So The Spot (Jonathan. Jonathan. Miles had to remember that) was kind of weird. Not just with the milk-white skin and the giant hole of a face, but also…. everything else. Including how he ate.

Miles didn't know if eating was the right word for what was going on. After he had taken it upon himself to help Jonathan finish making his eggs, he saw the man literally shove the food into his face hole.

"How does eating… work for you?"

"You know, I'm not entirely sure," Jonathan admitted as he threw the last egg into his face. "I don't even think I have a stomach anymore. I can taste the food and get nutrition from it, but the food itself always ends up somewhere else. I ate an apple last week that hit a bird out of the sky. Felt kinda bad about that."

"Oh."

How else could Miles respond? He had come here on a whim after coming up with a half-baked idea. He hadn't actually taken the time to consider how he would convince Jonathan not to become his nemesis and kill his dad.

He was lucky he had gotten this far, sitting at a table without fighting. They were just talking like two strangers. It was a step up from fighting on top of a bus or chasing each other across dimensions, but that didn't help Miles break canon yet.

Oh god, he hadn't even thought about what might happen if he succeeded. Did befriending a nemesis before they became an enemy count as breaking canon? If he did that, would Miguel notice?

Ah crap, if Miguel noticed Miles breaking canon, he'd probably send some people to try and set it back. Would they turn Jonathan back to being his enemy? Would he just send a squad to keep him out of the way? If he did, that would probably mean they would…

"Earth to Spider-Man. You there?"

Miles shook his head to reorganize his thoughts.

"Sorry man. I just… I've had a long day."

"It's not even noon."

"And that's part of the problem."

Miles knew that didn't make sense. But there were so many questions and concerns swirling around in his head that he didn't care. He wanted to make peace with Jonathan before things escalated to murder. But he also wanted to punch something hard enough to get his frustrations out.

"Are… are you ok? Cause you're not looking ok Spider-Man."

"I'm not. I just… A lot's happened. You wouldn't get it."

"Really?"

Even without a face, Jonathan's tone alone revealed how unamused he was.

"You say you know my story, and you're gonna say something like that to me?'

Miles instantly realized his mistake.

"Wait, no! I'm sorry man. I didn't mean it like that! I know the collider accident messed you up, I wasn't trying to say my problem was worse. It's just… recent."

Jonathan had more insults he wanted to dish, but seeing how quickly and how nervously Spider-Man apologized made him pause.

This was not how he expected to meet the web-slinger. His working plan had been to commit enough crimes to get Spider-Man's attention and engage in an epic battle of good and evil.

Instead, the hero bought him breakfast. And he apologized for what had happened back at the collider. Not the meeting he had been expecting. But it also… didn't feel bad. He might have expected to feel cheated out of some catharsis. But that wasn't happening.

"You said you needed my help with something," Jonathan reminded, hoping to change the conversation. "With what exactly?"

Spider-Man didn't answer at first. He shifted in his seat, and Jonathan could see him tug at the fabric of his suit.

"I don't know how to explain it. At least, not without sounding like a crazy person."

"Do you keep forgetting who you're talking to? I'm a living conduit for tears in space. What's so unbelievable about your story that you think I'll have trouble with it?"

Spider-Man hesitated for a moment before he answered. His head turned away from Jonathan, and it seemed like one of his eyes was closing.

"It… involves time travel."

The apartment was silent for a moment. Just a moment.

Then Jonathan cleared the table and stared directly at Miles.

"Tell me everything."


Miles told Jonathan everything that might be important. He didn't mention anything about Gwen, Peter, or his parents.

But he did tell Jonathan everything he had learned about canon events, the multiverse, and the machine that bought him back.

"Wait, I'm confused. How did that machine bring you back here? If it was only designed for time, it should have kept you in that other dimension. You would just be a few days early."

"I don't know Jonathan. I just jumped in before anyone could catch me. I didn't have time to think about how it worked."

Nodding, Jonathan seemed to accept the explanation for now.

"So you're saying that the Spider-Man, the one from the future earth variant, he's a scientist?"

"Yeah. Why?" Miles didn't see how that was relevant.

"Cause he's not a very good one based on your description."

Miles's eyes widened in the suit.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean just in practice he's not doing a good job. Part of being a scientist is having others around to test your theories against and give you alternatives. It's how things worked back at Alchemax. Doesn't sound like the other Spider-Man is following protocol."

Miles just nodded, not fully thinking that it was important.

"He definitely needs someone to offer second opinions. Especially with how faulty his canon theory is."

Now Miles was interested.

"Faulty?"

"Well yeah, obviously. We're living proof of that."

"We are?"

Jonathan seemed surprised by Miles' confusion.

"You haven't thought about it at all?"

"I've been running ever since I heard about it. This is the first chance I've had to sit down in… hours maybe? It's hard to think about."

"Oh, that makes sense. But think about it, the other Spider-Man said that the spider was from another dimension. The one that bit you. The one that I bought here."

"Yeah?"

"Then why is this universe still standing? You've been Spider-Man for more than a year. Shouldn't this universe have collapsed by now if the canon theory was accurate?"

Jonathan's explanation hit Miles like a flood. He wasn't able to find the flaw of Miguel's logic on his own. But Jonathan's explanation was perfect.

"His theory is crap."

"Probably," Jonathan said offhandedly. "It doesn't really explain why the other universe he went to collapsed, but the theory he came up with isn't too accurate. Something else must have destroyed it, but I don't know what."

Miles didn't care about that last part. He was just excited to hear that Miguel was wrong.

"He's wrong."

"Hm? Yeah, we established that. Can we talk about…?"

"I'm not a mistake."

"Woah. That took a turn."

Miles was excited. He jumped out of the chair and clapped his hands. For the first time since he followed Gwen into that portal, he felt like things might truly get better.

"Ok, so there's a crack in the theory. What else would we need to prove it wrong completely?"

"Oh, um, we'd need to test it. Find things that would be events and, disrupt them I guess. Hopefully without committing mass genocide."

At the reminder of universal destruction, Miles instantly calmed down.

"Ok. How do we do that?"

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

"You keep saying "we". Why would I help you?"

"Because…."

Miles instantly realized he didn't have an answer. He had come here in blind faith hoping that he could change the Spot into not being his enemy. He may have succeeded in that, but now he needed Jonathan to be an ally. And he had no idea how to do that.

"In case you've forgotten Spider-Man, you're the reason I'm like this. Accident or not, I'm a freak because of you. I have to live like this because of you. Why should I help you?"

Freak? A freak.

"Because we're the same."

"Wel yeah, you created me, I created…"

"No not that. Well, kinda. We both… got created by the same guy."

"The same guy?"

"Yeah, Kingpin," Miles began explaining. "Think about it, he paid to have the collider built. He had you test it and bring the spider over. He wouldn't shut it down, which made me destroy it. We didn't really create each other, man. We got made by the same guy, if you think about it."

There was some logic there, even if Jonathan seemed to think it was flimsy. Honestly, Miles was making this up as he went along, so he was glad he had something.

"Ok, that kinda makes sense. But what does it have to do with anything?"

"It… means… that… we don't have to be enemies. Neither of us really did anything to hurt the other. Intentionally. If anything, Fisk is the guy you should hate. He put you in a vulnerable sp… place."

"Fisk is in prison already. So there's nothing to do there," Jonathan pointed out. "And besides, he used to pay my checks. Now I don't have steady money, and I can barely afford this shabby place."

Money. Miles suddenly had an idea.

"What if I helped you with that?"

"Robbing?"

"No! I mean, finding a way to get money. Without robbing people."

"How? My powers ruin everything around me. I can't make these spots stop making portals, and they just mess everything up."

A new idea. One that Miles hesitated on.

If he did this right, if he really make Jonathan not his enemy, this would help everything. Not only would canon be disrupted, but it might keep Miguel and everyone else from trying to enforce it.

But if it didn't work, it would be the same as barreling toward canon at high speed. Hell, it might even make it worse.

But he didn't have much of a choice. Not if he wanted to save his dad.

"... what if I teach you?"

The circle that was Jonathan's face widened.

"What?"

"Your powers. What if… What if I help you figure out how to use them? I'm sure you want a cure, but I have no idea how we would even start there."

"I've tried for a year Spider-Man. There's no solution," Jonathan said solemnly.

"Then let's do the next best thing. If you can learn to control your spots, they won't hinder you as much."

"And you intend to do that? What do you know about having rips in reality leaking from your body at every waking moment?"

"Nothing," Miles said honestly. "But I do know about waking up with powers you never asked for and having no idea how to use them."

"We have very different powers Spider-Man. I don't see how wall-crawling is going to help me understand tears in space."

"It doesn't have to be an exact one-to-one. I mean, I have powers the other spiders didn't have, and they still helped me figure out how to control them. Who's to say I can't do the same for you?"

But Jonathan didn't seem convinced yet. He didn't even meet Miles' eyes. And Miles couldn't blame him. After everything he had gone through this year, and the fact that he blamed Spider-Man for all of it, Miles wouldn't be surprised if he told him to take a hike.

"What exactly did you have in mind?"

Miles was happy to not be hearing a no. But it also forced him to scramble for an answer to give.

"We… you could follow me."

"Follow you?"

"Yeah. I know a few abandoned warehouses and stuff like that. We can go there and you practice your powers. Or you could follow me while I'm fighting bad guys and see what I do. Maybe learn something."

"How is that supposed to help me with money?"

Right. Finance.

"You… can use your powers for cash when you learn about them. Think about it, plane tickets are expensive. If you can send anyone anywhere in the world, they can just pay you to travel anywhere."

It was a crazy idea. But it wasn't a stupid idea. And Jonathan seemed to realize that by how he said nothing. He just stared at Miles, his black hole of a face betraying nothing. The teenage hero could only wait to see how Jonathan to react. And he had to fight back his anxious instincts.

He came here to try and at least pacify Jonathan. He didn't want to fight him.

"Let's say I agree to this…"

Miles' stomach began to relax. He felt the pressure begin to decrease just a bit.

"Let's back up. Why do you even care about helping me? Is this guilt? Do you just not want another villain? What's going on here?"

Miles didn't tell Jonathan the name of the villain that was supposed to kill his dad. He didn't want to. He didn't want to put that on Jonathan just yet.

But he had to answer.

"Because…"

"Well?"

"Because in the future I came from, you're too powerful."

That made Jonathan reel back.

"What?"

"You're too powerful. And it… doesn't end well. And I don't want to repeat that."

Miles hated the fact that he was essentially using the truth to lie. But he had no other ideas. And for the moment, it seemed like it might work. He'd have to say the truth eventually, but for now, it depended on Jonathan.

The mutated man had an answer to give after hearing everything Miles had to say.

"This training… what did you have in mind?"


Later…

"Is this going to work?"

No matter how much Miles tried to convince himself to stay optimistic, that one intrusive thought continued to penetrate his every thought. He managed to get Jonathan to trust him, but he didn't know if it would last. And he had no idea what consequences this action would have.

He wasn't able to focus in class. He could only give half-hearted responses to his parents when they called. And now all he could do was sit in his dorm room while his worries continued to pick at his soul.

"You want to talk about it?"

Miles looked at Ganke. He hadn't even noticed when his roommate came in. He was just playing the same Spider-Man game as usual. Apparently, it was designed during Peter's (blonde Peter's) lifetime, and released to honor.

"Talk about what?"

"Whatever's bothering you."

"Who said anything was bothering me?"

"Your face did. And it's starting to get to me. Want to talk about it?"

Miles did want to talk about it. He was only able to tell Jonathan about the important spider multiverse-related stuff, leaving all the emotional baggage to himself.

"I thought you wanted me to keep you out of the spider stuff?"

"Talking isn't the same as hacking stuff for you."

"You can do that?"

"Not going to. So what's up?"

Miles didn't know how much he could tell Ganke. Telling him about spider society or about canon might just turn him away from hearing more. But Ganke wasn't like Jonatha, who was more interested in the science of it all. Ganke sounded like was willing to hear about Miles' problems.

Hoping he wasn't crossing any lines, Miles started talking.

"I just learned that… my friends don't care about me as much as I thought."

Ganke paused his game. So Miles continued.

"You know why I wanted to go to Princeton, right?"

"Study other dimensions, go see the other spider people."

"Yeah. Turns out they can already do that."

Ganke turned around to face Miles.

"And you didn't know?"

"No one told me."

"Why?"

"The guy who made the tech doesn't think I deserve to see them."

Miles shook his head, chuckling without humor.

"He doesn't even think I deserve to be Spider-Man."

"Well, he sounds like an asshole. And your friends are just going along with it?"

"Yeah. I mean, I know they have their reasons, but it just…"

Miles couldn't think of any words to say. It was true that he understood why they did what they did. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

But before he could wallow any deeper in his feelings, Ganke had gotten out of his gaming chair and sat next to Miles on the bed. It was the most intimate either of them had ever gotten with each other, and Miles wasn't sure how to respond.

"Ok, look. I was serious when I said I didn't want to get involved with the spider stuff. It's definitely cool that you're a superhero, but I don't want to risk my life with all the weirdness that follows you."

Miles knew that. He never asked Ganke too much.

"However…" Ganke started, seemingly trying to find the right words. "These kinds of things aren't entirely spider related. So I think it's safe for me to help out?"

Ganke gave Miles the most awkward pat on the back he had ever gotten since the other boy was clearly not used to acting as emotional support. Not that Miles didn't appreciate the attempt.

"I've had some experience with bad friends. Why do you think I didn't talk much when we got the same room?"

"You just wanted to spend all day playing video games?"

"That, and also because I don't want to waste time on people that don't care enough. I didn't know if you did, but I'm glad I was wrong."

For the first time in what felt like a day (Miles needed to figure out the time travel nonsense soon. He didn't need a headache), Miles felt a genuine smile tugging his lips.

"Thanks man."

"Don't mention it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a level to beat."

Ganke went back to his game while Miles started to feel a little better. He knew he couldn't trust any of his old spider friends anymore.

But maybe he didn't have to be entirely alone.


Earth-928

Miguel O'Hara was not a funny man. He never was. Even in his time with Gabriella, he was not the jokey type.

But she had been. She loved making jokes. She loved seeing people laugh. She had a talent for puns, a type of joke Miguel usually hated most. But hers always got to him. They always got a smile at least.

Like the one on the screen in front of him. The pun about dogs made his lips tug.

Jessica called him a masochist. Peter B. had a daughter, so he didn't say anything. No one else knew that he spent his time alone looking at this old footage. No one else needed to know.

He was the one that had to see it. He needed the reminder. To make sure he didn't make the same mistake again.

A beep pulled him out of his brooding.

A sound that was designed to warn him about a potential aversion. Nothing that could be acted on yet. But something that could become a problem if they weren't careful.

Miguel considered ignoring it. They were so many missions going on in different dimensions, so many anomalies occurring across existence, that he didn't feel the need to focus on one warning.

But he changed his mind when he saw the location.

Earth 1610.

The birthplace of this entire mess. The home of the first anomaly.

He read the warning. And frowned.


When I get to it, the next chapter will focus on other characters, including a fan favorite. After that, training can commence.

Feel free to leave comments, and I'll see you all next time.

Bye!