Snow began to fall softly outside, coating the world in a soft blanket of white. The grey trees were barren apart from the shimmering coat of snow on their branches. People walked by outside, warming themselves with steaming cups of coffee and hot chocolate as their breaths steamed up in front of their faces like dragons. Peter watched it all from his small window, huddled next to the old radiator in several layers and a blanket. "Gosh, it is freezing," he muttered, finally getting the courage to step away from the dismal heating in his threadbare apartment. Well, at least he had shelter. He could have been alone on the streets in the snow, hidden away from the world without anyone looking for him because... well, no one knew Peter Parker. Not since Strange cast that memory spell.

Peter sighed and shrugged off the blankets, putting on his massive snow jacket that he could have sworn was once Ben's. The small stack of boxes seemed to laugh at him having to relinquish his warmth to unpack them. He glared at them, taking the top one off after plugging his headphones into his phone. Confident strains of 'Daydream Believer' echoed around the bare halls as Peter started putting books away on the battered bookshelf. One slipped from his grasp with a clatter on the floor and he jumped, picking it up curiously. It was a notebook, from his fieldtrip around Europe for school. Written in permanent marker on the green cover was Ned's blocky handwriting reading "Peter and Ned's Ultimate Travel Journal" with a little doodle of Spider-Man taped next to it. Peter smiled sadly. That had been one of his best field trips. Minus the whole Mysterio thing. It had been when he and MJ finally got together. He flipped through the pages, chuckling softly at some of the random conversations they had and MJ calling him and Ned 'Petrova and Nedaniel.' They had started calling her 'Michelangelo' after that. He put the notebook in the drawer of his bedside table, next to the broken petals of the Black Dahlia necklace and his old point-and-shoot camera and went back to putting his items away.

By the time he got down to the box, the old, dingy apartment was already starting to feel like home... of some sort. With the few pictures he had of him and May, along with the drawings MJ used to give him from time to time and his Star Wars posters, the room really said "Peter Parker." And his stomach was saying that it needed food as soon as possible, to which Peter agreed. He laced up his boots and went outside, shivering slightly as the cold air nipped at his face. The snow crunched beneath his feet in a satisfying way, mingling with the chatter and bustle of Queens. Peter found himself walking towards Delmars, or one of the many Delmars shops that had opened up in the past... five, maybe six years. Time was confusing.

The bell rang as Peter opened the door, the mouth-watering aromas of sandwiches greeting him. He walked up to the counter, giving Mr Delmar a warm smile.

"Hey there, how can I help you?" The man asked, returning Peter's smile. 

"Hey, uh, can I get the number five, with extra pickles and squashed down real flat? Thank you."

Mr Delmar nodded and one of the workers behind him got to work making the sandwich. "That will be five-" he looked down at the five dollar bill Peter had just placed down on the counter. "Thank you."

Peter got his sandwich and left, saying another "thank you" as he left the warm shop. He went down the street, looking into the windows of shops already prepping for Christmas. It was hard to believe that the end of the year was around the corner. This year has been wild, he thought to himself, brushing over the memories before slamming them to the back of his mind. He wasn't ready to unpack them all just yet. 

He found himself slowing down as he reached a little cafe. His eyes ran over the name "Candy Lane" multiple times before he realised where he was. Oh no. No no no. Before he could stop himself, Peter was looking in the window, watching as a tall, African-American girl conversed with a stouter Filipino while she worked. The broken Black Dahlia necklace around her neck was a stark contrast to her pastel uniform, but then again, no one would have ever expected to see Michelle Jones in pastel. She said something to Ned, who snorted, both of them laughing as MJ went back to taking orders. A hole gaped wide in Peter's heart as he watched them live on without him. He missed the way they used to hang out together, Ned and Peter ranting about something or other while MJ listened, adding in her own thoughts every now and then. He missed doing their handshake with Ned, MJ calling him dork, both of them spamming his phone when the news showed that Spidey had been shot. He missed having people who didn't mind him venting, people who would give him a shoulder to cry on when he felt down. He missed the people who had seen him at his worst and who once knew how he really felt under the many layers he had put on to hide his emotions from the world and even himself. 

He missed his friends.

Peter was pulled from his thoughts as an auburn-haired teen, about Peter's age, bumped into him. "Sorry," Peter muttered out of habit, watching as the boy walked in and sat down with Ned, talking like they had been friends for years. Peter pulled away, pulling his beanie further down his face. He had seen enough. And the longer he watched, the more he wanted to tell them everything that had happened. But he couldn't. Now, they had a chance at living a normal life, one where they wouldn't be constantly in danger because of him. One where they could live happily without having him and his burdens lagging around after them. They deserved this, to have a happy, peaceful life. And Peter deserved this. This loneliness and emptiness that trailed around him. It was his fault, after all, that got him into this situation. If only he hadn't been stupid for once, then maybe, maybe everything would have been okay. Maybe May would have still been alive, laughing as Ned and MJ told her embarrassing stories about him. But no, she was gone. They were gone. And it was his fault.

Peter got back to his apartment, dumping his sandwich on the counter as he removed his boots. Now wasn't the time to get all mopey and sad about his actions. He looked at the whiteboard, with his plans for the next nine months as he took a bite of his sandwich. "Okay, so I've got nine months until MIT starts. That means the sooner I do the entrance exam, the better. And apply for a full scholarship. That would be good." he took another bite, adding notes to his plan. "So, first we call MIT, get that sorted... I'm gonna need a job. The best choice to start with would be McDonald's, since they hire pretty much everyone, but I don't know how long I can live off minimum wage..." Peter spotted his Stark Industries hoodie slung over one of the chairs. "SI... I could get an internship." He laughed, remembering the lie he came up with all those years ago. "Internship it is. I can wait until I get results back from MIT, 'cause then if I do get in, that'll boost my chances..." He scribbled more things on the whiteboard, finalizing any details he needed before stepping back and inspecting his work. Maybe this would work.

Peter smiled. "Okay. First things on the list." He dug around his pockets for his phone, dialling up a number. "Hi, is this the MIT admissions number? I'd like to apply for a scholarship."