(A/N:) Ever since watching the Trueman Show, I've been fascinated with the idea of living your whole life and discovering that it's all a lie. Everyone you love and everything you've ever known is all fabricated just for the world's entertainment. I didn't think about pairing the Trueman show with Peter until I started reading an awesome fic called (The Adrien and Marinette Show by RaspberryCatapult). While reading that amazing story, I realized I could mash the Trueman show with someone innocent like Peter. Thus, I decided to create this story, but unlike the movie, there will be no hopeful ending. I plan to use elements from the movie, but I will make changes to make this story my own.

This fic will be dark, and the ending will not be a happy one. Please read all of the tags before continuing.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Marvel Universe or any of its characters. I also don't own the Trueman show or any ideas taken from it.


Tony's POV- 17 years ago:

The day Peter Parker was born was the best day of Tony Stark's life. He and his team waited in the maternity ward for five women to give birth. One of the babies would be a future star, but which baby it would be was still unknown. And then a wail pierced Tony's ears, and a tiny baby flushed red was brought to him, screaming its lungs out. Tony looked once into the baby's innocent brown eyes and instantly felt a bond with the child. The other babies would be born within hours after the first, but Tony had already decided that this infant was the one he wanted.

The child would be the center of his life and the world. This little boy would be a national treasure to all, but most importantly, he would fill the void in Tony's life.

Letting the baby wrap its little hands around one of his fingers, Tony swore that no one would take this child away from him, not even the boy himself. With cameras pointed at them, Tony carefully raised the baby and said, "Welcome to the world, Peter."


Peter's POV- Current Day:

Everything was calm, from the tides whose waves gently lapped at the shore to the desolate atmosphere, save for one person. This is why Peter loved the beach. It was usually a quiet and safe place he could escape to when life was hard.

Uncle Ben used to take him here every month until the accident...It always hurt to think about that night. If Peter hadn't been so selfish and had just begged his uncle to take them sailing another day, then Ben would still be alive. Peter felt like he was the one who should've died.

Peter twisted the large silver ring around his left ring finger aimlessly. It was the last gift Ben had given him, and Peter constantly fiddled with it when he felt nervous or stressed. Tomorrow would be Peter's first day of his senior year of high school, and he'd give anything to have Ben by his side. Peter was almost a man and still had so much to figure out. If Ben were still around, he would've helped guide Peter.

Peter stared out into the water, still twisting the ring, lost in thought. So many things were going to change soon. Peter would soon graduate and need to start college immediately after. May mentioned that the Daily Bugle was hiring and that it could be an excellent job for him while he was in college. It'd look good on future applications, she had said.

May had planned out Peter's whole life: go to college, work at the Bugle, graduate from college, become a detective, get married, have babies, retire, and grow old. Peter knew May was trying to help. He was the one, after all, who told her he wanted to be a detective when he was older, and for years, he had that dream. However, something has changed in the last few years.

At some point, Peter started to feel lost. His previous desires had vanished, and a sense of wanderlust replaced them. Peter had never left Seahaven Island before and felt he didn't belong here. But if not here, then where? Uncle Ben once told Peter that he and Peter's father were originally from New York. From the city that never sleeps. What would it be like to live in New York City? A population laughably larger than this island. What were the people like? What untold adventures would await Peter if he went there?

Peter wanted to entertain this grand dream of leaving, but the boy knew he could never leave the island. May would be heartbroken if he left her and walked away from the life she had dreamed for him. When Uncle Ben died, May begged Peter never to leave her. Tears gently fell down Peter's cheeks as he remembered his promise to May that he would never leave her. Peter would keep his promise despite his heart being torn in opposite directions.

Peter continued to cry as he reached out to touch the nearby water. If he touched the water, he would feel like he was touching Ben. Peter's fingers barely grazed the water before he whipped his arm back in terror. He couldn't do it. Touching water after the accident was complicated, and although Peter didn't mind the rain or bath water, he still couldn't bring himself to feel the same ocean water that had swept Ben away.

Peter breathed shakily as he stood up from the sand. He wiped the tears from his face and sighed. It was getting late; May would be worried. Peter glanced again at the water and whispered a silent farewell to his uncle before going home.

The walk home took only a few minutes, and when he reached his house, he noticed May had left the porch light on for him. Peter quietly entered the house and felt relief when he didn't see May waiting for him. May deserved her sleep and didn't need to worry about him.

Peter grabbed a bottle of water before deciding to head up to bed. Peter cursed as the stairs creaked beneath his feet, but thankfully, his antics seemed to go unnoticed by May. Peter stepped into his room and threw himself down onto the bed. He took a big gulp of water before putting it on his bedside table.

Peter's eyes could barely stay open as he set his phone alarms for the morning. His first day of senior year was already starting rough, with him going to bed just mere hours before he was due in school. Despite knowing he'd be miserable once he woke up, Peter didn't regret going to the beach; he needed that visit.

Just before Peter's eyes closed for the night, he saw a brief flash of bright red light outside his bedroom window, but he didn't give the sight much thought before he fell asleep.

...

The next day-

Peter was supposed to wake up to his alarms—if not the first one, then at least the tenth one he set. Instead, he was awoken by May's screams.

"Peter! Peter, honey, it's time to wake up! You're going to be late for school."

Peter's eyes shot open in panic, and he groaned as he checked his phone. What the Hell? Peter only had ten minutes to get ready before the bus arrived. Peter wasted no time as he threw his blanket off of him and ran to the bathroom. Toothpaste splattered his bathroom mirror as Peter desperately tried to get ready as quickly as possible. Peter devoted just two minutes to brushing his teeth before hastily rinsing his mouth and began styling his hair. The mouse was cold in Peter's hands as he scrunched his hair with the foam. Usually, Peter would've wet his hair first, but there was just no time.

Peter styled his hair until it was acceptable, and he raced to put on an outfit. He selected blue jeans and a light green T-shirt. With no time to waste, he put on his shoes and ran down the stairs. Peter had one minute left and knew from experience that the bus driver would not wait for him.

Peter almost tripped at the end of the staircase, but thankfully, there wasn't a casualty other than the booming noise of him hitting a wall. May was waiting in the kitchen for him, holding his backpack and a lunch box. Peter smiled sheepishly as he took both items from her.

May shook her head. "Honestly, Peter, it's impressive how you can sleep through all your alarms. You would hold the record if it were an Olympic sport."

Peter blushed and replied, "I know, I suck. I don't hear the alarms, and I have trouble sleeping some nights."

May looked sympathetic to Peter's plight as she grabbed a vanilla protein shake from the fridge and handed it to him.

"You don't suck," May gently reprimanded him. "You've been through a lot, and it's understandable that you struggle sometimes. You're only human and deserve to give yourself a break now and then."

May's words touched Peter. She always knew the right things to say, and Peter was so grateful for her presence in his life. Peter was about to thank May when he heard the sound of squeaking brakes coming from outside. It had to be the bus.

Peter shouted a quick goodbye to May as he darted towards the door. The door slammed shut before he could hear May yell about taking his multivitamin. Peter ran the short distance to the bus and panted hard as the driver swung open the doors to let Peter inside.

"You're late," the driver, Smerdyakov, snapped.

Peter glanced at his watch and saw he was barely just on time. Peter wanted to argue with Smerdyakov, but seeing the man's strict face, all the fight left Peter. Peter just mumbled under his breath as he went to the back of the bus, where Ned eagerly awaited him. Ned didn't even wait for Peter to be fully seated before he began speaking.

"Dude, you won't believe it! The newest Lego Star Wars figure will be released in a month! Dude, I'm so excited."

Peter took in Ned's enthusiasm and smiled at his best friend.

"Whose it of?" Peter asked. Peter started chugging his protein shake as Ned continued his rant.

"It's the Lego version of Ahsoka! I saw the promo pics, and she looks so badass, dude."

Peter rolled his eyes. Of course, it was Ahsoka. Ned had the biggest crush on her ever since the live-action show came out.

"That's great, dude," Peter said before finishing off his breakfast.

Ned suddenly chuckled and pointed at Peter's shirt. Embarrassed, Peter realized he had made a mess from the protein shake. Peter tried desperately to wipe away the white stain on his shirt, but he knew he was doomed.

"Bro, we're supposed to impress the ladies today. How can they be impressed if you look like you have spilled the entire cafeteria on your shirt?"

Peter glared at his friend. "For one, it's not the whole cafeteria. And two, I'm not looking to impress anyone today, especially any ladies."

Ned sighed in disbelief and shook his head at Peter's denial.

"Seriously, dude? You don't want to impress anyone? Not even MJ?"

Peter's eyes widened, and he slapped a hand across Ned's mouth. Peter looked around the bus, and thankfully, no one had overheard Ned. Peter stared daggers at Ned as his friend muttered underneath Peter's palm.

Peter lifted his hand away as he begged, "Please don't mention MJ. You know she doesn't even know who I am. She's probably never even looked my way."

Ned looked incredulous. "I highly doubt that," he denied.

Peter scoffed, and before he could deny Ned's statement, Ned continued talking. "You might not believe me, but I swear she looked at you on our final school day last year. She was totally checking you out, dude."

Peter had enough and started laughing. Ned looked unamused as Peter laughed, and at one point, Peter had to wipe a tear from one of his eyes.

"MJ looked at me?" Peter asked with sarcasm.

Ned must have misunderstood Peter's tone as he nodded frantically.

"Yeah, dude. That's what I'm trying to tell you. I think this year, if you actually talk to her, you might have a shot."

"Okay, Ned," Peter snorted. "Whatever you say."

Ned looked like he wanted to say more but stopped himself. It was a miracle because Ned didn't often censor himself from saying what he thought. Ned just shook his head.

"Just wait, Peter, this year everything will change."

Peter grinned at his friend, although he didn't share Ned's sentiment. He and Ned talked more about Lego figures as the bus brought them to school. They disembarked the bus and headed inside the school to the stadium, where everyone from different years was gathered together. The principal gave his yearly speech welcoming them all and addressing some issues he and the staff would tackle this coming year. Peter mostly zoned out the principal's words as his eyes felt sleepy and his brain thought only of sleep.

It wasn't until the first bell rang and Ned shook Peter's arm that Peter jolted up and realized it was time to start the school day. Ned and Peter studied their school schedules and headed to their first classes. Peter was stuck in math while Ned was attending English class. The pair wouldn't see each other again until midway through the day when they had science class together. Peter felt joy being back learning his favorite subject, while Ned was bored and sent notes to Peter for the whole half hour.

After science class, it was time to go to the gym, and Peter felt horrified that Flash Tompson was a part of the group. The bully looked thrilled to see Peter and let the boy know about his enthusiasm by throwing a dodgeball at his face. Peter was forced to spend the duration of gym class trying to dodge balls being thrown at him by Flash and his cronies. Relief flooded Peter as the bell rang, and he left the gymnasium as quickly as he could, but not before getting roughly shoved to the floor by Flash.

Lunch was lackluster, with standard food that met the school's guidelines, and Peter felt blessed that May had packed him real food. Ned tried trading his lunch with Peter but only got a granola bar for his troubles. After lunch, the boys were split up again as they attended their elective classes, and before Peter knew it, he was in his final class of the day.

Last year, Peter had to select which elective classes he wanted, and creative writing was one he picked. Peter sat down in his assigned seat and felt bored as he waited for the final class of the day to start. Peter already had so much homework to do tonight, but all he wanted to do was take a nap. Peter was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice the person sitting beside him, but once he looked up, he froze.

MJ was sitting next to Peter. For as long as Peter could remember, he and MJ had never been seated so close together. MJ usually sat in the back of any room she was in, and Peter was typically assigned a seat in the front of the class. Why was she seated next to Peter now? Did the teacher decide to change things up? Or did MJ request a seat closer to the front? Peter tried to stop staring at MJ but had difficulty looking away.

MJ seemed unaware of Peter's stare as she twisted some of her long, curly hair in her fingers. The other hand, not messing with her hair, was tapping a pencil against her notebook.

Peter only looked away from MJ once their teacher, Ms. Warren, entered the classroom. Ms. Warren walked to the center of the room and waited until she had everyone's attention before speaking.

"Good afternoon, class," Ms. Warren cheerfully greeted her students. Most of the teens greeted Ms. Warren half-heartedly, but Peter was bold and waved at her.

Ms. Warren did a quick roll call. Once she confirmed the attendance of all her students, she beamed and explained her plans.

"Many of you are taking this course for the first time. While I understand this is an elective class, I expect you all to put in your best effort. This year, I'm trying something new. Look at the person to your left. They will be your partner for the year. You will work together on any writing prompts I give, and I will grade you on your joint efforts. Now, turn to your partner, and I'll pass out the first assignment of the year."

While the rest of the class looked to see who their partners would be, Peter knew with a pit in his stomach who his was. MJ didn't have anyone seated to the left of her, so she turned right to look at Peter. Peter felt like a deer caught in headlights as MJ looked Peter up and down, and she did not look pleased to see that he was her partner.

Peter wanted to break the awkward silence but was unsure what to say to impress the girl next to him. In the end, all Peter could muster was a simple "Hey."

MJ looked shocked that Peter dared to talk to her, but impassiveness soon replaced that shock.

"Sup," MJ replied.

The teens stared at each other until Ms. Warren interrupted them by passing them each a sheet of paper. Peter was thankful for the interruption and looked at the assignment the teacher had given them. The paper, in big, bold letters, stated that it wanted them to explain their purpose in life and the goals they wanted to achieve.

MJ guffawed next to Peter, and he looked over to see her smirking. Catching Peter's eye, she leaned over and whispered, "Can you believe this? She wants us to write about our purpose in life. Our goals..."

Peter cackled along with her. "It is kind of ridiculous," he agreed.

MJ's eyes were lit up in delight, and Peter thought she looked beautiful—beautiful, that is until she elbowed him hard.

"Earth to Peter, did you even hear a word I said?"

"Huh," Peter replied dumbly.

"I just said that Ms. Warren will probably ask us to write about our biggest regrets in life next. I hope not because she won't like the novel she'd get back from me in return."

MJ looked so grave that Peter laughed hard, which drew the attention of some of his classmates. However, once they saw Peter, they quickly turned back around. MJ looked pleased that she was able to make Peter laugh, and Peter decided he really wanted to be friends with MJ.

"I know what you mean," Peter said, hoping his laughter hadn't offended her. "If I wrote about every regret I had, I'd probably run out of paper."

"Oh? Tell me, what regrets do you have?" MJ asked, intrigued.

Peter suddenly wished he had never bantered with MJ. While the girl had asked an innocent question, it made Peter remember everything he had ever done that he wished he could go back in time and erase. How could he answer her question? 'I regret being selfish and being the reason my uncle is no longer around?' No, she would think he was pathetic.

Peter shrugged at MJ's question and taking the hint, MJ moved on to another topic.

"Well, since we're going to be buddies for the next year, maybe we should get to know each other."

Peter quickly nodded yes before realizing he probably looked foolish and stopped.

"That sounds great. Do you want to hang out tomorrow after school? We can get to know each other and go over the assignment," Peter offered.

MJ squinted at him, unsure whether to accept his offer. "Sure, why not?" she consented.

Peter was ecstatic that MJ agreed instead of just telling him to eff off like he thought she would. MJ would be the first girl he would ever bring home, and he dreaded having to explain to May that they were just school partners. May had wanted Peter to have a girlfriend for years, and he absolutely did not want May to jump to the wrong conclusion.

"Awesome, I'll let my aunt know you'll be coming over."

"Cool," MJ commented before focusing on their teacher, who explained more about the assignment.

The rest of the class passed quickly, and Peter didn't even get to say goodbye to MJ as she rushed out of class the minute the final bell rang. Peter joined his classmates in the parking lot to wait for their buses. Peter knew he should wait for Ned and take the bus home, but something in him told him he should walk. Ned would understand, and Peter would hang out with him later today anyway.

Peter glanced around, ensuring he was in the clear, and began walking home. Peter was feeling euphoric during his journey home. The weather was scorching, but it didn't bother Peter, who ignored the heat and focused on admiring everything on his path home. Things were finally looking up. Peter felt, dare he say, happy. It was almost wrong to enjoy life while still grieving Ben's loss, but Peter knew Ben would've just wanted him to be happy.

Peter was only a mile away from home when something strange happened. A loud whirring noise caught his attention, and Peter had only a split second to witness a large object falling from the sky before it crashed onto the road below.


(A/N :) I hope you enjoyed the chapter if you made it this far. This is a slow start before things pick up in the future. If you have any questions, you can comment below, and I'll try to answer them without giving away any spoilers. Thanks for reading, and have a good one!