With a flash and bang, I began to fall towards this new world's ground. I let myself fall for a bit before I turned my head towards the sky and built a web parachute. I held on to the webs as tightly as I could while I observed the ground.

There were plenty of cars driving around. When I looked into the distance I saw what definitely looked like the S.H.I.E.L.D triskelion. So, it bore a pretty good resemblance to my world.

Hopefully, it was my world.

As I grew closer to the top of a skyscraper I could distantly see people looking up at me. Then I remembered that, oh yeah, I didn't have my costume on so it probably looked weird seeing a guy falling from the sky without a plane or anything which they would have jumped from. Actually, now that I thought about it I wondered if there was a noticeable flash and bang whenever I jumped worlds. There would probably be at least a flash of light. But at the very least in the last universe, they had been either desensitised to weird stuff or that didn't happen. But I was guessing a bang since there were quite a few people looking at me.

So, they probably were freaked out. Maybe a little bit.

I landed smoothly on the top of the skyscraper and my parachute drifted out behind me. I quickly bundled it up and put it in the corner of the rooftop where it could dissolve. I went and looked over the edge of the building. There were a few cop cars and a crowd of people.

Web-swinging would be the best way to get out of here, but I really didn't want to. It hurt enough before and I didn't want to risk my bandages unravelling. So how was I going to get anywhere? I could break into this building and head down that way. I could blend into the crowd relatively easily. It would also take me longer to get anywhere, though. I didn't have any money, nor did I have my subway card. I could only walk and it looked like I was in Manhattan.

And my hoodie did still have dried blood and tears in it. So I probably wouldn't be as inconspicuous as I would hope.

And if this was my home, I could risk Hydra getting me. I was a nobody as Miles, and nobody Miles couldn't start flipping around like Spider-man if I was caught in a fight. Someone might go after my family if the dots were connected. And by that knowledge, I couldn't web swing around either. I didn't have anything to cover my face. Well, they probably already knew all about my family if they had identified me.

What was I supposed to do?

I heard a whoosh sound behind me and whirled around to find an Iron Man suit touching down on the roof. I wanted to back away a bit, but I was so close to the edge that the only place to go was down. I opted to rub the back of my neck nervously

"Uh, hey Tony. Or at least I'm assuming you're a Tony. How's it going?"

His suit opened and he stepped out. There were heavy lines under his eyes and he looked like he hadn't slept in a few days. What seemed like frustration, and maybe worry, seeped in waves from him.

"That's it? You come back in one piece and that's all you have to say? I thought you died!" He yelled, and I glanced down towards the ground. Jumping really did seem like the best option right now.

And I was back home, that was cool.

"Um, well I'm here now. I didn't die…" I murmured, feeling wary.

"Where were you? Did Hydra get you? Did you go to somewhere completely bizarre? Why did you appear with a flash of light in the sky? Huh?" He demanded, throwing his hands in the air. Theory confirmed, I do go to new worlds with a spectacle.

"Look, I can explain everything. Hydra didn't get me and it was bizarre but I dealt with it. I'm fine! I didn't die, I mean I nearly died but I'm nearly all better now. So, please just calm down and I'll explain right here right now." I babbled

Tony took a few deep breaths before nodding at me to continue.

"I went to a few alternate universes-"

"You what?" He shouted and I cringed.

"Well, um, turns out a teleporter malfunctioning somehow resulted in me going to another universe. Who knew, right? Not me, but maybe you would be able to figure it out. I mean, I met another version of you and he seemed to have the whole going to other universes thing down-pact." I continued, staring down at my feet.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to need a drink. Do you want a lift to the Triskelion?"

"Yes please."

I ended up seated in an office with all of the Ultimates and an intimidating looking Fury, all watching me like hawks.

I couldn't tell what either Black Widow or Spider-woman were thinking because Black Widow was… well, Black Widow and Spider-woman had a mask on. Thor had a concerned frown on his face and I couldn't tell if that was good or bad for me. Hawkeye was cleaning an arrow and had an aurora of not really caring that much. But this was Hawkeye, he was probably covering up whatever he was thinking like Black Widow. Tony Stark was sipping a drink of something alcoholic, I hadn't asked what type it was and, honestly, I didn't want to know. It was probably strong. Captain America looked like he was trying to be almost indifferent, with a stony face, but his eyes betrayed what looked like guilt. I was guessing it had something to do with the Peter Parker, the one who died. Bruce Banner wasn't around at the moment. Maybe it had something to do with him being the Hulk but I didn't know.

They all wanted to hear about my adventure. This would be so much fun, I would just love to have to explain to them how I nearly died. All of them would have probably made better choices than me in all situations. They probably would have found the Avengers quicker and made sure that that Tony Stark actually had all the info he needed.

I think the only thing that I could do better than almost everyone was making a safety net or parachute to fall into. Except for Spider-woman. Spider-woman probably would have outclassed me in some way.

I cleared my throat nervously. "So, uh, as Tony probably told you all I went on a bit of a trip across multiple dimensions. Um, so I'll start with the first universe I went to. It had way more heroes then this one. Like you would walk down the street and see at least two. I meet this Spider-man who was a bit older than that Peter Parker we met that one time and he was a really big jerk. I, um, I challenged him to get me home before all the other superhero scientists and then the Tony of that world won."

I glanced in Tony's direction and found him taking a gulp of his drink.

"He kind of messed up a bit, but not in the worst case scenario sort of way. It was more… inconveniencing? Kind of? I didn't come here and instead ended up in a world where Reed Richards was young and black and good, and there was a Spider-woman with a white costume. They helped me gather up a bunch of supplies-" I motioned towards my backpack that was sitting by my feet, "and then I left. I went to another world where that Peter Parker had a young Aunt May, or younger than here, and he referred to you, Tony, as "Mr Stark." His costume was cool too. I stayed there a night. Then I ended up in a Zombie Apocalypse world."

I saw many of them sit up a bit straighter. They were definitely paying attention now. I would have too if I were in there position.

"Luckily I didn't personally see any zombies but New York was a ghost town. There was no one around except for a few people I met. From what they told me, the virus spread so quickly that it devastated the world fairly quickly, but it had happened a few months before so most of the zombies had decomposed. The ones that had been left in New York were… eaten by The Lizard. The lizard had been eating anything it could get its hands on, including pets, pigeons, zombies and it was turning its attention towards the group of survivors."

I took a deep breath. I would have to show them my wounds and frankly, I didn't want to. They might think less of me as a superhero. Maybe they would even try and ban me from being one. But I had to give a proper account, tell them the truth. I mean, I could try and lie but at least three people in this room knew how to spot a liar.

"I decided to help them get rid of it, cause then they could lead a better life or something. So… When I fought it… it managed to hurt me pretty bad. We won, but I think I was really close to dying. I'm not even sure how I beat it, I think the survivors stepped in when they realised I was more or less out of the fight. I have no idea how long I was there before I went to the next universe, I don't even remember teleporting there, but the Spider-man of that world stitched me up further and he told me I had been asleep for nearly a whole day before I woke up."

I saw Black Widow twitch but otherwise seemingly remained neutral, Hawkeye stopped cleaning his arrow for a few moments before continuing, Tony had another drink and Captain America's frown deepened. Spider-woman shuffled around in the chair, maybe trying to do something to distract themselves. Fury didn't so much as raise an eyebrow.

"But, um, turns out he was an assassin and I may have raised the issue of why he was killing? I, uh, I would have had to fight him if I didn't disappear from that world as he swung at me. Then I went to another world and met a whole family of Spider people. Their kid was like nine or something and frankly, I'm surprised that the kid was allowed to fight the Sandman with me. Oh, uh, yeah the Sandman of that world was robbing a shop or something and I decided to fight him and my… chest wound opened up and Peter helped fix it up. And that's my little adventure."

There was a pregnant pause, where everyone seemed to mull that over in their head. Finally, Fury asked me, "How many days were you jumping around worlds?"

"Um, five and uh… three… maybe six? And two so... I was jumping around worlds for maybe two weeks. Why?"

Surprisingly Black Widow was the first to speak up. "You were only gone for four days here."

My eyes widened. Four days? I thought it would have been longer but I guess I was just thankful it wasn't long enough for them to give up hope on finding me. If they had, they would have had to call Mum and Dad.

I would not have envied whoever had to tell them. And they might have had to tell them about me being Spider-man and that would be a horrible way for them to find out about me. What would they have told the public? Would the public find out? Maybe they would leave it to my parents to decide. What about Dad say? Maybe he would hate me for being Spider-man…

My thoughts were interrupted by Fury. "Since the news has broadcasted the story of you being missing, we've organised a cover story for you. We are going to tell the public that Hydra got you. You aren't the first kid to get kidnapped by them. You are the first to get out of there without the Ultimates helping, or dying, however. You should be proud of that."

I looked down at my feet, it didn't really feel like an accomplishment. "Uh, thanks."

Fury continued, keeping his face stony. "Do your injuries require medical attention?"

"I don't think so. Everything is healing up nicely-"

"Kid, let's get this over with. Show us your wounds." Hawkeye said, looking up for a moment before going back to the arrow.

I bit my lip. "Uh, alright then." I lifted my leg on to the table and rolled my pants up. It was one massive purple-y blue mark. It covered a good portion of my calf. The actual wound was still covered up by bandages, "I was bitten there-" I showed them the back of my neck where there were some thin markings from when it had been covering my face, "He clawed me there-" I hesitated a moment before taking my hoodie off. I pointed to my arm which I could tell was now closed up, even though there was still heavy bruising around the bandages, "and I was clawed there. And under these bandages are some claw marks. It's pretty shallow now I think. I'm pretty sure it'll scar over but it's fine now."

"That was quite a fight," Spider-woman remarked, deadpan, and I chuckled.

The car parked outside of my house. The car was discreet, it was an Audi of some kind and it looked pretty flash. But a flash in shiny and newer looking car sort of way, not in the sort of a way a squad car would be. It was black and the windows were tinted.

Something was put in my lap, and when I looked down I realised it was a briefcase. I looked at Spider-woman and was kind of annoyed that I couldn't see her expression because her mask was on. I couldn't tell if it was something good or not just by looking at it because I couldn't exactly see its contents.

"There are about five costumes in there for you, so you won't run out of any anytime soon." She explained. I smiled, that sorted out my issue of not having a costume.

"Thanks, I needed a new set," I said. There was a pause, and she looked down at her lap.

"You gave us all a scare, Miles. We thought you had died in that explosion. You need to be more careful." She said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I looked at where her eyes would be, and I could faintly see her eyes through the lens. They looked worried and sad. "None of us wanted to lose you, especially after… you know who."

"I did try to get out of there as fast as I could-" I started, but she interrupted me.

"We know, but you also tried to save a clone before you got out of harm's way. It's a hard lesson to learn, but you need to be a priority as well. You were saving clones of yourself that were going to die in a few weeks anyway. You should have gotten yourself out of there before you could have died." She said gently.

I clenched and unclenched my fist a few times before I replied. "My life isn't more important than anyone else's. You can't expect me to stay out of harm's way. Being a superhero is all about putting yourself in harm's way to protect others!"

She sighed, "I'm not saying to stop being a superhero, and I'm not saying you shouldn't try and rescue everyone. What I am saying is that you need to think of yourself as well. If something is too big for you, get help. If you can't… evaluate the situation and do what you can without dying." She pleaded.

I slowly nodded, and she sagged with relief. "Thank you. Now good luck. If you need my help with anything, and I mean anything, call me. Even if you just want to chat about school but don't want to talk to your friends, talk to me."

"Sure." I opened the door, but before I stepped out I turned to look at her one last time. "Am I making the right decision?" I whispered.

"Only time will tell," she whispered back. I slowly nodded and then stepped out of the car. I closed the door and as soon as I was on the sidewalk she was gone.

I turned back to look at my home. I couldn't believe I was home, after what was about two months for me and a little under two for this world. Life wouldn't go back to the way it used to be, I knew that. I would be an idiot to think it would.

But... I was home.

This had been the only thing I had wanted to return to for all this time. I had just wanted to say goodbye properly, to look them in the eyes and let them know that I was okay and I was going to get home. Even if they rejected me, if they decided that what I had become was too… different for them, I would bear that load. I would just be happy to see them one last time and be able to tell them everything.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, I walked up to the door. It seemed so surreal. I could almost imagine this to be a fever dream and I was all the way back at Hydra sleeping. But I knew I wasn't. I had pinched myself on the way here just to be sure.

After I had taken a few deep breaths, I rang the doorbell and stepped back. I heard the small tune in the house but after a minute of no sound in the house to indicate that anyone was around I knew that they weren't home yet.

I grabbed the spare set of keys from under the welcome mat and unlocked the front door. I replaced the keys before walking in and locked the door behind me. When I looked around I realised that nothing much had changed. I mean, the typical stuff like the remote and plates had been shuffled around but for the most part, everything was the same. No furniture had been moved. The window still had that smudge on it from when I left to fight some baddies.

And I didn't know how to feel about that. A part of me was relieved, another part felt apprehensive and nervous.

I slowly walked into my bedroom and I found it untouched. That figurine was still knocked over and my bed was unmade. It was like it was frozen in time. I went to pick it up when my arm protested a little which reminded me that I was still in my sweaty, blood-stained clothes. I chucked my bag on the ground and threw off all my clothes. I chucked them in the wash before I went to have a quick shower.

I turned the shower on and while I waited for the temperature to change to something nice I remembered that I would have to take off my bandages. Sighing, I grabbed a new roll of bandages before I slowly unravelled my chest wound. As more and more of the wound was exposed I noticed that again it had healed some. It was down to a shallow cut and the bleeding had stopped completely. All that was left of the larger wound was some dry blood that really needed to be washed off.

I realised that by tomorrow afternoon it would probably be down to a scab or just some bruising. That was pretty good! Maybe I didn't even need to put on those bandages.

A quick check over of my arm and leg wound found my arm reduced to lots of bruising and my leg to a small bruise. Nice.

After my refreshing shower, I decided to unpack my bag. All the new webbing went into a nearby desk drawer. I would have to remind myself to take at least half the stack to school the first opportunity I got. There was plenty there so it should last me at least a month depending on the type of crime I would fight.

I took all the cans to the kitchen and placed them in the cupboard before stuffing my bag in the corner of my room. My briefcase went under my bed until I needed it.

All done with that I decided I would kill some time by watching TV. Maybe I would get to see myself freefalling? Actually, I wanted to hear more about what happened with the whole clone fight rather than me falling. Like, how was it resolved? Did those clones I recruited for help keep on helping with the fight or did they decided to hide out once their unofficial leader left. Wait that made me sound like a jerk. I wasn't really a leader and I shouldn't try to claim that title.

Anyway, after flicking through channels I eventually found the news. Would you look at that, they were talking about me. I wasn't exactly surprised. And by the blurry visual in the background, it looked like they were talking about me freefalling. Aw, I really wanted to find out how the clone fight ended.

"It doesn't look like any parachute I've seen before. They didn't pull a string on their bag either, they just lifted their arms and it appeared. I think it was the new Spider-man." The female anchor said.

"I would say I agree but didn't you see the explosion? He probably died." The male anchor replied.

"Yes but there was no body. He could have easily gone on some weird adventure. You know how superheroes are these days." The female anchor argued.

I had had enough of weird adventures and I didn't want to find out what they thought. Not for the time being at least. I switched over to another channel before I got up to find my laptop. That would tell me what I wanted to know.

As I rummaged through my bedroom trying to find my laptop I heard the front doors lock click. I stopped what I was doing and went to see who it was. And there was Mum and Dad walking in with shopping bags in their hands.

I was frozen, I couldn't move from where I was standing. This was everything I wanted, and I was too nervous to even walk up and give them a hug. They were unpacking everything when finally Dad noticed me standing there.

His eyes widened into saucers and he elbowed Mum. She looked up with a frown on her face but when she looked over to where I was standing she froze too. Everyone was so still that if it wasn't for the TV you would be able to hear a pin drop in here.

"I'm back," I whispered, reaching up to rub the back of my neck.

That seemed to break them out of their spell and both of them rushed around and pulled me into a big hug. I squeezed back as hard as I thought I could. I was home.

I was home.

We stayed like that for several minutes before I had enough courage to speak again.

I stepped back and saw that both of them had been crying. My own eyes stung, and I realised that I had been crying too.

"I… I have a lot to tell you." I started with. Mum looked down at the ground while Dad tried to change his face into something reassuring and comforting. I fiddled with my hands, trying to think of the best way to phrase that I was Spider-man.

Do I tell them, or do I show them? If I tell them they might doubt me and then I'll have to show them anyway. Or do I start with my injuries? Do I tell them about my adventure first or after I've told them I'm Spider-man. Maybe they'll kick me out right away and I won't have the chance to explain myself…

There was no 'best' way to do this, and all of them could end with me on the streets. I hated that I had to expect that I might be kicked out of the house. I wouldn't know how they would react until I did something, so I steeled myself with a few deep breaths.

I walked towards a wall and in a few seconds, I was standing on the ceiling with two shocked faces staring at me. It took a minute before someone spoke again, and in that time I awkwardly stood on the ceiling waiting for a bad reaction.

Mum looked at Dad, Dad looked at Mum. I looked down at my feet which were still stuck to the ceiling.

Finally Mum spoke up. "We... we knew."