Just My Luck

After recovering from almost being caught by what he assumed was a vigilante, Peter decided he'd gotten enough fresh air. He made sure to wait until he was positive the hero was gone before making his way back to his apartment.

With how little food Peter had in his system, he was absolutely exhausted and wanted nothing more than to end his night and collapse into bed.
But as luck would have it, he was distracted by what sounded like hushed angry whispers nearby. Opening his window, the noises of nature filled his ears. The wind, distant traffic, and faint music from a building nearby made it nearly impossible to hear the quiet conversation happening close by.

Peter closed his eyes and focused on tuning out everything except the talking. He wasn't sure why he felt compelled to listen in, but he did. As he concentrated, Peter was able to pick up fragments of the conversation.

"...Isn't enough… you said…"

"But… I don't have…"

"...doesn't matter…need to pay…"

From what little he could gather, it sounded like a drug deal. As much as his Spider-Man instincts urged him to break up the illegal activity, he definitely wasn't going to intervene as a civilian. There was no way he would get involved in any fights until he at least had a costume to protect his identity.

Those thoughts vanished when Peter heard a gunshot.

He was through the window and on the roof before he even processed what was happening. He bounded across rooftops, following the shouting.

Slowing as he reached the source, Peter peered over the edge of the roof, summoning all his strength to assess the situation before jumping in headfirst.

A body lay on the ground surrounded by a pool of blood, and there was a tall figure standing over it with a gun still drawn.

That was enough for Peter. If there was any chance the victim wasn't dead yet, he needed to act asap, especially since the gunman looked as though he was going to fire again.

Not wanting to risk another shot, Peter did something reckless. As he leapt from the roof aiming for the gunman, he questioned his choices and wondered if the pain he was about to endure was worth saving a stranger. Of course it was, but he wasn't happy about it.

As Peter collided with the man, sending them both tumbling to the ground, he definitely heard bones breaking.

Maybe it was the adrenaline of jumping off a roof with no webs to catch himself, but Peter couldn't tell if those were his bones or not.

The sudden silence suggested the gunman was unconscious, which was fortunate since Peter wasn't sure he could fight well at the moment.

As adrenaline faded from his body, Peter realized those were definitely his ribs breaking. His chest burned with every breath.

Instead of assessing his injuries, Peter reminded himself someone was likely dying from blood loss a few feet away. He pushed himself to his feet, convincing himself he wasn't badly hurt. Stumbling to the bloody body, he knelt beside it, relieved to see the chest still moving. Examining the wound, he found the bullet had struck the shoulder, which was a lucky place compared to where the shooter might have aimed.

Cursing silently, Peter tore off a section of his brand new shirt and used it as a makeshift bandage to slow the bleeding. Without medical supplies, he couldn't do much more, but he was certain someone had heard the shot and help would arrive shortly.

His suspicions were confirmed by the sounds of rapidly approaching heartbeats from the rooftops. Taking this as his cue to leave, (but not before grabbing all the cash from the gunman's wallet) Peter slipped away.

He had barely limped around a corner when he heard people landing at the crime scene. Not wanting to test his luck, he kept moving.

Peter slowly made his way home, each step jostling his ribs and sending waves of pain through his body. He hadn't even noticed he was biting his lip until the taste of blood filled his mouth.

To distract himself during the painful journey, Peter assessed his injuries. A broken rib and several bruised ones, but nothing horrible. His clear thinking suggested no concussion, and his ankle was sprained but would heal within a day or two with his fast healing. The cuts from his tumble were already closing up.

All things considered, his injuries weren't terrible for someone who'd just jumped off a roof.

Navigating the city from ground level was difficult, without a bird's eye view, the buildings towered above him like a maze. Thankfully, his sense of direction brought him back to his building.

Upon entering his apartment, Peter immediately collapsed onto his bed, careful not to further injure his ribs. Though his injuries kept him awake for a long while, eventually exhaustion won and he dozed off.

After Peter's little escapade last night, he realized that he needed to get Spider-Man up and running as soon as possible. He knew pulling another stunt without his webs and costume could end horribly.

The first step to debuting as Spider-Man would be making web fluid, which meant he needed a lab. And what better than the lab at the most prestigious prep school in Gotham: Gotham Academy.

Peter had seen a flyer for the school at the library and remembered the name, thinking it might come in handy.

If he could get access to a high-end school, he would gain access to so many materials. Not to mention the majority of high schools had free lunch, which would be majorly helpful for his financial issues.

This meant making another trip to the library to figure out a way to get into the school. But with all the cash Peter grabbed the night before, he thought he would treat himself first.

Groaning as he sat up, Peter remembered why he didn't want to move. He was feeling it last night, but the pain this morning was full force. He almost lay back down, but ultimately decided he could rest when he was dead and got up anyway.

Peter headed out towards the chain brand clothes store that he had "borrowed" from, figuring if he went to the library in a ripped shirt, a certain nosey librarian might question it.

As nice as Barbara was, Peter considered finding a different library, maybe one where no one would question him. Being someone who never really existed in this universe encouraged him to stay under the radar and talk to few people.

But with how close Barbara's library was to his home, Peter figured he didn't really have a choice.

Upon entering the clothes store, Peter was in and out within five minutes, grabbing the first hoodie he found and leaving a massive tip at checkout to make up for his 'borrowing' the other day.

Wanting to get his day started ASAP, when he grabbed the black hoodie, he didn't look too closely at the letters in the corner, simply assuming it was a brand logo. After all, the word "Nightwing" sounded very much like a brand name.

On his way to the library, Peter stopped to buy a bagel, loving having money to spend. Sure, he knew stealing wasn't right, but he felt that taking cash from almost-murderers was justifiable.

Entering the library soon after, Peter was greeted with a warm smile from Barbara.

"Hey Peter! It's nice to see you again!"

"Thanks Barbara, you too!" Peter replied, cringing at how sickeningly sweet he sounded.

"Thinking about getting any books today?"

"I was just going to use the computers again if that's cool..." He felt bad going to the library without getting books, but getting books would require a library card, which he wasn't ready for just yet.

"Of course! You can use the computers whenever you want!"

Following the conversation, Peter was greeted by the deafening silence of the library.

He sat down at the same computer as before and considered his options. He knew he could easily get a guest pass to Gotham Academy for temporary lab access, but there were too many benefits to being actually enrolled that he couldn't overlook.

Free lunch everyday would be so helpful, along with school uniforms so he wouldn't have to buy too many clothes. Also, he wanted access to fabrics from arts classes to hopefully create a new suit.

After researching more about the school, Peter found it was similar to a college. Students were given keycards with access to the building that worked at all hours. The school believed in students 'academic freedom,' allowing them to access the building whenever they wanted to work on projects.

This couldn't be more perfect for Peter.

He found a website about admissions exams and the list of dates and times. Luckily, there was actually an exam that very day. They seemed to have them at least once a week in case students transferred schools mid-year. Unluckily, you had to sign up at least a week in advance.

Peter didn't want to wait a whole week to get enrolled, so he may have slightly hacked into the exam list and added his name and information.

It was only after adding his name that Peter realized the exam was only 30 minutes away.

Peter muttered a curse under his breath. He had so much more to do during this library trip, but it would have to wait.

The school was nearby, but that still left Peter with no idea where to go.

Some whispering shook Peter out of his thoughts, and he turned to look for the source.

Barbara was talking to some guy, the first person Peter had seen in the library besides her.

Peter ignored them and turned back to the computer to look up how far the school would be walking.

It turned out to be only a 10-minute walk, and Peter wondered how he hadn't noticed the school before.

He wasn't worried about the exam, and as self-centered as it sounded, he didn't think he needed to study.

He was always the type to ace tests back home without studying, which he wouldn't have had time for anyway with his Spider-Man responsibilities. Not that he minded; he loved helping people and wouldn't have traded it for anything, especially not for some stupid school grades.

Thinking of home made him nauseous. Peter didn't know if he could accept that Ned and MJ were really gone. He had to remind himself that at least they weren't dead. They were probably in school suffering through a class at that very moment. It made Peter feel at least a little better knowing they were okay.

That thought was enough to stop him from spiraling, and he had to hold onto it for as long as possible.

Peter focused instead on erasing his search history and had just closed everything when he heard footsteps and a heartbeat approaching.

For some reason, the heartbeat felt familiar, as if he had heard it before. But he didn't think too hard about it.

The stranger who had been talking with Barbara came up and sat right next to Peter.

Peter narrowed his eyes– out of all 20-ish computers, this weirdo chose the only one next to him. While Peter was done with what he needed to do, he was curious and decided to eye the stranger's computer to see what he was researching.

However, instead of news or a document, Peter saw this stranger playing a game. A game with a snake and... apples? Whatever, Peter didn't really care. In fact, he was standing up to leave when the stranger stopped him by starting a conversation.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" the guy asked, pausing his game.

Peter recalled looking at the time and date on the computer earlier.

"It's Saturday."

"..."

"..."

After a longer staring contest than Peter was comfortable with, he turned and walked away from the weird dude.

He made it all the way to the doors of the library before he realized he never got the chance to look up directions and had absolutely no idea where he was going.

"Hey Barbara, how do I get to Gotham Academy from here?" Peter asked, turning back towards the librarian.

She didn't even get a chance to respond before the other guy chimed in, all but leaping up from the computers.

"Hey, I know where it is! I wouldn't mind walking you there, it's on the way to where I was going anyway." The dude started walking over to where Peter was standing by Barbara.

Peter spared Barbara a 'Help me, I don't know this dude' kind of glance, but she just chuckled. The traitor.

"It's okay Peter, I know him. He's interesting, but I promise he won't kidnap you," Barbara smiled, reassuring Peter.

The stranger reached where Peter was standing and stared at Barbara. "Interesting? Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!"

Barbara just laughed a little more and left the stranger without a response.

"Bye Barbara!" Peter said, walking out of the library with the stranger.

"Bye Peter! Stay safe and come back soon!"

Peter followed the stranger's lead, going against practically every safety speech he'd ever heard. But he knew worst case scenario, he could take this guy in a fight. And for as little as he knew Barbara, she was the person he trusted most in this dimension. If she said this guy wasn't bad, he believed her.

"You can call me Dick," the stranger said, breaking the silence.

"Dick? You know what, yeah that fits."

"Hey—"

"I'm Peter."

"Nice to meet you."

Peter cringed at how formal that sounded and opted not to respond. He wasn't wanting to make conversation at the moment. With how much he still had to do and a lot on his mind, Peter wouldn't be upset if the rest of the walk to the school was silent. But of course, Dick had other plans.

"You like that hoodie?"

Peter paused, suddenly feeling self-conscious about his outfit.

"I mean... yeah?"

"So are you a fan?" Dick said, smiling. "I think he's my favorite for sure, he's just the best choice, y'know?"

Peter was confused, nothing this guy was saying made sense. Were they even still talking about the hoodie?

Dick must've noticed his confusion and attempted to clarify.
"The vigilante? Nightwing?" The guy's face was falling more and more as Peter stayed lost. Dick gestured to Peter's hoodie, causing him to look down.

As he reread what he originally thought was a brand name, it started to click.

"Oh... Nightwing is a person? I thought that was just like a brand name or logo or something." He only realized after saying this that he should probably already know all the vigilantes with how famous they must be. But with no way to correct his mistake, Peter decided to just go with it.

"You—You've never heard of Nightwing?! Like, THE Nightwing?! He's the best vigilante! How can you not have heard of him?!" Dick looked absolutely heartbroken.

"Guess someone is a major fan then," Peter chuckled. It was pretty funny how worked up Dick was getting because of this.

"Well, if you knew of him, I'm sure you'd be a fan too. You would, right?"

"I can't decide if I'd be a fan of someone when I've literally never heard of them until now." He was still laughing at how distraught Dick looked over this whole situation.

"Whatever, I bet you'd like him."

As Dick finished speaking, the two of them settled into a comfortable silence, which Peter was beyond happy with. That is, until it was ruined once again.

"So if you're going to Gotham Academy on a Saturday during spring break, you must be taking an admissions exam, right?" Dick asked as they turned down the next street.

Peter took a moment to comprehend what was just said.

"Wait a minute, earlier you asked me why I wasn't in school when it's Saturday during spring break?!" Peter hoped this guy wasn't on drugs or anything, that would be a real vibe kill.

"Well, you didn't even know it was spring break. I mean, what kind of high school teenager doesn't even know when spring break is?"

"The kind who is homeschooled, dipshit," Peter said, the lie rolling right off his tongue without a second thought. He hadn't meant to call the guy he just met a name, but it slipped out as he entered a kind of banter reminiscent of his time with Tony.

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Dick smirked, blatantly unaware that he just lost the argument.

Peter smiled to himself knowingly, before putting on just about the saddest face he could muster.

"Well... my mom's kinda dead so not really I guess..." Boom. Mic drop. Argument won. He didn't use it very often, but in the right situations, the 'dead mom' card was lethal.

Dick couldn't respond. I mean, what was he supposed to say? The kid pulled the dead mom card, and that was unbeatable.

Luckily, it wasn't too long of an awkward silence, as Peter was easily distracted by what looked to be a castle coming into his field of vision.

"Holy shit," Peter said, taking in what would hopefully be his new school.

Dick was amused. "What, have you never seen it before?"

"Well, I've seen pictures and stuff, but it's so much larger in person. It's gorgeous."

"Yeah... Gotham isn't that great of a city, but there are some beautiful buildings."

The walk to the school continued with occasional light chatter, but Peter was more focused on mentally preparing himself for the exam.

Earlier he wasn't too worried about it because he could always go to a different school, but after seeing the Gotham Academy, he absolutely had to get in.

They reached the school with just a few minutes to spare before the exam.

"Well, good luck," Dick said. "My brothers go here, so maybe if you make it in you could meet them."

"Are they just as annoying as you? Because if they are I don't know if—"

"Oh shut up. Just go take your test already."

Peter smiled, turning away from Dick and entering the building.

Ignoring the amazing architecture (which was really difficult for Peter), he made his way to where he assumed the testing room was. With only four other people in the room waiting for the exam, the long rows of desks made the room feel empty.

"Have a seat wherever," the teacher told Peter, surprising him as he hadn't even noticed her.

Peter nodded before walking to the back of the room and taking a seat. He hadn't really questioned why this school had an admissions exam every single week, but it made sense considering the size of the school. So many people must want to transfer here, and Peter could see why. It made him a little nervous that it might be way more difficult to get in than he expected.

Peter was a genius when it came to math and science due to his calculations as Spider-Man. But he was just above average when it came to literature and history.

And that's when it hit him—the history was probably different here.

Peter had been so focused on other stuff he hadn't even thought to consider how being in a different reality might affect his knowledge.

He didn't even have time to find a computer and look up a summary. He was so screwed. Maybe if he did super well on the other subjects, they wouldn't even notice his history score? Peter knew it was false hope, but he didn't care.

"You will have one hour to complete this exam," the teacher started. "If you cheat in any way, shape, or form, you will..." Peter zoned out, instead focusing on recalling everything he'd read online about Gotham.

Did he know anything about Gotham history? There were too many thoughts running through his head when he looked up the city, and he just skimmed over the history.

Although he did remember seeing that Gotham was in New Jersey, and apparently New York also existed here. There were some similarities, so maybe basic history questions would be the same?

Peter's thoughts were interrupted by a test packet, pencil, and calculator being placed in front of him.

Looking up, he saw that an hour-long timer had already started, and he knew that he had to get going.

He made sure to do the math, science, and literature portions first, completing them as fast and efficiently as possible to save plenty of time for the history portion.

When he finally turned to the history section with 30 minutes left on the timer, he skimmed some of the questions and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

'What was the name of the first (permanent English) American colony?

When was the Declaration of Independence signed?

What year was the Jamestown settlement established?

What were colonists protesting with the Boston Tea Party?

When did...'

These were all questions about American history that seemingly did not change with dimensions.

Peter knew he wouldn't get a perfect history score, but with questions like these, he should get enough points to pass.

He worked through the questions, occasionally leaving ones blank that he didn't recognize from his dimension, and finished the test with about 15 minutes to spare.

Using the leftover time to double-check his answers, Peter felt pretty good about the test.

He wasn't planning on getting a full-ride scholarship or anything, but if he happened to get one, that would be pretty helpful. However, he had been prepared to hack into the school's database to give himself one if it didn't happen naturally. (In no way was he going to try and muster up as much money as he could to pay the ridiculous tuition, so hacking it was.)

"Pencils down everybody. Time's up. Please leave your exams on the desks and you are free to leave. Your parents will be receiving an email within the next day or two with your results and information."

Peter left the school and started heading back to his 'home' with nothing left to do but wait for the results.