AN: A side plot of my original story restart my heart. It's not necessarily mandatory to read that one to read this one. It just has some background information on my oc Sophia Maria Stark
Summary: just like there's multiple versions of Peter Parker, there's multiple universes of Sophia Stark and their story. From the original timeline to TASMA to Spider-Verse. This is a glimpse in each one of them
restart the multiverse
the amazing spider-man
earth #120701
"Mr. Parker! This isn't high school anymore. The next time you are late, I won't let you in." The professor's voice echoes in the large classroom as he begrudgingly sweeps the door wide open with a scowl.
Sophia's lips press into a hard thin line. Trying to muffle any laughter that escapes.
"Sorry, Professor Stark. There was just this thing with an old lady crossing the street, a very busy street mind you, and she was super old — practically crippled by age, and —"
"Seat, Parker. Now." Sophia's father interrupts with a pointed finger and glower. Tony eyes the hunched over Sophia Stark from his peripherals.
"Yupp. Got it. Thank you, sir." The tall, lanky brunette nods his head and shuffles towards the empty seat next to her own. Grey bag hitting into every desk and chair as Peter Parker tries to squeeze through the row of students.
"Sorry. Sorry." Peter winces when his foot comes in contact with someone else's chair.
Sophia looks away and goes back to typing notes on her laptop. Shifting in her seat so her brown curls hide her face and bites down on her bottom lip with a grin.
"Now as I was saying," Her dad starts up again once Peter pulls his chair back with a squeak. Effectively falling into an awkward, disheveled heap to her right.
"As modern engineering evolves, both with simulations and acute precision and our growing need to find the underlying errors and solutions for everything in this world — I highly advise anyone majoring in engineering to have an understudy of probability and statistics. With this section of the course you will find…"
Her dad, Professor Tony Stark, flips through another slide of his presentation. Eyes going back and forth from the PowerPoint to roaming the class in its entirety.
"Old lady?" Sophia hums. Curiosity rushing through her veins. She tilts her face in a way that keeps her view on her dad but the stranger at her side in the corners of her eye.
He pauses in his movements. Tip of his pencil tapping against the notebook haphazardly displayed before him.
"As a former boy scout, I felt obligated to help her." He quietly says. Pencil going back to its rushed movements and shoulders hunched over and head in his free hand. Blocking his face from her view.
"Is that so?" Sophia muses.
"You know how the saying goes. You can make the boy a man and take him out of scouts but not the scout out of the boy — er, man?" He jests with a wary smile and pinched brows at her from over his closed fist before burying his head back into his notes.
"Well, I know it's only the third day of class," Sophia whispers under her breath. Blue eyes flickering over to the boy next to her for a brief second; manicured fingers not once pausing as they flew across the keyboard. "But you're making a pretty memorable mark already."
His pencil stops mid scribble for just a moment before continuing on. Nodding his head twice to show he heard her. Sophia's interest in the boy peaks again. A sudden urge to get him to at least look at her burns deep inside.
She wants to hear what other awkward, tangled up garble of words he could string together. The first day of class Peter Parker tumbled inside the lecture hall with a bruised lip, crazed hair, and the buttons of his shirt put together out of order. At the time, there was only five minutes of class left.
His excuse then was helping a cat out the tree for a crying little girl and then falling out of it himself.
She did wonder what was the point of even attempting to show. If it was herself, and the professor wasn't her father, she would have strolled her happy self to the student cafe for pastries and caffeine instead.
The second day he did a bit better, she smiles to herself. Coming in when class was three-fourths of the way through. He probably got a good eighteen to twenty minute stare down from her father the rest of the lecture. That time, at least, he only had what looked to be bed-head and a bruised cheek. Clothes slightly wrinkled. The literal definition of looking like he rolled right out of bed and came straight to class.
He had said he was leading a study group from another class across campus and lost track of time. Tripping over his own feet and onto the sidewalk - hence the bruised cheek. He would have been here sooner if his bike didn't get stolen the night before.
Some way, somehow, Sophia knew they were terribly thought out lies. Amusing lies and stories she yearned to hear each and everyday she came to her morning class but lies nonetheless.
Today. The third day, Sophia's eyes roam over him slowly, he looks less like a member of a fight club and more like a college student who threw back too many shots of Jose Cuervo. Making it in time to only be fifteen minutes late. Almost a reasonable amount of late. So close to the acceptable five minute rule society put in place.
Although, to her dad, to be on time is to be late and to be early is to be on time.
Sophia drags her gaze over him once again. Taking in his wrinkled gray cardigan and ripped jeans. No bruise or cut in sight. Hair only slightly disheveled this time around.
Maybe not a Jose Cuervo drinker. Maybe a twisted tea or a cayman jack. Hopefully, worst case scenario, not a white claw or angry orchard drink.
"Class dismissed."
Sophia swiftly closes her laptop. Having not even realized she stopped typing notes a long time ago. Turning in her seat to face Peter.
"You know, Parker, you're gradually doing better." Sophia can't help but speak her thoughts out loud to the boy currently cramming papers into a barely held together bag at his feet.
"I am?" He pauses. Lifting his eyes to meet hers.
"Mhm. With each day you're doing better. Lessening the gap."
Peter slowly straightens up, wide brown eyes darting to her blue ones. Hands loosely holding the straps of his bag. "Thank you. I try." He takes a slow breath in and out.
"Did…Did you go to Midtown High?" He shoots her a puzzled look. Emotion flickering behind his eyes too fast for her to identify.
"No. No, I didn't. I went to private school." Sophia shakes her head and reaches out her hand with a teasing smile. "Oh, I'm Sophia by the way."
"Peter Parker." He lightly takes her hand in his. Fingers barely gripping onto her own. "But you knew that already."
Sophia drops her hand in her lap with a sheepish laugh. "Yeah, I do. But only because of the highly entertaining conversations da—Professor Stark and you have every class. Kind of hard to ignore."
"I look forward to them honestly." Sophia awkwardly looks away from his piercing gaze and starts putting her laptop away in her pink bag. "Trying to guess what your next excuse will be makes Monday and Wednesday morning a bit more bearable."
"Glad to be of service then." He mocks salutes. Standing from his chair. Taking a few steps back from her.
Sophia scrambles to her feet. Tossing her back strap over her shoulder. "That's why I said you're doing better. Because I like hearing the stories. They're fun. What I mean to say is that…" She trails off when she notices he lifts a brow at her. Head tilted and one foot already backed down on a step behind him.
Sophia deflates just a little. She started this conversation with so much finesse. How had she let it morph into this cringey pathetic hodgepodge of words?
She wishes the ground would just swallow her whole. Or better yet, that she could snap her fingers and blink out of existence.
"What I meant to say is," she sighs. Eyes downcast and heart pounding in her chest. "You actually weren't as late and since Professor Stark cut you off I never got to hear your full story. To see if my guess for today was correct or not."
"It's just a silly dumb bet I do to keep myself entertained. Don't worry about it. I shouldn't pry anyway. Sorry." Sophia waves her hand in the air to try and push the awkward tension away.
Now she's the awkward garbled mess, she inwardly winces. Taking a few steps to move around the frozen college student and down the small steps in the room. She just had to open her big mouth.
"There was an old lady walking with a cane. It might have been one of those sticks blind people use now that I think about it."
Sophia turns to look up at him. Fingers tugging at the ends of her curled brown hair. Hope swelling in her chest. "How old was she again?" She beams, eyes shining bright.
"Very old." The corners of his mouth tug upwards despite his efforts to keep a serious face. "Anciently old. Which is why I, Boy Scout at heart, came to her aid and walked her across the street even though she thought I was an attacker of the elderly."
Sophia holds back a snort. Fingers tightly gripping the straps of her bag in anticipation to hear the rest.
He takes a step down. Meeting her at the base level of the college course room. "I was worried she wouldn't be able to make it across such a busy street. The corner of Sixth Avenue and Downing Street. Have you heard of it?"
A light, joyful chuckle escapes her. "Yeah, my second favorite cafe is there."
"Second huh? What's the first?"
"The school cafe. Can't beat the convenience of it." Sophia takes a step backward and motions him to follow with a jerk of her head.
"If you have time, I'd love for you to join me at my second favorite cafe. Compare your story with the story I came up with as to why you're late." She tries not to let it show how desperately she wants him to take her offer.
How badly she wants a friend. Or how crushed she'd be if he said no. Sophia sucks in a puff of air while she waits with anxiety.
"Depends. Do they have anything other than pastries?" He follows behind her and she lets out the breath she's been holding.
"I know this sounds really weird for a cafe but they have really good chicken fajita burritos."
Peter opens the classroom door and motions for her to walk through with a sweep of his hand. "If I get food poisoning, I don't think I can trust anything you ever say again."
"Good thing I'm overly confident you will love them then." She winks as she walks by. Steps feeling lighter and lighter as they walk down the halls. Peter hovering behind her shoulder and towering over her. Head bobbing along to her crazy antics.
College is already going a lot better than high school.
Sophia looks at him over her shoulder. Throwing him a toothy grin.
coming soon
.
.
.
.
"So, I see you've found your Sophia."
"My what?" Miles' eyes widen and face flush. "No, no! It's not like — I mean what?"
"Your Sophia." Gwen shrugs. The hope that swelled inside her chest since coming back here has quickly turned to ashes. "There's always a Sophia."
"What do you mean there's always a Sophia? Like I always have a friend Sophia?" Miles' words drift to her, laced with confusion.
Sighing, Gwen places her chin in the palm of her hand. Overlooking the city before her. "You. Peter Parker. It doesn't matter. There's always a Sophia to pick up the pieces of Spider-Man and put him back together before they ride off into the sunset together."
She picks at the metal beneath her arms. Moving debris beneath her fingers in slow circular motions. "Then they go and live happily ever after. Every universe. Every time. It's Sophia Stark and Spider-Man. A match made in heaven. Some would even call them soul mates." Her tone takes on a dark, bitter edge.
She's met with silence. Nothing but the wind as a response.
end of chapter one ; the amazing spiderman
Hope I gathered some interest in this story. I plan to just cycle through all the different spider-men repeatedly until I run out of ideas. No real plan or plot at the moment.