#I was gonna ask if we could watch itsv tonight so we could all go see atsv in theatres together

[victory-cookies]

three months into summer break and I’m struck with a crippling loneliness. the things I deal with to not do school for five months a year I stg

[deniigi]

Confused anon and I found it!! I can now definitively say that one conversation is the 45th time MJ is typed and then the second conversation is typings 46-48. And now that I've found that, what thoughts/musings do you have/want to share about how Peter met Matt and when their meeting falls with respect to Pete and MJ. That was also a confusing question, sorry. But I love your writing!!

AHA.

I know what you’re talking about now. ITSV Matt and Peter’s relationship! (I was tripped up by trying to figure out which verse you were talking about, but I got it now!)

Right, so ITSV Matt (Little Red) is around 18 months older than Blondie, so they’re much closer in terms of age than other Matts and Peters, but they have reversed starting points.

Blondie became Spiderman way before Little Red became DD, so basically, Little Red starts out around 24ish as DD and runs into Blondie who’s been doing the vigilante thing for like, around 8 years by that point and so Blondie sees this new guy on the scene who’s kind of feral and very skittish and decides that they’re gonna be friends. Blondie sees Little Red, at first, as kind of a pet project–like trying to gain the trust of a stray cat. And about six months or so into this gradual trust exercise, Blondie and MJ break up after a rough patch. And that lasts about 2 years. So in that time in between, Blondie and Little Red grow pretty close, as people/friends, and start fooling around. It’s not serious until it is and about when Little Red works up the courage to ask for something a little more committed is when MJ comes back into the picture for Blondie. He makes the decision to go be with MJ and Little Red is hurt by that, like, really hurt, but does the typical Matt thing with smiling and saying, ‘no, no. that really is for the best. You absolutely should do that.’

Blondie feels really really bad about the whole thing and makes an effort to show Little Red that he is absolutely not being cut out of his life because of his and MJ’s marriage; his and Little Red’s relationship is on the mend when he gets tanked.

In Into the Multiverse, after Blondie comes back, he and Little Red kind of struggle to re-find their place with each other, trying to make a Team Red among themselves and Miles without being weird about it.

But straight up? Blondie still has major feelings there. And Little Red is still very hurt–relieved that Blondie is okay and totally willing to work with him, but hurt. Little Red has finally decided to try to move on by attempting to seduce his Foggy (I am actually calling this Foggy ‘Blue’ in my head atm, it is very cute) and Blue is starting to reciprocate and be charmed. He and Little Red have just started dancing around something a little more committed/stable around the time Blondie comes back, which is why MJ (all four, MJ, Blondie, Little Red, and Blue are friends, more or less) freaks out when she learns that Little Red is DD.

Anyways, I wrote a practice piece a while back, trying to sort through what ITSV Wade is gonna look like and in that, there is a lot of that tension between the many bodies involved here, so here’s a bit of that, below the cut.

I am very interested in this version of team red and the relationships here right now so this was great timing anon!

—-

Matt was pissed at him for havingmade him say words about emotions the day before and so refused to answer anyof Peter’s texts. But Peter had the day off and zero shame. He caught the trainto Hell’s Kitchen and opened the office door.

The place was the zoo it usuallywas, although this time, Karen the Blonde was sitting at the desk in the centerof it, directing people to chairs in front of offices.

Karen was unspeakably beautiful.Too beautiful. Peter smiled at her and said he was there to see Matt Murdockand she didn’t know his face and so told him to take a seat. Foggy came out afew minutes later to fetch his next client and his face went wide on seeingPeter.

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked.

Karen behind him went stiff inrealization that she’d made a mistake.

“Not much, just waiting for ourfavorite problem child to have a minute to chat,” Peter said.

Foggy frowned at him.

“He’s not in,” he said, “Took ahalf day, said he wasn’t feeling well.”

Yeah, sure. Of course he was.

Karen apologized for themisunderstanding and Peter waved her off with a smile and a dull throb in thebottom of his heart. She didn’t mean to be upsetting Matt. And given that Fogsdidn’t seem too worried about anything, he certainly hadn’t talked to him aboutanything yet.

“Right, well. I’ll go see if he’sat home, then,” Peter said. He left.

Foggy caught him in the hallwaybefore he could hit the stairs.

“You okay, Peter?” he asked.

“Hmm? What, no, I’m fine. Why?”

“No, it’s just. Uh. Listen, I’msorry for going off on you the other day.”

Aw.

“It’s no problem, man,” he said,“Boundaries and all that.” Foggy’s smile flickered a little. Peter made surethat he saw him notice it.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“What? Oh, sure. Ah, you know.The usual. Matty’s been spending a lot of time out the last few weeks and I’mjust—well, you know.”

He did know.

“Has he been with you?”

Nope, but Peter had a feeling heknew who he was with now.

“I’ll go see if I can find him,”he said. Foggy was relieved, his forehead smoothed out a bit.

“Thank you.”

Uh-huh. Don’t mention it.

 –

Matt wasn’t back where thesniper’s nest had been, so Peter went and checked the other Wade’s junk-foodpoint. No one was there either. He then searched out the favorite haunts of theother versions of Murdock he’d encountered. It was getting dark when he finallypuffed out his cheeks and headed down south to Brooklyn to meet Miles. Twoheads, he thought. They needed two heads.

 —

Miles got on with Matt with acasual ease which Peter kind of envied. To be fair, those two spent more timetogether than he and Matt did these days. Matt was very concerned about Miles’sabysmal lack of fighting form and practice. He dragged the kid to half of theabandoned gyms in the city on the regular and put him through some thoroughlyunnecessary routines.

Miles, for his part, seemed toenjoy them. He also like to take the piss out of Matt when he could and Peterwas pleased to find that Matt accepted this more easily than he’d originallyaccepted Peter’s presence. They’d gotten there but it had taken some work.

Miles made a perfect sad facewhen Peter told him what was up. Then he declared that he’d find Matt, noproblem.

“I don’t doubt it,” Peter said.Miles squinted at him in suspicion.

 –

Two hours in and Peter was tryingto believe his own words.

“Maybe he went home?” Milesasked.

Maybe.

They headed south to check.

 –

No dice.

 –

Maybe Peter was fixating on this.Maybe Peter was more worried about this than necessary. Maybe Peter was stillfeeling a couple of feelings towards Matt.

He couldn’t help it, they werejust there.

“Why’re you so sad?” Miles asked.“Matt’s a ninja, he’ll be okay.”

Mmm. Okay was relative.

“You’re married, Peter.”

Fuck this kid. Peter didn’t needgremlin interference in his head. He already had anxiety interference in hishead.

“We’re just friends,” he said.

“Kay, so why’re you mad aboutKaren then?”

Dude, what? Who said he was madabout Karen?

“You keep making this face whenher name comes up.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yeah, you do. Are you jealous?”

Aigh. It always came back tothis, didn’t it.

“I’m not jealous,” he said. “I’mjust, I dunno, protective. Matt’s one of my people, now. I don’t like anyonewho hurts him. He’s already got enough people hurting him.”

Miles cocked his head and lookedout at the twinkling lights of the city.

“Maybe that’s why he likes DP,”he said. “He doesn’t worry about him. Probably makes him feel less guilty.”

That was.

Remarkably insightful.

He waited a second and then gaveMiles a playful shove.

“You’re a smart cookie, you knowthat?” he asked.

Miles shoved him back.

“Duh.”

 –

“Matthew.”

“Jesus, Pete. Wear a bell orsomething.”

He shouldn’t have to. Matt wassupposed to have superhearing.

“MJ’s out for a thing tonight.I’m lonely. Come eat garbage with me.”

Matt laughed and shrugged on hisjacket. Loosened his tie.

“Sorry, man. I’m booked.”

Peter made sure to put on hissour-puss face.

“Fogs?” he said.

“Nah.”

“Wade?”

Matt paused and then turned hishead in his direction and cocked it.

“What’s the matter with you?” heasked.

“Nothing. I’m just being nosy.”

“Why don’t you like DP? He hasn’tdone anything to you.”

“Oooooh, well. You know. He’s amurderer, for one. And—yeah, no. Mostly because he’s a murderer.”

Matt’s face was smooth while heconsidered him. Then he finished pulling on his coat.

“Not all of us are so squeakyclean, Pete,” he said.

“You guys fucking?”

“Peter.”

“I’m just askin’, man. I thoughtyou and Fogs—”

“Can we not?”

Peter was taken aback by thetone. He recoiled without meaning to and caught himself doing it. Made himselfstand up straight.

“Sorry,” he said.

“Whatever,” Matt grumbled. “I’mheaded out. I’ll catch you around.”

Peter watched him go. When thedoor closed and locked, he ducked back out of the window and clicked it shutfrom the outside. He didn’t like this. He didn’t like quiet Wade. He didn’tlike sad Matt. The only thing going for them right now was Miles’s seeminglyendless enthusiasm.

Shit was giving him heartburn.