"To be honest... this is a really strange feeling."
At a cemetery in Brooklyn, Peter stood before a grave while wave after wave stirred inside his usually calm heart.
It was a very new grave. The dirt around it was still fresh, unlike the older graves nearby that were already covered in weeds. A headstone stood above it, and carved into it was the name Peter Benjamin Parker.
His full name.
There was even a black-and-white photo attached to the stone, and the person in it was clearly the older version of himself, smiling brightly, as if he had always been that optimistic.
And honestly, that was true.
Ultimate Spider-Man had always been optimistic. He had a way of spreading that positivity and hope to everyone around him.
That was something Peter himself did not have.
"Peter, being Spider-Man must be exhausting, right? Swinging around every day, dealing with one sudden crisis after another..."
Gwen placed a bouquet in front of this world's fallen Spider-Man and stood beside Peter, watching him remain silent.
"It's actually not that bad. If the NYPD weren't constantly chasing him, it probably would've been a lot easier. And the way I handle things is a little different from how this world's Peter did, so... I'm not that tired."
Peter could clearly feel the faint spider-sense lingering around the grave. It was a strange feeling, as if it came from the same source as his own, but it was so weak it was almost gone.
That was probably the last trace of power left in Ultimate Spider-Man's body.
So mutant energy really didn't disappear easily after death.
Then again, that made sense. Once someone was a genetic mutant, as long as the vitality in their cells hadn't fully vanished, their abilities wouldn't disappear right away either.
"Peter saved a lot of people, but in the end, he couldn't save himself."
"He was too tired. Maybe it was time for him to rest, don't you think?"
"Yeah. He'd been Spider-Man for over ten years. Who could really say whether that was the life he wanted?"
Gwen looked at the smiling photo on the headstone and fell into a daze.
"Maybe I know."
Peter spoke quietly.
"At first, it really does feel like this kind of life isn't bad. Honestly, I still think that sometimes. But looking at him lying in this grave, I can feel how tired he was. You know how Spider-People have that faint sense of connection. I can feel it."
"He was that tired, huh... Peter, promise me you'll be a little more selfish, okay? Then maybe you won't end up like him..."
Gwen looked at him seriously.
"The truth is... I've always been an extremely selfish person. I'm not like him."
"Yeah, that much is obvious. Only you would rob a bunch of little punks."
"Hey, Gwen, forget that already. Otherwise I might have to get back at you. I'm a very petty person."
"And how exactly are you going to get back at me? Don't forget, I'm a police officer."
Gwen raised a brow, puffed out her chest proudly, and made sure her badge was visible. She looked absurdly pleased with herself.
"Alright. You want to know? Then it's this."
Without warning, Peter flicked her on the forehead.
"Ow! That hurt! You're such a jerk!"
Rubbing her forehead, Gwen glared at the man in the neat suit in front of her. He looked respectable enough, but clearly had no intention of acting like it.
This Peter felt completely different from the one she remembered.
He was nothing like the shy, awkward, introverted nerd she had known.
And he was also nothing like the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man who made people feel warm and hopeful.
As far as she knew, Spider-Man would never casually rob a bunch of street punks. The Peter of this universe would've just taught them a lesson and handed them over to the police.
But the Peter Parker standing here, the one who claimed to be from another universe, really had pulled off a robbery with a scalpel and taken forty-eight dollars.
Even pocket change mattered to him.
At the same time, Gwen found herself growing more and more curious about him.
What had happened to make him become this kind of person?
How had he become Spider-Man?
What was his universe like?
She wanted to know all of it.
Gwen had always been a genius. She loved science, and the concept of the multiverse fascinated her even more.
"Well, staring at my own grave isn't exactly fun. I should deal with what's going on here and get back to my own world as soon as possible. If I stay gone too long, Aunt May and Uncle Ben are going to skin me alive."
With both hands behind his head, Peter gave one final look at his own grave and turned away.
"Wait. In your world, Uncle Ben didn't die?"
Gwen hurried after him.
"No. I stopped the robber and killed him myself. If I hadn't, I really would've regretted it for the rest of my life."
Peter smiled.
"In this world, Peter's uncle died back when we were in high school. I even went to his funeral."
Gwen's face darkened with sadness.
So the paths of the multiverse were never exactly the same.
This world's Uncle Ben was gone.
But in front of her stood a Peter whose Uncle Ben was still alive.
The multiverse really did contain endless possibilities.
"That's the difference between me and him. Same event, different choice, different path. Ah... the madness of the multiverse."
Peter couldn't help sighing.
"You're still in high school right now, aren't you?"
"Yeah. I've still got half a year before college."
"And you and Mary Jane...?"
Gwen sounded a little uneasy.
After all, this universe's Peter had dated Mary Jane in high school too before they eventually broke up. Otherwise Gwen never would've had a chance to step in when they reached college.
Yes, she liked Peter.
She didn't even know exactly when it had started.
"She's my best friend Harry's girl. I'm not interested in that violent woman at all."
"My childhood friend is Gwen Stacy. We're really close, but we still haven't crossed that line."
The moment Gwen came up, Peter's expression softened. In his mind appeared the lively, beautiful girl from his own world.
"Gwen Stacy..."
"That's me."
Gwen's mood instantly brightened, and a faint smile tugged at her lips as she looked at him.
"So you like that version of me?"
"You two don't actually look that alike, though your personalities are pretty similar."
Peter didn't deny it. He simply nodded.
"Now I'm kind of curious what that version of me looks like."
Without saying a word, Peter took out his phone and pressed the power button. The lock screen lit up with a photo of him and Gwen from Earth-65.
In the picture, the lively Gwen was pinching Peter's cheeks while smiling brilliantly, and Peter was making a ridiculous face in return.
"Yeah... she really doesn't look that much like me. But she's beautiful."
Looking at the two smiling faces on the screen, Gwen even felt a little envious of her other self.
"Hey, I've never seen anyone praise herself that openly before. What happened to your shame?"
"Don't need it. It's not worth anything."
"Yeah, that part does feel very familiar."
"So where are you going?"
"No idea. I just fell out with some people, so going back doesn't really feel right. And ID from my universe doesn't work here, so I'll probably be sleeping on the streets."
Peter shook his head, then added, "What, Officer Gwen? Thinking of taking me in?"
"Sure. Perfect chance to let you try my cooking too."
"You? I remember you were the kind of cook who could somehow leave one side of a steak raw and burn the other side black."
The moment he remembered the time Gwen in his universe had suddenly gotten the urge to cook steak for him and nearly sent him to the hospital, Peter silently renewed his vow to never eat anything she made again.
And if this Gwen was the same person in another universe, then her cooking probably wasn't going to be much better.
"That was a long time ago!"
Gwen blushed in embarrassment.
Back in college, she had once cooked a Western meal for this universe's Peter too, and the mutant-toughened Ultimate Spider-Man had nearly ended up in the ICU.
That was all the proof anyone needed of how powerful Gwen's cooking really was.
"If you're bad at it, then practice more."
"You really want to die, don't you?!"
The two of them bickered as they walked away.
Less than a minute later, a boy in a cheap Spider-Man costume came tearing through the cemetery, dragging a tramp in a beige trench coat behind him.
The reason was simple.
A bunch of police officers were chasing him.
And while being dragged along, the tramp briefly came to, smashed headfirst into Peter Parker's headstone, left blood everywhere, and passed out again.
(End of Chapter)
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