The hallway buzzed with life, lockers slamming, sneakers squeaking, someone shouting across the corridor about a missing algebra assignment. Raj walked with his hands in his pockets, head down, hoodie up, trying to blend in with the crowd even though his very cells felt like they were still glowing from the cafeteria incident.
His skin had cooled, the last threads of light tamed under his breath in the bathroom. But something lingered. Like static. Like the echo of a song that didn't want to stop.
Peter Parker, meanwhile, had stopped walking altogether.
Halfway between physics and bio lab, Peter stood frozen near the stairwell, his hand grazing his backpack strap while his Spidey-sense danced a jittery tap dance across his skull. It wasn't screaming like danger, more like… that prickly, crawling feeling you get when someone's watching you and you don't know why.
And the source?
Walking two lockers ahead. Raj.
Peter narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. It wasn't the first time this had happened. The buzzing had started yesterday in the cafeteria and came back stronger today—especially after the apple explosion incident. No normal kid could crush an apple like that. Not without gorilla hands or… I don't know, telekinetic heat palms?
Raj didn't seem dangerous. But Peter had learned early that "seems" meant nothing.
So he moved.
"Hey!" Peter said, catching up with that classic awkward grin he always wore when he was being nosy. "Raj, right?"
Raj stopped. He blinked, visibly surprised. "Yeah?"
"I'm Peter. We have AP Chemistry together. You sit near the window."
"Right," Raj said slowly. "I've seen you with Ned. You're the guy who always raises his hand when the teacher asks rhetorical questions."
Peter chuckled. "Guilty."
There was a pause. Hallway traffic swerved around them like water hitting a rock.
"So, uh," Peter continued, trying to sound casual, "saw what happened in the cafeteria earlier. That apple didn't stand a chance."
Raj gave a dry laugh. "Yeah. Might sue the lunch lady for microwave abuse."
Peter smirked, but didn't let it go. "It wasn't just hot. It burst. Like, spectacularly. Kinda... Star Trek phaser meltdown style."
Raj shrugged. "Guess I've got bad luck with fruit."
Peter tilted his head. "And with glowing arms?"
That did it.
Raj's spine stiffened ever so slightly. "You saw that?"
"Not directly," Peter said quickly, "but when you ran out, the whole room felt weird. My—uh—my instincts went off. I'm kinda sensitive to weird stuff. Allergic to drama."
Raj didn't respond. His gaze shifted, scanning the hallway like he was measuring escape routes. Then he said flatly, "Well, must be a mild allergy. I wasn't doing anything dangerous."
"I didn't say dangerous," Peter replied, voice softer now. "Just… interesting."
Another silence.
Peter scratched the back of his head. "Look, I know we don't really know each other, and you're probably thinking, 'Who is this nosy kid sniffing around my lunch explosion?' But if you ever want to talk—I'm good at keeping secrets."
Raj met his gaze, and for a moment, Peter saw something flicker in those pale, tired eyes. Not fear.
Loneliness.
And something else. Something that curled at the edges of Raj's expression like smoke from a hidden fire.
"I'm fine," Raj said, a little too firmly. "But thanks."
Peter nodded slowly. "Cool. Just… stay hydrated. You know. In case of future apple-related combustions."
Raj allowed himself a tiny smirk. "Noted."
Peter turned to go, but Raj called out before he could disappear into the crowd.
"Hey."
Peter stopped.
Raj looked at him for a beat. "Do you always trust your instincts?"
Peter grinned. "Only when they're annoyingly persistent."
And with that, he vanished into the sea of students, leaving Raj standing by the lockers, feeling like the hallway had suddenly grown colder.
Raj sat through his next two classes like a statue—still, silent, skin cool. But inside, thoughts raced faster than a nuclear particle accelerator.
He hadn't meant for Peter to notice. Hell, he hadn't meant to do anything. That power surge in the cafeteria wasn't intentional. It was like something in him responded automatically to sunlight, heat, and—unfortunately—annoying basketball players.
And Peter Parker?
Too observant for his own good.
Raj didn't know much about Peter. Just that he was smart. Quiet. Nerdy in the way that made teachers love him and bullies forget him. He blended in almost too well. But today, Peter had stepped out of the crowd—and it felt deliberate.
Raj tapped his fingers against the side of his desk. There was a rhythm there. Something building.
Later that night, Raj stood on the rooftop of his apartment building, the wind tousling his hoodie, moonlight pale against his skin.
He held up his hand. Slowly. Deliberately.
Nothing happened.
Then he closed his eyes. Thought of the apple. The heat. The way sunlight wrapped around him like armor and threatened to tear through skin.
His hand shimmered.
A faint flicker. Gold veins. A crackle beneath the surface, like his blood was charged with light.
But no flare.
No explosion.
He opened his eyes and let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Control, he thought.
He could do this.
Whatever this power was—whatever he had become—it wasn't going away.
But maybe… just maybe… it didn't have to be a curse.
As long as he stayed ahead of it.
And as long as no one like Peter looked too closely.