Chapter Text
First day of classes. An exciting day for some, a nerve-wracking day for many, a dreadful day for Peter Parker. Well, everyday is dreadful for Peter Parker. He tries his hardest not to bask in his own misery. Yet, no task has ever felt more impossible, and that’s coming from a man who’s fought mutant villains on countless occasions. He lost the love of his life, his muse. He knows she would have wanted her death to inspire and motivate him to stay true to his character. Stay true to the version of himself that would lay his life down to protect others from the forces of evil that threaten humanity. He knows that, and he tried. But he failed. The first time he put on his suit after Gwen’s passing, he broke down and sobbed before he could even slip the worn fabric of his mask past his eyebrows. The second time he attempted, he was able to get the suit on fully, but physically could not step foot outside his apartment. The third time, well there has been no third time. He gave up. He’s stuck outside the suit and it is killing him. He lost his Gwen, and he lost his purpose.
That’s why he’s now on his way to his 9 am Intro to Biology course at Empire State University. He figured that if anything, maybe indulging his love for science could reignite his love for life. As he reaches for the handle of the door to his lecture hall his fingers twitch in apprehension. The hairs on the back of his neck prickle and he freezes momentarily. Spidey sense? Nerves? Danger?
“Is it locked or something?” an unfamiliar voice speaks up from behind Peter. His body eases, and what was previously perceived as danger was now replaced with a different feeling. Confusion. Why did this stranger make Peter react that way? He turned to see the culprit, and was met by a man with rich skin, broad shoulders, and a slightly taller stature than his own. He wore glasses, a baggy plain black shirt, and a pair of black sweats. He had nothing but a laptop in his hand and a cup of coffee that was presumably getting colder the longer Peter stood in the man’s way.
“Oh no, sorry. Just my first day so, kinda nervous.” Peter confesses to the stranger and mentally cringes at himself in the process.
“Oh,” the man chuckles, “I see. Well I can lead the way for you, so we’re not just ya know, blocking the doorway.” he finishes with a glance to his right, a couple more students were walking up and Peter was very much in the way. He was also very much at a loss for words, so he simply stepped aside and allowed the kind stranger to open the door. He followed behind closely, wanting not to stray too far from the only vague sense of comfort he’s felt in months. Which he thought was strange, but tried not to dwell on it too hard.
The stranger picked a seat closer to the front of the room than Peter would have ever chosen, but he continued to follow nonetheless. Until he realized that maybe it was weird that he had followed, and maybe the stranger didn’t want him to keep so close. That’s when comfort disappeared and embarrassment took over.
“I hope you don’t mind me sitting up here too, forgot my glasses.” Peter explains awkwardly, which wasn’t completely a lie. He DID forget his glasses at home, that simply was not the reason why he had followed the stranger to the front of the classroom.
“Not at all, I get it man.” the taller guy says, gesturing to his own glasses. Peter replies only with a small smile and they both take a seat, waiting in a stale silence for the professor to arrive. A minute or two goes by and that tingling sensation in Peter’s fingertips comes back and the hairs on the nape of his neck rise again. Right on cue, the stranger speaks to Peter, just as he did moments earlier.
“So what’s your name anyway?”
“Peter, uhh Peter Parker. Yours?”
“Michael, Watson. I go by MJ though.”
Michael Watson, Peter repeated to himself.
“So I’m assuming your middle name starts with a J then?” Peter questions.
“Indeed.” is all he gets in response.
“Oh so am I gonna have to guess what it is?” Peter asks, confused on why MJ didn’t elaborate further.
“Go for it, I’m curious to see how good your intuition is.” MJ says smugly.
If only he knew.
“Jordan?” Peter asks after a moment of pondering. MJ lets out a laugh that makes Peter unintentionally smile back.
“You think my name is Michael Jordan? Like the basketball player?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time someone’s been named that.”
MJ chuckles again, smile lines framing his almost perfect teeth. Peter feels that tingly feeling in his fingertips once more, though shrugs it off as he shifts his attention to what MJ says next.
“As sick as that would be, my middle name is just James.” he says.
“Like Lebron.” Peter chimes and MJ laughs at him yet again.
“You’re funny white boy.” MJ says and just before Peter could craft up something witty to say in hopes of getting another full laugh from MJ, their professor walks in the door.
She’s an older, gorgeous lady, tall and fair skinned. Bright, bouncy red ringlets of hair swaying behind her with each step she took. She reminded Peter of her. Or at least who she could’ve been in ten years give or take. If she was still here. Peter suddenly feels ill. He had momentarily forgotten his disposition while speaking to Michael. Though the reminder of Gwen that just paraded into the large lecture hall, that suddenly felt entirely too small, was a vicious reality check. This wasn’t the first time something, or someone, had brutally reminded Peter of his Gwen. It wasn’t the first time he felt he would enter a full blown panic because of it. Though, it was the first time he felt he was going to do so in a room full of strangers. He looked around, trying to find things that would ground him. One thing he could see, one thing he could smell, one thing he could feel, one thing he could taste, one thing he could hear. He could hear her. Not only was it cruel enough that the professor looked just like his Gwen, but she sounded like her too.
“Hello, I’m Professor Greene. Welcome to Intro to Biology.” She says with a warm grin on her face. Peter felt as though he had been gut punched by a heavy weight champion. His heart was pounding, mind spinning with about a billion thoughts per millisecond it seemed. He genuinely could not believe this was happening. As if he wasn’t already struggling enough, the universe decided to devastatingly rub salt in the wound. Why? He did not know. But what he did know is that if he did not leave that room within the next 10 seconds, a moment of irreversible embarrassment would occur. He got up slowly, feeling almost dizzy from anxiety. He stumbled slightly before walking past MJ with a blank expression on his face. MJ watched him intently, noting how pale Peter had gotten and how his fingers were trembling before he clenched them into a fist in an effort to stop it.
“Peter you good? Peter?” MJ whispers worriedly. Peter does not respond, only continues to head toward the exit. MJ grabs his things, as well as Peter’s that he’d forgotten, and follows the distraught man.
Once outside the door, Peter lets out a breath he had no clue he was holding in and tears begin to trickle down his face in quick succession. MJ sees and stays quiet for a second before timidly approaching him.
“You forgot your bag.” MJ says hesitantly, reaching the bag out towards Peter.
“Thank you, I would’ve gone back for it. You didn’t have to.” Peter says through sniffles. His face grew hot with embarrassment as he locked eyes with MJ.
What a pathetic first impression, he thought to himself.
“Nah, it’s nothing.” MJ states, trying to find the right words to say at this moment.
“I knew you were nervous but c’mon, the professor wasn’t THAT bad.” MJ jokes, attempting to lighten the mood. Peter smiles a quick and small smile which fades just as fast.
“No, not that bad. Not at all.” He says more to himself than anyone else.
“Hey man, thanks for bringing me my bag. I’ll see you around.” Peter finishes. Their eyes lock for a bit, Peter’s dull and full of sadness and MJ’s brimming with concern. Then Peter walks off, and MJ watches. He didn’t know him well, but his heart hurt for the guy. He recognized a heartache in Peter that MJ too knew well. He hoped to see him in class again the next week, hoped to let him know he wasn’t alone. But Peter didn’t show up the next week, nor the next. And MJ was extremely worried.