WE'LL MEET AGAIN.
05. ❛ black out days - phantogram. ❜
PETER (3) JUMPED THROUGH the portal with Wendy in suit and the room erupted into chaos.
Ned's jaw dropped to the floor, Mj's eyes blew wide, and Ned's grandmother screamed. Wendy stayed behind Peter (3) still holding the metal rod and locked her jaw.
"Oh, woah! Hi. Hi!" Peter (3) said in his calming voice, the man waved at the elderly woman to assure her that he meant no harm nor was he dangerous. The grandmother began throwing pillows at him making Wendy stifle a laugh. "No, no, no. It's okay. It's okay. I'm a nice guy. She's with me- please don't through a pillow at her."
He caught the pillow that was thrown at the blonde and then proceeded to remove his mask, revealing a different and unfamiliar face instead of the Peter that Mj and Ned were looking for. "Okay..." He exhaled deeply, and the grandmother hid away.
The man was taller than their Peter, and his hair was slightly ruffled. "Who the hell are you?" Mj asked.
"I'm Peter Parker." The man introduced himself and tried to push Wendy's defensive metal rod down but she kept it up firmly.
"That's not possible," Mj complained confusedly.
"I am Spider-Man." Peter (3) continued. "In my world. But then, earlier? I was... I was just here. Then I met her."
Peter (3) gasped slightly and looked at the portal, "Wow. String theory...multidimensional reality and matter displacement. All real?" He asked Mj and Ned.
"Yeah..." Mj and Ned said in unison. The other Peter (3) grinned as he pumped his fist up in the air, "Knew it!"
Mj and Ned leaned at each other to whisper. "This has to be because of the spell," Ned whispered.
"The spell?" Peter (3) heard. "Like magic spell?"
Ned immediately shook his head. "U-Uh...there's no spell."
"No spell." Mj went along.
"No."
"Magic's real here, too?" Wendy asked, tilting her head.
"I mean..." Ned began but was nudged by Mj.
"Shut up, Ned."
"No, it's not real."
"Shut up."
"I mean... there are magicians and stuff, but there's no like..."
"Stop it. Stop." Mj gave a look to Ned, and he eventually shut his mouth. "Are we not going to address the walking corpse?" Mj asked and motioned to Wendy who furrowed her eyebrows.
Wendy took a step back when Ned took a step forward and pointed the rod at him, "Get the bloody hell away from me. I don't know either of you and for all I know you could be responsible for us being here. I don't care that you look like friends I know, I will hit you."
Peter (3) nodded in agreement, "She will."
"Gwen?" Ned tilted his head at the girl. Sure she looked like the Wendy he once knew but he wasn't sure with everything that's happened. "L-Like... Gwendolyn Rosewood? Peter's Wendy?"
At the name, Peter Parker (3) froze. He ran his hands over his face, trying to regain himself, trying to level back down to reality. He remembered Gwen. Peter (3) feels his chest caving in on him, and he thinks this is what it's like to have asthma, but he doesn't know that he's having a minor panic attack. He shook his head and focused back on the group.
Wendy's hands trembled and took another step away from the boy and stepped closer to Peter (3), "Listen Ned doppelgänger, I'm not telling you shit until someone explains what the bloody hell is happening."
Mj furrowed her eyebrows at the blonde, she was never really friends with the girl but she knew who she was, "Hey, aren't you dea-"
"Shut up, Mj." Ned cut her off, not wanting to deal with more questions. Turning back to the English girl he asked, "So, are you?"
"Am I what?"
"Gwendolyn Rosewood?"
Wendy gripped onto the metal rod tighter, "Why would I tell you?"
"Because you know me, you know me, Gwen." Ned encouraged. He could see the inner conflict happening in Wendy's eyes. "Remember we helped Peter fight the Vulture together?"
Wendy but the inside of her cheek and looked at Ned up and down, noticing the tears he's trying to keep at bay just staring at her, "You've grown."
Ned chuckled, looking down at the purple promise ring on her finger. Catching Mj's glance, they both swallowed thickly knowing one of them was going to have to explain to Peter. "And you look the same."
"Where's Peter?" Wendy asked hopefully, slowly lowering down her weapon, "We had a date. I think I'm late though."
Ned's smile dropped and he caught Mj's eye. Peter (3) caught the exchange and recalled Mj's words. 'Walking corpse.' His expression dropped and he looked at the young blonde girl. She died and she had no idea.
It made him think of Gwen.
Did a similar incident happen? Did Wendy die the same way his Gwen did? Was she helping Spider-Man? Was she persistent? Was it his fault? Or was it her fault? Did she die in the arms of her lover as his Gwen did?
So many questions ran through Peter's (3) head that he had to shake himself into reality when he noticed Mj talking to him.
Mj stiffened up, "Prove it." She spoke strongly, "Prove to us that you're Spiderman, Peter Parker."
The man tapped the sides of his suit, "I don't carry an ID with me, kind of defeats the whole anonymous superhero thing?" His nose scrunched in confusion.
Mj used a hand to pick up a piece of bread and throw it at the man in front of her. The bread tapped his chest and did zero harm physically or mentally to the man. His lips upturned and his shoulders shrugged, "Why did you do that?"
Wendy stifled and laugh and picked up the bread, tossing it in a nearby trash can.
Mj's hand was held up in front of her in a pathetic defence, "I'm trying to see if you have the tingle thing."
Peter (3) looked at Wendy for a second in confusion before turning back to Mj, "I have the tingle thing just not for bread."