Midtown High — Morning
Raj woke up to his phone buzzing like it had a personal grudge. His muscles ached with an almost satisfying soreness, the kind that said you moved mountains—or in his case, shielded people from an exploding car while glowing like a human sunrise.
The screen lit up again. Notifications stacked like a tower of panic. News alerts. School group chats. Meme pages.
But the top one stopped him cold:
[MYSTERY HERO OR THREAT?]
Glowing figure saves civilians from Midtown mutant attack. Face unidentifiable—city reacts.
Raj sat up fast, then winced. He clicked the link. The video was from a grainy street cam—angled from above, half-obscured by smoke—but there he was. Or, well, something like him. A silhouette of light.
He watched himself leap between two collapsing cars, shield a woman and child, then burst into that blinding light again—just enough to deflect the explosion but not enough to destroy half the block. The video paused mid-flare.
His face was entirely blurred. Thank the pixel gods.
He scrolled to the comments:
sunburst420: "Yo who is this GLOWING GOD??"
justin4truth: "That's not human. That's a weapon."
n3rdHerder: "Okay but did anyone else catch the freakin' FLOATING???"
radiant_watcher: "Bless this hero. Saved my cousin. Whoever you are—THANK YOU."
hotbutnottaken: "...marry me."
Raj groaned and threw the phone onto his desk like it was contagious.
Peter's voice crackled from his walkie. "You alive, Human Lightbulb?"
Raj pressed the button. "Barely. You?"
"Not bad for someone who almost got flambéed. News is calling you 'Solar Ghost' and 'Flare Phantom.'"
"Why do I sound like a discontinued perfume?"
"Because branding is dead and irony is forever."
Raj chuckled despite himself. But the laughter faded fast. "They don't know it's me."
"I know," Peter said, voice turning serious. "That's why you're safe—for now."
Midtown High — Cafeteria
Lunch was usually chaos. Today it was hyper chaos with a side of drama.
Every table buzzed with theories.
"That dude was flying!"
"No way. Just a really athletic jump."
"He glowed. I swear, like full-on golden light. My cousin said her friend's hair turned static just being near him."
"Bro it's an alien. Gotta be."
Raj sat at a corner table, chewing listlessly through mashed potatoes. Peter dropped his tray next to him like he was landing a fighter jet.
"You okay?" Peter asked, eyes scanning the cafeteria like he was expecting SHIELD—or worse, YouTubers.
Raj nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah. Just... processing."
"Everyone's talking about it," Peter said, keeping his voice low. "But no one knows it was you. You kept your face out of the blast. Smart move."
Raj sighed. "It wasn't a move. I was panicking."
Peter smirked. "Even panicking, you saved people. That matters."
Raj met his eyes. "What if they find out?"
"Then we deal with it. But right now, you're just a student. A slightly radioactive student, but still."
Raj cracked a weak smile. "Thanks."
"Also, big news," Peter whispered, leaning closer. "Monica? Gone."
Raj blinked. "What?"
"Yeah. Not at school. Office cleared out. I checked. Like she was never here."
Raj's fork paused midair. "Too many coincidences."
Peter nodded. "And too quiet. She gave us that flash drive, remember? They wanted us to see that footage."
"So it was bait."
"Or a test," Peter said grimly. "Which means someone out there wants you to light up again. Publicly."
Raj looked around. For a moment, the lunchroom faded into silence. He imagined the mutant chaos again, the screams, the fire—and the kid clutching her mom's leg, looking up at him like he was hope incarnate.
"I don't want to hide forever," Raj whispered.
Peter placed a hand on his arm. "Then don't. But let's do it right. Together."
Later — Raj's Rooftop
The city glittered below like a restless beast, alive and pulsing with energy.
Raj sat on the rooftop edge, the breeze cool against his skin. He'd watched the video again. Ten times now.
The moment the flare ignited around him. The instant he shielded the civilians. How instinct had taken over. No hesitation. No fear.
For weeks, he'd fought the light—fearing it would expose him, harm others, consume what made him human.
But yesterday, it had saved lives.
And now?
Now people were asking who he was. Not to hunt him. Not yet. But to thank him. Or warn him. Or worship him.
Raj didn't want worship.
He just didn't want to be afraid anymore.
A soft whoosh behind him. Peter landed next to him in full Spider-Man gear, mask pulled halfway up to reveal a granola bar jammed in his mouth.
He offered Raj one.
"No thanks," Raj said. "Still feel like my stomach's full of plasma."
"You did good," Peter said, sitting beside him. "No fatalities. Minimal damage. You're starting to figure it out."
"Maybe," Raj said, voice distant. "But the city saw me. Even if they don't know it's me, they saw me."
Peter nodded. "And they will again. Only next time, you'll be ready."
Raj looked at his hand. It glowed faintly—not blinding anymore, just warm. Gentle.
He closed his fist. "I won't run from it anymore."
Online — Hours Later
Hashtags trended:
#BlurredHero
#GlowGuardian
#SolarGhost
#IsHeOneOfUs
Some called him a savior.
Others called him a threat.
But no one could deny it:
Someone out there had stood in the fire—and refused to fall.