(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

[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?!

[spidermenaces]

(the nagging fear of being forgotten here too. it's not like he's completely erased, people remember spider-man, which is still a win in his book, but he isn't just spider-man. he had a person with a family, with dreams and a future, people around him who knew what his favorite snack was and how he liked his sandwiches pressed. all that is gone, and he poured all his life into his super-hero condition, because what else is there? suddenly, the words peter spoke in the lab resonated more than ever.

no time for peter parker stuff. he doesn't even know what that is anymore, but it's exactly because of that that he feels a wave of relief coursing through his body when he hears his name, feels gwen's arms around him and the smell of stem hits his nose. relief, joy, perhaps another emotion of pure comfort that he isn't sure how to name. even the explosion doesn't do much to take him out of this state, embracing her and sucking in a breath because his eyes sure are watering.)

H-hey guys. I'm, uh, back.

(nevermind the sniff, and nevermind the fact that he shoots a web towards peter to pull him too for the hug, because this man deserves one. god, he is OWED one.)

[arachnerina]

[Having the second Peter pulled into the hug only made it that much better. Gwen really didn't know where she'd be with him. He's one of the people that helped her stay sane the past month. She squeezes them both a little tighter, before she finally pulls away, having to stop and rub the tears from her eyes.]

Peter, what-- what happened? Where did you go? It's been a month, I thought you died, or went back to your home and died, or-- I don't know. Something bad. I've been worried sick, you look like hell, and what do you mean, we might not remember you?? As if I could forget you, dork--

[Gwen's been quiet as hell for a month, so apparently all the words she was holding back are coming out all in a flood, now.]

[spideyguy]

Where the hell have you been?

[ Peter's tone is incredulous, surprised in his exclamation, but he doesn't fight being pulled into the hug - even if, admittedly, it's unexpected. He's not close with anyone besides May, anymore, and it shows in the awkward way he wraps an arm around the other Peter's shoulder, his other arm slinging at Gwen's waist, so as not to get in the way of the two of them. Still, after a beat, some of his tension relaxes. If there's anyone he can learn to be comfortable around, it's these two.

Gwen goes off on an absolute barrage, more than Peter or anyone has really been able to get out of her since the other Peter disappeared, and it's honestly kind of a relief. Peter finds himself smiling, slowly, releasing them from the hug but keeping a hand on the other Peter's shoulder to squeeze it, firmly, as if to prove he's really there. ] Like dude, we looked for you everywhere. You and Shinji were just - gone.

[ And Shinji still isn't back - or wasn't, last Peter checked. ]