#ler!peter2

So cuddly…so warm.

A collection of content sighs filled the air of the oldest Peter’s apartment. The three Spider-Men were currently cuddled up next to each other in a makeshift blanket nest that the younger two begged Peter 2 to let them set up.

And so here they were: the oldest Peter in the middle of the cuddle pile with his two younger brothers snuggled up on either side of him. He had his arms wrapped around the youngsters, his fingers gently running through their fluffy hair.

“Mmm…this is nice,” the middle Peter said. The youngest hummed happily in agreement. “This is honestly like, free therapy right here.”

Peter 2 chuckled. “Aww. As long as it makes you guys happy. I’ll admit, this brotherly cuddle nest you guys set up really is nice. I think we were all due for a nice cuddle. Especially our newest little Spidey here.” He gave a squeeze to the youngest Peter.

“Heyyyy,” Peter 1 whined. “I’m not that little.”

“Are you kidding? You’re our adorable baby bro!” Peter 3 cooed, reaching over to ruffle the younger’s hair.

“Aaah! Heheyyy! Quit ihit!”

“Alright you two, relax,” Peter 2 said with a fond eye roll. “But he’s got a point, little Pete. You technically are the baby brother of our trio.” The youngest pouted with a huff. “Hey, don’t take it in a bad way. It just means you’ll get double the hugs and affections because you’re so cute!” Peter 2 booped the youngest’s nose.

Peter 1 rolled his eyes. “C’mon guys, you both treat me like I’m five. Have you forgotten that I’m frickin’ Spider-Man?”

“An adorable Spider-Man!” The middle brother chirped. He sat up from the cuddle pile to playfully squish the littlest Peter’s cheeks. “I don’t know how you could ever have any enemies, little bro. You’re too cute! How can your enemies not spare you or constantly stay mad at you if you’re this adorable?”

The teasing combined with the face squishes was making Peter 1 blush and let out involuntary giggles. “S-Stohohop, you weirdo!”

Peter 3 kept talking. “I mean look at him, Dos! If you were his enemy, would you wanna keep fighting this kid?”

The oldest couln’t help but laugh at the unfolding predicament. “No, definitely not. If anything, I think it would make me want to do this instead for all the times he’s foiled my plans!” He surprised the youngest Spidey by suddenly scooping him up in an upside down hug, making Peter 1 squeal as he now dangled upside down.

“Hehehey! Put me dowwwn!” Peter 1 couldn’t stop giggling. The silliness of being upside down made him feel like a little kid again.

The little wholesome moment was interrupted when Peter 2 gave a playful squeeze to the younger’s sides. The reaction was instantaneous; Peter 1 squeaked loudly and kicked out his legs, almost hitting his older brother in the face.

The room fell silent. Finally, Peter 3 broke the silence. “What was that? Did you just squeak, lil’ Pete?”

The youngest blushed. “Uhhm…n-no..?”

“Then what was that noise? Did that hurt when I touched you there?” The oldest Peter frowned with concern. “I’m sorry if I did.”

“N-No its not that..! It’s—I’m just—uhm…”

When the littlest brother didn’t respond, Peter 2 gave another experimental squeeze in the same spot and the same thing happened; Peter 1 jolted with another loud squeak. Crap-eating grins spread across the two older Spider brothers’ faces.

“Ohh I think I know what it is,” the oldest said in a sing-song voice.

“I think a certain little Spider-bro is ticklish~” Peter 3 sang.

Peter 1’s blush darkened. He rapidly shook his head, attempting to squirm out of the upside down hug with no luck. “N-No I’m not! Get a-away from me! Both of you!”

“Gosh, he’s squirming so much,” Peter 2 said with a huff.

“Why not put him down?” the middle Peter suggested.

“No! Nohoho c’mon guys!” In a matter of seconds, Peter 1 was dumped onto the pile of blankets and immediately pinned by his older brothers. His oldest brother had him trapped in his lap; wrists grabbed and pinned above his head. And his other older brother took a seat by his legs, resting his fingers on his kneecaps. “Guhuhuys! Guys pleaheeheehease! y-you don’t have to—EEEEHP!!”

Peter 1 squealed as his sides were tased. The culprit turned out to be his cheeky middle brother.

“And just how come you never told us about this, little Spidey?”

“Yeah, how come you didn’t tell us our little bro was ticklish?”

“I-I dihihidn’t know! And I’m not even tickliAAAAHA!” His lie was cut short when the fingers that tased his sides now vibrated and stayed glued in that spot. “NAAAHAhahaheeHEEE! Qhuihihit thaHAAhat!”

“Awww someone’s not a very good liar~” Peter 3 sing-songed. He moved his fingers upward, spidering them to Peter 1’s ribs next. He grinned when he saw how his little brother twitched with a girly squeal.

Feeling a bit left out of the playful banter, the oldest Spider-Man finally joined in. His free hand fluttered against Peter 1’s neck, resulting in another squeal and leg kick.

“Whoa! Easy there, little bro,” exclaimed Peter 3. “Don’t kick me.”

“I-I caHAHAhan’t hehehelp ihihit!” Peter 1 squeaked out. His blushy face was really starting to rival his Spidey suit. Out of all the embarrassing things his brothers could’ve discovered and exploited, it just had to be this one.

Things got worse when the middle Peter decided to scribble across his belly and the oldest fluttered his fingers under his arm.

“EEAAAHEHEEEHAHAAAA!! NAHAHAO N-Not thEHEHhere!!”

“Not where?” Both Peters innocently asked.

“T-Thehehehere!! Both…Both plahahahaces!!”

“Awww!!” Peter 3 couldn’t help but coo. “Ticklish tummy and armpits?” The littlest shook his head rapidly as more giggles poured out. “Awww! We got a ticklish tummy and armpits here! How cuuuute!”

“S-StAHAhap teasing, you jeheherk!” Peter 1 giggle-whined.

“Peter Dos, do you hear that sass?” The middle Spidey pretended to be offended.

“Yeah, I heard it. And I don’t think I like that tone you’re using, little bro.”

Both spider brothers cracked their knuckles for dramatic effect before plunging their fingers down and tickling anywhere they could reach: underarms, in between ribs, behind the knees, even Peter 3 got evil enough to slip his hands under his squealing bro’s shirt to scribble at his bare tummy.

It was maddening. It was torture. But it was…fun. Gosh, how long has it been since Peter 1 even laughed like this? A long time, in fact. Long before Mr. Stark left.

But here he was now, red faced and giggling brightly. Instinctively kicking and squirming, but not putting up too much of a fight to get away. Turns out, it’s not so bad letting his older spider counterparts know of his one little weakness. It was fun, and it made him feel genuinely happy to get to play around with the other Peters like this after everything.

So yeah. It’s not so bad letting his ticklishness be exposed and exploited. As long as they didn’t find out about his extra sensitive belly button or that one spot right under his arm and above his highest rib—oh nope. Too late.

There’s nothing Peter 1 can hide from his counterpart brothers, apparently. And that especially includes tickle spots. Ohh he was so getting them back for this!

Usually Peter and Ned would spend their Sunday nights over the hulking textbooks, scribbling on flash cards and quizzing one another with the sound of a show in the background. At the time it was hectic—oftentimes the test they were studying for was the next day—but he would do anything to feel that again. All the little Peter could hear now was the humming of a rickety radiator in his apartment. It was too quiet…too lonely. He always hated studying alone.

But now was not the time to think about that stuff. He had his phone’s stopwatch ticking away.

Returning to the open book, he filled in the bubble on an answer, hopefully a correct one. He was too far behind to think twice. Just a few more problems left…and he could be finished on time.

Intermolecular forces? He should know that, right? He took AP chemistry.

A refractory period…he swore he knew that answer too.

Peter 1 bit his lip and put random answers down for those just so he could finish it. This was a practice test after all. The screaming alarm from his phone timer made him hit his knee against the desk when he jolted. “OW!” He was quick to silencing it.

And now…the moment of truth. Peter 1 held the page of completed answers between his fingers as he flipped to the back of the book for the correct ones.

Oof.

He didn’t do good.

Peter 1 slumped in his chair. He suspected his smarts would be a little rusty after not having school for a solid five months now. Nonetheless…he was disappointed in himself.

With a pout, the spider-man took his phone out and was greeted with a text from someone: Peter 2.

Why’s the old geezer up? Snorted Peter 1. He opened the text:

I just got a tingle that came through. Not sure where it’s from. Are you ok? Are you safe?

The littlest Peter’s heart fluttered. Oh come on…he didn’t wanna alert the big bear now, not over something so minute.

Peter 1’s thumbs hovered over the phone’s little keyboard. Maybe Peter 2 would think it was something else that caused the tingle. There was always a bank robbery or a building being damaged by a weirdly costumed villain anyways. No biggie.

So Peter 1 closed out of the message app, and turned his phone off. Setting aside the text, he picked up his pencil. Time for take two.

Thankfully this practice test was more merciful to him. Peter 1 felt he was flying through the first few pages. He caught himself grinning at one point. But he got confident too soon and ended up stuck on another science section problem.

How many damn systems were found in the human body again?! Was it seven?

A sudden woosh from behind made the hair on the back of Peter 1’s neck stand. He spun around to be met by that familiar portal.

God dammit.

He knew exactly who those two taller figures were in front of the orange pulsating gateway. Peter 2 and 3 stepped through, with the portal closing behind them. Their arms were crossed like dads watching a very intense baseball game.

“What’re you doing here?”

“Why did you leave me on read?” Peter 2 approached closer.

“Wh-?”

“Peter 3 says it’s bad news when someone leaves you on read!”

“Well I-I forgot to reply, I’m sorry.” Peter 1 pulled out a fake smile. “Everything’s alright.”

Peter 2 didn’t believe that, crinkling his eyebrows together. “Are you sure?” He asked, his eyes caught by Peter 3 leaning over the youngest’s messy desk. “Oh boy, what’s going on here?”

Peter 1 grimaced and closed the giant test book. “It’s…school stuff.”

“That’s a GED manual!”

“I know! I’m just-I’m just trying to study-!”

“Do you need any help?”

“I’m fine! It’s nothing!” Peter 1 held his hands up, silencing the concerned older brothers. They exchanged looks while Peter 2 knelt down next to him. “Look at me, bud.”

It took a lot for the littlest to finally meet his brother’s kind blue eyes.

“I don’t get the tingle for little things. Clearly this is important for you. Let us help.” Peter 2 gave a soft smile. “Studying alone isn’t fun.”

With a small sigh and a shrug, Peter 1 nodded. “Okay. Well…I-I dunno where to start.” He watched the middle brother pick up the giant manual and flip around the pages curiously. Peter 2 stood up to check it as well. “What section are you struggling with?”

The youngest looked down, ashamed that he was going to let these words leave his mouth. “Science.”

Peter 2 blinked. “Science?! Our best subject?” He asked, glancing at Three, his mouth ajar.

“Yeah I’m...not proud of it either.”

“Hey-Hey! It’s ok! You’re just, ya know, going through a lot…” Peter 3 mumbled with a sympathetic shrug. “I know I like using quiz websites a lot to study. You wanna try that?”

Peter 1 shrugged. Quizlets and Kahoot games didn’t do much for him.

“That’s cool, it’s cool. We’ll just…uhhhhh…” the middle brother glanced at Peter 2 for any ideas, surprised to see him so calm.

“I got some things we could try,” he craned his neck to look for something on the desk, “uhhhh…you got flash cards?”

The littlest blinked out of his sad daze. “Oh. Yeah, yeah I do.” After opening a drawer, he handed a multicolor pack to him and a pen. “I didn’t think of those, heheh.”

“Well,” Two clicked the pen a few times, “since the science section has different units it covers—chemistry, anatomy…”

“We could use the different colors for different units!” Peter 3 finished, stealing some from Two and making him glare playfully. “Care to ask next time?”

“No.” The middle brother stuck his tongue out, happy that the funny arguing made the little brother giggle. “Okay, Uno, it’s floor time.”

It had to take them at least an hour. Dozens of cards, written and unwritten, scattered about the hardwood and surrounded the trio. Peter 1 propped himself on his elbows as he wrote, kicking his legs, while Peter 2 sat crisscrossed, and Peter 3 laying on his side. Two’s pen died halfway through, but the man found a sharpie to make up for it.

“Ok ow, I need a break…” One tapped out, flexing his hand. “I’m gonna develop arthritis.”

Two chuckled. “If anyone’s developing arthritis, it’s me.”

“It’s ok, bud. We’re almost done!” Peter 3 held up his last two empty cards. “See?”

“Oh thank god! Ugh!”

“So should we come up with a reward system?”

Three paused his writing and raised an eyebrow. “A what?”

“I use a reward system when I study to keep me motivated,” stated the oldest, placing a newly written flash card in his “done” pile, “like when I get so many correct answers I add a minute to my TV time or something. It tends to help me. Maybe it’s worth a try!”

The now laying down Peter 1 held a thumbs up at that, “I dunno what would work though…” he sighed and dropped his hand.

Peter 3 cheered quietly as he finished his last card. That’s when it hit him. Nothing could stop the tall man’s smile from growing. “Hey Two…”

“Ye-wH??” The oldest’s arm was yanked, spinning him around, now in a huddle with Peter 3. He whispered, “what?”

“I just need you to hear me out.”

One’s eyes were closed initially, but the hushed whispering across the cards were too loud to be ignored. He sat up. “What’re you hiding from me?”

A pair of blue and brown eyes peeked up from their secret big brother meeting. “Nothing!”

“Then why’re you whispering?”

Both fell silent, then shrugged.

“If you’re thinking about water boarding me as a reward system, I won’t have it.” Peter 1 crossed his arms playfully.

“No no! It’s not that, I promise!” Three broke from the huddle with a chuckle. “It’s even better than that!”

“Then what is it?”

No words were said with what came next. One moment the little Peter was watching his brother exchange another look, then the next moment he was thrown into a mass tangle of limbs. If he knew better he would’ve assumed it was a hug, but he felt four hands grab at his extremities. This was no hug. All that could come out of his mouth was a “WAHHH!!”

The next thing he saw was his big brothers looking down at him. Three adjusted his seat on the boy’s legs as Two wrestled his arms above his head. “Oh noho no no no no no not this I know what you’re doing!!!” Squeaked out the captive.

“Then you know the rules: get a question wrong, and you’re tickled!” The oldest said, sitting on his wrists and grabbing his handful of flash cards. “Let’s start with an easy one…”

“Oh! Wait! Lemme do this one!” While the oldest flipped through his cards, Peter 3 had already found a good starter. The pink-faced Peter groaned once Three began reading:

“One of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation, found at the same place on a chromosome.”

Peter 1 only smirked at the definition. “Easy! An allele.”

“Ya got it!” Peter 3 cheered, flipping to a new card. “Your turn, dos.”

“What’s the difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes?” The oldest peered over his flash cards to smirk, only to be met with another smug look. “Oh come on now. You’re going too easy on me.”

“I guess you got it covered then, hm?” Two looked to Three. “Let’s hit the road! Looks like he’ll pass with flying colors!”

“You got it!” The two men loosened their hold as if they were going to free him.

“WAIT NO! I-I wanna study with you guys!” The panicked spidey grabbed at Two’s hand. “Just gimme harder questions!”

They chuckled as they settled down into pinning him. “Okay then, get a heavy hitter, Three.”

“Hmmmmmmm…” flip, flip, flip, went Peter 3. “Ah! Physics! You remember physics, right Peter 1?” To add to the teasiness, Peter 2 ever so evilly held his clawed hands over the boy’s underarms.

On the outside, Peter 1 was giving him daggers, but on the inside he was one teasy comment away from giggling like crazy. “…yes, I know physics.”

“Then this should be niiiiice and easy,” the lilt in Three’s voice did not help Peter 1’s composure, nor tingle. His spidey sense kept buzzing in his head.

“Can momentum be hidden to human eyes like how kinetic energy can be hidden as heat?”

Peter 1’s eyes bugged out. “What kinda question is that??”

“A physics question!”

“Alright uhh…ummm…” Peter 1 didn’t like how his brothers smirked down at him. “Ohohoh god.”

“Ten seconds.” Two stated.

“UHH UM..UH…” that’s when the giggles flew out like crazy. “Hehehehehe-!! I-IHIHihihi-! Uhuhuh-!”

“EHH! Wrong!” Peter 3’s fingers darted to his sides and squeezed. Peter 2’s pair of claws dug into his armpits at the same time. A shrill squeal leapt out of the youngster’s mouth. “The answer was yes AND no!”

“YOHOHOU ASSHOHOLE THAT WAS A TRICK QUESTION!!” He hiccuped. The attack let up only a few seconds later, but he could hear his brothers continue their snickering. “Shuhuhut up!! Next question!”

“Okahahay okayyyy…” The oldest cleared his throat. “H-Hohow about an anatomy question?”

“Fihineee…”

“Which artery is the main source of blood for the arm?”

Oh come on! Peter 1 knew this!

Not the ulnar artery or the radial one…no it was from the biceps. Biceps brachii. Something with brachii. Shit. Three’s wiggling his fingers. Shit shit shit what was it called?! Shit don’t look at him!! Stop wiggling your fingers!!

“Brachii artery??”

“Oooh…so close.” Two sucked his teeth with a curled up grin. “It’s actually riiight here.” His fingers wiggled down his bicep and earned a string of giggles. “EEheheHEHEY!”

“That’s the brachial artery! You were close!”

“What a shame!”

Peter 1 squealed at Three’s fingers getting his other bicep.

“DAHAhahammit I knew thAHAT!” Peter 1 tugged at his hands, but they didn’t budge. Two’s nimble fingers were beginning to drive him nuts though. They kept getting close to his armpit. “TWOHOSTAHP!”

“Did ya know that armpits are ticklish cause they have big arteries?” He stopped the teasing and swirled a finger in each hollow, loving the wriggles and cackles that came out of it. “SHUHUTUPSHUTUP!”

“Wow, I didn’t know that, Two!” Three jokingly added, watching the panting brother and reshuffling his cards. “Let’s see if he can get the next anatomy question, though.”

Sadly, he didn’t get that one correct either. It was over the series of arteries in knee joints. Of course Three picked knees.

“PLEHEHEASE-!” He snorted and threw his head back. “ITTICKLESSTAHAHAP!”

Two was struggling to keep him still. “I don’t think he hears you, buddy! Shouldn’t have gotten that answer wrong!”

“Did someone say something?” Three turned around innocently. His back was facing One and Two as he was kneading at his knees. “Oh! Does he want me to stop?”

“YES!”

“You could’ve just said sooo!” He cooed, the punishment halting. “What are you at right now… 1 to 2? Not a good score.”

“Nehehext question!”

And so the game continued.

“PFFTNAHAO WAIT WAHAIT I CHANGE MY ANSWER!”

Well, in the older brothers’ eyes, this was a game. They couldn’t pass up an opportunity to hear the baby bro laugh like a little hyena.

“Equilibrium!”

“Correct!”

“Wow, you’re like 11 for 8 now!”

“Shut uhuhup.”

Entertainment aside, Peter 1 started to get the hang of it.

A locked away part of One’s brain was starting to give now. His freshman biology class…his honors physics…thanks to his big brothers, he remembered what those classrooms looked like in the midst of desperately grabbing at lost  vocabulary.

“External illiac?”

“EHH! Wrong!”

“BWAHAHA NOOO!”

Most of the physics stuff came back easily, but he didn’t have as much luck with anatomy. It kept giving his big brothers an excuse to tickle him in his bad spots.

“Which artery is the main source of blood for the arm?”

Peter 1 was recovering after another wrong answer when the question repeated. “W-Wahait…I know that one.” He took another breath. “B..Brachial artery.”

“Correct!”

“WOOO!!”

A relieved smile took over the boy’s face. “Oh thahank god…”

“See? You’re doing great!” Two cheered, pinching his cheek. “You hanging in there?”

“Y-Yeheah I’m okay.”

“Ya need a break? We’ve been at it for…” Three checked his phone. “30 minutes.”

“No I’m...I’m good! Let’s keheheep going!”

The fluffy haired brother and clean-cut haired brother shrugged at one another. “Alright then.”

The amount of cackles and squeaks diminished after each run through of the deck. There was always one or two questions that continued to stump him, but that only incentivized the little Peter to keep pushing forward.

This was helping him, a lot.

“Okay big man…final question.”

“Wh…really?” Peter 1 looked up.

Peter 3 nodded and smirked. “Get this question wrong, and we tickle you for 20 minutes!”

“Why???”

“Because you haven’t gotten a single question wrong this time around!”

The youngest spidey blinked. “…really?”

“You’ve made some real progress.” Two sounded genuine in his remark. “It’d be a shame if you got it wrong.”

“Wow. No pressure there.” One scoffed and smiled. “Okay, okay. Hit me.”

Three held up the single neon pink card and cleared his throat dramatically. “What is the correct sequence of blood flow?”

Peter 1 took a deep breath and thought for a second. “Pulmonary vein…left atrium…left ventricle…and aorta.”

…

Peter 2 and 3 were silent.

OH COME O—

“Correct!” They cheered in unison.

A loud sigh of relief came out from Peter 1. “Jeheheez you scared me!!!”

“Wanted to make it dramatic! Look at you, smarty!” The middle brother ruffled up his curly hair. “You did it!”

“Very proud of you, lil guy.” Two proceeded to climb off of his arms, and the youngest sat up. “C’mere!!” He was caught in between two pairs of arms. At least he was aware this was a hug this time.

“You won’t forget those answers now, right?” Three chuckled and looked down. “Right?”

Peter 2 glanced down as well. “One?”

The little Spider-Man’s smile had faded, replaced by a small frown. “Mmm.”

“What’s up, buddy?”

“I kinda…miss the tickles from the beginning of the game.”

Two and Three cooed, not in a teasing way, but in affection.

“You wanna have some tickle time then?” Three pulled away from the hug to make eye contact. He smiled at the blushing response he got. “Awwww someone deserves a lil tickle for studying!!” That comment sent him over. Now there was a flustered and giggling Peter 1 between the big brothers. Two practically melted.

“You’re sure right, Tres,” Two kissed the top of his head. “Let’s tickle him as celebration! Come on, One, lay down!”

“Nooooooo stahaaaaaap!”

“Come onnnnn!” The brothers cooed together, cheering softly when the kid obeyed. He was half laying down. He kept his legs to his chest anxiously. “Heyyy you’re hiding the good spots from us!”

“Then we just gotta dig!” Peter 2 growled, plunging his hands between where One’s legs and chest met, searching for his belly. He was very pleased at the loud squeaks that he got. “EENAHATTHAT GEHET OUT!”

“You want tickles? You get tickles!” Peter 3 didn’t hesitate to join, prying at his legs.

Eventually they cracked open the clam of Peter 1, grabbing for any tickle spot available to the two. The wild tickle attack had only just begun, but Peter 1 couldn’t be happier.

Peter 3 weakly climbed into his apartment through the window and then closed it with a grunt. He slumped down the wall and held his head in his hands. “God…”

Peter 3 had a terrible day. It all started with him breaking a glass bowl when he had cereal, a silly mishap he could’ve avoided. And then on patrol he failed to catch three criminals from the New York drug ring, something he hoped he’d get to the bottom of at this point. And to add insult to injury, the Daily Bugle had just released their most hurtful issue yet on him, titled “Spider-Man Fails and Fails Again,” describing how his heroic feats have only hurt New York rather than helped. Was there seriously ANY news outlet that liked Spider-Man? If there was, Peter 3 hadn’t found it yet.

He didn’t want to get up. He wanted to curl into a ball and sleep on the floor under the window in his dirty suit. It took him a solid 20 seconds to realize he still had his mask on. Peter 3 yanked it off and threw it across the room. He decided to follow through on his plan and flopped on his side, legs tucked into his chest. He didn’t deserve a warm bed tonight, he thought, not after today.

Moments after he shut his eyes, a small swishing sound caught his attention. Opening one eye, he was startled by a bright red-orange portal spinning to life in his living room. Peter 3 recognized the ring, and hid his face in his knees. Out of all days, why did Peter 2 choose today to make a surprise visit?

“Peter 3?” The older man’s voice was followed with soft footsteps getting louder. The portal sounded like it swished away too. “Hey…oh..hey are you okay? What’re you doing down there?”

“What’re you doing here?” Peter 3’s voice was muffled.

“You know how the Peter tingle works. I had a feeling…something was wrong…so now I’m here.”

Peter 2 kneeled to Peter 3’s level. “Bad day?” The younger one nodded. Peter 2 offered a hand. “It’s okay bud. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“…okay.” Peter 3 sighed shakily and unfurled himself to grab the oldest’s hand. With his face exposed, it was easy to notice tears pooling in his eyes and his lip quivering. Peter 2’s heart broke at the sight of it.

“Aw buddy…” He pulled the other Spider-Man into a warm embrace and joining him on the floor. “I’m so sorry.”

Peter 3 broke, his strength melting as he let himself be held in Peter 2’s arms, hiccuping. “I-I dunno what…what I’m d..”

“Shhh..” the oldest Peter hushed him softly, rubbing his back. “You’re okay. You’re okay. It’s alright..”

“I…” he hiccuped, “I can’t d-do anything right.”

“Hey now…don’t be mean to yourself. You’re in a bad spot.” With Peter 3 so close to him, he couldn’t help but catch the scent of sweat, dirt, and smoke. He wrinkled his nose. “Oh man…yeah let’s get up and get you clean. You’ve had a long night.”

After a much needed shower and Peter 2 preparing some cinnamon toast with black tea, Peter 3 was feeling a bit better. Being out of his suit sure helped too, now in some of his comfy pajamas. He munched at the toast quietly, sitting on the edge of his bed with the plate. Holy shit, this was the best toast he’d ever had. Peter 2 sat beside him, watching but trying not to make it awkward. He cleared his throat.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better…” he said through chewing.

“That’s good, that’s good.” A beat passed. “Do you wanna talk about what’s been going on?”

Peter 3 hesitated, then nodded. Most of the time he would’ve refused but he knew with his older brother he wouldn’t get away with that. “Yeah..lemme finish this.” He took another bite of toast.

“Take your time.” Peter 2 nodded:

“You need to make more of this.”

Peter 2 snorted. “I will, don’t worry.”

Once finished and placing the plate on the floor, he inhaled slowly. “I’ve been off my game so much lately. I feel really…not good..when I’m out there. And today was just…” his face crinkled in frustration, “it sucked. Legit everything about it sucked and I’m…I’m having a hard time believing that this is what I’m supposed to do.”

“What do you think you’re supposed to do?”

“I dunno,” he chuckled sadly, “that’s the thing. Am I supposed to..to be just Peter Parker who does an internship at Oscorp with no real job or am I just Spider-Man…who can’t save anyone at this point?!”

“Well that isn’t true.” Peter 2 remarked.

He shook his head. “It’s like everyday I get a new reason to believe I don’t deserve to be Spider-Man.” Peter 3 laughed.

“What did you just say about yourself?” Peter 2 turned his head to the side.

“I said…I..I don’t deserve to be Spider-Man.” The tallest Peter shrugged, avoiding his brother’s gaze. He meant for the comment to be humorous but repeating it louder made him tear up. He didn’t wanna believe it about himself but he couldn’t help it.

“Oh no no no no no, we are not saying that about ourselves.” Peter 2’s big brother instincts kicked in. What happened next wasn’t what Peter 3 was expecting. A second later Peter 3 was in a cradling hug in Peter 2’s lap. “You deserve to be Spider-Man.”

“Oh..” Peter 3 froze. He had never been hugged like this before. It was a tad awkward since he was the taller of the two…but he couldn’t help but slowly curl up. For once he was being cared for. “This is n-nice..” The new sense of security opened the floodgates for him as he buried his face in his brother’s shirt.

“You’re okay, Pete. You’re Spider-Man for a reason…we all are. It’s the special thing about this job,” Peter 2 reassured with a few back rubs. “You’re an amazing Spider-Man.”

“Th-thank you..” choked out Peter 3.

“Of course. Even Spider-Man needs saved sometimes.” Remarked the oldest as Peter 3 took his time to cry. “Let it all out.”

The gentle silence and sounds of sobbing and kind words lasted a good ten minutes. Peter 2’s shirt was wet from Peter 3’s tears, but he didn’t mind.

“How are you holding up, bud?” He asked. Peter 3 slowly pulled away from his chest and swallowed. “That felt good.”

Peter 2 smiled softly. “Yeah, it helps to get it all out, huh?”

“Mhm..” Peter 3 wiped his face. He remained in Peter 2’s lap.

“You know…I had a point in my life where I quit being Spider-Man.”

Peter 3 blinked. “What?”

Peter 2 nodded. “Yeah. Spider-Man’s work was getting in the way of Peter Parker’s life and…it was a lot. Probably my rock bottom. For a small period I even lost my powers.”

“No. You’re lying.”

“I’m serious. It was so weird.”

“That’s..that’s crazy,” Peter 3 let out a small chuckle of surprise.

“I know, right?” Laughed Peter 2. He continued, “so…yeah I had that whole problem and for quite a bit, I quit putting on the mask. I thought I wasn’t meant to be Spider-Man. Everything was just going wrong for me. I nearly gave up.”

“But…I had a moment where I realized that people really do need me. No matter what, Spider-Man was and is gonna be a part of me. It goes for you too. People need and love you, Peter 3. It may be hard to see it, at times, but they’re out there. One of em’s here right now, because I need and love you.”

Peter 3’s lip began quivering again and he quickly wiped away incoming tears. He let out a laugh and buried his face in Peter 2’s chest again. “You’re good at the..the whole comforting positive vibes thing…you should do a TED talk or…or something.”

The oldest smiled hearing the quippy remark. “I dunno what that is, but I’ll think about it.” He gave the younger one a good few pats on the back. A small spark of mischief fluttered in his heart. “Can you…humor me with something?”

“Hm?”

“Just..hold on, just lie down.” Peter 2 gently turned  Peter 3 around in his lap, his back resting on his chest. “Yeah, like that.”

“Wh-whahat’re you doing?” Now Peter 3 was leaning back against Peter 2.

“I want you to say that you’re amazing.”

“You’re amazing.”

Peter 2 frowned at Peter 3’s smug grin. “No. You tell me that you are amazing!”

Peter 3 groaned. “No, that’s stupid.” He tried to sit up but the oldest gently pushed him back down, his hands resting on his shoulders. “It’s not stupid, it’s positive affirmation. Now say you’re amazing, because you are!”

“This is like the whole talk we had in the scaffolding all over again..”

“It is, and I’ll keep doing it,” Peter 2 wagged a finger. “Now say it, cause I’m not letting you go until you genuinely say that you’re amazing.”

Peter 3 groaned. “What if I just bit your hand?”

“That would be weird.”

“You’ve been cradling me for like 20 minutes. That’s not weird?”

“No, cause I know us Peters love physical affection like that!” Peter 2 answered.

Peter 3 pursed his lips. “Okay, you got me there.”

Peter 2 sighed, his hands resting on Peter 3’s stomach. “That’s it. No more stalling.”

Peter 3’s tingle didn’t need to go off for him to grab at his older brother’s wrists with a nervous smile. “W-wait what’re you doing?”

“Say you’re amazing.”

“Gehet your hands off!”

“Why? Is this making you nervous?” Peter 2’s resting fingers curled into claws. That small movement got Peter 3 to burst into nervous giggling.

“Yehehehes!”

“Don’t be!” Peter 2 chirped, his fingers gently wiggling at Peter 3’s tummy. The younger Peter bucked his hips in an attempt to get away, but his position kept him trapped. “NAHAHoho no no not thiHIHIS!!”

“There we go!” Exclaimed Peter 2. “All it takes is some tummy tickles, huh? To get you all smiley n cute?”

Peter 3’s smile kept plastered on his face and his hands continued yanking at Peter 2’s wrists. His legs curled inward but that didn’t do too much. It only made him look cuter. He didn’t think Peter 2 would stoop down to tickling the crap outta him over something like this. Three minutes ago he was crying like a baby and now he’s giggling like a little kid. What a turn of events.

Each of Peter 2’s fingers were gently poking and prodding around, which tickled a ton more than he expected. “PleheheheeEEEASE NOHO MORE!!”

“Say you’re amazing and I’ll stop!”

“Thihihis is sohOHO DUMB-AAAANONONO!!” Peter 3 squealed. Peter 2 had snuck a hand under his shirt and begun scratching at his lower ribs. He arched his back, pushing against Peter 2’s chest. “STAHAHAP!!”

“You know what you gotta say to make me stop.”

“YOHOURE A JERK!”

“No, I’m Spider-Man, and you’re Spider-Man! And we. Are. Both. Amazing!” He punctuated each word with a pinch on each rib going upwards.

“GEHET OFF OF MYHY RIBS!!” He hiccuped.

“I will once someone says something I told them to say.”

Yeah, Peter 2 wasn’t gonna let this go. At this point Peter 3 could easily just admit it but…did he want this to stop? Did he want to stop laughing? Peter 2 was right about the physical affection thing: Peter Parkers from all dimensions crave it. Do they all like being tickled though? Wait…does Peter 3 like being tickled?! No, that’s silly. Who likes being tickled?!

…Peter Parker, that’s who.

“N-NEHEVERRRR!!”

“Say it! Say it! Say it!” Peter 2 kept repeating, both hands of his under his shirt giving rib jabs to emphasize the point. Peter 3 squeaked at each one, except for when he felt a zap to one of his middle-bottom ribs. He squawked at that one.

Peter 2 had to stop and gave a curious glance at Peter 3’s torso. “What was that?” He gave a pinch to the same rib. Peter 3 jerked to one side.

“EEP-! Wahait wait wait nO!”

“Oooohhohohoh did I find a sweet spot?!” Peter 2 drilled a thumb into this brand new area.

“PFFAAA-!” Peter 3 was cackling, his arms no longer fighting back but weakly hugging one of Peter 2’s arms. “NOHO! NOOOO PLEASE!!”

“Say you’re amazing!” The oldest brother singsonged. The fact that he said it like that got Peter 3’s face to flush in an instant.

“NOHO!”

“Say ittttt!!” He kept doing the singsong thing.

“STAHAP DOING THAT!”

“Just say you’re amazing, cause you aaaare!” Peter 2’s fingers turned into claws, vibrating at his younger brother’s very ticklish rib. Peter 3’s cackles got hiccupy and more squeaky.

“OKAYOKAYOKAYOKAY-!” He choked out. “IHIHI’M AMAZING!!”

Peter 2 stopped. “You mean it?” He took his hand out from under Peter 3’s shirt.

“M-mhm-“

The older brother hovered five wiggling fingers over his face. “Say it again!”

“IHI’m amazing..I’m amazing!! I-I mean it!” Peter 3 hid his face in Peter 2’s chest, now a pile of giggly goo. “Ihihihi promise!!”

Peter 2 slowly lowered the claw, his tickle attack finished. “Good. Cause you are amazing.” Watching his younger brother recover and rest in his arms made him sigh happily. He gave a warm smile.

“I-Ihi am..” Peter 3 admitted. That one was genuine, and letting those words sink in helped him slow his breathing down. “Yeah…I’m amazing.”

“How are you feeling?” Peter 2 gently ruffled his hair. “Other than probably wanting to kill me?”

“Nah nah..I-Ihi don’t wanna kill you…” Peter 3 panted, “that was just..wow. You’re good at the..the..”

“Being a tickle monster?” Peter 2 finished with an amused grin.

“Yeah…wait don’t call yourself thahat.” Peter 3 covered his face in his hands. “That’s stupid.”

“Well too bad. I’m no longer Peter 2, I’m the tickle monster,” he chuckled, “just wait till I get Peter 1 whenever he gets all grumpy.”

“Oh no you’d kill him!” Peter 3 laughed. “Spare the boy, please!”

Both Peters laughed for a moment. Peter 3 sighed, then swallowed, letting the humor in the air dissipate a little. “Yeah..that was uh…I dunno that was kinda fun.”

“Fun? You getting tickled?” The oldest asked, trying to act surprised. He knew his brothers well enough to know when they were enjoying themselves.

Peter 3 half-shrugged, blushing. “…yeah.”

Peter 2 couldn’t help but smirk. “You just gave me a free pass to tickle you whenever now. I hope you know that.” He ruffled his hair a little more and let him out of the cuddle they were in.

Peter 3 groaned as he stretched, “yeahhh..whatever. I’m amazing.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” He patted the younger one’s back. “You wanna sleep?”

Peter 3 blinked and took a glance at his alarm clock. About 12 AM. He could feel sleep’s hand tugging at his shirt now that all the adrenaline was fading. Peter 3 nodded and flopped back on his bed.

“Okay you’re not snoozing without the covers. C’mon, get a move on.” Peter 2 gently poked his side. He didn’t need anymore of a prompt to hop out of bed and pull the covers down. “AahhHH okay okay!!”

Now tucked in, Peter 3 curled up on his side. “You can stay here if you wanna.” Peter 2 was fiddling with his portal device, prepared to depart. He turned around. “Hm?”

“You can..you can stay. It could be like a sleepover or somethin, I dunno.” Peter 3 shrugged.

“Well…” Peter 2 thought for a second, “yeah. Yeah I’ll stay, bud.” He pursed his lips. “I might need to uh…get pajamas though. Could you give me like 10 minutes?”

“Yeah that works.” Peter 3 gave a thumbs up from under the covers.

Peter 2 turned his attention to the portal device, and a few seconds later a ring of orange fired upon the wall into Peter 2’s living room. “I’ll be back,” he said.

And so, the oldest Peter hurried through his home, up the stairs, into his room. Tiptoeing past the bed where MJ was sleeping, he grabbed some flannel pants and an old t-shirt.

Peter 2 stepped back through the portal. “And I’m ba-!” He cut himself off, the ring of sparks dissipating behind him. Peter 3 was sound asleep, in his blanket cocoon breathing steadily.

Peter 2’s heart swelled at the sight. He changed into his pajamas in the bathroom and returned, now hovering beside the bed. He placed a hand on the younger one’s head and whispered, “sleep tight.”

Not wanting to wake him, Peter 2 took a pillow and set it on the floor beside Peter 3’s bed. He had brought a blanket from his home to wrap himself up in.

Peter 2 finished folding a t-shirt and neatly placed it on Peter 1’s bed. The surprise visit was something the youngest didn’t expect, but very much appreciated since he was still adjusting to his…not-so-pretty living situation. With dishes and spider-suits being dirty half of the time, it was nice to have fresh and clean clothes for the week thanks to his oldest brother.

“You know, you don’t have to do this, dude,” Peter 1 sheepishly mumbled, sitting on the end of the bed as he separated shirts from shorts.

“I don’t have to, I want to,” the oldest replied, finishing another shirt. “Plus I like doing these visits, you know? It’s like a vacation, except this time I’m excited to see my family.” Peter 1 chuckled and shook his head.

“I’m kidding, I love my aunt.”

There was a period of silence after Peter 2 finished his words. He bit his lip.

“How are you holding up, anyway? I forgot to ask earlier.” Peter 2 stopped folding, scooting on the bed to be beside the youngest.

The first Peter swallowed. It had been about three days since their last trio meetup, one that ended with him getting tickled to pieces. What jerks. Well…they were loving jerks. He needed it in all honesty, with all the crap going on.

“I’m…I mean I’m hanging in there. It’s up and down.” Peter 1 muttered, playing with a loose string on one of his clean t-shirts. “Things still feel fresh.”

Peter 2 nodded. “Grief’ll do that. I understand, bud. Make sure you let yourself feel it. Don’t try to keep it all locked up inside. Trust me, it isn’t healthy.” He placed a hand on the youngest’s shoulder, his soft eyes meeting the doe eyes of Peter 1. “You’re gonna be okay, I promise.”

Peter 1 nodded with a soft smile. Peter 2’s presence was comforting. It made him wanna spill his heart out about everything that’s been going on in his head. Of course, he didn’t. He instead opened his arms for a hug, receiving a bear sized one and practically being pulled into his older brother’s lap.

“Theeere we go. Brother hug!” Peter 2 patted the kid’s back. They held the hug for a few moments, their minds at ease and their stresses melting away. “I love you, buddy.”

The youngest Peter hummed, “love you too, Peter 2.” He chuckled for a moment. “Heheh, it’s different without the other.”

Peter 2’s eyes widened and broke the hug. Oh shit. “Where’s Peter 3?”

“What do you mean ‘where?’ Were you both planning to come?”

“Yeah! What the hell…he was supposed to be here 30 minutes ago.” Peter 2 took his phone out to call him.

This wasn’t like Peter 3, to miss out on hanging with the Peters. If anything, Peter 3 would’ve portaled here before him. He loved being with Peter 1. Something was up.

Suddenly, Peter 2’s connected the dots. “Ohhhhh.”

“What?”

“I know why he’s not here.” Peter 2’s smile grew, resting his head in one hand.

“And?”

“He’s scared I’m gonna tickle him,” the oldest answered, amused. “Like I did to you, remember?”

“How could I forge-!” Peter 1’s tingle activated. He dodged Peter 2’s attempt at a side poke. “No!”

“Aw…worth a try,” Peter 2 chuckled. “I’m still curious about that difference thing. How different can we all be physically?”

He felt his old “science wiz” self come to life as he thought about it more. Could Peter 3 be more ticklish than Peter 1? Or less? Or maybe he had different tickle spots? He didn’t know why, but he just had to figure out the answer.

Peter 1 had been waving a hand in front of his face. The oldest blinked out of his focus. “Oh-sorry.” He shook his head. Raising his head slowly, his eyes lit up just like the lightbulb in his brain.

Peter 2 turned to the youngest. “You wanna help me get him?”

“Get him? Get Peter 3?”

“Yeah! He tickled you to bits too! And he didn’t show up today? That’s worth a good punishment in my opinion.” Peter 2 sat up with a groan (his back was still a problem apparently) and strolled over to face one of Peter 1’s walls.

“Okay um, what do I gotta do?” Peter 1 asked as the oldest took a strange device out of his pocket.

“All you need to do…” Peter 2 trailed off as he clicked buttons, “…is get Peter 3 out of his apartment and in here. He must be camping out there.” Well duh, Peter 2. He lives there.

“Why me?”

“He won’t come if I’m calling out to him. He’s too scared of the big brother tickle monster.”

“Is that what you’re gonna call yourself?” Peter 1 asked, blushing ever-so-slightly.

“It’s a working title,” the oldest glanced back with a smile.

Once done clicking buttons and flipping the appropriate switches, Peter 2 looked ahead expectantly. He frowned, going back down to click some more buttons.

“Dammit Otto, why’s it gotta take so long to…”

A spark-filled orange ring bursted to life in front of them, startling the Peters. “Okay there we go!”

The portal practically resembled one of Dr. Strange’s portals. However, it had a different vibe, the color being more red and the overall circle being rigid shaped. The sparks calmed down after a moment. A different room, Peter 3’s apartment, was visible through the warm glowing circle now.

Peter 2 stepped out of the way and gestured towards the new entrance. Peter 1 blinked and then remembered. “Oh yeah!” He cautiously walked near the portal and cupped his hands around his mouth.

“Peter 3!?!”

He waited for a response: nothing.

“It’s Peter 1!”

Still no response. The youngest glanced to Peter 2 for permission to walk in the portal. He received a nod.

Peter 1 stepped into Peter 3’s apartment and onto the much nicer carpet compared to his. As he began gently walking, he could feel himself instinctually get low to the ground in a battle stance.

His body got the strangest sense of deja vu. It felt like he was on a mission, the ones he had on the Avengers, where he’d be breaking into a lair to lure a villain. Yet again this was nothing compared to saving the world.

“Lil Pete?”

A hushed voice came from behind the couch that lied ahead of him. The youngest tip-toed closer. “Hey, yeah, it’s Peter 1!”

“Is Peter 2 there?”

“No, why?” Peter 1 kneeled on the couch cushions and peered over the back of it. Behind the couch was a crouched down Peter 3. He looked like a pretzel with the way he was hiding, looking up with relieved brown eyes.

“Oh thank god. I was worried he was gonna get me.”

“Pfft, no, you’re fine! Why would he get you?” Peter 1 felt odd lying to his brother. It would be worth it though.

“He’s still on the difference thing I think.” Peter 2 answered, attempting to shrug but his shoulders hardly moved.

“You uh…wanna get out of there? Coast is clear.”

Peter 3 bit his lip and then sighed. “I’m trusting you, buddy. I trust you.”

Peter 3 slowly uncurled himself and stood up, stretching mid-stand. “So what’re you doing here anyways?”

“I wanted to visit you.” Peter 1 felt his tingle go off and looked behind. It was only Peter 2 sneaking into the apartment. He must’ve closed the portal too. The youngest held his breath and turned his head back. Peter 3 didn’t notice, right?

“You missed me that much? I feel honored!” The middle brother half-joked, hoisting himself over the couch to plop down on it. He opened his arms. “Now c’mere!”

Peter 1 took another short glance behind him, but his tickle monster of an older brother was gone. Even he was nervous and he wasn’t the one that was gonna get attacked.

“Lil Pete?” Peter 3 caught the kid’s attention again, his hands making grabby motions.

“What?”

“Hug! Gimme hug!!”

The youngest Peter smiled and took a step closer.

“Oh you’ll get more than that.”

Peter 2’s voice came from above, and a second later, he jumped down from the ceiling onto the couch with a “whomp.”

“HOLY FUCK-!”

“Whoaaa! Not in front of the little one!” Peter 2 scolded. The third Peter scrambled to his feet and bolted towards the other side of the room. But Peter 2 shot a line of web that stuck to Peter 3’s shirt. Pulled taught, the web yanked Peter 3 back, him falling to the ground. “Ow!!”

Not a moment later, Peter 2 was standing over his knocked down captive. “Now where were you going, Pete?”

“Waitwaitwait plehehease!! N-noho tickles!! Don’t tickle me!”

“Oh, so you know what I’m gonna do?” The oldest asked, picking up the flailing Peter 3 and carrying him bridal style to the couch. “Make way, Lil spidey.”

Peter 3 gasped as he was playfully thrown on the cushions. “PETER 1 YOU SET ME UP!”

“You didn’t show up to visit me!”

“Yeah, not cool.” Chimed in Peter 2.

“CAUSE PETER 2 WAS GONNA GET ME!”

“And look where that got you.” Peter 2’s smirk was in full display.

“SHUSH!” Peter 3 held a finger at the oldest who was hovering over him. “You shush. No more talking.”

“You, sir…” Peter 2 straddled his hips and wagged his finger, “…have no right to tell me what to do. Peter 1?”

“Hm?”

“Could you be a good little brother and hold up Peter 3’s arms?”

“NO DONT LISTEN TO HIM! Yohou’re better than this!!”

Peter 1 barked out a laugh. “You helped him tickle me!! I’m allowed to help too!” And so he crawled to the end of the couch above Peter 3’s head. However the captive’s strength was hard to match. “Oh come on, Peter 3, just let it happen!”

“No! Never!” Peter 3 shook his head. “Not happening!”

One of Peter 2’s hands snuck under his shirt, his fingernails scratching at Peter 3’s stomach. The middle brother faltered in strength for a moment, but a moment was enough for Peter 1 to pin his arms above his head. “DAMMIT!”

“Now…” Peter 2 wiggled his fingers, “today we test Peter 3’s ticklishness and compare it to Peter 1’s. This of course is for science.” Peter 3 locked his eyes on the evil hands above his torso, giggling like an idiot. “Nononohohonono!”

“Time to test spot number one…sides!” The teasy hands made their attack, vibrating their fingers on both sides of Peter 3. He bucked his hips, biting his lip and shaking his head. “Mm-mm!”

“Hey, he’s holding it in! That’s cheating!” Pointed out Peter 1.

“We can’t have results be inaccurate for this, Peter 3. You better laugh soon.” Peter 2 cooed. “Or we’ll just tickle you all day.”

It was getting more tough to hold in the bubbling giggles building up in his chest. He nearly broke as the tickles switched from vibrations to light scratches. It was always the light tickles that got him bad. Peter 3 jerked to one side.

“Oohhhh okay. I think this method is more effective! Take a note, Peter 1.” The light tickling fingers targeted closer to his ribs, the middle Peter shaking from his contained laughter. “You’re gonna have to laugh eventually, Pete.”

Peter 1’s entertained smile made Peter 3 blush and close his eyes. “N-no!”

Peter 2 stopped for a second, making the trapped Peter open his one eye, confused. But what he didn’t expect was the claws of Peter 2 to dig into his upper ribs. He broke.

“PFFFAHAHA-!” He squealed, bucking harder. “NOHO!”

“There we go!” Peter 2 exclaimed. “Looks like ribs are a bad spot for you and Peter 1, huh?”

“YOHOHOU AHAHASSHOLE!!”

Peter 2’s fingers gently tickled a few of the spaces in between the ribs, getting a squeak from Peter 3. “Is someone ticklish?”

“Y-YOHOu suhuhuck!!”

“We suck?”

“Y-YeheAH you suhuck at ticklihihING!”

Peter 2 quirked an eyebrow. “Is that a challenge, buddy? You want me to tickle elsewhere?”

“YEHE-wait NO!”

“He said yes!!” Peter 1 pointed down.

“I heard a yes!”

“NOOO!!”

Peter 2 cracked his knuckles. “Let’s try…” his thumbs drilled into Peter 3’s hipbones gently, “…here!”

One of Peter 3’s legs kicked out with a squeaky giggle. The volume of his laughter was turned down like it was coming from a TV. Peter 2 frowned. “Not as ticklish as I thought.” He tried drilling a little harder, and got a loud squeaky cackle. “Whoa! The heck was that?!”

“EEHEHAHA!” Peter 3 squirmed side to side but to no avail.

“He sounds like a squeaky toy!” Peter 1 added, which reddened Peter 3’s face.

The youngest readjusting his hold on Peter 3 by sitting on his hands. “My underarms are the worst, you wanna try that next?”

“Mmmm not yet. Let’s make it the grand finale,” the oldest sneered. “Okay, so we got hips and sides…”

“Ribs too!”

“Yes! Ribs were the same ticklishness,” Peter 2 nodded. “Now where else…” he paused the torment, hovering his claws now. Peter 3 groaned. “Stohop the hand thinggg…”

Peter 1 snapped his fingers suddenly. “The belly!”

“Good thinking!” Peter 2’s hands met in the middle and dove down.

“NOHOOO-EEEEP-!” Peter 3 screamed and yanked at his stuck arms. He nearly broke Peter 1’s hold, startling the kid. The two brothers exchanged surprised and amused smiles, now laughing with the middle brother. “Whohoa!!”

“This is new,” Peter 2 gestured to Peter 1, “you aren’t that bad on your tummy!”

“Definitely not this bad!”

The oldest lifted Peter 3’s shirt up, gently dancing his fingers away. Peter 3 got goosebumps. “PFFHAHA GEHET OUTTA THEHERE!!”

“We actually did it, Peter 1, we found a difference!”

“We made a breakthrough!” Peter 1 raised an open hand and got a high five from the oldest. “Yeah! Science!”

“STAHAHAP IHIHIT!!”

“In due time, Pete.”

The energy between all three of the Peters at this moment was filled with warmth. Of course Peter 3 was busy squirming, but even he had oodles of ticklish happiness fluttering in his heart. It was crazy how silly things like tickling somehow brought them all together best.

“Are we gonna kill him..?” Peter 1 mumbled. Peter 3’s laughter was turning more wheezy, and his wriggling got less powerful. Peter 2 halted his tickle attack.

“Nahhh, we’re okay. Tests are nearly done! We just need to test one more spot out, one that’ll really give us an answer on the difference thing…” Peter 2 trailed off, locking eyes with the panting Peter 3.

“No..noho more..” Whined the middle brother.

“I’ll make it quick and painless, I promise.”

“You’re gohonna kill me!!”

Peter 1 and 2 exchanged glances. The oldest smirked. “Actually…would you like to do it, Lil Spidey?”

“Me?”

“I let him get your death spot,” he raised his eyebrows, “feels only fair that you do the same.”

Peter 3 leaned his head back to face the kid. “Pete! Pete hey let’s not do that, okay?! Ihihi could die!”

“You..could die?” Peter 1 squinted.

“Y-yehe…” Peter 3 sighed, “…okay I’m no-nohot..escaping. I give.” The third Peter then let himself lay limp, his head resting on the couch cushion. “Just do it.” He braced himself for impact with a grimace.

“Godspeed, Peter 3.”

His fingers made contact with the hollows of his underarms, scratching quickly. Peter 1 giggled when Peter 3 broke into a new laugh that sounded like a monkey almost. “What the hell is with your laugh?!”

The oldest was chuckling too, clapping. “That’s sohoho funny!!”

“HOHOLY SHIHIT STAHAP!”

“Definitely a death spot here too!”

“Underarms are the killer,” Peter 2 concluded. “That’s no difference.” He decided to join in on the fun and resumed the belly tickling so Peter 3 was effectively in stitches.

The two brothers only tickled for a minute longer until feeling bad. Peter 3 was looking exhausted and as funny as his laugh was, he was at his limit. The sight of Peter 3 tearing up out of laughing made the youngest stop immediately. “Okay I’m done!”

Peter 2 glanced up at Peter 3, indicating him to stop as well. “Oh no, we tickled him to tears!”

Peter 3 had no energy to move. He let the residual giggling fade slowly as his chest heaved. That had to be the worst tickling he’s ever gotten.

“Peter 3? You still with us?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Oh man did we go to far?” Peter 1 asked.

“Nahah…I..I could take more..”

The youngest squinted. “Do you want us to-?”

“No! Noho..” Peter 3 held up his now freed arms weakly. They flopped down to rest on his chest. Peter 1 bit his lip in amusement.

“Well, another successful experiment done,” the oldest clapped his hands, “thank you Peter 3 for contributing to multiverse science. With your help, we have concluded that variants can have the same tickle spots but there’s little differences too, like your tummy.” He gave a small poke to said spot.

Peter 3 smiled nervously. “You’re…Yohou’re welcome..” he was helped up by the two brothers and was in the middle of a nice hug. “God you’re evil…”

“Me? Or…?”

“No, Peter 2. I dunno where that..that evil side of you comes from but it’s scary.”

“You mean when I tickle you?”

“Yeah..”

“I think someone’s just easily flustered by teases, you know?”

Peter 3 groaned as Peter 2 patted his back.

“Wait…” Peter 1 frowned and furrowed his brows, “…we aren’t done!”

“Hm?” The oldest raised his head.

The youngest pointed at him. “What about you?”

Peter 2 looked away for a moment before smirking. “We got all the data we need.”

“No hey no! Not fair!” Peter 3’s energy was back. “I didn’t get tickled to death just to have you get away with it!”

“Me neither!” Peter 1 chimed in.

“Can we..hold on can we just take a break before then next tickle fight?” Peter 2’s confident facade was fading.

“No no no we’re doing this now! Lil Spidey, we’re doing this.” Peter 3 gestured to the youngest.

Peter 2 stood up, adrenaline rushing at a high. He smiled, even though it was a nervous one. “Only if you can catch me.” He sprinted to the apartment window and opened it.

“SHIT THERE HE GOES!!” Peter 3 yelled, scrambling out of his couch. “Shoot! Web shooters!! Peter 1 hold on!!” The middle brother bolted to his room to grab them.

“Hurry!!” Peter 1 cried, prepping his own web shooters on his wrists.

“Go get a head start!” Called out the middle brother. Peter 1 smirked and nodded, making his way to the open window and climbing out.

The sunset outlined the horizon with a silhouette of the damaged Statue of Liberty in center. Peter 1 still felt crappy that they made those construction workers’ jobs harder, but he felt even crappier remembering the events that occurred there. Because of his doing, he had to make everyone forget who he was.

Thankfully, not everyone forgot. He had two other Spider-Men sitting on both sides of him, their legs dangling on the side of the building they sat atop. The three Peters had just finished a fun swinging session in Peter 1’s New York, and now were finishing a box of pizza they ordered. Peter 1’s stomach churned at the sight of the monument ahead of them, but decided not to ask the other two to change locations. It wouldn’t be fun to be the wet blanket and ruin their good day.

“So...you’re telling me that a purple alien wiped out about half of the population, including you, and then you came back like 5 years later?” Peter 3 asked while chewing.

Peter 1 nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah. It just happened so fast.” He didn’t make eye contact to the other Peters looking at him. His eyes were locked on the statue. He didn’t even notice he was doing it. “When I came back…it was like I was a ghost to people.”

Peter 2 hummed. “That’s…that’s unbelievable. That must’ve been a lot.”

“It was.”

The shortness of the youngest’s responses made Peter 2 and 3 exchange concerned looks. They then glanced where Peter 1 was staring, and the older Peters’ expressions softened.

“Hey, how about we move elsewhere? Away from this area?” Peter 2 suggested, placing a gentle hand on Peter 1’s shoulder.

Peter 1 looked up to Peter 2. He didn’t know why, but looking into the eldest’s eyes made him tear up. Peter 2 had a softness to him that felt comforting. He blinked.

“I miss them...” Peter 1 couldn’t hold it back anymore. He looked down and sobbed.

Peter 2 and 3 instinctually embraced the youngest, having him in the middle of the big hug.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay buddy..”

“We’re here. We got ya.”

Peter 1 had lost so much in such little time: his best friend and girlfriend forgot him, his aunt killed, his father figure sacrificed. All he had now was these two versions of himself from different worlds. The hug between them lasted what felt like forever, but it was something not just Peter 1 needed, but all three needed. They’ve been through a lot after all. Once the silence got too deafening, Peter 3 broke it.

“I...should’ve picked a better place for us to land. I’m sorry, Pete,” he mumbled sheepishly. He himself was fighting back tears. Peter 1 simply mumbled back an inaudible word, assumed to be him forgiving the other.

“Let’s get off this edge, okay? Get on the ground guys.” Peter 2 instructed gently, as he kept hold of the hug as the three scooted away from the ledge of the building to sit along the wall on the roof. “There we go.”

Peter 1 wiped his face of tears and was beginning to calm down. He brought his knees to his chest. “How do you guys...keep going..? Like…does it get better?”

“That’s a good question,” Peter 3 joked, resting his head against the wall. Peter 1 gave a weak smile to it.

“I mean, when Uncle Ben died, it was what he said to me that kept me going. It’s kept me going for a while now. Knowing someone trusted that power within you to do good...that’s what got me through it all.” Peter 2 stated. He had an arm wrapped around the youngest.

“With great power..” Peter 1 started.

“Comes great responsibility,” finished the older two.

“Yeah,” Peter 2 continued. “Peter 1...the stuff you said you’ve gone through, it’s so much for someone your age. You, heck, all of us should’ve been busy going to prom in high school, not fighting electricity guys and aliens.” “Yeah,” Peter 3 chimed in, “no one prepared us for this job, remember?”  He patted the youngest’s arm, who in turn shrugged.

“Heh, I wish I was...” Peter 1 smiled sadly. The other two nodded in sad agreement. It would’ve been nice to have gotten a handbook on superhero stuff.

Suddenly, an amused smile grew on Peter 2′s face. He chuckled. “You know…it’s so odd we have these special similarities yet there’s so many different little things about us. Like with the ‘great power, great responsibility’ thing?”

“It’s almost like we’re the same people from different universes,” Peter 3 chimed in sarcastically.

“Okay, okay, true. But you know what I mean, right?”

“So…wait,” Peter 1 perked up, still sniffling, “going back to the difference thing…Peter 2 has organic webbing. You and me don’t.” He motioned at Peter 3. “Why’s that?”

“Just means I’m better than you two.” Peter 2 teased.

“Heyyy!” Peter 1 and 3 whined at the same time. It made the older one laugh. The sad tension in the room was melting away the more they talked.

“What? Am I wrong?”

“Yes, old man, you’re wrong.” Peter 3 said, receiving a glare from his older brother. “Did he just call me old??” Peter 2, looked to Peter 1, who nodded and giggled in response. “How rude.”

Peter 1 seemed to be doing much better. Once the giggles subsided, his curiosity continued to unfold. “W-what dihid the bite do to you guys? Cause it made my senses go berserk and it was like…I could see and hear and smell everything and-!”

“Oh yeah I had the same thing happen!” Peter 3 chirped.

“You did?”

“Yeah!”

“No way!”

“Yes way!”

“Did it make you really ticklish too??”

Peter 3 nodded with a giggle. “Honestly the worst thing that I got from that bite.”

Peter 1’s eyes drifted as he laughed for a moment. They met Peter 2’s blue eyes. He wore a grin, but it was different this time. His Peter tingle went off immediately.

“What was this about you being really ticklish?” The oldest asked.

His spider sense screamed at him to bolt, but he didn’t. Peter 1 simply crossed his arms, shrugging nonchalantly. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t believe that. Peter 3?”

“Well, he mentioned if I got ticklish by the bite too…” the middle brother answered, “sooooo…”

Peter 1 attempted to sit up but his wrist was snatched by Peter 2. “That means he is!”

With one single pull, the youngest brother was pulled back to the ground. He let out a yelp with his legs kicking. Peter 2 had trapped him in his lap with Peter 1′s back against his chest. Peter 3 simply sat facing the other two. “Don’t kill him!” He joked.

“I’m not, don’t worry. Let’s just test some things here. Hey, maybe we have different tickle spots.” Peter 2 rested his hands on Peter 1’s sides, making him flinch and his arms dart down to protect his midsection.

 “So where are you ticklish?”

“Nowhere.”

“Are you lying to me?” The oldest asked. For that he gave Peter 1’s sides a few squeezes. The littler one squealed and covered his face.

“Lying to your own brother…how could you, Lil Spidey?” Peter 3 teased, acting all offended. He moved to sit on the kid’s legs so he was effectively trapped.

“Don’t c-call me that! Get off!”

“Call you what? Lil Spidey?” Peter 2 cooed, his fingers fluttering up to his lower ribs. Peter 1 tried to curl in on himself, but Peter 2 pulled him back upright. Laughter began bubbling in the youngest’s throat. “Why’re you hiding? I thought you weren’t ticklish.”

“Something tells me he actually is,” Peter 3 hummed, smiling. “Wait, get his lil belly!” The middle brothers’ fingers shot at his stomach and tickled there. Peter 1 burst into helpless giggles.

“NOHoho! I-I’m not little!” He choked out.

“There’s that giggle!” Peter 2 exclaimed. His hands moved to squeeze his sides some more. Peter 1 wiggled side to side but couldn’t avoid the tickles any better. His hands moved from his face to grasp the oldest’s wrists. His childish smile could be seen.

“And there’s that smile!”

Peter 1 kicked his legs but Peter 3’s weight kept them down. It didn’t seem like there was any escape. He knew having two different versions of yourself would have consequences such as the multiverse nearly imploding, but he never expected that he’d deal with two older brothers tickle-attacking him. Peter 2 ceased his tickles which prompted Peter 3 to do the same.

“Okay, how about we make this easier? Peter 3, where’s your worst spots?”

“Are you gonna get me?”

“I won’t if you tell me.”

Peter 3 shared a glance at Peter 1, who’s eyes were puppy-like. Despite the pleading look, he wanted to see his little bro smile some more. He smirked. “I know my ribs get bad.”

“No!”

“And now, we see if Lil Spidey’s ribs are bad too.” Peter 2 went back up to his ribs, tickling with more pressure. A stream of bubblier giggles accompanied by a loud snort came out of the youngest’s mouth. It shocked both older brothers.

“Was that a snort?” Peter 3 asked, his mouth agape dramatically. Peter 1 answered by letting out more snorts.

“Awwwww!!” Both older Peters cooed, their hearts warming. Peter 1’s face was dusted in a blush. “ShuhuUT UP!”

“I’ll just stick around here, then.” Peter 2 turned his fingers into claws and vibrated them on the boy’s rib cage.

“NOHOO!! PEHEheheTer tWO-“ his laugh doubled in volume. It was interrupted by another snort, “QuiHIHIT IT QUIHIHIT IT!!” Peter 1 threw his head back which just landed on the older one’s chest.

“I dunno if we can stop just yet, Lil Spidey. Gotta run these tests for multiverse science,” Peter 2 responded. “Who knows if our ticklishness could save the world?”

Peter 3 was tapping Peter 1’s leg as he watched the tickling unfold. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head. “Hold on, I got an idea.”

The tickling stopped, something Peter 1 thanked the almighty above for. Unfortunately that didn’t last long because Peter 3 gave a squeeze to his kneecap. The youngest didn’t expect himself to squeak and kick out. The two oldest laughed.

“New spot unlocked!!” Peter 3 exclaimed, continuing to squeeze there over and over. While it wasn’t as bad as his ribs, the strange tickles there got his bubbly giggles going.

“HehHEY not thehere!” “Did ya not know you were ticklish here?”

“N-No-” Peter 3 gave another knee squeeze, “ACk-nOHoho!!”

“So what we’ve discovered so far is that Peter 1’s got some ticklish ribs, legs, belly, sides…at this point he’s ticklish everywhere.” Peter 2 thought out loud. “You have ticklish knees too, Peter 3?”

Peter 3 shrugged as he gave a hard squeeze to the kid’s thigh, which elicited a yelp. “I dunno. Maybe that’s a difference between us all! Different tickle spots?”

“Except for the ribs. You guys are both bad there.”

“Okay yea- are yours bad? What about you? Are you ticklish?!”

“Pfft. You’re not tickling me.” Peter 2 deadpanned. 

“Ohohoh my gohod! Youhou guys are meheheeAAN!!” The teasing conversation the other two had was making Peter 1 even more blushy. His laughter went back up as Peter 2 began the rib tickling again.

“Sorry, I got bored and wanted to hear the little guy snort again.” Peter 2 chuckled.

 Peter 3 then gasped. “Ooh try his armpits!”

“His armpits?”

“They’re my worst spot! What if we have the same worst spots?”

Peter 1 shook his head. “PETER 3 NO!!”

“Good thinking, number 3!” Peter 2 sneered playfully. “You know what? You do the honors. I’ll keep him held.” Peter 2 stopped his tickles and grabbed the giggly boy’s wrists. He raised them above his head and put them in an arm lock.

“Yess!!” Peter 3 hissed excitedly. Peter 1 wiggled like a worm to get out but the older one’s damn strength was unmatched. So much for being the “old man.” Peter 3 adjusted himself on top of the boy’s legs as his grin grew bigger. “It’s tickle timeeeee!”

“Nooooo don’t sahay it like that!!”

“Someone nervous for tickle time?” Peter 3 cooed in a childish voice. He hovered his wiggling fingers over Peter 1. The kid broke into giggles.

“Dohohon’t do that!!”

“Do what?”

“Th-thehe wiggle finger thing!!”

“Is it making it worse?” Peter 3 feigned innocence, slowly moving his wiggling fingers close to Peter 1’s underarms. He yelped.

“YEHehes!! It’s wohorse!! Stop it!”

“He’s barely touching you and you’re already giggling,” Peter 2 chimed in. “How cute is that?”

Peter 1 wanted to kill both of them. This was worse than any torture he had endured. He was in stitches now, with Peter 3’s fingers walking down from his biceps closer and closer to his underarms.

“Dohohon’t do it!!”

“Do what?”

“Tickle me!”

Peter 3 didn’t hesitate as his fingers scribbled his hollows. Peter 1 squealed and arched his back, exploding into high pitched laughter. “NONONOHOHOOO! THAHAT-THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEHEANT!!”

“What did you mean?” Peter 2 asked. 

“DOHON’T TIHICKLE!!”

“I heard to tickle tickle tickleeee!“ Peter 3 cooed, his amused smile hurting his cheeks. Both Peters were beaming. The kid’s laughter was very much contagious. It also felt therapeutic in a way. Peter 1 had been through a lot, so to have the boy laugh freely and not worry about what else was going on was a relief. He was just a kid and deserved to be one.

“You know, I think you needed this! Isn’t it nice to let those giggles out?” Peter 2 cocked his head to the side.

“PEHETER 2 SHUHUHUSHHH!!”

Peter 1’s face was a bright pink from laughing his heart out. The teasing sure wasn’t helping, especially Peter 2’s teases being told to him three inches away from his face.

“Oh wait I know what to do! This used to make Gwen go crazy!” Peter 3 switched to a new method of drilling his underarms with his thumbs instead. “Brrrrrr!” He mimicked the sound of a drill for fun.

“AAA-!!” Peter 1 shrieked, his giggles morphing into cackles. “NONOHOHO THAT’S AWFUHUHUHULL!! Q-QUIT IHIT!” He nearly broke out of Peter 2’s hold which surprised the eldest.

“I think we’re correct in our hypothesis,” Peter 2 said, “maybe we all share the same worst spots!”

“The curse of ticklish armpits,” Peter 3 joked as he ceased his tickles. At that point Peter 1 was going into silent laughter. 

He gasped for air and curled into a giggly ball on the floor once Peter 2 let go of his arms. The older brothers scooted next to him.

“You okay?

“Were we too mean, buddy?” The oldest asked, patting his back which made Peter 1 flinch.

“Y-yes..! Nehever do..do that again!”

“Okay, we can’t promise that,” Peter 3 said. “Your laugh? That was the cutest thing on earth!”

“And look, you’re all smiley now!” The oldest cheered. “How do you feel?”

“I mehean...tired,” Peter 1 panted, “...but better.”

Peter 1 after a few more minutes of regaining his breath sat up, a bright smile plastered on his face. Despite it being awful to be tickled like that, he had a small part of him that enjoyed it. He hadn’t been tickled much since Tony was around. It brought him back to those good times. He honestly forgot what they were discussing earlier. All that mattered right now was that he had brothers to be with.

Peter 1 weakly opened his arms for a hug. “Thank y-hEHEY!” Peter 3 gave a quick tickle to his ribs. “No mohohore!!”

“I couldn’t resist!” Peter 3 chuckled as he gave Peter 1 a big hug. Peter 2 joined in, wrapping his arms around both of his littler brothers.

“As I was saying…thank you guys.” Peter 1 said. “I…I dunno I guess I needed it.”

“It’s what we do, Lil Spidey,” Peter 2 said. “Now we know how ticklish Peter 1 is, which is very.”

All three laughed.

“Next is Peter 3.”

Peter 3’s smile faded. “What?”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing? Finding our differences?” Peter 2 gave a smirk to Peter 1. The youngest nodded with a playful smile. “Yeah!”

Peter 3 broke the hug. “No no no not now! You said you wouldn’t get me! That’s unfair!”

“I never promised!” Peter 2 stood, up, prepared to strike. However, he caught a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty in the corner of his eye. Staying in this spot risked Peter 1 feeling bad again. He had to choose mercy. He let his hands fall to his sides. “Fine. Not now, but soon, got it? Plus it’s getting dark and I gotta sleep.”

The middle brother lowered his guard. “Thank god for old man sleepiness.” “Excuse me?” “Nothing! Let’s just head home!!” Peter 3 scurried to throw away their now empty pizza box and grab his mask. Peter 2 simply looked back at the youngest. “Don’t worry, I’ll get him good sometime.” He patted his back.

“Thanks,” Peter 1 smiled. 

“Now go get that mask of yours, ok? We’re losing daylight!” And so he did. As he put on his homemade mask, his heart was warm. For some reason, hearing Peter 2 act like such a dad made Peter 1′s day better.

———