Not good enough, considering Matt is leaving the train with more bandages on than he entered it with, but Peter doesn't mention it aloud. Instead, he smiles, something Matt can't see but can likely hear in his tone. "Comes with the territory. Glad we made it out in relatively one piece, at least."
"Uh..." Peter looks around for a map, because that would be good, wouldn't it? There's nothing, but speak of the Devil - the blank sign on the wall blinks to life as if summoned. NOW ENTERING: EPIPHANY "...looks like we're headed somewhere called 'Epiphany'?"
Definitely not in Kansas anymore, if that weren't already painfully obvious.
Peter honestly spends so much time blocking out the sensory overload that sometimes, he does miss the more obvious things. He stands up to look out the window, as the wintery landscape shifts into something greener; more spring, by the looks of it. He pulls the mask back over his head, the train brakes grinding as they slow down even further, preparing to pull into the station. "Looks like a town?"
"That's a revelation," Matt says with a little grin like the dork he is. Get it? Epiphany? Matt's hilarious.
As the trail slows Matt reaches for the nearest pole and gets to his feet. He's back to moving with caution and care, one hand outstretched slightly. It would be easier if he'd just take the folding cane out of his pocket and use it but no, he's got the act to maintain.
"A town sounds nice." He makes his way to the door of the train braced for the train stops. There's always that slight sway as the momentum dies. Matt can sense Spiderman's concern for him. That general sense of anxiety is back too. The mask is on. Spiderman really doesn't want people to know who he is.
Matt can relate in a different direction.
"Should be easy enough for me to find a place to buy a cane around here." Matt's always buying canes back home. It's just the same.
Peter groans good-naturedly, shaking his head and falling back against the wall dramatically. "Oof, ouch, that one was painful!"
The train pulls into the station with a gentle stop, which is almost comical, given the fighting and destruction that went on, not twenty minutes prior. Peter glances out the window - looks like a normal train station, though there are no people waiting on the platform. Maybe there weren't as many people around as it felt like there should be, with this much infrastructure? He can hear the bustle of life further beyond, so there's someone around out there, at least.
Peter turns instead to hover by Matt's elbow. "Can I help you find a shop? I'm sorry about your cane, man. You're right, though, they've got to have something."
He says it as if it's his fault it was probably broken into a million aluminum pieces back in the other wrecked train car, but then, that's just the Spidey guilt complex at work.
"Oh, I've taken up so much of your time." Matt knows he can make it on his own, of course, but Spiderman doesn't know that. He's being kind and helpful with a little guilt tainting his voice. Well, more than a little.
He makes his way off the train into the warmer weather. The chill of Wintermute is completely gone and it's definitely summer here. Matt takes a deep breath of clean air and it's very nice.
"I could probably ask one of the locals for help. If you want to keep exploring and seeing the world." He pushes his glasses up with a finger. "Can't really help you with that last one."
"Nah, man. It's what I do." This is an earnest statement, a fact; sure, he can stop speeding cars, but he also helps old ladies carry their groceries, rescues kittens from trees, untangles kites from powerlines (sidenote: bad idea. He still did it, though.)
The weather here is notably different - the coat Matt shared with him was lost to the carnage of the fight, but at least he won't be in need of it here, or Peter would feel bad about losing that, too.
"When's your next comedy set at the Laugh Factory? No, seriously, save me a seat." Peter snorts, bumping his shoulder lightly against Matt's as they step out onto the train platform. "Let me at least help you out to the street. I'm sure there'll be a shop out there somewhere."
And if Peter follows Matt from the rooftops for a minute afterwards, just to ensure he makes it into a shop that can help him, well...who'll know, surely?
There is... a genuine goodness to Spiderman Matt is learning. He suspected for his own universe's Spiderman but with the Avengers attached to him it's harder to be sure. There might be a desire for fame. Clearly, he has some assumptions to unlearn.
"When someone reads the schedule to me, I'll let you know." He'll never stop making blind jokes about himself. Hopefully some other people will catch on and be more comfortable with him that way.
He nods and takes Spiderman's arm. "Okay, the street is helpful. Then just point me to a cane store and you can go back to... spider things?"
Maybe there is in his world, Peter couldn't say. For him - the job is a lot less glamorous. Not that Peter knows it, but perhaps Matt could relate to that - getting tossed in dumpsters, long nights left bleeding on the city's various rooftops.
"Ha, yeah, spider things." Peter snorts, leading Matt out to the street. The train station seems to pour out into an open-air square, shops and food stalls lining the street in either direction. "Mostly just looking for a way back to New York, I guess."
He's not sure what kind of store would carry a disability aid, but up ahead there seems to be a general store of sorts - perhaps that's the best bet. No one really gives them a second glance, Spiderman leading a blind man down the street - maybe this place is stranger than he already thought. At least there are no frost monsters out to get them here. "If you need anything - or have a word with the Fox lady - just let me know, alright?"
Outside the store which will probably have something that Matt can work with he offers Spiderman a hand.
"I'll do my best to find you, Ben, when I have anything to report." He offers Spiderman a hand to shake. There's a spirit inside. Matt can hear their heartbeat and he's certain the spirit will help him find what he needs.
"Thank you again for everything." He means that genuinely. Spiderman has been a big help and a little bit of a surprise this whole time. In a good way.
"I'll be around, don't you worry." Peter takes Matt's hand firmly, shaking it in return. He's just glad they both made it out in one piece - to wherever it is they've landed, honestly. "Anytime."
Peter leaves Matt to it, wishing he had his webshooters - looks like rooftop parkour was the next best thing, for the time being - and disappears into the alleyway before heading off, out into Epiphany.
"What? No!" Oh, Peter. You are not making this anywhere close to better. His hands flail, struggling to figure out how to walk back the situation. Parker awkwardness strikes again, good lord. This is just his life. "No, no it was a special spider! They aren't just walking around biting people, promise."
Poor girl looks absolutely disgusted with him and totally freaked out, and Peter sighs under the mask, feeling perennially exhausted. "Seriously, don't worry about it! It was a freak accident. I'm not contagious, or anything."
Really, Peter? Contagious? She wasn't even thinking that, probably!
She was indeed not thinking about that in the slightest, but now Peter has said it out loud? It sure makes the possibility suddenly a very real one, and the girl takes a step back, just in case.
Even though it's only a step, because she feels like this isn't just suspiciously specific denial. Hopefully it's not.
"No-- Wait, hold on. Let's go back to the beginning!" Before her brain is taken over by thoughts of this. Minako shakes her head, as if to physically get the idea of contagious spider bites out of her mind. "So you got bitten by a special spider, who somehow gave you special powers, and now you're using those to help people in trouble?"
The latter is the part she did learn from meeting the other guy with a slightly different suit than his. It's just the added details that are a little more baffling. Regular superhero stuff is something Minako can way more easily understand, given her own occupation!
"No! I mean, I've never tested it by like, trying to bite someone else, so I - no!" Peter flails, as if rapid hand movements can wipe away everything he just said. Minako takes a step back and honestly, Peter's getting more flustered than he usually does - how is this going so badly?
"...yes. That pretty much," Peter sighs, making a vague gesture to his person, the red and blue handmade suit he's dressed in. " - sums it up."
"I mean...what else am I supposed to do?" He shrugs a little, like it's no big deal, one hand moving to rub at the back of his neck. When you can hear people crying out for help, how can you not help them?
"I guess that part makes sense." More than the spider part, anyway. Of course you decide to pick up the hero mantle when you've been thrown into the position to do so. That was Minako's first instinct too when her powers were revealed to her. She may not have believed it right off the bat, sure, but the moment she found out it was serious, she went for it.
"And we could use that here, you know?" The blonde raises her hands, gesturing at the train station around them.
"I know this place seems super calm right now, but there's danger all the time here. And not everyone knows how to defend themselves against it. Having more than one Spider Man around doesn't seem like such a bad idea, as long as you guys can both protect people."
He wasn't very creative with it, it's true. This is what happens when you let a teenager pick out his branding, and it was too late now to go back. What else would be be? Super Strong And Sticky Guy? Crime-Fighting Spider Dude? Probably could have picked something better than eye-searing red and blue, too, but it was what was on sale. Besides, it meant cars were more likely to see him before they hit him (they used to hit him a lot, back when he was nondescript).
"What kind of danger?" Peter's immediately on higher alert, scanning their surroundings - but his senses are quiet, no busier than usual managing his own internalized anxiety. He's still reeling from the fact that there's another Spiderman running around - he'll definitely have to seek them out and figure out of it was true. Still...alright, maybe not stranger things had happened, but it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, right? "We can. Or - I can. I do. I'm happy to help."
Look, it's hard to go into the details of the danger here, since it's so different every time. But at least this is a pretty consistent form of danger here that Minako is able to summarize better with just one word.
Even if she isn't really sure what he thinks of when he hears the word monsters. She just hopes it's the same as her.
"Have you ever had to deal with monsters before back home?"
"...what do you mean 'monsters'?" Yeah he's not loving the sound of that, if he's being totally honest, and he doesn't think Minako is kidding! "Monsters-monsters? Like - Halloween monsters, or like, dude in a rhino costume monsters?"
"Not like - actual monsters? Supernatural or - alien creatures, or anything, if that's what you mean." No, for all the craziness he dealt with - and NYC had a very specific brand of it, to be sure - there had never been any flesh and blood monsters.
She almost looks a little bit confused by his answer - or rather, by these very specific options he's giving.
"No, I mean actual monsters!"
.. she's pretty sure that's what she means, anyway? Now she's kind of confused whether they're working with the same definition of monster here..
"You know, like the kind you'd see in a video game?" Maybe that makes more sense to him. It's definitely how Minako would categorize the monsters in this place, and she gestures with her hands as if that makes what she's saying any more clear, despite the gestures being very vague. "I don't even know why you'd think of a guy in a rhino costume!"
H-Has he seen one of those before? Why would a guy even dress up as a rhino?! Is it a Halloween thing?
"Right." Peter's going to pretend he understands - well, he thinks he knows what she's getting at. Actual, flesh and blood monsters. Sure, that's a thing he can incorporate into his worldview now, why not? "And they're around a lot? Can anyone stop them, or are they just, like - running rampant?"
"Well I fought one, once. He was kind of a dick. Kept robbing banks." Peter shrugs a little, helplessly; yeah, his gallery of rogues did kind of sound ridiculous. Man in a rhino suit, terrorizing people with his fursona. Man who fell into a tank of electric eels, got pissy about the number of Instagram followers he had. Typical Tuesday on Peter's street.
Peter, your world really sounds like a piece of work.
But Minako knows a thing about time and place, contrary to popular belief. She knows that starting about that fact right now isn't exactly the time for it, not when he's asking far more important questions about this place first.
"I mean, people who fight can stop them."
.. Minako included, but that's exactly what she has to keep under wraps. But since he's the one out here looking like a superhero, and since the other guy in a similar suit did speak as if he was one--
"You can do that, right? I mean, you wouldn't be wearing that if you couldn't fight monsters!" .. no pressure and all, Peter.
Trust him, he knows. Why do you think he's so anxious all the time!
"Yeah, I can fight?" He doesn't mean to make it sound like a question, but he nods, and has to wonder - does the other Spiderman not fight? Or does he just look so unimpressive compared to the one she knows that she assumed he couldn't? Okay, probably the latter. Fair enough. "Yes, I can. Stopped rhino guy, didn't I?"
Not that he doesn't keep breaking out of jail, but it's Peter's job to catch him, not keep him, so hey!
"Can I help you get somewhere safe, then?" Away from any of these apparent monsters, hopefully. What the hell has he gotten into? As far as he knows, however, Minako is a totally normal teenage girl - and so far, nothing Peter's noticed about her points to the contrary.
Please, Minako isn't so sure if rhino guy counts if he really was just Some Dude in a rhino costume--
But she won't argue that right now. Especially since the question that follows it is actually kind of complicated in its own way. She knows that she'd be able to get herself home safe, considering she could just use her powers, but.. well, he doesn't know she has those. And he isn't allowed to know.
And saying this place is super dangerous and then looking super flippant about getting herself back to safety probably doesn't look all that great.
So.. "If you wouldn't mind?"
Sorry, Peter, but she'll have to rely on your kindness this time.. She's just hoping he'll never figure out about her secret, then he won't know she's lying by omission here to him.
"I could use a hand, but.. you know, you sound like you're a very busy rhino-stopping guy."
Ah, the struggles of a secret identity. Peter knows it all too well himself, constantly pulled in one direction or another. What Folkmore offers in terms of lack of secrecy, however, Peter has yet to uncover.
"Of course." Escorting someone to their final destination - be it home, or through a rough patch of town - is something Peter's done a hundred times before. Especially around the Fall, when frat parties went full swing, ensuring drunk college kids don't end up walking into traffic, or helping girls getting harassed on their way home from the bars. "None of those around here so far. And no monsters, so I guess we can count ourselves lucky."
The train finally pulls in, almost like it was waiting for its cue. Peter makes an after you gesture, bouncing from foot to foot - it's still pretty cold, hopefully the train is a little bit warmer.
"They don't have one? This place really is Hell." Hey, at least his sarcasm is mostly joking! Nothing like a greasy slice while you're watching a rat robot sing and dance.
"L'appel du vide," Peter snorts, picking up the top of the bread bowl to reveal the stew within. No idea what was in it, but honestly, he was probably better off not knowing what kind of mystery meat the dogs had seen fit to put in it. "The consequences would be not great, though. Won't get the scent out of the suit for weeks when it all comes spilling out."
our giant thread slinks onto a different post, LMAO
"If there was a Chuck E. Cheese here, there is like a fifty percent chance the animatronics would be alive and need counseling or something." Peter can guess Thirteen would make things weird for their apparent benefit.
"You can tell the call of the void it can wash our suits if we did that." He lobs back idly, happy to joke back a little. "I can't even run this through a machine, its 90% metal." He had to handwash it delicately every time and it was a pain in the ass.
we can wrap this one up soon if you like! down for w/e
"Oh God, you're so right. I don't want to see that. Do you hear me, Fox?" At this, he looks around as if he might expect her to just Appear. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing to happen today, truth be told. "Do NOT."
"How do you stick in that thing?" Peter can't help but ask, genuinely curious and able to address it now that Peter has acknowledged it. "I tried other stuff and I couldn't get a grip through it. Had to be porous enough, you know? So how does the metal situation work? Also like - damn, man. What happens when you get thrown in a dumpster?"
we can wrap in a tag or two, figured we needed a face reveal
"Too late, she's jotting it down." Peter lobs back casually, failing to stop himself from smiling.
"The metal is extremely thin, not nanobot level, but it's woven into the fabric that I can kind of just stick through it."
He hesitates, before setting the food down on the edge of the dog's cart to take off his mask. Is it a risk out in the open? Yes, but Peter can tell they are alone right now. The dogs likely won't say much about it. They had seen worse.
He turns his mask inside out, revealing the inner workings. He holds it out for the other Peter to see. Their faces are decidedly different, but, there is that similar boyish charm to it.
"The whole inside of the suit looks like this, specifically so it can contort to my body."
TRUE lol kudos for keeping the mask situation straight!!
"Does that mean it can thicken on command? Or is it just thinner around the sticky points?" He's shifting into full nerd mode, it's true, but it's better than continuing to focus on the panic-inducing parts of the situation.
Other Peter taking off his mask is enough of a shock he almost doesn't register that he's holding out the mask for examination for a beat. He's - young, younger than Peter is himself, though probably not by much. They don't look the same - but don't they, though? The brown of their eyes, the dimple at the corner of their mouths. Like maybe they could pass for brothers - or cousins, at least.
A beat late, Peter accepts the mask, swallowing around the surprise. It's complicated tech to be sure, the level of stuff he saw in his higher undergraduate classes, mostly hypothetical at that point. Seems like this Peter came from a technologically advanced universe, in some respects, anyway. "This is - did you make this yourself?"
I had to re-read the thread, since these two LOVE talking, lmao
"The nano suit I do wear sometimes at least seems to react to what I'm thinking, so it seems to thin out on certain spots without losing any actual protection. This one seems to just be this really thin at the hands and feet, everything else is a bit thicker-"
The eighteen year old smiles at him, something bright and friendly even with what both of them have dealt with in their lives. He's had a chance to grow in Thirteen's realm, literally and emotionally at least.
"I didn't, my mentor Mr. Stark made the suit itself, but I've been working on updating it and keeping things functional. It needs some upkeep since I'm wearing it all the time. With this much going on, you need to keep an eye on functionality-"
"Nano suit? So you have like, multiple?" And high tech, too, much more than Peter had ever thought possible. Sure, he studied nanotechnology and hypothetical applications of it, but his universe was still a ways off from actually putting the hypothetical into practice.
"Mentor?" The name Stark gets zero recognition from Peter, if his other self had expected it to. He turns the mask over in his hands, examining the eyepieces - the closures that were designed to move, unlike his repurposed PVC lenses. "Do you mind if I - ?"
Before he can talk himself out of it or think better of it, Peter reaches up to pull off his own mask. It slips off his head, revealing far more hair than should have been able to fit in there, sticking up every which way, like he stuck his finger in an electric socket.
"Yeah, a couple- the nano suit was more for space or really intense combat stuff." He shrugs back, happy to just keep tumbling along the conversation rabbit hole. The two of them were both pretty prone to tangents. "Yeah, he was a superhero first, decides to help me out sometimes."
There is something assuring as there is odd to see the other Peter not be an exact copy of him. There are the similarities, brown hair, brown eyes, the same kind of exhausted energy both of them carried. Peter for his part doesn't comment on the mask hair, he understands the feeling implicitly.
"Go for it. It'll just feel a little weird at first."
It certainly seems that way and hell, Peter doesn't exactly have any evidence to disprove it. Look at the state of his life, it's easy to see the carnage there. At times, the spiderbite has been more of a curse than a gift, and there's no drama to that, only truth.
"Guess they included our shitty coping mechanisms with the super strength for free, huh?" Peter jokes gently, because he can't not, and neither of them are alone in that. "I'm glad you're...finding your way through that."
The darkest of caves, and one that left a shadow on the soul. Stepping out into the sun to dispel it was easier said than done. Peter listens to the determination that solidifies in Gwen's voice, that little bit of iron that wasn't so different from his own Gwen - sharpened, honed maybe, but one and the same.
"Sounds like a load of bullshit to me," Peter agrees, eyes tightening at the idea of predetermination. It's dangerously close to the nihilism pit, too much so for his tastes; Peter's been guilty of falling into it himself. And if it is true - what, it's supposed to absolve them all of responsibility for their actions? It wasn't really their fault, not if fate had deemed it so? Like he said, bullshit. He can't accept that, and Peter sure as hell knows his Aunt would never. Gwen wouldn't, either, and that's what keeps him going, most days.
He wisely doesn't mention that it wasn't the force that got her father killed, not really; it wasn't just that secrets had a cost, but this life had a cost. She knows.
"The only guaranteed way to lose is to stop trying in the first place." Peter rocks on his heels, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly before dropping his hand. "Somehow I don't think either of us have ever been good at accepting the status quo, either."
"Gifts?" Peter tries to run back through the conversation he had with the fox, but it feels almost like it has a dream-like quality to it, and the bewilderment is very swiftly overtaking the rest. The glow factor is real, intensifying alongside his emotions, until Peter looks away - though his gaze is drawn back a moment later, uncertain. "Do you - know how I get it to stop?"
He thinks it probably makes sense, in some idle corner of his mind. He hadn't exactly been able to study the effects of the spiderbite in any amount of detail, but he has a theory about his amygdala and the enhancement the venom created there. His spider sense had to come from somewhere - it would make sense if it had enhanced that part of his brain. Weaponized anxiety, no less.
How to get it to stop, hm. That is a good question.
"I admit, I did not get the eye trait like some Legends, though I know a few I can point you towards who may have better advice. But from my understanding, it may be simply because you are feeling some heightened emotion. If you calm yourself, steady your breathing, take a few moments to simply find your center, it may be enough to dim that glow again."
So some Legends received different traits than others? Interesting, something to note, though Peter sets aside the idle curiosity for now.
“I’ve never been that great at calm,” Peter admits, something of a sheepish smile tinging the edges of his mouth. He does try to take the advice, taking a deep breath and holding it in for a second before slowly breathing back out. It reminds him of the exercises he used to use for panic attacks, pre-bite. If May were around, she’d hold his hand as Rue was, or offer him a pillow to breathe into - to slow down the panicked gulps of air.
After a moment, he peeks open one eye - still orange, but at least a little less glowy than before. “…did it work?”
The reminder that their Peter is hardly the calmest boy they know does get a little twinkle in Rue's eye, even as they squeeze his hand in their paw encouragingly, refusing to let him go for a moment without their support.
"I know you can do it. Take some deep breaths with me-" But he is already right on it, following the exercises he knows, which Rue is happy to practice with him. And though it doesn't erase the color completely, at least the glow no longer looks quite so blinding.
"There you are! Yes, darling, that did work. I can see your beautiful eyes now. How do you feel?"
"Thanks." Peter squeezes Rue's hand in return, gently, always careful with his strength. The last thing he would want to do is hurt someone else in a moment of fleeting panic. Peter takes another deep breath, blowing it out slowly. "I'm...okay. Kind of can't - you know, turn it off."
He makes a vague gesture with his free hand towards his head, indicating the intangible. His spidey sense, weaponized anxiety - just kind of did what it wanted, but at least the vice around his chest is easing.
This sweet young man just needs to be wrapped up in a blanket and taken care of for the rest of the day. Let him live!
"I think what we could both use is a nice cup of hot cocoa. We should take the working train out to Epiphany and get out of all of this freezing cold. Does that sound alright with you, dear? And while we travel, you can tell me about your home world. I would be so happy to hear about all of it."
Honestly, that wasn't too far off a cozy winter night with May. Her cooking left something to be desired (and she had passed the curse off to Peter, the number of times he'd microwave'd macaroni and cheese and forgotten to add water...), but her hot chocolates were out of this world.
So Rue hits the nail on the head, as it were, with their suggestion, and the part of Peter that normally sets him off running in the opposite direction from attempts at comfort momentarily quiets. The reminder of May, the pang that it strikes in this strange place, is enough to still his feet.
"...I'd like that. Thank you." He nods his assent, content to follow their lead. The train, as if bidden, pricks his ear in the distance, sound leading it into the station from a little ways off. "Sure, I mean - I'll tell you anything you want to know."
For how foreign a beast they may be, Rue knows well enough how to make themself comforting and familiar to appeal to those humans and fae around them, so they aren't completely ostracized for their wild shape. And if Peter now finds any comfort in that gesture, they are all too happy to shower all of that warmth right down upon him.
He's going to be alright. He will. They just need to get out of all of this snow!
"How about you start with telling me about your friends back home? I would love to hear about any of them."
Peter's seen true beasts. True evil, brought to the surface; appealing shape or otherwise, Rue's bearing is earnest and kind. Besides, despite the anxiety that perpetually coats Peter's tongue, his spidey sense hasn't set off with them, this entire conversation. Maybe it's naïve, but Peter trusts that assessment implicitly.
"Uh..." Peter huffs a laugh, rubbing his free hand awkwardly over the back of his neck. "...I don't really...have any?"
Friends that aren't dead or in an asylum? It's definitely sad that Peter has to fish for a name, before he finally settles on: "There's a girl at the paper I work for, uh, Betty. She's nice. I bring her coffee in the morning, I guess she's - yeah. A friend."
The train pulls up, a beat later, and Peter gestures forward as the doors open with a quiet shhhk. Owl-bears first, of course.
Oops, okay, maybe that was a misstep on Rue's part. They hardly wanted to speak on sore subjects -
"Oh, you work for a paper? Whatever do you do? Do you quite enjoy it?"
Nailed it. Rue's big eyes smile down at Peter at the offer for them to go first, and with a grace that's maybe surprising given their shape and size, Rue glides onto the train and finds a seat appropriate enough for an owlbear, with an open seat across from them so they can still speak.
"Yeah, it's uh - local to New York. It's called the Daily Bugle. I'm a photographer. Freelance, mostly, but sometimes Jonah throws me a bone with an assignment."
Peter follows Rue into the train car, peering around curiously. It seems like any regular train car, save the fact that it's way cleaner than any of the subway cars Peter is used to frequenting. He folds himself into a pretzel across from Rue, knees tucked under the seat arm rests, because he never did figure out how to sit normally. "I like it. Doesn't pay that great, but it gives us a little extra cash - May and me, I mean. I've always liked photography, as a hobby."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
spideyguy) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
newyorknative2024-06-14 11:33 am
TDM Overflow - Matt (sine_metu)
Not good enough, considering Matt is leaving the train with more bandages on than he entered it with, but Peter doesn't mention it aloud. Instead, he smiles, something Matt can't see but can likely hear in his tone. "Comes with the territory. Glad we made it out in relatively one piece, at least."
"Uh..." Peter looks around for a map, because that would be good, wouldn't it? There's nothing, but speak of the Devil - the blank sign on the wall blinks to life as if summoned. NOW ENTERING: EPIPHANY "...looks like we're headed somewhere called 'Epiphany'?"
Definitely not in Kansas anymore, if that weren't already painfully obvious.
Peter honestly spends so much time blocking out the sensory overload that sometimes, he does miss the more obvious things. He stands up to look out the window, as the wintery landscape shifts into something greener; more spring, by the looks of it. He pulls the mask back over his head, the train brakes grinding as they slow down even further, preparing to pull into the station. "Looks like a town?"
no subject
As the trail slows Matt reaches for the nearest pole and gets to his feet. He's back to moving with caution and care, one hand outstretched slightly. It would be easier if he'd just take the folding cane out of his pocket and use it but no, he's got the act to maintain.
"A town sounds nice." He makes his way to the door of the train braced for the train stops. There's always that slight sway as the momentum dies. Matt can sense Spiderman's concern for him. That general sense of anxiety is back too. The mask is on. Spiderman really doesn't want people to know who he is.
Matt can relate in a different direction.
"Should be easy enough for me to find a place to buy a cane around here." Matt's always buying canes back home. It's just the same.
no subject
The train pulls into the station with a gentle stop, which is almost comical, given the fighting and destruction that went on, not twenty minutes prior. Peter glances out the window - looks like a normal train station, though there are no people waiting on the platform. Maybe there weren't as many people around as it felt like there should be, with this much infrastructure? He can hear the bustle of life further beyond, so there's someone around out there, at least.
Peter turns instead to hover by Matt's elbow. "Can I help you find a shop? I'm sorry about your cane, man. You're right, though, they've got to have something."
He says it as if it's his fault it was probably broken into a million aluminum pieces back in the other wrecked train car, but then, that's just the Spidey guilt complex at work.
no subject
He makes his way off the train into the warmer weather. The chill of Wintermute is completely gone and it's definitely summer here. Matt takes a deep breath of clean air and it's very nice.
"I could probably ask one of the locals for help. If you want to keep exploring and seeing the world." He pushes his glasses up with a finger. "Can't really help you with that last one."
Another perfectly timed blind joke for Matt.
no subject
The weather here is notably different - the coat Matt shared with him was lost to the carnage of the fight, but at least he won't be in need of it here, or Peter would feel bad about losing that, too.
"When's your next comedy set at the Laugh Factory? No, seriously, save me a seat." Peter snorts, bumping his shoulder lightly against Matt's as they step out onto the train platform. "Let me at least help you out to the street. I'm sure there'll be a shop out there somewhere."
And if Peter follows Matt from the rooftops for a minute afterwards, just to ensure he makes it into a shop that can help him, well...who'll know, surely?
no subject
"When someone reads the schedule to me, I'll let you know." He'll never stop making blind jokes about himself. Hopefully some other people will catch on and be more comfortable with him that way.
He nods and takes Spiderman's arm. "Okay, the street is helpful. Then just point me to a cane store and you can go back to... spider things?"
no subject
"Ha, yeah, spider things." Peter snorts, leading Matt out to the street. The train station seems to pour out into an open-air square, shops and food stalls lining the street in either direction. "Mostly just looking for a way back to New York, I guess."
He's not sure what kind of store would carry a disability aid, but up ahead there seems to be a general store of sorts - perhaps that's the best bet. No one really gives them a second glance, Spiderman leading a blind man down the street - maybe this place is stranger than he already thought. At least there are no frost monsters out to get them here. "If you need anything - or have a word with the Fox lady - just let me know, alright?"
no subject
"I'll do my best to find you, Ben, when I have anything to report." He offers Spiderman a hand to shake. There's a spirit inside. Matt can hear their heartbeat and he's certain the spirit will help him find what he needs.
"Thank you again for everything." He means that genuinely. Spiderman has been a big help and a little bit of a surprise this whole time. In a good way.
think we're about good to wrap there! <3
Peter leaves Matt to it, wishing he had his webshooters - looks like rooftop parkour was the next best thing, for the time being - and disappears into the alleyway before heading off, out into Epiphany.
TDM Overflow - Minako (reloves)
"What? No!" Oh, Peter. You are not making this anywhere close to better. His hands flail, struggling to figure out how to walk back the situation. Parker awkwardness strikes again, good lord. This is just his life. "No, no it was a special spider! They aren't just walking around biting people, promise."
Poor girl looks absolutely disgusted with him and totally freaked out, and Peter sighs under the mask, feeling perennially exhausted. "Seriously, don't worry about it! It was a freak accident. I'm not contagious, or anything."
Really, Peter? Contagious? She wasn't even thinking that, probably!
no subject
She was indeed not thinking about that in the slightest, but now Peter has said it out loud? It sure makes the possibility suddenly a very real one, and the girl takes a step back, just in case.
Even though it's only a step, because she feels like this isn't just suspiciously specific denial. Hopefully it's not.
"No-- Wait, hold on. Let's go back to the beginning!" Before her brain is taken over by thoughts of this. Minako shakes her head, as if to physically get the idea of contagious spider bites out of her mind. "So you got bitten by a special spider, who somehow gave you special powers, and now you're using those to help people in trouble?"
The latter is the part she did learn from meeting the other guy with a slightly different suit than his. It's just the added details that are a little more baffling. Regular superhero stuff is something Minako can way more easily understand, given her own occupation!
no subject
"...yes. That pretty much," Peter sighs, making a vague gesture to his person, the red and blue handmade suit he's dressed in. " - sums it up."
"I mean...what else am I supposed to do?" He shrugs a little, like it's no big deal, one hand moving to rub at the back of his neck. When you can hear people crying out for help, how can you not help them?
no subject
"I guess that part makes sense." More than the spider part, anyway. Of course you decide to pick up the hero mantle when you've been thrown into the position to do so. That was Minako's first instinct too when her powers were revealed to her. She may not have believed it right off the bat, sure, but the moment she found out it was serious, she went for it.
"And we could use that here, you know?" The blonde raises her hands, gesturing at the train station around them.
"I know this place seems super calm right now, but there's danger all the time here. And not everyone knows how to defend themselves against it. Having more than one Spider Man around doesn't seem like such a bad idea, as long as you guys can both protect people."
no subject
"What kind of danger?" Peter's immediately on higher alert, scanning their surroundings - but his senses are quiet, no busier than usual managing his own internalized anxiety. He's still reeling from the fact that there's another Spiderman running around - he'll definitely have to seek them out and figure out of it was true. Still...alright, maybe not stranger things had happened, but it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, right? "We can. Or - I can. I do. I'm happy to help."
no subject
Look, it's hard to go into the details of the danger here, since it's so different every time. But at least this is a pretty consistent form of danger here that Minako is able to summarize better with just one word.
Even if she isn't really sure what he thinks of when he hears the word monsters. She just hopes it's the same as her.
"Have you ever had to deal with monsters before back home?"
no subject
"Not like - actual monsters? Supernatural or - alien creatures, or anything, if that's what you mean." No, for all the craziness he dealt with - and NYC had a very specific brand of it, to be sure - there had never been any flesh and blood monsters.
no subject
"No, I mean actual monsters!"
.. she's pretty sure that's what she means, anyway? Now she's kind of confused whether they're working with the same definition of monster here..
"You know, like the kind you'd see in a video game?" Maybe that makes more sense to him. It's definitely how Minako would categorize the monsters in this place, and she gestures with her hands as if that makes what she's saying any more clear, despite the gestures being very vague. "I don't even know why you'd think of a guy in a rhino costume!"
H-Has he seen one of those before? Why would a guy even dress up as a rhino?! Is it a Halloween thing?
no subject
"Well I fought one, once. He was kind of a dick. Kept robbing banks." Peter shrugs a little, helplessly; yeah, his gallery of rogues did kind of sound ridiculous. Man in a rhino suit, terrorizing people with his fursona. Man who fell into a tank of electric eels, got pissy about the number of Instagram followers he had. Typical Tuesday on Peter's street.
no subject
But Minako knows a thing about time and place, contrary to popular belief. She knows that starting about that fact right now isn't exactly the time for it, not when he's asking far more important questions about this place first.
"I mean, people who fight can stop them."
.. Minako included, but that's exactly what she has to keep under wraps. But since he's the one out here looking like a superhero, and since the other guy in a similar suit did speak as if he was one--
"You can do that, right? I mean, you wouldn't be wearing that if you couldn't fight monsters!" .. no pressure and all, Peter.
no subject
"Yeah, I can fight?" He doesn't mean to make it sound like a question, but he nods, and has to wonder - does the other Spiderman not fight? Or does he just look so unimpressive compared to the one she knows that she assumed he couldn't? Okay, probably the latter. Fair enough. "Yes, I can. Stopped rhino guy, didn't I?"
Not that he doesn't keep breaking out of jail, but it's Peter's job to catch him, not keep him, so hey!
"Can I help you get somewhere safe, then?" Away from any of these apparent monsters, hopefully. What the hell has he gotten into? As far as he knows, however, Minako is a totally normal teenage girl - and so far, nothing Peter's noticed about her points to the contrary.
no subject
But she won't argue that right now. Especially since the question that follows it is actually kind of complicated in its own way. She knows that she'd be able to get herself home safe, considering she could just use her powers, but.. well, he doesn't know she has those. And he isn't allowed to know.
And saying this place is super dangerous and then looking super flippant about getting herself back to safety probably doesn't look all that great.
So.. "If you wouldn't mind?"
Sorry, Peter, but she'll have to rely on your kindness this time.. She's just hoping he'll never figure out about her secret, then he won't know she's lying by omission here to him.
"I could use a hand, but.. you know, you sound like you're a very busy rhino-stopping guy."
no subject
"Of course." Escorting someone to their final destination - be it home, or through a rough patch of town - is something Peter's done a hundred times before. Especially around the Fall, when frat parties went full swing, ensuring drunk college kids don't end up walking into traffic, or helping girls getting harassed on their way home from the bars. "None of those around here so far. And no monsters, so I guess we can count ourselves lucky."
The train finally pulls in, almost like it was waiting for its cue. Peter makes an after you gesture, bouncing from foot to foot - it's still pretty cold, hopefully the train is a little bit warmer.
TDM Overflow - Peter (heyunderoos)
"They don't have one? This place really is Hell." Hey, at least his sarcasm is mostly joking! Nothing like a greasy slice while you're watching a rat robot sing and dance.
"L'appel du vide," Peter snorts, picking up the top of the bread bowl to reveal the stew within. No idea what was in it, but honestly, he was probably better off not knowing what kind of mystery meat the dogs had seen fit to put in it. "The consequences would be not great, though. Won't get the scent out of the suit for weeks when it all comes spilling out."
our giant thread slinks onto a different post, LMAO
"You can tell the call of the void it can wash our suits if we did that." He lobs back idly, happy to joke back a little. "I can't even run this through a machine, its 90% metal." He had to handwash it delicately every time and it was a pain in the ass.
we can wrap this one up soon if you like! down for w/e
"How do you stick in that thing?" Peter can't help but ask, genuinely curious and able to address it now that Peter has acknowledged it. "I tried other stuff and I couldn't get a grip through it. Had to be porous enough, you know? So how does the metal situation work? Also like - damn, man. What happens when you get thrown in a dumpster?"
we can wrap in a tag or two, figured we needed a face reveal
"The metal is extremely thin, not nanobot level, but it's woven into the fabric that I can kind of just stick through it."
He hesitates, before setting the food down on the edge of the dog's cart to take off his mask. Is it a risk out in the open? Yes, but Peter can tell they are alone right now. The dogs likely won't say much about it. They had seen worse.
He turns his mask inside out, revealing the inner workings. He holds it out for the other Peter to see. Their faces are decidedly different, but, there is that similar boyish charm to it.
"The whole inside of the suit looks like this, specifically so it can contort to my body."
TRUE lol kudos for keeping the mask situation straight!!
Other Peter taking off his mask is enough of a shock he almost doesn't register that he's holding out the mask for examination for a beat. He's - young, younger than Peter is himself, though probably not by much. They don't look the same - but don't they, though? The brown of their eyes, the dimple at the corner of their mouths. Like maybe they could pass for brothers - or cousins, at least.
A beat late, Peter accepts the mask, swallowing around the surprise. It's complicated tech to be sure, the level of stuff he saw in his higher undergraduate classes, mostly hypothetical at that point. Seems like this Peter came from a technologically advanced universe, in some respects, anyway. "This is - did you make this yourself?"
I had to re-read the thread, since these two LOVE talking, lmao
The eighteen year old smiles at him, something bright and friendly even with what both of them have dealt with in their lives. He's had a chance to grow in Thirteen's realm, literally and emotionally at least.
"I didn't, my mentor Mr. Stark made the suit itself, but I've been working on updating it and keeping things functional. It needs some upkeep since I'm wearing it all the time. With this much going on, you need to keep an eye on functionality-"
no subject
"Mentor?" The name Stark gets zero recognition from Peter, if his other self had expected it to. He turns the mask over in his hands, examining the eyepieces - the closures that were designed to move, unlike his repurposed PVC lenses. "Do you mind if I - ?"
Before he can talk himself out of it or think better of it, Peter reaches up to pull off his own mask. It slips off his head, revealing far more hair than should have been able to fit in there, sticking up every which way, like he stuck his finger in an electric socket.
gently wraps here
There is something assuring as there is odd to see the other Peter not be an exact copy of him. There are the similarities, brown hair, brown eyes, the same kind of exhausted energy both of them carried. Peter for his part doesn't comment on the mask hair, he understands the feeling implicitly.
"Go for it. It'll just feel a little weird at first."
TDM Overflow - Gwen (soloacts)
It certainly seems that way and hell, Peter doesn't exactly have any evidence to disprove it. Look at the state of his life, it's easy to see the carnage there. At times, the spiderbite has been more of a curse than a gift, and there's no drama to that, only truth.
"Guess they included our shitty coping mechanisms with the super strength for free, huh?" Peter jokes gently, because he can't not, and neither of them are alone in that. "I'm glad you're...finding your way through that."
The darkest of caves, and one that left a shadow on the soul. Stepping out into the sun to dispel it was easier said than done. Peter listens to the determination that solidifies in Gwen's voice, that little bit of iron that wasn't so different from his own Gwen - sharpened, honed maybe, but one and the same.
"Sounds like a load of bullshit to me," Peter agrees, eyes tightening at the idea of predetermination. It's dangerously close to the nihilism pit, too much so for his tastes; Peter's been guilty of falling into it himself. And if it is true - what, it's supposed to absolve them all of responsibility for their actions? It wasn't really their fault, not if fate had deemed it so? Like he said, bullshit. He can't accept that, and Peter sure as hell knows his Aunt would never. Gwen wouldn't, either, and that's what keeps him going, most days.
He wisely doesn't mention that it wasn't the force that got her father killed, not really; it wasn't just that secrets had a cost, but this life had a cost. She knows.
"The only guaranteed way to lose is to stop trying in the first place." Peter rocks on his heels, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly before dropping his hand. "Somehow I don't think either of us have ever been good at accepting the status quo, either."
TDM Overflow - Rue (ruevealing)
"Gifts?" Peter tries to run back through the conversation he had with the fox, but it feels almost like it has a dream-like quality to it, and the bewilderment is very swiftly overtaking the rest. The glow factor is real, intensifying alongside his emotions, until Peter looks away - though his gaze is drawn back a moment later, uncertain. "Do you - know how I get it to stop?"
He thinks it probably makes sense, in some idle corner of his mind. He hadn't exactly been able to study the effects of the spiderbite in any amount of detail, but he has a theory about his amygdala and the enhancement the venom created there. His spider sense had to come from somewhere - it would make sense if it had enhanced that part of his brain. Weaponized anxiety, no less.
BLESS YOU DEAR
"I admit, I did not get the eye trait like some Legends, though I know a few I can point you towards who may have better advice. But from my understanding, it may be simply because you are feeling some heightened emotion. If you calm yourself, steady your breathing, take a few moments to simply find your center, it may be enough to dim that glow again."
no subject
“I’ve never been that great at calm,” Peter admits, something of a sheepish smile tinging the edges of his mouth. He does try to take the advice, taking a deep breath and holding it in for a second before slowly breathing back out. It reminds him of the exercises he used to use for panic attacks, pre-bite. If May were around, she’d hold his hand as Rue was, or offer him a pillow to breathe into - to slow down the panicked gulps of air.
After a moment, he peeks open one eye - still orange, but at least a little less glowy than before. “…did it work?”
no subject
"I know you can do it. Take some deep breaths with me-" But he is already right on it, following the exercises he knows, which Rue is happy to practice with him. And though it doesn't erase the color completely, at least the glow no longer looks quite so blinding.
"There you are! Yes, darling, that did work. I can see your beautiful eyes now. How do you feel?"
no subject
He makes a vague gesture with his free hand towards his head, indicating the intangible. His spidey sense, weaponized anxiety - just kind of did what it wanted, but at least the vice around his chest is easing.
no subject
"I think what we could both use is a nice cup of hot cocoa. We should take the working train out to Epiphany and get out of all of this freezing cold. Does that sound alright with you, dear? And while we travel, you can tell me about your home world. I would be so happy to hear about all of it."
no subject
So Rue hits the nail on the head, as it were, with their suggestion, and the part of Peter that normally sets him off running in the opposite direction from attempts at comfort momentarily quiets. The reminder of May, the pang that it strikes in this strange place, is enough to still his feet.
"...I'd like that. Thank you." He nods his assent, content to follow their lead. The train, as if bidden, pricks his ear in the distance, sound leading it into the station from a little ways off. "Sure, I mean - I'll tell you anything you want to know."
no subject
He's going to be alright. He will. They just need to get out of all of this snow!
"How about you start with telling me about your friends back home? I would love to hear about any of them."
no subject
"Uh..." Peter huffs a laugh, rubbing his free hand awkwardly over the back of his neck. "...I don't really...have any?"
Friends that aren't dead or in an asylum? It's definitely sad that Peter has to fish for a name, before he finally settles on: "There's a girl at the paper I work for, uh, Betty. She's nice. I bring her coffee in the morning, I guess she's - yeah. A friend."
The train pulls up, a beat later, and Peter gestures forward as the doors open with a quiet shhhk. Owl-bears first, of course.
no subject
"Oh, you work for a paper? Whatever do you do? Do you quite enjoy it?"
Nailed it. Rue's big eyes smile down at Peter at the offer for them to go first, and with a grace that's maybe surprising given their shape and size, Rue glides onto the train and finds a seat appropriate enough for an owlbear, with an open seat across from them so they can still speak.
no subject
Peter follows Rue into the train car, peering around curiously. It seems like any regular train car, save the fact that it's way cleaner than any of the subway cars Peter is used to frequenting. He folds himself into a pretzel across from Rue, knees tucked under the seat arm rests, because he never did figure out how to sit normally. "I like it. Doesn't pay that great, but it gives us a little extra cash - May and me, I mean. I've always liked photography, as a hobby."