***
After a quick breakfast and a cordial chat with his new parents in this strange, rewritten life, Lucian and Diana Braveheart, Leon finally retreated to his room to get his bearings.
He paced back and forth, muttering under his breath.
"Great... just great. We moved to Queens last week, and somehow the Parkers are our neighbors. Oh, and Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane live nearby too? Wonderful. This definitely isn't the main timeline. It must be one of those weirdly mixed ones." Leon groaned and rubbed his temples. "If I remember correctly, Peter joins Midtown High at thirteen—as a freshman. And since I'm thirteen too, that means we'll most likely be classmates. Lucky me."
He threw his arms up dramatically. "I always thought Midtown was for tech geniuses! Apparently even idiots like me can get in, though I've got to thank my 'previous self' for pulling that off. The problem is, I'm smart, but not the kind of smart that knows all that scientific mumbo-jumbo. I'm more of a street-smart, gut-feeling kind of guy. Ugh… this is giving me a headache.
A 23 year old guy having to fit in with 13 year old tech geniuses, Great just freaking great as if school wasn't torture enough I gotta blend in with either idiots or Super-smarts!! "
He paused, staring at his reflection in the mirror. "At least my name's still Leon. That's one less identity crisis to deal with."
His eyes widened slightly as a thought struck him. "Wait, if Peter's a sophomore when he gets bitten, that means there are still two years to go. Which also means I'll probably be on that trip with him when it happens... Could that be what TOAA meant? If so, that's actually kind of sweet!" He grinned, feeling a flicker of excitement.
"Alright, calm down, Leon. Calm down," he told himself, exhaling deeply. "So what's the plan? Do I befriend the future Spider-Man? Try to blend into the background? Nah, who am I kidding—with this face?" He tilted his head, examining his features in the mirror. "Yeah, no way. I'm definitely going to end up popular again. Which is a pain, because I'm introverted as hell. Funny, right? Popular and introverted—that's such a cursed mix. I was an arts student before, for crying out loud! I majored in literature, not science! How am I supposed to survive Midtown High?"
Letting out a long sigh, Leon flopped back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. After a moment, he decided he should at least familiarize himself with this world's general news and history. His new body's former self had done little beyond reading books and working out—something Leon appreciated in terms of physical build, though he hated the idea of exercise. He preferred lying around, playing games, or reading novels and fanfics in peace. That was his comfort zone.
Since school started Monday and it was only Saturday, Leon figured it was best to take it easy and go with the flow. He was never great at making friends anyway. In his past life, he was that quirky, awkward kid people didn't quite understand—always on the sidelines, observing. No one ever believed he was an introvert, but he knew better. Socializing drained him. His last genuine best friend had eventually abandoned him for the so-called popular group, even turning against him publicly just to fit in.
Yet, he couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. Fate really had a twisted sense of humor. That same group later became his own close circle of friends when they advanced to the next grade—while his ex-best friend, the one who betrayed him, ended up failing and being left behind. Life was funny that way.
Shaking off the nostalgia, Leon sat up, determination flickering in his eyes. "Alright. Enough reminiscing. If there's even a slight chance I could get powers like Spider-Man, I need to prepare. Web-shooters, movement training, the basics—I'll need all of it ready, just in case."
He leaned back with a smirk. "Nothing's off the table. If this is my new world, then the grind starts now."
*****