A/N: New series continued. I like playing with the idea of having the variants meet the different versions of characters we haven't yet met in Peter 1's universe. I eventually decided on keeping it simple for the names:
Peter 1/Tom - Holland
Peter 2/Tobey - Maguire
Peter 3/Andrew - Garfield
Sometimes they go by their numbers or variations of Peter. Just for their new identities they all share the same middle and last name of Peter Parker. This likely just be random stories centered on them living together. Likely later will have backstory on how they chose those specific names.
Warnings: There is the occasional swear word. Also this story is unbeta'd so future apologies for any grammatical mistakes.
Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman and make no money from writing this.
"It's okay to be scared."
"I'm not scared."
"I'm just saying it's okay if you are."
"Are you sure you're not self projecting a little?"
"Hilarious. Look," Pointing a finger at the girl sitting next to him who carefully pushed it away. "I just want you to let you know I won't let anything happen to you in here." Eying their other cell mates that were either sleeping or watching them back in boredom. Thankfully the ones they had been in a fight with were in a different cell.
"Well I would hope the police wouldn't let that slide either, but thank you."
"You're welcome but I," lowering his voice quite a bit. "honestly don't think that one over there would intervene if it meant putting down his crossword puzzle." He straightened up when said cop glared over as he pasted on a grin. "Hi! Looking sharp over there." He felt her snort next to him.
Currently inside their jail cell sat a tall and thin young man with fluffy hair and a blonde teenage girl with bangs she kept sweeping out of her face. He still couldn't believe they booked her with him. Granted she did get involved in the fight but still she looked about Tom's age and barely old enough to be working there. They could have let her go with a warning.
"So who's coming to bail you up outta here? You were able to get through to someone right?" He himself had been extremely lucky to catch Tobey on his break. It was Tom's night to patrol, and none of them usually had their phones on them when they did.
"Yeah my dad is coming. He said he was on his way now." Tapping her fingers a bit against her knees. "What about you?"
"Older brother." Peter nodded. "He's getting someone to cover the rest of his shift. He's probably not going to be super thrilled about having to dip into our emergency stash for the bail money." He mused scratching a spot on his chin.
"Well you could have been in here for a worse reason. Tell him at least you didn't commit grand theft auto or drug trafficking."
"Ah yes." He answered in amusement. "Clearly I should derail his anger by telling him that he should be lucky I wasn't committing much worse crimes. Very effective strategy."
She rolled her eyes, but couldn't fight a small grin. "So while we wait here for our respective people to collect us. I have to ask, since you haven't said yet. But what is your name?"
Peter raised his eyebrows in surprise, sure he had said it before. But paused, still having to catch himself and give his alternate name rather than his real one. "Andrew. Andrew Parker. And yours?"
She smiled at him pleasantly. "It's Gwen. Gwen Stacy." He watched her smile vanish into worry when he stopped breathing before it shakily started coming back in and out. "Hey. Are you okay?"
"Me? Ah yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I'm fine. Totally fine." Damn his voice was answering this higher then he wanted it too.
"With all due respect you really don't sound fine."
He cleared his throat and tried for a smile he knew was a grimace. "Totally fine." He echoed.
"Uh huh," Raising an eyebrow at him.
Out of all of the people in Peter 1's universe he could be locked in a room with he vaguely wondered what the fucking odds were that it was a variant of his dead girlfriend and love of his life.
It didn't hit him earlier because they weren't identical, but there were enough similarities in the eye color and same shade and length of blonde hair. Much like him and the other peters didn't look like mirrors of each other. This Gwen Stacy looked almost as if she could be a younger baby sister to his. He came to her waving a hand in front of his face trying to get his attention.
"Seriously." She said looking thoroughly concerned by this point and shifted closer to face him. "Are you okay? You're not on anything are you?"
"No! God no. Sorry but no I am definitely not on anything. You just...really remind me of someone that's all. Wasn't expecting that."
"I see...and this person. Was she a good person? Or evil incarnate?" Guessing by his reaction that it was one of the two extremes. He swallowed against the lump of his throat.
"Honestly? One of the best people I ever knew. I... I loved her."
He could tell by the look on her face that she also guessed something terrible had happened. It seemed all Gwen Stacy's were not only smart but frighteningly intuitive. "I'm sorry." She replied quietly.
"Me too," He agreed, listening to the other people milling around the jail before focusing back on her. "So you mentioned that your dad is coming to get you. I take it that means he isn't a police captain?"
Now she was staring at him like he'd grown a second head. "What? No he's not a police captain. My dad's a dentist."
'Okay so clearly not everything was a universal constant.''
He realized she was probably waiting for him to respond and so continued still sounding confused. "Why would you think my dad's a police captain?"
"Pft I mean the way you jumped right into that fight? That just screamed to me this girl has been trained by someone with some self defense skills. Makes total sense to assume that would be from some academy moves. Anyways!" Desperate to change the subject Peter asked. "So dentist right? What were your Halloween candy hauls like growing up?"
Gwen gave him a sorta small smile back. "No offense Andrew but you're a little strange."
He laughed quietly, leaning his head back to rest against the wall. "None taken except you're not exactly the most normal either Miss Stacy. I mean who joins a bar brawl to help out a complete stranger against people 3 x her size?"
Her face soured, even as she huffed next to him. "Well no one else was helping out at first! It was 7 to 1 and you looked…I don't know, overwhelmed? and like you needed help. Plus you were just defending me in the first place, so it was only fair."
If Peter was being honest he had been feeling overwhelmed in the moment but not for the reasons she might think. He was still adjusting to living as Peter Parker more than Spiderman and now was becoming one that once more held back his strength. So when chaos broke out in the bar he was visiting, his first instinct was to start handing out debilitating punches. He had to curb that HARD. So trying to fight as a guy at normal strength was a freaking difficult adjustment.
He inclined his head. "Well although I appreciate your efforts and thankfully you weren't seriously hurt. I would ask that next time please just let me handle it."
"Fine," She fired back. "Next time you're in the bar I work at and some customer tries to cop a feel just let me handle it."
This was so familiar it nearly made him tear up in fondness. "Admittedly you were quite a force with that serving tray, but did anyone ever tell you before that you're really stubborn?" As a smile broke out against his will. Stubbornness and standing up to defend others were definitely universal traits.
She adjusted her sitting position. "Many times yes. I've been told it's one of my worst traits. Though I disagree because I actually think it's one of my better ones."
"I am shocked you have bad qualities."
"I will give you impulsive because I'm sure a non-impulsive person probably wouldn't be spending their Saturday night in a jail cell."
"Well you know...Yolo." He said throwing up a peace sign. Humorously she just looked horrified.
"You did not just do that. Seriously. How OLD are you?"
"Okay." Holding up a hand. "That's a little-"
"Gwen!" They heard a voice shout in the distance but rapidly got closer.
"Dad!" She shouted back standing up. The officer opened the door to let her out and the second she was out her dad was hugging her tightly asking a million questions. She was doing her best to answer them and reassure him. However Gwen resisted for a second, when her dad tried to pull her away wanting to say one last thing to Peter.
"Hey thanks again for trying to stand up for me. Even though next time we should both probably try a different approach. I hope your brother comes for you soon." She shot him one last parting smile. "Have a good night Andrew."
"You too Miss Stacy. See ya around" Still unable to completely call her Gwen. She however took it as a fun nickname and rolled her eyes at him bemused. "Hopefully not around here." His eyes followed them as the two disappeared from sight.
"Hey," Peter looked over to see one of his cell mates addressing him.
"..Yes?"
"I think it was pretty cool what you did and looking out for her here. Respect."
He tilted his head studying the speaker. "Thanks man."
"Care to join us in a few rounds of poker to pass the time?"
This was definitely one of the strangest nights he's had this week. "Uh yeah sure deal me in."
That was how Peters 2 and 1 found him an hour later, while he was listening to more stories about what this blip was.
"P- Andrew!" He glanced up from his cards to see the two staring opened mouthed at him from outside his cell.
"Oh hey guys. About time you got here." Handing the cards back and giving his fellow lawbreakers a lone last cursory smile as the officer slowly let them out in a lazy, not really concerned fashion.
"I had to work out the bail money!" Tobey cried out exasperatedly, while Tom looked around wide eyed at all of the cell mates no longer playing poker now having moved onto war. "Wait here while I finish getting everything sorted out."
Tom turned to him after taking everything in. "What even happened tonight? I only got bits and pieces of the story on the way over."
He wrapped an arm around the younger man's shoulders and released an exhausted sigh, as the two walked to join the oldest. "I'll tell you both about it when we get home or better yet tomorrow. I'm really beat."
Peter saw the other soften a bit at that and stopped walking. "Are you sure you're okay?" Inspecting him closely and looking for any signs he might not be. He felt himself soften a little in return. "Yeah Petey I'm fine. Tonight was a lot but surprisingly I think I'm doing okay."
"That's good." His eyes flitted back to the cell he was just in. "Gotta say this is a lot different than what I was picturing."
"What were you picturing?"
"A little bit more Shawshank to be honest."
Peter rolled his eyes and gave the other a gentle push forward to get him moving again. "Prison and jail are different things, and if no one's said this to you before you watch too many old movies."
"Someone used too." Tom replied back softly in a tone that spoke of someone he'd lost. He'd hope one day he'd eventually get the full stories on who each of those people were.
Shaking himself in an effort to change the subject he asked. "Did you make any new friends in there besides your poker buddies?"
"Yes." Peter agreed with a fond smile. "One that I'll definitely need to introduce to you. I think you're going to like her." 'Turns out,' he couldn't help but think. 'that she's pretty amazing in any universe.'
