He grabbed another newspaper from the rack. Different publication. The Daily Bugle. More headlines jumped out at him.
"Hammer Industries Stocks Rise After Military Contract Win"
"Oscorp Continues Research Into Genetic Enhancement Programs"
"Mayor Promises Action on Rising Crime Statistics"
Peter's eyes moved frantically across the text. Looking for more information. More clues about when exactly he was in the timeline.
Wait. One headline near the bottom of the page.
"Daily Bugle: Spider-Menace or Spider-Hero? Debate Continues"
Peter froze. His blood went cold.
'No. That can't be right. I'm only three. Spider-Man shouldn't exist yet. The spider bite happens when I'm fifteen. When I'm on a school field trip.'
He read the headline again. Slower this time. Making sure he wasn't misreading it.
"Daily Bugle: City Safety Concerns Rise After Recent Crime Wave"
Peter let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. 'Must have misread it the first time. My mind playing tricks. Seeing what I expected to see instead of what was actually there.'
But the other names were real. Stark. Hammer. Oscorp. All of them existing. All of them operating. This wasn't some vague Marvel-inspired world. This was the actual Marvel Universe. The one he'd read about in comics. The one he'd watched in movies.
And if Tony Stark was just now announcing arc reactor technology at age thirty-eight...
'Pre-Iron Man,' Peter realized. His mind worked through the math. 'I'm living in the Marvel Universe before Iron Man even exists. Before the Avengers. Before the Battle of New York. Before Thanos.'
Before everything.
"Peter?" Aunt May's voice cut through his thoughts. "Find something interesting?"
Peter turned away from the newspapers. His hands were still shaking slightly. His mind still racing with implications and timelines and future events that hadn't happened yet.
"Yeah," he said. His voice came out steadier than he felt. "Can I get a library card?"
Aunt May smiled. "Of course, sweetie. Let's go talk to the librarian."
The process took ten minutes. Forms to fill out. Proof of address. Aunt May showing her driver's license. The librarian typed information into an old computer with a keyboard that clacked loudly with each keystroke.
Then Peter held his own library card. His name printed on thick plastic. Peter Parker. His new identity. His new life. Official now. Real.
The librarian smiled down at him. She was maybe sixty. Gray hair pulled back in a tight bun. Glasses on a chain around her neck. "What kind of books do you like, Peter?"
"Everything," he said honestly.
She laughed. A warm sound that filled the quiet library. "A scholar in the making. Let me show you some good ones."
She led them through the library. Past the children's books that Peter had already dismissed. Past young adult fiction with coming-of-age stories and teenage drama. She stopped in the science section. Adult science section. Real textbooks and research compilations.
"These might be a bit advanced," she said to Aunt May. Her tone was apologetic. Uncertain. "But if he's interested..."
"He's very interested," Aunt May confirmed. That concerned-proud expression was back on her face. "He reads Uncle Ben's engineering textbooks."
The librarian's eyebrows went up. "Does he now? Well then. Let's find some good ones."
Peter left the library that day with six books. Three about physics covering everything from classical mechanics to quantum theory basics. Two about chemistry explaining atomic structure and chemical reactions. One about human anatomy with detailed diagrams of organs and systems.
All of them way above third-grade level. Way above high school level even. College textbooks and advanced reading materials.
Aunt May carried the books to the car. The stack was heavy. She had to adjust her grip twice. She kept glancing at Peter with that expression. The one he was getting used to seeing.
"You really want to read all these?" she asked.
"Yes please."
Aunt May put the books in the backseat beside Peter. She got in the driver's seat and started the engine. The old sedan rumbled to life. She sat there for a moment before pulling out of the parking spot. Just thinking.
"Peter?" Her voice was soft. Careful. "If you ever want to just be a kid... play with toys, watch cartoons, go to the park... that's okay too. You don't have to be special all the time."
Peter looked out the window. Queens passed by outside. Normal streets with normal cars. Normal people walking normal dogs. Living normal lives in a world that wasn't normal at all.
'They don't know,' Peter thought. 'Don't know that aliens will invade. That monsters will attack. That a mad titan will come to Earth and try to wipe out half of all life.'
Aliens. Monsters. Gods and demons and cosmic threats beyond human comprehension.
'I don't want to be special,' Peter thought. The words felt true even though part of him knew they were a lie. 'I just want to be ready. To have my fate in my hands. What if I get taken out by the snap of a finger?'
He touched the library books on his lap. The covers were smooth under his small fingers. Knowledge was power. Everyone said that. But it wasn't just some saying. It was literally true. Especially here. Especially in this world where being unprepared could get you killed.
And he was going to need all the power he could get.
"I know, Aunt May," he said quietly. "But I like learning. It makes me feel... Good."
Aunt May's expression softened. The concern didn't disappear but it mixed with something else. Understanding maybe. Love definitely. She reached over and squeezed his small hand.
"Okay, sweetie. Then we'll keep learning together."
The car drove through Queens. Afternoon sun made the windows warm. Peter watched the city pass by and thought about timelines.
Somewhere out there, Tony Stark was building his first arc reactor. Working in his mansion in Malibu. Completely unaware that soon he'd be kidnapped. That a cave in Afghanistan would change his life forever. That he'd become Iron Man.
Bruce Banner was probably already dealing with gamma radiation. Maybe he'd already had his accident. Maybe he was already running. Already hiding. Already turning into the Hulk when anger took control.
Steve Rogers slept in ice. Frozen since World War Two. Waiting to be found. Waiting to wake up in a world that had moved on without him.
Thor lived on Asgard. God of thunder. Prince. Completely unaware that Earth would soon need him. That his brother would betray him. That everything would change.
And Peter Parker sat in the back of an old sedan. Holding library books. Planning for a future only he could see coming.
'I have prep time...' he thought.
That night, Peter studied in the Temporal Dimension again.
[Mind: 1.2 => 1.4]
The notification appeared in his vision. Progress. Real and measurable.
Read more (till chapter 20) on patreon.com/marvelstark