~Iron Family~

Hello World

From the moment Peter opened his eyes that morning, he knew something big was going to happen.

His little alleyway he called home was as neat and tidy as he could make it. He hid his belongings in a hole in the wall, and tried to make sure the trash was always in the dumpster.

The community pool would also be closing today, which meant he wouldn't get a decent shower until he could sneak into the gym again.

He grabbed his backpack with his second set of clothes and headed to the community pool, trying not to look like a homeless kid trying to take a shower and more like someone going swimming. It was difficult, considering all the dirt and grease on his person.

After his rushed shower, Peter tried to find some breakfast. He still had his life savings, but he had soon realized $83 wasn't enough to live on.

He tried to root around in a garbage can outside a cafe, but was chased off the property by one of the cooks.

When breakfast failed, he decided to jump into his suit and go on patrol. Swinging around the city cleared his mind and made it easier for him to focus. Maybe he'd come up with a solution to this whole mess.

Several months ago, Peter had been bitten by a radioactive spider. Sounded like stuff that came out of comic books, but it was the truth. He got all sorts of weird powers, including super senses and the ability to climb walls.

He felt useless despite having all the cool powers when his uncle got shot, though.

And a few months after that, his aunt had been in a fatal car accident.

Peter had been in the car with her. He could've done something. He sensed the danger and told her to brake. It had taken her one second too long to respond.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force the memory out of his mind. The sound of metal being torn apart screeched in his ears and he tasted blood in his mouth. Once he had seen his aunt's lifeless body being dragged out from under the rubble, he had turned his back and fled, not looking back since.

He had seen missing notices for himself. Apparently no one knew how he had survived the crash.

He knew.

If only Aunt May had had my powers, Peter thought with clenched teeth. I would've traded places with her in a heartbeat. She didn't deserve to die.

He swung to the rooftop of an apartment building and sat down, his legs dangling over the morning traffic below.

He silently watched the kids being dropped off for some sort of weekend start-of-school event, feeling like he was a whole world away. He remembered when he would get dropped off like that. Not a care in the world except when the next Spanish quiz was.

Ned was in there somewhere. The thought made his heart ache for his lifelong best friend.

You're in a different world now, he reminded himself. A world where homeless superheroes don't have friends.

Still, he wondered what Ned had thought happened to him. Ran away, maybe? No, Ned would probably come up with a ridiculous theory that he had been kidnapped by aliens or something.

No breakfast, showers closing, and memories come back to haunt him. What else would go wrong today?

His question was answered for him when a low rumbling sounded from across the city, complete with a cloud of smoke rising into the morning sky.

"Great," Peter mumbled to himself. "Called on the job already."

He didn't want to go investigate. Surely the police could handle this.