Avengers: A New Age

3

PETER

I groan and wince in pain as I slowly open the window to my apartment. It is at least 4 am, and I have a minor scrape against my upper arm. I don't think I will have to remove the bullet since it is not a danger to any vital organs and removing it would only prove to be more difficult and dangerous due to my fast healing.

I climb through the window and stumble towards my bed, flopping down and rolling to the side. I grab bandages to wrap around my arm, strip off my suit, and clean my wound, wrapping my it tightly.

Taking a deep breath, I stare at the empty walls with peeling paint that surround me and the familiar feeling of emptiness and loneliness fills my stomach. It has been 6 months since the world forgot who Peter Parker was and I lost Aunt May, my patrols lasting longer and longer each night since then. I think of my friends who forgot who I was, and that are now in college.

I looked forward to college in those first dark weeks, it was my only light at the end of the tunnel- starting new, meeting new people, moving on, only to realize that I was not going to college. Peter Parker was completely erased from the face of Earth which included all my college applications and all of my high school records, which means that I would have to take high school over again if I wanted to apply to a college.

 I got a job taking pictures for the Daily Bugle though, and as much as I hate J. Jonah Jameson, he was the only person willing to hire me without any experience, references, or school records. With the minimal wage he pays me, I adopted a dog, her name is Mae with an E and she is the reason I get up in the morning. I drift to sleep trying to keep my thoughts on Mae, Spider-Man, and photography but they keep slipping to thoughts of MJ, Ned, and college.

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I wake up to the feeling of Mae licking my face, I groan and crack my eyes open looking at the clock- 6:00 am

Too early, way too early.

Mae is still licking my face so I gently push her off my chest not wanting to be in the real world yet, she barks happily and jumps back onto me thinking it is a game. I sigh giving in to her antics and scratch behind both her ears, she rolls over waiting for me to rub her belly when my phone lights up. My heart skips a beat and for only a second I think it could be May or Happy or Ned or MJ or Betty or Cindy or even Flash but my hope is crushed when I see it is just an email from Mr. Jameson telling me not to be late again or I'm fired. I'm never even that late, I'm on time and everyone else is weirdly early. Still, I don't worry too much about it as many emails along the lines of 'Or else you're fired' had been threatened and ignored before.

I say goodbye to Mae, grab my camera and my suit shove them in my bag, and head out the door,

"Your rent is overdue Parker!" my landlord yells at me. It was a ratty place but one of the only ones where I could live seeing as I'm still underage- barely.

"Sorry Mr.Ditkovich!" I beam "Soon. I promise!" I leap down the stairs while Mr.Ditkovich mumbles something incoherent in my wake. I would never tell him but along with Mae, him and his daughter Ursula are one of the reasons I get up in the morning.

I run down the street dodging people with ease as I near the Daily Bugle building, I rush inside not even three minutes late when I walk into Mr. Jamesons' office. I put down my bag and take a seat, He gives me a look "Who are you, and what do you want?" I plaster a fake smile, he 100% knows who I am but he pretends he doesn't, I think it makes him feel more important.

"Peter Parker sir, the photographer." I wait a second for him to give up the act, "I'm here for the new assignment."

He tilts his head and furrows his brow as if I haven't been working for him for 5 and a half months.