours- this world's, that is- she's alive? She's here?"

An unreadable expressed crossed Old Man Parker's face. "Peter," he dragged out the name. "Why did you come here?"

Why wouldn't he answer the questions? Peter spoke through gritted teeth disguised as a smile. "What do you mean? I already told you-"

You are horrible at this.

Without thinking, Peter began to reply to Venom out loud. "You're not helping!" He only realized his mistake when he saw Old Man Parker jolt in surprise. Oh, shit. Peter scrambled to cover up his mistake. "I mean, I just want to know more about your world, and- and about Gwen, and I feel like you don't really wanna help me with, like, this adjustment period or whatever."

The Old Man shook his head. "I think there's something you're not telling me," he accused. He tilted his head. "Are you in some sort of trouble?"

Peter forced out a laugh. "Trouble? Dude, I'm Spiderman, you're Spiderman, there's always trouble."

And then came the words that doomed Peter.

You were doomed from the start.

A couple were walking down the street, far enough away that both Peters were still out of sight, but close enough that enhanced hearing easily picked up their conversation.

"-saw it myself! A gigantic slime monster."

"The news reports weren't lying? There really was a monster with black goo or whatever?"

"Definitely real! And crazy strong, too- tore up the street."

Witnesses. Venom growled lowly, threateningly.

Hey, you're the one who went rampaging in broad daylight!

Recognition lit up Old Man Parker's eyes, quickly followed by horrified suspicion. "You-"

Venom moved quickly, using Peter's body to lunge at the older man. Peter let him. It seemed like Venom also messed with the other Peter's Spidey-sense because they were able to slam him against the wall. The other man dropped his suit's mask in surprise.

"Peter," he murmured, more to himself than to his opponent.

Peter felt a vicious smile that wasn't entirely his cross his face. "Not quite." In this weird in-between of being Peter and being Venom, there was a sense of unity. Venom hadn't appeared in all his slimy tentacle goodness, but he was definitely the one more in control than Peter was. Venom's excitement and fury swarmed in Peter's head. Peter reveled in it, drunk on the power.

Peter leaned in closer, prompted by Venom. Eyes glinted. "You were like us, once." It was Peter's voice that spoke, but he wasn't sure if the words were his or Venom's. Perhaps both. Old Man Parker didn't try to escape their grip, just met their gaze head-on. Venom's rage bubbled over into Peter's voice, a quick growl. They tossed the older man to the ground. "Fight back!"

Good to know you like toying with your food.

This is more than food. This is vengeance.

Still not okay with you eating him.

Venom used Peter's body to pick up Old Man Parker and throw him at the opposing wall. The older man tried to stagger to his feet, but tentacles whipped out and stuck him haphazardly to the brick. Peter smirked.

Who's the weakest Peter now?

"Peter! Stop! This isn't you! The symbiote-"

Despite the pleas, Old Man Parker didn't struggle against his bonds. It infuriated both Peter and Venom. Venom, who wanted the fight. Peter, who wanted the glory.

Peter interrupted the man's budding hero speech. "How would you know this isn't me? We've known each other for a few hours, tops."

Venom yanked the Old Man towards them; Peter landed a solid punch on his jaw. Venom tossed their adversary into the side of a dumpster.

Old Man Parker spat blood onto the concrete. "I know how the symbiote works," he said calmly as he looked Peter in the eye. He cautiously got to his feet. "It corrupts. That power? It's not real."

"Dunno," Peter replied. Venom slithered back inside his skin, but Peter felt the creature's strength in his arms. "Feels pretty real to me." This time, it was Peter himself who launched the attack. The Old Man spun out of the way; Peter missed his target by centimeters. Old Man Parker held his hands up in the universal sign of surrender.

"I don't want to fight you," he stressed. "Please let me help you!"

Peter and Venom snarled as one. The Old Man tensed. "Help me?" Peter spat, Venom's rage a flurry in his mind. Peter tugged on it, relished in it. "You want to help me?"

Old Man Parker kept eye contact as he replied, still as careful and calm as ever. It only infuriated Peter and Venom more. "You're a scientist," the Old Man stated. "Think for a minute. The symbiote changed your brain chemicals and is manipulating your thought process. Please," he repeated steadily. "Let me help you."

It sounded convincing, Peter admitted. He recalled how he'd first reacted to Venom. Compared to that, he was acting pretty rash. Doubt trickled like rivulets. What was he doing? He didn't want to hurt Older Peter- he hadn't wanted to- to hurt all those other people, either-

A small price to pay.

The doubt disappeared, not even brushed away, just gone. The distrust that had been forming evaporated. Clarity encompassed Peter's mind. Right. Even if Venom was manipulating him- then so what? Together, they were unstoppable. They could make the world a better place- a safer place. Old Man Parker would get what was coming to him. And Peter, he would get what he deserved: Gwen.

And I get lunch!

"You're not eating him!" Peter snapped, exasperated. "We've been over this."

Old Man Parker looked simultaneously disturbed and relieved. "See? You're doing it. You're still in there, Peter, keep fighting!"

Will you allow me to kill him if I don't eat him?

Peter wavered.

The Old Man finally dropped his arms to his sides. "Please. Come with me. I know how to get it out of you."

He wants to take away your power! He wants to keep you weak!

Peter's eyes hardened. So did his heart. "Out of me?" he laughed derisively. Old Man Parker looked taken aback. Something like sorrow and regret twisted his face. Peter shook his head. "Why would I want it out of me? I like how we are."

"Listen to yourself," the Old Man pleaded. "This isn't the person I met. This isn't who Peter Parker is!"

"Then maybe I'm not Peter Parker anymore," Peter sneered.

He's not listening to you.

The other man stiffened. "I don't believe that. You're still in there. I just saw it. You know something isn't right!"

He wants us weak.

The Old Man continued to dig his own grave. "The aggression towards others, the obsession with Gwen-"

"Obsession?" Peter snapped, fists clenched.

He wants to keep this world's Gwen for himself, even though he already has the other girl. How selfish.

"I'm sorry, I truly am," Old Man Parker said. Too bad Peter didn't believe his lies anymore. Too bad he could see all too clearly that those pleas are just condescending commands. "But, Gwen- your Gwen- she's dead, Peter. She's gone."

Peter's entire body shook with his rage. How dare he bring up Gwen. How. Dare. He.

You can only have Gwen if this Peter Parker is out of the picture.

Everything snapped into place. Peter understood, now, that there would be no reasoning with the Old Man. He'd been foolish and naïve that the other man would listen. Peter knew he couldn't leave another Peter Parker alive; he'd just get back up and keep fighting.

If Peter wanted to prove his place as the strongest Peter-

If Peter wanted to have Gwen-

We need to killhim.

Peter glowered at the other man and shifted his stance, tense and ready to fight. He'd have to be smart; this Peter had years of experience on him.

You can have him first. I will finish him later. Much more fun that way.

Peter sneered.

Old Man Parker shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, ready once more to dodge an attack. "Don't listen to it," he continued to speak calmly, even as he readied for a fight. "I know it's hard, but I know you can do it."

"See, I'd rather not listen to you," Peter said, tone deceptively light.

A split second later, he aimed a punch at the other man. Easily dodged. Peter's turn to dodge a counterattack- oh, this was getting interesting now. Peter leapt onto the wall and then pushed off, turning in mid-air to aim a precise kick to the solar plexus. Old Man Parker grabbed his legs and used his own momentum to spin him into the opposing wall.

As Peter took a moment to recover, Venom's tentacles slammed the older man into the wall, then the dumpster, then the ground. Just as suddenly as they had appeared, the tentacles disappeared. Peter chuckled as he returned to his feet. The Old Man's breath had been taken out of him; he struggled to get upright again. That was going to leave a mark.

"You used to be a part of Venom, once upon a time," Peter recounted. "But you said you fought him. Venom told me you killed him- his counterpart." He shook his head. "I just don't understand it."

"Because it corrupts," Old Man Parker croaked, adopting a defensive stance. "The symbiote, its power- it corrupts."

In retaliation, Venom emerged completely, encompassing Peter's body. Old Man Parker dodged the first two punches, but Venom snuck a tentacle behind him. Old Man Parker was thrown into the air; Venom caught him, but only to drag him against the fire escape railings on the way down. Venom allowed Peter to regain control once more.

Peter peered at the man wheezing on the ground.

"Why would you give this up?!" Peter demanded incredulously. Accusingly. He spread his arms wide. "Look how powerful we are! No more- no more Uncle Bens getting shot and leaving their families to mourn-"

The Old Man shook his head as he crawled onto his knees. "How is what you're doing any different?" He gestured in the general direction of the city. "Those people Venom has killed-"

"And me," Peter corrected flippantly. "I've absolutely come to terms with what we need to do."

The Old Man raised his voice, even as blood drained from his face at Peter's declaration. "Those people have families, too. You're Peter Par- you're me- I know you know that."

Such a small price to pay for what we really want.

Gwen. He wanted Gwen.

He would have Gwen.

Maybe it would take a while for her to warm up to him. He revisited the thought he'd had days before- that sure, he expected her to act a bit differently from the Gwen he'd known, seeing as how all over the "socially awkward friendly neighborhood Spiderman" all three Peters were.

But.

But he'd have her. He already loved his Gwen, and no one would ever truly replace her. But he'd learn to love the next closest thing.

But first, there's a puny meatsack standing in our way.

Peter smirked. Aw, you really do care.

Absolutely not. He killed my counterpart-

Thanks, didn't need the reminder since you keep bringing it up.

-We should kill him together. We can both get what we want.

Venom emerged just enough to cover one of Peter's arms. Using their combined strength, they aimed a punch at the Old Man's head. The other Peter scrambled out of the way. Finally getting to his feet, Old Man Parker spun around and shot webs at his attacker. Peter maneuvered his body out of the way, keeping his flesh arm behind him, and therefore his web shooter out of range. He refused to let the other man get the drop on him this time. At the same time, Venom stretched himself out from the other arm to whip the Old Man further into the empty street.

Rather than rejoining the fight, Old Man Parker shot a web at a building and swung himself to a nearby roof. Venom retreated back into his host's body.

He's running away? Peter asked incredulously. Seriously?

Coward.

He's injured. We can catch him easily.

Without another thought, Peter shot his own webs and followed his counterpart. When it became clear he wouldn't be able to catch up on his own, Venom returned once more. With Venom in control, they quickly cut off Old Man Parker's escape route.

"You will not escape us!" Venom shouted. Peter felt their body take a leap forward, but their fist was stopped in mid-air. Peter felt through Venom's experience that the Old Man had webbed their arm, pulling the material taut. Venom easily tore through the web with his free hand, but in the split second of distraction, their prey had swung away.

They continued their chase for another block, Venom leaving destruction in their wake. They finally found another opening; together, they leapt at the older man. Successful in their catch, all three went crashing through a window of a building in renovation. Old Man Parker managed to maneuver out of Venom's grasp in the resulting tumble. Venom allowed Peter out once more.

Both men hurried to their feet. Peter sneered. "You really think you can get rid of us that easily?" He shook his head in mock disappointment. "I really was going to let you go after a while, but as it turns out, having an alien in your head does wonders for expanding options." Venom twisted Peter's face into an eerie grin.

"Peter, can't you see? Venom is influencing you!" Old Man Parker pleaded. "I've been there, I understand, but you need to wake up and realize you're hurting people! You're hurting people who care about you!"

Peter lunged at Old Man Parker with a disgruntled shout. The other man quickly ducked out of the way. Peter sensed hands coming at him, probably to restrain him like he was no better than a misbehaving dog. He flipped up and over the older Peter. He shot his webs, determined to win. The Old Man, perhaps predictably, sensed it coming. Peter prepared for his counterpart to leap out of the way and then shoot his own webs in retaliation. A Peter was a Peter, and that was what he would do. He instead found himself stumbling when the Old Man spun around to grab the web and then pulled it.

Enough of this!

Before Peter could recover on his own, black seeped onto his skin and obscured his vision. Venom took advantage of the Old Man's surprise and slammed him across the room and into the wall with a slithery tentacle.

You really like doing that, huh?

Old Man Parker struggled once more to get up, back hunched over. Ah, right. The Spiderman Back Problems.

He won't be able to fight properly, Peter informed Venom, although the latter had probably already read the thought before it had fully formed.

Venom lunged forward. Old Man Parker leapt out of the way at the last second. Venom pulled his hand out from the hole he'd just created in the wall and turned menacingly towards his enemy. Peter sat back, so to speak, and allowed the creature his chance for vengeance.

The Old Man shot webs at Venom's eyes, but just as before when Peter himself had attempted this same trick, the material was easily ripped off. In the seconds it took to do so, the Old Man had managed to swing up to one of the rafters. Without his mask on, it was easy to see his exhaustion. The Old Man glanced around before he leapt out of another of Venom's attacks.

He's up to something, Peter warned. Wooden shards fell around them as Venom missed the Old Man once more.

Peter's mind raced. The rafters- the Old Man wouldn't try to bring the roof down on them, would he? He'd be stuck, too. Not to mention this wasn't exactly an abandoned warehouse or something; this was probably a community center that was just temporarily vacated for renovations. Old Man Parker wouldn't bring down a building just to stop them. Peter was sure of it. Then what-

No matter.

Venom had had enough games. He reached out with slimy tentacles and slammed Old Man Parker onto the ground. This time, Venom kept him there. The Old Man struggled in vain to get free.

Venom leaned down over the Old Man's pathetic form. "I'm going to eat your brain now!"

Peter was fully prepared to sink deeper into their shared mind- seriously, he may be a murderer now, but he drew the line at actively participating in cannibalism, thank you very much- when Old Man Parker twisted an arm free and shot webbing into Venom's face again.

Venom growled as he ripped the webs off once more. The Old Man squirmed his torso further away from the alien's grasp but was ultimately unable to fully free himself. Venom slammed a hand beside the man's head. "Is that the best you've got? You. Lost. I get to eat you now. That's how this works."

"Pretty sure the last alien didn't get the memo," Old Man Parker quipped. He shot another web directly at Venom.

Venom easily ducked away from the oncoming material. Peter was quickly becoming bored.

Come on, stop toying with him.

"Ha! You missed!" Venom ignored Peter.

Old Man Parker raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?" He pulled hard on his web.

Confusion swirled in Peter's mind. What-

Loud. It was loud, too loud. High-pitched, painful- What- Venom sank back into Peter's skin with an agonized shout, desperately clinging to his host. Peter's own ears were ringing, and as soon as he had control over his own limbs he hurriedly covered them with a grimace.

The joys of being Spiderman.

But apparently not for every Spiderman, as Old Man Parker had stood up and seemed to not have the same sensitivity as Peter himself had. Great.

Only seconds had passed, but already Venom was starting to detach from Peter. He couldn't let that happen.

The Old Man tackled Peter to the ground. His mouth moved, eyes determined, but in Peter's sensory overload the words got lost in the shrill shrieking of- of-

Fire alarm. It was a fire alarm.

Oh.

Well, that was fixable!

Peter shook his head. No, no- that was Venom's influence that wanted to just smash the alarm. That wouldn't work, not on these latch system alarms. He didn't think it would, anyway. Besides, with Venom barely hanging onto him, and the Old Man sure to stop him quickly, it didn't make sense to try to destroy or disable the alarms.

So. Plan B.

Get the hell out of there.

Peter knew he had a height advantage over Old Man Parker. He also knew that the other man had a worse back problem than he did- actually, ever since Venom had stuck to him, he hadn't had any kind of back problem. The two Spidermen were pretty even in strength, though, now that Venom wasn't currently of any use. Not to mention Peter's current predicament of holy-shit-my-ears.

But there was absolutely something he could do. A broken Peter Parker he may be, but Peter Parker he still was. He knew that once upon a time a few days ago he would have stopped any fight to save someone's life. If Old Man Parker was anything like him, that could serve as a distraction.

Too bad there weren't any convenient bystanders to throw through the roof.

Welp.

Here goes nothing.

Venom clung with a single thread-thin tendril to Peter's shoulder, writhing in pain. Old Man Parker shifted his gaze to the symbiote for just a split second-

Peter braced himself for the onslaught of sound. Then he moved his hands from his ears to the Old Man's shoulders. He shimmied his legs up and pushed with all his limbs to throw the other man into the ceiling. Peter rolled so that he crouched protectively over Venom. The Old Man was not taking this away from him. Not when he was so close to having Gwen.

The Old Man had caught himself on one of the rafters and now perched defensively. Once again, Peter saw lips moving but all the sounds blended together. His Spidey-sense kicked in milliseconds before he saw the web shot in his direction. He gathered up the dying mass of alien and leapt up to the skylight. This time, a web did catch him- on the hand sticking to the glass.

Time to put his plan into action.

Peter swung his body up so he knelt on the ceiling. He used the space between the ceiling and his body to try to hold the quivering goo. With his remaining hand now free, Peter smashed the window.

Fuck!

Cool to watch in the movies, absolutely painful as hell in real life.

Also, a lot more blood than he'd expected.

He felt rather than saw the Old Man swing towards him. Instead of dodging. Peter braced himself for impact. He allowed the other man to grab him and pull him off the ceiling as he swung into him. The Old Man dumped them both onto one of the rafters. Peter used the momentum to roll with Venom out of the Old Man's grasp and stick to the underside of the beam. He then revealed what smashing the skylight had actually done.

Peter realized he probably looked crazed, staring upwards with a spazzing alien between his stomach and the rafter, and a glass shard to his neck. Old Man Parker froze, eyes wide as he knelt on top of the beam and peered down.

"Sorry man, can't hear you with all the ringing," Peter said lightheartedly with a grin. "But will you risk my life to stop us?"

He pressed down further, knowing his healing factor- and Venom, too, actually- would take care of the cut in no time. The drawing of blood drew the Old Man's attention.

"I gotta admit, you fight better than we remember," Peter continued. "And you sort of held your own against us. Until you cheated with the fire alarm. Shame on you."

Keeping a wary eye on the other man, Peter slowly crawled along the underside of the beam. Peter curled around Venom as he shifted carefully until he was on top of the beam. He saw the other man speak, but Peter had never been that great at reading lips. Nor did he care to. He held the quivering mass in one arm; with the other he threw the glass at Old Man Parker. While he was distracted, Peter hurriedly shot a web at the skylight, and swung himself up and onto the roof.

Peter had no time to adjust to the setting sun burning his eyes. He shot another web and swung as fast as he could. It wasn't long before Venom was able to sink back into his host. Peter's ringing ears were fixed thanks to the symbiote. Immediately after he got his hearing back, he heard the thwipping of another Spiderman's webs.

"Seriously?" he complained as he swung. "You want us to kill you that bad?" And after runn- ahem, strategically retreating, too.

"Whoa, kill, what?"

Peter waited too long to shoot another web in his shock. He stumbled onto a roof. That voice- that wasn't the Old Man. That was-

He spun around, eyes wide. There, landing much more smoothly than he had, was a different Spiderman. A different suit that he didn't recognize, too, but that voice-

"Um, are you just going to stare at me or are we going to talk about you apparently trying to kill Peter?" It was Small Peter. "Older Peter- I mean, obviously, you're older than me, so, I mean the oldest Peter. That Peter. Peter Two."

Peter Two.

Right. He was Peter Three. The worst one, the weakest one, the stupid one, the clingy one. Peter flexed his hands.

He's the one who named you that.

"What are you doing here?" Peter asked slowly. Almost a threat, but not quite. Small Peter was just a kid.

He thinks you are weaker than him. Him, a literal child!

Peter set his jaw.

The younger Peter hesitated, body almost tense. Peter watched with keen eyes.

He is prepared to fight you. Fight us.

"You appeared in my world," the younger Peter explained, words tumbling out frantically. "And I thought something was wrong, because, you know, maybe the multiverse is breaking apart again-" He shook his head. "Uh, anyways, I saw you- I saw you talking to yourself, and making a machine thingy-" Peter's eyes zeroed in on Small Peter's hand. Sure enough, there was his device.

He stole it from us!

Peter's fists clenched.

"And, I heard you- I heard you say-" the Kid paused, took a breath, "Did you really… Did you really kill people? And- you're going to kill Peter Two! Or something?"

He doesn't understand.

"You don't understand," Peter said lowly. "This has nothing to do with you. Just…Can I have my hopper device back?" It was his hard work. He'd take the Kid home after he was done in this world. But he'd rather have his machine on hand.

But Baby Parker didn't give it back. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea," he refused, voice shaking just the slightest bit.

He's not listening.

"You're not listening!" Peter shouted, voice echoing. The Kid jolted as though he'd been slapped. Maybe he should be. "I just- It's my device, give it back!"

"You're going to hurt people!" Baby Parker accused. "You've already hurt people, it sounds like. Why should I- I can't trust you. You-" He took a couple steps back, head shaking. "You can't be the Peter I met before. You- Are you even real?"

A tidal wave of betrayal washed over Peter. He reached for the anger instead. Venom gave it willingly. Peter lunged for the device, prioritizing it over his younger counterpart. The Kid leapt out of the way with a startled yelp.

"Dude, what is wrong with you?" Baby Parker demanded, shocked and confused as he dodged another attack.

Peter yelled in frustration. Venom answered; he enveloped his host's body, taking control.

The Kid stumbled back. "Holy shit-!"

Venom jumped at him, using several inky black tendrils to catch the boy when he jumped to the side. Rather than slam the Kid around as he had the Old Man, Venom pulled Baby Parker closer.

"Real enough for you?" Venom snarled.

The sound of another Spiderman swinging through the air caught Venom and Peter's attention. Great. They really shouldn't have been surprised. Peter Parker was stubborn in every universe, it seemed. Venom rumbled in fury.

We're out numbered here, Peter reasoned. And the Old Man knows this world- he has the advantage here. Let's regroup later.

And this has nothing to do with finding Gwen.

…'Course not.

Venom threw Baby Parker over the side of the building. Before the boy could recover- and before the Old Man could catch up- Venom leapt away. After a couple blocks, he retreated back inside Peter, who grabbed a hoodie that was drying on a clothesline. Hood over his head, Peter walked into a busier street, blending into the crowd.

Time to track down his girl.