Earth 42

Earth 1201 wasn’t that bad, all things considered.

It really was a rich and colorful place if you could overlook the graffiti, garbage, and natural crime that came with living in a city.

It was vibrant, full of color and brimming with life. It may just be a normal Earth, but taking the whole multiverse into consideration, the people on this planet really didn't know how good they had it. It may not be the best, but its people had much less crime and death rates than other universes, and any villains who did exist, were pretty well handled either by Spiderman or for the police.

It was easy enough to get lost in its atmosphere as well. So many lives tied together, so many cultures intertwined to make the Earth what it was--And you especially got the feel for it when being in the Earth's most populated city, New York.

But...For as great as it is, not a lot of people are gonna pick up on that or worry about the scenery when two spider people are full on brawling it out in Manhattan.

Confused?? Great. Let's rewind things just a bit.

Sneakers groaned and creaked as they collided against the hot summer sidewalk, as if the beaten up and worn out shoes were ready to call it quits and give out from the countless times the owner had abused them before, their shoe crimes going unnoticed in the shoe court. Truly a failure on the shoe judgment system.

Its owner truly needed no introduction. A slick white and black suit, with the insides of its arms and hood being a magenta color with electric blue webbing highlighting the color, there was really only one person who could pull it off.

Spiderwoman.

Well, actually, it depends on who you ask. Sometimes she's Spider-Gwen, other times she's Ghost-Spider. But that didn't really matter. It didn't matter what she was called, it only mattered what she came here for.

And what was that exactly?

Oh, easy. To catch the latest anomaly that had leaked from its universe and into this one.

The woman stepped with confidence, her strides long and clean as she occupied herself with her watch, double checking that she was in the right universe as well as checking on the location of the anomaly.

If you were just looking at how relaxed and calm she was as she carried on down the streets, you might've mistaken this as normal, but the bewildered stares and pictures that the civilians took of her as she strolled was all the context really needed to remind yourself of her status as a superhero--Even if they did only mistake her as their universes Spiderman, just with a costume change.

"Case number 182, Earth-1201, C Type Anomaly." She muttered under her breath, her mask's eyes shrinking into a squint as she got to work, already typing out the form for her find. Some may take it as arrogance or cockiness that she expected to catch and be done with this person so quickly, but she preferred just calling it confidence in her abilities.

Now was the tough part, finding the anomaly.

Lyla said they were a civilian, so it couldn't be as easy as the anomaly making a big wreck or a ton of noise such as the usual villains do. Surely, they can't stand out that mu--

"Hey!! Get the hell back, dude! I don't want any trouble! If you didn't want your picture taken, you should've just said so!"

Oh.

She stands corrected.

She let her wrist fall to her side, a small tingle spreading throughout her cranium, like a small itch to her brain: A spidey sense, if you will.

Her heels bounced, revving herself up before following the sound of the voice, which was rather closer than she anticipated. It quite literally was just a corner turn away, it was like the anomaly WANTED to be caught...and who the hell just does this stuff in the middle of the street? Not the brightest tool in the shed.

"That literally answers none of my questions...Are you dumb? Suffering from brain damage?"

Another voice fell on the hero, Gwen's, ears, a muffled one. It made sense, considering its owner was wearing a mask--Oh, not just a mask, but a suit too!! The owner was standing tall, shoulders back and one hand fisting the other's shirt, crinkling it in their grip. Their stance was aggressive, antagonizing. A possible threat if you will, but that's not what peaked Gwen's interest, no, it wasn't even close. She dealt with threats all day everyday.

But...A Spiderman copycat?? She never dealt with that.

The person's suit was clean too--Well built with the sun's rays shining off of its metallic parts. It couldn't have been a costume they had bought, and it was far too unique to be something they could have stolen from an actual Spiderman. The thought of it being an actual Spiderman crossed her mind, but the likelihood of that was slim to none, considering they were reported as an anomaly and the Spider Society had an explicit agreement about the antagonization of civilians, no matter how annoying.

So....A regular copycat then, that worked. Time to work her magic.

“Hey, lay off the dude, why dontcha?? I’m sure the comic-con done the street will appreciate your get up muuuch more than he or i could.” Gwen spoke up, cracking her neck and stretching her arm joints as she stepped closer to the two, her movements casual and relaxed as she revved herself up, as if it were a normal friday afternoon–Which, granted. It was for her.

The figure stiffened, its body going deathly still to the point where you could’ve mistaken them for a statue at first glance.

Slowly but surely though, they craned their heads towards the spider dressed newcomer–

Before, immediately laughing at Gwen’s get up.

It wasn’t even malicious or cruel laughter either, it seemed like they genuinely thought her appearance was goofy enough to laugh full-heartedly at. She ain’t gonna lie, that kinda stung-

They let go of the man, their shoulders sagging and relaxing as they took notice of his fearful demeanor and how he fell back, legs weak from whatever he must’ve felt during their exchange. Oh–He really wasn’t lying or trying to trick them, he wasn’t trying to attack them. Well, now they feel a bit guilty. They didn’t think, they just went for it. And look what happened..
It was almost like he didn’t register what was happening, because his mouth hung open and he gawked openly at the two before him.

(Y/N) sighed, turning away from the man, not even bothering with an apology to save them the embarrassment. What were they supposed to say? "Oops, sorry for breaking your phone and manhandling you, I was in a silly goofy mood."? Yeah, they're sure that would go greeaat.

"Who are you exactly?" (Y/N) paused, looking Gwen up and down one final time, taking note of the web designs on her attire. "Are you the 'Spiderman'? You're not a man." Now they're just confused.

"Astute observation there, bud. How much brain power did it take to come up with that one??" Gwen chuckled, stepping forwards towards the similarly themed individual, taking notice of them stepping back. "You could call me that. But, I usually go under the title 'Ghost-Spider' nowadays." She leaned her neck from side to side, stretching it and earning a satisfying pop. "What about you?? Usually people don't dress up as a hero to harass strangers on the street."

(Y/N) quirked a brow, cocking their head slightly. “Hero??" They repeated, pausing for a hot second to let the audacity sink in before a dry, humorless laugh escaped their throat." How egotistical. Don’t tell me you actually mean that.” They chuckled, waving their hands dismissively as their gaze wandered to the spot where the civilian was--or, well were. He had ran off by now, not even bothering to pick up his crushed phone from the ground.

(Y/N)'s lips tucked into a tight frown. God, they felt like an asshole--Or, more of an asshole than they usually are. Sheesh, they sure hope that dude doesn’t hold that against them.

“One, I don't even know you, so how you think I can copy you is a miracle to me.” (Y/N) started up again, their gaze turning back to the strange woman before them claiming to be a hero. What a joke. Those don't actually exist. Not in the real world at least… “Two, you’re not a hero. This isn’t some cartoon or comic book. You can’t just smack that label on yourself for–For what?? Stopping me from bullying some stranger? How heroic of you."With a roll of their eyes, they gave a low clap, just a tad salty at the girls' claims. If heroes were real, they wouldn’t be in the position that they were. "That's sarcasm by the way."

"No, I don't think I'm a hero for stopping you from assaulting! someone–I think I'm a hero for this." Quickly, almost as fast as the wind, the girl raised her arm, a thick stringy substance shooting out from her wrist, becoming a white blur in the air as it hurled towards (Y/N) with a speed to make even Flash raise a brow.

If you're expecting something cool or kick-ass such as (Y/N) dodging it with a backflip or something, prepare to be disappointed.

They DID dodge it, but not in any cool or shocking way, and not out of a conscious decision.

They dodged it by their body simply...fucking up. They couldn't tell you what happened to them, nor do they want to, all they know was that staticky pain that took over their form once before was back, and in a moment's notice, they were on their knees, palms wrapped around their gut to instinctively protect their vitals. Their groans came out distorted and jumbled up as ever, and they might be mistaken but...Was their skin glitching??

"God--God fucking damn it, not this shit again.." (Y/N) wheezed, their voice raspy and forced as the aftershocks took their course, but unlike the last time, there was no scenery change, there was no different New York. Just a dull throbbing pain and anger at what the girl before them tried to pull. Funny enough, they were more offended at her trying to attack them than at her having powers. Suppose the strangeness of kinda spawning in a New Earth numbed them from the weirdness.

“Yep, you're definitely the anomaly alright.” Gwen let out a small chuckle, nodding to herself before placing one of her hands behind her back, as if moving to grab something, but she paused and ceased the action after noticing just how long (Y/N) was spending on the ground. Usually they try to get up by now…

“Are you…Uh…Are you okay down there??”

A hand shot up to her, quickly grabbing her by her ankle, and with a harsh yank, brought her down on the rough and worn concrete, earning a small ‘Woah!’ from her at being caught off guard.
“Yeah yeah, I’m fine. Just peachy. Just peachy.” (Y/N) grumbled sarcastically, pulling themselves up with the help of the force that came with shoving Gwen to the ground. They looked down at her, a glare just hidden behind their mask. "Was that supposed to prove you as a hero just because you have powers?? If I had a gun would that suddenly make me a hero, dumbass??" They questioned, their irritation seeping through their tone. They then sent a harsh and swift kick to the girl's stomach, almost as payback for the web she tried to shoot at them. Almost as if to prove their point–Almost. Gwen gasped, a raspy groan croaking out of her throat though she was quick to recover and give the same treatment right back, lifting her own leg up and sending a kick of her own into the others groan--A dirty move but, hey!! She was pissed!

"Okay, dude. You are looking WAY too into one simple witty one-liner! Who hurt you to make you hate fun?"

(Y/N), as anyone would, obviously winced and yelled at the attack, jumping away from her to get out of kicking range, giving her enough space to get back on her feet. "Oh, fuck off already!!!" They spat, sending a look that could kill the woman as she rose up. "What is your deal?? Surely you can't be so desperate to just pick a fight with any asshole you find lying on the streets?"

"You're right, I didn't come here just to pick a fight.” Gwen stated, or rather explained as she rolled her shoulder, loosening up the muscles that ached from getting tossed to the ground. “You're an anomaly. I'm supposed to get you and send you back to your universe." She continued, her gaze rising up to the aggressive threat before her.

…What in god’s name was this woman preaching??

"What...The...Fuck are you talking about??" (Y/N) asked slowly, making it a point to say the first three words slowly, as if to show her how absurd what she just said was.

"Look, man, if I had to explain this to every anomaly I had to pick up, I'd never get anything done. All you need to know is, I'm here to stop that weird glitching thing and put you back in your New York." With a sigh of annoyance, Gwen pinched the bridge of her nose. This certainly wasn’t her first rodeo and she really didn’t have much time to sit down and explain to this random person the existence of the multiverse or something. This was supposed to be a quick one and done mission, she can’t waste much time lest she wants her ass chewed out by Miguel. She’s already not in his goo

"I'm sorry..Do you really think I'm just gonna follow you blindly?? You kicked me, you tried to shoot GOD knows what out of me--You should really get that checked out by the way, I'm not sure people are SUPPOSED to shoot white stuff out their wrists--and you expect me to ignore that?? You gotta be brain-dead or something." (Y/N) snapped, their shoulders slumping as they heaved a loud and exaggerated sigh. What the hell are they exactly supposed to do in this situation?? They just wanted to get home to Miles and Davis, they really couldn't care less for what this girl is spouting--And although she may be promising a way home, like hell were they about to put that much trust in an absolute and complete stranger!! The world was never that easy, if they learned anything from this world, it was that people always have an ulterior motive. Always.

Gwen sighed, the hand pinching at the bridge of her nose almost wrinkling her mask with how tight her grip got. She seemed just as annoyed as (Y/N), if not more so. "They always wanna do it the hard way--Okay, bud. Sorry, but you gotta come with me whether you like it or not." And with that, almost as quickly as the speed of light, her right hand shot up, with a familiar white stringy substance that (Y/N) was going to convince themselves is just silly string shot out, hitting them square in their masks eyes, blinding them.
"Ow--FUCK!!" They screamed, though it was more out of shock than anything. Their hands flitted up, gloved fingers ripping the stringy webbing away as a low growl of annoyance escaped them. Their head whipped towards Gwen, only for their eyes to widen and their pupils to contract in tiny black cat-like slits when met instead with a beaten up sneaker to the face.

Gross. They were more offended she kicked them with those nasty scuffed up Nikes than at her kicking them with enough force to make them fly into the building next to them

"If you're gonna kick people, at least wash your damn shoes first, bitch." They spat, holding the side of their face where her shoe made contact. Their other hand pushed themselves up, making a small hiss escape them from the stinging pain that ate at their spine from getting slammed back first into a bricked wall.

She wants a fight?? Okay. She'll get one.

"You do realize this is attempted KIDNAPPING right?? You still wanna preach to me how much of a hero you are?" They challenged the woman, their posture stiff and defensive. They were still, similar to a statue, before they finally moved, with a small twist of their head, popping their neck, they launched themselves forwards, stance lowered and ready to tackle.

"Don't call it that. I'm just followin' orders, man. You're the one who doesn't wanna go the easy way." Gwen shot a hand up, webbing shooting upwards and latching onto a store's drip guard and propelling herself upwards and out the way--Or, she would've if (Y/N) didn't grab on her ankle, immediately yanking her back down and ripping the webbing in the process.

"I'm sorry I don't want to follow a complete stranger somewhere??" (Y/N) mocked, releasing their grip as their other hand went to grab the back of her head, using it to slam her face against the shop's brick walling. That was definitely gonna leave a bruise or two. "I'm trying to help you!! Do you WANT to be stuck here?? To keep glitching?!" Gwen snapped, thrashing against the others grip before reeling her head forwards and slamming it back, banging the back of her cranium harshly against (Y/N)'s face.

(Y/N) yelled, appropriately reacting by letting go, letting their hands move to their face, touching at their mask's fabric, which was now dampened by the blood that leaked out of their nostrils. Great. Now it's stained. How fucking perfect.

"Oh, don't you DARE try to act so benevolent!! You and I know your reasons are nothing but selfish! What's your angle, huh?? Think you'll be some big strong hero for getting rid of me?" They accused, throwing a swing of their fist forwards with the plan of connecting it with Gwen's jaw as the spider dressed girl whipped around, pulling her face away from the wall. But unfortunately for (Y/N), she was prepared for it this time and blocked her punch with her arm as her other hand grabbed onto (Y/N)'s wrist, twisting their arm in a painful manner making their legs buckle which Gwen used to step down on their cab, making (Y/N) crumble to their knees.

"Oh my GOD!! Is it so hard to believe I just want to fix this situation!?" Gwen barked in disbelief before she crouched down, leaning over (Y/N) from the back as her hand moved from their arm to their face, gripping at it harshly as the two's eyes locked--Or, at least (Y/N) assumed they did. It's hard to tell with them both wearing masks. "I was trying to help you, god damn it!! I still am! All you need to do is just comply!! That was all I was asking!" Gwen yelled again, her hold tightening earning a low throaty hiss from (Y/N).
"Fuck off with that shit!" They spat out, the head thrashing against her hand, breaking the eye contact she was trying to maintain as their hands shot up, fighting against her.

"Listen to me!! I want to HELP!! Just let me help!" Gwen practically pleaded as her hand tightened around the masked face, crinkling the fabric. (Y/N)'s own hand shot up, grabbing at her wrist--Or rather, the watch on it, but she was too distracted to really notice that small of a detail.

That was, until their fingers pressed down.

Orange and blue light shined against the two, illuminating the two as they paused, falling deathly silent as both their heads whipped to see the blur of oranges, reds, and electric blues that made up the...portal in front of them??

Oh. Oh no. (Y/N) must've activated the watch.

(Y/N) stood still, eyes glued on the crime against the universe's code against them, before thrashing out of Gwen's hold, scrambling towards the strange oddity against humanity. They kept their grip locked tight on the watch that appeared to have caused such a thing, ripping it off of Gwen and taking it with them--Or, they would've if the girl hadn't tackled them to the sidewalk, her hands frantically grabbing for the watch with a exclamation of "NO!!" ripping out of her throat with such desperation and need. The watch must mean business if she was that desperate to keep it.

But there was no way in hell they were gonna give up their freedom that easily.

"Stop!! Off! Off! I thought you said you wanted me to get home!? Well, this is a way to get home!!"

With the last bit of strength left within them, they threw her off of their body, scrambling backwards with the watch held tightly between their palms like an anchor as they took slow deep breaths, trying to regain control of themselves.

They didn't even notice how she ripped their mask amidst the two's struggle, but she certainly did.

Gwen paused, breath practically freezing to a stop in her chest at the person before them. She wasn't the type to swoon easily or anything but...damn. They weren't really what she expected out of a villain.

They had roughed up (S/C) skin that was stained with a scarlet that dripped from their nose from the wall, their eyes squinted into a glare with their lips tightened into a snarl. They had small little marks that littered them, indications of past battles. The pantone lighting of the portal behind them highlighted their features, ghosting around the bridge of their nose, the cuspids of their barely showing teeth and the edges of their hair which fought against the lack of gravity brought on by being near the portal.

She felt a lump form in her throat, stopping her from speaking.

"You wanna help, eh? Wanna be a hero?" (Y/N) snarled, spitting out some of the blood that leaked into the mouth as their chest rose and fell with labored breaths. Their steps were shaky as they rose to their feet, but they managed just fine. "Then do me a favor and stay the hell out of my way. You'll do plenty of help like that."

And, just like that, they stepped back, getting sucked into the portal which closed behind them, leaving Gwen alone.

Oh shit. She was alone, no watch, no way back...Well, that's not completely true. She could always find this universe's Spiderman to get help.

Yeesh...This was gonna be a tough one to explain to the others. She can't believe she let her inner simp get the best of her. Now there's some villain off somewhere with a Spider Society watch.

"Oh my god, Jess is gonna kill me..."