#astraeus-tree

“I did not mean any hostility, I’m just simply curious about who they were. Well… I’m Nightwing! [Name]’s little brother.” You could tell the three spiders near you were tense, but you reluctantly stepped aside, forcing them to introduce themselves to your brother. 

“Spider-man 2099, [Name]’s husband.” Dick’s gaze burned as he stared at the two of you, but you ignored him and nudged the other two to introduce themselves as well. 

“Spider-man India!”

“Spider-man.”

“Very… creative names,” Tim commented under his breath. 

“Well, this’ll get confusing real fast. Do you guys have civilian names that we can call you?” The three looked to you for approval, and you shook your head. 

“They won’t be revealing their civilian names unless you guys also reveal yours.” You stated. If the spiders were to reveal their civilian identities, then it was only fair for your family to reveal theirs. You knew you could trust your family, but could they trust you? That you didn’t know. 

You could clearly see your family’s hesitation, weighing the cons against the pros of such a decision. You felt kind of satisfied–now they know what it’s like to be kept such a big secret from your family–but you pushed that thought down. Just as you were sure they wouldn’t reveal such a secret, Cass stepped forward. 

“If [Name] trusts you, then I might as well. I’m Cassandra Cain, also known as Black Bat.” She held her hand out, and Miles shook it hesitantly. 

“I guess knowing will make working together much easier. I’m Tim Drake, alias: Red Robin.” 

“Damian Wayne. Robin.” 

The last to introduce himself was Dick, who had been staring off into space during everyone’s introductions. 

“Oh. I’m Dick Grayson, currently known as Nightwing. Pleased to meet you.” He nodded, and Miguel returned the gesture. Now that your family had introduced themselves, you gave the spiders the okay sign to reveal themselves. The three reintroduced themselves with their civilian identities. 

“Great! Now that everyone knows each other, could we head back to the cave? I’d like to fix this gizmo as soon as possible, and preferably go back to our HQ before anything can go wrong.” The others nodded, and you quickly led the way back to the cave, still ignoring the scrutinising gazes of your family–specifically, from one specific person. 

Once back, more old faces greeted you, and someone else whom you had never seen before. 

“Hello. I’m Duke, you must be the [Name] they talk so much about.” 

“Only good things, I hope.” You strongly doubted that the comment was true–in fact, you doubted they even had much to talk about you–but you still joked. “But yes, I’m [Name], also known as Bruce’s eldest child to the public. I assume you're a new sibling of mine?” You knew your father’s habit of randomly adopting orphans, you wouldn’t be surprised if he had found another one in the time you were away. 

“Ah, no,” he shook his head. “Well, I guess he used to be my foster dad, but I’m more just his close ally and protege.” 

“I see. Well, it’s still nice to meet you.” You held out your hand, and he gladly shook it. You turned ot Jason and Steph, both of whom were awkwardly standing to the side, looking unsure of what to do. “Jason, Steph. How have you two been?” The two finally looked up at you, changing their postures to stand tall. 

“Good.” Steph’s answer was curt, just as she was those years ago. 

“As well as I can be with this family.” You chuckled at Jason’s side, and you could hear some of your family’s scoffs. 

“Glad to hear that. I assume you guys have been filled in on our situation?”  The three of them nodded. “Great, let’s get to work on these gizmos then. The sooner we finish, the better.” The other spiders expressed their agreement, following you eagerly while your family hesitated before also making their way to the Batcave. 

Jason was at a loss.

He knew you were alive, he had heard the news just a few hours ago, but to see you in person after all these years–years that he had spent slowly losing hope in ever seeking your Face again–it was just so… disorientating. He wanted so badly to run up and hug you, to undo all the mistakes he had only realised after you had disappeared, but his feet felt like they were stuck in place. He couldn’t even gather the courage to look at your face until you acknowledged his presence. 

Seeing you with your new group–the way you smiled so easily with them, how you weren’t afraid to touch them, the way you seemed so relaxed around them–it reminded him of the past, the way you two were before he died. After that, it was never the same; he had changed too much, but now, it was you who had changed, and it was he being left behind in the past, and the distance between you two grew ever larger. 

Dick was confused. 

You and he had never talked a lot. You seemed to harbour some sort of negative feelings towards him, but he never knew what could’ve caused them, nor did he ever choose to comment on them. Perhaps he should’ve, maybe you two could’ve talked it out all these years ago and bonded over the responsibilities of being the eldest Wayne children, but that opportunity had long since passed. Now you had seemingly moved on from this family, having your own chosen one, not bound by blood or legality. 

He was at odds with himself–it felt wrong to be so distant with his family, but even clearly, you weren’t desiring to create a relationship with him, even before you had disappeared. All he could do was support you in this moment as much as he could and try not to cross any boundaries that you had set in place. 

Tim was conflicted. 

This whole situation was just so ironic. You had been the one who tried to persuade him from the life of vigilantism when he had first joined, and yet, here you were, clearly a vigilante, leading your own team. What could have caused this change? He knew your displeasure with the vigilante life came as a result of Jason’s death, which occurred not long after you found out about their double life, but why did your ideals change? In fact, they had changed so much to the point that you had become the very thing you were so against. He knew it was illogical to do so, but he felt sort of insecure–did you just not trust Tim enough to be able to sustain this lifestyle?

Damian was regretful. 

Sure, when he first met you, you certainly didn’t meet his expectations, and he had treated you quite harshly, but he’s grown now–physically and mentally. He wasn’t the same 10-year-old kid who had lashed out at you, claiming you were bound to be a weakness for the family. In fact, before you had returned, he envied you in some cases–to be able to live a normal life while your family protected the city you lived in. Many times, he had almost put down the mask, wanting to step away from the vigilante life, just like you had suggested many of the family to do so, but he ended up keeping it, continuing to do so, not for the name, but to protect the weak of Gotham. Unlike how he couldn’t do so for you. 

Your return was a relief for him. It gave him solace, gave him the chance to make amends with you, to apologise for his mistreatment of you all those years ago. He had already messed that up in the previous talk, but he was in a state of shock–he wouldn’t make that same mistake again. 

Barbara was bewildered. 

You two had been friends before, not close, but you two would talk to each other, especially if you two were forced to attend the same gala. But then Joker shot her, and she was left to find herself again. It took her a year to become Oracle, to be the one behind the scenes, and during that year, Jason’s death. She knows she should’ve comforted you, but to her, it was just another problem on top of another problem. Too much was happening all at once, and keeping her relations with a mostly-normal civilian was the lowest of her priorities, especially one that disapproved of her vigilante life, and so the distance between you two grew.

Now you’re back–a vigilante yourself, someone who also apparently worked behind the scenes, even if only at times. Perhaps you two could rekindle that friendship you once had, now that both of you have much more to talk about than the galas or your distaste for vigilantes. 

Stephanie was unsure how to feel. 

You two were never close, never spoke much to each other. Back when you first met, Steph was on a mission to prove herself, so you two didn’t have many chances to talk to each other. In the manor, you two would nod when you walked by each other, but nothing more. 

Duke was much the same. 

This was his first time meeting you in person. He knew you as Bruce’s eldest child, but he never knew you personally, with your disappearance occurring before he had come to the mansion. 

The two of them felt sort of out of place. Neither had an especially complicated past with you, nor had they ever wronged you. But they could feel the awkwardness lingering in the air between you and the rest of your family. 

Cassandra was melancholic. 

You two had a budding friendship before you disappeared. In the years you were gone, she spent many moments fantasising about what it could’ve been. Would you end up as someone she could rely on? Would she end up changing your views on her double life? She thought she would never get the answers until she heard of your reappearance. Then you quickly shattered her dream once again, saying you would leave them once again. 

She knew this wasn’t because of her; she knew you had a life away from her, from your family–but she couldn’t help but think, if she had done things differently, if she got the rest of your family to understand you and you them, would you choose to stay? But that wasn’t her job to do, and all she could and should do was support your decision. 

The group had spread out around the Batcave. 

Many of them inspected the gizmos, the spiders taking them off their wrists for a quick inspection before putting them back on to prevent the glitches. In the end, they had Miguel create a replica, in hopes it might work–of course, it didn’t. But now, at least, they had a gizmo they could study without risking a spider glitching out–which your family were still befuddled about. They had gone to other universes themselves and had never witnessed such a thing until now. 

Many hours had passed by, and it was night again. It was then that Tim jumped up, a lightbulb seemingly lighting up in his head. 

“What if it’s because we’re currently in a different group of universes from yours?” The others looked at him, eyebrows raised, waiting for him to elaborate. “Think about it. We’ve gone to other universes before, and we’ve seen other versions of us, but never any other spiders. [Name], in other universes, have you ever seen another version of us?” You shook your head in reply, although this struck you as odd when you first realised it a few years ago, you were honestly more relieved. “Great! Well, maybe not, but it supports my theory.” 

“Huh, so you’re suggesting we’re in a different multiverse? Although this explains a lot of things, it doesn’t really help with finding out how and why we got here, nor how to go back.” Miguel states. Although he didn’t mean for it to sound passive-aggressive, he had been running on just a few hours of sleep for the past day or so, surrounded by people he had just met. 

“That would also make my situation even stranger–how could I have been transported to another universe, let alone another multiverse, 5 years ago? I didn’t even have a gizmo back then, so travelling universes should’ve been an impossible feat.” You added on to Miguel’s statement. 

“Well, it’s not like the gizmos were the ones that transported you through multiverses, though. Didn’t you guys say a rogue portal was the reason you guys were here, including you two by the way.” Jason pointed to Pav and Miles. Your eyes widened at his words–he was right. You had almost forgotten about those portals. 

“So our best bet to get back to our own multiverse is to find one of those rogue portals?”  Miles asked, and the others looked in ponder. 

“Theoretically. Although we’re not quite exactly sure if it will lead back, it’s our best bet.”  Tim stated, and you had to agree. These gizmos most likely weren’t going to be fixed any time soon, and if Miles’ and Pav’s appearance were anything to go by, then there was a chance this portal could come back again. 

“Then it’d be best if we split the group into two–one to work on the gizmos and one to find the portals,” Miguel suggested. The group then decided on who would go on what task–you volunteered yourself to find the portals; you were most likely better off in the search team rather than the technical one. The group split into two: Miles, Tim, Babs, Duke and Steph staying with Miguel to fix the gizmos, while Pav, Cass, Damian, Dick and Jason went with you to try and find the portals. 

Just as the two groups had been decided, the sounds of a zeta-tube were heard throughout the cave. You all turned to see who it was, and when you did, you were face-to-face once again with the very man you called your father. 

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Whoop whoop, double chapter update!

We're finally past the original point!! Anything past this is a surprise now (for both you guys and me lmao)

This chapter's title is from an english translation of Multo by Cup of Joe, one of my fav bands <3

I know I said POV changes won't happen in chapters but uhhh let's ignore that

I'm gonna be honest, the next update will take a while as well. I personally am not into DC as much anymore, but I myself hate discontinued stories, so I will not be doing you guys dirty, trust.

As always, mistakes are free to point out

You had tried to connect with many of them once. It didn’t work, and you pushed no further. No point in putting effort into something you knew would only result in futile attempts. Though, now you were left lonely.

You couldn’t go to your father. No, never. It was a mutual agreement between you two that he would always be too busy to deal with your menial problems—at least, they were, compared to the crimes he had to fight. This realisation struck you when you first came to the manor, even before you knew his persona of Batman. Your first proper conversation with him was short, walls placed around both your hearts.

At the time, you at least had Jason. Oh, your sweet little brother. You truly loved him, and hell, you even tried to fix up your relationship with Bruce because of him. You found out about your family’s vigilantism through him— when you would wake up and he would be littered with bruises and cuts one too many times. You warned both your father and Jason about the dangers, but you could not stop them. You could only hope that Batman would keep Robin safe.

But he didn’t.

He didn’t, and Jason died because of it. The only light in this bleak manor was gone. The walls around your hearts were built back up again, now higher than ever. You could not reassure Bruce, not when you were dealing with your own drowning grief.

You barely spent time outside of your room, spending most your days on your studies to distract yourself. You barely noticed when Tim had first started basically living in the manor, but when you did, you knew it was too late to save him. You knew he was in too deep into this rabbit hole that was the vigilante life.

You tried once, but the fire in his eyes burned too bright. You knew it would burn you if you continued, and so you didn’t. You never bothered him after that, but neither did he to you.

Steph came not long after Tim did. You two never really interacted. She didn’t stay in the manor, and the times you saw her, she was too focused on proving herself.

Dick, when you had moved to the manor, was already living at Bludhaven. Never did you two have the opportunity to connect, even after Jason’s death. You envied him at times. He could afford to have relationships with the others, he could keep them safe. Unlike you, someone who had no knowledge in fighting, no super extraordinary wits. You harbored no hate, but the jealousy was enough for you to keep your distance.

Damian and you had no chance at all, and both of you knew that from your first meeting. He had barely heard of you from his mother, all he knew was that you didn’t meet any expectations that came from being the first-born child of The Batman. Every time you saw him, he always seemed to have barely other feelings than hatred for you. You let the other members of your family deal with him and his rampant emotions.

When Jason came back, you were hesitant. At first it was out of disbelief that he was alive, especially after you saw his mangled body buried deep in the ground, but when you saw him you knew he wasn’t the same. He felt different, he looked different. You tried approaching him, but he would create distance with you, like he did with the rest of the family. He was the only one who you kept trying for, trying to connect again, trying to accept this double life of his, but you were returned with only distant and fleeting glances. Now, like the others, walls were built and relationships were strained between you two.

Perhaps the only exception was Cassandra. You two didn’t hit it off straight away, in fact the start of your relationship was quite similar to most others. However, later when she had finally settled into this new life of hers, she had come up to you, offering to spend time with you. You remember you had been so shocked that the awkward silence between you two had been stretched thin before you had responded with a hesitant yes. You two reached out to each other every once in a while after that. The friendship was still new and budding, but it was there and it didn’t show any signs to die out anytime soon.

When you were alone,—which was most time— you would reminisce of when you had still lived with your aunt. You missed the simpler times when it was just you and your aunt, in a small run-down house in the city of Gotham, but alas you could not defy the fate written out for you. Instead, you spent your days in the manor, loneliness shrouded onto you with only a few occasional exceptions courtesy of Cass.

Resentment wasn’t something you felt towards your siblings. Perhaps it was more of indifference, perhaps it was something else. You didn’t know and probably wouldn’t—emotions were a complex topic you never truly understood. You knew one thing was for certain though, this was not the life your aunt had wanted you to live.

The night was silent—at least, in the manor. Batman and Robin were out for patrol, the others seemingly doing their own things as well, which you assumed were most likely vigilante-related as well.

You were asleep in your room, nothing out of the ordinary. That is except for the barely audible sound of multiple miniscule legs scattering across the room. An anomaly in the usually clean and arachnid-free Wayne Manor.

You were all the unsuspecting as it crawled closer and close to you. Its miniscule hairs bristled on your skin as it walked up your arm. It stopped at the middle of your forearm and bit down, fangs penetrating your skin. Then it let go, trying to quickly scuttle away from the danger that was you.

It was too slow though, as your hand had made contact with the creature. You groan at the itch from the bite, more annoyed than hurt.

That is until the pain multiplied tenfold.

Your eyes snap open, no longer half-closed from the fatigue of sleep. You tried to move, but nothing would listen to your mind. Everything felt too heavy, like a truck had been placed on top of you.

You looked around frantically, but you were alone. You tried to shout, for anyone, anything, but nothing came out. Your vision started to become blurry, tears welling in your eyes.

The room felt hot. Or was that you?

You gasped for air. It was hot. It was hard to breathe. Help. Please. Please. Someone come. Please. Please please please. Hurt. Everything hurts. It’s blurry. Someone.

You heard something beyond your sobs from beside you. You tried to look but to no avail. The only thing you could see through the blurriness of your tears were vibrant colours. You think it resembles a circle—a portal of some sort, but you couldn’t tell if it was your mind deceiving you.

You didn’t care. You wanted this pain, this heat, gone. Your vision faded in and out. The room spun. It had gotten harder and harder to get your eyes to stay open. Yet, you could also feel your energy fading away. You tried to fight the sensation of being pulled, but you lost.

Your mind faded to black. The night once again silent and calm.

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Prologue is done! Yippee!! Tried to flesh out Reader's relationship with the fam a bit more but I don't think I did it very well lol.

Anyways what do we think about the new border? Do we like the spider or the sparkle more?

You guys know the drill, mistakes are free to point out and will be fixed immediately.

Will take a while to upload the next chap since this term is a busy term (again lol) - currently preparing for two dance performances in 8 weeks and almost all my exams are worth 60% of my grade, if I don't pass I can't graduate so yay!! no pressure at all to me.

The living room was still big, the couch still soft, but nothing ever provided you comfort. The anomaly stayed near you two, with nowhere safe to place him. You could’ve placed him in a cell in the Batcave, but you doubt you’d be allowed in there yet. Miguel sat next to you, silently surveying his surroundings, mask off after you had convinced him. Alfred offered both of you tea, which you had gladly taken up, while your husband cautiously accepted. The silence that Alfred left behind was something you were thankful for. It gave you time to collect your thoughts, to think about what you wanted and what you should say. 

Your jump into the rabbit hole of your thoughts was interrupted when three familiar figures barged into the room, and from their frazzled looks, you could tell they ran. It was your siblings–at least some of them. A cacophony made of their questions and statements filled the room. You were thankful when Alred silenced them, pointing out how overwhelmed you had looked. They all looked towards you, waiting for you to say something. 

“I’ll answer your questions later. I just want to know, where’s everyone else, especially Bruce?”

“They’re coming, just handing some of their own fights. B is on a mission with the JL right now.” You weren’t surprised that Cass was the one to reply, nor by her answer. 

“Alright. Ok. That’s fine.” It really wasn’t, but you kept your disappointment stored deep inside; you should’ve known better. After all, you had arrived here out of nowhere–even if you guys separated on better terms, dropping everything and coming back to the manor on such short notice was an almost impossible task, especially since they were vigilantes. Miguel clasped his hand around yours, a small gesture of comfort. Though this action raised eyebrows and suspicions. 

“Who is this man with you? Oracle and I have scoured everywhere, but there are no records.” You sighed, of course you would be under interrogation by Tim already. 

“He’s my husband.” You stated plainly. 

“And why are there no records of this conjugation?” 

“Because it didn’t happen in this universe.” 

The silence was loud. Just those few words had explained everything. Your family was no stranger to multiverse problems, so it was almost astounding how this realisation had ever been made until now, when you were the one who was saying it to them. 

“So why return now? It seems like you’ve already made for yourself in this other universe, so why throw it away to come back here?” Damian finally spoke up; you could hear a bit of bitterness in his voice. “Just like what you did to us.” That part was muttered, and you were sure it was for no one’s ears to hear, but you did anyway, and no doubt did Miguel. 

“It wasn’t our choice. If we could, we would’ve gone back already. It’s detrimental for us to even stay here for too long–well, not for me, but for Miguel and the anomaly.” You chose not to respond to Damian’s little remark, not wanting to talk about that topic just yet. 

“Anomaly?” They all asked in sync.

“A being that doesn’t belong in this universe.” Miguel had answered the question for you. You let him continue his explanation of different universes and the anomalies, with him being more versed in the topic than you were. You could tell the others were taking as much information in as they could, especially Tim. When Miguel finally finished his little talk after many questions and answers, they turned quiet. 

“Ok… Now that that’s finished, how have you been [Name]? I know you said it was bad for them to stay here, but are you also going to leave us again?” You were honestly taken aback with Cass’ words–you weren’t sure why, but you didn’t really expect someone in your family to actually question your well-being.  

“I’ve been doing great; the other spiders have been treating me amazingly.” You could tell that raised some questions, but you cut them off before they could ask anything. “As for the second question, that’s actually the reason we’re here. We need your help fixing our gizmos so we can get back to our universe. We tried earlier, but no results came out of it, so we’re hoping you guys could help us.” You saw Cass’ face drop, but you chose not to mention it. 

“And what do we get out of this? It seems like the only thing we’re going to get is just losing  you again right after seeing you for the first time in 5 years.” Tim questioned, the others nodding alongside him. 

“More knowledge of the universe and gadgets that could help you travel it, if you wanted to.” They all had contemplative looks on their faces. You hesitated before saying your next words. “...And maybe I’ll visit you guys every once in a while, if we can get the gizmos to do that.” 

“I believe we should help master [Name],” Alfred spoke up. If your last part of the deal didn’t solidify their decisions, then you were sure that Alred’s approval did. The three of them nodded. You thought you saw some hesitation from the three of them, but you chalked it up to your imagination. You stood up from the couch, and so did Miguel. 

“Great. Let’s get started then. Oh, and by the way, Miguel already knows your identities, so can we take this down to the cave so we can put the anomaly somewhere safe?” 

The HQ was never quiet, but neither did it usually have this much chatter. Various topics were the centre of these conversations, but there was a prominent theme–the sudden disappearance of you and Miguel. Miles and Pavitr were no exception to having one such conversation. Lyla had shown the camera footage to those who were close to you and Miguel, including the previously mentioned pair. Many peculiarities were present in the video–ones that did not go unnoticed by your companions. 

Presently, Jess had been temporarily placed as the head of the HQ, with the assistance of Lyla and Peter B, and because of them, the HQ had been able to run as smoothly as it could without its usual leaders. With the older spiders either gone or busy with their temporary jobs, the rest of the group had taken it upon themselves to solve the mystery of your disappearance. They had split themselves into groups, thus leading to the current situation.

“We should go to Miguel’s office! Maybe there’ll be some clues that the others missed.” Pavitr suggested. Miles was full of doubt–it was hard to believe that the others could have missed anything, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. 

He nodded, and the two made a beeline to Miguel’s office. When they arrived, it was unsurprisingly empty, unattended by any life. No remnants remained of anything, strange portal included. Miles was about to admit defeat when both his and Pavitr’s spider senses had gone haywire. Their bodies swung around at the familiar sound of a portal opening, but what greeted them was a portal unlike any they had seen. That is, except for one–the one in the video, the one that caused yours and Miguel’s disappearance. 

The two rushed for the exit of the room, attempting with every being of their body to not be captured in the portal’s hold. Though it was in vain, as the force of the portal pulled them ever closer to it. The silence of it left behind as it engulfed the two spiders was deafening, but no ears were left to hear it.

With your family's hesitant approval finally secured and the anomaly placed in a secure cell, you and Miguel began the much-needed work on the gizmos. Now, you had some of the best tools and the smartest brains in this universe at arm’s reach. As much as you dreaded the inevitable awkward meeting with the rest of your family, you knew it was worth it. Again, you let Miguel do most of the talking, explaining the works of the gizmos much better than you could have. 

You had been watching the others try to develop solutions when your spider senses had gone off. The change in your demeanour did not go unnoticed by the others. You elected to ignore their questioning looks and looked around for any immediate danger, Miguel joining you as soon as he recognised the familiar action. 

Nothing. 

But you knew better than to ignore your senses, and so you hesitantly spoke up. 

“Oracle. Is there anything unusual going on nearby?” Your question had left your family befuddled–no alarms had been set off in the manor nor the Batcave, and yet you had seemingly sensed unease out of nowhere. All of you waited expectantly as minutes passed by, with Babs furiously typing and scrolling through tabs. 

“By unusual, do you mean two more costumed individuals with a spider theme?” Your family looked back to you and Miguel, unsure of whether to be concerned or not. So far, you and Miguel had been seemingly peaceful–with the exception of the fight with the anomaly, but what if these two spider figures weren't affiliated with you, and it was a mere coincidence? 

“More detail on their costumes, please?” A sense of urgency surged through you. You hoped whoever these two spiders were was responsible enough not to interact with anyone in an unknown universe haphazardly. 

You listened carefully as Barbara described them–one in mostly black with red accents and a spider in a circle on his chest, while the other was in red and blue, wearing a dhoti and accessorised with bangles. You knew exactly who those two were, and you also knew you should most likely get to them before they could cause any chaos. 

“Ba–Oracle, where are they right now?”

“North side of Crime Alley.” Well shit. You really needed to find them. 

You hastily put your mask on and darted out of the cave, wrist pointed back in the direction of Gotham City. You didn’t need to check to know that Miguel was trailing behind you, most likely having similar thoughts running in his mind. You ignored your family’s shouts of surprise, prioritising preventing any havoc Miles and Pav would inevitably find themselves in without interference. 

You swung around Crime Alley. You knew they could handle themselves, being spiders and all, but you still couldn’t help but worry. You were responsible for those kids, especially when they were in their spider suits. If something were to happen to them while they were supposed to be under your watch, then you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself. Especially if it occurred in your home city. 

“Mi cielo, I can see them at your 3 o’clock.” With Miguel’s words, you breathed out a sigh of relief. His calmness always helped you snap out of your overthinking. 

Just like he said, in the distance to your right, you could see Miles and Pavitr standing awkwardly, seemingly taking in their surroundings. They saw you not long after you saw them, and the tension in their bodies released. Pavitr waved both his arms above his head, and you knew if his mask were off, you would’ve been able to see a bright smile on his face. 

You moved as fast as you could and rushed to hug them both as you landed on the building they were atop of, practically barreling into them. They quickly returned the gesture, arms wrapped tightly around you while Miguel stood to the side. He was never one for touch, so none of you had minded. 

You quickly pulled away and looked both of them up and down. Once you confirmed both of them had no injuries, you breathed out a sigh of relief. 

“[Name]! So this is where you and Miguel went to.” Pavitr looked around once more, greeted by the sight of run-down buildings. 

“Well, we didn’t exactly have a choice. We kind of got sucked in here by a portal, and now our gizmos aren’t working.” You reached for Miguel’s wrists and pressed some buttons to show them. 

“Did you check if yours were working?” Miguel asked the two, unbothered by your poking and probing of his gizmo.

“We did. It didn’t work as well.” You all sagged at Miles’ words. Still not escape from here, at least, not yet. 

“And the HQ?” Right. You two had been forced to leave it unattended for the past few hours.

“Everything’s fine as it can be. Spiderwoman’s currently taken your place as leader with the help of some other spiders. They’re handling themselves just fine.” You could hear Miguel’s very audible sigh, and you couldn’t blame him. You knew the rest of the spiders were completely capable of handling themselves and the HQ, but it was still nice to have some confirmation from people who were there just moments ago. “Do you guys seriously have that little faith in us?” You saw both Miles’ and Pavitr’s ‘hurt’ expression and softly punched both of their shoulders. 

“You little runts, you know that’s not what we–” The sound of a cough coming from behind interrupted you. You turned around, you and Miguel shielding Miles and Pavitr from the prying eyes of whoever so rudely interrupted you. 

Oh. 

It was your family, save for Alfred. Instead, he was now replaced by a new face–or rather, an old one. 

Your younger brother. Nightwing. Dick. 

He walked up to your small spider group, a smile on his face.

“So, who are they?” He asked, voice awfully cheerful. Fake or not, you might never know.

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What's this?? An upload from Astraeus?? After ~7 months??

But yeah I don't really have an excuse guys, I'm sorry. The only reason I had the motivation to write and upload this was lowkey because Rizz came back and I got a spark.

Anyways, with this, we're finally caught up to the original story! I've honestly dreaded this point cuz now we're delving into unknown territory and now I actually have to write 💔

Lyla had shown the camera footage to those you and Miguel were close with, including Miles and Pavitr. They all had noticed many peculiarities in the video. Presently, Jess had been temporarily in charge of running the HQ, with the assistance of Lyla and Peter. With her help, the HQ had been able to run as normal as it could without its usual leaders.

With the older spiders, excluding Spider-noir, busy being in charge of the HQ, the rest of the group had tasked themselves with solving the mystery of your disappearance. They had split into groups, and Miles and Pavitr had been paired up together by chance.

“We should go to Miguel’s office! Maybe there’ll be some clues there that the others missed.” Pavitr suggested. Miles had been full with doubt, it was hard to believe that the others, especially Lyla, could have missed anything, but it wouldn’t hurt to at least go check. Right?

He nodded his head and Pavitr smiled, happy to have his idea approved. The two swung through the HQ, a beeline to Miguel’s office.

The office was empty, unattended by any life but the two. No remnants of anything, portal included. Miles was about to open his mouth to admit defeat when both his and Pavitr’s spider sense had gone haywire. Their bodies froze when a familiar sound came from behind them—the sound of a portal opening. They swung around, only to be faced with a portal unlike the ones that they had seen before. That is, except for one, the one in the video that Lyla showed, the one that had caused yours and Miguel’s disappearance.

The two had quickly shot their wrists up, towards the exit of the room. From the videos, they knew what to expect, they knew it would most likely do to them what it did to you. Of course, they were right, but they were too slow to react. Too slow to swing away as they felt the force of the portal pull them towards it. The portal had closed immediately after them, leaving nothing but silence.

With the approval of your family, albeit with much hesitance, you and Miguel worked with the others to kick-start your gizmos. Now, you had more tools, with some of the smartest brains of this universe, so hopefully dealing with this uncomfortable meeting would not be in vain. Little progress had been made—in fact, so far, you and Miguel had only explained the functions and basic mechanics of the gizmos. You let Miguel do most of the talking since he had more knowledge on the watches than you, being the creator of said watches and all.

You had been watching as the others tried to come up with solutions when your spider senses had gone off. The others had noticed your change in attitude and sent a questioning look in your direction. You elected to ignore them as you looked around for any immediate danger.

Nothing. You knew better than to ignore your senses though. You hesitantly spoke up.

“Oracle, is there anything unusual going on?” Your family’s eyebrows raised at your question. They hadn’t noticed anything off, so what were you talking about?

Her end of the line was quiet except for the sound of some fast typing for a minute before she replied.

“Hmm… By unusual do you mean two more costumed figures with a spider theme going on as well?” The others perked up. More spider-themed ‘vigilantes?’ They couldn’t tell if they should be concerned or not—you and Miguel had been seemingly peaceful, if not for that ‘anomaly,’ or so you called it. They watched as you and Miguel turned to each other with wide eyes.

“…What do their costumes look like?” For what seemed like the first time, your family could hear a hint of hope in your voice.

You heard Barbara describe their costumes—one in mostly black with red accents and a spider in a circle on his chest while the other was in red and blue, wearing a dhoti and accessorised with bangles. You knew exactly who those two were.

“Miles and Pav…” You muttered under your breath. “Ba-Oracle, where are they right now?” You could see your family’s questioning looks but elected to ignore them in favour of finding the other two spiders as soon as you could.

“North side of Crime Alley.”

Shit.

You quickly put your mask back on and darted out of the cave, headed back to the city of Gotham. From the corner of your eye, you could see your husband trailing behind you. You could also hear your family’s shouts of worry and surprise, but again, you ignore them. They could ask questions later, you needed to find Miles and Pavitr before you were would inevitably find themselves in trouble.

You swung around Crime Alley. You knew they could handle themselves, they were spiders after all, but you couldn’t help but worry. You were responsible for those kids, especially when they were in their spider costumes. If something happened to them, you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself.

Just as you were about to dig yourself into a spiral, you heard Miguel’s voice through the wind.

“Corazón, I can see them to your right.” With his words, you calmed down. He didn’t sound worried, nor panicked. You knew he rarely ever was, but it still calmed you heart at hearing his smooth voice. You-The kids were alright. They weren’t in any immediate danger. You repeated to yourself as you swung to the direction Miguel pointed to you to.

In the distance, you could see Miles and Pavitr standing awkwardly, seemingly taking in their surroundings. Then you made eye contact with them and you could see their shoulders relax. Pavitr waved with both his hands above his head and you knew if he had his mask off, he would have a wide smile on his face.

You traverse as fast as you could and rushed to hug them both as you landed on the building they were atop of. They quickly returned it, arms hugged tightly around you while Miguel stood on the side. He was never one for touch, so the others didn’t mind.

You pulled away to make sure they didn’t harbour any injuries.

“[Name], we’re alright. Promise.” You sighed in relief at Mile’s words.

“[Name]! So this is where you and Miguel have been.” You felt yourself smile at Pavitr.

“We didn’t really have a choice. We kind of got sucked in here by a portal and now our gizmos aren’t working.” You held up your wrist to try and show them but then you realised yours was still with the Doc Ock. Instead you reached over to Miguel’s and pressed some buttons to show them nothing was working.

“Did you check if yours were working?” Miguel asked the two as you continued to show them your problem.

“We did. It didn’t work as well.” You all sagged at his words. Still no escape from here. At least, not yet.

“And the HQ?” Right, you two had been forced to leave it unattended for the past few hours. You knew it would be fine but actual confirmation from someone who was there just a few moments before would be nice.

“Everything’s fine as it can be. Spiderwoman’s temporarily taken up your spot as the leader.” You could hear Miguel sigh and you also couldn’t help but be relieved. They would be able to hold up until you got up, thankfully.

“Do you seriously have that little fate in us?” Miles cracked a joke and you couldn’t help but smile. You softly punched him on the shoulder.

“You little runt, you know that’s not what we-” You were interrupted by a cough from behind you.

You turned around, Miguel and you shielding Miles and Pavitr from the prying eyes of whoever rudely interrupted you.

Oh.

It was your family, save for Alfred. Instead, he was now replaced by a new face—or rather, an old one. Nightwing. Your younger brother.

He walked up to your little spider group, a smile on his face.

“So who are they?” He questioned, voice awfully cheerful. Fake or not, you might never know.

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Omg astraeus finally posted a chapter for dbos after months??

But in all seriousness though, I apologise for kinda ghosting you guys for like the past 4 months 😭I've been busy dealing with school, dance groups and burn out that I've been putting writing this off at the back of my mind.

The poll has decided for me to rewrite, so expect for that in the next coming weeks (hopefully). This also means the taglist will be reset. If you would like to still be in it, please comment, or message I don't mind.

Mistakes are free to point out and will be fixed immediately.

This week's title comes from Wait For Me from Hadestown. I actually haven't watched it but Wait For Me has been on my musical playlist for a while now lol

Have a great day/night everybody! <3

“As in our [Name?]” Her voice was full of disbelief.

“Yes.”

“Where are you. Damian could hear the urge and hope in her voice through the comms.

“I’m on a rooftop near their aunt’s house. They’ve just gone in with the other supposed-hero and the rogue.”

Finally, Damian heard the sound of Dick’s voice through the comms. “Robin, stay there and follow them if they go out. I’ll come over after dealing with some stuff in Bludhaven. Oracle, alert B when he comes back from his mission with the JL.”

“Copy.” Both Damian and Barbara replied.

“I’m coming over Robin.” Cass spoke up again, determination laced in her voice.

“Red Robin.” Dick called out.

“Yes?” Tim’s voice sounded surprised, like he had been lost in thought.

“You’re in charge of finding any information about [Name] and their partner.”

“On it.”

Throughout the whole conversation, many members of the group stayed quiet. Amongst these people was Jason Todd.

Jason had many regrets, more than he could count. Yet, one his biggest ones was his relationship with you. When you had gone missing, Jason was devastated. He was forced to confront his feelings. Forced to realise how his actions had caused you more harm than protect you, like he intended.

Those who had the misfortune of going against him the first few of your disappearance had instantly regretted it, but they did not have the pleasure of being granted mercy by the crime lord.

He thought he had finally accepted this outcome—you were gone, never to be found and you two would never have the chance to reconcile. This surprise turn of events had disrupted this mindset of his.

Jason didn’t know what to feel. On one hand, he finally had another opportunity to reconnect with you. On the other, he didn’t know how to go with his new-found chance. Clearly, you were not the same person you once were. Not the old [Name] who didn’t have any fighting knowledge. It almost made Jason laugh at how similar you and him were, but this wasn’t the time for that. He had a decision to make, to got or to not, and he had to make it quick.

The three of you of you had been at this for what seemed like hours at this point.

With such little tools and no idea why they were even broken in the first place, no progress had been made in fixing the gizmos. At times like this, you wished you were half as resourceful as Hobie Brown, but unfortunately, neither you, Miguel or you aunt were.

With it still being the middle of the night, you decided it was best for your aunt to get some rest. You did eventually persuade your aunt to go to rest, but not without some reluctance and white lies that you’d also go to sleep soon.

It was now only you and Miguel—excluding the anomaly— in the living room of your aunt’s. The silence made you uneasy, like something would pop out of the dark corners and scare you. With your adrenaline finally coming down from its high, you were left to deal with the overwhelming emotions that it left in its wake.

Mentally, you recounted the events that had occurred in just the past few hours; firstly, you were unexpectedly dropped into your home universe with no way to return to where you were before. Then, you and Miguel find an anomaly. You were ready to open the can of worms this knowledge came with so you moved on. Finally, you met your aunt after not being able to see her for 5 years, a seemingly invisible force stopping you every time you had attempted before.

So many emotions coursed through you that you honestly didn’t know how to feel.

Another problem to add to your pile was your family. You knew it was inevitable for your family to find out about you and your new identity, in fact, they probably already knew you were here, but you just weren’t ready to face them. Your habit of avoiding confrontation was always weakness of yours.

You wanted to stay away from them as much as you could. It wasn’t that you hated them, it was just that you grew to live a life without them and had almost completely forgotten what it was like to be with them and you wanted it to stay that way.

You decided to focus your thoughts back to the gizmo. This was your priority, not avoiding your family. You needed these gizmos working, stat. You and your husband had a HQ to run and an anomaly to send back to its universe.

Speaking of the HQ, hopefully it was doing alright without its leader. “Miguel, do you think the HQ is doing well?”

He nods. “Lyla’s most likely already informed the others of our disappearance. She can handle most of my responsibilities, and those that she can’t will be handled by Spiderwoman and, regrettably, spiderman.” You sighed, you knew you could trust Lyla and Jess with those responsibilities. Peter, maybe not as much, but hopefully the others will keep him in line. “Our main concern right now is to get our gizmos working again so the anomaly can be sent back.”

You felt defeated. All you had was a lack of new discoveries, useless tools and broken gizmos in your hands. Your train of though was interrupted by a familiar sound—distortion, like that of a TV. You swung your head towards the anomaly and then back to Miguel.

Shit.

You had forgotten about the glitching. You knew it was there but with so much happening, you were too busy to even remember that detail. Glitching was a painful experience, and as much as you didn’t like Doc Ock in any universe, you didn’t wish the pain of glitching upon them.

You really were on a time crunch now, unless you found a way to temporarily stop the glitching. Wait.

You did have one, and it was wrapped around your wrist right now; your gizmo. Although the portals weren’t working, you knew it still at least stopped the glitching. After all, your husband was standing perfectly fine with no glitches. As for you, this was your universe, you wouldn’t glitch at all as a native to the world.

“Should I give him my gizmo?” You stared down at the Doc Ock as you asked Miguel. His brows furrowed almost instantly at your words.

“I’m sorry? Did I hear that right mi vida?” Miguel was flabbergasted, in full doubt of your words.

“I mean, the portals aren’t working, communications are down, we’re in my universe and he’s glitching. I feel like the pros outweigh the cons right now.” You reasoned with not only him, but also yourself. You could see that Miguel was genuinely thinking through this plan of yours. You knew it was risky, but with the two main risks not working, you felt it would be fine.

Apparently, so did Miguel, as he nodded not even a minute later. “Alright.”

You took the watch off your wrist as you walked over to the Doc Ock and strapped it around his. “This’ll stop the glitching for now. Once we get back to the HQ where we can transport you back to your universe, I’ll take it back.” You spoke softly to him.

Although he couldn’t move due to Miguel’s paralysing venom, you could see his eyes light up and you took that as a thank you sign. You nodded at him before standing up again and facing your husband. “We really need to get back home soon.”

“Agreed, but we don’t have the right tools in reach to do that.” You both sighed and stayed quiet for a few seconds, letting each other try to come up with solutions. “Do you think we could go to your-”

“Don’t even finish that sentence.” You glared at him.

“It’s really our only option right now, corazón. Unless we suddenly had money, our only other choice is to steal. They’ll be able to help us, they’re your world’s greatest detectives, are they not?” Damn it, why did Miguel have to make such a compelling argument.

“I don’t want to talk to them though.” You saw Miguel’s demeanour soften at your mumbled words.

“I know mi corazón, but let’s think about it this way. They’ll be able to help us finish what we need to faster, and after we leave, you won’t ever have to talk with them again. Don’t you want at least some closure as well? How they felt about your disappearance?” You stayed quiet, biting your nails. Your mind was in a war with itself right now. “I’m sure they’ll be relieved to see you alive and well.”

“I hate how you’re probably right.” You slump in defeat, placing your head on his shoulders. You felt his arms wrap around you, comforting in every way and you melted into his embrace.

“I’ll be by your side the whole time. You don’t need to be worried about anything.” You clung to him tighter.

“Thank you my love. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” You mumbled, words even more muffled by that fact that your head was still leaning on his shoulders.

“Yo también te amo.” You smiled at the familiar phrase.

…..

The sunrise came far quicker than you liked it to. With it came a new day with tasks you had to fulfil. One of which was the bittersweet goodbye with your aunt.

You waited anxiously for her to wake up. As you did, you walked around the house, nostalgia heavy. You stopped at the entrance of your bedroom.

Your room looked like it had remained untouched throughout the years. You remembered when you were younger, this room—the whole house, actually— was a lot more ruined, with paint peeling and bugs crawling everywhere. As much as you didn’t like Bruce, you were thankful that his money was able to grant your aunt with better living conditions.

You head a familiar pattern of footsteps approaching your room.

“Do you miss it?” Your aunt asked, voice soft.

“I do. I always miss when it was just us two.”

“Me too.” You stayed silent, it felt like she wanted to say more and you were right about that. “When you first disappeared, I was devastated, you know? I would sleep in your bed, letting my tears dry there. I was too scared to touch anything else in this room. This was all I had left of you.”

She put her hand on your shoulder, and suddenly, it felt like you were a little kid again, afraid of what the big world had in store for you. “I know you’re leaving today. Don’t worry about me darling. I know you’re alive and happy and that’s all I’ll ever need.”

Tears welled up in your eyes. She turned you around to face her and cupped your face. “Don’t cry. I’ll always be here whenever you need me.”

You held her hands gently. “I promise to have back to you auntie. I’ll find a way.” You were filled with determination. Once you made it back to the HQ, you would do everything in your power to find a way to visit your aunt without some random rogue portal.

“I’ll be here waiting for as long as that will take.” You smiled at her and she returned it. It hurt you to break apart, but you knew you eventually had to.

You walked to the living room, where your husband was and nodded at him. He stood up, understanding the message. He easily picked up the anomaly and headed towards the front door. You slowly followed, reluctant to leave this place once again, but you pushed yourself.

You turned around to see her one more time before leaving. “We’ll be going now auntie. I’ll see you again.”

“Be careful out there darling.” You smiled and nodded before walking to Miguel who was waiting outside the door. You took a deep breath and stepped outside.

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I'm sorry for another late chapter guys 😭

This chapter gave me a lot of trouble, I can't lie. I started getting writer's block and then I started hating my writing so that was fun

I'm also starting to regret starting this story without a proper plot so we'll see how that goes lmao

Also, most of Batfam finally makes their appearance, yippee!!

Anyways, I watched AOT: The Last Attack in the cinema yesterday and oml I was sobbing the whole way through. I won't spoil anything just in case some of ya'll watch it but it was just so sad

As usual, mistakes are free to point out! They will be fixed as soon as possible

This week's song comes from the English translation of Black Sorrow from Alien Stage

Hours had passed since your first appearance and when you had gone into the house, many theories about what happened to you were said but none had made sense. The two had stayed on the rooftop, even as they saw the sun peek through the horizon. Their patience was wearing thin, but if this waiting could lead to at least the smallest hint to what happened to you, then it would be worth it.

Finally, when the sun had fully risen, barely visible through the smog, out you came. You were not alone either, the other vigilante was at your side, carrying the rogue that Damian saw last night. They saw you nod at your partner before a silk-like substance come out of your wrist, using it like ropes to jump from one building to another.

Cass and Damian stealthily followed you around the city, utilising the skills they were taught in the League of Assassins. The route you took had been familiar to them, but they had disregarded the thought, focusing on not losing you to your speed instead. Yet, as mere minutes went by, and great distances were covered, they could ignore it no longer. Not when you had stopped in front of the Wayne Manor, their home.

Your home.

You felt your heart beat in your chest and your mind race as you swung through the streets of Gotham. You moved through alleyways that you knew were always empty of thugs. Every once in a while, you would swing high enough to see the city, and every time, you would make sure to take in the scenery. The view of Gotham would never fail to calm your nerves, even with all the pain it had caused you.

As you crossed the Robert Kane Memorial Bridge, you knew there was no turning back. The manor made its way into your sight not long after. You didn’t know if you felt relief or dread, or maybe even both. You wanted so badly to turn around and go back to your aunt’s house, but you had no other choice.

You easily jumped over the fence and walked up the stairs to the door. Just like at your aunt’s place, you had hesitated to knock on the door, but one look at your husband was all that you needed to steel your nerves. Alfred had opened it almost instantaneously, something inside you was telling you that he had been expecting you. You were right of course, he had been waiting since he first heard of your appearance last night.

“Master [Name]. Welcome back.” You weren’t surprised to know that even through the mask, he knew it was you. That’s just how he always was.

“Hi Alfred. How are you?” You asked him, attempting to not make this reunion any more awkward that it has to be.

“I have been well. Please enter, master [Name].” The gap between the double doors widened and he bowed down as you entered. You quickly thanked him as you walk inside. “Please follow me into the cave. I’m sure you have plenty to say.” You nodded, your footsteps echoing as the three of you walked down the hallway and into the Batcave.

The Batcave thankfully had an area that held many cells, and that’s where Miguel had put the anomaly. Had it been a normal cell, you wouldn’t had trusted to put him there, but this was your family and you knew their security was top notch.

In another area, sectioned away from the basically-prison area and the main, a couch was set, a coffee table in front of it and TV across from it. You didn’t remember this room, but you knew time inevitably changes things, and this was one of them. You sat on the couch, Miguel sitting beside you, silently taking in his surroundings.

Alfred offered both of you tea, which you had gladly taken up and you husband cautiously accepting. You were thankful for the silence, it gave you time to collect your thoughts, to think about what you wanted and what you should say.

This peace did not last for though. Three familiar figures had barged into the room, and from their frazzled looks, you could tell they had ran. It was your siblings—or at least some of them. Questions and statements had rushed out of their mouths, a cacophony of voices filling the room. It was safe to say, you were overwhelmed. You were thankful when Alfred silenced them, pointing out how panicked you had looked.

“I’ll answer your questions later. I just want to know, where’s everyone else, especially Bruce?” You asked them.

“The other’s are busy right now, they said they’ll come when they finish what they need to. B is on a mission with the JL.” Cass replied. You inwardly sighed, a part of you had hoped B would be here so you could see his reaction, but perhaps this was for the best.

“Alright. Ok. That’s fine.” You muttered under your breath, your disappointment was immeasurable, but you knew you should’ve known better. After all, you had arrived here out of no where. Even if they hadn’t neglected you, dropping everything and coming back to the manor in such short notice was an almost impossible task. Miguel clasped your hand is his, silently comforting you. That was when Tim spoke up.

“Who is this man with you? Oracle and I have scoured everywhere for anything but nothing.” Of course your family’s first words to you would be an interrogation.

“He’s my husband.” You state plainly.

“And why is there no records of this conjugation?”

“Because it didn’t happen in this universe.”

The silence was loud. Just those few words had explained everything. The family was no stranger to multiverse problems, so it was almost astounding how this realisation had never been made until now. Until you were the one that was saying it to them.

“So why return now? It seems like you’ve already made a life for yourself in this other universe, so why throw it away to come back here?” Damian questions, and for once, his voice isn’t filled with contempt at you.

“We don’t even want to be in this universe. Hell, it’s detrimental for us to even stay here for too long—well not for me but for Miguel and the anomaly.”

“Anomaly?” They all asked, in sync.

“A being that doesn’t belong in this universe.” Miguel had spoken up. You let him continue his explanation of the multiverse and the anomalies, with him being more verse in the topic than you were. Once again, they were quiet at the end of his talk, processing the info dump they had just received.

“Ok… Enough with that though. Have you been well in the past years? Are you going to leave me again?” Cass spoke up. You were taken aback by her words. You didn’t expect for someone in the family to actually question your wellbeing.

“I’ve been doing great. As for the second question, that’s the reason why we’re here actually. We need your help fixing our gizmos so we can go back to our universe. We tried earlier but no results came out of it, so we’re hoping you guys could help us.” You could see Cass’ face drop, you were leaving her again, and this time, voluntarily.

“What do we get out of this?” Tim questioned.

“More knowledge of the universe and gadgets that could help you travel it, if you wanted to.” They all had contemplative looks on their faces, and you knew they were all debating on if this was a worthy deal or not.

“I believe we should help master [Name].” Alfred spoke up. You were grateful, this was probably the one factor that they needed to make their final decision, Alfred’s approval. The three of them nodded, yet you could tell Cass and Damian’s were hesitant. You stood up from the couch, and so did Miguel.

“Great. Let’s get started then.”

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This chapter is kind of a filler chapter, so I apologise for that guys

I lowkey got addicted to binary puzzles when I was writing this and that's why it took so long lmao

Also, a little rant but oml my physics teacher actually makes me hate the subject so much, which is so sad cuz we're doing a cool topic this term, which is nuclear physics

Anyways, mistakes are free to point out and will be fixed immediately

This week's title doesn't come from the lyrics of a song, but does come from an MV! Wiege recently released on Valentines and I felt I had to include it somehow

Have a nice day/night everybody <3

Never in your life would you have expected to be transported into another world and become some sort of mutant, but you definitely wouldn’t change it. Especially now as you swing to your dear husband’s office.

Miguel O’hara, the leader and founder of the Spider HQ and also the one who chased after a 16 year-old boy. Yep, that was (un)fortunately your man. Thankfully that whole fiasco was over before you even arrived. From what you heard, he eventually ended up realising and coming to terms that canon events weren’t so canon and they could be altered, depending on the universe.

But enough of that. You were here today, swinging around the HQ to deliver your husband some food because you knew he would be busy taking care of the spiderverse—or as he likes to call it, ‘The Arachno-Humanoid Poly Multiverse’— to take care of himself.

With a plate of food in your hands, you swung up to the platform he was on.

“Darling, I have some food for you. Take a break and eat with me?” You asked him.

“Mi corazón, I’m busy, you know this.” He stated, almost groaning but in a teasing way.

“Miguel.” You stood your ground and watched him as he sighed, moving closer to you and pulling the screens closer. Fine, you could compromise with this, as long as he ate. “How have you been, dear? Need any help dealing with the anomalies?”

“No, not now at least. For now, they’ve mostly been in low numbers and the new recruits are usually able to deal with them themselves.”

“Alright then. Any leads as to why they’re still appearing though?”

“Still none. I would’ve hoped that they’d had disappeared when Morales was finally dealt with but they’re still ongoing. Lyla’s theorising something else it at play here and I fear she could be right.”

You stayed quiet, deep in thought. These anomalies were off, something about them had given you the wrong feeling, especially when you were on-field fighting them. You had mentioned it before to Miguel, but you both chalked it up to the fact that in technicality, you were also an anomaly, a similar but also vastly different case to Miles Morales.

“Do you think I’m related to the anomalies in some way?” You blurt out.

“As much as I hate to admit it, it’s most likely.” Your brows furrowed in concern. This further complicated the matter at hand. Being an anomaly yourself meant you were already connected to the others in some way, but if there was any chance that this relationship between you and the anomalies was any deeper, danger was most certainly waiting just around the corner. You two spent the next few moment in silence, slowly processing that possibility.

“Well enough of that. I came here so that you would finally eat, so take some.” You nudged a roll of pandesal towards him, alongside a cup of coffee. You had your own right pair next to you, standing on a makeshift table made of webs.

He sighed before muttering a small thank you under his breath and the smallest smile on his face. Well, you’d take what you could get. You both enjoyed your food and drink in silence as you sat on the ledge of the platform and Miguel continued working. It was a comfortable quiet, unspoken words of love were understood and picked up by the both of you. A small respite in both of your usually chaotic lives.

But as luck would have it, this peace did not last long. You didn’t even have time to finish your food when a portal opened up in front of the platform. You stood up quickly, stance in a fighting position, Miguel also suddenly on alert, his arm in front of you in a protective manner.

Portals were a normal thing for the both of you, an everyday use even. Yet, this was weird. No portal had ever opened up in this room. Most respected the privacy of their leader and always opened the portals outside of his office. That wasn’t even the most off-putting thing. This portal was different, the shapes and colours were all wrong, all different from the ones spawned from the gizmos on your wrists. Yet, it seemed familiar to you. Like you saw it once and then stored it at the back of your mind to forget about it. That couldn’t have been right though, any portals you’ve seen are the ones made by the watch.

You didn’t have time to worry about this though. Danger could be come out of that opening at any moment and you needed to be ready. But danger would not come to you. No. It would pull you into it instead. Quite literally when both you and your husband were tugged into the portal.

The journey through the portal was short, but most certainly not smooth. With being pulled in unexpectedly and the inside itself feeling like it was tossing you around, the landing was rough. It felt like you were picked up and were thrown away carelessly with indifference.

Miguel regained to his feet before you and held out a hand for you to help you stand up. As you oriented to your surroundings, you could feel your blood go cold. The sky was dark, vastly different from the midday sky that you were previously in. Even though it was night, stars didn’t light up the night sky, instead smog filled the skylines. Buildings stood tall, reaching for the sky but always too short. The streets were quiet, like a the silence of a forest when a predator is near. The rain dripping onto your head was the final confirmation.

You were in Gotham.

You were back in the city you grew up in. The city that raised you to be the person you are now. The city you had so many conflicting emotions about. You were not ready for this confrontation. In fact, you might never be.

So, like the coward you were, you quickly pulled your mask back to cover your face and turned to Miguel. He quickly takes the hint and puts his on as well.

“We have to get home. We can’t stay here.” You fiddle with your gizmo, attempting to open a portal back up to the HQ, but nothing. Miguel looked at your struggle and tried to get his own to work as well but it was a futile attempt. Nothing seemed wrong with the gizmos, except for the fact the no portal was opening up. You hoped that everything else was working fine.

Miguel had no knowledge of this strange world. All he knew was that you didn’t want either of you to stay here, and who was he to doubt your words? The situation was alright at first. Yes, it was suspicious that you two were dropped off here by some unknown entity, but there seemed to be no immediate danger and you two could easily open a portal back to the HQ.

At least he thought so.

But when both of your gizmos failed, he could feel worry start seeping in. No, this is fine, he could fix the gizmo. He didn’t have any tools though. What was even wrong with it? It had been working perfectly fine before you were dropped into this foreign universe.

He could see you pacing back and forth on the rooftop you two were on. Although he couldn’t see your face, he knew there was a frown etched onto our face.

“Mi corazón.” He called for you, but you were still in your trance. “Corazón.” He called out a little louder, and still nothing. He quickly gave up on words and walked over to you, softly grabbing your hand to pull you out.

“What?” You snap at him before regretting it almost instantly. You take a big breath and try to calm yourself down. “I’m sorry, I’m just stressed.”

“It’s alright mi vida. Can you tell me what’s got you so worried and where we are?” He spoke to you softly. You take another breath, mentally preparing yourself for the conversation you were about to have.

“We’re in my home universe.”

“Ah.” That was all he needed to know. He had heard enough of your ramblings about your old life to know why you were reacting this way.

“Why isn’t the gizmo working?” You ask, point-blank.

“I’m not sure. Maybe there’s something about this universe that’s stopping us from being able to communicate with the others. I attempted to get in contact with other spidermen but no response.” The Spider HQ must be a mess right now, with the sudden disappearance of their leader. He hoped you two could quickly make it back home or else you two would be coming back to chaos.

You opened your mouth to say something but were interrupted when you felt your spider senses tingling. You could see Miguel’s signature scowl form on his face, it seemed he could hear the danger you were sensing.

You both take a look around at your surroundings, and not too far off into the distance you see a Doc Ock terrorising the poor citizens of Gotham.

No, that wasn’t right. Your universe shouldn’t have a Doc Ock, hell you didn’t have any of the standard spidey villains. There was only one reason for this

An anomaly was in your universe.

Farther into the distance, you could see the bat sign light up the night sky. Shit. You needed to hurry before your family could get to this. You and Miguel looked at each other and nodded. A silent agreement to continue the conversation later and also take this anomaly down as soon as possible.

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Another chapter done, yippee! I'm sorry this is focusing more on Reader and Miguel, but I needed to introduce some plot points and it ended up being too long for the batfam to make an appearance

As said in a previous post, I don't speak Spanish, so if those nicknames are cringe or something then please do tell me how to improve it and I will gladly change it

Anyways this has been another busy week. I finished my prepL, took my license photo, started watching the bayverse transformers movies and prepared for the start of the school year on Tues

Speaking of school, I have no idea if that will affect my upload schedule but it most likely won't until a few weeks in.

As per usual, you are free to point out any mistakes. I don't edit my work cuz my ADHD won't allow me to and I don't have a beta reader so I am bound to have some mistakes here and there

Fun fact, my titles (except for the story title) come from songs. The Prologue came from Never Love An Anchor by The Crane Wives and this chapter's came from Abandon Ship by Fin. I recommend you listen to them, they're so good!

Once the Doc Ock finally made his way into your full view, it was certain that he was anomaly. He looked like he came out of a steampunk movie, a stark difference to the modernity of Gotham.

You two went with your usual plan, Miguel would distract the villain of the day while you would transport the civilians or at least warn them. You made quick work transporting the citizens away from the expected vicinity of the fight.

You made your way back to your husband after dropping off the final citizen to safety. You were greeted to the sight of multiple pairs of mechanical arms reaching for Miguel as he avoided them with ease. You made eye contact with him, another silent agreement made between you two.

You shot a web towards the Doc Ock, taking his attention away from your husband, his rage now aimed at you. His barely coherent shouts weren’t a deterrent to you as you taunted him. While he was distracted with you, Miguel had easily snuck up on him and punched him square in the face.

But that wasn’t enough to take him down, it was never that easy. He was quick to get back on his feet and reach the tentacles out at both of you. You and Miguel jumped in sync, shooting a web at either side of the anomaly. You delivered a quick kick to the stomach and back flip out of the way before Miguel prepared to deliver another blow.

The fight felt almost one-sided, with the Doc Ock barely landing his punches on either of you. But this was good, the faster you finished this, the less chances that one of Gotham’s vigilantes would see you.

The comms were unusually quiet tonight, so Damian definitely wasn’t surprised to hear that a new villain was out to make a name for himself in Gotham. He was quick to move to the scene of the crime, but what he saw was something definitely not expected.

Two figures were fighting with this new villain— which speaking of, looked out of place in Gotham. The two new heroes were wearing skin-tight suits with an animal theme, specifically spiders, not unusual for heroes.

They moved expertly around the offender. like dancing around a ballroom. In fact, Damian had stopped himself from interrupting their fight in fear of ruining the clear rhythm they had together. Their moves were calculated, landing their punches and mostly avoiding getting hit themselves. These were not some vigilante or hero-wannabes. No, they were trained, their experience clearly showing through their movements, the way they took down the rogue with little to no difficulty. They fought with him as if they had gone head to head multiple times, moving as if they could read his mind.

“Robin, what’s the hold up?” Barbara’s voice snapped out of his daze. He remained silent for a few more seconds, attempting to examine the figures more closely and find out their identities. The villain itself was certainly going to be easily identified, with his face not even being covered. However, the two others would be harder. Not a single patch of skin was left uncovered.

“Oracle, does there happen to be two heroes that have been operating under our radar for a while? Say, for at least 2 years?”

“No way, that’s basically impossible.” Barbara said, in disbelief of the implication of Damian’s words.

“Apparently it is. There’s two people fighting against the rogue and they’re handling themselves pretty well. It’s almost as if it was the norm for them.”

“Hm… Let them handle the problem then. Follow and investigate them when they finish.”

“Duly noted.”

He stayed perched high above, watching and studying the two as best as he could. When the fight finally finished, he watched the two wrap the now unconscious rogue in a web-like substance and inject him with a liquid. They spoke to each other before one of them picked up the villain. The other swung in front of them, as if they were leading the way to some place. Damian stalked after them, making sure to stay as close as he could without getting noticed.

He was surprised to find that the one leading knew their way around Gotham, like they had gone past these streets multiple times. The place they ended up in seemed oddly familiar to Damian, but he wasn’t able to pin point what it reminded him of.

He watched as one of them pressed the doorbell hesitantly. When it opened, Damian was finally able to reason why this place seemed so familiar. It had been the place that you grew up in. The face of his only blood sibling’s aunt was practically engraved in his head after you had gone missing 5 years ago. Your aunt had called and visited the manor almost every day for a year after you disappeared. Now she was standing next to an opened door.

While you and the rest of the family hadn’t always been on good terms, they still cared for you and tried everything they could to find any traces of you, including Damian himself, albeit, a bit reluctantly. While they still hadn’t given up, the hope in finding you was slowly dwindling. After all, if the world’s greatest detective couldn’t find their own child, the who could? Your aunt had been distraught when she was given the news that you were basically a cold case.

So imagine his and your aunt’s surprise when he sees your face after one of the figures pulled off their mask. It wasn’t identical to the face he last saw 5 years ago, there were a few minor changes, like new scars, and you definitely looked older, but hew knew it was you. You had the same smile, the one he was greeted with when he was first introduced to the manor, the same one he always rejected because you were bound to be a liability with your softness.

Clearly, Damian’s assumptions were wrong. Clearly, you were able to not only defend yourself, but also other people, as shown form the fight he witnessed not even 20 minutes ago.

He was dumbfounded. You disappeared for 5 years and now you come back, suddenly having extensive knowledge in the battlefield, with another person fighting alongside you. He had so many questions. Where did you go? Who was this other person? Why return only now? But those weren’t the most important matter at hand. Right now, he had to inform the rest of the family about your status.

“Oracle, open communications to the whole group.” He could hear the words of the other members in his ears.

“Robin, report.”

“I’ve found the identity of one of the vigilantes.”

“Well? Why is it so important that the whole group had to listen?”

“It’s [Name].”

The silence was even more deafening than the usual chatter.

You stood in the aftermath of the battle, rubble everywhere. Bruce would probably pay to fix this later. Thankfully, the civilians got your warning and didn’t wander back into the vicinity of the fight, but you didn’t expect anything less from the citizens of Gotham.

You called out your husband’s name, catching his attention.

“I have a place we can go to. The person that owns it is someone I’ll trust with my life, don’t worry.” You shot down any possibility of arguments as soon as you could. Miguel grunted in response, injecting his venom into the anomaly before pinking it up and carrying it like a football under his arm.

“Lead the way.” You shot a web towards the roof of a tall building and started swinging in the direction of the place you grew up in, your aunt’s house.

Your nerves started acting up again. What would you aunt think of the new you? You may look the same but you weren’t the same person you were 5 years ago. So much has happened, what if she doesn’t approve of you? Or worse, not even recognise you?

You walked up to the door you knew all too well. Your mind raced with so many negative thoughts. In the moment, the realisation hit you like a train wreck. There was a chance that she didn’t even live here anymore; a lot can happen in 5 years, you would know.

You held up your hand to the doorbell, the one that you made her install after you moved into the manor. But instead of pressing it excitedly like you used to do all those years ago, your hand stood still right in front of it, as if your hand had been frozen.

“Mi corazón, it’ll be alright. Didn’t you say you trusted this person with your life?” Miguel’s words put an ease to your nerves. You smiled gratefully at him before taking a deep breath and pressing the doorbell.

The time it took for the door to open felt like centuries, but when it did, you couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. Your aunt’s face was as beautiful as ever, aged but beautiful nevertheless.

The exhaustion and confusion was evident on her face when she greeted you.

“Hello? What do you need?” The cautionary tone and her rigid stance hurt your heart a little bit, but you couldn’t blame her, she lived in Gotham after all.

“Auntie. It’s me.” Her eyes softened when she heard you voice. When you pulled your mask off, you could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

“[Name]?” She asked, full of doubt, but a hint of relief as well. You smiled warmly at her.

“In the flesh.” You let out a small chuckle. Next thing you knew, a pair of arms enveloped your torso. You heard and felt your aunt’s sobs on your shoulders. You hugged her tightly in return, a few tears of your own rolling down your cheeks. When she let go, you instantly missed her warmth, but you pulled yourself together and prepared yourself for the myriad of questions you were bound to be bombarded with.

“Where have you been?!” Yep, you were correct.

“It’s a long story.” You looked to Miguel for help, but unfortunately for you he only smiled at your misery and on top of that, your aunt had seen the small interaction.

“We have all the time in the world. At least answer who this man is at first.” With that, you aunt allowed the two of you, and also the anomaly, inside her house.

Miguel placed the Doc Ock down gently, in fear of destroying any of your aunt’s items. He fixed his posture and adjusted his hologram suit to reveal his face ad he introduced himself.

“Hello. I’m Miguel O’hara, [Name]’s husband.”

“What?!” You expected this reaction. “[Name]! What have you been doing these last few years without me?!”

“Like I said, it’s a long story. It’s better if we get comfortable first.”

“Fine. You better explain everything, especially that… thing over there.” She pointed to the Doc Ock on the floor of her living room. As she did, he glitched, momentarily shocking your aunt.

“We will, don’t worry.”

...

After a long conversation and Miguel occasionally reinjecting the anomaly with his venom, your aunt was finally caught up with your life.

“So, let me get this right. You’re a superhero, alongside your husband, and you two use those watch things on your wrists to help you but they’re broken, which is why you’re here.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Why didn’t you visit me once? Will I ever see you again when they’re fixed?” Your aunt asked dejectedly. Your heart broke at her words. You had just learnt that although your other family had been providing her with money, she chose to stay here to preserve the memories she had with you and you mother, when she was alive. She also still had hope that one day you would return to her, and so she waited expectantly everyday for you, which ended up being worth it, for you were here in her house again.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to. Like I said, this return wasn’t even planned. I’ll try to come back when we fix our gizmos, but it’s not a guaranteed chance that we’ll figure it out.” Your aunt visibly deflates at your words.

“Well, if what you want is to return to your new home, then I’ll do my best to help you. Your happiness is the most important thing to me, sweetheart.” A new wave emotions passed through you at her words. You truly were lucky to have her as your aunt. You smiled at her and pulled her into another hug.

“Your the best family anyone could ask for. I love you so much.” Your words were shaky and mumbled as your poured your emotions out. Your aunt hugged you back, patting your back as you hiccupped onto her shoulders.

“I love you too.” She reaches her arm out towards Miguel. He seemed taken aback before hesitantly joining in the group hug. You couldn’t help but mentally laugh as you felt his stiff arms surround the both of you. Your aunt was the first to break apart from the group, with you and Miguel following soon after.

“Now, what do you need to fix that watch of yours?”

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Asks are greatly appreciated as they give me motivation and ideas <3

And Chapter 2 is finally done! I really don't like how it ended, I feel like it was a bit too cheesy but oh well, the pen writes what it wants to write, not me

The aunt was never supposed to play this big of a role in the story but apparently she does now! If you guys want a name for her, let me know and I'll make a poll for everyone to decide

Also I lowkey wanna change the layout of my posts but I'm not sure, so let me know if you guys want me to

Sorry this came out so late, I got busy on the weekends and I thought I had time to do it in school but school's honestly been pretty bad. So far, I only understand like 3 of my subjects and that's cuz 2 of them are revision and the other is literature

You guys know the routine! Mistakes are free to point out and will be fixed as soon as possible