"You guys actually have a barn?" Peter exclaimed, eyes wide with both surprise and joy. The large building before him stood sturdy and proud, and definitely smelled like a barn. There was a fenced off yard attached to the back of it, with a chicken coop nearby as well.
Dick laughed, patting Peter's shoulder. "Duh. I wasn't lying to you." he hummed good-heartedly, and approached the doors. Once he tugged open one of them, the two ventured inside.
The space was lit with strung up lights on cross beams and support columns that held up both the roof and the second story hayloft. There were many empty stalls, but when Peter walked up to the largest one in the back, he was absolutely delighted to be greeted by a real cow.
She was white with brown spots in various places, including across her eyes that looked like a mask. Funnily enough, it reminded him of the masks that the heroes in this universe wore.
"I see that you've met Batcow." Dick smiled, coming to stand next to Peter. The two leaned on the gate of the stall, looking at the cow with mutual feelings of admiration.
"Batcow?" Peter questioned, watching as the animal lazily lifted her head to look up at the two. She huffed her nose in their direction.
"Mhm. Damian named her, he's a big fan of Batman." Dick responded. Peter thought about that for a moment. Just another thing about the kid that was surprising. First animals, and now he's a superhero fan?
"That's.. Really sweet, actually." he smiled, resting his head on his arms as he continued to just observe Batcow.
Dick pulled away after a few moments, looking around the barn with his hands on his hips. "Y'know, Alfred should be around here somewhere."
"Alfred? But wasn't he inside?"
"Yeah, I'm not talking about that Alfred." Dick snickered, shaking his head. "I'm talking about the cat."
Peter paused, turning and looking at Dick with a raised brow and an amused smile. "...there's a cat named Alfred?"
Dick nodded, continuing to scan the barn from his spot. Peter joined him in searching, but instead of staying planted in one place, he started walking around. The teen peeked into the stalls, looked behind bales of hay, and even peeked outside to the fenced in yard.
"He might be up in the hayloft." Dick announced when Peter stepped back inside. The man was looking up toward said space, squinting in thought. "I don't know where they keep the ladder to get up there- the barn was put here after I had moved out already."
"...I mean, why don't we just climb up?" Peter suggested, mimicking Dick's posture and placing his hands on his hips while he looked for the easiest path up. "It can't be that hard."
"Be my guest, but I don't wanna get any splinters." Dick snickered, shaking his head. "I can give you a boost, though?"
"Nah, I've got this." Peter hummed confidently, walking up to the junction where a column met a gate. Making sure that the gate itself was locked, he climbed on top of the wood and held onto the column.
Alright, Peter. You can't make this too obvious. He mentally reminded himself as he started his climb. If he was alone out here, he would have scaled the column in seconds thanks to his spider-abilities.
Unfortunately, he had an audience. So instead he took his time, finding footholds and handholds to pull himself up with. What should have taken five seconds ended up taking a whole minute, but when he pulled himself up onto the hayloft, he breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Impressive, Pete!" Dick called from the ground floor, shooting the teen a big smile and two thumbs up. "You're looking for a black cat that looks like it has socks on."
"Got it." Peter called back, starting to slowly and carefully walk around the second story hayloft. It was much darker up here, but luckily for him, he had a supercomputer in his ear.
"Hi, Peter. I'm picking up a heat signature asleep to your left."
Peter nodded subtly. It was a form of thanks that wouldn't be questioned by Dick, unlike if Peter had chosen to say thank you.
The teen moved carefully, feet making no sound. His borrowed shoes were a size too big, but the thick socks that Alfred had provided helped fill the extra space in front of his toes. The shoes themselves were a rusty red pair of converse with sharpie drawings all over the soles and toe.
Creeping around a large stack of wooden crates, Peter was quietly delighted to find a black and white cat sleeping in the sun rays peeking through a boxy window. He could hear the purring from where he stood.
"Dick," he whisper-yelled, walking to the low-fenced edge of the catwalk. "I found Alfred, he's asleep up here."
Dick paused, but then quickly nodded in understanding. "Come down, then. I don't wanna disturb him." he suggested, taking a few precautionary steps toward the columns in case Peter fell. "Be careful."
"Pfffsh, please. Careful is my middle name." He rolled his eyes, stepping over the low fence that acted as the railing of the catwalk. First, he lowered into a crouch. Then, once he had his hands confidently gripping the edge of the wood, he hopped and let his legs fall until he was dangling from the edge.
His converse hit the ground a second later, and he turned to Dick with a smile. "Told you."
"Yeah, yeah." Dick rolled his eyes, reaching over and dusting off Peter's shoulders. "..hey, what is your middle name, anyways?"
At first, Peter wanted to immediately lie. Giving them too much information could only lead to disaster. But was his middle name really that detrimental?
"Benjamin. I was named after my uncle." He smiled, and Dick gave him one in return. They continued to speak as they exited the barn together.
"I like that. Mine is Johnathan." Dick huffed, rolling his eyes as he pushed the barn door shut. "Way common, am I right?"
"Hey, so is Benjamin. There's nothing wrong with that, I like your middle name." Peter complimented, continuing their exploration of the property.
In the distance, he could see the sloping walls of the property. He had already seen them before, on his first day here. It gave him a sense of just how big the property actually was. He could see the walls on one end, but not the other.
"Whatever you say." Dick shrugged, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "...you like running?"
"You could say that." Peter hummed, already having a guess as to where this conversation was going.
"Wanna race?" Dick suggested, stopping in his tracks. Peter joined him, looking out at the distance. The perfectly manicured grass of the Wayne's expansive back lawn would be an even texture to run on.
"Sure, but no guarantees that I'll go easy on you." Peter joked, earning a snicker from Dick. "Where's the finish line?"
"The wall on the other side- three two one GO– " Dick's last few words were rushed, and as soon as he got the word "go" out, the man had taken off, sprinting across the yard.
Peter laughed, caught off guard by his eagerness. He of course did not let that stop him from giving chase, and in no time he was even with the man.
When Dick glanced over and spotted Peter, the surprised expression on his face was priceless. He almost wished that he had a camera. It made Peter laugh, shaking his head and pushing his calves to go further.
Gradually, Peter's steps became greater than Dick's, and his speed picked up bit by bit until he had passed the man completely. In the distance, the wall that he previously couldn't see was coming into view.
He could have sworn that he heard Dick say "Holy shit–" under his breath, and part of Peter got nervous. Maybe he shouldn't be running as fast as he could. Dick was a trained cop, after all, and was extremely fit.
But Peter was also not going to give up when victory was in sight.
The race ended with Peter sliding to a stop, placing his hands on the wall for extra help in stopping fully. He breathed heavily, feeling his heart thumping against his chest in a satisfying overdrive.
Unlike his previous panics that made his heart beat fast, this kind of speed was welcomed. This kind of rush felt so much better than the rush of panic. This rush was the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Dick joined him seconds later, slowing to a jog and standing a few feet to Peter's right. He too was breathing heavily, and had a stupid big grin on his face.
"Did you do track or something? Dude, that was so cool!" Dick declared, and despite Peter's humbled glances to the side, he continued. "You're way fast! I mean- not like, The Flash fast, but you're fast !" he chuckled, shaking Peter's shoulders excitedly.
"Okay, okay!-" Peter laughed, playfully shoving Dick off. "Lay off! I'm fast, sure." he shook out his arms, the waves of adrenaline slowly starting to wane off the longer he stood still. "I never did track, no. It's probably genetic."
"Genetic my ass." Dick huffed playfully. "That's talent, kid. If you decide to go to Gotham Prep, they've got a great track program that you would enjoy." they started walking back toward the manor as they spoke. "Maybe you could even convince Cass or Tim to join you."
"Tim? Running ?" Peter snorted, rolling his eyes at the mental image that came to mind. "Yeah, right. I doubt he can even pick up a textbook without complaining about the weight." he teased, looking down at the grass as they walked. "He's all brains."
"Don't let him hear you say that." Dick hummed. "But you're kinda right. Tim's stronger than he lets on, but that's because he is smarter than he is stronger." The man paused speaking for a moment as a light lit up behind his eyes. "You and him can be our resident nerds."
"I'm sorry, your resident what?" Peter almost stuttered, giving Dick a semi-offended glance.
"Resident nerds! You and Tim are both smart as hell, so you're nerds." Dick grinned, looking proudly forward.
"You don't know if I'm smart or not." Peter pointed out, giving Dick a light shove that made the man slightly stumble. Okay, maybe it wasn't light.
Ever since crawling out of the harbor, Peter's strength output had been thrown way off. It was harder to keep control of it, which didn't make much sense. Had he gotten stronger? Could crossing universes do that to someone?
Dick recovered as fast as he had been pushed aside, not mentioning the stumble at all. "I heard you and Bruce talking about your old school. Midtown sounds like a nerd school."
"It's not a nerd school." Peter rolled his eyes. "It's a school of science and technology."
"So nerd school."
"Oh screw off–"
The two fell into a contained fit of laughter as they walked up the steps of the back door. Maybe it was the leftover adrenaline buzzing through his bones, or maybe it was the laughter, but something made the back of his neck light up.
Peter tingle, the teen thought abruptly. His laughter faltered, but he recovered before Dick could even think something was wrong.
Hevery quickly realized why the Peter Tingle had been set off, though. When Dick pulled open the door, and the two started walking toward the kitchen, that feeling of danger, danger, DANGER became more pronounced than it had since Thanos .
Something in the kitchen was as dangerous as Thanos.
Something in the kitchen could likely kill Thanos.
Peter had to swallow his fear. Him and Dick rounded the corner and entered through the archway, where they were greeted by the presence of Alfred and an unfamiliar man.
He was tall- taller than Bruce. Maybe even more muscular. His hair was short and black, with a stark white chunk of white right on his hairline. His skin, despite being pale and clear, was covered in little knicks, cuts, and scars. They littered his face, his neck, and his arms.
He had on a black t-shirt and equally dark jeans, alongside scuffed combat boots. A brown leather jacket had been thrown over the back of one of the chairs in the breakfast nook. A red motorcycle helmet sat on the breakfast nook table. Peter had to assume both items belonged to the new man.
When he turned and faced Peter, the teen held his breath involuntarily. Green eyes met green, and it was like a tidal wave had crashed against a cliff. Within seconds, every feeling of danger completely disappeared from Peter's body.
It was uncanny, and left him feeling dizzy. He held strong, however, and studied the man like a book. He was dangerous, and now he's not. What changed when he saw me?
"Jason!" Dick greeted with a big smile. He approached the man with open arms for a hug, only to get playfully shoved aside. Jason huffed, rolling his eyes and shooting Dick a seemingly playful glare.
"Fuck off, Dick-" he grumbled, eyes meeting Peter once more. "...hey. Bruce called, but I couldn't make it until now." he paused, watching Peter like a hawk.
"..yeah, I think they mentioned you." Peter eventually responded, feeling extremely small standing in the room with him. "I'm–"
"Peter Parker. I know, they filled me in." Jason huffed, sitting down at the island counter. He gave off an air of annoyance and hostility, but with the way that Dick was acting, Peter for some reason doubted that Jason would be hurting anyone. At least, right now.
But he had definitely wanted to. He had been ready to fight Peter until he had seen him for the first time.
"Oh." Peter responded quietly. He hesitated, but crossed the room after a moment, pulling a water bottle from the fridge and twisting the cap open. Running around outside paired with this had left his throat dry.
Alfred glanced between the two, giving Jason a quiet look. I told you, Young Peter is no threat to be concerned about, is what he would have said if Peter was not in the room. Instead, he settled for communicating silently.
Jason froze under Alfred's scrutiny, glancing over to Peter. Even with the teen's back turned, it wasn't hard to tell just how nervous he was. What am I supposed to do? I can't make someone NOT scared of me, that's kind of the opposite of what I do, is what Jason wanted to say.
Tim was terrified of you once, and now you're closer than the grass is to the soil. Say something before I do, Alfred's eyes shifted to Peter once more.
I don't even know what I would say anyways, go for it, Jason rolled his eyes, leaning back and crossing his arms and looking away with a frustrated scowl.
"Peter, have you had a chance to look through Master Bruce's novel collections yet?" Alfred asked, grabbing Peter's attention. He looked over, leaning against the door of the fridge.
"No, not yet," he hummed, glancing down at the water. "It would be cool, though. Does he have a lot?"
"Does he?" Jason chimed in sarcastically, sharing a glance with Alfred. "Kid, Bruce has just about every book on the damn face of the Earth."
"..oh yeah?" Peter looked over to Jason. "...I bet he doesn't."
The man on the barstool paused, glancing one more time at Alfred. Then, he met Peter once more with a little smirk. "Wanna test that?"
Something ignited in Peter's chest at the playful challenge, and he found himself smiling. "...yeah, yeah I do wanna test that."
Twenty minutes later, Dick, Jason, and Peter were standing in the largest library of the Manor. Peter was in awe, walking between shelves and running his hands along the spines of books. They were all organized, and most were in impeccable condition. Others looked like they were barely being held together.
"Name any book, and I bet he has it. Either in here, or in one of the other rooms." Jason challenged, standing at one of the three wooden tables. The spaces looked like they would be great for studying, and Peter could quite literally imagine Duke, Cass, and Tim sitting around one doing their homework together.
" Any book?" Peter hummed, glancing at a complete collection of written word by Tennessee Williams.
"Any book." Jason confirmed. "I know these books like the back of my hand. If he has it, I can find it for proof."
"We'll start easy then." Peter snickered. "To Kill a Mockingbird?"
"Pfft- c'mon, anything but that. "
"Fine, fine… Pride and Prejudice?"
"Oh, kid. Kid you don't even know what door you've just opened."
When Bruce got the text from Tim that the lab results were in, he was in the middle of a meeting. Needless to say, he left early. Because when you're the owner of an entire company, you can leave whenever you damn well please.
Did he drive home needlessly fast? Sure. Did he almost forget to turn off the car when he parked? Maybe. But is that really important at the moment?
Upon entering the Manor, Bruce was greeted by Cassandra, Duke, and Tim all huddled in the foyer looking at Tim's phone.
"Tim? Cass? What are you doing?" he asked with some skepticism, taking off his jacket and hanging it in the nearby mud closet.
"We're trying to figure out a way to get into the.. Office." Duke explained, glancing up at Bruce before back down at Tim's phone. When Bruce stepped closer to get a better look, he saw the feed from the Manor's security systems displayed on the screen.
"...and why can't you just go in like normal?"
"Because Jason is home, and he and Peter are running around like wild animals looking for books." Tim grumbled, obviously not too happy with the current situation. "I think they're playing some game, but they've been in and out of the study twice since we've come home. We don't know when they'll go in again."
Bruce processed the information for a few seconds. Jason had come home, and seemingly, was already getting along great with Peter. That was fantastic news! But whatever game they were playing was inconvenient.
"Have you tried texting Jason and telling him to keep Peter somewhere?"
"He never responds to me, Cass' phone is dead, and Duke is pretty sure Jason blocked him."
Bruce sighed heavily, rubbing a hand across his face. "Right. Of course." he shut his eyes, internally counting to ten. "...where are they currently?"
"Third floor library, but they've been in there for a while. I think they're gonna come back down soon." Tim replied, tilting the screen for Bruce to see better.
"...You three are trained vigilantes. You can't just sneak around him?" Bruce asked with a lowered volume, giving the teens a testy brow raise.
Duke smiled sheepishly and glanced away. "I mean, yeah , but what if they caught us? Jason is the type to point us out, even if it means risking exposing us."
"Duke's right, Jason's an asshole." Tim snorted. "And before you get on me for my language, they just left the library and are headed back downstairs."
The minutes felt like they dragged forever as the four waited in tense anticipation for where Jason and Peter would end up next.
"..is that Dick following them?"
"Yeah, put your glasses on." Tim snuffed.
"Text your brother and tell him to keep them occupied away from the study." Bruce deadpanned. For his children to be so intelligent, they sometimes lacked critical thinking skills.
He noticed the way that the three teens immediately froze in place, sharing glances of oh, yeah that's also an option. Duke hesitantly pulled his phone from his pocket, fingers flying. On the screen, the others watched as Dick pulled out his own phone upon receiving a notification.
Dick Grayson
Duke ; hey dick can you try holding jay and peter in one room? we need to get into the bc
Dick ; Oh sure :D ! We're going to the second floor archive rn so have fun ! :))
Duke ; thanks d :)
"They're gonna stay in the archive for as long as Dick can keep them there." Duke informed everyone else. Almost immediately, Tim was pocketing his phone, and the group was making their way toward the first floor study.
"You three were really making this much harder on yourselves than necessary." Bruce hummed, an air of playfulness in his tone.
"Oh, come off it." Cass signed with an angry eye roll. "We did what we could."
"You could have also asked for Alfred's help." The man of the house reminded them, and they silently entered the study. Duke shut the door behind everyone while Bruce turned the hands of the grandfather clock.
Seconds later, the clock slid. After confirming their identities with their hands on a scanner next to the hidden door, the four descended down into the cave with the clock gliding back into place behind them.
"Yeah, yeah." Tim huffed, and once they made it to the bottom of the stairs, he took off toward the Batcomputer.
Bruce chuckled, watching Duke and Cassandra follow their brother with excitement in their steps. The three teens crowded around the keyboard, and Tim stared at the screen as he typed. By the time Bruce arrived at the computer, Tim was pulling up the results.
As expected, there were no records anywhere on the globe that had this DNA, which meant that they weren't any closer to figuring out where Peter really came from. They could, however, see the composition of his DNA.
"If Peter is a meta, this is how we'll know." Tim hummed, putting Peter's results to one side of the screen, and a control sample on the other side so that they could compare. The differences were immediately evident.
"...what's that?" Duke asked, pointing to a large discolored strand. "That's not normal, right?"
"That's not human. " Bruce remedied, a frown etching onto his features. He was glad that they found Peter quickly. If there was an unaccounted for Meta in Gotham… well he wouldn't know what to think.
"What is it then?" Duke rolled his eyes, pressing on. "Is he some kind of alien? Maybe Kryptonian?"
"No, Kryptonian DNA looks much different than this." Tim hummed, brows pinching together as he thought.
"You would know all about Kryptonian DNA being different."
"Don't make fun of your brother for his romantic tastes." Bruce shot Cassandra a warning glare, and the girl just snickered quietly behind her hands.
"It's arachnid." Tim said after a few more moments, staring up at the screen. "And the discoloration? That's radiation."
"I'm sorry- Radiation? " Duke blanched, staring up at the screen once more with wide eyes. "Like, nuclear stuff?"
"Yeah." Tim mumbled, staring up at the screen. "...I'm surprised it hasn't eaten away at his cells from the inside out. Peter shouldn't be alive right now with how much is in his system."
"It's like he's a conductor…" Bruce commented quietly. "...is he producing radiation?"
"No, I think we'd be able to tell." Tim glanced offhandedly to Duke, then up to his father, then back to the screen. "...look at that."
Tim expanded an image on the screen. It was from one of the many high-grade microscopes that they had in the lab. Most of which had the capability to see things the size of cells or smaller. The part that he had expanded upon was the chemical components that weave together the double-helix shape of DNA.
"...that's dead matter."
" Was dead matter." Tim corrected Bruce. "It's not dead anymore."
"So he's not human." The voice of Damian Wayne grabbed the attention of everyone, who turned to look at the boy standing across the cave at the bottom of the stairs. He had his arms crossed across his school uniformed torso, and a deep glare in his eyes.
Bruce steeled himself, standing up a bit straighter. "Not entirely, no." he pulled away from the group gathered at the Batcomputer, and started approaching his youngest. "Which is why I'm glad he's here, where we can keep an eye on him."
"I told you he was strange."
"I know, Damian."
"I told you that we shouldn't trust him. You have a rule against his kind."
"There are exceptions, remember? Like your brother, and the Kents when they visit."
"Why should he be given an exception when we don't even know him. "
Bruce paused a few yards from Damian, frowning softly. His youngest had always been touchy, especially when it came to inviting new members to the Manor. But this transition with Peter just kept getting worse and worse.
"I will not sit complacent while a threat is walking free above us." Damian's glare hardened, and before anyone could reach him, he was running back up the stairs.
" Shit– Damian!-" Bruce shouted after him, immediately giving chase. Every terrible scenario came to mind: Damian fighting Peter and winning. Even worse, Damian fighting Peter and losing .
By the time Bruce made it into the study, the door had already been flung open, and he could hear his youngest's footsteps gradually getting further and further away. "Damian!-" he shouted, trying to stop the boy with his words.
Bruce wasn't sure what he would do if another one of his children ended up hurt.
"Dude, I think you're just making this up." Jason scoffed, flipping through the old-fashioned cardboard catalog kept in the main library with every book that they owned. "There's no such thing as a book called The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. "
"I'm telling you, there is! I've read it so many times!" Peter insisted, sitting on the nearest table criss-cross, holding his ankles in his hands. "The author is Kate DiCamillo!"
"DiCamillo is a science fiction author." Jason shot the kid a playful glare. "Why would she write a novel about a porcelain rabbit doll?"
"It's a story about growth , Jason. About bettering yourself through your experiences with different people. Like I said, the rabbit doll goes from some rich prude to a really sweet guy!"
"Mhm, I totally think that you're telling me the truth–"
Both boys were cut off by the door to the library being shoved open. Peter smiled. "Dick! Took you long enough to go piss, did you get lost trying to find your own–" he was cut off by the sight of Damian rounding a bookshelf, dangerous glare trained on Peter.
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he held his breath for a moment. "...bathroom."
" You have been lying to us." Damian declared, taking slow, calculated steps toward Peter. Jason dislodged himself from the outdated organization system, standing up a bit straighter as his brows pinched together with confusion.
"...Damian, what are you–"
"Shut up, Todd. This doesn't concern you. "
Jason paused, glare forming on his own features. "Hold on now, kid. What's happening–"
"You aren't human ." Damian seethed through his own gritted teeth, pointing an accusing finger toward Peter. The teen hopped off of the table, moving behind it to put some distance between himself and the surprisingly threatening kid. "There's something wrong with your DNA."
"...I don't know what you're talking about, Damian-" Peter tried to argue, but had to jump back on instinct and surprise when the kid lunged over the table. Peter's eyes widened, and suddenly Karen was beeping in his ear.
"Without your suit, I can't do much to assist you other than track your opponent's moves."
But I don't want to fight this kid– Peter frantically thought, taking quick steps backwards. Just as he was about to bump into a bookshelf, he turned and pivoted, dodging a surprisingly accurate punch.
"Damian I don't–"
"You're some spider freak– and we don't even know where you came from!-" Damian shouted, making a deadly turn and turning around Peter, aiming for the back.
It was a great thing that Peter's senses were so damn refined. If they weren't, then he would have been on the ground.
"Dames–" Jason said through gritted teeth, moving to grab his little brother. "Kid, you gotta stop–"
The doors to the library were thrown open, and Bruce's frantic and frustrated voice grabbed the attention of everyone except for Damian himself.
" Damian Wayne– " The man yelled, stopping in his tracks as he watched the scene play out before himself.
Peter moved automatically, like a finely tuned machine. Every dodge, weave, duck, and step was carefully calculated in less than a second in his mind. Turn, duck, turn, two steps, go left, no fuck go right–
"You don't belong here!-" Damian shouted, and suddenly, made a move that even Peter's senses couldn't accurately predict in time.
A well placed kick to the side of the knee sent Peter teetering to his side. He came dreadfully close to crashing into the nearest table. But like instinct, his arms shot up.
Stupid muscle memory I don't have my–
Air rushed past Peter's ears as he hoisted himself up on something thin, but strong and stringy. He was lifted off of his feet, leaving a startled Damian, a wide eyed Bruce, and a jaw-dropped Jason standing below him.
Peter's hands were flat on the ceiling, and he panted, opening up his eyes and looking down at the three. Suspended above them, he noticed the rest of the house slowly gathering at the door, peering inside. Their eyes searched, and when they spotted Peter, hanging from the roof, they all paused.
Slowly, Peter looked up, freezing when he saw exactly what had pulled him all the way up to the ceiling of the tall library.
Webs.