"Could it work?"

All Might had gone in his weakened form to see a friend who could give him a professional opinion. Detective Naomasa was leaning against the desk in his office as his dear friend presented his idea. At first, he thought it sounded foolish. Just to pull it off may require bending a few rules, or placing them in different context. While he understood All Might wanted to help not just Peter, but everyone, he couldn't help but worry it was coming from a place of sentiment.

"All Might," Naomasa started, "What you're asking about is difficult. We have rules in place for a reason and you're more or less asking to break those rules."

"Not entirely. It would only be temporary, and it could help the public's viewpoint."

"Viewpoint of what?"

"Of everything. Parker, us, it's all connected in one way or another. We make this a public stunt, and they may start to see him differently. They may start to trust us again."

"It's not as bad as that …" he was hesitant.

"Not as bad? To them, we let a student go rogue and a hero turn villain. Why would they trust us again after that? All I'm asking for is a chance for Parker to prove himself. You know as well as I do how stubborn he is. He'd probably go rogue again if any of his villains did something crucial, and we'd have to handle the cleanup. This is the best way to get ahead of it."

"He's only a child."

"A child that defeated Lumina, found the stones and saved everyone."

"Not alone."

"Doesn't make a difference."

Naomasa has known him long enough to expect such stubborn behavior. In theory, the request isn't impossible by any means. The problem is how fragile things are right now after the Lumina crisis. Should anything go wrong, they would just make it worse. The last thing they needed was to lose the people's trust even further.

Parker probably would go rogue again if the opportunity presented itself. One bad day thanks to one of his villains would be all it takes for him to put that mask on. His sense of responsibility was respectful, but problematic. Honestly, as much as he liked the kid, having him in Musutafu at all made him a wildcard. Maybe this way, they could keep that wildcard under control.

"I'll talk to the chief about it," Naomasa finally answered, "If he agrees, we'll reach out to the pros for the B.O.H protocol. If the request doesn't go through, there isn't much else to be done."

"I understand," All Might smiled, "Thank you, my friend."

The symbol of peace left the office with hope in his heart, leaving his friend there alone and puzzled. Why was he trying so hard for Parker? It's not like he couldn't do hero work in New York. He hadn't acted up or done something bad since Lumina went to prison, so there was no reason to assume anything would happen now.

Perhaps it wasn't about that for All Might. He wasn't just trying to solve an issue the Pro Hero community was struggling with; he was trying to help a friend. There was probably a fair amount of guilt for when he was ordered to detain the kid, back when his aunt was sick.

Was this his way of making up for that?

"Damn it, Toshinori," Naomasa chuckled with a sigh, "You and your big heart."

...

Excitement roared over the parking lot. The students of the hero course awaited their buses for the camping trip. Some were double checking their bags to be sure they packed everything. Even though this was really just extra training, it still counted as a well-deserved vacation. Many of them haven't been camping in a while, which only made this more exciting. A trip away from the eyes of the public, especially after being put so close in their sight thanks to the sports festival.

That still wasn't something any of them were used to; it happened rather often where someone would recognize them as they took the train, pointing out their skills in the festival. It was flattering and a little terrifying; a cause for admiration for heroes who somehow kept their identities secret.

Izuku was tapping his feet rather quickly against the pavement as he checked his watched. Peter promised to be here before they left and time was running rather short. He already felt awkward enough, having had his face accidentally close to Uraraka's not long ago.

"Izuku!"

Finally, the green-haired boy turned with glee to see his adoptive brother running toward him, cutting the time just a bit too close for comfort.

"Sorry I'm late, man!" Peter apologized as he stopped in front of him, "Running is so much slower than swinging!"

"Maybe you could try getting a license?"

"Why would I do that when I can web swing?"

"Because …you aren't allowed to, here?"

"…Fair point, green haired padawan."

"Pada-what?"

"...Y-you have seen Star Wars, right?"

A sudden voice which shouted "Hide the captain" rather loudly was followed by Mina crashing in and hugging him tightly, doing her best to hide his face from peering eyes. He was thrown off balance but managed to stay on his feet, until another voice shouted "Aid the alien queen", followed by Kirishima mimicking her actions.

"Agh! Hi, Kirishima!" Peter greeted, only unaffected by Mina's presence, "What are you two doing?"

"We don't want Aizawa to see you!" Mina answered, "Plus, I love hugs, and I'm training my protégé in the art of physical affection."

"Horn buddies!" Kirishima flexed his right arm, "Gotta look out for our spidey-guy!"

Considering how close they were to him, he could feel the warmth from both their cheeks. Likely, it was for each other, being 'horn buddies', as he put it. Knowing this now, Peter couldn't help but chuckle evilly to the trained ear. The schemes that popped into his head only delighted and fueled the fire of his future shenanigans.

"You're only making more of a scene, though …" Izuku commented.

"Fine!" Mina groaned as her and her 'protégé' released Peter from the grasp of deadly affection.

"So!" Kirishima smacked Peter's back, "How you been, bud?"

"Hanging in there, I think. It's nice to see you, Kirishima."

"Yeah! We haven't seen you much since …" he paused, trying to be a little more sensitive, "Well …for a few weeks. How's life back in New York? Sock any strong villains lately?"

Peter put a finger to his chin, "Well, I did beat this group called the Wrecking Crew. Strong guys."

"But you totally kicked their asses!"

"I totally kicked their asses."

After hearing his voice more clearly now, some of the other 1-A students started crowding around Peter with a warm greeting. It was good for them to see their friend again after being denied the pleasure of visiting by so many judging eyes.

"It's good to see you're doing well," Said Tokoyami, "I hope the judgement of the people do not bring you down."

"I mostly just look at the ground when they stare," Peter shrugged, "What else can I do?"

"Indeed. I can control my own impulse, but my Dark Shadow has a much more difficult time."

"Did you …actually call it Dark Shadow."

"Of course, not. He named himself."

"Emo."

There was a quiet 'I heard that, you bastard!' coming from underneath Tokoyami, which Peter only assumed was the shadow he was forever partnered with.

It had almost felt as though a strange, vexing force had filled the air with such displeasure. The source of that feeling was quickly pin-pointed by the crowd, as it came from a young blonde boy who was standing just outside the huddled group, laughing from the pit of his core.

"Well, well, well!" The boy chanted, his eyes as wide as his wicked smile, "Look who decided to visit! Mr. Peter Parker! Aren't you a known villain, Spider-Man? Shouldn't you be behind bars right about now?!"

The class knew him as Monoma; a student from 1-B that always had a grudge against them, and now Peter just as much.

"Seriously?" Mina groaned, "Butt off, Monoma!"

"Ooo! Do my words sting, class 1-A?! You're supposed to be the best—the future heroes—yet you stand here idolizing a known criminal!" As he grew louder, he became far more intense in his expressions while other students began looking on, "He fought against Pro heroes, you know? Everything he's ever done has nearly gotten all of us killed! Who's to say he isn't still working with the League?!"

"No one ever said he did in the first place!" Jiro scolded from within the crowd.

"You're being really mean," Tsuyu decided to chime in, "Parker's been through a lot."

"So have the rest of us!" he laughed maniacally, "You class 1-A's always cause messes that the rest of us clean up! Taking in an exchange student was just the worst of them all! How can you possibly defend someone as vile and horrible as-?!"

Monoma received a swift chop to the back of his neck, which muted every muscle in his body. The class watched as he fell face-first to the ground, revealing Itsuka Kendo standing behind him with a vein popping out of her forehead. Before Monoma could say anything in his defense, she picked him up by the shirt and kicked him hard back toward their own class, where he rolled to a stop with stars in his eyes.

Normally, she'd scold Monoma and just carry him away, but considering the subject matter, she had a little less discipline to deal with.

"Thank you, sweetie," Peter said, both out of gratitude and fear.

"He's lucky I don't own a knuckle duster," Kendo commented while dusting herself off, "Unless any of you wants to give me an early Christmas present?"

The class shook their heads, feeling rather intimidated by Kendo's more violent nature.

"That's what I thought," She teased, approaching the group with her hands on her hips, "I'll try and keep him off your backs during the trip."

The tender moment was quickly interrupted when Tenya Iida had arrived with news that the buses were on their way. The students grabbed their bags and gathered in line to board, leaving Peter, Izuku and Kendo alone with each other.

"You are going to be safe," Kendo scolded Peter, "Right?"

"Why are you so worried I won't be?" he asked.

"Can't help it. Ever since we met, you've been a magnet for trouble. I'm terrified to leave you alone for a few minutes."

"I know, Itsuka, but I'll be okay."

She lowered her brows, "Maybe …maybe I should stay behind. I don't need to go on the trip; I could just say that I'm sick."

"Itsuka …"

"No …I know."

Izuku could only watch the two of them in silence. It was sweet how much they worried for each other, but also concerning that it may bring them more stress than it should. Peter didn't need anything else to worry about right now after all he had been through and lost, "Peter will be fine," Izuku reminded her, "He's really strong!"

Though something about it still bugged her, she forced a smile for them, "Okay. I guess we'll see you when we get back."

The three shared in a hug before Peter watched them run off toward the buses. It was strange, but there was a feeling of tension between him and them. For Kendo, it was obvious; she was worried for him after all that had happened.

It was different for Izuku, though. The way the green haired boy had stopped to stare at him before getting on the bus was confusing, especially when he looked so sad about it. Was there something he wanted to say?

…

Peter returned home quickly after seeing his friends off. After getting up early this morning to find he was almost late to see them leave, he needed only a moment to relax before getting on with his day.

"Inko! I'm home!" he called out, hanging his jacket on the hook by the door.

A face he didn't expect to see was the face of his partner in crime, Mei Hatsume, as she shoved her entire body just inches away from him, "Hiya, Parkey!" she shouted, making him jump back and slam his body against the wall.

Peter nearly cussed in surprise, "Hatsume?! What are you doing here?!"

"Your mom let me in!"

"She's not my …Inko?!"

Hatsume followed him into the living room, where Inko was working at her laptop on the kitchen table, "Welcome home, Peter!" She smiled, "Hope you don't mind that I let your friend in. She's very nice."

Peter was less surprised she was here at all and more surprised she even knew where he lived, "Why is she here?"

"She said you had a project to work on."

"Yeah, tonight!" he stressed, "Not immediately after I get home!"

Hatsume hopped back into his line of sight with her arms held behind her back, "I wanted to get a head start! Thought we could work here for a change! I even brought all the materials! Come ooooooon! It's almost done! We're in the home stretch! The final lap! We gotta finish it!"

Though he was just as excited as she was, he already had a plan for when he got home, "I was going to head out on a patrol, Hatsume. I thought we were going to work on the suit later tonight…"

"Pleeeaaaaase!" She begged, "You can patrol later!"

"I can't, Hatsume," he apologized, "I've missed so many day patrols since we've started working on the suit. If you stick around or come back later, we can work on it tonight. Okay?"

Hatsume groaned loudly, "Fiiiiiine! I'll hang around and work on it without you! I still need to perfect the retraction matrix for the web-wings, anyway!"

Inko stood up from her laptop, "Are you sure you won't stay for dinner, first?"

"I can't," He said, "I've left New York alone for too long; I have to start paying my dues to it."

They could only watch him as he quickly left for his bedroom to change, disappointed in his choice.

"That boy doesn't stand still!" Hatsume exclaimed, "I wanted to work on our baby!"

"Your …baby?" Inko questioned.

"Yeah! We're making a baby together!"

"…Does Kendo know?"

"What? Ew! No! Not that kind of baby that drools and cries! We're building him an awesome super suit!"

Inko sighed with relief, "Oh, thank goodness. You're both too young for that."

"It's gonna be the coolest, most amazing, most spectacular super suit ever!"

Peter quickly re-entered the room with his classic Spider-Man stuffed into his backpack, fully repaired after serious damage. Promising to be back soon, he leapt out the window and into the city toward the closest breach-point.

Despite the smile on her face, Hatsume was genuinely disappointed. She came here early to spend more time with him. He understood her in a way most didn't; appreciated her mind more than anyone else in her department. They both understood a vital truth, that failure is the foundation of success. Both her and Peter have failed many times and always got back up better than before. He had started to become like family to her, assuming she even knew what that was like. It's not as though her own parents paid as much attention to her as he did.

"I wish he would stay, sometimes," Inko confessed, sitting back in front of her computer, "He spends so little time here, anymore; always patrolling and doing hero work back in America."

"Well, yeah!" Said Hatsume, "He's a hero!"

"But he's 16—he doesn't have to be a hero!"

"It's not about having to be a hero," She corrected her, "He wants to be a hero. Whatever the reason is up to him, but it's still his choice. No one is forcing him to be a super awesome human being with stick'em powers."

"…Stick'em…powers?"

"Yep, waaaaaaay better name than adhesive abilities," she scoffed, "Anyway, I'm headed to his room to start working! Lemme know when he gets back!"

She hadn't been here long, but Hatsume had already started claiming the home as her own, walking around like she truly belonged. At least she felt she could roam freely here, a feeling she only ever had inside her work-spaces.

Her own home felt like work. She came here to work, yet it feels like a home.

…

One of the only times he felt in control was when he was swinging.

Spider-Man was back in New York, where he belonged. Swinging through the city was one of the few times of his day where he could feel like everything was working out. No matter how hectic his personal life got, somehow, he could rely on his superhero persona to give him a hazy form of normalcy. Putting on the mask was like becoming someone else for a little while; the perfect escape.

On average, he would stop a few muggings, weapons deals and out of control car chases each day. At least once a week he would square down with a super-villain of some kind, but that wasn't as often anymore since most of his villains were on the other world. This was both a relieving and concerning thought.

The phone hidden under the belt of his suit had started vibrating, so he stuck himself to the nearest wall and answered with an out of breath "hello?"

No reply.

"Hello? Who is this?" He asked again.

There was a subtle breathing on the other end of the phone, and a voice eager to speak. Yet, not a peep came from the other side. For a moment, it almost sounded like the voice was about to cry, yet it kept itself from doing so.

"If you don't answer, I'm gonna hang up."

A faint gasp was all he heard before the call was lost.

Part of him wanted to try calling back, but he assumed that it was just a spam call.

Instead, he scrolled through his contacts to find Harry's name and number. He should call him, try and reconnect with his friend, but the guilt was holding him back. If Harry knew the truth about him – that he was Spider-Man – forgiveness would be thrown right off the table. Peter couldn't stand to lose anyone else right now, he just couldn't.

He had only a second to react when his spider-sense tripped. He leapt forward and allowed his body to fall a few yards before sticking again, just as something had tried to strike him.

A large, metal tentacle arm retracted and aimed itself at Spider-Man, who dodged it again as he started running up the building. The effort was futile as he ran straight into another metal arm that wrapped around him, bringing him down to the culprit. The man before him was filled with rage, shown by the trembling in his fingers. This rage was unique, owned only by the villain and his former ally, Otto Octavius.

"Finally found you, Parker!" Otto snarled, keeping himself attached to the building with his metal arms, which crept out from his back.

"Wow! Where have you been? Done sulking after getting your ass handed to you?" Despite his surprise, he did not drop his usual snarky attitude.

"Quiet!" Otto quickly slammed Spider-Man into the wall, pinning him against the cracked windows, "If you value your life, you'll take me back!"

"Back where?!" He asked in fatigue.

"Back to that other world! Take me there! Now!"

"Let me think about that- psych!"

Spider-Man shot a web bullet at Otto's face, distracting and loosening his grip. The hero broke free with his super strength and back flipped off the building. He waited until he collected momentum before shooting two webs back at the wall, stretching them as far as they could go before launching himself back up. By the time Otto had gotten the webbing off his face, Spider-Man tackled him from an angle off the wall and brought them both plummeting down.

He kicked off of Otto just as they reached the streets, letting the man's body crash into the concrete, protected only by the metal arms below him. The hero perched atop a lamp post to mock him from afar, "I'm afraid you'll need to purchase a membership for the spidey-transport-club. Seriously, though, I need the money."

"Shut up! I'm tired of your arrogant remarks!" Otto shouted as his metal arms picked him back up, though struggling somewhat to do so.

"Are those arms your old prototypes?" Spider-Man asked, "Never thought I'd see those again! Brings back memories! Why are you using out-of-date tech? OOoooh right! Aihara ripped the other ones off, didn't she?"

"Enough out of you!" Otto launched off his metal arms and soared at the hero, who quickly dodged and shot a web to his back before swinging him around and slamming him back into the ground.

"You're slow in your old age, Otto," he taunted.

"And you are delirious in your youth!"

"Oh, how I missed these talks. 'You're dumb and I'm a genius! Muhuwahaha!' Classic!"

By this point, several police cars had arrived on the scene to wall off the street with yellow tape and barricades. They didn't hesitate to life their guns when seeing Otto, "Freeze, Doctor Octopus!" One shouted.

The former scientist never liked that name. It brought him such rage whenever he heard it; Octopus. A fish, an animal of nature—something less than human. That's all they saw of him, nothing more, and it made him sick.

"That …" Otto growled, "That is not my name! I am Otto Octavius! The most brilliant mind to ever walk this earth! How dare you compare me to such a creature?!"

They began to fire rounds at him, forcing Spider-Man to have to dodge and weave around the bullets. Otto blocked them with his metal arms, though just barely due to their rusted state. These officers meant nothing to him, and he didn't want to waste any more time.

Otto escaped to the nearest building and started climbing up, using his mechanical arms to pierce the building. Spider-Man followed suit, trying to get ahead of him.

"Where are you going, Mr. Octopus?" He taunted, "I thought we were having a lovely chat about seafood!"

In his anger, Otto swung another metal arm at him, but Spider-Man quickly jumped over it and struck him in the jaw before he had grabbed the hero again and swung him into the air. He crashed through a window on the other side of the street and landed directly onto a table where many were sitting and talking.

They yelped in surprise and backed off the broken table, taking a moment to recognize the city's hero, "Heeeey guys," he said dizzily, "How's the 9 to 5?"

Even if they wanted to answer, they were cut off by another metal arm grabbing his leg and yanking him back out as he shouted his aggressive complaints. Otto held him upside down, face to face.

"I'll be taking this," Otto said, as he reached toward the hero's neck and grabbed the stone necklace; the one given to him by Doctor Strange.

No quip was thought up, just Spider-Mans's instinctual reaction to grab Otto's wrist and punch him with his free hand. The Otto pulled back, still holding onto the necklace for a moment longer, long enough for the string to snap.

His fingers unintentionally released the object as it went plummeting. Both of the determined men shot themselves down toward the earth after it, constantly trying to get ahead of the other. The villain used his mechanical arms to smack Spidey away, watching as he went flying down the street with further aggressive complaints.

"Finally!" Otto proclaimed as he landed, having grabbed the object just before touchdown, "After all these weeks …I can finally-"

"3 o'clock!"

His victory was short as Spider-Man swung in and kicked Otto with only a loud crack. The object fell from his hands and Spidey quickly webbed it to his own, holding it tightly to his chest.

"Sorry!" Spider-Man said, his more serious demeanor shining through, "But you are never going back there!"

"I will go back! I have to finish what I started!"

"Finish what?!"

"Play coy all you want! I don't care what Mayume says! The stones will be mine!"

It not for the mask, the sheepish expression on Peter's face would have been more than obvious.

"Oh …crap," Spidey said, "That's right, you …don't know, do you?"

"Know what?!" He shouted, "What are you babbling about?!"

In this moment, Peter actually felt sorry for him. So many weeks after it had all ended, and Otto was still struggling toward a goal that could no longer exist. Even though he had been cast out by Aihara, abandoned in this world, a part of him was still there somewhere. "Otto-"

The man didn't let him speak as he charged forward with two metal arms up, lashing out at the hero. Spidey managed to grab the two attacking arms and hold them back. He tried pleading to the broken man, but his attacks spoke words far too loudly to be heard over.

Spider-Man was finally fed up as he used his webs to tie Otto's arms to the buildings across from them. He then started attaching line after line between Otto and various buildings around him, supporting their strength with extra lines between them.

Rendered completely immobile, Otto was the center of one massive spider-web.

"What is this?!" Otto shouted.

"A new trick I thought up for you, in case you tried to attack me again," He began walking toward him, "I'm not the same weak kid I was before. I won't let myself lose ever again."

"This won't stop me!" he said as he struggled, "This won't hold me long and you know it! I will get back to that world and use the stones to destroy you-!"

"The stones are gone!" He shouted back, getting close to his face, "They've been destroyed, Otto! The Infinity Stones are dust!"

His face froze, both out of shock and disbelief, "You're lying!" he accused, "You're just trying to keep them from me!"

Peter wanted to shout again in the hopes it would make him understand, but he knew it wouldn't. As he was, Otto was a lost cause, "I'm not going to try and convince you, but it's the truth. The stones were destroyed. Mayume's plan failed."

The sudden calmness in his voice was jarring, but just enough to pull Otto out of his enraged funk, "You …you destroyed them …?"

"Not me," He spoke with regret, "It was Koji; he destroyed them …sacrificed himself."

"No …that idiot! That damn, useless idiot! All that power and he wasted it on what?! Sentimentality?!"

Spider-Man grabbed Otto by the collar, nearly ready to bash his head in. The thought of Koji's death was one that still plague him. Perhaps May was too far gone, but Koji wasn't. "Don't you ever talk about Koji like that! He was a good man! Better than you ever could be!"

Otto scoffed, "You sound just like Aihara."

Despite the warning from his spider-sense, Otto's metal arms had broken free from the webbing and pulled Otto away from the hero. The green-suited man leapt to the walls and began climbing away, escaping just as the police had arrived to help.

The officers had spouted their usual speech against vigilantism, ordering Spider-Man to turn himself in. What confused them was the hero's lack of a response. He only stared into the sky where Otto had left, his mind plagued by regret. Every time he thought he had beaten one of his enemies, they always find a way to come back and make things worse, and it was always his own fault.

He swung away quickly despite the officer's protest, observing the broken necklace in his palm. Otto was smart; he knew Peter had some way back to the other world. His desperation was pitiful, to say the least. He, too, was bound by the choices of his past, and those who never let him forget it. Like himself, they had named the scientist to separate him from the norm, and tarnish all he was. It was easier to name them something that wasn't human, to better project their own hatred.

Where Peter was named a spider, Otto was named an octopus.

...

It was just past midnight, now. Spider-Man had returned home to the other world and rested atop the roof of the apartment where he lived. He should have taken off his mask by now, but he was just too tired to do so having spent the whole day in New York.

His plan originally was to come home once it got dark, but he had done what he usually does; fight crime to distract himself. Besides, it was a surprisingly busy day. Where did the time go?

Seeing Otto shouldn't have been weighing on him this much. He knew he would have had to face him again, but not like that. The sheer desperation and rage he felt from Otto was like an overwhelming smell found in the New York streets; He could still smell it as it tickled his nose, even though the source was so far gone.

Spider-Man crawled down the apartment wall and gently opened the window in the room he shared with Izuku. Most nights for the last few weeks, he found his roommate up late studying. After changing out of his suit, he would help him with his homework. It was a system they had gotten used to. Seeing the boy asleep when he got home was a rarity.

This time, it wasn't Izuku who was asleep in his bed, but rather Mei Hatsume. He had thought she would have left when he didn't get back in time, yet here she was, dirt on her cheeks and goggles still resting on her head. A set of papers were cuddling her arms, listing the many improvements she had in mind for Peter's suit. She was determined, that was for sure.

He smiled under his mask as he carefully put a blanket over her body, tucking her in as she naturally adjusted.

After changing into his pajamas, he carried himself quietly into the kitchen, keeping the lights off as not to disturb anyone. Hopefully, Inko would have kept the leftovers in the fridge for him. Despite the lights being off, he could still see due to the moonlight shining through the window.

He was surprised to find Inko in the living room, fast asleep in the arm chair. She must have tried to stay up and wait for him to come home again; a habit she had begun to adopt. May was often the same way, though he had never known it until after her death. He always found her in the living room, asleep in the arm chair, whenever he'd return from a late-night patrol.

Was he putting Inko through the same hardships he did with May? Would that lead her down the same path?

No, Peter couldn't allow himself to think like that, not now. He would never let that happen to Inko.

He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, wishing her goodnight before grabbing a quiet snack and going back to his room, where the darkness of sleep awaited him in the ill-lit home.

Atop the blankets, his thoughts wandered in a million directions while he observed the necklace in his hand. This object—this powerful, miracle of an object—was proof that for once he got what he wanted. He had a girlfriend, his hero career in New York, his friends. He had hoped this object meant things would start to get better, yet, it didn't feel that way. Despite all he gained, he lost just as much.

"I went against the hero system because heroes acted more like celebrities. You, Parker, are one of the only good ones I've seen in a few years. Just watch your back; you've kicked the hornets' nest, and the bees aren't happy."

Peter had thought about Aihara's word a lot. No matter how hard he tried, things continued to get messier on both worlds. Harry, the people of New York and Musutafu, the Pro Heroes; it was so much to juggle. Was she right, had he really kicked the hornets' nest too hard?

The endless thoughts eventually drowned him into sleep, where they haunted even his dreams.

…

New York was far too loud for Otto. As he sat atop a tall building, looking down over the city, he felt disgusted by its lights and sounds. He had worked for years to become what he is, and these people— these normal and inferior people – took it all way. What gave them the right? What gave them the power? He was greater than them in every way. His genius would cement his name in history while they would all get forgotten, known only as stepping stones to his own success.

Only now, success seemed so far away.

For the first time in many years, Otto found tears running down his face. How could he show such a weakness, the great Otto Octavius? Was it guilt? Pain? What could bring him to his knee's like this, like someone normal?

There was only one answer, and her name was Lumina.

"I will find my way back," He proclaimed to himself, "Mark my words …I will find a way."