Am I (Not) a Hero?

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...

[Peter Parker's POV]

What is a gene?

A gene is a fundamental unit of heredity that contains the instructions for making a specific protein or RNA molecule.

So what's an X-gene, then? Well, that's hard to say. In principle, it works by the same rules, but… it's a strange thing.

A very strange thing.

It's hard to imagine that evolution could develop something like this, but who needs my opinion here?

The creators of this universe probably know better, and it's not up to some random office worker like me to uncover the mysteries of existence.

'Well, to hell with it. My head's starting to hurt from thinking about it. Even in my world, there are still debates between gradualists and punctuationalists about evolution, and in this one… Anyway, whatever.'

This job is for more than one night and more than one person.

Anyway, not understanding what the X-gene is has never stopped people from doing crazy things like transplants.

I tilted my head back towards the not-so-clean ceiling and exhaled heavily.

The blood analysis took quite a bit of time.

Logically, I could still put on my suit and rush out into the night of New York, but… I can find more interesting things to do.

I hope nothing bad happens to Cindy throughout one night. She's got everything the original Spider-Man had and even more.

MJ didn't seem particularly interested in going out tonight, so I probably won't miss much, and people with their problems can wait; I've got enough of my own worries.

For instance… well, figuring out what to do with my life?

For starters, I should build some proper web-shooters instead of always repairing them together from junk so they stop being disposable garbage.

There's plenty of other stuff, but the second can wait for now while the first has already caught up with me.

The internet pages flashed by one after another in a futile attempt to entertain me but were dismissed without a second thought.

The internet was still abuzz about Chameleon's capture while I sank unwillingly into thoughts about life in this new and wonderful world.

I couldn't help but realize how much Peter's memories were affecting me.

After nearly a week, my mind started to clear, and it became more noticeable.

I was in a pretty bad mood for obvious reasons. I could spend a long time listing all the stupid things I've done.

I picked a fight with Flash on literally the first day.

For Uncle Ben's safety, I went after Flint Marko, literally running into gunfire.

When I discovered Jess was interested in me, I rushed to check on her health, even sneaking into the hospital under a false identity.

I'm not gonna even talk about my occasionally surfacing paranoid thoughts.

Then there's the incident with Cindy, but we're both to blame for that. This could have been handled much more calmly, wisely, and logically by someone else.

They might not have tried at all, just taking advantage of my intellect for their own benefit.

But… unfortunately, it's just me here. A scared dead man whose mind got seriously scrambled in Peter Parker's native brain.

However, I'll have to come to terms with the fact that I'm no longer who I once was.

Honestly, that's fair.

The old me died in the fire, and my place is six feet under.

I can't even prove the existence of the world where this universe is just another layer of entertainment culture.

It doesn't matter to me because I'm happy that my consciousness has transmigrated into this body, and I now decided how to live.

There is a simple plan for now.

I'll keep fighting supervillains and finding ways to become stronger because that's what I like the most in this life.

I'd also like to bring a bit of cyberpunk into this world with the help of Dr. Octavius.

Those are fairly worthy goals, and it would be a shame if she completely lost her mind.

I could really use some sleep. It's already past two in the morning, and I don't want to wake up tired and end up chasing the bus.

Again.

...

Tuesday.

It was another boring school day after my weekend.

That is normal.

It's not like villains hit every day. Even geniuses have to crack open textbooks and learn sometimes.

After all, no one's born with the Akashic Records in their brain—not me, that's for sure.

Nevertheless, Cindy was gloomy today, and a bit beat up.

I can't even imagine who she fought with especially since it didn't make the morning news.

It's okay—we'll face it together. She wouldn't tell me who she fought right now, but it's just a matter of time.

There's something that happened during lunch. I was again eating with Ned while he rambled on about the new Minecraft update.

He then changed the subject and began talking about how Spider-Man and White Tiger had raided a gang's hideout with reports of them fleeing the fight scene. 

However, the gangsters had somehow avoided being caught. If they weren't under Fisk's thumb, someone else must have intervened.

This hinted at trouble, but what else could I expect?

While I was lost in thought, Cindy and Mary Jane sat down with us simultaneously.

This combination made me so tense that my eyebrow twitched nervously.

Ned quickly backed off, leaving me alone with the girls.

I quickly scanned them for information.

There was a noticeable red healing scratch on Cindy's chin, and she wore jeans instead of her usual shorts.

MJ also had on long sleeves.

There weren't many options, and it wasn't that much cooler, so they were probably hiding bruises.

Judging by the injuries and their disgruntled faces... had they fought each other?

Then why and for what reason?

I also noticed that Cindy had no pheromone neutralizer on her, but that was no longer an issue unless she had learned to intentionally concentrate her pheromones as she did in the infirmary.

"Judging by your faces, it looks like you have something to discuss with me. Should I ask some questions, or are you just going to tell me?"

I asked, glancing around.

We attracted a few looks, but whatever. The simplest explanation people could come up with was that I was being asked to do their homework.

"We… let's just say we met."

She nodded, rubbing her right arm.

"Last night."

Cindy replied with a frown.

I took a sip of the coffee that was made in the cafeteria.

It wasn't half bad.

"Well, good for you."

I shrugged.

"Did the meeting didn't go well?"

I hid a smirk behind the cup.

"You could say that."

Cindy smirked.

An awkward silence fell, as I had no idea what they wanted from me. The situation was quite stalemated.

MJ knew our identities, and we knew hers, but I had the advantage, assuming the tiger amulet was really the only source of her powers.

Moreover, there were two of us. It was unlikely things would escalate to a confrontation, but being prepared wouldn't hurt.

"Well, since everyone knows each other, how about we all get along?"

I decided to ease the situation.

"You understand, if we're supposed to have some "serious conversation." let's do it without witnesses."

After all, if we didn't have any grievances against each other, what was with the gloomy faces?

"Right."

MJ replied.

"But what about your third? You know, the one like you."

She lowered her voice.

I glanced around the room again, pretending to check my backpack.

There didn't seem to be any heightened attention on us, and Gwen behaved as usual.

If anyone in our "group" knew how to maintain a high level of secrecy, it was her.

I even envied her for that.

"I have no idea what to tell you. We haven't contacted each other yet. Do we even need to? If she wanted to discuss something, she had her chances."

I shrugged.

"As far as I know, she hasn't even gone solo."

"Tiger, Aunt May definitely should have told you that the man must take the first step."

MJ smiled.

"Nevertheless... You talk with her much more often than we do."

I hinted at her friendship with Harry.

"Did you notice anything strange about her?"

She shook her head.

"Nothing as strange as beating up the most popular guy in school or passing out in class."

She nodded toward me and Cindy in turn.

That hit my pride, but I had to admit I was a terrible conspirator, just like Cindy.

"So you think you'll leave her alone?"

Cindy asked, taking a bite of the burger she had brought with her.

"Yeah. If she wants to live like a normal person, that's her business. It's not too late for us to step away from this either. The real question is, does anyone want to?"

No one answered.

We ate our snacks in silence for a while until it was time for the next class.

"Hmm... Alright, see you later, guys."

MJ nodded at me and went back to Liz.

I shifted my gaze to the thin scratch on Cindy's face.

"Will you tell me what happened?"

"Not here."

She shook her head.

We agreed to discuss their unexpected meeting after classes. That would have happened, but after the last bell, Professor Octavius caught me.

"Peter, I've been looking for you."

She placed her hand on my shoulder.

It looked like a friendly gesture from the outside, but she was just holding me to prevent me from escaping.

I could tell by her eyes.

"Good Afternoon, Professor."

I nodded respectfully.

"Do you have something for me?"

"Exactly."

She smirked.

"If you have no urgent matters, could I ask you to follow me? This concerns my project. Our project."

"Um, of course."

I sent a message to Cindy that I had business with Professor Octavius. If all goes well, we'll meet later in the hangar.

"You said we could forget about it until winter break. Did something change?"

"Yes! We finally have a lab. It's still not enough, but at least we can start. You should see my developments in person to appreciate the magnitude of this work."

We left the school and headed... somewhere.

If I were an ordinary student and not Spider-Man, I would have been quite worried, but I was only experiencing a slight worry for now.

...

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