Choosing destiny.

"Peter." Said person snapped up his head to properly look at who was speaking to him. Tony Stark just stared at an envelope for a while before passing it over to Peter. Peter took in the envelope, and upon seeing the sender, he tore it open. 

Mr Parker,

We are delighted to inform you that your sponsorship application to Gotham Academy has been accepted by Wayne Foundation.

Enclosed is a list for potential host-families if you don't already own a residence in the school district where Gotham Academy is situated. 

Classes Commence September 22nd 7:50 am.

Before then, it is recommended that you retrieve a tailored school uniform and select your electives, to avoid getting any chosen at random for you.

We, at the Wayne Foundation Sponsor's for Bright Minds acceptance Committee, hope that your school year is educational and plentiful.

Wayne Foundation.

For any concerns or queries, call at 08XXXXXXXX or email at [email protected]

"I didn't know you applied for... um, a sponsorship from Bruce Wayne to go to some fancy schmancy school in a different state!" Tony levels Peter with a hard stare, face unreadable, but the stare almost definitely reads as 'you could've asked me but you just had to ask Mr Wayne over there'. Peter shrunk back and felt a little guilty. 

He'd put the application in almost a year ago when he'd barely just gotten his Spider-powers, and he wasn't even considering to do any sort of vigilante-type work. Back then, Wayne Foundation offered a lot more money to those they sponsored to go to a high-end school. It wasn't any personal preference of Mr Wayne over Mr Stark, he had just made the choice to send in an applicant to Mr Wayne due to financial reasons that he needed as much money as possible to take the most financial weight for schooling off of his shoulders as possible.

Although, Peter knows he'd probably still apply for Mr Wayne even if he was picking for options other than financial reasons, as it was kind of awkward for him to ask somebody he knew, Mr Stark, for financial aid. It was just a subject that would probably raise his anxiety tenfold and then feel stupid for even asking in the first place.

As for picking a school in another state, like his Aunt May had said to him once, Peter just had to start thinking about his future. Gotham Academy had one of the highest success after graduation rates in the entire country, and it wasn’t even that far away from NYC, only about an hour or two’s drive.

It had always been a goal to go to Gotham Academy, one that had been sitting in the back of his head, but alas he was still extremely excited that the was accepted into GA.

“It’s only for a few years,” Peter explains, just a few years until he finishes High School. 

“How are you going to be Spiderman if you’re in Gotham?” Peter honestly hadn’t thought about that, not once in the past year had he sat down and considered that if he was accepted into the sponsorship that he would have to stop being Spiderman. Maybe he could catch the train back and forth every afternoon, it was only fifty minutes by train after all. 

He hadn’t gone out as Spiderman in a while for a few reasons but Peter thought maybe he was now ready to go back out on the feel. 

“I’ll catch a train, maybe a few times a week. On the other days, I can just be Spiderman in Gotham. I’ll make it work. The education is phenomenal, I can’t give this up.” Mr Stark for a while looks understanding, and tells Peter that he’d support Peter’s choice, and even purchase an apartment in Gotham for him if he didn’t want to live with a host family. 

Peter said he’d think about it, as he was reluctant just to spend Tony’s money like that. It didn’t feel right to take something that belonged to a friend or acquaintance. 

The following afternoon, Peter and Tony took the train down to Gotham City, to get Peter’s fitting for his uniform and to talk to one of the school moderators about choosing his elective subjects. It wasn’t an unknown fact that he was the ward of Tony Stark ever since his Aunt’s demise, as the media had so subtly placed his face on every newspaper for a week. It was old news that not many at Midtown School of Science and Technology liked to acknowledge. 

Maybe it would be different at Gotham Academy. The uniform policy was strict, unlike anything he had ever been through before. He’d never had to wear a specific uniform before except that one time at a press conference and charity gala that Tony made him go to. 

After he had gotten five sets of the uniform and a pair of the sports uniform. The shoes didn’t have to be a specific brand, but there were recommendations, Peter had ended up getting a pair of nice black oxfords and decided for shoes that he’d just wear some plain nikes, no matter how ridiculous the Yeezy looked, or how much he liked to take the piss out of it. 

The timetable moderator could squeeze him into a few different electives, as a lot of the classes were already full this close to the deadline date. Peter ended up getting Science Extension, Art, Gymnastics and Italian. Two of those options were extremely convenient for him, as he was well versed in gymnastics and Italian happened to be his first language. Science Extension would be fantastic to Peter since that was part of the reason he signed up for this school, their facilities were amazing. 

Art wouldn’t be too difficult for him, already sketching his own designs every night trying to find anything on his suit he could improve. Peter was pleased with the class placements he had received, and went on his way with Mr Stark to look at a few apartments in the area, that Tony could purchase for him to use while he was enrolled at Gotham Academy. 

The first apartment was luxurious, but the area wasn’t that great. It had three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Peter wasn't sure he liked the view either, it was in the shady part of town as well. Tony shrugged and they made their way to the next apartment. This one was just about perfect.

Four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms. It was a penthouse apartment in the heart of Gotham. The apartment complex seemed to only be for those well-off enough to afford it, mostly those who owned businesses that seemed to do well enough lived here. Tony supposed it would do if Peter liked it.

Peter did like it, a lot in fact. There were roof access and more than enough space for living to live comfortably for a while. 

“What about the Avengers, kid?” Tony says, and Peter shrugs his shoulders. It’s not like he was an official Avenger anyway, he never really fought alongside any of them except for the occasional training in the compound. Spiderman was more of an independent vigilante anyway. 

Peter sits on the bed of his seemingly new room, while Tony goes to talk to the real estate agent about purchasing the penthouse, and once the transaction and contracts have been completed, the apartment and all the furniture in it now belong to them. 

The next plan of action for Tony is to hire a nanny. Tony calls Pepper who immediately books in interviews for a few different reputable nannies, but the one she ends up choosing is a young British woman whose name is Anthea. Anthea would cook, clean and make sure Peter is healthy while in Gotham. 

The date for when school commences is quickly approaching, and its a few days before that Tony gives Peter a brief hug at the apartment complex. He’s stayed away from his responsibilities at Stark Industries for too long and must return. Peter’s settled in and Anthea is pressing down his school uniform in the background. Tony promises that he’ll leave time each month to visit Peter in Gotham. 

It’s finally time for school, Anthea fixes up his tie, and Peter fumbles with his watch strap. It was a Rolex, Tony insisted. Most of the kids who went to Gotham Academy either had money to spare or were smart enough to get in. Tony reasoned that it would do well for Peter to fit in. 

“The limousine is waiting for you at the front. Black Chrysler 300, can’t miss it.” She ushers him into the elevator giving him a security pass for the building. Anthea’s kind, but there’s something about her that just told Peter that she could probably take somebody down in a few seconds flat. 

Peter doesn’t really know what to expect from the limousine, except the thought that Tony went up and above when it came to taking care of Peter’s basic necessities. He’s delighted and feels a little pampered when he finds out that the car is probably worth more than the entire Parker family’s net worth. 

Arriving at school, he finds that he’s not the only one to be walking around aimlessly, oblivious to how the school system works. He runs up to another girl that he senses has no idea what's going on. In a great coincidence, he recognises her from Midtown School of Science and Technology. She’s a girl that defended him when bullying became particularly bad for him.

“I’m new here. Peter. Peter Parker.” He takes out a hand to greet her. The girl looks back up.

“We’ve met,” She acknowledges him, taking his hand. “Artemis Crock.”