Harrison Germain has lived on Earth for only a short period of his life. He made the life-saving decision to move to New York when his home planet was destroyed. Harrison believes he's the farthest thing from ordinary, until he meets someone similar...
Seven months had passed since Harrison leapt out of a stolen jet without a second thought. Seven months since Harrison watched his mother die before his own tear stained and swollen eyes. Seven months since Harrison was saved by a certain web shooting Spider Guy after jumping out of said jet. The seventeen year old boy remembered the day as if it happened hours ago. He was stuck in outer space with a jet that's controls made his head spin, and climbed through a broken window. Harrison figured he had nothing left to lose, and let go of the edge of the jet. He tumbled towards Earth, his back pointed towards the ground as constellations turned into clouds. Harrison couldn't see where his feeble body was going to land, but didn't bother fighting to prevent a crash landing. The boy didn't want to die. But wouldn't be disappointed if he did.
Relief and fear crashed into Harrison as he felt something snag him around the waist and yank him through the air. The boy reached his hands to his stomach, feeling silky webs against his calloused fingers. Harrison was gently placed on the cracked pavement of New York, a person in a red and blue suit setting foot down beside him.
"Hey, are you okay?" The figure kneeled down, the black eyes of his red mask squinting as they looked at Harrison.
It was almost as if Harrison's senses had turned back on and his brain returned to his body. He sat up with a jolt, ignoring the pain that rattled through his body.
"You can see me." He stated, his chapped lips falling into a frown. The hero reached up to the top of his head and yanked his mask off, a worried look on his boyish features. Chestnut hair flopped across his forehead while matching brows furrowed above the eyes that had dark circles underneath them.
"Yeah. Are you okay?" The boy repeated his question, not getting an answer from Harrison. Instead, the curly haired teenager looked down at his hand and noticed the familiar silver aura of his superpower. Harrison looked up at the boy who had saved his life with wide eyes.
"You can see me." He mumbled.
Harrison woke up with a groan, a tense knot throbbing in his back as he sat up. The metal frame that held up his mattress squeaked under his weight as he climbed down the ladder of his bunk bed, socked feet hitting the tile floor. The boy who slept below Harrison was sitting on the edge of his bed, already dressed for the day and putting his shoes on.
"Morning." Harrison said, his voice low with an essence of sleep. The boy, who had sandy blonde hair and named Dean, nodded in response. Harrison walked to the wooden dresser that stood pitifully under the window in between two sets of bunk beds. The blue colour was faded from the sun, and the paint was chipping off. He opened one of the two drawers that had an H scratched into it, pulling out an outfit for the day that consisted of dark wash jeans and a grey cotton t-shirt.
"Don't forget to do your laundry today." Dean spoke, standing up from his bed. The boy was thinner than Harrison, but at least two inches taller. His cheeks were hollow and his eyes were an empty grey.
"Thanks." Harrison replied, smiling softly as he stepped away from the boy. He headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day. All of his belongings were in a small plastic bag under the sink with his name written on it.
Once Harrison was changed and done with his basic hygiene routine he left the bathroom. Another boy was waiting outside the door, looking half asleep as he held his clothes in his arms. Harrison dodged him and walked back to his bunk bed. The curly haired teenager tossed his pyjamas into the mesh laundry bag that hung off of his bed frame before taking it down and hoisting it over his shoulder. He dropped the bag off in the laundry room before going back to his bed, pulling his shoes on, and leaving the building through the front door.
Harrison skipped down the steps of the place he called home, the place he had lived for the past seven months. An orphanage in Queens. After the boy's life was saved by Spider-Man, he ended up in the hospital. From there he was put in the finest orphanage in Queens.
That same Spider-Man became Harrison's best friend. His real name was Peter Parker, and Harrison was on his way to their usual morning meet up place. Peter knew that Harrison didn't like staying at the orphanage all day. The two boys always found something to do together, and their day always started with Harrison getting a fresh cup of coffee. The kids at the orphanage weren't allowed to drink coffee, the leaders claiming it affected their intelligence development. Harrison would say he needed coffee to function as a normal human in society, but only Peter heard those words.
Harrison enjoyed the crisp morning air that smelled of gasoline and freshly baked pastries. His ears tuned in on the car engines, sounds of bells jingling above doors, and the conversations of people who walked by. He loved living in Queens because the sounds of the city managed to tune out the disrupting voices that lived in his head. They reminded him of his mother and the circumstances that led to him fleeing his home planet.
"Look out!" A familiar male voice called out as a flash of red swung by Harrison. The boy looked up at the sky to see Peter in all his glory, webbing himself from streetlight to streetlight. Harrison couldn't help but grin as his best friend landed in front of him, his mask concealing his own smile.
"You're getting pretty good at that." Harrison stated as the two boys started walking down the sidewalk together. It was unusual for Spider-Man to be on the ground, but Harrison didn't have any sort of flying abilities.
"Thanks, I've been practicing." Peter replied, his voice muffled by the red spandex. "Let's go for coffee, then I have something to show you." He stated. Before Harrison could respond, Peter ducked down an alleyway to change out of his suit.
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