Am I (Not) a Hero?

[Peter Parker's POV]

I woke up in the morning as shown by the phone beside my hand. There were about twenty-nine minutes left until the school bus arrived.

It had been a tough night. 

The headache was gone, and a mental one took its place. 

It was... very exhausting, but life simply hadn't prepared me to describe such events. 

I had never felt so broken and drained after sleep, and I probably wouldn't get another chance like this.

I wished the reason for my awful condition were simply bad dreams, but no... These were memories, not mine, but Peter Parker's. 

The memory, perception of reality, and many other things... My mind was a complete mess. 

It was as if two folders of memories had been merged and sorted by date. 

I had gone through all this in just under two and a half hours and sixteen years of Peter's life. 

At one point, I felt like I would lose myself completely, but I managed to absorb the flow of the memories. 

After all, how else would it be? I would have just lain there as a newcomer, drooling on the pillow for the rest of my life.

"Kill me. Again." 

I croaked in English. 

Thankfully, this body remembered how to speak without a strong accent.

When I couldn't blink myself awake, I remembered the "peculiarities" of this body.

Sigh, I wish I had appreciated my vision before. 

I put on round glasses, got up, opened the closet with Parker's things, and changed into something somewhat human. 

Today was the fateful day for the trip to Oscorp Industries.

It was logical that I should have worn something with long sleeves, but I didn't.

There's no need to rush to conclusions. 

I still had half a day to think.

Finding a digital camera, I first put it in the case and then into my backpack. 

At some point, Peter had answered a teacher's question, mentioning that he had one, and he was immediately appointed the photographer for the school wall newspaper. 

Peter could have refused, but he missed the moment.

The camera was good by the way. 

A gift from that old buddy Harry Osborn, another loser just like Peter. 

Back then, he hadn't acted like a rich jerk. This was in sixth grade, three years ago. 

How quickly time flies…

"Peter, come down! Or you won't have time to eat!"

Aunt May shouted, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Peter loved to sleep until the last moment and usually chased after the bus to the next stop because running was one thing he could do. 

Flash Thompson was the best running teacher. 

Ugh, just thinking about that jerk made me lose my appetite. 

Peter didn't like him. 

He really to the point of grinding his teeth and aching in his bones. It's a terrible feeling being utterly helpless in front of your bully...

I casually grabbed my backpack by one strap and walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning."

I said, receiving a response from both living relatives.

'Hmm, is this some kind of cinematic universe?'

They hardly look old, or maybe they just look younger than in the comics. 

Aunt May was somewhere in her mid-forties, but she was still an attractive brunette with some wrinkles around her eyes that she skillfully concealed with makeup. 

Uncle Ben was completely gray but a strong old man around fifty.

It's just like Peter remembered them and wouldn't see them anymore. 

However, I refuse to take that blame upon myself because it wasn't within my authority to arrange for a reincarnation into another body. 

I would live a new life for him, squeezing the most out of it. It may not be in the way Peter would have done himself, but we have what we have.

My ears crackled, and the smell of bitter black smoke brushed against my nostrils again. 

The sudden sensations certainly didn't add to my healthy appearance.

"You look a bit worn out. Did you sleep poorly?" 

Uncle Ben asked. 

I met his gaze and tried my best not to look like a stranger wearing someone else's skin. 

I had to nod.

"Or did our new neighbor keep you up at night? The one whose window is across from yours." 

Aunt May began teasing me.

I reflexively snorted and rolled my eyes at her words, but Peter's memories were clearly inconsistent.

"What do you mean, new neighbor? I saw Mrs. Anna the day before yesterday; did she move away?"

Anna was a nice woman and a friend of Aunt May, roughly the same age.

I wouldn't want her to move. 

Aunt May would be bored, and she would entertain her boredom by trying to cook something, but who ends up trying to eat that "something"? 

Of course, me and Ben. 

"No, her niece moved in with her. Don't you know that Mary Jane has been living next to us for a month now?" 

Oh, a familiar name... this is an important character and one of Parker's love interests.

"She transferred to your school at the beginning of the school year. Remember, you were friends in childhood?"

In fact, Mary Jane did indeed go to school and was friends with Harry and Peter in elementary school. 

That's where his bullies Flash and Kong were as well. 

Liz Allan was also there, MJ's friend and the current girlfriend of Peter's main bully. 

However, Mary Jane moved away at the beginning of middle school due to family circumstances, and Peter hasn't kept in touch with her since then.

'I'll know; it would be just my luck for the neighbor to spot me when I return from patrols... If I become Spider-Man… And if I don't, then there's nothing to worry about. Except for the fact that I live in a city full of freaks of all kinds."

"That's true, but childhood passes, people drift apart, and friendships fall apart. Just ordinary stages of growing up." 

I shrugged, finishing my toast with eggs and bacon.

"You all should get together again and hang out somewhere." 

Aunt May decided without asking anyone's opinion.

"You were such sweet kids, almost always together. I think she misses those times a lot too."

"Doubtful, and what do you mean by "too"?"

I muttered and acted in anger, brushing off her words.

Ben looked at me over the newspaper, and I could tell that the old man was smiling from his raised cheekbones. 

In the school hierarchy, she's a league above Peter; nothing good would come from that. 

Flash would take care of it. 

Peter himself didn't pay much attention to the redhead since she had already rekindled things with Liz and seemed to be messing around with Osborn. 

Although no, definitely not yet. Knowing Harry, he would have already "casually" boasted about it.

What am I supposed to do with this character? 

Harry's father is definitely a psychopath, and he will likely follow in his footsteps. 

However, I can't just kill him for that, right?

He's Peter's friend, after all. There was some corruption, but I've been through worse. 

"Don't argue, Peter. You sometimes need to get out among people. You can't just shut yourself in the basement..."

"It's a laboratory."

I interrupted Uncle Ben instinctively. 

But still, the kid put so much effort into it; calling his lab a basement… that's just disrespectful.

"…and sitting in the lab all day in front of the computer." 

Uncle Ben finished.

"I can."

 I replied weakly and quietly, washing it down with tea.

"Well, thanks for breakfast, I'll be going."

"Peter, wash your face and comb your hair. How many times do I have to remind you?"

Aunt May grumbled in a friendly tone.

"It's creative chaos."

I scoffed, but I went to the bathroom. I had five minutes until I had to leave to make it.

In the mirror, I was greeted by a skinny kid with light brown hair and glasses. 

I took off the glasses and squinted at the pale face. 

I'm not that ugly, but I'm not exactly a handsome prince either, just a natural nerd.

After washing my face and smoothing my hair with my hand, I ran outside to get on the bus before the doors closed. 

The school bus driver shot me an annoyed glance and set off on the long road.

Stepping right on Flash's white sneakers that he had stuck out to trip me, I dodged his fist below and dove into the aisle. 

Grabbing the seat with my hand to avoid falling on the turn, I landed in an empty seat. 

He promised me heavenly punishment with his glare, but he didn't start a conflict on the bus. 

My eye twitched because I didn't have Peter's patience or the physical strength to fight back. 

It was a recipe for disaster that was slowly bubbling inside me.

Next to me, someone chuckled, pulling me out of my thoughts.

It was a skinny, pretty girl with long hair and Asian features. She was half a head shorter than me. 

I could even call her a beauty, but that was mostly my preference for East Asian girls. She was Cindy Moon, and, as Peter knew, she had an eidetic memory.

This wasn't surprising; Midtown School accepted either talented individuals or rich kids.

She was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt with the name of some K-pop group and denim shorts that exposed her slim legs. 

She seemed to be on some sports team.

Peter had gone to school with her since fifth grade but never paid much attention to her. 

She herself wasn't particularly sociable. 

Unfortunately, I also couldn't say for sure whether she was a comic book character or just a background student.

Cindy turned her gaze away from the window and noticed me staring.

"Do you need something?"

"No, no. I usually sit by the window, and asking to switch seats would be rude, so…"

I stammered, and my voice patterns betrayed Peter. 

Peter was way more awkward in communication than I used to be!

Alright, I should minimize the damage. Peter's reputation was already something between a nerdy loser and a smart autistic kid. 

It wouldn't be easy to shake off that image.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare." 

I said, casually leaning back in my seat and shrugging.

"Forget it." 

She replied neutrally, turning back to the window.

"Don't worry so much."

I took out a notebook and pen from my bag because I didn't know how to occupy myself for the next half hour.

Flipping through the pages, I realized I understood Peter's thinking when writing this. 

Moreover, I could even come up with something new.

...

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