The sun was setting, casting a soft orange glow across the skyline of Queens. Midtown High's rooftop was empty, save for two figures standing near the edge—one leaning on the railing, the other sitting on an old ventilation unit with his arms crossed.
Raj adjusted his sunglasses, even though the sun was low enough now not to threaten another accidental light-show. He kept them on anyway. A little mystery never hurt.
Peter stood beside him, hands in his pockets, eyes on the horizon. For once, he wasn't nervously fidgeting. Just quiet.
"So," Raj finally said, "we're up here. No teachers. No classes. No cafeteria fruit to explode. Why do I feel like this is the setup to a weird after-school special?"
Peter chuckled. "Because it kinda is."
He turned slightly to face Raj, expression shifting into something more serious. The sunset bathed his face in gold, and Raj couldn't help but think how cinematic it looked—like a frame straight out of the Marvel movie he once watched back on his original Earth.
Peter took a deep breath.
"I want to show you something," he said.
Raj raised an eyebrow, amused. "If this ends with you doing a TikTok dance, I'm jumping off the roof."
"No, no," Peter said, grinning. Then, in a blink, he reached into his backpack, pulled out something red and blue, and—
Raj blinked. The moment the mask came out, the air felt heavier. Even though he already knew, seeing it made it real.
Peter held the mask in one hand, like it weighed more than cloth. "I'm Spider-Man."
Raj's jaw dropped in theatrical shock. "Wait, what?"
Peter winced. "Yeah. That's usually how people react. But like… a little less sarcastic."
"No, no, I'm shocked," Raj said, raising both eyebrows and tilting his head dramatically. "I'm just shocked on the inside."
Peter narrowed his eyes. "You don't look shocked."
"I'm very calm under pressure."
"You're mocking me."
"Only a little. Okay, a lot."
Peter groaned and shoved the mask back into his bag. "Ugh. Why did I think this would be easier?"
Raj shrugged, swinging his legs off the edge of the unit. "I mean, I'm not screaming or calling the Daily Bugle. That's a win, right?"
"You already knew," Peter said bluntly, crossing his arms.
Raj paused. Then gave a sheepish shrug. "Okay. Yeah. Maybe. I figured it out."
"How?"
"You've got the reflexes of a jungle cat. You disappear during weird emergencies. And your Spidey-sense is basically Wi-Fi tuned to my glow-in-the-dark body."
Peter blinked. "That's… a disturbingly good analysis."
"Also," Raj added with a smirk, "you muttered 'web cartridge' under your breath when you dropped your pen in Chemistry."
Peter buried his face in his hands. "I need to be quieter."
Raj chuckled. "Honestly, though? I respect it."
Peter looked up. "You're not mad I didn't say anything sooner?"
"Nah. You were testing me. Making sure I wasn't going to sprout wings and eat your face or something."
Peter considered. "Okay, that's fair."
They both laughed—just a little, just enough.
A gentle breeze passed through, ruffling their hair. The silence after was comfortable.
"You've got powers," Peter said softly. "Something inside you is changing. Fast."
Raj nodded. "It's like... there's this energy inside me. Always burning. Always growing. I don't need to eat much. I don't sleep. I just… absorb sunlight and go."
"Solar battery," Peter muttered. "Super strength, speed, jump. Radiation signature's off the charts. You're basically a mini-star in skinny jeans."
"I resent that."
"You should. That was a terrible nickname."
Raj cracked a grin, then looked at the sky. The clouds were streaked with gold and purple.
"When I first arrived in this world," he said quietly, "everything felt... off. Like I was inside someone else's dream. But now… I don't know. Maybe this world feels more real than the one I left behind."
Peter glanced at him. "Left behind?"
Raj caught himself. "I mean... metaphorically. Like, moving from one stage of life to another."
Peter didn't press. Just nodded slowly.
"You're not like me," Raj said, his voice low. "You got bitten. I got rewritten. Like the universe hit backspace and typed me into someone else's body."
"That sounds terrifying," Peter said.
"It is," Raj admitted. "And also... kinda awesome."
Peter grinned. "You'll fit right in."
There was another pause.
Then Raj asked, "So… why did you tell me?"
Peter didn't answer right away. He just looked down at his hands.
"Because I know how it feels to carry something too big alone," he finally said. "I know what it's like to look at your reflection and not recognize who you are anymore."
Raj stared at him. The words hit harder than he expected.
"You think I can control it?" Raj asked.
"I know you can," Peter said. "And if you need help, I'll be there. That's what friends do, right?"
"Friends," Raj repeated, like the word was unfamiliar.
Peter extended a hand.
Raj looked at it, then smirked and shook it.
"No bug jokes this time?" Peter asked.
"I'm saving them for when you fall off a building."
Peter rolled his eyes. "You're the worst."
"I try."
The sky darkened. Stars began blinking to life above them. And for once, Raj didn't feel like an outsider staring up at something unreachable.
He was part of it now.
This strange, glowing, hero-infested world.
And maybe, just maybe, he belonged.