It was Arthur's first day at New York University. He arrived at the sprawling campus, took a deep breath, and thought, Finally, I get to experience college life! After checking in, he walked directly to his assigned class. He found an empty seat in the back row and settled in, patiently waiting for class to begin.
The professor walked into the classroom, greeting everyone with a cheerful "Good morning, class!" He then scanned the room, his eyes landing on Arthur. "We have a new student joining us today. Would you like to introduce yourself?"
Arthur stood up, a small smile on his face. "Hi everyone, I'm Arthur. It's great to be here." He then sat back down, already feeling a bit awkward about the spotlight.
The professor continued, "Alright, let's open our textbooks to page..."
Just as the lecture began, the classroom door swung open abruptly, and a young man rushed in, gasping for breath. "Sorry, Professor, I'm late!" he panted.
The professor looked up, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "Peter, you're late again? Why do you always cut it so close?"
"I… uh… I woke up a little late today," Peter stammered, looking embarrassed.
"Alright, just find a seat and try to keep up," the professor said, sighing.
Peter quickly found the only empty seat available, right next to Arthur, and quietly sat down. Arthur turned his head slightly and looked at Peter, a knowing smile playing on his lips. Peter, oblivious, was already burying his head in his textbook, trying to catch up with the lecture.
The lecture droned on. Arthur's mind, however, began to wander. He thought about his powers and the two Infinity Stones that were currently on Earth: the Space Stone (the Tesseract) and the Mind Stone (Loki's scepter). He remembered that the Mind Stone was in Loki's scepter, and that Loki himself was still hanging out on Asgard at this point. The Mind Stone is perfect for me, Arthur mused. If I could fuse it with my own ability to control creatures, imagine the possibilities! But how do I get it? It's probably going to require some serious planning.
Class eventually ended. "Hey, you're the new student, right?" Peter Parker asked, turning to Arthur as he packed up his books.
"Yeah, that's me. You're Peter, right? I heard the professor call you that," Arthur replied, friendly.
"Yup, that's me. And you are...?"
"Arthur. Nice to meet you, Peter." Arthur extended his hand.
"Nice to meet you too, Arthur," Peter said, shaking his hand firmly. "Say, I've never seen you around here before. Where are you from?"
"Oh, I'm from… a pretty remote place," Arthur said, keeping it vague. "Just transferred here. So, Peter, what's your major? What are you studying?"
"I'm studying… well, a little bit of everything, really. Sciences, primarily," Peter replied, a somewhat flustered look on his face. He was clearly a bright kid, but a bit awkward socially. "So, Arthur, what about you?"
"My major is also... a little bit of everything," Arthur mimicked, grinning. "Same as you, mostly. I'm taking a lot of science courses."
"No way! We're in the same class and have the same major? What a coincidence!" Peter exclaimed, clearly surprised and pleased. "Hey, do you want to grab lunch together later?"
"Sure, I'd love to," Arthur said, accepting the invitation.
During lunch, the two young men chatted amiably. Peter Parker was indeed a good, honest kid, a genuine nerd in the making. He didn't have many friends, though. When he found out Arthur was a transfer student, he was eager to strike up a friendship. Arthur, for his part, found Peter quite endearing.
"So, what do you usually do in your free time, Peter?" Arthur asked, genuinely curious.
Peter's eyes darted around nervously. "Uh... nothing much. Just, you know, reading and studying, normal stuff," he stammered, clearly trying to avoid the topic of his superhero alter-ego.
Arthur just smiled. "Come on, don't be so modest. I'm guessing you enjoy taking photos, right?"
"How did you know that?" Peter asked, his eyes wide with surprise. "You… you didn't, like, follow me or anything, did you?"
"Nah, I didn't follow you," Arthur reassured him. "It's just a guess. You've got that whole artsy, photographer vibe about you, you know?"
"Oh, right, okay," Peter said, still looking a little suspicious. "Yeah, I love photography. I usually go out and take pictures of, well, all sorts of interesting things happening in the city." Peter always photographed Spider-Man in action and then sold the photos to the Daily Bugle.
Arthur, seeing his opening, changed the topic slightly. "Hey, you know, sometimes people run into a little trouble. If you ever see someone who needs help, someone who's not strong enough to protect themselves, what do you think you should do?"
"Well, you should definitely help them, right?" Peter said without hesitation, his face earnest. "It's the right thing to do. And with great power comes great responsibility, right?"
"Exactly! That's a great saying. Who told you that?" Arthur asked, feigning ignorance.
Peter's face immediately fell. "My Uncle Ben told me that, before… before he passed away," he said, his voice quiet and filled with sadness.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Peter. I didn't know," Arthur said genuinely. He remembered the tragic story of Peter Parker's Uncle Ben and how it fueled his transformation into Spider-Man.
"It's fine," Peter said, trying to smile, but his eyes were still a bit watery.
Arthur subtly changed the subject again. "So, Peter, what do you plan to do after graduation?"
"After graduation... I want to join a research institute," Peter said, his eyes lighting up with enthusiasm at the thought of his scientific ambitions. "I want to dedicate myself to scientific research, just like Mr. Stark!"
"Oh, you admire Tony Stark?" Arthur asked, a slight chuckle.
"Yeah! He's amazing!" Peter exclaimed, his admiration clear. "He's super smart, and now he's even a superhero. He's totally my idol!"
"Well, if you like him, I can take you to meet him sometime," Arthur offered casually.
Peter's eyes widened, practically popping out of his head. "Really?! You know Mr. Stark? You can actually take me to meet him?" he stammered, utterly flabbergasted.
"Yeah, of course," Arthur said. "Tony and I are pretty good friends. We even had dinner at my place just a couple of days ago."
"Wow! You are absolutely incredible, Arthur!" Peter exclaimed, looking at Arthur with newfound awe and respect. "You're even friends with Mr. Stark!"
Arthur just smiled mysteriously. If you knew everything I know, you'd be even more surprised, he thought.
"Hey, Arthur, do you have a girlfriend?" Peter asked, changing the topic again, perhaps a bit awkwardly.
Arthur froze for a moment. "A girlfriend? Uh, no, not really. I'm focused on my studies right now, you know?" He wasn't lying. With all the chaos of this world and his plans for power, he didn't have time for romance.
"Well, if you ever need help, I can set you up," Peter offered, grinning. "I know some pretty cool girls."
"Oh, thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Arthur replied, a little surprised by Peter's forwardness.
The two continued to chat, sharing stories and getting to know each other better. Arthur genuinely felt that Peter was a decent kid. He considered telling Peter about his own powers and offering to help him, but he decided against it for now. Let him go through his own journey first, Arthur thought. Besides, he hasn't even been bitten by the spider yet. Once that happens, I can choose to help him, or not.
With that thought, Arthur and Peter finished their lunch, their conversation flowing naturally, cementing the beginning of a genuine friendship.