Unlike the front of the store, the back was obviously used and worn. Peter took it all in. It seemed that most things remained the same as it was in his world, even the brown fur ball that came prancing towards him. He kneeled down and let Murph smell him as Delmar sat back and watched. Once the cat had decided Peter wasn't a threat, it nudged his hand and purred softly.
Delmar grinned. "Murphy likes you."
Peter looked up at him while continuously petting Murphy. "Oh… is that a good thing?"
Murphy chirped and pawed at his leg, begging to be held. A mischievous glint sparkled in Delmar's eyes as his grin widened.
"Boy, being on Murph's good side is the best outcome you could have. Ask the other driver what it's like having to be on the bad side of that little ankle biter… Of course that's if you make it through the night."
An edge of fear slinked down Peter's spine as he stood back up. He was no stranger to fear, it's what came with being a hero and a New Yorker. But Gotham was new territory, new fears, and it was only starting to sink in.
He nodded, feigning an air of confidence. "Of course."
"Great," Delmar said. He clapped Peter's shoulder and passed to him a delivery bag. Inside was an assortment of customer's orders. Each item was labeled and stacked in a way that would maximize space and minimize the possibility of items being crushed in the bottom.
"Uhm, Mr. Delmar-" Peter started.
"Just Delmar, kid," He interrupted.
Peter hesitated slightly, unsure if this would be an appropriate topic. "You keep mentioning another driver and I was wondering if I could know a little bit more?"
Delmar seemed to ponder the question before he finally spoke. "Finish the deliveries and I'll tell you more."
With that, he handed Peter an overly large sweatshirt with Delmar's logo on it and shooed him out the back door.
–
Peter's stomach grumbled as he was once again parkouring across the slippery rooftops. He really should have eaten more before he went to Delmar's, but he also didn't expect to receive the job so easily.
"Too late now," he mumbled and leaped across a gap between two buildings. His spider sense hummed just as he came into contact with a low hanging pipe. He stuck his hands out as his body flipped and crashed onto the rooftop of the other building, managing to land on his stomach instead of the backpack.
"Ow," he groaned. His hands cupped his face as he curled in on himself. After a few minutes of pitying himself, Peter got up and walked under the small rain cover by the stairwell. Taking the clunky GPS receiver out of his hoodie pocket, he checked it for damage.
He'd found it hidden inside the hoodie that Delmar had given him and guessed it was to keep him from getting lost. Peter scoffs, 'Or maybe he has a hidden tracker in it to keep me from running away with his stuff.'
He shrugged and took off again, using the device to guide him. It took some time to get into the swing of it all, but soon enough he was flying across rooftops. Peter felt no need to hide his abilities as the cover of nightfall and the downpour kept him from being seen by anyone who happened to look up. Or at least he hopped so.
While some of the deliveries were fairly sketchy, most were families unable or unwilling to go outside in the weather and honestly, Peter couldn't blame them. The employee sweatshirt Delmar had given him was soaked through and did nothing to block the wind.
MJ didn't bother looking up from her book as she suddenly spoke. "Did you know that most spiders can't handle temperatures below -5 degrees."
The memory hit him hard. One moment he was handing over an order and the next he was huddled up beneath an AC unit, forty feet above the ground. His heart clenched so tightly and his head hurt from holding back the tears. He'd lost them, every single last one of them because of his own selfish needs.
The loud honking of a passing car snapped him out of his stupor. Peter swallowed down the bile that had threatened to rise up, although he doubted anything could even be thrown up at that moment. He just sat there for a few seconds before stretching out his arm. It was tense and difficult to move.
He had never asked if MJ meant Fahrenheit or Celsius.
Peter shivered as he entered in through the back door of Delmar's. Water was everywhere; sloshing uncomfortably in his shoes, trailing down his back in ways that made him squirm, matting his hair to his head. He did not like water at that moment.
He'd been thinking on his way back, nothing bad really, just what he planned to do in the future. Obviously everything from his world had been thrown out the window and he currently didn't exist in this world which meant he was back to square one. Although he did have shelter, food, and a job so he was a little further than square one, but not as far as he wanted.
'Schooling?' The idea popped into his mind as he set down the delivery bag and GPS.
Memories of being shoved into lockers and toilets flashed in his mind. The classes he constantly had to make up because he ran off to save the world. Leaving the school with headaches after having to deal with the relentless assault of his senses for seven or more hours. Going back to school suddenly did not seem as appealing as before.
Peter sighed and struggled to shimmy out of the drenched sweatshirt. He was most likely going to need a highschool diploma or GED and both required money and time that he just didn't have.
Voices echoed out from the front, breaking him from his musings. He set the sweatshirt down as he wandered towards them. A familiar scent and voice made him falter.
"There's no way," Peter muttered and stuck his head around the corner.
Those eery green eyes caught his gaze and those dark brows furrowed in confusion.
Delmar turned around and smiled as he saw Peter, a small twinkle of pride shone in his eyes. He chuckled, "You really weren't lying, kid." Delmar pointed towards the stranger who stood up and held his hand out for Peter to take. "This is gonna be your colleague. Jason."
Peter blinked owlishly and spoke, "Subway Man."
Jason made a face. "Excuse me?"
