A/N: Okay, so apparently I did need seven months to update this. I am so sorry to anyone who cared to see more of this fic. But here it is! Enjoy!

Surprisingly, getting away from school was easy. They managed to slip out a side entrance and get down to the street without anyone spotting them, even with Ned doing a strange impression of a chicken with its head cut off as he tried to sneak from hiding place to hiding place.

Peter walked behind him, a little steadier but still nervous as hell. "Dude," he hissed. "Stop that. You look suspicious as hell."

"Ah. Sorry," Ned whispered.

Once they made it to the street, Ned let out a victorious whoop before punching Peter in the shoulder.

"Yes!" he said as they walked down the sidewalk towards the subway platform. "We did it!"

Peter rubbed his shoulder. "Yeah, and that was the easiest part of this whole thing."

"I like to appreciate my successes. What can I say," Ned said, shrugging. "So, do you actually have a plan here? Or am I risking my perfect attendance record for no reason?"

Peter reached around into his backpack and pulled out the web-shooters. "This is my plan," he said, showing them off to Ned.

Ned picked one up and turned it over in his hand. "What the heck is this?"

"Look." Peter grabbed it back from him and slipped it on his wrist. Then he pointed his arm out and pressed the button.

Webbing flew forwards, the end of it landing on the pavement in front of them and sticking.

"Whoa," Ned said. "What the…"

They paused in their walking as Peter grabbed the string and pulled on it. Sure enough, the webbing held fast.

Peter looked up at Ned, waiting for his approval.

"What… what is it, though?" Ned said instead. "What are you doing with this?"

"I'm gonna climb up the outside of Avengers Tower to the roof," Peter told him, as though the answer were obvious. He let go of the thread and they started walking forwards again. "It's just like climbing a rope in gym class, Ned. Easy."

Ned looked extremely dubious. "Easy?" he said. "I mean, maybe with super spider powers. But if you haven't noticed, you're a normal person, Peter. With an injured arm. Do you really think this is gonna be easy?"

Peter blinked. Honestly, he hadn't thought about that. Or if he had, he'd just skipped over it like it wasn't worth worrying about. He saw now that it was.

Yeah, this plan might not be as fool proof as he thought.

"Let's not worry about that right now, okay?" Peter said, faking confidence and hiding his own panic. He couldn't have Ned walking out on him. "Let's just… get downtown. Do you have any ideas on hacking into that place?"

Ned shrugged. "I'd have to get on my computer and do a little research. I'll do it on the train - I can use my phone as a hot spot."

Peter nodded. "Okay. Yeah. Good."

They arrived at the station and stood waiting for the train. Ned was eyeing Peter carefully.

"You okay?" he asked.

Peter nodded, shooting him a shaky smile. "Yeah," he said. "I'm fine. Fine. I just - I just really need this to work. I don't know what I'm gonna do if this doesn't work."

"I get it," Ned said. "If I had super powers in another universe I'd want to get back there, too."

"It's not just that," Peter replied. "Everything here is wrong. The people most of all."

"Yeah, you are pretty weird," Ned said jokingly. When Peter didn't laugh, he added more seriously, "But I mean… you said your parents were dead in your universe. How is it a bad thing that they're alive? I mean… shouldn't that be a good thing?" His tone was careful.

Peter let out a shaky breath. "Maybe if I had this universe's memories. But I barely remember anything of my parents. For me, they died when I was really young. It's been… I guess it's been good to see them, in a way. I've always wondered what they were like. But mostly it just feels wrong. I'd rather have the people that I love. Not these fake people."

"They're not fake," Ned said defensively. "I'm not fake, anyways. But hey - do you think your self from this world is walking around in yours? Like a Freaky Friday kind of situation?"

"I don't know," Peter said. "I kind of hope so. It'd be easier to explain everything if that were the case."

"Plus, maybe if we switch you back you'll have learned some kind of moral lesson or something, and be less of a dick."

Peter shot Ned a glance. "Yeah," he said. "Maybe."

Ned just shrugged at him. "I've missed you as a friend, honestly," he admitted. "Plus, I'll never have anyone to talk to about this if you come back not remembering anything. They'd send me to the psych ward or something."

"I hope we have been switched, then," Peter told him. "Sounds like the me from this universe could stand to learn a lesson."

Ned grinned at him.

The platform shook slightly as the train rolled up, and once the doors opened they climbed on board.

Since it was the middle of the day, the train was pretty empty, and there were plenty of seats to choose from. They plopped down next to each other, and Ned pulled out his laptop from his bag. Once it was open and running he started typing on it furiously. Peter couldn't even follow everything that he was doing.

"What are you -" Peter tried to ask.

Ned cut him off. "Just take a break and let me figure this out, Peter. I'll let you know when I do."

Peter nodded, and leaned back in his seat. The rocking of the train soothed him. And despite his nerves, it wasn't long before his eyes were drooping shut, and he fell asleep.

"Peter…"

"...Peter…"

"Peter…"

"Peter. Dude, come on, wake up!"

A hand on his arm shocked him awake, and he sat up, adrenaline spiking through his system.

"What?" he blurted loudly, eyes blinking open.

Ned was looking at him proudly. "I can't even believe myself, but I think I might have figured out a way to get us in," he said.

"No way!" Peter said excitedly, looking over at the laptop. "Really?"

"I'm not guaranteeing it'll work," Ned said quickly. "But it's better than climbing up all the windows to the roof."

"Show me!"

"Okay, okay. Look." Ned pointed at the screen, on which he had pulled up some blueprints of Avengers Tower. How he'd gotten ones so detailed, Peter had no idea. "Right here, there's a back entrance. It's where food trucks and stuff come in to drop things off. I think you can get in through there."

Peter looked carefully at the blueprints. "What makes you think that?"

Ned shrugged. "Those entryways are always really busy. And if you get caught, you can just say you're there with a school group or something and got lost."

Peter considered that a little dubiously, but eventually nodded. He'd seen that area a few times, and it was always either deserted, or really busy. Either way they'd probably be able to get in. "But what about like, entry codes and stuff?" Peter said. "There's a door down there you need a key card for."

"Yeah, I saw that," Ned said. "And I think I can get through it for you."

Peter raised his eyebrows. "Seriously?" He knew Ned could work with code. Hell, he'd broken into Peter's suit. But he assumed that the Avengers Tower building security was a bit more complicated than that.

Ned looked half embarrassed and half proud. "I mean, yeah. This is what I'm good at. Kind of had a lot of time to study it after we stopped hanging out so much."

"Oh," Peter said, feeling guilty again over the decisions made by the Peter in this universe, but also proud of Ned. "I mean, cool."

Ned cleared his throat a little. "Anyways, after that you just have to go up the service elevator, and you're almost there."

"Ned," Peter said, amazed. "This is awesome."

"Well… there is one little problem though," Ned said, grimacing.

Peter frowned. This couldn't be good. "What?"

"Well, this elevator doesn't go all the way up. To get to the top, you need to be able to access another, personal elevator. And it's locked with a personal code. I tried to break through but it's way more advanced than the other doors."

Peter blinked. Panic rose in his chest for a minute before he remembered. "Oh," he said. "But that's not a problem. I know the code."

"What?" Ned looked incredulous, and then seemed to remember what was going on. "Oh. Well, okay then. But… how do you know it isn't different here?"

Peter let out a breath. "Well, I guess we'll just have to find out. I have to try."

Ned let out a long breath, considering the blueprints again. "Right." Then he turned to Peter, a thrilled grin on his face. "Man, this is crazy. Like, Ocean's Eleven style crazy."

Peter chuckled, his laugh tinged with anxiety. "Yeah. This could go really badly."

"Hey," Ned put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "You got this."

Peter looked up at him, feeling bolstered, and nodded. "Right. Okay." He looked around the train, but since they were moving through a tunnel it was impossible to see anything. "Where are we, anyway? Are we close?"

Ned nodded. "Yeah. One more stop and then we're there."

Peter took a deep breath, and then looked back sharply at Ned, feeling a sudden wave of gratefulness. "Thank you," he said earnestly. "I couldn't do this without you, man."

Ned smiled again, and closed his computer. "Like I could miss out on this," he said. "This is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me."

Fifteen minutes later, they reached Avengers Tower.

Peter looked up at it, remembering the failure that was his last trip here, and wondering where Tony was inside. He knew which window to go in through, but that wouldn't help him now. Now, he had to trust in Ned's plan.

"Well," Ned said. "This is where I step off, I guess. I'll be in that Starbucks over there, doing what I can."

Peter nodded at him. Then he reached forwards and pulled Ned into a hug. There was a moment where Ned stood a little stunned, and then his arms reached around to squeeze back.

"Thanks, Ned," Peter said again as he stepped back. "Really."

Ned nodded, and hitched his backpack higher on his shoulder. "Good luck, Peter." Then, with one final smile, he turned and walked down the street.

Peter took a shaky breath and turned back to face the Tower.

This was it. Right now. He was either getting home, or he'd be stuck here. Actually, he'd probably end up going to jail or something. Either way, nothing good would happen from him staying here.

There was nothing else to it. It was time to move.

It didn't take as long as he wanted it to for Peter to reach the base of the Tower. His heart rate rocketing in his chest, he fingered the web shooters on his wrists and tried to steady his breathing. It wouldn't help if other people thought he looked suspicious.

The truck entrance in the back of the building was mercifully empty.

Peter looked around everywhere, his senses keyed for movement or sound. But it must have been a break or something, because there was no one there.

He didn't pause as he headed for the service elevator. The keypad was on the side, blinking. Sending up a little prayer, Peter pushed in the numbers that Ned had told him would work.

Peter cringed as he pushed the last number, expecting a cage to fall down around him or something. Instead, to his relief, the service elevator doors opened. Silently, he thanked Ned again.

He scrambled inside before pressing the button for as high as he could go. The elevator started moving up.

Peter's heart raced in his chest. This was crazy. All of this was crazy, but now he was breaking into a place that he'd been to countless times before, all on the hope that Mr. Stark would be able to help him.

His breath froze. What if Mr. Stark wasn't home? Or what if he just called security immediately and shut the whole thing down?

God, why hadn't he thought of that before? He bit his lip so hard it started bleeding.

Peter's spiraling thoughts were interrupted as he realized the elevator was slowing. But not because he'd reached the right floor - no, there were still plenty of floors to go.

His eyes widened. There was someone getting on.

"Shit," Peter cursed. He looked around wildly, trying to figure out if he could hide. Then his eyes landed on the ceiling, at the little hatch that was there, and he paused.

What the hell. This was already insane. He might as well try something that only worked in movies.

Peter reached up high for the hatch, turned the mechanism, and it fell open. How he got up there, he wasn't sure, but it was fueled completely by adrenaline. One moment he was in the elevator, and the next he had muscled his way up and out.

He pulled the hatch closed just as the doors were opening.

The space above the elevator was pitch black, and freezing cold. Peter opened his eyes wide to see something - anything - but he couldn't make anything out. He just stayed as still as possible, hoping he wasn't too near the edge.

Peter could hear as a couple people got onto the elevator, but it was impossible to tell how many without the help of his enhanced hearing. They were talking, and then there was the sound of the button being pressed. Eventually, the elevator shuddered and started moving upwards again.

Peter gripped onto the top of the elevator, his panic spiking. It felt a lot faster here than it did inside the thing. He wondered for a second if the other people were also going to the floor he was going to. Or maybe they would go so high that Peter would be squished by the ceiling?

He shook his head, and focused. No point in thinking about that.

After a minute, the elevator slowed again and came to a stop. The elevator doors opened, and a shaft of light came through, illuminating the walls a little and letting Peter see where the hatch was again.

Footsteps out of the elevator, and the voices faded.

Peter strained his ears. Was there someone else in the elevator, or were they all gone now?

He couldn't hear a thing.

The doors closed, leaving Peter in darkness once again, and he made his decision. Who knew how close they were to the top. He was not about to get squished.

Peter pushed open the hatch and dropped inside heavily, landing on his feet and then falling backwards.

When he looked up, wide eyes stared back at him.

Peter's jaw dropped. "Happy?" he said without thinking.

Because sure enough, there he was, the man himself - Happy.

"What." Happy said in disbelief, looking at Peter, and then the hatch, and then back again. "Who - what the hell?"

When Peter saw him reaching for his phone, he moved on instinct. He brought his hands up, and a moment later Happy was stuck to the side of the elevator, covered in webbing.

Happy struggled against it, his face red, but the webbing was already hardening. "Who the hell are you?" Happy demanded. His angry tone was a far cry from the usual dry sarcasm he directed at Peter. "How did you get in here?"

"Sorry," Peter said guiltily. "This isn't what it looks like?"

"Let me out of this! What even is this?"

"Um… webbing," Peter replied, cringing. "It'll dissolve! I promise."

Happy stopped struggling, seeming to realize that it was useless. "What are you doing?" he asked Peter. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Then his eyes squinted. "How old are you, even? You're a child!"

Peter swallowed. "Yeah… it's kind of a long story. I can't explain."

The elevator was slowing again, and Peter looked up to realize that it was the floor he needed. He glanced back at Happy. "Sorry about this," he said, and raised his arm again. One blast of webbing later, and Happy's mouth was covered.

As the elevator doors opened again, Peter backed out. "I'm sorry," he said again. "It'll dissolve in like an hour… or two."

Then he ran off, the sounds of Happy's muffled yelling fading behind him.

Peter could have laughed. This was getting ridiculous. And now he had to move fast - someone was bound to find Happy soon, and set off the alarms. If he didn't make it to Tony before then, this would all fail.

He came to a stop in front of the elevator that would go up to the personal floors, including Mr. Stark's penthouse. There was a keypad next to it, but instead of just numbers this one had a full hologram keyboard.

Peter took a steadying breath, and typed in the password. IronJarvis4!8.

The doors opened, and Peter stepped inside.

There were no buttons, but Peter already knew that. "Penthouse, please, FRIDAY," he said aloud.

The doors closed, and the elevator moved up.

When it opened again, it was to Tony Stark's penthouse.

Peter stepped out slowly, looking around. The place seemed quiet. He hoped beyond hope that Mr. Stark was there, somewhere. The best bet would be the lab, which was down the hall.

It was curious what was different in the penthouse. Most of it was the same, but there were little things that seemed out of place. And other things that were missing.

Peter was halfway down the hall when a voice called out behind him.

"What the hell? Who are you?" The voice made Peter freeze in his tracks. Because he knew that voice. "FRIDAY, code orange, set to this hall. Track that guy."

The lights in the hall turned red, and Peter could see holes opening in the walls that surely had something dangerous behind them.

Peter turned around slowly, illogically thinking that if he looked too fast, the man would disappear. But sure enough, when he looked down to the other end of the hall, he saw Mr. Stark standing with his eyes fixed on Peter.

At the sight of Peter's face, Tony blinked. "You're a kid?" he said incredulously. "FRIDAY, are there any weapons on him?"

"None detected, boss."

Tony raised a hand. "Okay FRIDAY, stand down to code yellow." At his command, the lights returned to normal and the weapons in the walls shut themselves away.

Mr. Stark looked furious, and confused. "Who are you?" he asked again. "How did you get in here? You're not allowed to be here."

Peter felt like the wind had been knocked out of him, and his mouth opened and closed like a gasping fish. "Uh…"

Tony was striding down the hall towards him now. "Seriously, how are you here? Who the hell are you?"

"I - I -" it was like the words couldn't come to him, and he didn't know what to say first. Finally, he managed to blurt, "My name's Peter. Peter Parker. I need your help!"

Mr. Stark stopped just a couple feet from him, frowning. It felt so strange to have the man look at him with no recognition in his eyes. "Yeah Peter, you do need help. Mental help. You know this is breaking and entering. You're currently breaking the law, and I could have killed you. Legally, I could have killed you."

Peter took a shaky breath, his hands out in front of himself. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "But I don't know what else to do. Please, you have to hear me out."

"No, I don't," Tony said simply, crossing his arms. "What I do have to do is call security up to get you."

"No, please!" Peter said desperately. "This isn't what it looks like, Mr. Stark. I promise."

"By the way, how the fuck did you break into this place? You can't break into this place. I designed it."

"Um… my - my friend Ned, he helped me. He's, uh - good, with computers and stuff."

Tony narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you telling me it only took two teenagers to break into my private floor of the tower that I own?" He looked up at the ceiling. "FRIDAY, what the hell am I paying you for again?"

"You don't pay me, boss," Friday said. "And you should know that entrance to this floor was achieved without a breach. Mr. Parker entered the correct password for your personal elevator."

Mr. Stark looked back at Peter, his face colored with utter confusion. "What? How?" he frowned. "How do you know my password? Nobody knows my password. Not unless I give it to them."

"Mr. Stark, you did give it to me," Peter said quietly, looking the older man straight in the eyes.

Tony slowly shook his head. "No. Nope. No I didn't. Pretty sure I've never seen you before in my life, so that's pretty impossible," he spat. "And I think I would remember giving my password out to some kid."

Peter swallowed. "Well… you you didn't tell me. And that's kind of why I'm here."

"What are you even saying?"

He sighed, and said simply, "I'm from another dimension. Or something," he added, backtracking. After all, he still had no real idea of what was going on.

Tony's expression just kept getting more and more incredulous. "Okay," he said slowly. "Yeah. Um... I think it's about time you left."

"Wait!" Peter said quickly, his hands still out in front of himself. "Please, I just - I can prove it. Where I'm from, we know each other! Ask - ask me something, and I'll answer it. Anything!" He looked at Tony desperately.

"No," Mr. Stark replied. "I'm not about to play into this - whatever the hell this is," he gestured around with his hands.

"Aren't you curious at all how I know your password?" Peter said, trying to play to his curiosity. He knew Tony had to be wondering about that. "Just let me explain."

The older man paused, crossing his arms over his chest and considering Peter through narrowed eyes. The seconds that passed then felt like the longest of Peter's life.

"I shouldn't be doing this," Mr. Stark said finally, letting out a long breath. "You're lucky I'm bored." He jerked a thumb at the door to his right. "In here. You're explaining everything."

Peter felt a wave of relief and hope that almost knocked him off his feet. He scrambled forwards towards the door. "Oh, thank you. You won't regret this."

"I better not," Tony said. "One wrong move and you're out on your ass, kid. I'm serious."

The door opened to the lab. Peter took the seat he always did - the stool on the left at the worktable.

Mr. Stark followed him slowly, but he didn't sit down. "Okay," he said. "Talk. And don't touch anything."

Peter took a deep breath. "Long story short, I'm from a different universe, or dimension or something. I need to get back there."

"Okay…" Tony said slowly, like he still didn't quite believe it. "So, why would you come to me?"

"Because I know you there. You're kind of… like a mentor, I guess?"

Stark raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah."

"Right. Well, why don't you tell me something, then. Something other people wouldn't know."

"Uh…" Peter racked his brains frantically, thinking for the right thing. His eyes landed on the robot on the other side of the room. "DUM-E! You made him in college - your first AI!"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Nice try. Everyone knows that."

"Yeah, well - do they all know that one time you told DUM-E to bring you soup when you were sick and he spilled it all over you?" Peter said desperately. "Or - or that when you were first learning how to be Iron Man, he sprayed you with a fire extinguisher?"

Mr. Stark's expression changed quickly from incredulous, to denial, and then to amazed disbelief. "How do you know that?"

"Because you've told me!" Peter said earnestly.

Tony let out a shaky breath. "Okay," he said. "I believe you."

Peter's eyes widened. "You do?"

Mr. Stark shrugged. "Yeah, sure. I mean, honestly, that's the only way this makes sense. How else would you…" he shook his head. "Wow. I did not expect this when I woke up this morning."

"So you're gonna help me?" Peter said, feeling lightheaded with relief.

"Yeah. I will. Not sure how we're gonna do it, though."

"Thank you," Peter said. He could have cried right then, he was so relieved. Then he paused. "Um, I should probably tell you - Happy's kind of… tied up in the elevator. Someone's probably gonna find him soon."

Mr. Stark raised his eyebrows. "Tied up? You did that?"

Peter cringed guiltily. "Yeah. With these." He held up his wrists, showing off the web shooters. "It's just webbing. It'll dissolve in like an hour."

Stark cocked his head, looking at them. "What is it?"

"Webbing. Look." Peter shot a thread at the ground and showed him like he had showed Ned before.

"Huh," Mr. Stark said. He reached up to touch it, but Peter pushed him away.

"I wouldn't, yet," he said. "It's really sticky."

"What is this stuff? What is it for?"

Peter shrugged. "Well, I'm kind of… an Avenger-in-training, where I'm from. I'm Spider-Man."

"Spider-Man?" Tony looked amused. "Right, okay. And what do you do with this… webbing?"

"You know… I use it to fight, and swing around buildings."

Mr. Stark looked incredulous. "Swing? You can put your body weight on this stuff?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's really strong."

"Must be," Stark replied, eyebrow raised. He considered it. "Huh. Pretty cool. I'll, uh… let security know about Happy. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to know you made it all the way up here."

Peter gave a weak chuckle. "Yeah, it wasn't - I didn't mean to, really."

"Don't worry about it, kid. I've done way worse to annoy him. Let's just figure out how to get you home," Tony said. "And you know… I think I might know a guy who can help."

An hour later, Peter was sitting on the sofa in the corner of the lab, a plate of grilled cheese in his lap. He'd only taken a few bites.

Mr. Stark had made a series of phone calls, all the while keeping an eye on Peter like he wasn't sure what Peter would do. Peter was surprised enough that the man had believed him. Or at least believed him enough to help him. Hopefully this wasn't a ploy where he waited as Tony called the police.

That's when Doctor Strange walked in.

Peter's eyes widened, and he gripped the plate in his lap tighter.

"Strange!" Tony greeted, reaching forwards to give the man a handshake. The sorcerer accepted it coldly. "I see you're as well dressed as ever."

"Is this him?" Dr. Strange said, stepping past Mr. Stark to look at Peter.

"Uh, yeah," Mr. Stark said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "This is the little troublemaker, here. He says he's from a different universe. I don't know, but that sounds like the kind of thing you do, so… can you help?"

Dr. Strange cocked his head at Peter, who felt like he'd been put under the microscope. "Probably. I can at least study him and determine the problem."

Peter shifted uncomfortably. "Um… hi."

Strange raised one eyebrow. "Right." He stepped closer. "Stand up."

Peter did so, putting the plate of grilled cheese to the side.

"I'm going to push on your chest. It'll feel strange, like you're being pushed outside of your body. You might feel some nausea."

"What?" Mr. Stark said. "What are you about to do here?"

Strange ignored him, looking straight at Peter. "Brace yourself."

"Wait a minute -" Tony said, stepping forwards.

Peter's heart quickened in his chest. He didn't know how to prepare. He didn't know what Dr. Strange was about to do. And then -

His hand knocked into Peter's chest, and it felt like the breath was knocked from his lungs. Peter flew backwards, but he could still see where he was standing. He slipped back through the wall, and then his vision went black.

He could see again all at once, but in flashes.

He was fighting someone dressed in draping green robes. They hovered above the street, an energy crackling around them.

An arc of energy, crackling and hot, reached towards him and struck him in the chest.

It felt like he'd been struck by lighting. He was overcome with pain. His body refused to move. It kept getting brighter and brighter. Then, when he thought he could take no more, the light burst, whiting out his vision.

Peter felt a sick and sudden swooping sensation, and opened his eyes to see Tony Stark's lab.

"What the hell was that?" Stark was saying, looking angry.

"That was what you asked me here to do," Strange replied steadily. "I've seen what caused this switch."

"I was fighting someone," Peter mumbled.

The two of them snapped their heads over to look at him. "Oh, thank god," Mr. Stark said, running a hand through his hair. "I thought for a second I was gonna be responsible for killing a teenager."

"What happened?" Peter asked Dr. Strange. "How -"

Strange stepped forward. "It's my understanding that in your home universe, you're currently unconscious. Your soul was pushed to this universe as a result of the energy used by the being you were fighting."

Peter blinked. "But… what happened to the Peter from this universe?"

"He's still in there," Strange said, pointing at Peter's chest. "Just dormant. It's likely that he has some understanding of what has occurred, however."

Peter put a hand on his chest, feeling unsteady. "Can - can you get me back?"

Strange paused, considering him, and then nodded. "Yes."

"Sorry, but this is hurting my head a little," Tony said, raising his hands in front of himself. "Let's just pause for a second. Are you saying there's two people in one body?"

Dr. Strange looked over at Mr. Stark with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, that's what I just said. Keep up."

"Hey!" Tony said, frowning. "Give a guy a break. I'm kind of new to this stuff." He looked at Peter. "So… how are you gonna do it?"

"Like this," Strange said, and twisted his hands in front of himself in a complicated pattern. A few feet away, a glowing portal appeared, the edges of it spitting golden sparks.

Mr. Stark opened and closed his mouth. "Right. Sure."

Peter stood and walked towards the portal. "I just go through?" he said.

Strange nodded. "Your soul will be able to enter, but not the body or soul of the Peter that belongs in this universe."

Peter took a deep breath. So this was it. Finally. He felt torn between fear that this wouldn't work and relief that the nightmare was about to be over.

He turned back to look at Mr. Stark and Doctor Strange. "Thank you," he said.

Strange just nodded.

Tony smiled. "Good luck out there, kid."

Peter smiled back, then squared his shoulders, and stepped forwards.

When Peter opened his eyes, he could feel it.

This was right.

Where he'd felt off center for the last few days, now he felt himself settle into his body.

He blinked to clear his eyes, and could make out a white ceiling above him.

"Peter!" a familiar voice said, and suddenly a face was leaning over him. "Oh, thank god." He felt a hand at his cheek.

"May," Peter breathed. He reached up and grabbed her arm. She was there. She was real. And she knew him. Knew him like she was supposed to.

Another face leaned into view.

"Pete," Mr. Stark said, his haggard face breaking into a grin. "God, it's good to see those eyes open. We thought you were lost there for a minute, kid."

"I was," Peter said. Emotion rose in his chest. His vision blurred again, and tears spilled from his eyes.

"Hey, hey," Tony said, grabbing his hand tight. "You're okay."

"We've got you, Peter," May said, smiling down at him. "You're alright."

As Peter looked between them, the two people he cared about most in the world, he knew that they were right.

He took a deep, shaky breath.

He was home.

A/N: I hope I finished this thing out alright. The ending was probably a little quick, but I just needed this fic to be done, and I'm decently satisfied with it. Please let me know your thoughts, if you've got 'em! And have a good day out there.