(Jake's POV) Three minutes later
I'm standing by the front door, still trying to process the fact that I have a mother. A real one. Not some vague memory. Not some background character in my new life. A mother. And apparently, I have no idea how to deal with that. Because the moment I'm about to leave, she turns toward me with a look I don't recognize at first.
Not suspicion. Not annoyance. Not even disappointment. Love. Actual, genuine maternal love. It catches me completely off guard. She starts fixing my clothes, brushing invisible wrinkles from my shirt, making sure my collar is straight, and checking that I have everything I need. Then she presses some cash into my hand and gives me a brown paper bag.
A lunch.
My lunch.
Something so normal that it almost hurts. Her green eyes shine with happiness as she looks at me. "You haven't been at this school for very long—even though we did live here before—so be careful, okay?" I nod slowly, "Yeah, Mum."
"You've got a field trip today too. Don't mess around and get yourself hurt." She gives me a serious look. Especially at the next part. "Oscorp can be dangerous. And the laboratory you're visiting works with Roxxon." My brain immediately stops functioning.
Oh no.
No.
No, no, no.
I smile. I pretend everything is fine. Because apparently, my new life has decided to immediately throw me into the deep end. "Got it." I walk out the door. The moment it closes behind me, my expression drops. One thought repeats endlessly.
I'm fucked.
I'm fucked.
I'm fucked.
I walk toward the bus stop in a daze. Oscorp. Roxxon. Two names that would mean nothing to a normal person. But I'm not normal anymore. Because I know exactly what those names mean. There is only one place where those companies exist in the very nature my field trip is portraying them.
The Marvel Universe. Or, more accurately... Some horrifying Marvel Universe remix where the writer looked at a normal timeline and said: "You know what this needs? More suffering." I went from one impossible situation to another. From the frying pan... Straight into the fire.
Actually, no. Not the fire. The fire has the decency to just burn you. This is Marvel. The fire probably has a face, a doctorate, a villain monologue, and a plan to conquer the multiverse.
The bus comes into view. And my mental screaming gets louder. 'I'm fucked.I'm so incredibly fucked.' The words MIDTOWN HIGH are written across the side. And standing outside the bus? The final confirmation that my life has officially become a disaster.
The students.
The names.
The faces.
I know them. Mary Jane Watson, Michelle Jones, Gwen Stacy, Guinevere Stacy, Eddie Brock, Cindy Moon, Jessica Jones, Peter Parker, Harry Osborn, Felicia Hardy, Jean Grey, Flash Thompson, Danny Rand, and Ned Leeds amongst others.
Yeah. I'm screwed. This isn't just some random school. This is basically a collection of people who have the worst luck in existence. These are the people destiny looks at and says: "How can I make their lives more complicated?" And then immediately starts taking notes.
Mary Jane Watson looks like someone took her classic comic appearance, mixed it with modern fan art, and somehow made it work. Red hair. Bright green eyes. Freckles across her nose. A confident personality that screams trouble.
Michelle Jones looks exactly like Zendaya's version. With a couple changes such as reddish-brown hair and some other minor details. Which honestly makes sense. Apparently, this universe likes mixing adaptations together.
Gwen Stacy—or "Lyn" as her friends call her—is a strange combination of her Ultimate and clone-era versions. Long blonde hair. Headband. The kind of friendly energy that makes you forget how tragic her story can become.
Eddie Brock looks like a younger version of his movie counterpart. Thankfully without the acne. Small victories. Cindy Moon is another weird combination. Part classic comics. Part Ultimate. Part whatever alternate universe decided to exist. Because apparently consistency is optional here. Jessica Jones looks almost exactly like her comic counterpart. Just younger.
Peter Parker... Yeah. That one hurts whenever I think of his name. He's taller than his movie version. Still lanky. Still messy brown hair. Still carrying that familiar expression. That look. The one that says: "I am a good person, and the universe will punish me for it." His emerald eyes are calmer than I expected. Less broken. Less exhausted. Probably because of me. A memory flickers. Something I haven't fully unlocked yet. I look away.
Harry Osborn looks like he walked straight out of the Marvels Spiderman animated universe. Same hairstyle. Same rich kid appearance. Felicia Hardy looks like a younger version of her PlayStation counterpart. The attitude is already there. The confidence. The danger.
Jean Grey is unmistakable. Classic Jean mixed with some modern traits. Which is terrifying. Because unlike Spider-Man villains... The X-Men usually deal with problems that involve things like: "Can this person accidentally destroy the planet?"
Flash Thompson is exactly what I expected. Tall. Blond. Blue-eyed. The ultimate high school jock stereotype. Basically, every movie bully combined into one person. What many imagined Hitler meant about the perfect human. Danny Rand looks like his animated version. A little bulkier. Still with that innocent rich kid martial artist energy.
Ned Leeds looks like a slimmer version of his MCU counterpart. Definitely hit the gym. And Guinevere Stacy? She looks like Gwen's darker reflection. Shorter hair, shaved sides and piercings, lots of piercings. More rebellious but the same family resemblance.
Seeing them all together finally makes everything click. This isn't just the Marvel Universe. This is the kind of Marvel Universe where every corner of the setting seems connected. The kind where one normal school day can somehow lead to: alien invasions, mutant incidents, supervillain attacks , secret organizations , or cosmic disasters.
I know these people. I've read about them. I've watched them. I've seen the tragedies waiting for them. And now I'm standing right next to them. A normal student. Except I know exactly how abnormal everything is. "I am so fantastically fucked," I whisper.
Then my imagination decides this situation isn't stressful enough. A tiny Yoda appears in my head. "Fucked three ways from Sunday, you are." I sigh. Then Gandalf appears. "So fucked, that if things get worse, I shall rename myself Gandalf the Black." I stare forward.
Great.
Even my imagination has given up on me. And honestly? I can't blame it. Because if Gandalf is tempting Murphy's Law, we're already doomed. Especially in a universe where beings like the Queen of Nevers exist. Here, Murphy's Law isn't just a saying. It's probably a cosmic entity waiting to ruin someone's day.
So, let's summarize. I have been reincarnated. I am in the Marvel Universe. I attend Midtown High. My school contains half the future superhero population. My field trip is to an Oscorp lab. The lab is connected to and partnered with Roxxon. And somehow, I'm supposed to act like this is normal.
Yeah.
Sure.
No problem. Everything is fine. Absolutely fine. I'm just a teenager standing in the middle of a crossover comic where every page screams: "Your life is about to become a disaster." And somehow...
I already know it's only beginning.