9 - Peter Parker: Origin
Wow, this was uh...pretty late, wunnit?
Also, worked on formatting a bit since it's been a bit inconsistent. I'll do better as I go along. Same goes for my subpar writing.
I don't own anything really. Do I really have to put that on every chapter? I feel like it's kind of obvious Spider-Man, My Hero Academia and all related properties don't belong to me.
Part 1 - The Drama We Call Life
The story so far?
You know the story so far.
Spider-Sense. Arguably the most consistently useful tool at his disposal, all things considered, but definitely the most stressful. Which was kind of the point, now that Peter thought about it.
He was just staring at the Nomu. They all were, even the villains that controlled him could only gawk at the creature that stood before them. The thing it became. The one word that came to mind when it looked back: helpless.
Spider-Sense could be very useful, but it was at its worst when the physical effects set in. The instincts of the animal he represented by the symbol on his chest and the webs he spun were kicking him in the keister and yelling at him to get going. The latent Spider-Brain screaming for a quick escape, but his Human-Brain wasn't doing so well either, as every fear-focused impulse built after millenia of cave-dwelling and rock smashing was hitting him all at once.
The way it's eyes seemed so much more lively than before, tracing down the bodies of every hero that stood before it, like a hungry animal studying prey. Behind those eyes something was alive and thinking, and that scared Peter beyond all else.
And it just stood there. Menacingly.
All Might could sense the fear permeating from each of his students, smell it even. There's a very slight, minuscule amount of guilt that creeps it's way into the back of his mind as he's reminded that he was supposed to be on duty before anyone else. If he hadn't been too busy resting, Aizawa and Thirteen wouldn't have been hurt, and the situation wouldn't have escalated to such a horrible point. Despite this, he doesn't let himself falter, even for a moment. In, with clenched fists held menacingly in a defensive position, he decides to make up for it.
"Kids, stand back! I can take it from here-" All Might starts to yell, as heroic as a man in this predicament could be, but was cut short by the screech from the Nomu. It'd lashed out, arms looking read to grab and tear somethings limbs clean off, and as it's large beak flew open, a sprinkle of viscous green fluid stained the concrete at its feet. The most immediately noticeable thing: the sound of it's screech has changed dramatically. Before, it was a simple, animalistic scream. Nothing too different from a stock sound effect in a horror film.
But now? It was louder, pained almost. A strangled scream of something that wasn't supposed to live. They could almost feel the sound against their faces.
It charged again with a speed that no creature that size should have, whatever loose bits of rubble were blown away by the incredible force exerted by each step. It's moments like these where time slows down for Peter, giving him time to think of a solution, maybe make some grand escape and a quick come back not so long later. Unfortunately, that stopped being an option as soon as he decided to use all of his webs for a slingshot of all things.
The two titans clash, Nomu's gargantuan fist matching the power of All Might's own. He hadn't even seen the teacher reel in for the punch before countering the monster's assault.
The real shock is the aftermath. Everyone in the surrounding area is swept off their feet almost immediately as the nearly-visible shockwave ripped through the air. Kurogiri's own body was destabilizing and being ripped and pulled by the wind, while Shigaraki is thrown right into the air, unable to ily ground himself, flying off into a distant location. The same occurs for the students, with little ability to resist on their part.
Bakugo, Kirishima, Peter, and Todoroki are flung through the air, flailing in random directions and entirely unable to stop themselves as the force of the blast did not waver in its magnitude. Wherever they landed, they could only rely on their wits to assist them.
Of course, Peter was all about wit, it came with the territory. This time though, he's got nothing.
It's actually terrifying for a brief moment, falling with absolutely no control of where he was going to land, or how. It wasn't a feeling he was particularly used to, but he'd been through it more than once by now. But he always found a way to land safely. The stray flag pole here, the conveniently placed pillow truck there, but that was in New York City. And he wasn't in New York City, so for now, his best plan was 'try not to land on your head', which in and of itself wasn't a bad idea, just not really the most ideal.
WHAM!
"Ow."
He'd landed just on the outskirts of the Ruins Zone, where he had been skirmishing with the Nomu earlier. Among the rubble that used to be the dividing wall, he was laid back-down on a large, barely intact slab of stone. Slowly, he leans up, propping up on his elbows and taking whatever little time he had to think and to breathe. The latter was a lot more difficult given the wind that was quite literally blown out of him.
"I—hnng—...I miss my villains." He ekes out the first thing he can think of, voice shaky and uneven. Slowly, he rests one palm on the stone, flipping over and pushing himself up on both knees. "They were bad, sure, but not this. At least I could tickle their funny bones long enough to slug'em in the face." He carefully stands up on his own two feet, fists clenched, shaking as he felt an air of cold overtake him. Strange, he didn't think it could get windy in a place with no windows. "Can't talk this one into submission. Can't hurt it. But I'll figure something out. I always do. I always..."
Boy meets girl. Girl ignores boy. Boy meets another girl. She ignores boy too.
Everyone ignores boy.
Boy gets the message. Boy goes home.
Nobody notices.
How could he blame anyone for not caring? He never stood out, did anything worth mentioning. He was always just smart. Smart and gullible and kind, the easiest target in the world.
He can feel it all flooding back into him, threatening to spill over, out of the carefully constructed fortress of his mind. Every cutting insult and painful jab, both aimed wherever it would hurt most. Days of being dragged out into the spotlight and being shown it wasn't where he belonged. They'd almost surgically poke and prod at him with every opportunity, finding each weakness and insecurity they could exploit and use to twist their words so he'd never know if they were.
They said so very many things, too. He was too short, skinny, ugly, slow, weak, quiet. He was everything wrong, and nothing right. One flaw in an otherwise perfect world, nothing but a nuisance. He clung on to the people around him in a vain attempt to assimilate without trying to imitate, because he truly believed that if he tried to be himself, whoever that was, that there was someone that would accept him. But Mary Jane didn't want him. Harry didn't want him. He didn't want him.
Boy gets bitten by radioactive spider. Boy freaks out.
Boy gets excited. Boy calms down. Boy freaks out again.
Boy figures out how to use his newfound abilities to make money.
Peter Parker was nota man. He was a boy playing a hero in a pathetic teenaged fantasy, believing he could find value in himself through it somehow. This wasn't fighting Crusher Hogan, and this wasn't starring on late night television, prancing about like a circus show just to get a few cheers out of a crowd, because it made him feel like he was finally worth something. For once in his life, in those moments that he thought would last forever, when his vision was filled with flashing lights and smiles, the air didn't feel so thick. For once, Peter Parker felt real.
But at the end of the day, people weren't cheering for Peter, they were cheering for Spider-Man. He couldn't even have that to himself.
It made him angry, bitter and filled with a venomous hatred for a world that he thought owed him for all he'd been through. He wanted to be thanked for his sacrifice, years of torment and self-loathing that all culminated into the moment that spider sunk its fangs into his hand. He thought that the least he could do was not hurt anyone he wanted to, no matter how strong that desire was.
Peter Parker just wanted to hurt the world for what it did to him.
Boy slips up. Somebody dies.
But Spider-Man was something special. Something real. Something that had a tangible and positive effect on the world, unlike everything else about the person behind the mask. It wasn't the quips, or the power, or the overwhelming determination to do good that filled him whenever he looked into the white-out lenses of his poorly sewn red mask, but it was the idea. The idea that someone as small and insignificant as he was could create something that made the world marvel. That's why he still put it on. Why he still kept trying.
But inevitably, Peter Parker was nothing. He was born as nothing, lived as nothing, and died as nothing. It was the inconsolable truth of his existence.
But none of that mattered, because right now Spider-Man had a job to do.
Boy wonders if he'll ever find his feet again.
Part 2 - I Must Be Worthy Of That Strength
Boy dies this time.
Boy wakes up somewhere else.
Boy doesn't know anything anymore.
It'd taken Spider-Man all of about seven minutes after his landing to gather his thoughts, made especially difficult by the extreme pain that he was experiencing in his arm and legs, and he imagined that being flung hundreds of feet didn't help much at all with that either.
Navigating the Ruins Zone, hiding from all the chaos as he did, he'd found little else but a stray piece of rebar he had the impulse to pick up. All the while continuing an ultimately unsuccessful search for the other students amongst all the artificial wreckage. Once he found it was devoid of any life besides him and whatever bugs were crawling from the cracks in the ground with the earth shaking beneath them, he'd made his way out to search elsewhere.
Now, the boy watched from the remains of the Mountain Zone (and now renamed Pebble Zone) as the battle raged on, the Nomu now having a noticeable upper hand where the most All Might could do was use his superior tactics to avoid it. Whatever Shigaraki had juiced it up with made a staggering difference in its strength and speed, and the teacher could no longer match it blow for blow as well as he hoped to before.
The point was, the situation had gone completely FUBAR, and no amount of luck or headstrong determination would get them out of this. At least, it didn't seem like it could so far. This was where Spider-Man came in, because it was under extreme pressure that he worked best, or at least that's what he told himself when things were spiralling out of control.
If only he could concentrate, given the constant sounds of a burly man and burly monster punching each other. It was like a thousand drums, sounding off one by one in a chaotic rhythm. Among all that, the Web Head notices that the two other villains were nowhere to be seen, and whether they managed an escape or were simply hiding among the chaos, he didn't know. that rent the world asunder around them.
On the other end of the stadium, his keen eyes could see Todoroki prying his way out of water from the Flood Zone, not too far away from where the battle was happening. Which was a very good thing, because knowing he wasn't the only one suffering made, which made Peter feel a lot better, because they were going to need all hands on deck for this one, and if he were a betting man he'd be guessing that Bakugo and Kirishima were in similar conditions elsewhere.
Spider-Man squints, feeling an idea creeping out from the back of his mind. All Might had spent all this time punching it, very hard mind you, but that was still all he was doing. With its increased power and size, punching it even harder no longer seemed like a viable option anymore. It's tough skin and shock absorption made it near impossible to cause any damage, and its speed and strength made getting up close a worse idea that putting your hand in a boiling pot.
THOOM! WHAM! POW!
Which honestly seemed much more enjoyable than what Spider-Man was thinking of doing. Though he lacked any conceivable way to communicate his newly formed plan. The still noticeable language barrier and the fact that he didn't know where half of his cohorts were, and not to mention that their best bet at winning was also in the middle of getting punched in the face, really exacerbated it. Though now he had a plan, and though it wasn't the best plan (and dare he admit, the worst) it was a plan nonetheless. Still, a part of him still wanted to run, hide away where no one could see him, but the other part of him was telling him to leap right into it, without a single care for his own safety because there was just nothing left to lose.
But even if he did have something to lose, he'd probably make the same decision, because that's what Spider-Man did.
He ran, clearing the distance in mere seconds, moving as fast as his burning legs could take him. To any that could see him, he appeared as a stunningly quick red and blue blur, moving quickly behind the Nomu, who was locked in a fierce grapple with the teacher.
Spider-Man raises the thin steel bar, gripping it as tightly as he could, and thrusts. Right into the Nomu's exposed back. Every ounce of proportionate spider-strength he has left is tossed into this single attack, jamming it deep enough and quickly enough for Peter's hands to touch its skin. It's barely able to let out a scream when it convulses in pain, as All Might takes that opportunity to grapple its arm and perform a spinning toss, launching the creature far enough away to buy him time. Just enough time to chastise the life out of one of his students.
"Young Parker, while I appreciate the assistance, you need to leave immediately, along with the other—"
"Lookout!"
With Spider-Man's yell came a near-immediate attack by the Nomu, one that would've spelled pain had All Might not reacted quick enough. It came charging at them at insane speeds, rending the ground asunder and puffing it's chest out like an animal. All Might retaliated, raising his palms and keeping the beast at arm's length, pressing against its chest while its arms lashed out toward him. It wasn't an ideal block, but it was enough to buy the student a moment to get away.
The Nomu's left fist is brought up, ready to crash down on the hero's shoulder with intense force, and the man squints as he prepares to work through the pain of the injury and counter with whatever he could.
But the pain never came. All Might felt the slight pressure of two feet against his right shoulder and elbow, and realized that the student he was trying to defend had jumped to his defense. The younger, far smaller man was posed like Atlas lifting the sky, both arms held above his head and holding back the Nomu's large, veiny fist.
"L-Listen to me! Can't speak. Need you—HRK!" Spider-Man struggled to articulate himself in Japanese as the pressure the Nomu applied increased, and his Spider-Sense hummed a warning signal as the creature's other arm was poised to bat him away like the arachnid he represented.
All Might saw this, and using his left arm caught the Nomu's right, the resulting loss of stability on both sides of the creature's body causing his boots to slide back against the ground. He didn't know how much longer this game of Say Uncle would go on, but he hoped long enough for him to think of a plan to get Parker to safety.
"I plan!"
All Might huffed out an uncharacteristically frustrated breath. He quickly switches to English, briefly remembering all of his years of study in America. "In English, boy! And fast, I'm not sure how long I can hold this!"
"Now you're speaking my language." 'Cool it with the jokes. No time to make funny.' "J-Jokes aside here's the plan: we need to stab it!" Spider-Man yelled out in his preferred language, adjusting his hold on the Nomu's arm so as to loosen his chest ever so slightly. He could feel it keep on piling on strength, and knew he needed to be quick. "Specifically, pin it down, or puncture a lung and cut off its oxygen supply! You need to get to the others, clear them out and then grab something sharp and-"
"You mean you need to get to the others. By no means will I allow you to fight this creature alone again!"
Boy lashes out again. He fights, harder than he's ever fought.
Boy doesn't think there's anything left to lose.
"Just listen to me!" The boy yells with an added assertiveness, and for a moment All Might wonders if the student knows who he's addressing. "I c-can't communicate with them. I tried to tell you with that little stunt I pulled, but now that I know you can convey the message...well it's a better plan than you punching it harder until help gets here!"
For a moment, there's a quiet between teacher and student, as they realize they're forced into such dire straits, working together with so little knowledge of one another. All Might can't help but still see Parker as someone he needed to protect, not simply allow him to fight a battle he wasn't ready for, not again. But in spite of this, with the way the boy was speaking…
"Please just—hrrk...you're so damn fast. You can get to them in a heartbeat and...I'll be fine. Just, trust me, okay?" Peter sounds almost desperate as he finishes his request, attempting to prop himself up even further and push the Nomu's arm up. The creature only put the pressure on further, and both of our heroes got the clue that they couldn't hold this stalemate very much longer. "Not like it's giving us very much time here."
"Parker...I'll give you the count. Just, be ready to move, and by no means do you try to fight back, understood?" It went against everything he stood for as the Symbol of Peace, and he knew it could very well result in something far worse for him than his own demise, but at this juncture, he had to put every card on the table.
The boy only nods frantically, taking a few deep breaths and readying himself.
"Three…"
The Nomu lets out a low growl, green liquid oozing from its mouth.
"Two…"
Spider-Man adjusts his feet, ready to leap into action just as he always did.
"One!"
All Might lets go.
Boy keeps fighting.
The first moments are a horrible mad dash. Limbs flailing about, All Might for once running in the opposite direction of danger, and Spider-Man simply doing his best to avoid every wild attack the Nomu threw. He hadn't touched the ground for several moments, swinging off its arms and torso like monkey bars, letting it fight something it could just barely catch glimpses of. Peter's minuscule size and incredible speed helped in this regard, slipping in and out of its vision like a fly that just kept coming back for another round of 'Can You Swat Me?'
He was significantly less versatile than he could've been if he hadn't run out of web fluid. For now, his quick acrobatics and Spider-Sense were acting as his crutch. He didn't have a clue just how long All Might would take, whether he'd be stuck doing this for the next few minutes or if he'd get hit. With the aching in his bones, his damaged shoulder, and the sheer exhaustion of the past hour or so of his life, it was something of a miracle he was even standing, much more pulling off such complicated maneuvers.
'Guess it's just all the adrenaline going through me, huh?' Peter thinks, landing on the ground in a controlled crouch, ignoring the searing pain that jolts up his arm when he places his hand on the ground for support. 'Gotta appreciate the human body.' The world around him begins to dark as the Nomu's fist plummets down, ready to turn him into paste. Rather than simply jump out of the way, Peter adjusts his footing, leaping up towards the coming fist and maneuvering himself so that he was in positing to climb up its forearm, then pivoting off its elbow once the fist made contact. 'And my dwindling sanity.'
Following the his swift and dazzling show of acrobacy, he began to reconsider his approach, the cogs in his head going faster and faster.
'Okay, great! I can keep dodging until my legs break. But I'm too vulnerable, if it gets me it's over. Think.' The internal monologuing is cut off by another animalistic screech.
"Oh shut up!" Spider-Man yells, agitation evident in his tone. "God you're just the most annoying slab of meat I've ever had to deal with!" It tries to swat him out of the air with its fist again, but Peter simply shifts to the side and places one hand on its wrist, swinging under it and placing himself firmly on its arm, crouched. "Hey buddy, got the time?"
It screams, rearing its head back while Peter's head buzzed, urging him to move. He launches off its arm mere seconds before its forehead slams into its own arm, the exposed brain somehow taking the brunt of such an attack, merely causing a slight indent. The Nomu screams again, this time less in anger and more in pain, clutching its own scalp.
From behind it, Peter yells, "Hey!" And it snaps around, frothing at the mouth, an animal ready to kill. Peter simply squints, the whites of his mask thinning. One could barely make out a smile underneath the red fabric. "Stop hitting yourself."
It doesn't scream this time, merely growls, greenish foam dripping from its maw. It runs one foot across the ground, once, twice, preparing like a bull.
"Alright not-so-gentle-giant." Peter drops into a crouch, eyes remaining squinted. "Toro."
Part 3 - They Will Soon Marvel
"Freakin' A." Peter says through bated breaths, his situation finally dawning on him as the one-sided fight continued. The Nomu's assault hadn't ended, and there was no sign of All Might for a good few minutes. If he didn't trust the man, he might accuse him of abandoning ship.
The Nomu screams, from dozens of yards away from Peter, having just rammed head-first into a lamp post of sorts. Their bullfighting bit was getting old, very quickly, and Peter didn't know how much more of this he could take.
Not to mention it was a bull that was moving faster than the eye could see. That certainly exacerbated the situation. .
"Hey! Hey you!" Peter snaps up, watching as the Nomu turns around, shaking in rage. "You're so ugly, I'm pretty sure if we dumped your face in a grease fryer it'd fix a few things!" It screams again. "God, how can someone that's been screaming this long only get louder?!"
It's turgid muscles distended as it puffed its chest out, then letting out another mighty roar.
"Yes yes, I get it! Hulk strongest there is, blah blah, just run at me again."
It charged wildly, footprints in the ground forming with every high-speed step it took, the booming of its movement bouncing all of the walls of the stadium. When it's mere feet away, Peter leaps, ready to let it crash into whatever was behind him once again.
But this time, it's different. Peter's raised arms feel a slight tingle, and he looks up, attention away from the Nomu for the first time in what felt like a long time, and all he sees is black.
"Oh God." The other end of the black portal, he couldn't see, but his Spider-Sense did not tell him anything good. His vision went dark as soon as his eyes met the portal, and he was suddenly attacked with a blinding light a mere moment later, and before him was the Nomu again, looming over him like death itself. It's fist was primed and ready to smash into him. He had no way of moving, evading the hit before it could land and turn him into a pancake.
All Peter does is close his eyes and prepare for the pain. Funny, he's sure he could hear the impact happen before he actually felt it.
"MOVE IT SHORTSTACK!"
Strange, that didn't sound like his bones being turned into powder. But it takes him a moment to finally realize—he's being saved. He feels a hand grabbing at the fabric of his costume, pulling him out of the fist's trajectory and taking him on a high speed ride through the air. Peter can make out a faint smoke trail as they moved, as if Bakugo was a living rocket and Spider-Man was cargo.
"No fuckin' way!" Bakugo yells at something Peter cannot see, firing a controlled explosion downwards and rocketing Peter and Bakugo into the air. Below, Peter could see the black smoke that is Kurogiri, likely cursing their very existence.
"Oi, shortlegs!" Peter hears, his head snapping up to a disheveled looking Bakugo, giving him a sour look. "All Might told us everything. Plan's for you to grab one of my gauntlets and fire it when he tells ya' to." He brings his other arm, the one that wasn't holding Peter, down and reaches out. "Other one's already used up. Take it, and I'll toss you to where they are!"
All Peter can do is quickly nod and tear the gauntlet off of Bakugo's arm, all of the new information flooding his mind.
"Redhead and I'll take your place, now go ya' midget!" With that, Bakugo uses his surprising upper body strength to haul Peter up by his costume and, with a controlled but powerful explosive boost, launch him him towards the fiery Conflagration Zone. Spider-Man holds the gauntlet tight and screams all throughout his flight,inwardly cursing the fact that this was the second time he was launched today.
The speedy descent is stopped short when Peter feels large arms wrap around him, and looks to see that All Might has saved his life yet again. By catching him like a football.
"Sorry for the lateness of it m'boy! We needed time to prepare!" All Might bellows out in perfect English, controlling his fall and landing in an empty street, surrounded by flames and intense heat. The older man gently puts the young student down, the boy stumbling dumbly when he lands.
"Todoroki my boy, is it ready?" All Might says, turning around as Peter follows suit. Before them is Todoroki, stood next to a gigantic steel beam with both hands placed firmly on top of it. One end was radiating heat, though not glowing red hot, while the other seemed to give off very little, cooled down by Todoroki's icy touch, though still being melted away by the surrounding heat. The kicker, however, was that the beam itself was stored in a ramp of sorts, with Todoroki standing on a platform attached to it. The beam looked ready to go up, like a missile in its launcher. The other student simply nods, wiping away a bead of sweat, and then Peter feels a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look up towards All Might.
"Put the gauntlet on Parker, and stand on the cool end of that beam. It's time for me to engage the Nomu, and should all go well you'll know exactly when to fire. Young Todoroki can explain the rest." All Might declares with a heroic confidence that couldn't be matched by Captain America. "You've done well my boy, and now it's time to finish this!" With that, he leaps towards the booming sounds of explosions and screaming.
Peter stands dumbfounded, looking towards the other student, who looks back at him with an immensely bored expression.
"Well?"
Peter snaps out of it, quickly nodding and slipping the gauntlet on. It's tight and heavy, and he fingers the pin a bit too eagerly.
"Thanks for the save man, but I don't think that'll be enough!" Kirishima screams in panic, looking behind them incase they were ambushed by the Nomu's cohorts once again.
"OH YA' THINK?!" Bakugo retorts, frantically emitting explosions with enough force to create a thick cloud of smoke around the pair. The Nomu had set it sights on Kirishima once Bakugo had performed his rescue maneuver, the boy acting as a distraction so it wouldn't immediately engage the fleeing pair. Though the boy's tough skin and physical fitness was enough to let him defend himself for just a few moments, the creature's speed was overwhelming, and it was Bakugo's quick interference and intense light show that saved him a world of pain.
"Crap, can't see through any of this, where did it—" The redhead's babbling is interrupted by a monstrous roar, the villain cutting through the smoke and filling his vision, ready to slam the talon that protruded from its elbow right on top of the poor student.
"ShitFUCK!" Bakugo babbles out curses in a panicked yell, sweeping his arm as fast as his body allowed him to throw an unintentionally powerful explosion Kirishima's way, tossing him out of danger and causing the Nomu's talon to plant itself firmly into the ground. The enraged teen took this opportunity, as it had a minor struggle to tear itself from the hole it made, to temporarily blind it by throwing an explosion right into its face. It made a strangled noise of frustration, and Bakugo was pretty sure he drew blood given the green liquid that sprayed out of it and onto the shirt of his costume, but he couldn't stop to bask in that small victory. He ran in the opposite direction as fast as he possibly could, firing smaller explosions to keep the smoke cloud going.
"Not so fast, explosive little brat!" He hears a familiar voice say, and just as he steps out of the smoke, he sees the black smoke of Kurogiri surrounding the supposed mastermind, Shigaraki. Finally come out of hiding.
"It's unfortunate your Symbol of Peace isn't here to stop what happens next, huh?" The man utters, venom dripping from his voice as he steps toward the student.
A bead of sweat runs downs Bakugo's face, realizing his situation. He knows he's stuck between a rock and an even larger, angrier rock, and has very little way of escape. The growling behind him grows louder, and he realizes the Nomu is merely feet behind him. He realizes that he needs to move, as fast as he could.
But that wouldn't cut it. If he ran, Kurogiri's portals and Nomu's speed would get him. If he tries to go up, the creature would jump right after him, and if he tries to push forward, he wouldn't stand a chance. For any tactic he could pull, they'd have an immediate and fairly simple answer. So he grits his teeth, forcing a pleased smirk in the vain hope of intimidating his foe, and hopes for the best.
"No fear—!"
He's shocked that it actually works.
All Might lands with a mighty crash, the smoke dissipating and revealing that the Nomu was only a step away from Bakugo. Thankfully, however, it's attention was turned towards the hero of the hour. As was the attention of all those present, for that matter.
"Because I...am here!" One could almost hear the orchestra as he heroically puffed his chest out and grinned, standing before the villains. In his mind, however, he realized he needed to be quick. However much time he had in his muscle form, he didn't know, but he hoped it was just enough to end this.
And the battle began.
Almost instantly, the Nomu and All Might were trading blows, this time with greater ferocity and desperation coming from the hero. The wind was enough to cause the onlookers to stumble and fall much like earlier, and their arms became less and less visible as the speed of their blows increased. All Might felt blood run down his chin, and every blow he suffered merely lowered the amount of time he had left. That didn't mean he wasn't getting his licks in, however. Every attack was measured and calculated, sent out with more than one-hundred percent of his power, but he knew it wasn't enough. It's tough body, along with the shock absorption, was taking the brunt of every blow exceptional well. So All Might has to improvise, and with a spectacular show of speed and versatility, dodged a singular blow from the Nomu and whirled around the creature, wrapping his muscular arms around it. It looked as if he was going to suplex it again, but he had something very different in mind.
Before the Nomu could even make a move to escape, the man hopped. But a hop for All Might is far more impressive than a hop for anyone else, so they were launched into the air at impressive speeds. It became a furious mid-air clash, both fighters battling just as ferociously as they did when grounded, now being propelled through the air. It was an intense show of skill and quick adaptability.
For the people below, aspiring heroes and villains alike, it was a sight to behold. The two fighters, exchanging every powerful attack, turning the wind into blades that could slice blades of grass, all while causing the planet to shake like it was the end of the world. One fighting with the desperation and ferocity of an injured lion clinging to its life, and another with the unrelenting force of a wildebeest herd. This was level of power that seemed almost impossible, too big to be real. Too much.
Like watching Gods, fighting over Heaven and Earth.
In the midst of it all, All Might catches one of its gigantic fists, wrapping both arms around it and spinning mid-air, as fast as his weakening body allowed him. This was their chance, to finally put an end to this fierce battle. So he keeps spinning, ignoring the aching pain in his chest as it got its final licks in, and swings. Throwing it right above the flaming Conflagration Zone, at just the right angle. But it was the timing that worried him. Would Parker miss, only to be launched into certain doom? Would the Nomu get ahold of him, crushing him before All Might could arrive to stop it? He didn't know, but he did know that he trusted the boy, and whether or not he was justified in doing so, he didn't know. But trust could only go so far, after all, so All Might puffed out his chest and screamed:
"NOW!" There, that should get his attention.
WIthin the zone itself, Peter pulls the pin, time seeming to slow as the flames and force fired from Bakugo's gauntlet and hit the ground. The beam starts to quickly slide up the ice ramp, the glue that the boy acted as holding it together. The ice shatters when it reaches full power, and the ground beneath it is rent completely asunder. Before he knows it, he's quite literally rocketing into the sky, a trail of fire and flames behind him.
'Eat your heart out, NASA.'
It was at this point that Peter was reminded of something, a old myth he'd read once. It told of Heracles, going about his Twelve Labors. Among these tasks, he was given the mission of slaying the Lernaean Hydra, a monster known for its many heads which would heal and multiply, even if they were severed. To resolve this, Heracles enlisted the help of his nephew, Iolaus, to cauterize the wounds so as to prevent it from growing anymore heads after he severed them.
So, as the searing hot steel went right through the Nomu's sternum, bringing along horrific sizzling noise that emanated from the freshly burnt hole, Peter finally figured out where his teacher was going with this.
The red-colored hero leapt off the beam, just before he could be sent spiralling into nowhere along with the creature, and let it go on its merry way. The beam, and the Nomu along with it, went straight through the dome's walls and went even further beyond that, flying off a reasonable distance. Wherever it landed, it would be pinned down and likely prevented from any healing due to the heat and penetration. Much like the Lernaean Hydra, which was finally buried under a heavy rock after its final head was severed.
It was at this point that Peter had to wonder just why there were so many allusions to Greek Mythos in his life. But quite frankly, that was the least of his worries at the moment. Like gravity, which at this point was going to be an even worse enemy than the Nomu.
But that worry fades away rather quickly, when he finds himself yet again in the strong arms of his teacher, still falling quickly towards the Earth below. The man's hold is shaky, uneven, and he nearly drops Peter more than once as they're descending. Finally, they land, the teacher still holding the much smaller boy underneath his arm like a grocery bag.
The other two students are on them immediately, Bakugo smirking and Kirishima giving off a bright and toothy grin. Todorki follows suit, sliding in and leaving a path of ice that made Peter wonder if copyright laws applied across dimensions.
"Holy crap, that was the manliest thing I've ever seen! When All Might and that monster were fighting mid-air and—All Might?"
Kirishima starts and stops babbling before you could say 'Great Caesar's Ghost', watching on with a worried look as a bout of nausea and pain hit the teacher like a tidal wave, causing him to unceremoniously drop Peter and begin to convulse. He bent down on one knee, staring at the stone beneath him and finally realizing that his power had run dry. He was heaving and gasping for air, the impact from each of the Nomu's blows finally taking their full effect as the adrenaline faded and the exhaustion took its place. It feels awful. He feels awful.
Peter places a hand on his chest and shoulder, giving him as much support as he can muster despite his own serious injuries. The eyes of his mask are wide with worry, surveying the older hero's battered body.
All Might struggled, gripping what little power he had left to maintain his muscular form, just long enough for him to get out of sight—but then…
"No…"
All Might's head snaps up, as do the heads of all the students who tried to check on him amidst his display of pain and strain. Behind them stands Shigaraki, looking almost passive with his hands hanging limply at his sides, surrounded by the black mist that was his partner. He wants to yell at his students to stand back, to let him stand up and face this danger himself, but he was struggling to say just about anything.
"No...no—it wasn't supposed to be this way…" He raises one arm, pointing his finger at All Might as the students that created a barrier around him looked ready to fight back. "It—It was supposed to be able to kill you. It was made to kill you. He lied to us…"
It's strange, but for a moment he seems almost childlike. As if he was just a boy whose new toy didn't work the way he wanted it to. Which he was, in a sense, but in a very demented sort of sense.
"Well, sure looks like you didn't get the best bang for your buck with that thing! Guess now it's high time we end it!" Kirishima declared, eagerly pumping his fist back and causing his skin to harden slightly.
"Oi, dibs on the pale one red head." Bakugo grumbles, filling his shoulder and giving the villains a demented-looking smirk.
Todoroki merely hums in agreement, standing at the ready while giving the pair of ne'er-do-wells a cold and piecing glare.
"Kurogiri…" Shigaraki continued, loosely dropping his arm and letting it swing to and fro.
"Shigaraki Tomura, we can still—"
"No, no! We're leaving right n—"
BLAM!
A bullet whizzes through the air and reaches its target in an instant, piercing clean through Shigaraki's shoulder and leaving a large blood stain on his black shirt. He barely makes a pained or panicked noise, though no one can tell what the look on his face must have been given the hand that covered it. But he does take several steps back, clutching the bleeding wound while dark smoke began to wrap around him protectively.
"Oi, we're a little late, but we brought everyone we could!" Comes the familiar voice of principal Nezu, surrounded by a group of heroes that would make any villain faint at the sight, each one with expressions of varying degrees of anger at their precious students and fellow teachers being threatened in such a way. Beside them, Iida, looking extremely frantic and tense, but with a newly restored confidence in his voice he declares:
"I, Iida Tenya, president of class 1-A, have brought the cavalry!"
We now reach the point in the story where the villain has to make as quick a getaway as possible. Without even stopping for one last act of posturing to instill fear into the hearts of today's victors with the idea he may return to finish what he started, he simply steps into Kurogiri's black entryway and let it fade out of existence. At least, everyone present assumes he said nothing, given that the hail of gunfire from Snipe was too loud to catch any of it.
At this point, things go far too quickly for anyone to really keep track of. Shigaraki disappears into the inky black nothing and the smoke swirls seemingly out of existence. Wherever they were, there was nothing left behind for them to use to track them down, almost like they were never even there.
And then, silence. Broken occasionally by All Might's ragged breathing. Peter dithers a bit, wondering whether or not he should attempt a victory quip in Japanese. He ultimately decides against it.
Part 4 - And so...
Boy loses sight of what's important.
The heroes are quick and almost ceremonial when they move to collect All Might, quickly getting him out of his students' sight under the excuse that he would need to brief them on the situation as soon as he was treated for his wounds.
The boys that fought alongside him were brought immediately for quick medical check-ups higher priority given to Peter given that he looked the most worse for wear aside from All Might.
Now, they were all outside, students talking amongst themselves while the recently arrived heroes and authorities discussed the situation and how the gravity of it would weigh down the school. None of it really mattered to Peter though. Sure, he heard his name being said more than once and was sure he caught one of the students trying to approach them, but he could barely process any of it. He drove them away with his lack of real response. The rush of battle was gone, and with it Spider-Man. Now, he was just him, and he was thinking.
It was difficult to call today a win for him, in a way. Sure, they managed to beat the bad guy despite all the hardships they faced, and though he came out looking like he'd just been thrown into a pit full of alligators he still came out on top. He's saved his classmates, saved the day, and even managed to save this world's best and beefiest hero at least once. But for him, for Peter Parker alone, what did he really accomplish today? He's still in the same place he was yesterday, and the day before, and before that. He's trapped and trying to claw his way out, and everywhere he thinks he's found the wonderful light outside it turns out he was just deluding himself into thinking that anything he was doing would ever make his life anymore enjoyable is beyond him.
"Oi."
The rapid descent into depressing existentialism was cut short of Peter having a breakdown when the call reaches his ears. It's not muffled and silenced like everything else around him this time, cutting through every barrier and defense like a hot knife through butter. He could even feel the very presence of the person who said it, looming over him with a particular antagonism and authority found only in someone like Doctor Doom.
Above him stood Katsuki Bakugo, staring down at the red clad lad with a stare that wasn't angry, nor celebratory, it was just...a stare. Blank and unmoving, devoid of any ardor but not carrying malice either. His broad shoulders were tense, held up tightly with a posture befitting of a soldier.
Peter flinched when their eyes make contact, because for as strong as he may be, those piercing red eyes were something not to be trifled with. Especially when they're locked directly into you and you're sure that if he keeps staring you're going to spontaneously immolate. And especially when he kept staring like his very life depended on the fact that he was staring at Peter Parker, right now, at this exact moment.
"Gauntlet." He grunted, an inkling of warning present in his voice holding out the naked hand that once held the weapon Peter had strapped to him. Peter couldn't tell if he was being considerate of the fact that he didn't speak Japanese very much, or just didn't want to talk to him. The latter seemed a lot easier to believe.
Peter obliges; quickly, almost fearfully handing it over to the taller boy and returning to his brooding, staring intently at the ground. Bakugo doesn't move, his gaze still fixed onto the foreigner. Peter breathes in a hefty amount of the coagulated blood that replaced the air when the Nomu tossed him like a football, and Bakugo keeps staring.
"Aizawa-Sensei's in emergency care. They said he should be fine after a few days of recovery. Concussion from a hit he took, but otherwise nothing that'll last." Bakugo...consoled him? The blonde turns on his heel, preparing to walk back towards the larger group of students that gathered around the heroes. "You probably had somethin' to do with that. Not bad, shortstack." And with that, he was gone, disappearing into the crowd of grey blobs that Peter saw as the rest of the world.
'...I'm not that short.'
Peter leaves.
It's a longer trip than usual. He takes a few more stops on the way; Musutafu is a nice city, he learns. The people were strange, but he's not one to judge, really. He's the stranger in this case, as much as he tries to blend in.
"Why are you even here?" Says the memory of Aizawa. He's thought about the question a lot more than he thought he would. Back then, he said he didn't know, but that was a lie (like a lot of things in his life), because he knows he's here with the only reason he doesn't really have a choice. He died, after all, and what was the use in going back after that? He's probably had a funeral by now. Aunt May has probably left flowers at his grave, maybe he's next to Ben. His school likely had some half-baked memorial assembly where they forced MJ to say a speech about how great he was, or just ignored it altogether. Lord knows the Avengers probably didn't care. What was the point anymore? He'd go back and everyone would know Peter Parker is Spider-Man, and also a zombie.
(He refuses to think about what any of week-to-week villains might have done when they found out his name. A silent prayer in the back of his mind helps him calm, telling him that they never acted on revenge. They realized that trying to make a dead person sad just wasn't worth the effort.)
So here he is, sitting on the edge of a rooftop, dressed in the uniform for a school he shouldn't be going to, thinking. Again.
And yet, for the life of him, he can't find a reason to be angry right now. It's his usual response to these kinds of things, he wants so desperately to kick and scream and beg to be back home. At first he thought it was because he was too tired to do anything, but he realizes now that it wasn't really the case. It didn't take much energy to be angry, after all. He realizes now that it's because he knows there's nothing he can really do about it. There is no end game here, no guiding light that will take him just where he needs to be, just him. He hates that. He hates this, and in him there's nothing but hate and sorrow, and he hates that too. This isn't him. This was never—
"Rarf!"
Of course he doesn't get to finish his thought. Does he ever?
Entering his apartment, he finds his leg viciously gnawed on by the pup he'd somewhat adopted just days ago. The small furry creature tugs at his pant leg and shakes its head side to side, and Peter's afraid the good boy may just break his neck if he keeps doing that.
"C'mon, up an'attem." Peter groans, wrapping one hand around Sandwich's small torso and hoisting him up onto his shoulder, one hand pressed against his back to keep him up. He enjoys the warmth of it, holding the puppy close and nuzzling it against his neck, his eyesight obscured slightly by the black wisps of dog hair. "You must be hungry, huh? And lonely. Sorry I left you alone for so long, had to think."
It's incredibly dark outside. He's not even sure how long he was out, but he did enjoy the view of the moon again, even if it was still different.
He retrieves the dog food from the kitchenette and pours it into the bowl he'd declared belonging to Sandwich, then gently putting the dog down and letting it feast. When he thought about it, he really had no clue how to take care of a dog. You feed it, keep it hydrated walk it, bathe it, give it a place to—oh.
There's a smell coming from just by the stove. Dog excrement, no doubt. He should really invest in newspapers.
He's in bed later that night, staring up at the ceiling and thinking again. It's about a lot of other things though. His web shooters, his costume, his classmates, anything but his future really.
'A list.' The thought forms in his head, just as he's shifting to lay down on his side, 'I need a list of...of things. Things to do, and see while I'm here. Places to go. I've never been outside of the U.S. I've seen pictures of Mount Fuji, but that's about it. Maybe I should climb it, or camp there. With...I can bring Sandwich.'
Said dog was sleeping just next to him, curled against his leg. It's tiny breaths were soothing to Peter in a way.
'Then I can get pictures. Yeah. Not of Spider-Man. Of me. I don't need Spider-Man to be happy. And I'll make friends, too. I'll talk to people at school tomorrow. Pony, Kaminari, uh...Grape Kid. They're my friends. I'll talk to them. I'll be Peter Parker.'
He drifts off into sleep, where he dreams of muscles and teeth, and a cellar door that he's too scared to open.
Part 5 - My Real Power
He did not get the memo that there would be no school the next day, so when he shows up at the tightly shut gates of UA, he's more than a little be peeved.
"Just when I wake up on time, too…" He grumbles, clicking his tongue and swiping his foot over some loose pavement. "Now what?"
He could very well go home and get even more rest, maybe take Sandwich out on another walk, but he'd told himself just last night he wanted to do something. This was an opportunity that did not need wasting.
Unfortunately, he couldn't go swinging because he didn't have the time to make any web fluid;along with that didn't he really have anything to do. He brought money, a hefty ten-thousand yen he'd saved from the money the school gave him for basic amenities, money he had planned to use to get himself and someone else lunch as a play at making friendly with them. Now he was just left to his own devices, assuming everyone else had just gone home and stayed. "Okay. Alright, be that way. Sheesh, can never get a break with these kinds of things." He says to the large door, trying his best to stare it into submission despite knowing that alas, it is a door.
Turning around, he adjusts himself and stretches out his shoulder, giving long look at the city before him. Doubly unfortunate, he also completely neglected bringing his costume given that it was already in tatters, and while he's willing to wear ungodly tight spandex for eighty percent of the day, he's not enough of a monster to wear ungodly tight spandex that's also ripped in the worst places. So he had to face the word today as the Amazingly Mundane Peter Parker, adventurous foreigner.
Walking through the reasonably crowded streets, he learns that not only is Musutafu is a nice city, it's also a dangerous one. It's a lot simpler to not get involved when there are dozens of heroes already patrolling the streets, so when he almost jumped into an altercation he was thankfully stopped when a familiar woody hero jumped in. He almost wanted to apologize for kicking him in the head, but he didn't think it'd be appropriate.
Peter walks for a few hours, watching as morning turns into evening and people go in and out of their workplaces, displaying varying degrees of tiredness and frustration. He gets a few looks, and more than a few questions that don't surprise him. Of course there'd be a big buzz after what happened at UA yesterday, and of course people would be curious, but he doesn't respond in any satisfactory way. Thankfully, no one decides to follow him.
It's a relaxing day, one where absolutely nothing happens that he could consider bad, or even that good. It's simply nice. It's just what he needed after what felt like years of tumult shaking his world apart. Though, as he felt a low rumble in his stomach, he realized that what he actually needs is some food, and admittedly he hadn't eaten since the day before and for some reason forgot to eat after the whole situation at the USJ. May would be absolutely livid with him, if she knew he hadn't A) gotten a haircut because wow his head was beginning to look like an oval and B) made sure to keep himself well-fed on something that wasn't salty processed chips and Japanese ice cream.
First, a haircut. It takes him approximately twenty minutes to find what looks like a barber, and sits in a comfortable leather seat while a man with a dozen or so hands does his hair for two-thousand yen, and he ends up with a caesar cut. It's a reasonable length, no longer letting his hair droop off to the side but it didn't quite get too short. It's similar enough to the haircut that May would give him that he's comfortable with it, and dare he say it's somewhat better.
'Which isn't to say May didn't have good hairdressing skills, but I spent way too long with a bowl cut in middle school. It really didn't help that most of my wardrobe was sweater vests and ties. Made me look like total push over. Which, I was, but—ah, let's not think about that.'
There's a smile on his face but he can't quite figure out why.
"I should get you like, a collar. Also a trip to the vet. Can I afford that? Can the school just pay for it for me? Do they cover dogs?" Peter asks the excited pup, watching as it ran towards and away from the oncoming waves at the shore of the beach. He'd passed by this place more than once. Dagobah Municipal Beach Park is what it's called, and he's proud he managed to translate that sign on the first try. He kicks over some sand absent mindlessly, picking out all the sparkling grains that catch his eye.
He decides it's a beautiful sunset. The best he's ever seen. Though he's sure he can recall that this beach didn't always look like this, that a few days before the entrance exam practicals, it was filled to the brim with rancid garbage and litter people just kept piling on. Strange, he wonders where it all went. The city probably decided it was too much of an eyesore, or some Good Samaritan came and helped this beautiful place look beautiful again. Whichever happened, he didn't cares The view was phenomenal and the air was breathable, just like it should be.
Which is precisely why he went back home and retrieved Sandwich, who deserved to get some fresh air. "You keep barking at the ocean, what, did it offend you? Call you a mutt or something?" He says, kneeling down and raising a palm that signaled for the dog to come over, to which it happily obliged. Once again, he's shocked at how receptive to him the dog was, considering how small it was and how likely it was for it to have a poor reaction to most people, given its previous status as a stray. "Good boy." He cheerfully declares, getting an excited reaction out of the dog. A chuckle escapes his throat when he watches on as the dog attempts to stand on its hand legs and balance on his knee, only to miss and land nose first in the sand, then making a quick and frustrated recovery.
"Parker?!" A voice calls in the distance, coming from behind and above him. Peter turns quickly, his eyes looking from side to side for the one responsible, only to see a familiar sentient Broccoli he'd seen break his own legs the day before. It's Midoriya, his face caked in sweat that glistened in the sun, wearing a lime green sweater and sweatpants, indicating he must have been out for a run.
On another day, Peter would've likely given a weak smile and wave, looked away and pretended it never happened. But on a day like this, he raises his arm and beckons the boy over.
"So you didn't know we were off today."
"No."
"O-Oh that's uhm...So, c-crazy stuff yesterday, huh?" Izuku stutters out in the most friendly tone he can muster, taking a seat next to Peter on a bench that overlooked the beach, right next to a brightly glowing vending machine. The once quirkless offered, but Peter insisted he buy them both bottles of water, giving Midoriya the money and letting him do it.
"Ah—yes. Very scary." Is all Peter figures he should respond, taking a minuscule sip while watching as Sandwich runs circles around the machine.
"Y-Yeah. I was honestly afraid things weren't...you know, going to work out. W-When I saw that thing standing over Aizawa-Sensei I didn't really know what to do, heh. Thank goodness for Recovery Girl though."
"Yes. She help me, too."
"I-I really can't imagine how scary it must have been for you though, having to take it on by yourself. You were...really brave, you know? It was like you're used to it. I—."
Peter tilts his head curiously, watching on as Izuku fidgets and mumbles a bit under his breath.
"I'm a bit embarrassed, really. I didn't do much in the end, huh? I mean, I tried to help, but it just didn't work. But you, you stalled for time. You gave us time to get out of there and saved Aizawa-Sensei. And I just…"
Peter can see where this is going, from a mile away. He's been there a million times, after all. So before the boy can finish all of his self-deprecating, Peter places a hand on his shoulder, and gives him as warm a smile as he can muster.
"You're jumped to save. You hero, forget don't. Grape and Asui were helped by yourself, too. You gave time. You good do."
"I uh…"
'Oh God how much of that did I mess up?'
"Oh—Sorry!" Izuku apologizes a bit too quickly and Peter wonders if he showed his embarrassment in his face too much, "I got most of it, I get what you're saying and...t-thanks. It means…a lot. Even if I—"
He goes silent and Peter doesn't try to ask what he was going to say. He knows the unspoken words are "don't deserve it", but Izuku probably figures Peter wouldn't have that. And he's right.
"Well, it was a nice chat but, I got to finish my run today. T-Thanks for the water!" Izuku bids him farewell and stands up, Peter giving him a quiet goodbye and a wave.
And again, he's alone.
"Rarf! Ruff-RARF!"
Well, not really.
Before he goes home, Peter decides he wants to grab a bit of a late snack. Nowhere close, though. He leaves Sandwich home alone once again, sprinting and parkouring home so as to save as much time as possible. Afterwards, he heads to the nearest train station, looking over and memorizing the train lines almost perfectly, a task made much easier by his experience with the New York subway systems.
A two hour train to Shizuoka, just to see if someone's doing alright.
It doesn't take him long to find the corner store belonging to one Noya Naohiro, a name he didn't know yet.
When he enters the familiar store, noticing the still present crack in the wall at the end and the new glass that'd been installed at the front. The older gentleman at the counter perked up as he entered, not saying a word but smiling as he watches Peter walk down the aisles. The boy grabs the spicy sweet chili kind, and takes a bottle of some strangely labeled bottled coffee. From there, he walks to the counter and the transaction is processed. The old man says nothing, and doesn't really take notice of anything, only saying goodbye and wishing him a good night. It's the simplest thing he does today, something so ephemeral and small but meaningful all the same. He'll remember this, a long time from now, and still be happy he did it.
At the door, Peter gives him a two-fingered salute and struts off, feeling proud of himself.
'I guess that's what it's all about, huh' He thinks, taking a bite out of the processed corn chip, 'Saving people. Giving them a chance to keep going on. That's why I do what I do, in the end. Really, what was I thinking with all that moping around? That isn't me. I'm better than that.'
Even if a part of him still doesn't quite believe it yet, he is. He's always been better than that, even driven to his worst, and he always will be.
Boy doesn't stop trying.
Because he's Spider-Man. And well, what more needs to be said than that?
You (don't) know the rest.
Epilogue - Incident Report, A Stake is Humble Tin
"...and their quirks haven't been registered as far as our searching has shown us, so they're almost entirely off the grid." Detective Naomasa finishes, adjusting his tie and waiting for the response from each of the heroes at the UA meeting table. All Might, now in his depowered state, is fully invested in what's being said, despite still staring off and retreating into his own thoughts whenever he had the opportunity.
Other heroes chime in here and there, discussing the cost of repairs as well as the mental health of the students after such a terrible event, but All Might somewhat regrettably has to cut them off, tapping on Nezu's shoulder and asking to speak.
"Excuse me, but we have to take into account the efficiency through which this attack was launched…" he starts, breaking the short silence, "That...Shigaraki Tomura, he was spouted a rather deluded but still plausible ideology. And for someone seemingly so young and brash as he was, this attack felt too coordinated and meticulously planned. I saw it for myself, and Shigaraki wasn't exactly the pinnacle of maturity. He flaunted that Nomu creature's power like a child with a new toy, and threw quite the tantrum when we were able to turn the tides."
"I believe I know what you're getting at, All Might." Nezu interjects, rubbing his furry chin.
"He's a man-child, and couldn't quite hide just how childish he was when it got tough."
"So he's a kid with too much power, huh," says Vlad King, a tone of frustration evident in his voice.
"He probably never received proper guidance or counseling as a kid." Responds Midnight in a professional voice, different from the way she often presents herself to the public.
"So? What's that got to do with—"
"We apprehended a total of seventy-two villains yesterday," Naomasa cuts through the conversation like a knife through butter, looking at the two teachers, "Most of them were back alley thugs, the kind you'd usually find robbing drugstores. The question is, why exactly were they following such a man-child as All Might says. We believe it may be tied to a growing change in society, a focus on heroes and their impact on the world at large. Some people, disenfranchised youth or simply down on their luck thugs may see something in the pull of evil. The idea of raging against society and being part of an ideology that's unaffected by the same idea that the masses conform to… They're also likely people who feel 'kicked around' by society for having these ideas in the first place. Now, they're simply acting on these ideologies and impulses."
He takes another paper from the thin stack he's holding, taking note of how the heroes tended up at his words. "On that note: there's something else we found in our investigation."
"Hm?"
"Our men were able to sedate Nomu, using up over half our stock in the process, and pull him from the wreckage caused by his landing. When they removed the beam, they found a curious contained that was oozing some green liquid, embedded in its rib cage and crushed by the beam when it went through."
All Might in particular tenses up at this information, staring intently at the detective.
"From what we could gather, it had some sort of wired microphone hidden in its thigh that, on detecting a specific sound or phrase, would cause the green fluid to escape from the container. We grilled the other thugs we apprehended about it, and none of them knew about this until we told them. According to them, the operation wasn't funded particularly well, so there's no reasonable way they could've gotten this technology without stealing it, and there've been no reports of anything like this being stolen in Musutafu lately."
"So, either they have someone part of their group manufacturing this kind of technology, or…" Nezu starts his thought, just before being cut off by All Might.
"Or they're being gifted this kind of tech by an outside source of some kind."
"Right." Naomasa confirms, smiling at the two. "That's about all we have for now. They're still doing analysis on both Nomu's body and the container inside of him, so I'll get back to you on whatever they find."
All Might sighed inwardly, wishing they had a more clear answer. He's reminded of something Shigaraki said, about Nomu being 'made to kill him.' Whatever that meant, he didn't know, but he knew that the implications of it disturbed the hero to his very core.
End.
Author's Notes:
Fun fact: the Paul Jenkins style Mythos bits were originally going to be in the style of the old Lee/Ditko narration boxes, but I didn't think it felt right. There was actually a lot of PJ influence in here, including his "Gods fighting over Heaven and Earth" but he did in Spectacular SM #14, would recommend checked it out if you guys ever get the chance. There's something about the way he writes the relationship between Peter and Norman that speaks to me.
Also some updates and some thoughts:
I've also realized how much I despise action sequences. They're so much less interesting and enjoyable to write than straight dialogue for me. They're a bit disjointed and I never know if I'm going too fast or too slow, being too repetitive, not adding enough detail or adding too much in places it doesn't belong, etc. Feel free to skip those, because they are a challenge to read through. I'm definitely going to focus on those a lot less.
Extras are now gone. Realize now they're pretty pointless, maybe extra chapters (I'd like to have a chapter told from the perspective of Sandwich, sort of like Fraction's Hawkeye #11) but that's further down the line.
Also, in my time away I noticed a ton of other Spider-Man and MHA stories dropped! Which makes me glad considering how few there were when I started. Please support those FF writers and read those. A lot of them are really good!
Speaking of really good: a shout out to a user on here, Tear gass, for making some really good art for the story that you can view using this imgur link: /sznecYK
it's pretty fantastic, and really makes me feel warm and fuzzy that someone with actual artistic ability enjoyed my work enough to put the time into making something this good.
Plus all things considered, from start to now-ish my story is really mediocre. I know that, and I wanna improve as best I can, so please, for the love of Pete, tell me how much I suck and give me some tips. They help a lot.
Welp, that's about it. See you in twelve years. Next time Peter goes to the moon and fights Martians. Bakugo is involved.
