(dated nov 1st) hey guys hey................

[spidermenaces]

Who: peter "baby spider" parker
Where: stem club, spider house, and i'll add as i think...
What: peter's back, peter's saying sorry, peter's giving back to the community, he's sorry........... i'll use this as my catch-all for the month of november, so i'll slowly be adding things to it! if anyone would like a closed thread, i'm all for it.
Warnings: none so far!

(a few hours after he gets his shit together, the following message pings:)

Hey guys... I'm sorry for, uh, like disappearing and all that 🥲🥲
Wasn't my intention at all
I can't explain what happened either 😣
I went back home, not dead ⚰️ That one I can explain, but very long and kinda confusing explanation, maybe another time
And uh I'm really sorry for worrying my friends

But I'm definitely here
Alive
A...mazingly so
Available 🫠
At anywhere if you want to see me
At mostly my place though and the STEM club room

Uh I might have missed a lot
So update me okay
And OH if you have anything broken that you want fixed 🛠️🔧🪛🔩
Or you know something you want to improve
Bring it to me free of charge

Comments

keep trying trying

[spidermenaces]

(listen, it's a lot for one person to go through what he just went through. it's a little too much. not only a lot has happened at home, but he hates the fact that his absence hurt the people he cares about. people who remember who he used to be. people he loves - the only people he has. he tries not to dwell, to keep going, keep moving, keep busy, things he now knows are simply how peter parkers tend to deal with things. just keep going forward.

but peter, right now, needs something simple. something nice, wholesome, stressfree. so, he has a little stand in city hall, tools by his side, and a sign that says:

I'LL FIX YOUR ELECTRONICS FREE OF CHARGE.

give him something.)

[nightwild]

[After she met Gwen, after the reset, Fauna has been periodically sending out search shikigami, just in case. She's pretty sure Peter's gone, but... Well, never hurts to be sure. Besides, it doubles as keeping an eye on the city- Maybe some monsters will show up. Better to be prepared.

Which means, as he's standing around, a little paper doll flies up to him, flies in circles around him for a bit, before zooming off again.

That's probably not as strange as the figure in armor and a fox-like mask suddenly floating down from above to see him.]

There you are. You're "Peter", right?

[spidermenaces]

OH God, what the hell--

(it's not dangerous, he doesn't have that feeling of impending doom bordering a heart attack that has all the hairs in his body stand, the dearest spider-sense, but it is weird enough that it is zooming, and he attempts to swat it as if it were a mosquito.

the rest is less weird. he does that all the time.)

... Yeah? Hi.

don't swing and text

[spidermenaces]

(but some things never change. he doesn't have his usual spidersuit, he'll need to make a whole new one, so it's the nanites that wrap around him once again. very weird to have this on after so long, and it hasn't even been that long! either way. he goes. he texts. he laughs. he gets distracted.

he hits his entire face on a tree.)

to spider people

[spidermenaces]

(a snowy evening in his falling apart apartment is the last thing that peter experienced in a world that doesn't remember him, right back to aldrip. a lot has happened since the last time he was here, fours years dead, back to life, fight aliens, lose people, lose himself, find himself, lose everything. 5 years dead, one alive, and it's been... so much.

he isn't sure what he feels when he gains consciousness on a bed he hasn't been in so long, two very familiar smells bringing both joy and a pang of--

what if they don't remember him, either? he has to rush. first stop is the stem club room, where he would assume both spiders would be. please, remember him, please, remember him, please, remember him...

once he arrives, his hair is a mess of curls in all directions, pants punctuating his breath, and he starts pacing before he makes it in.)

Hi, I'm Peter Parker, you guys might not remember me but I-- Nope, nope, scratch. Hi, I'm Peter Parker, do you guys need a hand?-- No, also weird, stop saying your name like that, don't be weird. Hi--

(please save him.)

[arachnerina]

[Day 32 without Peter. Gwen is...managing. It's hard to say if it's necessarily gotten easier, but she's trying, anyway. She's definitely still frustrated that they haven't really been able to make any progress with extracting the backup data. She has no idea if that will even bring Peter back, but it's at least a slimmer of hope that he can be brought back to her.

She still has all her friends, and well as another Peter Parker, that have all been amazing and supportive and given her the time she's needed to process her grief over the situation. But they've also been pushing her to keep her from isolating herself and to get to a somewhat normal routine again.

So here she is, at STEM, putting on a brave face and trying to pretend she doesn't still feel broken all over again, at Peter's insistence. She falls easily back into the rhythm they've made in the science room, and she's deep in concentration at tweaking her new webslinger (she...might've broken one of hers, during one of her denial periods that involved fighting a lot of monsters, oops), when she felt her spider-sense tingling. It was a familiar sensation, one she's somewhat gotten used to ignoring at times, because it told her another spider was nearby. And she had another spider nearby often.

Her first reaction was to glance across the workstation to Peter. But-- no. This wasn't Peter, but it was just as familiar. More familiar, even. It only took a moment more for her mind to catch up to the flips her heart was already doing, because she heard that voice---

She was on her feet in seconds, not even caring that the web device popped opened and webbing exploded everywhere across the whole workstation when she threw it down, because that was him. That was his voice. She hopped over the desk without a second thought and was at the door immediately. Her eyes landed on the figure in the hallway, and...she froze. She was almost unable to process what she was seeing. After thirty-two fucking days, here he was like-- no, something definitely happened. He looked... older? But that can't be, if he went home, he went home to die, but then how could he--

No, it didn't matter. Whatever it was, it didn't matter right now, because he was here.

She unfroze just in time to completely interrupt his speech rehearsal and threw her arms around him. A part of her honestly wondered if she was just seeing things (which, seriously wouldn't be surprising at this point), but no. She made contact with a solid person. He was really, really there.]

Peter! Oh-- oh my god-- you're back! You're really here! [She's still in too much shock and surprise by this, just wait until the emotions really kick in.]

[spideyguy]

[ Things have been...different, since Peter left.

As is only normal, Peter thinks, when someone exits your life. Things are never the same, afterwards; there's always this hole, where they used to be. Nothing can fill it, no matter what other light may enter - that's what people did. They carved out a place in your heart, and when they were gone, the hole remained. Which sounds tragic, when you think about it for too long, and for people like them who have lost over and over and over again - well, Peter's riddled like swiss cheese, and he knows Gwen's not much better. Such is their lot in the universe, apparently.

So things are different, but that's not to say that things are bad. It's fine. They did it - the world has returned to normal. They're trying to crack the code on the AI and getting nowhere, but they're okay. His spider sense has stopped ringing every ten minutes for the next glitchy ice storm, and that's something of a win - if that's as much as they're able to wrangle out of this whole thing, so be it. Gwen, too, is alright - more alright than anyone has any right to expect, but then, Peter never doubted she would be. They settle into their awkward routine, and Peter supports her where he can - and backs off, when his presence is doing more harm than good. Those days have been starting to become fewers and further between, which is another kind of victory.

Today, admittedly, Peter pushed. He thinks she's ready for it, and he knows she'd tell him to stuff it if she wasn't. The world keeps on turning even when it feels like it's completely off its axis - and unfortunately, the only way out is through. This, they both know from experience. So far, getting back to work has been alright. The other Peter's workstation remains untouched, just as he left it, but Gwen has focused in on her project, and doesn't seem to be dwelling over it too badly. Peter, for his part, has been trying to surreptitiously watch her, without making it obvious. Is he succeeding? Well, she hasn't clocked him, so Peter's going to count that as a net positive.

Peter feels something weird at the same time she does, but it's not something he's ever felt in a calm moment, so it instantly puts him on alert. His wariness is triggered again when Gwen throws her webshooter, exploding a web capsule over everything - it makes him jump, his own soldering instruments sticking defensively to his hands. ] Gwen, wh-

[ She's at the door in an instant, and Peter drops the tools in favor of swiping his own shooter from the workbench, slapping it onto his wrist as he moves up behind her. The weird ringing hasn't ended, and it doesn't until he sees - ]

Peter?!

text; un: mrmurasaki

[depressionnap]

glad you're safe

[It's all Vincent can manage to text. He does want to see Peter, to make sure in person that he is well, but the lingering guilt from what had been only a day or so ago prevents him from really going anywhere.

For now, this will just have to do.

At least Peter is alive. It is a relief, and he's certain Gwen must be happy.]

Re: text; un: mrmurasaki

[spidermenaces]

MISTER VALENTINE!!!! 😭😭😭 I missed you!!!

[depressionnap]

[Sweet. Typical of Peter. It makes him almost crack a smile.]

you were also missed
have you and gwen caught up yet

catch up date

[arachnerina]

[It had been an emotional whirlwind, to have Peter waltz back into STEM club. And it wasn't like nothing had happened, either-- it was evident a lot had happened. At the time, she had been too overwhelmed by his return to really comprehend everything that implied, nor was it the right opportunity to press him with questions and for details.

It wasn't just her and Peter that were excited to see him again, either. All their friends were quickly realizing he had returned, so he was getting hounded with love and relief from just about everyone he had interacted with, which was unsurprising. Everyone loved Peter, and everyone felt a hole in their hearts with him gone. That's just proof of how much he meant to everyone he met.

But finally-- finally, Gwen was able to drag him away from the cluster of well-wishers, and they took to the streets for their favorite activity: swinging.

They were both quiet, but that didn't mean they didn't both fall into right into sync, as they always had been as they flew through the city by web. It wasn't until they finally landed at their favorite spot, the tallest building in the city, that Gwen finally broke the silence. She cleared her throat as she settled at the roof's edge, legs dangling in the air.]

This must be a lot for you-- coming back after being away for so long. How're you holding up? [She has a million thoughts, and a million questions, but that seems to be the most innocent to start with. She knows he's been gone longer in his time than the time that passed for her, and it's obvious he's been through shit, but she doesn't want to press. She'd be lying, too, if she said she didn't fear what that meant for them, but she could settle for just having him back in her life, even if it meant they couldn't be together-- but she'd worry about that later. Right now...she just wanted to make sure he was okay.]

[spidermenaces]

(he didn't manage to tell her a whole not. not the whole story, not about everything, and there are key moments that he left out, it had been upsetting, and the last thing she needed was to be hit with more sorrow than she already was. to see aldrip again makes it all seem so dreamy now, a long memory, to be known and seen and recognized a surprise he isn't sure he'll get away from anytime soon.

it has been a tough year. for a second, he just focuses on the way the wind feels against his hair as the nanites release it on their trip. he can do that here. he could do that there, too, for a while. not great. everything is not great.

... which is the answer of the question she poses, once they're sitting and he's about to tell her the whole thing. all of it. the feelings, at least, haven't changed - if she can bear the fact he's a little different now.

perhaps now, they're more alike.)

... Not great, Gwen. It's... It's been like, such a long time? And it hasn't, because out of the six years I've been gone, five I was dead, so it's just... A lot. ... I lost a lot.

(god, he's going to cry for sure.)

[arachnerina]

[There's no judgement from her at his emotion. She's been broken for a long time, and he loved her, still. Hell, she honestly has barely been keeping it together, this past month. The amount of tears she's shed, even just today? Yeah, she definitely couldn't judge.

It breaks her heart even more, to see him like this. She doesn't want him to hurt, but she can't help but be relieved that he's alive.]

Peter-- I'm so sorry. [Ever since she first clung to him, she tried to hold herself back, to give him space until they could talk and figure things out, but now she can't help but edge closer to him and wrap her arms around him. Honestly, she needs it too-- maybe not as much as him, but still.]

Do you want to talk about it? If you're not ready-- it's okay. It always helped, when you got me to talk, so I just thought-- If you want, anyway. [god, why does she feel so nervous talking to him? It's still Peter. Even if he's been through literal hell and come back, it's still him. But she can tell he's different. He's gone through the shit that spiders tend to have to go to, and while it's not fair, she's not surprised, either.]

text; un: shades

[laserguy]

peter???

we're meeting now. i don't care where. a rooftop.

Re: text; un: shades

[spidermenaces]

Does that mean that
You don't care which rooftop
Or that like
You changed your mind about not caring 🤨🤨🤭

Missed you, Cyclops. I'm getting to our spot but I think you're gonna need a ride?

[laserguy]

it means that i'm going to kick your ass.

rooftop. and yes grab me. i'm outside of the arcade.

text; un: deadboydetective

[incorrigibles]

bloody hell, peter

i'd whack you on the head for worrying everyone like that if i wasn't so relieved

[spidermenaces]

I totally accept the whacking though
Super fair
I don't know why it took forever for me to come back

Hi, Charles!! 😊

[incorrigibles]

mate you've literally just come back here and apparently also back from the dead, and yeah i'm holding you to the promise to explain that later

i'm not gonna hurt you

gwen will kill me if i do that

but hey. real good to have you back

text; un: ushiromiya

[entreats]

[ Ange knows it's not Peter's fault, really. It's not anyone's fault but the fault of this dumb place, and the dumb way it goes about things. Did it really have to pull Peter away just at the wrong time?

But even though it's not his fault, rather than feeling relieved when she sees this message, she just feels weirdly hurt.

... ]

Good on you that you're not dead. In any way anymore. I guess.

[spidermenaces]

('i guess'. that's... not good. not good at all.

he gets it, though.)

Hey. How about we go for a burger? Gotta catch up, right?

text un: thegr8st

[garbagecanned]

Peter rite
ur the bf of Gwen or smth
if u r
she was worried sick

[spidermenaces]

Yeah that's definitely me unless she met another Peter which is a thing because this place has had a few Peters

... Yeah I know
I already apologized!!!

text; un: omega

[querulus]

wb nerd

[Yep, that's all the response you're getting, Pete. Quentin's happy to see you, really!]

[spidermenaces]

Hey, dude
Good to see you
Really really good to see you