By Moonlight (P.P + M.J)

1. New York, New York

Peter Parker's life wasn't normal. Not that he was complaining anyway. Apart from the school, the chores, and the occasional errand, his life was far more adventurous than anyone would think.

But his day started just like anyone else's, with the slamming of an alarm clock.

Peter woke up on a regular Thursday morning, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. After a good stretch, he would drag himself out of bed and into the bathroom. After brushing his teeth and combing his wild brown hair, he threw on a blue sweater over a gray t-shirt and pulled on a pair of jeans. Stifling a yawn, he stuffed his books in yet-another new backpack and left his bedroom. Aunt May handed him a piece of buttered toast as he walked out the door, and wished him well at school. He nodded and went on his way.

Every day, Peter missed the bus. He may have caught it once, but the exact date wasn't coming to him. As he munched on his toast, he strode down the street, not really feeling an anxiety over being late to school. He could be late every day and still ace any test. Except he didn't want detention for being late, and have to sit through that God-awful Captain America video for the 100th time. He fought the guy! Should he really have to listen to his safety regulations?

He ran up the stairs leading to the sidewalk that took him to the front door to his school, Midtown School of Science and Technology. The most annoying kid in the world, Flash Thompson, was standing near the door, surrounded by a number of his friends. As much as Peter tried to remain unseen, he was spotted by the bully.

"Hey, Puny Parker!" Flash called, and Peter stopped walking. A new nickname this time, Peter couldn't help but notice. He didn't know why he stopped at the sound of it, though. He should've just kept going, pretended like he hadn't heard. But it was too late, and Flash strode toward him, a cocky grin on his face.

"You miss the bus again, nerd?" Flash asked in a mocking tone, making his friends snicker. Peter turned slightly, his expression remaining placid in the face of Flash's arrogance.

"I like walking," Peter said simply, and Flash laughed at his weak response. When the bully turned his back to make another quip to his friends, Peter ducked away as fast as he could, not waiting to hear what he would say. He made for his first class, hoping the teacher wouldn't be too irritated at his tardiness.

Peter went inside the classroom and saw only two people there. One was his best friend Ned, who sat in the back of the room, and the other was Peter's sorta-friend Michelle. She was closed off in the furthest corner of the classroom, her expression stern as she focused on her book.

"Hey, Peter!" Ned called, patting the seat next to him, "did you hear what happened last night?"

He shook his head as he sat down next to him and began take out his biology books.

"Oh, I thought you would, being Spider-Man and all," he whispered the last part so Michelle wouldn't hear, "but there was a robbery at a deli store last night."

Peter perked up, giving his friend an intent look. He had turned in early last night because the streets were rather quite during his patrol. Had that been a mistake?

"How much was stolen? Any witnesses?" Peter asked, wanting to know as much information as possible.

"Surprisingly, the cash register was still intact, no money stolen at all, and there were no witnesses," Ned replied, and Peter raised an eyebrow.

"So what they take?"

"All the meat in the store," Ned deadpanned, and the young hero's eyes widened in shock. "Like, the entire pantry and refrigerator was completely empty."

"What? Why?" Peter asked, very surprised.

"There were tufts of fur found at the scene, and authorities are presuming it was some animal raid or something," Ned explained, whipping out his phone to look up more on the event, "Yeah, and the store's one camera didn't pick up anything. The door was smashed open and all the alarms were tripped. By the time police got there, they had escaped."

"How was an animal capable of crushing a door?" Peter asked, shaking his head in confusion.

"Because it wasn't, dorks," Michelle suddenly said, and both Peter and Ned jumped slightly when they noticed Michelle standing right behind them.

"It was obviously some thief who had dog fur on his jacket or something," she explained, rolling her eyes, "Police in this town are so dumb, I swear."

"But what thief steals meat?" Ned asked her, smirking because he thought he found a way to stump her theory.

"This is America. Sometimes you can't explain why people do things," she said in a flat voice before returning to her seat in the corner, "Besides, anyone with a sledgehammer can break a door."

By now, more students began to filter into the classroom, filling the seats. Ned had to hide his phone before the teacher saw, and once everyone was settled, the lesson began.

But Peter decided not to pay attention that day. Instead, he searched on his laptop for every news outlet that might have reported on the robbery. He didn't find much, but he did find one that said that there were no suspects in custody, and that the investigation would remain open for an undetermined amount of time. Peter decided to peace out right after school and investigate on his own, but as Spider-Man. He was determined that someone had to have seen something.

It was gonna be a long day.

First chapter! Let me know what you think!