⋆ twelve ⋆
Ned switches the dim light on, revealing all sorts of junk and creepy shelves and tables covered in workbooks and magic-y things.
"Badass."
As Xara immediately heads over to clear a workspace, Ned exploring all the shelf trinkets, Peter hesitantly starts, "Guys, listen. About this whole spell thing..."
"It's no big deal."
Peter looks at MJ in surprise, not having expected that sort of response from the pessimist of the group. "Wait, really?"
"I mean, you tried to brainwash us and nearly broke the universe without even telling us..." The glare Xara sends behind Peter's back is enough for MJ to backtrack a little, "...But you tried to fix things, and now you're fixing this mess too. The government's done worse in the end, anyway."
Peter's quiet for a moment, trying to work out if it's an insult or a compliment, before deciding not to think too much about it. "...Okay... Ned?"
Ned whirls around, Xara's eyes widening as she notices him holding a rather large crossbow. "Oh, dude, I don't care. It's seriously not a big deal." Xara slowly inches towards him, ready to take the crossbow before he ends up trying to figure out how it works, only to catch it in alarm when he drops it and starts heading towards something else. "Oh! A torture rack!"
He twangs one of the strings, the sound reverberating in the wide, empty space monotonously. "That is a pilates machine," MJ comments, a little dubious before she turns around. "And that is..."
"The crypt," Xara leads on, placing the crossbow back on the shelf. All four of them head over to the step between the undercroft and the crypt, the colours changing from an orange-red to a dull blue.
"Okay, so we get the rest of the guys, you zap them, Doctor Magic will send them back, and when we get into our respective colleges, round of stale donuts, my treat."
Ned nods, putting on a deep, dramatic voice. "Let's catch some Multiverse men."
"Or women," Xara adds.
"Hey!" They glance up in surprise at the octopus man, who seems less than happy. "Who the hell are these two?"
Peter squeaks in surprise. "These are our friends. This is MJ, and this is Ned. I'm sorry, what was your name again?"
"Doctor Otto Octavius."
Xara's the first one to laugh, immediately slapping her hand over her mouth, only for it to start a chain reaction between all four of them pretty quickly. "Wait, no, seriously, what's your actual name?"
"OH! IS THAT A DINOSAUR?!"
The lizard creature turns its head at Ned's yell, staring at them with its giant, yellow, beady eyes... Xara tears her sight away, a shiver crawling down her spine before she heads away.
The next couple of hours or so end up being busy. Xara opens up MJ's laptop, telling the others, "I'm gonna put on a Google alert for certain keywords. Like, uh... 'Creepy'. 'Disturbance'. 'Spider-Man'. 'Spider-Woman'. 'Magic'."
"Ooh, Ooh, do 'multiversal creatures'."
MJ's quick to refuse, reminding Ned, "Only we know they're multiversal creatures, no one else knows."
"Then do 'murder'."
Xara instantly stops typing. She and Peter turn to each other at the very same time, heart thudding loudly in their chests in a momentary state of panic. There's never not a chance that something like that could end up happening, especially with confused villains from other universes... but God, they hope not.
"And meanwhile–" Ned cracks his knuckles dramatically, "–I'll hack government databases to see if they've noticed anything suspicious."
Peter turns to his best friend in surprise. "You can hack?"
"Not really, but my cousin taught me this cool code that lets you see some hidden stuff online."
Peter grabs paint cleaner to try get the green off his regular spider suit (that someone threw at him in a fit of anger the other day), MJ searches through tiktoks and keywords, and Ned gets to work on his laptop.
Most of it is waiting, not having much to do apart from Ned's searching and the others waiting for suspicious notifications. After all, this sort of thing is sure to go viral pretty quickly, knowing today's teenagers.
Instead, it leads to Xara going through Strange's strange shelves full of weird things, like a goatee template, or a strange, creepy doll that seems to have eyes following her wherever she goes.
"THAT JUST MOVED!"
Everyone's attention snaps to her, caught off-guard by the sudden sound echoing over and over within the undercroft. It's only when they see her pointing at the doll a couple of shelves away that MJ sighs. "Xara, I think the magic is getting to you a bit."
"I swear it moved." She turns to Peter, looking for some kind of reassurance, only to realise from the laugh hiding behind his smile that she's not going to get any. "Fine. But if you guys all end up having the same nightmare or get cursed for the next five generations or something, don't come crying to me about it."
Even as she's finished exploring, heading back to browse the laptop, she continuously glances up at the doll. A couple of times she does see it return back to normal, head moving from side to side to catch a glimpse of her, but any more jittery comments get pushed down. It's probably unlucky to point out a cursed doll as they search for multiverse people through the internet.
Wow. What a world.
If Xara was told she'd be somewhere like here five years ago (not five years including the Blip, but back when she was twelve), she never would have believed them. Not only is there a teenage superhero who was bitten by a spider and gained powers, but she ended up befriending him.
Add that to the fact the superhero was her crush, gave her a Spider-Woman suit and accidentally brought people from other universes into this one while trying to make her lose her memory of him, and it pretty much sums her crazy life up.
Just as she chuckles to herself, MJ sits beside her, muttering, "Hey. You know that woman in one of the cells. Is she a villain?"
Right. Xara had almost forgotten, turning, only to see the woman in the same seated position as earlier. "I... I don't know. She hasn't said a word since we got here."
"She doesn't seem like one. Unless we let her out and she ends up being a man-eating plant with giant teeth."
"Doctor Strange said they were visitors from other universes. That doesn't mean they're all villains, I don't think. Although I think it's just our bad luck. Why couldn't we have good people who know about Peter's identity? Or other me-s? I want to meet other versions of me."
MJ's quick to flick Xara on the ear. The younger girl jumps back in pain, eyes wide as she clutches her ear. "Ow! What was that for?"
"Have you never seen a movie?"
"Uh..."
"When versions of the same person meet each other, it always goes badly. Peabody and Sherman. Teen Titans Go. Phineas and Ferb."
"Are you basing your multiversal knowledge off of cartoons?"
For a moment, MJ seems lost for words. It's when Ned shouts to grab everyone's attention that she's rescued, rushing over before Xara can grill her any longer.
Peter comes over, too, after hanging up with May. Ned just hums proudly. "I mean, you can take the guy out of the chair but you can't take the chair out of the guy."
"Ned, there shouldn't be a chair in the guy in the first place."
"Irrelevant. Anyway, there's a disturbance near a military research facility outside of the city, and witnesses say that they saw a monster flying through the air."
"Peter, it's probably the guy we saw on the bridge. The green elf guy on the hoverboard."
"His name is Norman Osborn."
At the new voice, all four teenagers glance up, only for Ned's eyes to grow in shock. "Oh my God, there's someone there. Was she always there?"
Xara and MJ exchange a look before the former heads over, turning her attention to the woman. Still sitting in the same place, but it seems like she's now in the conversing mood. "You know him?"
"That's what I want to know," Otto adds on, straining to see whoever's in the last cell. "Even if you figured out they were talking about the Green Goblin, you shouldn't have known it was Osborn. No one knew."
"I figured it out. You shouldn't know either, Otto."
The man grows wary at the use of his name. "I'm a scientist. I worked it out quickly. Your voice sounds familiar. Have we met somewhere?"
The knowing smile grows on the woman's lips for a moment, yet laced with a tinge of bitterness. "Another universe, perhaps."
Before Ned can state the obvious, Otto continues explaining to the others. "Norman Osborn. Brilliant scientist. Military research. But he was greedy. Misguided."
Peter's curiosity only grows, not only at the pair seeming to recognise each other, but at the mention of this new person. "What happened to him–"
"We tire of your questions, boy!"
"Oh, Otto. Don't be so dramatic," the other woman scolds with a sigh. "It's just death. It'll be over before you know it."
"'Death'?" Peter repeats, not exactly comprehending. "What do you mean 'death'? I saw him. On the bridge."
"You probably did."
"They probably didn't," Otto interrupts. "Because Norman Osborn died years ago. So either we saw someone else, or you're flying out into the darkness to fight a ghost."
"Boy, are you in for a surprise."
Slightly aggravated by the commentary, Otto huffs. "I'm sure I know you from somewhere."
"You did. Once." Instead, the woman turns back to the teenagers, not bothering herself in conversation with the octopus any longer. "Go. Find him. And bring him back here. Because if I'm right and it's who I think it is... I have a piece of my mind to give him."
Trying – and failing – to ignore how ominously threatening that sounds, Xara clears her throat before pulling Peter back into the undercroft. "Did you manage to get the paint off your suit?"
"No. But I can use the other side. It still kind of looks Spider-Man-y."
It's only after the pair of them have changed into their suits that Xara suppresses a smile, adding, "More like Night Monkey than Spider-Man." Peter just pulls a face at her, fiddling with the mask between his fingers. Might as well stick to the look and wear the mask inside-out too, right?
When Ned glances up from his laptop, confirming the location, any words die on his tongue. "Wait a second."
Everyone turns to him, confused, only to notice his staring at Xara. She shifts slightly, uncomfortable with the attention.
"You're Spider-Woman."
MJ furrows her eyebrows. "Ned, we knew that."
"No, we didn't."
"They didn't say it explicitly, because the public still don't know about Xara, but it was kind of obvious. You know, like when they openly talked to us about bad guys they fought together."
But Ned is still staring at Xara in the suit, disbelieving of anything he's been told in the last year. Either he zoned out during every conversation or he absolutely missed what they were talking about, but there was no way both of his friends were superheroes and he didn't catch onto it.
Peter and Xara just exchange looks, trying not to laugh. "Send the location," he tells the other two instead, grabbing his phone. "Xar and I will head there and see if we can capture him."
MJ nods, offering a smile. "Stay safe."
⋆🕷️⋆
"But that's the thing. Spider-Man powers shouldn't make any sense. Even if you hang sideways from a building because of sticky feet, gravity means you should be falling at least from your knees up."
"Honestly, I was fourteen years old, and I chose instead to question my sudden abs and ability to see without my glasses," Peter admits. "And even after I got over that whole initial shock, Mr Stark came to my place and asked me to go to Germany with him. To fight Captain America. So I didn't really get the chance to question gravity."
It's nearing sunset when Peter and Xara swing between the trees, heading towards the research facility. With time to kill (and aching arms), they've been talking about all kinds of things, trying to avoid the elephant in the room: what they're going to do with all these multiverse people when they've captured them.
"That's fair enough, but aren't you going to question it now?"
"Now as in, while trying to capture people from other universes, or now as in, when we get back home?"
"...Fair point." A moment. "I'm sorry."
Peter's head snaps towards her in alarm, very nearly crashing into one of the trees. "What? Why are you sorry?"
"I... I don't know. For everything, I guess. For being so out of it that you couldn't tell me about what you were thinking. For trying to always make everything positive. For always saying stupid things."
"What stupid things?"
"Like, back in the undercroft about the creepy doll, or now about the gravity thing, or all the jokes I'm always making. I don't know why I make them, and sometimes I don't realise that it's not the time. I just... Ugh! Fuck Mysterio! Why did he have to ruin everything?!"
It's only then that it dawns on Peter exactly why she's reacting this way.
The guilt slowly crawls up in him, then becomes a wave, washing over and engulfing everything. It's the same wave that's been there for months now, with the continuous thought of knowing he's ruined Xara's life. He's the reason she's having more panic attacks recently. He's the reason she can't even go on holiday without getting recognised. He's the reason she gets hindered at work for being Spider-Man's girlfriend.
She's told him so many times not to worry, that she doesn't regret it, but Peter can't help but wonder... maybe he does.
All he wanted was to be with Xara Connolly. He liked how he felt with her. He liked how he'd forget all his troubles when he was with her, all the things that made life so hard. Being Spider-Man. Being an Avenger. All the losses he's suffered.
But more and more, she's being pulled into his messes. She'd forced to put on a constantly happy facade to help cheer him up or make him feel better. And now, it's harder to watch her pretend.
She's feeling guilty for him not coming to her before casting the spell. She's feeling that she's not done enough, but the truth is, he didn't go to her because he thought he could fix it. He wanted to surprise her. He wanted to make her happy. But all he's doing it making her life difficult.
Xara seems to realise his uncharacteristic silence, instead saying (in a calmer voice), "Hey. I just wanted to cover my bases. Sometimes my dad gets annoyed, so I wanted to make sure you weren't, too. It's not a big deal–"
"But it is a big deal, Xar. You don't have to apologise for small things. It wasn't even a problem. I thought it was nice that you're making jokes. It just means you're happy. And I wish you joked more, because I hate that I'm making you do all this. I can't do it without you, and that's what sucks. Because you're being Spider-Woman to fix my messes."
"I like being Spider-Woman. I know what's happening with you, and I know that you're safe. And there's no shame in admitting when you need help, Spideyboy." Peter's smile at least appears for a brief second at the familiar nickname. "Everyone needs help. Even Tony Stark needed your help to fix his messes, and you were only fourteen. So it's okay."
But even then, Peter knows it's not.