C391 Spider-Man (Patreon)
Content
Peter Andrew Parker descended down the stairs, his presence immediately capturing everyone's attention. He took off his mask, revealing his face, and greeted the group with a warm smile. "Hey, I hope you don't mind that I let myself in... I’m Spider-Man, obviously. But my friends just call me Peter."
Everyone, except Peter, stared at Andrew in shock, not expecting yet another Spider-Man to appear.
“How many Peter’s are out there?” May muttered in disbelief.
MJ's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Prove it," she said, crossing her arms. "Prove that you're really Spider-Man."
Andrew raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by the demand. "Uh, how do you want me to do that?"
MJ grinned mischievously. "Get on the ceiling. That's something only Spider-Man can do."
Andrew chuckled, thinking she was joking. "Come on... You're messing with me, right?"
But the expectant stares from the group made it clear that they were serious. Even Peter remained silent, as he found the idea rather amusing.
Andrew sighed, realizing there was no way out of this. He shot a web at the ceiling and effortlessly hoisted himself up, hanging upside down.
MJ nodded her head, a satisfied smirk forming on her lips. "Not bad. Now crawl around."
Andrew's eyes widened in surprise. "Seriously? You want me to crawl on the ceiling?"
MJ nodded, her expression unyielding. "Yep. Do it."
Andrew shook his head in disbelief but complied nonetheless. He crawled across the ceiling, his movements smooth and graceful, as if he had done it a thousand times before. He landed back on his feet, a smirk of triumph on his face.
"There you have it," Andrew said, a tiny hint of annoyance in his voice. "Happy now?"
May approached Andrew, a warm smile on her face. "Welcome to the team, Peter."
Andrew chuckled. "Thanks. But you can just call me by my middle name, Andrew. We've got enough Peters in the room already."
Peter walked over and extended his hand. "It's good to have you here."
Andrew shook Peter's hand firmly. "Likewise. This is definitely a unique situation we find ourselves in."
Ned approached, a wide grin on his face. "Dude, this is amazing! We're building a Spider-Army!"
Andrew laughed, his eyes holding a hint of worry. "Yeah, it looks like it..." He couldn’t help but wonder what could call for the assembly of so many Spider-Men?
Seeing that everyone greeted the new arrival, Peter finally found the chance to ask something that’s been on his mind. “Uh, Andrew, I don’t know how to ask this, so I’ll just go ahead and spit it out. Is Gwen alive in your universe?”
Instantly, the room went silent as everyone wondered why Peter was asking such a question and who was Gwen?
“Wait...” Andrew muttered as his eyes widened. “Your voice sounds familiar.” He uttered as realization began to set in.
“So it is you.” Peter smirked. “It’s good to see you again... out of your body, of course.” He clarified, which only furthered everyone’s confusion.
“Can someone please explain what’s going on?” Ned asked what everyone else was thinking.
Andrew was more than happy to explain, gesturing to Peter. “This guy came to my universe and somehow took over my body-”
MJ immediately interrupted him. “And that’s a good thing?” She asked, eying Peter weirdly.
“I wasn’t so sure at first, but after he helped me save my girlfriend’s life and took down two very powerful bad guys, I couldn’t really complain... Besides, he left once everything was taken care of.” Andrew explained as he turned to Peter. “Thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am for your help.”
“No problem.” Peter nodded his head. “So, did you cure your friend or is he still... you know.”
“Yeah,” A complicated smile graced Andrew’s lips. “Harry is back to normal. Gwen even managed to cure his Retroviral Hyperplasia, so not only is he not a crazed Goblin anymore, he’ll also live a long and healthy life.”
“I can see a but coming along somewhere in there.” Peter guessed.
“He still hates me.” Andrew revealed with a heavy sigh. “We may have cured him, but he still blames me for a few things. His current imprisonment being one of them.”
“Well, that’s life, I guess.” Peter couldn’t help but shrug. “Sometimes people are sh*tty, no matter how much you try to help them.”
“I guess...” Andrew muttered in agreement.
Pushing the sad stuff to the side, Peter continued. “So, did you end up moving to London?” He asked, knowing he planned to follow Gwen to her University.
“Yeah,” Andrew nodded. “It’s actually a lot easier over there. Gun laws and all that. Don’t get me wrong, they still have guns, but it’s infinitely fewer than America. There are a lot of knives though...”
At this point, everyone was listening to Peter and Andrew catch up, still a bit surprised at the fact they knew each other. Especially Tom, who was beginning to feel a bit inferior to his other self.
Peter seemed to be doing a far better job than him. From the few things he’s heard, such as finding a way to give powers to his loved ones or his past multiverse travel, Tom just couldn’t seem to stack up against him.
And although he shouldn’t mind, as everyone is different, Peter looked exactly like him, making their lives seem much closer in comparison.
As he stared at his counterparts back, Tom couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Am I a good Spider-Man?’
—————————————
A man in his early twenties slept in a puddle of garbage juice in a New York City alleyway. With short, messy blonde hair, his appearance would harbor a deceptive charm if not for his current predicament. Even his clothes were torn as if he had just gone through one hell of a fight, though his skin didn’t hold a single blemish.
[Insert picture of Eddie Brock from Spider-Man 3 here]
Eddie’s eyes fluttered open, squinting against the harsh sunlight that filtered through the towering buildings. His head throbbed, and his body ached as he pushed himself up from the dirty concrete of the alleyway.
Confusion clouded his mind as he tried to recall how he had ended up in this unfamiliar place. He shook his head, attempting to clear the fog that shrouded his thoughts, but the memories eluded him.
‘The last thing I remember is...’ Eddie froze as he recalled the horrifying experience of exploding. “I’m... alive?” He muttered in shock as he check over his entire body, finding all of his appendages in the right place.
Staggering to his feet, Eddie scanned his surroundings, taking in the bustling streets of New York City. The sights and sounds were familiar, yet strangely different. People hurried past him, seemingly uncaring or unaware of his presence.
"What the hell is going on?" Eddie muttered to himself, his voice laced with frustration and annoyance.
He reached up to rub his temples, only to find something amiss. His fingers grazed against the cold, smooth surface of the symbiote peaking out of his skin. Venom had somehow followed him, a twisted companion that seemed to thrive off his darkest desires.
[Insert picture of Venom here (The one from the Venom movies)]
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" a passerby exclaimed, jolting Eddie out of his thoughts.
He realized he had unconsciously walked in the middle of the sidewalk, lost in his own bewilderment. People cast him irritated glances before seeing the pitch black monster with razor sharp teeth attached to half of his face. Giving him fearful looks, they paced away, not willing to risk their lives.
Eddie scowled, his eyes narrowing with an air of menace. “That right... You better keep walking.”
Venom's voice echoed in his mind, the symbiote reveling in the fear of those around him, eyeing them like the tastiest food. "Eyes, Lungs, Pancreas... So many snacks, so little time." Venom purred, amusement lacing its sinister tone.
“I’ll find you someone to eat later...” Ignoring the symbiote's hunger, Eddie focused on the task at hand.
Finding his bearings and discovering the reason behind his odd predicament was at the top of his priorities right now. Stalking through the city streets, his predatory instincts guiding him towards the familiar scent of trouble, he soon found something interesting.
As Eddie turned a corner, he stumbled upon a storefront with a large television screen displaying news headlines. Curiosity got the better of him, so he inched closer.
The news anchor's voice blared from the screen, reporting on a recent event that had shaken the city. "In a shocking turn of events, Peter Parker, our resident Spider-Man, has saved the day yet again..."
Eddie's heart skipped a beat as he heard the name. Peter Parker. The rival he had despised, the one who had always stolen his spotlight.
After the new anchor spoke, videos of Peter and Tom defeating Green Goblin and Doc Ock played, though the public seemed to think they were the same person.
And although Tom wore his mask, Peter didn’t.
“What the...” He muttered in disbelief. ‘That’s not Peter.’
"Peter..." Venom growled lowly, his voice barely audible amidst the chaos of the city.
The realization hit both of them like a freight train. This wasn't their universe. Somehow, they had been thrust into a separate world, a place where Spider-Man was a known figure, and his own identity as Venom remained a hidden secret.
A malicious grin tugged at the corners of Eddie's mouth, Venom reveling in the chaos that lay ahead. "Oh, Eddie, my dear host," Venom hissed, its voice dripping with sadistic delight. "We've hit the jackpot. Time to show this world what true terror looks like..."
A/N: 1626 words :)