Chapter Text
Peter stood still, staring at many comic books lying in front of him in a bookstore.
He doesn't understand. What is going on? First, he is sent to a strange city, a city he had never heard of before, and then there are these comics after his identity as Spiderman?
Sure, he isn't really a geography guy, but at least he knows there is no Gotham-like city that exists.
Peter picked a copy of Spiderman comic, staring holes into its cover before quickly going through it.
The comic started with the introduction of a scrawny kid in his early teens, named Peter Parker, who lived an ordinary life in New York. Bullied by his peers, but loved by his family
and his childhood best friend, Harry Osborn.
It went on, showing how the kid was later bitten by a radioactive spider after his sneaky visit to Oscorp with Harry, which ended in a disaster.
Peter swore this felt like a dream — a nightmare.
It had been three months since Peter was sent — practically forced to New Jersey for a mission, with no say in the matter.
Apparently, the rest of the Avengers are busy with a much more important mission, which a teenager like himself shouldn't be concerned about. Nick Fury's words not his own.
And once Peter had reached the city of New Jersey, he was told to stay out of sight, keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, and not to contact S.H.I.E.L.D. unless
necessary.
Outside of that, he could live a normal life as a teenager who came here for further education and opportunities.
Peter felt frustrated when the older man didn't explain the mission in detail, even after being asked and only to be told, "You'll be updated later when you've taken your position. Until then, do NOT act without orders, Spiderman," said Nick.
***
"That's the latest released Issue of Spiderman. Original I tell yah," The cashier said gruffly, placing the newspaper aside.
Peter tore his gaze from the comic, meeting the older man's eyes. “First day?” the cashier asked.
“Huh?”
The man pointed at his uniform, seeming irritated at Peter’s lack of attention, “Academy, first day?”
Peter looks down at his fit, “Oh, no, no. It's… It's been a while.”
The old man grunted, his gaze falling to the comic in Peter's hand, “So, you getting that or not?”
A pause, “Uh… yeah, I'll – I'll take it.”
Peter made his way to the counter, passing the comic for the man to scan.
“That would be six dollars.”
“Jesus,” Peter muttered, passing him the bill.
Peter glanced at the man, "Uh, do you..." he hesitated, "Do you know who I am... sir?"
The old man practically threw the book across the counter, full-blown irritation on his chubby face, "Of course not! You some rich ass-bastard's son or something?"
Peter grabbed the book before it fell, "Um-Uh, no, no just — just asking." He hurried, placing it into his backpack before rushing out of the store.
After leaving the store, Peter was met with a cloudy sky. "I miss New York." He muttered, sighing, making his way to the metro.
————
Peter sat in his usual spot at the cafeteria, slowly munching on his food as he read through the comic.
He had approximately thirty minutes before lunchtime ended, then Peter had history class in his next period — his weakest subject yet.
Three months ago, things began to feel strange.
First, when Peter reached Gotham, he immediately lost all contact with S.H.I.E.L.D.
His comm and even his phone lost complete signal.
His first day in Gotham went by, roaming around the city, figuring out what went wrong.
Worry etched his nerves by the end of the day when all hope seemed lost.
Wild theories swarmed his mind.
After the invasion of Thanos, he couldn't help but feel paranoid.
“Though we won, didn't we?” A little voice in his mind said.
It didn't matter because Peter still remembers the chaos when it all happened, the grief, the loss, the ‘what ifs’… everything, as if it were yesterday.
He shook his head, trying to focus on the current problem.
Right now, he has to figure out how to contact S.H.I.E.L.D. because this doesn't feel like a test to prove himself as an Avenger anymore.