Chapter Text
They ended up eating at bat burger. It was a different location than the one Peter had eaten at previously, and he wasn't going to complain about the repetitive food if someone else was paying for it. And there was no way he was making it to the daily bugle today.
He sat at a large table with Batman, Black Bat, Red Robin, and Spoiler, who had joined them after sending Robin back to somewhere called the 'bat cave'. The younger vigilante had argued, even challenging Spoiler to a duel, before finally going when faced with Batman's disapproval. (What a weird kid.) Peter shoved his mask up above his mouth to eat, but didn't remove it entirely.
They had finished their meal, and Red Robin was looking at him expectantly.
"So, you've got fangs?"
Spoiler viciously jabbed him in the side for the question. Peter gave a tired laugh- despite trying, he hadn't been able to keep the fangs hidden away while eating. For the brief moment he had, it had been such an uncomfortable feeling that he decided letting them be visible was a better option than trying to keep them hidden. He'd just have to hope he could play it off before they realized how disturbing it truly was.
"Yup. but don't worry, I'd never bite anyone. They just come out when I'm eating, can't stop it." he grumbled, trying to keep his voice light.
"Fascinating," Red robin half-whispered. "I assume that's part of your powers? I mean, obviously you're spider themed, but—"
"Yup." Peter interrupted. He really didn't want to talk about his mutations— not only was it information that the bats could use against him, but it was also terrifying. He knew from experience that his more non-human traits were disconcerting and scary, and so he kept them to himself. He really didn't need this group of hyper-vigilant people to realize he was a freak before he could even do any good. He'd given a rundown of his powers on multiple occasions, so having a scripted, please-don't-realize-I'm-actually-kind-of-creepy explanation was a natural thing.
"The long and short of it is, I've got a whole bunch of spider DNA in me. I've got the proportionate speed and strength of a spider, I can cling to walls and ceilings, and my senses are dialed up way high. For a while I thought I had a sixth sense thing going on, and I kind of do— although really it's just that my brain has so much sensory input that it skips 'conscious thought' and goes straight to interpretation."
At the Bats' confused looks, he tried to give a more easily interpreted explanation.
"It's like— you know when you accidentally touch something really hot, and your brain pulls your hand away before you even realize it hurts?"
They nodded.
"That happens because your nerves send pain signals to your brain— which takes around 27 milliseconds. The time it takes for your brain to interpret the pain, and what it means, is around 130 milliseconds. Then it has to make a decision, and send the signal to move back to your hand— and that's enough time to do some serious damage. So instead, the pain signal gets sent directly to your motor neuron, and forces you to move. You won't even notice the object was dangerous until your brain has already saved you."
They nodded in understanding again. "And… that happens with everything for you?" batman asked.
"Yup. bullets, knives, even the chemical changes in someone emotions— if there is a physical indicator of danger, no matter how small, my body can detect it and make me dodge."
"Then how do you ever get injured?"
"Well, sometimes you have to compromise— taking a knife to the gut is better than one to the heart, and not every situation has an out. And sometimes, someone else is in danger. I'd rather take a bullet than let a civilian die when I could have stopped it."
The table was silent for a moment as they considered his words.
"I think I've underestimated you, Spider-man."
Peter looked up at Batman in surprise. "…huh? I mean, I know my powers are pretty weird, but I'm no Superman or anything. I can still get beat up, happens all the time," he gave a small grin.
"No, not your abilities— your morality and willpower. not many people could fight their own instincts and take a bullet they could easily dodge, just to protect someone else."
That hit Peter a bit too close to home. Uncle Ben had died, taking a bullet, and he had stood by and done nothing.
"…Someone once told me that with great power comes great responsibility," He said after a moment. "I didn't understand it at the time— I thought it was just a useless platitude."
He curled into himself, pulling his feet up onto the bench.
"And then that person died. And I could've save them. If I'd acted just a bit sooner, that bullet could have hit me— and I could have survived. I could have saved his life, and then Ben would still be here. I… I realized what he meant, after that. I had the ability to do something, to save someone— but I didn't. I had the power, and I didn't take the responsibility. And it got someone killed. so now every time I see someone get hurt, and I don't do anything, that's on me."
Peter's hands clenched against the fabric of his suit.
"Because I do have these powers, and I can stop people from getting hurt, I have to. It's something I have to do, because if I don't, then Ben died for nothing and I don't deserve to be here instead of him."
The bats all stared at him for a moment. And then another, and another, until they'd been sitting there in silence for a full minute without saying a word. Peter itched to climb into a corner and hide.
"I can… appreciate your motivation," Batman finally said. "I— and much of my family— do what we do to protect others from the pain we have endured. But one lesson that you have to understand is that you are worthy of living, just because you are a person. I don't know who this 'Ben' was to you, but if he sacrificed his life so you could be alive today, it's clear that he loved you. Would he want you to put your life in danger, just because you could help one more person?"
"Oh, I know— I promise I'm not suicidal or anything. I know Ben would have wanted me to live. This is just… It's kind of how I remember him," Peter said. "I can't really go visit his grave anymore, and he was always the most kind person— always giving more to other people than he kept for himself." he gave a watery smile, remembering Ben. "For him, great responsibility meant giving away as much as he could to take care of the people around him. For me, my capacity is higher because of what I can do. So because I have more power, I have more responsibility."
Black Bat seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking. "You… cannot visit his grave?"
Oh.
Oh yeah, they didn't know.
Peter sighed. "This is about to be a very weird story," He warned.
"Try me," Red Robin grinned. (Peter was beginning to suspect that his civilian name was Tim, based on Red Hood's comments and what he had overheard from Oracle. It was hard to keep from calling him by the name.)
"Well, I'm from another Universe."
Tim shrugged. "That's not too out there, we've dealt with aliens before," He said. "But… how would you have spider DNA if you come from another planet…?"
Peter shook his head at the misunderstanding. "No, not like that— I think I'm from another dimension, a parallel earth,"
Several jaws dropped, and then they started chattering all at once.
"You mean the Multiverse theory is true?"
"That explains how you appeared as a fully trained vigilante without any other record of your existence."
"Wouldn't that still technically make you an alien?"
They calmed down after a moment, waiting for further explanation.
"Okay, okay— I guess the multiversal theory is true, yes, although I don't understand it. I got chucked here while fighting this guy who's basically a walking wormhole, and I guess he pushed himself too far because there was a big explosion and I woke up here. In my universe, I've been Spider-man for almost three years— and yeah, I guess you could categorize me as an alien. Although I am human, still. Kinda. Depending on your definition."
"Three years… so you weren't born with your powers?" Batman asked.
"Nope. we'd call that a Mutant, on my earth, but I'm a Mutate. That means my powers came from an outside source," Peter explained. "I think you call them all 'Metas' here, though." Black Bat nodded in confirmation.
"What happened, if you don't mind my asking?" Spoiler said.
Peter considered lying for a moment, but ultimately decided against it. There wasn't a point— there was no Oscorp in this universe (he'd checked) so the Bats had no hope of tracking down the research that had created him.
"Went on a field trip to this company called Oscorp in my freshman year of high school. It was a company researching genetic modification, and I accidentally got bit by one of their spider test subjects. There was a lot going on with it— it had traits from a whole bunch of different spider species, and they had used radiation to forcibly mutate it even more. It bit me, I got super sick and almost died because it was actively rewriting my DNA, and woke up a week later with extra senses and way too much strength. Started being Spider-man not that long after."
He gave the Bats a moment to consider his words, knowing it was a lot to process. Ned had hounded him with follow up questions for weeks after he… found out. He watched in amusement as the gears turned in their heads, but was caught off guard with the first question asked.
"If you've been Spider-man for three years, and this happened in 9th grade…"
Crap. he hadn't thought that they might figure out his age.
"You're only eighteen?"
"Seventeen," He grumbled. "I skipped a grade, so I'm a year younger."
Red Robin's face lit up at that. "Hey, me too!" he reached out a hand for Peter to fist bump. He obliged.
Batman, on the other hand, was looking grouchier than normal. "You're only seventeen?"
Peter pouted at him. "Hey, don't look at me like that— Robin's what, twelve? and don't tell me he's a special case, I know you've had other robins. I researched you," He pointed out. "And I have a sneaking suspicion that some of them grew up to continue vigilanteism under different names," He gestured at Red robin and Spoiler with his last remaining French fry.
Red robin grinned. "I like him. Want me to get the adoption papers ready, B?"
Peter was confused for a moment, but it seemed like an inside joke with the family. Spoiler laughed outright, and black bat's demeanor shifted to indicate she was grinning. Batman just sighed. "I don't adopt every orphan I come across, you delinquents."
Spoiler snickered again. "No, just the traumatized ones that try to steal your tires,"
Before Peter could ask, another voice joined the conversation. "Hey, I'm over that! I'll have you know I'm a reformed man." It was Jason, stomping into the building to join their conversation. He kidnapped a chair from a different table, spinning it around so he could sit with his arms folded over the back of it. He gave Peter a brief nod. "Spidey."
Peter returned the nod. "Hood. You tried to steal Batman's tires?"
Even though Jason was still wearing his helmet, Peter could hear the grin in his voice. "He parked the d**m Bat-mobile in Crime alley, I don't know what he expected to happen. But yeah— and I was almost done too, when he came back. Little did I know that 'grand theft tires' would get me trained as robin."
Peter let himself laugh, trying to imagine the massive man as a little kid running around in the red and green costume. He'd seen images of the first robin's suit— it was terrible.
He remembered too late that he didn't really have full control of the sound anymore. A clicking chirp overlayed his laugh, making a weird resonance in his chest. He cut it off immediately, but it was too late. they were all staring at him now.
He sunk further into his seat in shame. "Sorry. Spider thing, I know it's weird."
It took a moment for the shock to wear off, and for the Bats to jump back into the conversation.
"That's cool! can you talk to spiders, then?"
The response was so unexpected that Peter just stared, letting his mouth hang open at Spoiler's open expression. Weren't they freaked out? Weren't they… afraid?
"I… don't know," He said after a moment, still trying to process their unexpected reaction. "I haven't ever tried."
Jason scoffed. "You mean you've had your powers for 3 years, you call yourself Spider-man, and you've never tried to talk to spiders?"
In his confusion, Peter forgot that he was trying to keep his spidery bits hidden. "This part's a new development, so not really," He responded.
"'New'? I thought you said your DNA stabilized after a week," Red Robin asked.
"Yeah, it did. But since I got flung here, there's been new stuff happening. I think the wormhole I went through caused some radiation that re-activated the mutation. I've been keeping track of it, just to be safe," He was only half paying attention at this point, lost in his own thoughts. Did they really not care? He'd just made a very un-human sound, and they seemed more politely curious than anything. Could May have been right? were they really, truly, not afraid?
Black Bat seemed to catch on to his shocked and anxious state. "You seem surprised, Spider-man. What are you afraid of?"
Peter just stared at her for a moment, hands wringing anxiously in his lap. His brain was yelling at him to run, hide, to climb up onto the wall and find a tight corner and get away. but…
"You mean… you aren't afraid of me?"
Hood scoffed. "So you make weird sounds. Who cares? This idiot's boyfriend is a clone grown in a lab," he said, jabbing a finger at Red Robin, who blushed furiously.
"Kon's not my boyfriend! I mean, we're just—" Tim sunk further into his seat, mumbling and glaring at his older brother.
"Man, you can stick to walls and sneak up of some of the world's sneakiest people without even trying. You keep lifting crazy heavy s**t without breaking a sweat. It's cool. You really think we're gonna care if spider-man is a little spidery?"
Peter just blinked at them. "I mean… yeah? People usually freak out, so I don't let it show," He said numbly. "I don't wanna scare anyone,"
Batman sighed. "Although I'll admit you had us worried when you first popped up, I don't think anyone could really be afraid of you after hearing you talk. You're just too genuine," he said, before pausing. "Although remind me never to break your tech, I think the man you buried in webs is going to have nightmares for years."
It felt like a weight was lifted off Peters chest. He was always worried about scaring people, or hurting them by accident, and Gotham's resident incarnations of justice had just told him that they didn't find him creepy. The rumbling purr in his chest surfaced again, although louder this time.
The bats looked around for the source of the sudden sound for a moment, turning back to Peter when he slid down on the bench, embarrassed.
"That you?" Red Hood asked, amused. Peter just nodded miserably.
"Huh. I didn't know spiders could purr."
"Male wolf spiders can," He groaned. "I have no idea why I got that specific trait."
Hood's outright cackle was infectious, and the grin that spread onto Peter's face only made the purring increase in volume. he could feel the heat rushing to his face.
"It is an oddly comforting sound," Black Bat said. Spoiler nodded with a goofy grin.
Batman was also smiling, but he interrupted the conversation. "It's getting bright outside, and we are all exhausted. We should go home soon,"
Tim sighed, but stood. "You're right, I think I could sleep for a week," He gave Spider-man a mock glare. "Chasing you through the city is tiring."
Peter grinned. "I know, but it was so funny to watch you try and keep up."
Tim's jaw dropped. "You knew we were behind you?!"
He just shrugged. "I've got enhanced senses, and you're a lot louder than you think you are." That earned him a good-natured scowl. He neglected to mention that he could hear them complaining through the comms the whole time.
"You should come back to the Bat cave with us," Spoiler offered. Batman shot her a look for offering without asking him, but he also turned to Peter. "You could. you can't possibly have a stable home here, yet."
Although his spider sense was silent, Peter knew the offer could be dangerous. "Tempting, but no thanks, I've found a spot."
"Where?" Red Robin asked, too innocently.
"Nowhere you'll be able to follow me, but nice try," He smirked. "For one of the world's greatest detectives, that was weak."
They walked out of the fast food joint, and Peter immediately felt a pair of eyes on him. taking advantage of the fact that they couldn't see his actual eyes, he looked up and caught sight of Nightwing on a rooftop, ready to follow him.
Of course.
Not letting on that he had noticed the guy, he turned to Batman and shook his hand. "Thanks for breakfast, sir. I hope we can work together without any other misunderstandings," He said genuinely.
"Indeed. You seem like a good person, Spider-man. We'll see you out there."
Taking that as a dismissal, Peter leapt into the air. with the comm still in his hear, his suspicion of Nightwing's intention was reaffirmed.
"Alright, I see him— I'm gonna follow and see where he goes."
"Be careful, Nightwing— it's likely that he will figure out that you're tailing him."
"Careful is my middle name," Nightwing quipped. Peter didn't even need the comm to hear him, he was speaking that loudly.
His mistake.
Peter shot a web into a side street, zipping off to the side to block Nightwing's view. Before the man could catch up, he flipped down and stuck to the underside of an overhang to lie in wait. He held in a laugh as he heard a clatter below. It was almost too easy!
Dick had thought he could keep up with Spider-man. Sure, the kid was enhanced, but Dick had been swinging around Gotham via grappling hooks since around the time when the kid would have been born. It was a good challenge, but not beyond his abilities.
Turns out, It was beyond his abilities.
It took Spider-man all of three seconds to loose him completely. He let himself drop to the ground, staring dumbly down the street where Spidey had dissapeared.
"Loose something?"
Dick was man enough to admit that he screamed. The voice had come from right above him, and he could have fainted as he watched Spidey descend from the ceiling on a strand of silk, coming to a stop right at eye level.
As Dick caught his breath, he looked the young vigilante over. upon closer inspection, he could see the spot in Spidey's wrist where the web emerged from (he was still not wearing the glove). He'd been informed about what had happened last night, but they still didn't know why the guy used mechanical web shooters in the first place if he could make them inside his body. (Dick internally shivered at the idea. Maybe that was why.)
Anyways, the feat wasn't just disconcerting because of the webs. Spider-man was only holding onto the thread of silk with one hand, his feet pinching the web above. It was pure, perfectly controlled strength keeping the kid up, and he wasn't even straining. He made it look casual.
"I thought I just told your family not to follow me," He said. "In case you didn't get it, I'll say it again. I don't want anyone knowing where I live. I don't care if you think you need to know more about me, I think I've proven I only want to help people in this city." the lenses on his mask narrowed. "If you keep trying to follow me, you're gonna end up webbed to a gargoyle somewhere."
The tone of his voice indicated that, for once, the threat was not a joke.
"Toodles."
Dick watched in shocked awe as Spider-man flipped away, casually performing feats of acrobatics that made his gymnast's heart jealous.
"Well then, I guess he knows how to make a point," Babs' voice said in his ear.
"You said it," Dick responded, a little dazed in his amazement.
Peter returned to his hide out in the clock tower feeling slightly numb. He slept for a long time, only waking up when his body began aching for food.
He didn't know what to do about the bats. They had been so accepting of his unusual traits, but at the same time, he knew the consequences of trusting the wrong people.
And so he avoided them.
It was an easy thing to do— he had his listening-in device, so even if they saw him he would know and could easily escape. And that was if they saw him. His spidey senses made them easy to evade.
That didn't mean he didn't get close to them at all— he still needed money, after all. His abilities made them easy to sneak up on, and his newly adjusted camera now had a much quieter shutter.
He continued helping people, of course— and a new vigilante in town that was not directly associated with the bats had the city in a buzz. He was annoyed to have to take photos of himself again, but he didn't really have a choice.
"Hi, Mandy. I've got tonight's photos," he said, giving the now-familiar secretary a small smile. It was a few days after the web shooter incident, and it seemed like the right time for the bugle to release an article about Spider-man.
"Ah, Parker! little behind schedule, aren't you?" Jonah barked from somewhere else in the building. His footsteps were getting closer.
"Good morning, Mr. Jameson. Sorry for the delay— but I can make it up to you with what I got tonight," Peter said with a grin, ensuring his posture was straight as it could be with the huge bruise on his side. The consequences of a successful patrol.
Mandy dutifully turned her monitor, as was becoming custom. Tonight's haul included several dramatic shots of Batman looming on the skyline, a sequence of Robin efficiently using his dual katana to cut down some trouble-making mobsters associated with someone called 'black mask', and a carefully framed shot of Spider-man swinging overhead between two skyscrapers. That had been difficult to do- he'd had to put his camera on a burst setting, turn it up towards the sky, and web himself over it at least a dozen times before it looked good. (He'd carefully deleted all of the other, less useful and more incriminating photos.)
"Hoo, now that's front page material!" Jameson crowed about the last photo. "I'll give you 500 for the bunch of 'em."
"Really?" Peter said, floored. that was more than he'd ever gotten paid back home, even with his best photos.
"Ah, you're right— Hazard pay should be included. 650," He grunted. "You drive a hard bargain."
Peter opened and closed his mouth a few times, probably looking quite stupid. Mandy hid a smile behind her hand as she turned the monitor back around.
"I— wow, thank you Mr. Jameson." he finally managed.
"Yeah, yeah— now get out of here, Parker, I have work to do!"
Peter obliged easily— Jameson wasn't the only one. Now, with some additional funds, Spider-man had work to do as well.
Using the money, Peter bought supplies for the Gotham's homeless population.
It was sort of a tradition with the Parkers, starting with uncle Ben. Whenever he'd gotten a bonus at work, or they'd had a bit of extra money at the end of the month, they would bring gifts to those who needed them most. It was on one of those days that he had first taught Peter about responsibility.
650 dollars was hardly a drop in the bucket compared to the waterfall of funds that the Wayne foundation poured out, but it could be life changing for the person who received it. the money might not make anyone a millionaire, but it could go far if you knew how to stretch it.
And boy, could Peter stretch it. The years with May after Ben's death had been difficult. they'd been forced to move into a smaller apartment, and living off of one salary instead of two made every purchase more painful.
It had gotten even worse after May died, and Peter was living solely off of the money he got from selling photos to the bugle. He knew what kinds of things to buy, and where to buy them.
He bought necessities like food and clean water, of course, but he also made sure to buy things he knew they wouldn't get at homeless shelters. by the time it was all purchased, sorted, and passed out, he was exhausted. It was the good kind of exhausted, where you know you've accomplished something, but exhausted nonetheless.
He was so exhausted, in fact, that he wasn't really paying attention to the alley he was snacking in. The last five dollars from his paycheck had been just enough to buy a hot, fresh sandwich, which he was greatly looking forward to. there were no cameras in the alley, and that was good enough for him. He pulled his mask off completely, trusting his senses to alert him if anyone approached. He sat halfway up the wall, for an easy escape just in case.
He allowed himself to groan as he bit into the sandwich. The shop had toasted it for him, and the warmth flowed into him bones with the first bite. The tomato was perfectly ripe, and the ham didn't have the weird, slimy texture that made him want to spit it out. He'd have to remember that place, and become a regular patron.
Peter was so far into sandwich heaven that he didn't notice footsteps enter the alley until it was too late. luckily they hadn't noticed him yet, but a dumpster was blocking their view. he was about to scramble away, but something distracted him.
Hang on, he knew that heartbeat. who was it again?
The moment of hesitation was enough. The person rounded the corner, and a clang rang in the alley as they dropped something. Peter froze and stared, mouth still half full of sandwich. He really had the worst luck.
"…Spider-man?" the voice asked, choked with surprise.