TH

by Lazydaily

Peter different verse. For TTS in the app

2. Chapter 2

"No it was me," Both their heads whip towards the door to see Pepper standing there with her arms crossed.

"Pepper!" Peter shouts and jumps to his feet, he's already made the move before he remembers that he was on the ceiling. He manages to flip around just in time to land on his feet then runs forward to hug her. Pepper puts her hands on his cheeks and takes a good look at him.

"You're Peter," She says in shock, "you're really Peter? But… how?"

"The wizard," Tony says.

"Stephen?" Pepper asks.

"Why do you know all these people's real names?"

"You should too," Pepper moves Peter back and stares at him. "Oh, Peter you're alive." There are tears in her eyes. Peter wishes that they didn't have to tell her the truth. He's only got a handful of hours left in this universe.

"I'm… I'm only here for a little bit," Peter says, dropping his eyes to stare at the ground.

"Tony you should have called me sooner," Pepper scolds him. Peter remembers then what Tony had said about him and Pepper taking a break and perks up a bit. He can at least try to help them before he goes. They're doing so much to help him after all.

"Pepper Pepper Pepper!" Peter says putting his hands on her shoulders. He probably shouldn't have had quite as much sugar as he had during their movie night.

"Oh my goodness yes Peter?" She asks, smoothing his hair back from his face.

"Tony's a big dumb idiot and he's really sorry for whatever he did so you should take him back because I've already been orphaned I don't want to be a child of divorce on top of that!" He says quickly. Pepper smiles softly at him and presses a kiss to his forehead.

"Tony is welcome to come home whenever he gets his head out of his ass," Pepper promises him.

"That's good," Peter drops his voice to a whisper. "I'm only going to be here for a little bit longer. I was brought here from another universe and um… I've got to go back tomorrow."

"What?" Pepper looks between him and Tony. Peter knows that it's going to be hard on all of them when he leaves but Tony will try to blame himself. He'll think that he could have prevented it in some way. But he should think more about Pepper and Morgan. Peter's an adult. Morgan needs him more than he does.

"It's true," Tony says. "Peter was brought here from a universe that's similar to our own except he survived the battle for earth." Peter and Tony share a look.

"Some stuff happened in my universe recently and Doctor strange brought me here so that I could get help," Peter tells her. "Tony prepared some stuff for me to take back to my universe. He even upgraded my suit too!"

"What are you two even doing awake?" Pepper asks as she takes in the mess they've made of Tony's lab. Peter wonders what she would have thought of it if she'd seen how spotless it was before Tony had started working on Peter's stuff. If she knew that Tony had been planning to send himself back in time to take Peter's place at the battle. Peter wonders if he should say something or if maybe Doctor Strange will tell someone. No, it should be Peter. Now that Pepper is here he'll get her alone and let her know what he found out. What if Tony goes right back to his plan once Peter leaves. No, he'll have to find a chance to get Pepper alone at some point before he leaves.

"Us?" Tony stands up from his chair and makes his way over to the two of them. "Shouldn't we be asking you what you're doing here in the middle of the night?"

"I couldn't sleep because I was worried about my stupid husband," She says reaching out and cupping his cheek as he stops beside them. Tony smiles softly at her. "My sister's visiting right now so I left Morgan with her."

"Sorry dear," He looks down at Peter and ruffles his hair. "You should get some sleep kid. You should make sure you're well rested. I'm sure the guys have a lot planned for tomorrow and we'll want to make sure you're rested." Peter resists the urge to pout, he's not going to pout because he's not a child. He's just going to complain a little bit about his bedtime as they all head back up to the common room.

"Will you sleep in the fort too?" Peter asks Pepper as they step into the elevator. "Tony has to sleep in there too. I wanna spend every second I have left with everything."

"I knew I shouldn't have let those idiots buy you so much candy. Haven't you burned the sugar off yet?" Tony pulls on his cheek.

"Oh I think I'm pretty close," Peter admits. "I'm probably gonna crash really really hard any minute now."

"Great, you go get all snuggled up in the blanket fort with the others. Don't trip on Bucky, I'm not responsible if he breaks anything of yours. I'm going to go with Pepper so she can get ready for bed"

"You're just trying to get rid of me so you can kiss Pepper," Peter grins at them then slips off the elevator before them. Peter keeps the grin on his face as the elevator slides shut then he lets it drop. He's tired. Really tired. He makes his way to the common room and crawls into the blanket fort being careful not to run into any of the others.

"You good kid?" Bucky whispers as Peter crawls past him.

"Sorry Buck I didn't mean to wake you," he whispers back as he sits down and pulls a blanket onto his lap. "Sugar crash. You?"

"Yeah, me too," Bucky says. Peter smiles weakly as he lays down. His time is running out. Will Tony be okay once he leaves? What if he goes and tries something stupid. It's not like Doctor strange can keep bringing him back to this universe. He knows that Tony has a lot of people that care for him here. He knows that they'll all watch out for him.

"Tony was going to go back in time to try to save your Peter," He whispers. He knows that Bucky's enhanced hearing will be able to pick it up.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me. You worried?"

"Yeah, what if I go home and he does something dumb?" Peter rolls onto his stomach and presses his face into one of the pillows.

"I really think he's going to be okay kid. I think getting to see you like this has been good. He can get more closure. I imagine that you can too."

"I guess," Peter grumbles. "Will you check in on him?"

"What?" Bucky turns his head to look at him. "I don't speak pillow." Peter lifts his head up a bit to shoot the super soldier a glare.

"Will you check in on him?" Peter repeats.

"Pete, he's got a lot of friends. Not to mention Pepper."

"Please Bucky?" Peter begs. Bucky looks a bit amused as he nods.

"Alright, I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thank you Bucky," Peter lays back down properly and curls up. He'll sleep for just a bit and then he'll spend more time with people that he loves. May is dead, Tony is dead, No one will remember you, no one will care about you. Bucky throws another blanket over him.

"Go to sleep," Bucky orders him. Peter sticks his tongue out at the former assassin and gets a pillow to the face in return. His smile comes back as he gets comfortable and he can barely stay awake long enough for Tony and Pepper to join the rest of them in the Fort.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Tony asks as he lays down beside Peter.

"Bucky hit me with a pillow," Peter whispers back.

"He started it." Bucky turns his back on them and Peter considers taking the chance to hit him back.

"Well, this is me finishing it. Us old guys are gonna regret sleeping on the floor in the morning."

"You're gonna regret waking me up with all your yapping," Rhodey's voice comes from the other side of the fort. Peter snickers at Tony's distress and Pepper tells them all to be quiet. They all settle down after that not wanting to risk her wrath. It's easy for Peter to fall asleep listening to the familiar heartbeats of the people he loves sleeping around him.

Morning comes too quickly. Peter wakes up as Happy gets off his spot on the ground. He's grumbling about his sore back as he makes his way to the kitchen to start the coffee. Peter sits up and looks around. Sam and Bucky are already gone from the fort. Peter remembers that they both usually go for runs in the morning. Clint's not in the fort anymore but Peter's pretty sure he can hear his snoring coming from one of the air vents above the common room. Rhodey had moved onto one of the couches at some point during the night.

"Morning kid," Tony says as he sits up himself. His back cracks a bit and Peter winces at the sound. He feels a little bad about letting them all sleep in the living room with him. Tony hasn't slept in a bed in like three nights. Has he even slept since Peter got here? He doesn't think so.

"Don't you want more sleep?" Peter asks as he unburies himself from the mountain of blankets he'd collected in his sleep.

"Nope big day ahead of us kid," Tony gets up and heads to the kitchen, probably going after the coffee that Peter can already smell brewing.

"Where's May and Pepper?" Peter gets to his feet and rubs the sleep from one of his eyes as he looks around the common room.

"Yoga," Rhodey says, "they're probably in the training room if you want to join them."

"Nah May says I'm too flexible. It freaks her out." Peter grins. Rhodey looks at Peter with narrowed eyes.

"Is this some weird spider crap?" He asks. Peter's grin widens.

"Spider's don't have bones uncle Rhodey," is all he says before hurrying after Tony into the kitchen.

"I know you have bones kid!" Rhodey calls after him. "You can't trick me! I've seen how often you break them!" Peter cracks up laughing as he hops up onto the kitchen island next to Tony. He takes the mug of coffee from his mentor and takes a small sip before wrinkling his nose.

"It needs sugar," He says as Tony takes the mug back.

"Not everything needs sugar," Tony scolds him. Happy is leaning against the counter across from them with his own mug in his hands. He doesn't look particularly awake yet.

"Are you cooking breakfast?" Peter asks Happy. He pretends he doesn't see Tony adding the sugar to his coffee.

"What? Why would I cook breakfast? There's like ten restaurants in the public areas that can send food over." he grumbles. Peter puts on his best cute face as he looks down and fiddles his hands.

"Oh okay, then Uncle Happy. I just figured that since Uncle Sam cooked yesterday and Uncle Clint cooked the day before then we'd get something homemade today too. You know… since it's my last day here and all," Peter's bottom lip quivers.

"Alright alright fine I'll make the damn breakfast!" Happy puts down his coffee and starts to pull out ingredients for breakfast. While his back is turned Tony gives Peter a fist bump.

"Damn Stark kids and their damn doe eyes." Happy grumbles. "You like blueberries kid?"

"Oh yeah, Uncle Happy!" Peter says cheerfully. "Blueberries are my favorite!"

Tony snickers and hands his coffee mug back to Peter. He takes a quick sip of it and smiles when he sees that Tony's added some creamer as well as the sugar. He doesn't drink coffee too often since the caffeine doesn't do much for him but he'd learned to like it during his long hours in the lab with Tony. He used to get some from the coffee shop that MJ worked at until she and Ned left for college.

"Anything, in particular, you want to do today?" Tony asks, pouring a new coffee for himself.

"Have you gotten any more messages from Matt Murdock?" Peter holds his mug with both hands. Tony rolls his eyes and takes his phone out of his pocket handing it over to Peter.

"Yeah, apparently he managed to get your friends cleared. Little jerks getting into my private server. I'm going to make that brat Ned put up the new security. Make sure he covers up all the holes he found."

"Don't be too mean to them, they are still my friends. They just… wanted me to be remembered I guess."

"I'll put something together. Something that everyone can see," Tony says, tapping his fingers against his mug.

"Just give the kid a museum exhibit like Caps," Clint slips out of a vent and picks up the pot of coffee.

"That's not a terrible idea," Tony grabs a mug from the cabinet and holds it out to Clint. "Don't put your mouth on my coffee pot." Clint's eyes dart between the two before he accepts the mug and pours some coffee into it.

"I don't need something like that!" Peter says with wide eyes. He'd visited the Captain America exhibit with his class a few times. He'd always been so in awe of it. He'd been a stuttering mess when he had finally been properly introduced to the man himself.

"You earned it Petey," Clint tells him. "That's what you get when you save the world. A museum exhibit that shows off your first homemade spider suit."

"Oh god anything but that," Peter begs, dropping his head onto Tony's shoulder.

"Definitely that," Tony laughs and ruffles his hair. Peter doesn't feel like he deserves something like that, but he has to remind himself that it's not him that they're celebrating but the other Peter. The other Peter had sacrificed himself for them all. He deserved to be celebrated. What had Peter ever done? Given a villain a powerful weapon? Nearly destroyed the multiverse? He definitely didn't deserve any type of reward. Ben and May died because of me, Tony is dead, no one else can get hurt if they don't remember me.

Chapter 15

Notes:

So no one was gonna tell me that I mixed up the Daily Bugle with the Daily Prophet from Harry Potter? I fixed it now. This is what I get for jumping between fandoms while also rereading the Harry Potter books.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The Spider-man suit is perfect. After breakfast, Tony and Peter went straight to the training room to try it out. When Peter taps his web shooters together the nanobots spread out much more smoothly than before, it takes less time for Peter to be fully covered by the suit. It feels more sturdy too. It still feels more like fabric than the iron spider suit had but Peter's pretty sure it'll hold up much better against sharp weapons.

"Good morning Peter," Karen says as his heads up display appears in front of him.

"Morning Karen!" He says cheerfully. He can see right away that Tony has added new features. The spider logo on his chest is once again a drone and there are more safety measures, ones that Peter hadn't thought to build into the suit on his own. "This is so great Mr. Stark thank you!" Peter retracts the mask from his face and hurries over to where his mentor stands watching him.

"You can't be running around unsafe, kid. The new safety features can help with that a little bit at least. I've gotten your gliders back in there as well as a parachute. For the love of god please remember to repack it if you ever need to use it." Tony places his hands on Peter's shoulders and looks him in the eyes.

"I will I promise," Peter smiles at him. "What else did you add?"

"You're probably not going to be fond of this one but I've added a distress beacon. If you're injured severely it's going to send out a call for help over the same network as the Avengers emergency alert systems," Tony sticks his hands in his pockets and rocks on his feet a bit. "Please keep it on. I know that it might be hard to run into the other Avengers but I need to know that if something happens to you someone will come to help. The alert will have my signature on it. They'll know that it was something I arranged."

"What will set it off?" Peter asks, looking down at his suit. He knows that at one point the suit would alert Tony anytime Peter got so much as a scratch or a bump to the head. He doesn't need an avenger showing up anytime he gets into a fight.

"It's not as sensitive as what it used to be," Tony says like he can hear Peter's thoughts or something. "It will send off if your vitals hit a certain level or if your body has reached a certain percentage of damage. You can also send the distress call manually if you're trapped somewhere or you think you're in over your head." Peter's pretty sure they both know he's not likely to use that feature unless he really has no other choice

"Does it alert all the Avengers?" The last thing he needs is the whole Avengers team assembling in Queens when he's trying to keep a low profile.

"Only those who are in a reasonable range to get to you quickly. If you're in Queens then the furthest it should reach is the compound. I don't know if anyone is still using the compound in your universe but… well it'll give me peace of mind alright?"

"Okay, Mr. Stark. That's… surprisingly reasonable." Peter thinks about the time Toomes trapped him under a warehouse. How he'd yelled for help but there had been no one to answer. It would be nice to know that someone would come if he called, well not him. He's sure they would only do it because of Tony. That's fine though, that's better than slowly bleeding out in an alley with no one to save you. Not that Peter would know anything about that. Definitely not.

"Why is that surprising?"

"You're kinda… sometimes overprotective." Peter grins at him.

"It's not being overprotective when your kid does things like stow away on a spaceship to an alien planet after being specifically told to stay low to the ground on numerous occasions." Tony's tone is scolding but there's a fond look on his face. Peter shoots a web towards the ceiling and pulls himself off the ground to swing around the training room. The suit feels good. Everything just functions slightly more smoothly. Peter gets a feel for it. Checking the different web combinations and Karen's new functions. She's fully integrated with Edith now. Has access to all of the Stark systems. He hopes she'll be able to connect in his world as well.

After Peter's got the hang of the new suit Tony summons his own and the two of them train together for a bit. Peter forgot how fun it could be to train like this. He's gotten too used to just shutting himself off during fights. It's risky, it can make his reactions slower but there are times he just can't stay present in his own head. Training with Tony means he needs to keep present. He needs to keep thinking one step ahead. Where is Tony going to fly, is he going to shoot a repulsor or go for a punch, how has his suit been upgraded since the last time Peter saw it?

He's so focused on the fight that he doesn't even notice when more people enter the training room. Not until one of them lets out a whistle and draws both his and Tony's attention. Peter is midswing when it comes and he's startled enough to forget to shoot another web. He's free falling for a second, but then Tony is there catching his hand. Peter sticks himself to the ironman suit as Tony lowers them both to the ground. Peter's not sure how to handle what he's seeing. Standing just inside of the doorway are four people. Happy, Matt Murdock, Ned, and MJ. Peter unsticks himself when his feet touch the ground. Tony lands beside him.

"Spider-man," Ned says softly. He and MJ look confused, hesitant. Of course, Happy would bring them all the way here without telling them what was happening. Peter knows he should remove his mask. He should face his best friends. Peter has to force himself to breathe normally.

"Good to see you again Mr. Parker," Mr. Murdock says, holding his hand out in front of him. Peter knows what he's doing. He knows that Mr. Murdock is working to make this meeting smoother.

"Aren't you blind?" Tony asks.

"You can't just ask people that Mr. Stark," Peter scolds his mentor as he steps forward. His mask comes off and he takes Mr. Murdock's hand. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Murdock."

"Peter!" Ned yells as he throws himself at Peter, clinging to him tightly. "Oh my god, Peter!" Peter lets go of Mr. Murdock's hand and returns the hug.

"Hi Ned," His vision blurs with tears as he hugs his best friend tight. It's been so long since he's seen, Ned. He can feel MJ staring at them. Can practically see her brain working to understand the situation.

"You're not our Peter," She says at last. Peter gently removes himself from Ned's arms. Ned takes a few steps back so he's standing beside MJ again as they both take him in now. Peter taps his wrists together. The suit fully returning to his web shooters. He feels oddly exposed without it in this situation. He thinks that it might be because of Mr. Murdock being there. He's always set off Peter's spider-sense just a bit. Like there's more to him than meets the eye.

"He… but how? It's Peter!" Ned insists.

"No, she's right." Peter sticks his hands in his pockets. "I am Peter Parker, but I'm not your Peter Parker. Not the one that died in the battle of Earth."

"I don't understand," Ned admits.

"The multiverse is real. Doctor Strange brought me here. I can't stay though. So… I mean I wanted to see you guys but I just thought that it might not be a good idea."

"Mr. Parker is the one who asked that I represent you two." Mr. Murdock says. "He came to my office on the day the videos were released."

"So you… I mean if the multiverse is real then... Wow holy crap," Ned says. "Whats… whats your universe like? I mean you know me and MJ there right? Like what's the difference? I mean you're alive obviously so the battle of Earth must be different. Did it even happen? Or did you just…"

"It's all the same. Except it was Mr. Stark who sacrificed himself instead of me at the end of the battle. Mr. Stark died and I… I lived." The words stick in his throat. I lived, I lived, Tony is dead, May is dead, I messed up, I messed up, I messed up, I messed up, I didn't deserve to live.

"So what are things like then?" Ned asks. "Are we all still friends? Did we all go back to midtown? Did we go to MIT together? Are we roommates? Because the roommate I have now is this-" Ned keeps talking but it sounds like Peter is underwater. In this universe, Peter did not return when everyone else did. He never went to Europe, he never started dating MJ, she never found out he was spider-man, they never made their plans to go to college together.

"Peter," MJ's voice cuts into his thoughts. He looks at her his eyes wide, his breathing a bit uneven. Tony's hand is a solid weight on his shoulder, when did that get there?

"Yes?" He manages to force out.

"What's my name?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. Peter stares at her. Her name?

"MJ," he says. She nods.

"We're friends then," she says it like it's so simple. No, Peter wants to tell her, we're more than that. We're so much more than friends. She meets his eyes.

"Yeah," He says quietly. "We're all friends…"

"Are we going to MIT together?" Ned asks. "I think it'd be great if we were all in school together!"

"Um… No, I didn't get into MIT," Peter says. All their gazes snap to him at that.

"You?" Happy asks. "Why wouldn't you get in?" Peter chews on his lip.

"Well, I… I didn't apply," Peter remembers, rejection letter after rejection letter, the disappointment on Ned and MJ's faces when they found that none of them would be going. "I can't be Spider-man and MIT. So I uh… I go to Empire State. Got a scholarship and everything."

"Empire state!" Ned says excitedly. "That's so cool!"

"Yeah, really cool." They don't need to know. They don't need to know that he's a high school dropout. That he's alone, so alone.

"Yeah, it's… I mean. It's great." MJ is staring at him hard. Peter thinks that she probably sees through him. She knows he's lying. "It's really good to see you guys." Ned is excited. He starts talking quickly about MIT and what it's like and the classes he's taking and how he and his roommate don't get along. Peter leads them to his bedroom so they can hang out. He speaks when he's expected to and he asks questions. May brings them some drinks and snacks after a while. She stays to chat with them too, running her fingers through Peter's hair as she stands beside him. He's a bit embarrassed but with time running out he's not going to begrudge her the contact.

She leaves after a bit to give them privacy, eventually, Ned disappears into the bathroom, and Peter tenses up when he feels MJ's eyes on him. He knows that she wants answers. He wants to give them to her. But time is running out. She'll wonder about the truth. Peter knows that once she gets an idea about something she can't let it go.

"My identity got leaked," He says, looking at her. "I had to drop out of school. Got my GED but… well no college would take Spider-man."

"What are we?" She asks.

"We were dating," He says, his cheeks flushing pink.

"And we're not anymore?"

"No, not anymore. You and Ned went to MIT. Spider-man kinda takes up all my time so…"

"You're a bad liar," MJ says accusingly.

"Yeah…" his shoulders slump.

"So what you just said is the truth. Ned and I are at MIT. You're doing Spider-man full time. So what broke us up?" She asks. Peter chews on his lip.

"You don't remember me. No one remembers me. I messed up and in order to fix it Doctor Strange had to erase everyone's memories of me."

"Did I know before you did it?"

"Yes, I got a chance to say goodbye to you and Ned."

"I just let you do that?"

"No, you made me promise to come to find you after. To remind you of who I was."

"You didn't do it."

"I was going to. I went to your job… but I couldn't do it. People die because they know me. Maybe it's Parker luck, maybe it's Spider-man. But people that are around me die and you and Ned deserve to have normal lives. Good lives. We all got rejected from every college we applied to."

"You're an asshole," MJ says punching his arm.

"Sorry," He sighs.

"You really have to go back?" She asks.

"The multiverse is breaking. Me being here too long could break it faster. So tonight he's coming to send me home." the word home feels wrong in his mouth. He doesn't have a home. This universe is not his home, his hotel room is not his home. Home is a place that does not exist for him.

"Well… We shouldn't waste it cooped up in your room then." MJ gets up from the bed and holds her hand out to him. "Ned! Hurry up!" She yells towards the bathroom.

"Where are we going?" Peter keeps his eyes on their hands.

"Everyone in this building loves you, Peter Parker. We should find something we can all do together." They wait for Ned to come out of the bathroom and he barely glances at their hands. He agrees that they should hang out with the others and they both let MJ lead them out of the room. She probably doesn't even know her way around the compound but she still manages to get them back to the common room where everyone is waiting for them, waiting for Peter. He feels like he doesn't deserve it. He feels like he doesn't want it to end. But it has to end. He can't stay.

Notes:

Talk to me on the social things!

Tumblr!

Twitter!

Tiktok

Chapter 16

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The time ticks down. Peter does his best to pretend that it's not. He spends the day gathered with everyone in the common room. They play games and watch movies, they joke around and tease each other. Peter takes as much physical contact as he can with them all. If they think it's annoying nobody says anything. His hair is played with, kisses are pressed into his head, his hand is held. It's good, really good. There's a constant stream of snacks and food and soda. Peter absorbs it all.

The clock hits zero. A portal opens. Everyone tenses up. Tony reaches out quickly and pulls Peter back to his side. Peter goes easily. He tucks himself against his mentor and sticks himself to his shirt. Strange steps through the portal and looks at them all.

"It's time," He says solemnly.

"Right this second?" Sam asks.

"No we've got about thirty minutes," Strange says, closing the portal. "I figured it would take a while for him to be ready. Might take the whole thirty minutes just to unstick him." Tony looks down and notices his shirt. He chuckles a bit and presses a kiss to Peter's head.

"Say the word," he whispers, his grip on Peter's shoulder tightening. Peter shakes his head. He has to go. Peter unsticks himself. He gives Tony a tight hug then moves through the room hugging everyone there. He hugs May at least three times, does his secret handshake with Ned, gets a kiss on the cheek from MJ. He quietly reminds Bucky of his promise to look out for Tony as he gets a one armed hug from the soldier. He ends up by Tony's side once again.

"I'm sorry… Tony. I'm sorry that I can't stay," He says softly. He can't stop the tears that fall now. Tony hugs him tightly, carding a hand through his curls.

"It's not your fault Underoos."

"You can't go back in time," Peter says to him, "You can't. I know… I know that you feel responsible for me. But the world needs Tony Stark. Morgan needs her dad. So you have to stay here for them. Just like I have to go home because my universe needs me." His universe, because there's no one waiting for him there. There's no individual person that needs him.

"I know," Tony kisses his forehead. "God I wish I didn't but I do know."

"Okay… Do you have my backpack still?" Peter's not sure how long it's been but it's got to be nearing the thirty minute mark now.

"I got you a new one actually." Tony lets him go reluctantly and steps out of the room for a moment. He comes back with the duffle bag Peter's clothes had been in. It's packed fuller now. The backpack is definitely new though. It's a red backpack with black accents. It looks a lot more sturdy than the worn out Jansport he'd been carrying. Peter takes it when Tony holds it out. It's heavier than his old one too. Peter's pretty sure Tony has packed it full.

"This backpack looks too expensive," he says. "You know I'm always losing backpacks."

"You won't lose this one," Tony says. He takes out a Starkwatch and puts it on Peter's wrist just beside his web shooter. "The backpack won't open for anyone but you so if you've got to leave it somewhere your belongings will be safe. If you forget where you left it." He opens an app on the Starkwatch and presses a button. Wings open on the sides of the backpack and repulsors on the bottom make it float up.

"It'll find me?" Peter asks. Tony nods and taps the button again. The bag returns to normal.

"I've put a first aid kit in there, it's got medication you can take for pain. Read the labels properly. There's vitamins in there too so you can keep up with what your body needs even if you don't have time to eat. I borrowed some of Pym's shrinking stuff. I've put a lot in here, to be honest." Tony admits. Peter smiles at him and puts the backpack on his back.

"Thank you, Tony. You-"

"I did have to do this Peter." Tony cuts him off. "There's money in there too, I checked it against what you had stashed in the bag before. It shouldn't be flagged as fake or anything. There are thermal clothes in your duffle bag with the same heating system as your suit. I know you can't thermoregulate so you need to be careful in the winter."

"Tony," Peter takes the duffle bag as well and hangs the strap over his shoulder.

"Don't Tony me now. I'm allowed to worry." Tony takes a glasses case out of his pocket and holds it out. "I want you wearing these whenever you're not in your suit. You wore glasses for fourteen years you can do it again."

"I will," Peter promises as he takes them.

"You should suit up," Strange says. "Bringing you here was easy but I'm not sure where you're going to end up when I send you back." Peter nods and taps his wrists together. He keeps his mask off for now.

"Peter," May places a hand on his shoulder as he turns to face her. "Take care of yourself okay?"

"I will May. I promise." He gives her a tight hug and lets her press a kiss to his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too Peter." she cups his cheeks one more time before moving back. Happy places a hand on her back and she leans into it. Peter knows that she's trying to keep it together. He knows that she'll cry once he's gone. Tony pulls him into a hug again, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Peter. I wish I could do more for you."

"I know Tony. It's okay." Peter hugs him back and hides his face for a moment. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. All of it. I wouldn't… I wouldn't be who I am now if it wasn't for you."

"You ready Peter?" Doctor Strange asks. He's not. He's not ready at all, but he pulls away from Tony all the same. He takes one last look at his friends and family gathered around him and then brings up his mask to hide his face and the tears that are steadily falling from his eyes. There's so much more he wants to say, wants to do. He loves them all and the idea of losing them all again is breaking something inside him.

"I'm ready," He says softly, biting his lip to keep back the sob trying to force its way out. Strange gives him one nod then there are glowing symbols appearing around his hands and on the ground around Peter's feet. They rise up and begin to spin around him, faster and faster until all he can see is a bright golden light. Peter squeezes his eyes shut as the ground disappears from under his feet.

Notes:

Very short but very emotional. When I first started writing I thought I'd stop somewhere around here but I just couldn't leave our spiderboy alone so I've got a few more chapters prepared for you guys. I should have just bought tissue in bulk before I started this.

Chapter 17

Notes:

Tissues! get your Tissues!

Chapter Text

Peter is falling. He can see the bright lights even through his closed eyes and he hears Strange's voice speaking in another language. Then it's all gone and Peter is outside and still falling. He manages to twist himself towards the ground but he's too disoriented to catch himself and he ends up landing hard on the roof of a building. He groans and is pushing himself up onto his hands and knee. Peter's spider sense shoots through him, he's not alone. He jumps up to his feet quickly and spins around raising his hands.

He takes in his surroundings as he moves, and he's pretty sure he's landed somewhere in New York if the familiar sounds are anything to go by. Not Queens though, Brooklyn maybe. Peter focuses his attention on the shadows in front of him. There's someone standing there, Peter doesn't see a weapon but his spider sense is still warning him of danger.

"Where did you come from?" The man asks. His voice is familiar. Too familiar, Peter's spider sense stops as soon as he recognizes him.

"Buc… You… That… Mr. Barnes." Peter stutters. How did Strange manage to drop him right in front of Bucky? Did he plan for it or did he just pick a random spot? What has Bucky been doing in this universe?

"How do you know who I am?" Bucky asks, stepping forward so he's in the light. A blue light shoots out from the Spider logo on Peter's chest and scans over Bucky.

"James 'Bucky' Barnes Identified," Karen's voice comes from the drone as it detaches from Peter's suit and flies up to hover between them.

"Wait, Karen what are you doing?" Peter asks. Bucky is tense, his gaze focused warily on the drone as it projects a video into the air. Both of them stare at it as it shows Bucky sitting in Tony's lab.

"My name is James Buchanan Barnes I am recording this video diary of my own free will so that it can be watched by myself. My memory has been tampered with. A spell cast by Stephen Strange has caused me to forget the existence of the boy named Peter Parker."

A second video appears beside the first. This one shows Bucky and Peter in the training room. Bucky's hair is still long in the video, it must have been taken right after he came back from Wakanda.

Bucky and Peter spar together in the video, Bucky is talking through what they're doing. Critiquing Peter's responses to his attacks, telling him how to hold himself. Bucky and Peter are both smiling throughout it.

"I met Peter for the first time in Germany when Tony tried to stop us at the airport," Bucky in the lab says, the video changes to show Peter stealing Steve's shield then it switches to security cameras inside the airport as Peter fights against Bucky and Sam. "He was only fourteen at the time. We didn't know. I like the think that I wouldn't have fought him if I'd known his age but… I can't say for sure."

Peter doesn't know how long the video is. He and Bucky both stand there on the roof watching as the other Bucky talks about Peter, talks about their training together and the missions they worked on. The other video keeps up with Bucky's stories, showing flashes of them together, taken from security cameras and suit recordings.

"I know that this is a lot to take in. I know that it's hard to hear that… your memory has been tampered with again so I will be honest with you. While we're both Bucky Barnes we are not the same person. The kid can explain it to you better but we're basically alternate versions of each other. In my universe… we lost the kid. He died in the battle of Earth. He sacrificed himself and I… I was close to him. He was only fifteen. We knew that there was a kid on the battlefield and we didn't do enough to protect him." The video shows Peter's last moments in the battle. The mixture of fear and determination on his face as he slips his hand into the gauntlet.

"This kid is good. He's better than all of us. He's here in our universe right now. But he can't stay. He's Stark's kid. So if anything we owe it to Stark to take care of him. Doctor Strange is going to send the kid to you. So hopefully this video makes sense."

One of the videos disappears and the one left grows a bit larger. Peter can feel his tears falling again behind his mask. This was Tony's plan. Tony couldn't let him be alone. He wanted someone to be there for Peter. Strange had said that he couldn't properly aim where he sent Peter back to but he'd managed to send him directly to Bucky.

"Because the kid needs someone to watch his back. I'm dead in his universe. I can't take care of him. You know what he's like when he thinks he can help people. The kid will get himself killed if he doesn't have someone there with him." Tony says. Tony and Bucky are in Tony's lab at the compound on opposite sides of the work table.

"You want me… to protect your kid," Bucky asks.

"It's got to be you, I think that you're the only one who will believe that there was an entire person erased from your memories."

"I'd give my life for him Tony. I have no doubt about that. The kid deserves no less but… you really want it to be me?"

"I figure that… with all your experience dealing with Steve that you're the one for the job."

"You're trusting me with your kid Stark. I mean… I guess it's not me but," Bucky sits down, he looks confused but determined. "What about Rhodey?"

"I picked you," Tony says.

"Sam? I'm sure that the kid could convince Sam that he's important."

"Buck, I picked you. You trained the kid, you know how to work together. You managed to keep Steve from getting himself killed when he was scrawny. I know that we've had our difference… but you've proven yourself to me. I know you'll take care of him."

"You're sure you don't want to ask Rhodey instead?"

"James," Tony shoots him a look.

"Alright alright, I'm sorry. I just had to make sure."

The projection disappears, the drone returns to its spot on Peter's chest. The two men on the roof stand facing each other, silently watching. Peter tries not to sniffle too much but it's really uncomfortable to cry in a mask.

"Is that all real?" Bucky asks. "You're the kid they were talking about? You're Peter?" He lets his mask fall. Let's Bucky see his tear stained face and his puffy eyes.

"I'm eighteen," He says. "I'm not a kid."

"Why did Strange erase my memories of you?"

"It's not just you, it's everyone. The world had to forget me in order to keep the multiverse from breaking." Peter eyes Bucky's stance nervously. He still looks ready to attack at any moment. Peter has no idea what Bucky has been doing in his universe since the spell. He could easily decide that Peter's trying to trick him. Bucky seems to notice Peter's unease and relaxes a bit. Peter knows it won't make a difference. Bucky could go from sound asleep to ready to fight in seconds.

"Your family?" Bucky asks. Peter grips tightly onto the strap of his duffle bag.

"I had an aunt… she's gone now…" He's tired of crying.

"Stark said that you're his kid. What about Pepper? Morgan?"

"Tony found me… Just before Germany. He figured out that I was Spider-man. He was… he became like a father to me. He made me better, brought me to the compound so I could work with him in his lab and so I could be trained. When the accords were amended and everyone came back… it was nice. It was like having a big family. Brother's and uncles and aunts." Peter covers his mouth as a sob forces its way out. "It's just me now. Peter Parker doesn't exist anymore."

"But I'm looking at him aren't I? You are Peter Parker."

"I don't want to be," Peter covers his face with his hands. He wants to go back. He wants to go back to the other universe where people know him, where people love him.

"Why don't we go inside," Bucky offers heading over to a door. Peter has nowhere else to go, so he follows him inside and down a flight of stairs. Bucky doesn't say anything. He doesn't tell Peter it'll be okay or tell him not to cry. They end up sitting side by side on the floor of his living room while Peter gets all of his tears out. He cries about having to leave the other universe, he cries about losing May, he cries about being alone. Bucky rests a hand on his back as his sobs start to die down. It's familiar, Peter's glad that he's not alone in his hotel room right now.

Peter doesn't know how much time passes before his tears run out. He drops his head onto his knees and takes a few deep breaths, then taps his wrists to retract his suit. He lifts up his shirt and uses it to wipe his eyes.

"Sorry, Mr. Barnes," He sniffles. "Probably… not the kind of night you were expecting."

"No probably not," Bucky admits. "But nothing has gone to plan in my life so It's not like I was expecting it to."

"I um… Where are we exactly?" Peter asks, he's pretty sure he couldn't cry anymore if he wanted to so he pulls the glasses out of his backpack and puts them on. He's surprised to hear Karen's voice greet him instead of Edith.

"My Apartment in Brooklyn," Bucky says as he gets off the floor and makes his way to the kitchen. "Water?"

"Yes please." Peter pulls his duffel bag and backpack closer. "Is it okay if I look through my bags in here? Tony packed them for me before they sent me back to this universe and I'm not sure what he put in here." Bucky comes back and sits on the couch, handing a bottle of water down to Peter. Peter takes it and removes the cap, drinking most of the bottle in one go.

"Go for it," Bucky says. Peter finishes the water and sets the empty bottle aside. He opens the backpack and starts to pull everything out. The first aid kit is on top. There are basic first aid supplies in there but also some surgical needles and medication. The painkillers and vitamins that Tony had told him he'd find but also some anesthesia with instructions on dosage in the case that he needs to be put under for surgery.

He sets that all aside and takes out a tablet. When he turns it on he finds that all of his medical records have been loaded onto it as well as the blueprints for his suit, Rhodey's leg braces, and Bucky's arm. Bucky leans forward when he sees his arm on the screen.

"That mine?" He asks.

"Yeah, Mr. Stark thought that it'd be useful for me to be able to fix it for you. I'll need proper access to a lab but… well if you could take me to the Compound I could do it there."

"You can fix this?" Bucky asks, surprised. Peter remembers then that this Bucky does not remember him. He doesn't know that Peter's worked on his arm before. Doesn't remember how much Peter had begged to let him take a look at it before Bucky had given in.

"I was Mr Stark's intern. He taught me." Peter keeps flipping through the tablet for a minute longer then puts it away. He opens a pocket on the inside of the backpack and makes a face at what he finds there. "Oh no."

"What?" Bucky asks. Peter takes two shrunk down duffel bags out of the pocket and sets them on the ground. There's a remote in there with a blue button. He presses it and the bags expand back to their original size. Peter opens one just a bit and lets out a sigh. It's cash. The two bags are both full of cash.

"This is too much!" Peter insists as he turns to look at Bucky. "What am I supposed to do with all this?"

"Tony Stark gave you two bags of cash and you're complaining about it?" Bucky asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes! I don't need this kind of money! Oh my god, he said he put money in here but I thought it would be like… a few hundred! There's gotta be thousands in here Buck! What the heck!" Peter has never even had this much money in his bank account let alone seen it in person.

"Look forget about the money for now. I'll help you with it later. Just look and see what else you've got." Bucky pats his shoulder. Peter holds his head in his hands for a few minutes and tries to get his breathing under control before he goes back to digging through the bags. He finds a few boxes of gross nutrition bars that he's had before. Judging by the noise Bucky makes he knows them too. "Enhanced metabolism?" he asks.

"Oh yeah, worse than you and Captain Roger's. Course I'm stronger than you two so it makes sense."

"What?"

"Yep, I can lift like ten tons. I always beat you and Captain Roger's at arm wrestling too." Peter finds a laptop in the bag but sets it aside for the time being. It'll be nice to have something better than a library computer to work with when he needs to do things a little less than legal online.

"Shit," Bucky mutters.

"Language," Peter says automatically.

"God, you are just like Steve. Just when I thought I'd gotten the punks out of my life." Bucky slumps back on the couch and drinks his water.

"Sorry," Peter mutters. "I can go if you want me to…"

"No kid, you're staying. If Stark asked me to take care of you then that's what I'm going to do."

"Really?" Peter turns to look back at him. Bucky's probably busy himself. Peter doesn't know what he's been up to but he probably hasn't been sitting around his apartment not doing anything this whole time. Bucky looks at him closely, searching his face.

"I don't remember you," Bucky says. Peter feels his heart drop. "But there was a time that I didn't remember Steve either. I made the mistake of running from him then. I'm not going to run from you now. You need my help. I'm going to help you."

"Can I hug you Bucky?" Peter asks hesitantly. "I know… I mean I know that you don't really like to be touched by people you don't know but… I just… I could really use a hug right now." Bucky considers it for a moment then sets his water down on the end table and leans forward. Peter throws his arms around Bucky and hugs him tightly. Bucky puts an arm around his shoulders hesitantly. Peter knows it's not the same. He knows that Bucky's probably just doing it to keep him from crying again. But it still feels good. He can just close his eyes and for a minute he can pretend that everything is like it used to be.

Chapter 18

Chapter Text

Peter wakes up the next morning in an unfamiliar bed. The sun is up pretty high and when Peter rolls onto his side he sees on the clock that it's after ten. He hasn't slept this late in a long time. He grabs his glasses off the nightstand as he gets out of the bed and stretches. Bucky had insisted last night that Peter take the bedroom. He'd insisted that he preferred the couch.

"Good Morning, Peter," Karen says as the glasses turn on.

"Morning Karen. It's good to hear your voice," He tells her as he makes his way to the bathroom. His toiletries bag is still on the counter there where he'd left it last night.

"It's good to hear from you too, would you like to know the weather?" She asks.

"Yes please," Peter grabs his toothbrush out and brushes his teeth while he listens to her talk about how the day is going to be. It feels weird. Being back in his own universe. Not waking up surrounded by people. He was only gone for three, maybe four days but it feels like it's been longer. It was so easy to just slip back into old habits.

"Hey, Karen."

"Yes, Peter?"

"That video you played for Bucky last night. Did Mr. Stark set that up? Will it happen again?"

"Your dad uploaded a number of video files, and instructions on when to display them." Peter chokes on his toothpaste and hastily spits into the sink.

"My what? What did you call him?" Peter asks, his eyes wide.

"During my last update, I was instructed to refer to Tony Stark as your dad. Would you like to change it?" Karen asks. Peter stares at himself in the mirror. Is it okay? Would it even make a difference to anything? It's not like anyone else will hear her say it.

"No, it's fine. Keep it the same." Peter finishes up in the bathroom quickly then goes out to the living room. Bucky's not there. Peter had figured that was the case since he couldn't hear the other man at all but he is still a bit disappointed. His bags are sitting in the corner of the room where he'd left them the night before. He grabs some fresh clothes from his duffel bag and changes into them quickly before going to the kitchen. Bucky's left a note on the fridge telling him to eat whatever he wants.

"You don't know where Bucky went do you Karen?" he asks as he finds a bagel and pops it into the toaster.

"I do not currently, would you like me to track him?"

"No no it's fine," Peter hops up onto the counter and kicks his feet a bit while he waits. "I've been gone four days I think. What's the crime in Queens been looking like? I should go out and patrol today."

"It looks like there has been no substantial increase in criminal activity in Queens in the past four days," Karen tells him. Peter frowns at that. He doesn't know how to feel really, he's grateful that nothing bad has happened when he wasn't there to stop it but it also makes him wonder if maybe he's not needed as much anymore. Sure he's had some slow patrols the last few months but there have still been some things for him to do. "A search of the internet has shown me that this may be due to sightings of other heroes in the area during your absence."

"What?" Peter asks. Since when are there other heroes in Queens?

"It appears that in the past three days, Iron Lad has been sighted patrolling Queens." Peter slides off the counter and puts his bagel on a plate. He grabs some cream cheese from the fridge.

"So… Iron Lad took over my patrols?" Peter doesn't know why they would do that. Iron Lad doesn't make regular patrols. Peter knows that Harley is attending college in New York so he's only doing his thing as Iron Lad when something big comes around.

The front door opens then and Bucky looks a bit startled for a moment to see Peter in his kitchen then he relaxes and comes inside kicking off the boots he'd been wearing. He's got a newspaper in one hand and a grocery bag in the other.

"Bucky how come Iron Lad has been patrolling Queens?" Peter asks.

"He hasn't been patrolling so much," Bucky says with a shrug. "Spider-man went missing for four days. We've all been taking turns going out looking for him, well you, I suppose. I guess everyone's just been stopping any crime they come across while searching."

"You… I…" Peter furrows his brow. "The Avengers noticed I was missing?" They were paying attention to Peter? Even though he was nobody. No, it was Spider-man. They were looking for Spider-man and that makes a lot more sense. Because as far as anyone else is concerned Spider-man is a relatively new vigilante and he could be dangerous. Someone should keep an eye on him. Especially with the Daily Bugle calling him a menace and stuff.

"Did you think they wouldn't?" Bucky asks. He opens the fridge and empties out the grocery bag.

"I mean, I figured stalking Spider-man would be a bit below their paygrade," Peter shrugs and eats the last bite of his bagel.

"You might be right," Bucky closes the fridge and leans against the counter opposite Peter. "We don't track any of the other vigilantes in New York. I always kinda wondered why Spider-man seemed so important. I gotta say I was not expecting you to practically be dropped onto my head last night."

"I wasn't dropped on your head!" Peter argues.

"You would have been if I hadn't noticed a weird portal thing appearing over my head and moved aside," Bucky is watching him closely and Peter has to admit it's a bit intimidating.

"I think Doctor Strange probably did that on purpose," He admits. "Mr. Stark wanted to be able to help me when I returned to my universe."

"So he had you dropped on my head and that video prepped so I'd know about my lost memories."

"Yep, pretty much," Peter taps his glasses. "He updated these too. Karen says that he uploaded a bunch of videos. You're probably not the only person he got to record something."

"Karen?" Bucky unfolds his newspaper and looks through it.

"My AI, you know like Mr. Stark's but uh… This one he made special for me."

"If she's got more videos then maybe we should go up to the compound. The others should know about this too." Bucky says it pretty casually, and Peter's sure that it's probably the most logical next step, but it makes his heart sink. Peter pictures the compound he just left. The love and support he'd felt from everyone. The good memories they'd left him with. He's not ready to see the compound again.

"I can't go out there," Peter says quietly. "Not yet."

"Why not?" Bucky looks up from the newspaper with a frown. Peter slides off the counter.

"I'm really grateful Bu- Mr. Barnes, sir. It was super nice of you to give me a place to stay last night but I should really get back to Queens. You don't need to worry about me okay?" Peter moves to head for the living room but a hand catches his arm to stop him.

"You don't have to go," Bucky tells him.

"It's okay Mr. Barnes," Peter puts his hand over Bucky's and gives him a smile he hopes is believable, he wouldn't have been able to pull that off if Bucky still knew him, if Bucky remembered him then he'd remember what Peter's real smile looked like. Bucky lets go of his arm and Peter keeps moving to where his bags are still packed.

"Look why don't you at least just stay here for a few more days?" Bucky asks as he follows Peter. "I don't mind the company and you can't exactly walk around New York with giant bags of money. So let's get that shit sorted out first and figure out where to go from there."

Peter eyes the duffle bags. He'd tried the night before to shrink them down again but it hadn't worked. Peter doesn't know if Tony had done that on purpose or not. Peter had kind of just wanted to shrink them down and leave them in his backpack in case of emergency. It's not like he can open a bank account in his own name. Could he even deposit that much money into a bank? Just thinking about it is stressful.

"How do you handle that much money?" Peter asks, bending down beside the bags and staring at them.

"Honestly I have no idea," Bucky drops down onto the couch and crosses his arms. "If you make a bank account and deposit it all at once it'll be suspicious."

"I don't exist," Peter reminds him. "I can't open a bank account anyway."

"Well, that's the first thing we need to do then. We need to make you exist again. You got any documentation?"

"I don't know if they'll work anymore. I mean, I was able to get into GED courses with them but they hardly even looked at what I provided," Peter grabs his backpack and pulls out a manila envelope. "I've got my social security card, my birth certificate, my passport, and like… I didn't have a state ID but I've got my old school ID and my SI badge." He holds the envelope out to Bucky who sits forward to take it and pulls some of the papers out.

"They're legit documents. I don't think there's any reason for them not to be accepted." Bucky examines the birth certificate closely.

"But what if they try to like look me up or something?" In order to get rid of traces of Peter Parker being Spider-man on the internet, he'd had to erase pretty much all of Peter Parker.

"It was hard you know," Bucky puts everything back in the envelope and sets it on the coffee table. "When I first started getting my memories back I started to realize that I existed in a world that I didn't know. There was nothing familiar around me. But there were still people out there that knew who I was. They never stopped searching for me even when I thought it was better if I was alone."

"Yeah I was there to see how that turned out," Peter sits on the ground with his legs crossed and pulls his backpack onto his lap hugging it.

"That's right," Peter can feel Bucky watching him. "Steve dragged me back into the real world. Even when I wasn't sure who I was he never let go of me."

"Mr. Barnes," Peter turns to face him and is surprised to see so much emotion on the older man's face, It had taken a long time for Bucky to trust him before until he did Peter had almost thought the former assassin was part robot.

"You can call me Bucky," He says standing up from the couch. "Come on, we're going for a walk."

"A walk where?" Peter stands as well.

"Don't know yet," Bucky admits as he heads for the door. "But I think better when I'm moving and I imagine you probably do as well."

"Yeah sometimes," Peter tosses his important documents back into his backpack and puts it on as he follows Bucky out of the apartment.

They walk through the city without speaking. Peter's not sure they even have a destination in mind. He's alright with it though, Bucky was right about him thinking better while he's moving. The fresh air and the sounds of the city help too, he feels less trapped than he had in the small apartment.

"I wouldn't have come to you on my own," Peter admits as they wait for a crossing light to change. "I think that Mr. Stark must have known that. Probably why they dropped me on you."

"Why not?"

"I've got this thing…I call it Parker luck just cause it makes it a little easier to have a name for it. Bad stuff just… kinda happens to me and the people around me. I lost my parents, and then I went on a field trip and managed to get bit by a radioactive spider, then I lost my uncle right after." Peter follows Bucky across the street and then turns right. "People get close to me and bad stuff happens. Mr. Stark is gone, my Aunt is gone… I was the one that messed up Doctor Strange's spell. I'm the one that didn't let him send everyone back when he said we needed to. My aunt died because of that. When everyone forgot me, I thought. I thought that I should stay alone."

Bucky stops walking and Peter takes a few more steps before he realizes it. He turns back to look at Bucky and realizes that he knows where they are. They've walked all the way to Queens and they're standing outside Delmar's. Peter must have walked here out of habit.

"You hungry?" Bucky asks.

"I had a bagel," Peter reminds him.

"Yeah but you're like me, you need more food right?"

"I guess," Peter looks from Bucky to Delmar's. He remembers coming here with the other man a few times. Bucky used to find him sometimes while he was out on his patrols. They'd sit on rooftops and eat sandwiches while they caught up. "Have you eaten here before?" Bucky is staring hard at the building like he's trying to figure something out.

"I think I have, but it's kind of like when I was still getting my memories back. A bit blurry," Bucky turns to look at Peter. "Was I with you?"

"Delmar's makes the best sandwiches in Queens. I've brought you here. I used to come here all the time." Peter sticks his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels.

"I don't think my memories of you are gone," Bucky says.

"They're not," Peter watches the cars passing on the street. "Doctor Strange said that the memories are all there but they're sealed by the magic. He said that trying to force them back could cause damage to your memories so try not to think about it too hard okay?"

"Let's eat," Bucky says walking inside. Peter hesitates, he hasn't really been back here since the spell. He's tried to avoid everything that reminded him of his old life. "Hurry up kid!"

Peter takes a deep breath and follows Bucky inside.

Chapter 19

Chapter Text

"Okay, so you don't want to go to the compound," Bucky says. They're sitting side by side on the roof of a building looking out at the city. Peter didn't want to put his suit on yet so they'd both climbed up the fire escape. Peter takes a bite of his sandwich and leans on the short wall surrounding the edge.

"It's just… okay I know that it's dumb but I was just in that other universe you know? And I was… Being at the compound where everyone knew me and loved me and it was all just like I remembered it being before things went wrong. I should have better control of my emotions. I'm an adult now and…" Peter takes a sip of his soda so he has a second to calm down. "If I go to the compound here, no one will remember me. They'll be suspicious of me even. I won't be allowed to roam freely, and my room will be gone and… I just feel like it'll taint the memories that I have. I'm sorry. I should just… It is the most practical solution. You know what let's just… let's just go then."

"We don't have to go," Bucky opens his own drink. "You're allowed to feel things."

"I just… I don't want to burden you. This is my mess after all. I'm the one that messed up Doctor Strange's spell. I'm the one that caused the multiverse to nearly break. You shouldn't have to help clean up after my mistakes." Peter eats the last bite of his sandwich and crumples the wrapper up into a ball. It tasted just as good as he remembers.

"Jesus kid stop beating yourself up. This isn't just your mess. As far as I can tell Strange is just as at fault as you are. Hell, I say we go over there and you let me beat his ass a little." Bucky Metalic hand flexes underneath the leather glove.

"He just did what I asked him to do Bucky, you can't beat him up for that. Besides he's a wizard. He'd probably just drop you through a portal or something." Peter lays out on his back with his arms spread out to the sides. "I don't want to crowd your apartment. I should find a place to stay at least."

"I really don't…" Bucky sighs and slides his hand through his hair. "I prefer the couch, or the floor sometimes. You're welcome to stay at my apartment as long as you'd like. The company will probably be good for both of us. My lease is up soon we could get a bigger place then."

"You… want me to be your roommate?"

"Yeah, why not. Then you don't have to worry about where you're gonna stay and I don't have to track you down whenever I get worried about you." Bucky nudges Peter's leg with his foot. "So what do you say?"

If you're sure it's okay…" it seems easy, too easy. Can Peter really just move in with Bucky like this? Does the soldier really want an annoying kid hanging around him all the time? It's not like he even really knows Peter. He doesn't know that they're friends or that they've fought side by side. All he's got is a video. Just one video and he's just ready to trust Peter.

"I'm sure," and he does sound sure. He doesn't sound hesitant at all. Peter sits back up and straightens his glasses.

"Do you want to see the video again?" Peter asks. "Karen could play it for you."

"You don't have to try and convince me anymore," Bucky takes a drink of his water. "Do you need to watch it to convince yourself?"

"Me?" Peter moves to sit beside him and leans back against the wall.

"You said that there are more videos right?"

"Karen said that Mr. Stark uploaded quite a few video files. So they're probably similar to the one she showed you," Peter pulls his knees up and wraps his arms around them.

"I think you should watch them," Bucky reaches over and ruffles Peter's hair. "I'll watch them with you if you want. Can you project them without the suit?"

"I'm sure I can. Mr Stark made me promise I'd keep the glasses on when I'm not wearing the suit. Now that I know about the videos I have a feeling they're part of why he wanted me wearing these," Peter reaches up and adjusts the glasses to sit more comfortably. They fit him perfectly of course. Tony must have made sure of that. He can adjust the tinting on them too, light enough to look like normal glasses or darker to become sunglasses. Peter knows that will come in handy when he has sensory issues.

"Do you want to watch a few then?"

"Yeah if… if you don't have anything else to do today?"

"Nope, no plans on my part," Bucky says.

"Okay," Peter wonders if they've got enough napkins. He's got a feeling he's going to start crying again. "Karen."

"Yes, Peter?" Karen asks.

"Can you show us the videos that Mr. Stark uploaded?"

"Of course Peter." A drone detaches itself from Peter's backpack and hovers in the air in front of him. Peter hadn't even noticed the drone, he should have known Tony would have done more with it than just make it return to him when he lost it.

Peter thinks it's a bit ironic that once again he and Bucky are seated on the roof of an apartment building watching the video as the drone plays videos for them. They watch them all even though there are so many. So many people talking about him, remembering him. Their eyes are shining with tears. Along side their words are videos of every moment Peter spent with them. Little flashes from security cameras, and suit cameras. Peter sees himself over and over again, young and happy and thriving, surrounded by love. Bucky's arm wraps around his shoulder at some point and he leans into the other man's side.

Every single person that Peter's ever known has recorded a video for him. Avengers, and teachers, classmates, all of his high school friends. The videos from Ned hit him harder than he expected. There are videos of them as children, playing together as May and Ben make appearances in the background. Peter finds himself pulling the glasses off and pausing the video as he buries his face in Bucky's jacket.

"Take your time," Bucky tells him, resting a hand on the back of Peter's head. Peter is grateful that Bucky seems more comfortable with him now. He's glad that it didn't take as long for the super soldier to warm up to him as it did in the past. He wonders if it's because Bucky is in a healthier place mentally, or if some of his fondness for Peter still exists somewhere inside him. If it's somehow escaping from the seals on his memory.

"M sorry," Peter mutters just in case. He doesn't want Bucky to get annoyed with him.

"Did I ever tell you about my sister?" Bucky asks. Peter shakes his head, the last time he saw Bucky his life before the war had still been too blurred. "She was younger than me, I was ten when she was born. We lost my dad less than a year later so it was a bit rough. Mom worked all hours and I had to quit school to get a job myself. Steve's grandmother took care of my sister during the day but I was the one that spent the most time with her. I learned how to braid her hair and taught her how to tie her shoes and ride a bike. It was always my job to comfort her when she got hurt or had a bad dream. When I went to war I left her behind. I knew the Roger's would take care of her. I thought that Steve would be there to fill the role of big brother. Course that punk couldn't help but follow after me."

"What happened to your sister?" Peter asked quietly. He knows that Bucky was thought to have died during the war, and it wasn't too long after that when Steve went into the ice.

"Mrs. Roger's took her in after our mom passed. She got a good education, got married. She never had kids though," Bucky runs his fingers through Peter's hair, lost a bit in his thoughts.

"You would have been a good uncle," Peter tells him. "I bet you were a great brother too."

"I did what I could, I probably could have done better at times but I was just a kid myself. I was nineteen when I enlisted." Bucky sighs, "Once my father died I assumed that just automatically meant that I was an adult. I thought that same thing when I went to fight. But now I'm a hundred and six and I'm pretty sure I've never had any clue what I'm doing a day in my life."

"Really?" Peter considers sitting up but he's pretty sure his tears have his face stuck to the leather of Bucky's jacket and he's not ready for how embarrassing it's going to be to unstick himself.

"Oh definitely, but what I'm trying to get at is… that it's okay to rely on others. I should have done it more."

"Okay, okay I get it," Peter sighs.

"Good, now peel yourself off my jacket and let's go find something sweet," Bucky says cheerfully as he sits Peter up. He takes a look at Peter's face and has to stifle a laugh. "The whole side of your face is red now."

"Shut up," Peter can't help but smile a bit himself as he rubs at his face with his sleeves.

"No, don't do that you're going to get snot on your shirt," Bucky pulls his hands away then grabs a napkin and pours some water onto it before holding it out to Peter. "Wash it properly."

"You're so bossy," Peter complains as he does what he's told.

"I'm a hundred and six. I'm allowed to be bossy you little punk," Bucky gives him a light punch to his shoulder. Peter smiles at him and wipes his eyes once more before putting his glasses back on.

"Thank you Bucky," he says softly.

"No problem," Bucky gets to his feet and stretches his arms out above his head. Peter watches him, catching a glint of sun reflecting off Bucky's wrist when his sleeve falls away from the bottom of his glove.

"Hey, Bucky?" Peter gets to his feet as well.

"Yeah, kid?"

"If I'm taking the bedroom then I'm going to pay more in rent."

"Let's figure out your finances first," Bucky tells him as he heads for the fire escape.

"Mr. Stark is ridiculous," Peter complains as he follows him down to the ground. "He knows that I would have turned it down if he'd told me how much it was."

"You are the only person I know that would complain about getting money from a billionaire."

"I can't be the ONLY person," Peter jumps down the last ladder instead of climbing it. "Hey what should we do about the Avengers looking for Spider-man? I mean I have to go back out on patrol obviously and they might come to check in with me if they hear I'm out."

"I'll call the green guy. He's up at the compound. If I say I talked to you they should leave you be," Bucky drops down beside him and heads back towards the street.

"Is Doctor Banner still green?" Peter follows him.

"Probably," Bucky throws an arm around Peter's neck and pulls him into a headlock as they walk. Peter stumbles a bit but doesn't pull away from the hold. He can't help but grin as they make their way back to the apartment. Their apartment.

Chapter 20

Chapter Text

Living with Bucky is a little awkward at first. Peter still feels bad about taking the bedroom but Bucky keeps insisting it's fine, Peter tries to suggest they get bunk beds but Bucky just mutters something about living with a child so he decides not to pursue it. Peter did insist on using some of the money Tony gave him to buy a comfier couch. He'd dragged Bucky around a furniture store making him lay down on each of the couches to make sure they got a good one. They also bought a wardrobe for Peter to put his belongings in. Bucky had offered to use the wardrobe and let Peter have the bedroom closet but Peter insisted that Bucky keep the closet since Peter didn't have that much stuff anyway.

After a few days, they'd managed to settle into a routine that worked pretty well for them. Bucky gets up early every morning and goes out to do whatever it is he does, he usually returns sometime in the afternoon unless he's got plans or Avengers business. Peter sleeps in pretty late most days, he goes out in the evenings as Spider-man and doesn't usually get home until late at night. Bucky's usually awake when Peter gets back, just watching TV or reading. Peter wonders if he just doesn't sleep a lot of it he's up waiting for him to come home. They'll usually have a late night snack together before Peter collapses into bed.

Last night was a particularly rough night. Peter had been in the middle of fighting some thugs and one of their friends had decided to drive an SUV into him. He'd stumbled home around two in the morning and had sat on the floor while Bucky patched him up. He was so tired by the time he dropped into bed that he's really not surprised he doesn't even wake up when Bucky comes in to get a change of clothes in the morning. He's laying curled up in the middle of the bed with the blanket pulled up to block out the strip of sunlight sneaking in through the gap in the curtain when he vaguely registers the sound of the front door opening. He peeks at the nightstand to see that it's nearly 2 in the afternoon. Later then he usually wakes up, but he's still sore so he just burrows further into the blankets and tries to go back to sleep.

"Buck! You in here?!" A voice calls out as the bedroom door swings open. Peter lets out a sigh. It's clearly not Bucky coming home but it's still a voice he knows so he's not worried. Instead of jumping out of bed to defend himself Peter just lifts his head up a bit to glare at the man in the doorway. Sam Wilson, Bucky had warned Peter that the new Captain America stopped by from time to time. Peter had just hoped that Bucky would have been there to explain things when it happened.

"Who the hell are you?" Sam asks, eyes darting around the apartment like he's trying to make sure it's the right one. Peter sits up and pushes his hair out of his eyes as he yawns. His whole left side hurts and he's pretty sure he'll still have some remnants of a bruise leftover.

"'Peter," He mumbles. "Bucky's not home yet?"

"Jesus kid what happened to you? What are you doing here?" Sam asks as he takes in Peter's injuries. "How old are you?"

"Long night, I live here, none of your business," Peter sends a quick text to Bucky with his Starkwatch and then gets up out of the bed and grabs one of his hoodies from off the floor. He's feeling a bit stiff as he pulls it on and briefly considers taking one of the pain killers that had been packed into his first aid kit but knows that he should really save them for more major issues.

"You live with… You actually live with Barnes?" Sam seems so confused and well Peter doesn't really blame him. Bucky isn't close to a lot of people and as far as Sam knows he's never even heard of Peter before. He picks up his glasses from the nightstand and considers them. He's pretty sure that as soon as he puts them on Karen will start playing the video the other Sam had recorded. He wonders if he should get it over with now or wait until later.

"I told you I wasn't going to be home until after two," Bucky calls as he enters the apartment. Sam turns around to look at him.

"Since when do you have a roommate?" Sam asks. Peter picks up the glasses and slips past Sam to get out of the room. Sam moves out of his way, watching him curiously.

"I don't know a week or two?" Bucky kicks off his shoes by the door and goes to the kitchen. "You just waking up kid?" Peter moves Bucky's pillow to the side of the couch and drops down onto it.

"Yeah, heal faster when I sleep," He catches the water bottle and nutrition bar that Bucky tosses his way and makes a face at the bar. "Gross."

"Eat it," Bucky orders before making his way into the living room. Peter sticks his tongue out at him but unwraps the bar to eat it anyway.

"Is a little flavor too much to ask for?" Peter asks as he opens his water bottle as well.

"What the hell am I missing?" Sam asks looking between the two of them.

"Sam this is Peter, Peter you know Sam." Bucky drops into the armchair, he looks like he's enjoying this a bit too much.

"Hello Sam," Peter says through a mouthful of food. Sam makes a face at that.

"Peter's my roommate, Sam's a nuisance. There introductions out of the way." Bucky crosses his legs and looks at Sam with a smug smile. Sam is definitely about done with both of them.

"Okay but… Why do you have a roommate?" It's probably a fair question. Peter wouldn't believe Bucky living with some random person either.

"You got something for him kid?" Bucky asks.

"Yeah probably, I just figured it would be easier to show him if you were here." Peter takes out his glasses and puts them on.

"Are those Stark's glasses?" Sam looks even more bewildered when a blue light emits from the glasses and scans him over like the suit had done to Bucky on the rooftop.

"Sam Wilson, Identified." Karen's voice says through a speaker. A drone detaches itself from Peter's backpack by the front door and flies over. Sam watches it warily as it projects a video into the air for them all to see.

Sam's video is different than Bucky's had been. It was clearly recorded at the compound and probably just using his cell phone camera. Clint and Rhodey can occasionally be seen in the background putting together the blanket fort. He talks about the first time he met Peter and all of the things they've done together since while videos of those moments play out beside it. The airport in Germany, training in the compound, game nights, even a shot of May scolding Sam while he helps Peter back out of the wingsuit. It ends with a video of Doctor Strange sitting in Tony's lab holding a cup of tea in his hands.

"My name is Doctor Stephen Strange, I am the Sorcerer Supreme. Around eight months ago Peter Parker came to me for help after his identity as the vigilante Spider-man was leaked to the entire world. While performing a spell to make the world forget him…" Strange's eyes dart to something just out of view of the camera and narrow a bit. "I made a mistake. This caused what was essentially a crack in the very fabric of the multiverse. The only way to correct it was to completely erase Peter Parker from the memories of everyone. The footage you have just viewed is the truth. It features your own thoughts on the boy as well as any footage that could be gathered of your interactions with him. We've prepared this in the hopes that it will help to… right the wrong that was committed when I made people forget him."

The video disappears after that and the drone comes to hover over Peter's shoulder. He gives it a gentle tap letting it know it can rest so it lands on him. Sam says nothing at first. He looks at Peter closely. Peter wonders if he should get used to being scrutinized like this, it's probably going to happen every time he runs into one of the Avengers.

"Holy shit," Sam says.

"Yeah," Bucky agrees.

"You're Spider-man?"

"Yeah," Peter tugs at the sleeves of his hoodie.

"That's where that big ugly bruise came from?" Sam sits down on the other end of the couch from Peter.

"I wasn't paying attention so I got hit by an SUV during a fight. I'll be healed soon."

"So you're…" It's clear that he's struggling to come to terms with it. Peter gets that. He'd probably have trouble believing it too if someone came and told him that a Wizard had erased his memories of an entire person. "You believe him Bucky?"

"I do." Bucky flexes his hand. "He's Stark's kid. Certified genius. I don't remember him but, he's familiar. I'm comfortable around him."

"Stark's kid?" Sam furrows his brow.

"Not biological," Peter sighs, he'd gotten used to that question over the years. "He took me under his wing and… he was like a father to me."

"So why aren't you guys trying to correct this? We should go talk to Strange or something at least. I mean… he fucked with everyone's minds so it's only right that he fix it."

"I don't know if he'll be able to…" Peter admits. "It seems… the multiverse is still unstable and part of that was caused by me. So I don't know if he'll be able to do it safely."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"Let's order lunch," Peter says. "I'm literally starving."

"Sure kid." Bucky stands up. "Let's go out. You should get some air that you don't have to breathe through spandex."

"I've gone out…" Peter lies. Bucky gives him a stern look and Peter glares back at him. Sam is still looking at Peter like he's grown a second head or something.

"So we're getting food right?" Sam says standing up. "Let's go."

"Go get dressed Pete," Buck tells him. Peter lets out a groan as he pulls himself up off the couch and makes his way back to the bedroom to get himself dressed for the day.

"You really trust him?" he hears Sam ask once the door is closed. Peter hasn't gone over the specifics of his powers with Bucky, he probably should have at least told him about the enhanced hearing.

"You saw the video footage."

"Yeah but if the kid is a genius he could have faked it."

"I'm telling you, Sam, spend some time with him. I'm sure you'll feel it too. I would never have let that kid into my apartment if I thought he could be a threat."

"I think we should go to Strange first. Get a confirmation that the story could even be legit."

Peter pulls on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt then throws his stolen MIT hoodie over it. He stares at himself in the mirror. He's almost back to a healthy weight now. Bucky's metabolism isn't as fast as his but he still understands the need for extra food. There's always enough for both of them in the apartment and they eat out regularly. He looks like a person again. He has Karen run a quick check of the police scanners to make sure there's nothing urgent he might be needed for then goes back to the living room.

"Is it my turn or yours?" He asks as he grabs his wallet and key off the kitchen table.

"Yours, but we can skip it since Wilson's with us this time."

"Turn for what?" Sam asks.

"Who's turn is it to pay for the food," Peter explains. He checks his wallet then pulls a duffle bag partway out from under the couch and takes out some more cash. "I don't mind paying for all of us. I might as well." He zips the bag back up and stands up straight once again.

"Is that a giant bag of money?" Sam stares at it with wide eyes.

"Mr. Stark gave it to me," Peter shrugs a bit. "We weren't sure what to do with it so we just keep it in the apartment. We were gonna try to get me a bank account but I just wasn't sure if that would be smart. I mean I don't technically exist anymore and then they'd probably be suspicious if I deposited so much money."

Sam shakes his head as he follows Bucky and Peter to the door. He leans against the wall and crosses his arms while he waits for them to put their shoes on. Peter nearly loses his balance forcing his sneaker on without untying it and he has to hold onto Bucky's shoulder to keep from tipping over.

"How are you so clumsy when you have super reflexes?" Bucky complains.

"Sorry Buck," Peter grins at him as he stands up straight and slips out the door first. He's already thinking about what kind of food he wants and doesn't really pay too much attention to Bucky and Sam as they follow him down the stairs.

"You really do trust him," Sam says in surprise.

"I said I did," Bucky answers.

"Yeah I know you said it but you saying it is a lot different than watching him grab your left arm with no warning and you not even react to it."

"I'm telling you, give the kid a chance. Spend some time with him. My memories are gone but my feelings about him aren't. I expect it'll be pretty close to the same for everyone."

"Hey what kinda food should we get? I was thinking that we should try that Chinese buffet again. Remember the one we went to last time? I mean they seemed pretty mad when they told us it was time to leave but I don't think they'll remember us and really how can they advertise as all you can eat and then get mad about how much we eat!" Peter turns to walk backward so he can look at the two men following behind him.

"I'm down for Chinese," Sam says. Peter flashes a smile at them.

"They're definitely going to ban us for life this time," Bucky tugs on his gloves to make sure his hand is fully hidden.

"I'm gonna take that as a challenge," Peter spins back around just in time to hop over a trash bag that had been left on the sidewalk.

Chapter 21

Chapter Text

Peter is really super over the whole Parker Luck thing. He was having a really good week. There'd been no major crime problems. He'd gotten to pet at least six dogs. He'd helped this nice older lady who always gave him churros whenever he ran into her. He even had the apartment to himself for the time being. Bucky and Sam had flown off to deal with some avengers level issue in another country. Peter didn't mind Bucky's company at all. It was nice to have someone around that cared about him again but he also really liked his privacy and until they could get into a bigger apartment there wasn't much of that.

It had been such a chill week that Peter doesn't really think much of it when Karen alerted him to an apartment fire. He swung over there as fast as he could and landed on the ground in front of the building. It is a really big fire. A good portion of the building is already engulfed in flames and the street is flooded with people, mostly in their pajamas. Karen detected three life forms still in the building. Peter knew that he had to be the one to get them out. The fire department isn't going to get there quickly enough. He knows that his suit is probably not as fireproof as he'd like it to be but he doesn't hesitate as he burst into the building.

The first two people are easy enough to find. They're huddled together in a bathroom on the second floor. Peter manages to make it to them with no problem. He breaks the window closest to them and throws out a web bomb to create a net before helping them both to jump out to it. The third person is tougher to get to. Peter makes it up to her on the fifth floor. She's kneeling in the hallway, weakly calling for help.

"Peter, you should leave the building soon. Your oxygen levels are getting dangerously low," Karen warns him. Peter can see it on his HUD, he's got some minor burns which won't be a problem but he can definitely tell that it's getting harder and harder to breathe. It's like his asthma is coming back.

"I know Karen, we're getting out of here." Peter kneels down beside the woman and is about to pick her up when his spider sense goes off. There's a large crack and then the floor above them is collapsing. Peter throws himself over the woman to protect her as much as he can. He cries out in pain as something heavy and burning hot crashes into his back. Karen is talking to him, he can see his vitals flashing red in the corner of his HUD. He doesn't have time for this. Letting out a shout he throws what appears to be some sort of building support off his back and lifts the woman up in his arms. There's a window at the end of the hall that's already been broken so Peter makes his way to it.

He holds the woman securely as he jumps out the window and shoots out a web so they land as gently as possible on the ground. The crowds gathered around cheer for him. Peter's head spins with the sound. It's too much, the sound, the flashing lights of the fire trucks and police cars. Peter is gasping for air as he hands the women off to some firemen. They're talking to him but it's too much. Too much too much too much too much.

Peter stumbles away from the crowd and the sounds and lights and smells. His suit is clinging to his skin and it's hot. It's hot and it hurts. He can't breathe. He can't breathe. Peter finds himself falling to the ground in an alleyway. His HUD is flashing red. He thinks that it means something. Something that someone told him about. He can't think.

"Help is on the way Peter," Karen's voice is soft. He likes her voice. Not right now though. Right now it's too much. Too much, too much, too much .

It's quiet at the compound, it usually is now that so few people reside there normally. Rhodey lives there whenever he's not busy with the military, Bruce stays out there full time now though. He likes that it's quieter and he doesn't want to give up the labs that Tony had set up for him. They're the only two there, about to sit down to dinner, when the alert comes. They both freeze for a moment before pulling their phones out to look at it.

"Baby monitor Protocol?" Rhodey reads off with a frown. There's a location attached to the alert along with someone's vitals. But there's no name.

"Friday? What's the baby monitor protocol?" Bruce asks. The vitals are alarming. Whoever they belong to is in danger.

"The baby monitor Protocol is a protocol in place to protect Mini-Boss." Friday answers quickly. "He is in immediate danger. I am preparing the War Machine armor for you now Platypus. Doctor Cho has been alerted as well."

"Rhodey," Bruce says, his eyes glued to his phone.

"Who the hell is Mini-Boss?" Rhodey stands up.

"Tony set this up," Bruce says showing his phone to Rhodey. There at the bottom of the alert is a message. ' Protect him at all costs. He's the future, -Tony'

The two men share a look and then Rhodey is running as quickly as his leg braces will let him to where the War Machine armor waits. He steps in and takes off the second it's formed around him. He follows the route that Friday gives him and is a bit confused when it leads him to Queens. He's even more confused when he lands in an alleyway and finds Spider-man curled up in a ball on the ground. The vigilante's mask is gone and Rhodey gasps when he sees the face of a boy instead of a young adult like they had all assumed.

"Holy shit," He says as he kneels on the ground beside the boy.

"What's happening?" Bruce's voice comes through the com.

"It's Spider-man," Rhodey says. He rolls the boy onto his back and checks his pulse. "Friday what's wrong with him?"

"Mini-Boss is suffering from smoke inhalation, there is also damage to his back and multiple burns. There was a fire in the area, police reports indicate that Spider-man was on the scene."

"Shit, you get that Bruce?" Rhodey examines the boy on the ground in front of him. There's a weird twisting in his gut that he doesn't understand.

"I heard, Doctor Cho got the alert as well. She's on her way here. If Spider-man is enhanced we're going to need her to get him healed." Bruce says.

"Friday how bad is his back injury?" Rhodey doesn't want to risk injuring the boy more but they need to get him to the compounds medbay and flying is going to be the quickest option.

"It is safe to move him," She answers. Rhodey hopes that she's right. He lifts Spider-man up into his arms carefully, the boy's mask closes over his face like it knows what's about to happen. Rhodey makes sure he has a secure hold on him before taking off towards the compound. The boy's vitals stay up on Rhodey's HUD as he flies.

"Who is this kid?" Rhodey asks. The boy in his arms lets out a whimper and Rhodey nearly curses. He didn't realize that he'd be linked to their comms. "Hang on kid we're almost there."

There's a medical team waiting outside along with Bruce when Rhodey lands. He lays the boy on a gurney and his mask folds away once more. Rhodey wonders how it knows when to do that. Bruce and Rhodey follow the medical team as they wheel him to the medbay.

"That's a kid," Bruce says in shock as he takes in the boy's youthful face and mop of curls. They both stand at the side of the room so they don't get in the way.

"He's definitely young," Rhodey admits. Bruce grabs a tablet and starts to go through it.

"There's nothing anywhere about this kid. How did he know Tony?" They both look up as one of the nurses attempts to cut away the suit from the kid but the scissors don't work. Instead, the suit retracts from the kid's whole body and into metal bracelets worn on his wrists. The doctors cut away the clothes he'd been wearing underneath it.

"Nanotech."

"Like Stark's last suit," Bruce lets out a sigh. "He must have made it."

"Incoming call from Bucky Barnes," Friday announces.

"Answer it," Rhodey tells her.

"Do you have the kid?" Bucky sounds out of breath, his voice laced with worry. Bruce and Rhodey exchange a look of confusion.

"We got Spider-man," Bruce says. "Friday alerted us that he'd been injured."

"You're at the compound?"

"Yes, aren't you on a mission?" Rhodey asks.

"Just got back, Karen alerted me that he'd been injured. I'll get his medical records and bring them to you."

"He's enhanced?" Bruce asks.

"Yes, use the meds you've got for me. He's got some of his own but if he needs immediate relief then that will have to do til I get up there."

"Who is this kid?" Rhodey asks.

"Did you not see the videos?"

"What videos?"

"Nevermind, Karen's probably waiting til he's not in danger. I'm on my way now." Bucky ends the call before either of them can ask any more questions. They're left even more confused now than they were by the original alert.

Peter wakes up slowly. He can't remember falling asleep. The room he's in smells of antiseptic and is filled with the hum of electronics. He reaches up and feels the oxygen mask over his face. He knows where he is. It's not the first time he's woken up in this bed with no memory of getting there. He slides the mask off his face and sits up weakly.

"Friday?" His voice is wrecked. He glances around and sees a cup of water next to his bed. He grabs it and drinks through the straw.

"Yes, Mini-boss?" She answers. Peter nearly starts crying at that. Tony had told him that Karen would link up and restore Friday but he hadn't been sure he believed it.

"Lights at 20% please," His senses have calmed down but there's a sharp pain in his head that usually comes after sensory overload. Friday dims the lights without answering. He finishes his water then slumps back down onto the pillows. The door slides open a minute later and he almost whines about it.

"Peter?" Bucky says softly. Peter's eyes snap open and he looks towards the soldier. He's so glad to see him.

"Buck," Peter starts to sit up again. Bucky hurries forward and helps him do it carefully.

"Take it easy." Bucky keeps a hand on his shoulder, looking over Peter's visible injuries.

"Can I have some more water?" Peter points at the cup. Bucky grabs it and moves over to the sink. Peter winces as he rests back against the pillows. "How long was I out?"

"A few hours. You inhaled a lot of smoke."

"Oh yeah, I remember that." He takes the cup of water when Bucky offers it and takes smaller sips this time.

"You would wait until I've left town to go running into a burning building."

"I had to. They would have died." Peter doesn't regret it.

"I know I know." Bucky sighs and sits down in a chair beside the bed.

"We're at the compound," Peter fidgets with the cup in his hands.

"We are," Bucky confirms.

"How did I get here?"

"Your suit sent out a distress signal. Rhodey and Banner got it. Rhodey picked you up and brought you here."

"Did they see the videos?"

"No, I think Karen wanted them to save you first."

"But they saw my face," He sips his water.

"They had to in order to treat your injuries." Bucky leans forward and rests his arms on his knees.

"Right… did you happen to bring my glasses?"

"I grabbed your whole backpack," He points to where the bag sits on a table. "Needed your medical info off your tablet so Doctor Cho could treat you."

"Are they waiting?" Peter puts his cup down and leans his head back.

"Yes, but there's no need to rush. Rest some more. We'll talk to them when you wake up." He reaches forward and grabs the blanket tugging it up to cover Peter again.

"Stay?" Peter asks, already feeling his exhaustion creeping back.

"Yeah sure," Bucky settles back in his chair.

"Thanks," he mumbles as he falls back asleep.

Chapter 22

Chapter Text

By the next day, most of Peter's injuries have healed. There's still a big ugly bruise on his back and his throat is still sore but neither of those things bothers him too much. The burns weren't bad, it was mostly just his arms where the suit had gotten too hot against his skin. He had been surprised that it didn't burn through but figured that Tony must have done something to make it fireproof. They'd both been more worried about it keeping him warm in the colder months though so Peter figured the next time he looked at it he should try and find a way to keep it cool in that kind of heat.

In Bucky's rush to get Peter's medical records to the compound he hadn't stopped to grab anything else from the apartment so they'd found some clean clothes laying around for him. The Sweatpants had a Stark industry logo on them so Peter figured they were just standard issue ones that had been laying around and he's not really sure who the shirt had belonged to. It's a little bit big on him but surprisingly not too bad.

When Doctor Cho finally gives him the go ahead to leave the medbay he knows that his time has sort of run out. At least a part of the Avengers has been waiting patiently for him to heal before they ask any questions about who he is or why Tony had set up protocols to save him. He'd been a little annoyed that he'd kept it as the baby monitor protocol though he couldn't be too mad since he knows that in the past he would have been left in that alleyway with no one to save him. Peter takes a few calming breaths then hangs his glasses on the collar of his shirt and picks up his backpack before stepping out of the room he'd been in. He is glad to find only Sam waiting in the hallway for him.

"Hey Sam," Peter says with a halfhearted smile.

"How you doing Spidey?" Sam stands up, looking him over for any obvious sign of injury.

"I'm good," He rocks back on his heels and grips the strap of his backpack tightly. "They waiting for me?"

"Yeah in the common room. They can wait longer though if you need more time. I know you weren't too keen on coming out here."

"No, it's… It's best to just get it over with yeah?" Peter knows he just needs to get over it. He's only causing issues for everyone by trying to stay away. Bucky and Sam have been lying to their friends for him and he should really just stop trying to run away. Admit to everything. Let them see the videos and decide if they want to trust him or not. They're all Avengers. If he causes some sort of problem they can take care of themselves right? Tony is dead, Tony died, you could have been the one to snap. Peter shakes the thoughts from his head and takes a deep breath. He told Tony that he couldn't go back in time to change things. Peter can't do that either. He's already nearly broken the multiverse once he doesn't need to go messing with the timeline as well.

"If you're sure…" Sam says skeptically. Peter flashes him a smile that they both know isn't reassuring at all and then they're heading out of the medbay. Out to where Rhodey and Bruce are waiting and maybe others. Did they tell anyone else about the weird kid they found? Did they alert everyone that Spider-man was actually just a teenager? That Tony had wanted him protected?

"This is fine," Peter says as they walk down a hallway.

"Are you freaking out right now?" Sam asks.

"No, I'm fine. Absolutely fine. This is good. This is…" Peter doesn't know why he's panicking so much. It's Bruce and Rhodey. He loves Bruce and Rhodey. They're like the fun uncles who let him try dangerous experiments and are willing to watch hours upon hours of Star Wars films with him whenever he wants.

"Peter," Sam stops walking and catches his arm so he stops as well. "You're hyperventilating."

"I'm sorry. I just… oh god." Peter squats down and holds his head in his hands trying to breathe normally. "What if they don't believe me? What if they think this is all a lie and they think I'm like some villain trying to get to you guys."

"Yeah, I guess I could see that," Sam says as he sits against the wall across from where Peter had dropped. "I mean you've totally got the villain vibe going on what with your baby face and your need to help every single person that crosses your path."

"I'm serious Sam," Peter whines. "This whole thing is so suspicious. I bet I wouldn't even believe it if someone tried to tell me this story."

"Yes, you would. You're the kind of guy that sees the good in everyone. I bet you'd even try to see the good side in criminals," Sam says in a kind voice, but Peter can see it. Can see the group of criminals gathered in Happy's apartment. Can see May laying in the rubble. He squeezes his eyes shut and pulls at his hair with both hands.

"What if this is a bad idea? What if I'm cursed or something?" Peter sees them all, his parents, Ben, Tony, May. How many people that he's close to have died? How many people's lives has he put at risk just by existing.

"You're having a panic attack," Sam tells him. "Can you hear my breathing? Try to match it." Peter can hear it. Sam is taking slow deep breaths. Peter tries to focus on that. Tries to ignore everything else. The voice in his head telling him it's his fault, the faint sound of voices coming from the common room. He listens to Sam breathe and nothing else.

"That's good Peter," Sam says when Peter's breathing is back to normal. He gets up again and places a hand on Peter's back. "We don't have to do this right now. I can go grab Buck and we can just head back to the city if that's what you want to do right now. You were injured, and Friday said something about a sensory overload too. That's a lot all at once so if you need some time to calm down we can do that."

"It's okay, Thank you, Sam." Peter takes a deep breath in and lets it out slowly. Sam offers a hand to help him up and Peter takes it, letting the older man pull him to his feet.

"You sure?"

"Yes. It's Rhodey and Doctor Banner… I think that even if they have trouble believing me they'll be nice about it right?" Peter's pretty sure they will. They were always nice before. Why would now be different? He can do this. This is fine.

"Peter," Sam says, placing a hand on his shoulder. Peter sticks his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah?"

"You know that I had doubts at first, even after seeing the video. But Bucky convinced me to give you a chance and after seeing him with you and spending time with you myself I definitely believe it. Bucky told me that while his memories of you were gone his feelings hadn't changed. I get that. The more time I spend with you the more I feel I know you."

"Really?"

"Really. You're the smart one right? Aren't memories and emotions stored in different parts of the brain? So if our memories are sealed up or whatever then isn't it likely that our emotions weren't affected?"

"Yeah… That's true…" Peter rocks back on his heels and thinks about it. Bucky had trusted him really quickly. He wouldn't have done that if he didn't have some sort of feelings regarding Peter.

"You ready?" Sam asks. "We can take our time."

"We can do it. I'm ready… Bucky is in there too right?"

"Yeah, Buck is waiting. You'll have two of us behind you, we'll help convince them if we need to."

"Okay, let's go." Peter nods, straightens up, and heads the rest of the way to the common room with Sam following behind him.

The three men in the common room have clearly been waiting for them. Bucky is sitting in an armchair, his head resting on his hand. Rhodey is on the couch staring at his phone though he seems to not really be paying attention to the screen. Bruce paces back and forth near the windows, wringing his hands a bit as he goes. He looks the most nervous of them all.

"Peter," Bucky sits up straight and nods at him. Peter nods back. Rhodey and Bruce both look at him.

"H… hey," Peter waves awkwardly. "I'm uh… I'm Peter."

"Hello Peter," Rhodey says. He shifts like he might get up and then decides against it. Peter eyes the braces on his leg. The electrical hum from them sounds different. Something wrong with them maybe? He's got the blueprints on his tablet. Maybe he could help.

"So… You knew Tony?" Bruce asks, walking a bit closer to the group. Peter chews on his lip considering it.

"He knows all of us," Bucky answers for him.

"We know him too," Sam sits on the arm of Bucky's chair and gets a glare from the soldier.

"What do you mean?" Rhodey looks Peter over like he's trying to place him.

"That's…" Peter touches the glasses around his neck. "Do you guys know anything about the multiverse theory?"

"Of course," Bruce says.

"It sounds familiar," Rhodey admits.

"Okay well… A while back I um… I asked Doctor Strange for help with something. It uh… it went wrong and kind of… broke the multiverse. A little bit." Peter runs a hand through his hair and wishes that he wasn't so awkward about this.

"The multiverse is real?" Bruce looks interested now. Peter can see that spark of curiosity in his eyes.

"Very very real," Peter says, perking up a bit. "See what happened the first time was that people started getting pulled into our universe from other universes. People that knew who I was, or well not me exactly but they knew that Peter Parker was Spider-man. And well these bad guys got pulled into our universe but also the Peter's that knew them did too. So it was really weird for a minute because I mean there were three of me! But also really cool. Um but anyway. With all these people that didn't belong being in our universe, it started to damage our universe. I don't know if you guys heard about anything happening out at the statue of liberty but um… That was me."

"There was an issue with the new construction right?" Rhodey says.

"Yeah, I think we uh… damaged some of their stuff. We didn't mean to! But we had to do it. It's just, even after we sent the bad guys back the multiverse kept breaking. More people were being pulled in so…" Peter twists a web shooter around his wrist. "Doctor Strange had to perform another spell. He had to make everyone forget me."

"Everyone?" Bruce asks.

"The whole world at least," Peter shrugs. "Maybe the whole universe."

"Why don't you show them, Peter," Bucky suggests.

"Show us what?" Rhodey gets up slowly.

"I went to another universe. The Doctor Strange from that universe pulled me in because he thought I could help them and that they could help me. It was like ours. Almost exactly like it except that at the battle of Earth… Peter Parker was the one to snap the army away. So their Peter died and Tony Stark lived." Peter takes the glasses off his shirt. "So what you'll see on here…. It's from that other universe, but I promise it was the same here. Everything was the same."

"Go ahead and show us," Bruce says. Peter puts the glasses on and looks at Bruce first. The blue light shoots out and scans him.

"Doctor Bruce Banner, Identified," Karen says. The drone detaches itself from Peter's backpack and flies forward, projecting a video just like it has twice before. It starts with Bruce sitting in his own lab at the compound. He talks about Peter, how they met, how impressed he was with Peter's work in the lab. There's a video of the two of them working together in the lab, laughing when their experiments fizz over or explode. There are even videos of Spider-man and Hulk working together on missions. Hulk had found it hilarious when Peter stuck to him, and even funnier when Peter would pick him up and throw him at the enemies they were fighting. It ends with the same message from Doctor Strange explaining the spell. The drone drops onto Peter's shoulder again when the video ends. Peter wonders if it knows that its job isn't done yet.

"The Hulk likes you?" Bruce asks.

"I'm sticky," Peter explains. "Sometimes I'd stick to his arm and he'd think it was funny… he liked my jokes too."

"I see," Bruce looks amused at that.

"You got one for me?" Rhodey asks. Peter nods and turns to look at him. The glasses scan him.

"Colonel James Rhodes, Identified," Karen says. The drone on Peter's shoulder takes flight again and hovers in front of Rhodey now. It projects a video just like it has before but this time instead of Rhodey appearing first it's a video of Tony.

"Hey Honeybear," Tony says with a grin. "It's me, the ghost of Christmas past. Bet you thought you'd gotten rid of me. But here I am. And somewhere around here is probably a kid. Curly hair, big doe eyes that he'll use to trick you into doing whatever he wants. He's like a gremlin without a midnight snack. Also, he's a super genius. Probably smarter than me. You're never getting rid of the big brains."

"Tony give me the camera," Rhodey's voice comes from off the screen and then there's a slight scuffle over the camera before both men are visible on the screen. "This is supposed to be my video."

"We're besties, you're supposed to share everything with me."

"This isn't about you this is about my nephew!" Rhodey shoves Tony out of the camera. "Alright now listen up me cause we gotta talk about the kid. Peter is an absolute delight and a menace at the same time. He's like Tony but with actual manners. Now I've heard that Tony has put the other bionic man on babysitting duty instead of me, the coolest uncle he has. I'm torn about that. On the one hand, he's like the energizer bunny so I'd never be able to keep up with him, on the other hand, he's basically my godson so I should have had first dibs."

"He's not even legally mine!" Tony complains from off camera. "I'm pretty sure he's got an actual godfather somewhere."

"That doesn't matter. I'm gonna tell you all about this kid so sit down and shut up til I'm done. That goes for you to Tones. Go find the kid or something. Happy said he's on the roof."

"Yes dear," Tony leans into view once more and presses a sloppy kiss to Rhodey's cheek before heading out of the room. Rhodey rolls his eyes and waits for him to go.

The video goes on just like all of the others. Rhodey tells all of his favorite stories about Peter while the second video plays as much footage of these moments as Friday could pull up. He gets quieter near the end. He talks about how Peter hitched a ride to Titan with Tony and how he didn't return. He talks about how hard the loss hit those who remained. How hard Tony took it.

"It is… hard for us," Rhodey says quietly. "We all loved the kid. He was good. Better than all of us really. He's the reason Tony did it. The reason he was willing to risk traveling back in time and risking everything he'd gained in those five years. We lost him in the end anyway. You don't remember him right now, but you will. You've got to protect him. You'll never forgive yourself if you let him go."

It ends with the same message from Doctor Strange that the others had. Peter wipes his eyes with his sleeves as the drone takes its place on his backpack once again. Bruce steps closer to him and holds out a packet of tissues. Peter takes them with a grateful smile and pulls out a tissue to wipe his eyes with.

"Toss those here," Rhodey says. When Peter looks at him he finds that there are tears in Rhodey's eyes as well. Peter takes one more tissue for himself then passes the packet to him.

"That fight on the statue of liberty… that was what? Nine months ago?" Bruce asks. Peter thinks about it. It feels like such a long time ago but a short one at the same time.

"Yeah… That sounds about right." He stuffs his hands into his pockets.

"How long were you in that other universe?"

"Just four days. It was good… Tony found me right away. So I was with everyone. They dropped me right in front of Bucky when they sent me back so…"

"Dropped you on me," Bucky corrects, then he pushes Sam off the arm of the chair and motions Peter forward. He smiles a bit and sits in the spot Sam had been evicted from. Sam rolls his eyes good naturedly and sits on the couch instead. Bucky pats Peter on the arm then turns his attention to Rhodey and Bruce.

"Where have you been living then?" Rhodey asks.

"I'm living with Bucky now, um… I was at a hotel before that though." Peter leans on Bucky's shoulder for support.

"I think we should call Doctor Strange," Bruce says, wringing his hands a bit.

"I don't want to bother him…" Peter admits. "I don't think he can do anything to make it right now anyway."

"Well, he can't make it better if he doesn't know," Rhodey pulls out his phone and looks through his contacts. "Damn Wizards, making a mess of things." He moves away from them as he starts the call. Peter fidgets a bit. He doesn't want to bother Strange if he's still trying to fix the break Peter caused.

Chapter 23

Chapter Text

Doctor Strange arrives at the compound through a portal shortly after the call from Rhodey. He looks over them all, his gaze ending on Peter until Bucky stands up from the chair, blocking Peter from his view. He crosses his arms and glares at the sorcerer. Rhodey looks rather on edge too. Peter slips onto the seat of the chair and pulls his feet up. He keeps his gaze focused on Bucky's back. The idea of seeing the Doctor Strange of this universe again makes him nervous. What if he figures out that all of this is Peter's fault.

"What is all this about a spell?" Strange asks.

"It's about you altering everyone's memories without their permission," Rhodey snaps at him. Peter peeks out just a bit to see Rhodey standing there with his hands on his hips.

"I didn't do any memory spells," Strange says.

"Would you remember if you did?" Bruce asks, he's back to pacing by the window again.

"Well, why would I erase my own memory of it?" Peter's pretty sure that if he could see Strange he'd be rolling his eyes.

"To prevent the multiverse from breaking," Bruce says. Strange starts to say something then stops. He's quiet for a moment.

"How do you know about that?"

"Stand down Bucky," Rhodey orders. "Let him see the kid." Bucky hesitates for a moment then steps to the side, he doesn't go far. He sets a hand on Peter's shoulder and keeps his glare focused on Strange.

"Who's the kid?" Strange asks looking at him skeptically.

"Exactly," Bruce says.