After returning his nano-suit to the school, Peter rushed to the infirmary as quickly as he could. He didn't realize that hero training would be that intense. No wonder this school was so difficult to get into if they push their students that hard. Midoriya had broken all four of his limbs trying to destroy that massive rock. All Might must have had a plan to protect them should something have gone wrong, otherwise all those traps and obstacles were uncalled for. The most training he did back home was with S.H.I.E.L.D, and even that wasn't as intense as what he just went through.

Finding the infirmary room, he immediately thrusted the door open. Peter had expected to find his friend broken and battered, barely clinging to consciousness. However, Midoriya was sitting up straight, feeling his arms and legs like nothing happened. There were a few cuts and bruises, but otherwise he looked perfectly fine if not a little worn out.
"Izuku?" Peter spoke, walking into the room, "How are you feeling?"

Midoriya greeted him with a thankful smile, "I'm good, Recovery Girl's healing quirk patched me up. It uses up my stamina though so I'm pretty tired."

With a sigh of relief, Peter sat down next to Midoriya, "That training session was crazy. I didn't realize that Heroics class would be so intense. But when you jumped for that rock …your power is incredible!"

Midoriya looked away, almost side, "Maybe, but I can't control it. It always breaks me because my body can't take the strain just yet."
"Still, you were incredible. I've known heroes with super strength, and I've never seen power like that before."

The strength he hasn't seen, this is true. But the expression Midoriya made prior to his fantastic jump was one Peter recognized. It was a combination of fear, adrenaline, and determination. Peter wore those colors once, on a night he couldn't forget. What confused him was why he felt those things when Bakugo was in danger. Did he care about him that much that he would break himself to save him? Bakugo treats him so terribly, it didn't make sense for him to still care about that bully.
"Izuku," Peter started, "I have to know something. Why did you freak out like that when you saw Bakugo was in danger? Its one thing to want to save someone, but you genuinely looked concerned for him. Why do you seem to care about him?"

Midoriya sighed, locking his fingers together, "Kaachan and I have known each other since we were kids. I've always respected him, and the kind of power he has. Kaachan was always the popular kid, and everyone thought he would grow up to be a great hero."

"And it went to his head, right?"

"I guess so. But I still respect him. I know that he's better than me in every way. He's always been mean to me and I don't know why, but…"

"Izuku," Peter said sternly, "Your relationship with him is not healthy. He's horrible to you, and you respect him? I just don't understand."

"Its not as simple as that. Maybe I think I must prove something, but I don't know. He's always made fun of me for not having a quirk, so he wasn't happy when I got one. Just like him though, I want to become a great hero! And I can't let anything hold me back!"

Of course, he understood what he was feeling. Peter always felt he had to prove something as Spider-Man to try and get the public to like him. In this case, perhaps it was to get Bakugo to finally acknowledge him. But it sounds more as though he would just hate him more if Midoriya became a hero. Bakugo wasn't going to give Izuku any kind of respect in the near future, and he needed to see that.

"Midoriya," A voice said, coming into the room, "I came to check up on yo-"

The man who entered looked very familiar, but it was somewhat difficult to pin. His blonde hair was long, and his chin was pointy. Two clumps of hair hung down on his face in an almost crooked manner. His black eyes reminded him of Mina, but in a different sense. He looked frail and weak, with little to no muscle on his body. One could confuse him as a skeleton if not for his skin. In seeing Peter, the mans eyes widened in surprise and he immediately shut up.
"A-All Mi-" Midoriya clamped his mouth shut, the color flushing from his face.

Peter looked between them, and it immediately hit him.

"Wait a second, All Might?" he looked at the man curiously, "All Might? Is that you?"

"Damn it, Midoriya!" He scolded as he closed the door, "I didn't realize others would visit you, everyone should have been in the showers."

He approached the two as Midoriya slowly uncovered his mouth in shame.

"Yeah, its me kid," He sighed in defeat, "I'm the symbol of peace, All Might."

Peter stared him up and down, trying to process the information. He didn't look like he did before, with all his muscle and heroic vibes now gone. Could this have been All Might's true form? And how did Midoriya know about it but not the others?
"So …what gives?" Peter asked, "This apart of your power or something? I'm assuming this is your true form."

"Correct," he said, "Very few people know about my true form. I do my best to keep that on the downlow. I can hold my powerful form for about 3 hours a day, the rest of the time I look like this. Only my closest of friends know the truth."

"Then how does Midoriya know?"

The silence grew as neither of them really wanted to answer. This was clearly some kind of big secret that they didn't want to talk about, and they likely weren't sure if Peter could stay quiet. The bond between them was clearly deeper than they let on, and he wondered what else it connected it.

"You know what …Never mind," Peter sighed, "You don't have to tell me anything. Clearly it seems important, so I'll respect the super hero code of privacy."

All Might managed a small smile, no where near what he had during class, "I appreciate it, young Parker," All Might pulls up a chair and sits down, facing him, "There are things I can't tell you, but there are also things I can. Midoriya knows my secret because he caught me in this form after I saved him once. Ever since then, my path has been crossed with his."

Midoriya looked away further in shame.

"Chin up, young Midoriya," All Might ordered sternly, "Its not a big deal. The situation could have been worse if someone else had come to visit you. I had assumed everyone would follow the rules and be at the showers, Parker is a rare case however."

"Sorry," Midoriya spoke softly, "I didn't mean to give you away like that…"

"Hey," Peter put a hand on his shoulder, "Relax buddy. So what that I know his true form? I'm not gonna tell anyone, what would I even gain?" He turned his head to All Might, "Why do you hide your true form anyway, and why not stay in your stronger form all the time?"

"Simple," he grabbed the bottom left corner of his shirt, lifting it up to reveal a massive wound. It looked as though a part of his body had collapsed into a single spot, most of is red and weak, "I got this injury from an attack years ago. Did a real number on me, so much so that I can't hold my stronger form for that long anymore. 3 hours is all I can manage these days, nothing to be done. As for why no one knows, its to protect them. If the public were to discover that their symbol of peace was frail and weak, they would lose faith in me. As the number one pro hero, I must maintain my image to give people hope. To show them that there is a hero who will always smile in the face of danger."

Peter nodded in awe, gaining respect for the hero before him. It made sense that his image would matter so much in this world, since people seem to love having super heroes around. Image is something Peter has struggled for ever since putting on the mask. The public hates him because of how the Daily Bugle represents him in the news. But that has never stopped him from doing what's right. In this case, its his image that keeps them safe as well as his abilities. Peter couldn't possibly take that away, not when it was so important.

"Your secret is safe with me, All Might," Peter said, "If your image means that much, I would never sacrifice it for selfish gain."

All Might smiled, "Thank you, young Parker."

It was only now that Midoriya finally looked up and gave himself presence.

"I won't be around forever," All Might continued, "So I've been training someone to take my place. Someone who has a quirk not too different from my own. And that person is Midoriya."

Peter looked at Izuku, surprised but only slightly. It made sense that there would be a deeper connection between them.

"I strongly believe that Izuku Midoriya can succeed me and take my place as the symbol of peace for this world. That's why I train and help him grow into the fantastic hero I know he'll be."

"I see," Peter acknowledged, "Well, I can understand why you believe in him. He's got the makings of a true hero."
Midoriya looked up at him in surprise.

"I can't wait to see what you become, Izuku," Peter smiled, "Not only do you have a lot of power, but a lot of heart too. It takes a real hero to sacrifice your own safety to help someone. You knew your body would break and you kept going anyway. That's what makes a hero, not some written exam."

He smiled, giving Peter a nod as he started to cry.

"Quit with the water works Midoriya. You're bound to run out of tears eventually," All Might stood from his seat, "young Parker, why don't you get ready for your next class and join up with the other students. We can talk more later."

Peter nodded and stood from the bed, making his way to the door. Just before he left, he looked to Izuku and said "Don't beat yourself up. You're going to be an awesome hero, especially with someone like All Might teaching you."

He left and shut the door tight, leaving the two remaining heroes alone.

"I'm sorry, All Might," Izuku said, gaining his mentors attention, "I didn't mean to give you away like that. I panicked and revealed you to him, when I should have been more careful."

All Might sighed, "It's alright, Midoriya. He doesn't know everything, anyway. Just the stuff about me and my true form. We're lucky that he's so understanding, he seems like a good kid. Though, I wouldn't doubt if he one days finds out about One For All."

"What do you mean? You're …worried I tell him?"

"No, I just think he seems pretty smart. He'll probably put the pieces together," He leaned in, pushing his chair closer, "I also think he's a great opportunity for you. He's a rookie hero like you but has a lot of experience fighting villains. I saw the way he moved and the things he did during the obstacle course. Not only is he strong, but he's wise. I know this from when he rescued Mina Ashido from the sinkhole. He didn't need to, yet he put in the extra effort to save her. Then there was when he aided you in the explosive section, and when he teamed with you to destroy the massive boulder. His first concern is helping people and doing what he feels is right. I suggest spending more time with him and let him rub off on you."

Midoriya listened carefully to All Might's words and nodded in understanding. It was true that he respected Peter for his actions and bravery, and everything he did made him want to learn more. He was starting to become someone to look up to, despite only knowing him for a day. He admired his determination to be the best version of himself no matter who stands apposed.

'That's what it means to be a hero' Midoriya thought, 'Maybe there is a lot I can learn from him.'

His phone suddenly rang, sitting on the small table next to the bed. Midoriya picked it up and looked at the caller I.D. Curiously, he answered, "Mom? Why are you calling during school?"

All Might couldn't make out the conversation, only being able to hear Midoriya's side of it.

"They did? Well what did they ask? …Oh, really? And you said …only If I want to. Right …" Midoriya looked out the window, "I mean …. yes, he is, great even. But why would we …Ooh, I see," he smiled, "Well then, how can we say no? Tell them it's a yes."

Peter made his way back to class 1-A, where all the students had been chatting with each other. The moment he had entered the room, Ururaka came running to him in a panic, "How's Deku? Is he doing alright?"
She looked quite worried about Itsuki, however the name 'Deku' caught him off guard, "You too? Why do you and Bakugo call him Deku?"
She tilted her head to the side, then back again, "Oh! Sorry, it's a nickname Bakugo has always called him for some reason. Deku said it was an insult, but I always thought it was kind of cute. So, he lets me call him that, and it's not really an insult anymore!"

"I see," he responded, "'Deku' is doing fine. Recovery Girl patched him up."

Ururaka sighed in relief, making Peter grin. He had a feeling she was worrying because she liked him more than what was let on. It was kind of cute, they seemed like they would make a great couple. Even just listening to them talk during lunch, their chemistry with each other was obvious. Maybe she had pink cheeks because she was always thinking of him. More likely it could be makeup, but the thought makes him smile.

"Peter!" Mina shouted, running over to him, "You and Midoriya were awesome during the obstacle course! That combo you did when you swung him in the air was so cool!" She hugged him quickly, letting go not a few seconds after, "And thanks again for saving me from that sinkhole! I owe you two now!"

Peter laughed, "You're very welcome, Mina. Classmate courtesy, you know?"

"Aww, you sure its not because I'm so darn cute?" She winked, putting a finger to her cheek.

Peter blushed awkwardly, turning away from her, "Eh heh, let's not get into that please."

"I'll crush you, you bug!"

A digital voice suddenly caught the arachnid's attention. The sound came from one of the student's phones and was blaring rather loudly. He heard his own webs firing off as well, leading him to a few suspicions. Walking over, he peered over their shoulders and saw footage of the Rhino attack from earlier. The footage was shaky, likely because it was filmed by one of the students.
"You filmed it?" Peter asked and startled Denki, who had been holding the phone.

"I couldn't help it, it was too cool!" he exclaimed, "You were just so awesome man! I mean look at this!"

He rewinds the footage to where Spider-Man stopped The Rhino from hitting Midoriya.

"Poor Izuku looks terrified!" He said, laughing.

When something in the footage caught his eye, Peter's eyes widened. Quickly he yanked the phone out of Denki's hands and moved a small distance from them.

"Hey!" He shouted, "That's my phone!"

"Give me a second," He dismissed him, pausing and rewinding the footage to get a good angle. It took a bit of adjusting, but eventually he got a clear enough image. In the distance from where the fight had been happening, there was a humanoid figure in the sky. It was hard to tell, but the shape of the arms reminded him of a bird of some kind. Perhaps some kind of eagle, or crow.

Or a vulture.

Denki yanked the phone out of Peters hands, "Just asked next time man."

"Sorry…" He replied, sounded somewhat spooked.

"You ok man? You don't look too hot."

Taking a deep breath, Peter nodded, "Yeah, sorry I just got a little carried away."

It was a lie, but a necessary one. Peter recognized that shape anywhere, it was famous to one of his worst foes. Now he knew for sure that more than just Rhino was here. He was too distracted by the fight to see Vulture lingering in the distance. His best theory is that Goblin used the space stone to travel back to his world and grab them, how he did it so quickly however is a mystery. Then again, it was daytime when Peter appeared here, so perhaps his trip here was slower than Goblins. It made the most sense, since traveling through space was a tricky concept, especially when it was bent to do so.

The end of the school day came and went, and Peter was worn out. Since he had technically been up for two days straight, he was beyond tired. He still didn't have a place to go, however, so he simply hung out at school for a bit. Using his adhesive powers, he stuck to the wall of the school outside, sitting a few floors up and watching the sun descend. The city was rather beautiful at this time of night, and it made him want to explore it as much as possible. Normally after school, he would head home back to his aunt. But he couldn't, because he wasn't home. Aunt May must be so worried about him since he didn't come home from school. He hadn't really had time to think about that, about the people who would miss him while he's here. It's a horrible feeling when you know people are hurting and you can't do anything about it.

'Aunt May, I promise I'll come back to you', He clenched his fist, holding the infinity stone that he retrieved along with his gear after school, 'Somehow, I'll make it back. I'm just gonna be away for a little while. I hope you can manage without me until I come home. I miss you.'

"Hey! Peter!" shouted a voice below. Looking down at the ground, Peter saw Midoriya waving to him with a smile, dressed back into his school uniform. All the other students had gone home now except for those two. Peter carefully crawled down the wall and met him on the ground, jumping the last few yards.
"Hey, Izuku," He greeted, "What are you still doing here?"

"I wanted to ask you something important," he grinned, "The school called my mom and asked her about it, then she called me while I was still in the infirmary and asked me about. And thinking it over it seemed like a good idea."

"What does?"

"I was wondering … if you wanted to come and live with me?"

Peter did a double take, making sure he heard him right, "What did you say?"

"The school was calling the parents of class 1-A's students and asking them if they would like to give you residence, since you have no where to live. They got to my mom and then she called me. Now, here I am asking you. I figure it's a good way to repay you for everything you did for us today. You saved me from that rhino guy this morning, and you helped me pass the obstacle course. There isn't a lot I can do to return the favor except offer you a home. So, uh …" he held out his hand, a nervous look on his face, "Would you like to be my roommate?"

It was hard to believe that after just one day, Midoriya felt Peter was someone he could trust. It seemed almost too fast. But in a way, it made sense. He did do a lot for them in just one day, so their trust in him must have skyrocketed. And it was likely Midoriya's mom would get paid for housing him, so she probably could use the money. And a place to live would be pretty good right about now, so he needs to take advantage of his opportunities.

With a bright smile, Peter shook his hand, "Sure, roommate."

Izuku opened the door for his roommate, letting him be the first to walk into his new home. The inside of the house was nice and held a very friendly and safe vibe. The kitchen table and living area were in the same room, and the colors of the wall and floor blended well. The room looked like it had been cleaned recently, with many of the surfaces shining abnormally. Izukus mother must have prepared for his arrival after receiving the call from the school, "So, this is my house," Izuku said, "Mom said we have an air mattress for you, and we can set it up in my room," He closed the door behind him, "Mom! We're home!"

"Coming!" a voice sang from the other room. There was a bit of a scuffle before the small woman finally entered proudly. She was about as tall as Itsuku was, with long dark hair just passed her shoulders. She didn't seem as fit as her son was of course, but that didn't matter. She still held a big smile on her face, as she walked up and shook Peters hand with joy, "It's very nice to meet you Peter, I'm Izuku's mother."

Peter happily shook her hand in return, giving her a warm smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm so sorry my residence here is thrown on you last minute. There was a problem with the papers, so my residency was never filled out and I feel really bad that your doing all this for me."

"Nonsense!" She exclaimed, "Izuku said nice things about you. I know it's only been one day, but he seems to trust you despite that. And I trust my son's opinion. Besides, you seem like a nice boy," She clapped her hands together, "We're going to be having dinner in a little bit. I'm just going to get started on it."

"I can help if you want."

"No no, it's quite alright Peter. But thank you for offering. Izuku can show you where you'll be sleeping, and I'll get started on dinner."

If Izukus mom was anything like his Aunt May, then her kindness would not take no for an answer.

"Alright, its your house Mrs. Midoriya," He sighed peacefully, "We'll just get me set up then."

With a friendly wave, Izuku lead Peter out of the living area as his mother started for the kitchen. She was grateful that Peter seemed like a nice enough boy, in fact he almost gave off the same vibe Izuku did. Perhaps because they were both young boys striving for the same goal to become great pro heroes. Truthfully, she took him on out of kindness, without really knowing much about him. That's why she needed to call Izuku, who she hoped had interacted with him. She can easily dissolve the residency if it doesn't work out, but hopefully it won't come to that.

Izuku opened the door to his room and walked inside, nearly tripping over the new air mattress set up by his mother, "So uh …don't judge me ok?"

Peter didn't know what he meant until he had walked into the room itself. The walls were decorated with 'All Might' merchandise. Posters, action figures, and other forms of content were scattered about the room. He wasn't too surprised, after all he had quite a few Avengers posters in his room back home.

"Wow," Peter said with a smile, "Keep this stuff long enough and you can sell if for a lot in 10 years' time."

Izuku had expected him to make fun of his 'obsession' with the hero All Might, but he felt relieved that Peter had taken a different route, "Yeah well, All Might has always been my idol since I was a kid. He inspires me to be a hero, so being trained by him has been a dream come true."

"I know the feeling," Peter replied, "I always admired Iron Man since I was little too. Once when I was young, there was this robot attack on the city. I was out with my Aunt and Uncle, and at the time I loved Iron Man so much that I was wearing his merchandise. I had on an Iron Man helmet and hand blaster and pretended that I was him. Thing was, the fun didn't last when one of those robots had approached me. I was scared of course, but I felt a bit stronger wearing that helmet. I thought that maybe if he couldn't see my face, then he'd think I was Iron Man and run away.

"I lifted my hand to threaten a blast, and it just stared me down. But then, suddenly, a figure landed behind me. He blasts the robot down with one hit, then turns to face me. It was Iron man himself, standing over the destroyed robot. Just as he prepared to fly off back into the fight, he looked at me and said, 'nice work kid.'"

Izuku listened carefully to his story and noted how similar that they were. Izuku also used to wear All Might merchandise to feel powerful, it made him feel safer in the world.

"I loved heroes ever since then," Peter continued, "And I never forgot the feeling of wearing that helmet and feeling more powerful than Peter Parker ever could be. So, when I created my costume, I made sure to include a mask. So that no matter how weak I may feel, Spider-Man could be strong."

"I get that," Izuku said, "My costume is kind of like All Might's appearance too, at least around the mask. Pretending to be him made me feel strong as a kid. When he first appeared as a hero, he was saving a hundred people every 10 minutes. He made people feel hopeful again, and I wanted to be just like that. I wanted to give back to the world what All Might gave to me."

Peter sat down on the air mattress, gesturing Izuku to sit next to him. There was only a second of hesitation before he obliged and sat with him. Once he had, Peter placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Must have been crazy finding out about his true form, huh?" He asked.

"Yeah …" Izuku sulked, "It was kind of crazy …but I still respect him just as much, if not more than before! He's the gold standard for what a hero needs to be!"

"Maybe," Peter removed his hand, "But you're the gold standard for the hero you need to be."

Izuku didn't have any more words after that. He hadn't found that many people who believed in him as much as Peter had, despite only knowing him for a day. Even then, he could tell their friendship was off to a good start.

"Izuku!" His mother called from the kitchen, "Can you help me set the table?"

"Sure thing!" he shouted back, standing from the mattress, "You can get yourself comfortable, I'll be back in a bit."

Just as Izuku left the room, Peter's expression had dropped.

Reaching for his back, he unzipped it and looked at the contents inside. The Reality Stone was sitting atop his classic suit and web shooters, glowing faintly against the fabric. The stone rested gently against the suits emblem, almost replacing it. Peter seemed to stare at it forever as its glow came and went like a heartbeat.
Izuku was kind to let him into his home and give him a roof over his head. But whether he liked it or not, he had to keep secrets from them. With villains like Rhino and Vulture still out there somewhere, he knew he was the only one that could find and stop them. He couldn't let anyone else get involved with this conflict.

This was his war to fight, and his alone.

…

The woman sat on the edge of the building as the moon hung in the sky. The wind was blowing against her face, making her hair flow in the air. She listened to the sounds of the city coming from below, almost hypnotized by it. There was a sense of enjoyment listening to life take its course. The sounds of car horns, people talking, and lights flickering. In its own way, it was beautiful.

A burst of purple smoke emerged on the roof behind her. Revealed from it was the large green monster, wearing a golden gauntlet on his hand. His fists were clenched, and his eyebrows lowered as far as they could go, "We need to talk-"

"Shh," She said, holding up a single finger, "Listen to all of that. Down on the streets are thousands of people, thousands of lives. Isn't it amazing?"

"No," Goblin retorted, "They're pathetic, going about their dull lives, never to achieve anything."

"What's wrong with dull?" She smiled at him, "What's wrong with being normal? Some people just want to live the simple life. They just want to grow up, marry, have kids and work. And that's ok if that's all they want. Down there are thousands of lives, all happening at the same time. One man just got a promotion, the other just got married. One woman just got pregnant, another won a spelling bee. To each of them, their experience is their own. You must have some kind of respect for that."

"Respect is not why I'm here in this world," he scolded, "I am here for one purpose, and I can't achieve it so long as Parker lives!"

"Mmhm, I see. And what exactly do you want? To rule the world? To kill all of your enemies?"

Silence fell between them.

"Killing," She continued, "is that all you think about? You can achieve so much more with a little mercy."

"I have no time for mercy!" he shouted, the stone on his gauntlet glowing and fire escaping his eyes.

"Mr. Osborn, please relax. I can assure you that I can get what you want without killing anyone. If you kill in this world, you'll have 20 Pro Heroes on you before you can even blink. This is not a world where brute force alone can always win. If you want proper navigation to victory, you need someone with a plan," She placed a hand on her chest, "That's me."

Goblin let out a sigh of smoke, relaxing himself, "What exactly is your plan, then?"

She stood from her spot, balancing on the edge and watching the cars drive by below.

"We'll have to pull a few strings."