Izuku sat in the receptionist hall with his friends. At his side was Tsu, Tenya, Ururaka, Momo, Toru and Mina. Each of them at one point or another forged a connection with the same foreign student. They all cared about him in some way, understanding the kind of hero and person that he was. While they fought at the USJ, simply fighting for themselves, Peter was at the school. He was fighting for everyone but himself. His focus wasn't just on beating villains, but on saving innocent people. They could have been there to help, if they had known what danger he was in.

But they weren't, someone else was.

"So," Momo broke the ice in the room, "Is it true that Itsuka Kendo was at the school with Peter?"

"I think so," Ururaka, "Thank goodness she was. I'd hate to think about Peter fighting all those villains by himself."

"I see …" Momo gazed away, thinking hard on something not shared to others.

Momo's focus seemed to be elsewhere as her friends continued to chat with themselves. Her mind went to Kendo, who had been there to fight by Peter's side. She chose to save him, rather that follow the rules and run. Momo wished she could have been there to fight at his side as well and do everything she could to protect him. Instead, it was Kendo who had done so while she fought miles away. What was it about that setup that made her feel this way? She couldn't have been jealous, could she?

Momo stood up, pushing her hands off her knee's, "I'll be right back, everyone."

"Oh, ok. Where are you going?" asked Ururaka.

"To talk to someone," She replied, making her way to the receptionist desk and asking for a room number. When she got her answer, she walked down the hall to find her destination.

Momo's fingers were twitching and fidgeting as she strolled through the halls of the hospital. While she walked, she tried to understand why she was nervous and frantic about seeing Kendo. Naturally, she assumed part of it had to do with her feelings for Peter and a hint of jealousy toward Itsuka. It brought up questions she knew had to be asked now, before more tension had built within her.

Finally, she came upon the room with Kendo's name on a sheet that was pinned to the wall. Momo took a moment to compose herself before going inside.

Itsuka Kendo was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the news that played on the TV hanging from the wall. It was playing footage of the events at the school, only from a distance. All it really captured was Mt. Lady and the dome of shadows created by Overcast. Occasionally they see Spider-Man high in the air, either swinging or being brought up by Vulture. With the walls around the school, it was hard to film most of the fight.

Kendo noticed Momo standing at the door and turned her posture to greet her. It was then Momo noticed the cast around Itsuka's arm, with bandaging covering the skin. It was somewhat stained with blood, but overall under control.
"Yayorozu," Kendo greeted, "I heard what happened at the USJ. I'm glad you aren't hurt."

"Yeah, I'm glad you're ok too," Momo replied slowly.

Sensing the tension, Kendo confronted it, "What are you doing here?"

She walked further into the room and pulled up a chair to sit and face the bandaged comrade, resting her hands on her lap. She had no plan for how she wanted this to go, meaning the best option was to go with her gut.

"Thank you," Momo said suddenly, "For staying with Peter. I'm sure he tried to push you away with his stubbornness."

"Oh, yes he did. He has a bad habit of playing the lone sassy wolf."

The two laughed in agreement, attacking the tension in the room.

"Yeah, he does," Momo confirmed as she moved to her next train of thought, "You know …I came in here expecting that I would be angry, or jealous. I expected to be run by those emotions but …I'm not."

"What do you mea-?"

"I mean how I feel about Peter."

A short silence formed between them, as Kendo nodded in understanding. It made sense that she cared that deeply for him, the proof being when she had confronted her about his mental state just days before. Momo clearly felt something strong for him, even if she wouldn't fully admit how deep it truly goes.

"I feel angry that I wasn't there," Momo admitted, "I wish I could have fought by Peter's side, and I wish I could have protected him the way you did. Maybe I'm jealous of that, but more than that, I am thankful. I'm grateful that you protected him. So, I came here to say …thank you, Itsuka. Thank you for being there for Peter."

Itsuka smiled at her, shifting her arm in her cast, "He's my friend to. Plus, he has that lone wolf complex that needs to be kicked occasionally."

They laughed together, Momo nearly holding her side. It suddenly became strange to her that the first time she met Kendo, she interrogated her about the same man in question. Now, they were smiling and laughing together.

"So," Momo finally calmed her laughter, "How long do you need that cast for."

"Well, it's not broken," She answered, "They had to bandage it and stop me from moving because of all the cuts. As soon as recovery girl gets here, I'll be good to go. How is everyone else from class 1-A? Did anyone get hurt?"

"A few cuts and bruises, and Midoryia broke his limbs …again."

"Again?! How did he break them?" She reacted with immediate concern.

"His power breaks his body when he uses it. Until he can control it, it's a powerful hazard."

She pondered this idea and looked at her arm which rested in her cast. A few stains of blood seeped through the bandages, each stain spread out across her skin. She used her power to reach Peter and it costed her, as she knew that it would. Their powers are such a wonderful gift, but it can cost them so much, especially with the career she is seeking. One rushed action and it forfeits her arm for the day, imagine what will happen if she makes that decision as a Pro.

"People nearly died today," Kendo spoke softly, "I could have helped more if I had both my hands, but I sacrificed one of them to help Peter. Was that the right decision? Sacrificing something so crucial to help one person instead of everyone?"

Yayorozu thought on this, glancing at her wounded arm in curiosity. Logically she had a point; it wasn't productive to choose one life over a dozen. Then again, that isn't exactly what happened. She still managed to help a lot of people, however, felt horrible she couldn't do more.

The sign of a good hero.

"You did everything you could," Momo reminded her, "You stuck to your gut, that's what a hero should do. You should try and help everyone and treat them as the most important thing in the world."

"…Even the one life?"

"Even the one life. You weren't at fault, Kendo."

The wounded hero smiled, "Thanks."

...

May was fast asleep, too tired from the experience to dare keep her eyes open. Peter had hoped she'd be under anyway, needing time to think of what to say. She must have been so confused, and so terrified. When she wakes, she'll ask questions that he'll find troublesome to answer. Should he tell her the truth, or make up some lies? How can he explain being in Japan, much less an alternate reality? It would be less than a day when she is discharged from the hospital, and he has few options as where to take her. Beyond that, he has no money to pay the hospital bill. If he had to get a job here to do that, finding the stones would get put on hold for who knows how long.

Her eyes began to flutter open, as she began to take in her surroundings. It was a large room, with a TV hanging in the corner. To the left was an open window, the curtains blowing in the wind. At her side was her Nephew, sitting in a chair and reading a few magazines. She rubbed her crusty eyes, smiling warmly at the familiar sight, "Peter."

Peter's head immediately shot up as he jumped to her side, holding her hand gently in his. A powerful smile overtook his lips as his eyes began to tear up, "Aunt May!" he exclaimed, "I was so worried when you called me."

"They made me do it," She answered, "They said they wanted to draw you out and hurt you …I had no choice," She began to cry as well, her tears dampening her wrinkled skin, "Oh Peter, I'm so sorry!"

Peter kissed her hand, shaking his head, "No, no, May. It's not your fault. None of this is your fault. So much has happened that I can't fully explain."

"Tell me, Peter, please. Did those men take you here? They said this was Japan, but how-"

"May," He stopped her, "There's so much I want to say but I can't. I don't fully understand it either, but I'm trying to work it out. We'll be able to go home soon, I promise. In the meantime," Peter paused, trying to think about what to say, "When we leave the hospital, there's a family we can stay with. They're really nice and have been taking care of me."

"Why didn't you just come home? Or try and call me?"

It would be difficult to explain the concept of other realities to her. In fact, it would be impossible to tell the truth without revealing his secret. He still goes to U.A, so it would be hard to explain why he was enrolled. Keeping his secret would be impossible here unless he came up with very clever lies.

"I tried, I really did. But it's been complicated, and I can't explain how. Give it time, and we'll be home soon. Trust me."

May sighed, lifting her hand out of his grasp and putting it on his cheek. She could tell just how hard he was trying to spin a story and keep her safe, despite everything that's happened.

"I suppose we do need to stay until the hospital bill is paid," Aunt May sighed, "Considering we don't have Japanese currency, one of us will have to get a job."

"I will," Peter volunteered, "I'll find a job and get the bill paid, they we should be able to get home. The government here pays most of it, so we just need to handle the rest. Like I said, we have a family we can stay with. They took me in when I got here, kept a roof over my head."

"But why were you taken here? What did those men want from you?"

Peter struggled to speak, "I really don't know."

"Please, tell me the truth."

"I am."

She tilted her chin down, almost giving him a guilt-tripping stare, "You know what I'm referring to."

He tried to play dumb, giving her a scoff as if she had gone crazy. Of course, this felt insulting and he let his expression fade to blank. She gave him a comforting smile, as if she was winking without having to. Gently grabbing her hand while it rested on his face, he took a moment to breathe deeply a couple times, collecting his courage. Peter knew that if she was here, there was no way to hide things from her. He couldn't send her home without her asking why he can't come with her yet. There was only one good answer, and it couldn't be a lie.

"…I'm Spider-Man," he quietly said, tripping over his own words out of fear.

"I know," May replied, making Peter's eyes widen in surprise, "I've always known."

He stared at her with his mouth agape, trying to find something he could say to her, "You-I-how?"

"You think I could never hear when you scamp back into your room through the window? Or that I don't find cut up blue and red fabric in the trash? What else would you need my sewing kit so much for?"

Peter laughed in a combination of shock and relief. Of course, she knew, he had made it too obvious despite how much he tried. She always knew, and never spoke up about it.

"Why didn't you bring it up?" he asked.

"I figured you would tell me when you were ready. Peter …" She rubbed her thumb just under his eye to wash away the tears, "I am so proud of you and everything you've done. You've saved so many people, and I know that Ben would be proud of the man you've become."

He laughed again, feeling as though a weight was lifted off his chest. Everything he's hidden since day one has finally come into the light. It was a warm feeling that he dares not let go of, not after everything he's been through these past weeks.

"So," May continued, "Now that we have that out of the way, maybe you can tell me what's really going on, hm?"

He looked up at her, nodding as he placed her hand back down on her lap, "There are these weapons called Infinity Stones. They are extremely powerful and dangerous in anyone's hands. When the Green Goblin tried to steal them, the stones transported us here and scattered across the city."

"So, you didn't come home because you had to find them," She concluded, "I'm not too familiar with most of what the world has become with superheroes and powers, but I at least understand. Why not just call and tell me you were ok?"

"It …wasn't that simple," he sighed, "That part I'll explain later, when you've had time to digest everything else."

She nodded, blinking her tired eyes, "I'm glad you're safe, at least. I hope you haven't been too lonely."

"Of course not, like I said I have that family who took me in."

"I mean friends, Peter."

His mind immediately went to his classmates, specifically those he was closest to. The likes of Momo, Izuku and Kendo became those he wanted to protect and trust. One was easier to do than the other, despite his best efforts, "Yeah," Said Peter, "I have friends, people from the local school. They're really kind and have shown me so much compassion," He paused, "Minus Bakugo, but I'll tell you about them later."

"And you trust them?"

There was hesitation in him. The obvious answer would be yes; he trusted them in so many ways. He could rely on them in battle, or for comfort, and just a good laugh if needed. The problem was the recent events toying with those desires. He wanted to protect them from the threats be brought here, which required he push them away in the 'comfort' area. It was the only way to keep them alive as best he could.

"Peter," She said, almost accusingly, "I can't imagine what you've been through these last few weeks. However, I know with certainty that it would be easier here on out if you had people you could trust."

"I do trust them …I just…" His voice faded out, defeated by her strong logic.

"You need to put that Parker Pride to rest," She pointed at him, "You can't carry every burden on your own. A single man can't push a boulder up a steep hill all by himself."

"He could if he had a pully system," Peter retorted and grinned.

"And who's going to help him build it?" She fired back.

"…His friends."

"His friends," May repeated with a smug smile.

She rested her head on her pillow, looking out the window for a moment. Outside was a tree, with a bird's nest sitting on a branch. It was full of eggs cracked open, baby birds hopping around. Her nephew smiled and his chair closer and resting his head on her bedside. She lifted her hand and started stroking his hair, as he let his tears fall onto the blanket. May sat back and closed her eyes, singing to the world above.

"Leaves turn brown, and snow falls white.
Grass grows green, and the sun shines light.
Close your eyes and see. All of this beauty,
It comes from you."

Peter smiled, gripping the blanket in his hand.

"Hair turns grey, and skin turns pale.
Seeds grow, and they turn to trees.
I see you grow every day.
You change. It's strange."

As the final verse seemed to roll in, Peter allowed himself to join in and sing in harmony with his Aunt.

"Leaves turn brown, and snow falls white.
Grass grows green, and the sun shines light.
Close your eyes and see. All of this beauty,
It comes from you."

Peter sat up, holding her hand that she had placed on his head, "You sang that all the time when I was little."

"I see it still works," May said smugly.

"I can't tell you how happy I am, May," Peter said, "I've wanted to tell you about my secret for so long, but I didn't want you to worry."

"I always worried. Whenever I saw Spider-Man on the news, I always feared I'd lose you the same way we lost Ben. You put yourself in so many dangerous situations and I wanted to badly to tell you to stop."

Peter looked at her with glossy eyes, "Then why didn't you?"

She hesitated, smiling of sadness, "Ben told me not to."

Peter sat up straight, his eyebrows lifting as he took a moment to examine her face. He needed to be sure that she wasn't joking or being metaphorical. With the way she was smiling, she couldn't have been lying.

"Wait, are…are you saying he knew?" Peter asked.

"When you began to compete in those wrestling matches, Ben found a check in your room signed out to 'Spider-Man'. I wanted to make you stop, but Ben told me that God had granted you a gift, and we should allow you to find your way on your own. He always believed in you, even before you became a hero."

Peter sat back, rubbing his face as he processed her words. The idea that Ben had known about his double life long before he became a vigilante, as if he knew where it would go, it was unreal. His whole life has been based off his words of wisdom, and now he understood why he gave them to him. He always knew that Peter would use his powers for good, despite his rocky start. Even when he didn't know it, Ben always believed in him.

Smiling, Peter wiped more tears away, hiccupping on his sorrow mixed with joy, "He knew. Of course, he knew. I was always terrible at keeping secrets. Pretty much everyone knows my secret by now."

"Including your friends?" She asked, "Like that girl who was with you at the school?"

"Itsuka Kendo, yeah," Peter answered, "That school teaches upcoming super heroes, and I've been going there as a cover. They know who I am, just not everything about me. They think I got my powers naturally like the rest of them," he paused, "Except …for one who overheard me talk about …how I got them."

"Well, maybe that's the universe telling you that you should be honest with your friends."

"They might not understand, and the closer people are to me, the more they get hurt. You are the perfect example of this."

"And yet here I am," She tilted her head with a grin, "Breathing and heart beating. I'm here because you saved me."

"I wasn't alone."

"Oh, stop that," She lightly smacked his hand, "You're a good person, Peter. You always do the right thing, even if it seems impossible. It would be easier on you if you had your friends at your side. You can't fight all your battles alone. That's what a team is for, like the Avengers."

Peter nodded, smiling and standing up to adjust his attire, "I should go and see them, then."

"That you should."

He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, "I'll be back later, Aunt May," he made his way to the door, grabbing the door handle.

"Peter," She called out, stopping him, "I love you."

He smiled, opening the door, "I love you too," Giving her one last smile, he left the room and shut the door gently. When he was gone, May sighed and looked back at the birds nest outside. The hardest challenge for a child is to tell their loved ones the truth, and she was proud of Peter for finding his strength.

The receptionist area was nearly empty if not for the young heroes who waited patiently in their chairs. Izuku's foot was tapping against the floor rather quickly, representing the anxiety running through his bones. They could have easily gone and found their friend like Izuku did once before, however, they didn't want to make him feel cornered or pressured to talk. The only one not sitting was Tenya, who leaned against the wall near the chairs as everyone had their own set of thoughts running through their heads.

When Peter entered the room, his hands were stuffed in his pockets. The first one to notice him was Mina Ashido, who immediately jumped to her feet with a massive smile on her face. Shouting his name, she ran to him and jumped into his arms, leaving him no choice but spinning around to catch her momentum. The others stood from their seats and greeted him with a sigh of relief.

"We got soooooo worried!" Mina exclaimed, hugging him tighter, "I'm so glad you're ok, Pete!"

"I should be saying that to you!" Peter responded, hugging her back, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to fight with you all."

"You should have seen how many bad guys we took out!" Mina let go and pumped her fist into the air, "It was like 'Pow!' and 'Wam!' And they All Might showed up and went to town against this big muscular monster thing!"

Izuku stepped forward, almost seeming guarded from whatever mood Peter might have been in, "Um, is your Aunt ok?"

Peter smiled, walking up to Izuku and giving him a quick hug, "Yeah, she's ok."

"Group hug!" Toru shouted, wrapping her invisible arms around her classmates embrace. All they could see beyond the gloves she wore was the pressure marks from her body.

"Alright! Alright! Too tight!" Peter exclaimed, letting go of the hug all together in unison with his friends.

Tsu walked from her spot and gave Peter a short hug as well, stepping back with her hand on her chin, "What was the fight like on your end?"

Nodding to her, Peter took a seat and rested, his fingers locked and laying on his lap as his friends sat down to listen, "They got the school evacuated pretty fast, but a few students were still inside. Kendo and I had to fight toward the front, so we could rescue my Aunt."

"That sounded like it was extremely intense, how did you escape all the villains?"

Smiling, Peter began to explain everything that had happened to them. As he watched his friends interest grow, an Idea of his own came to mind. It was something that he knew needed to be addressed at one point, and he couldn't continue to avoid it, "Izuku," he asked for his attention, "Is there a place we can talk in private?"

Izuku looked at him nervously, "We can look for one, maybe like …uh…"

"How about the roof?" He suggested, "There's just something we should talk about."

…

The green haired hero hung onto the arachnid's shoulders as tightly as he could while they crawled up the side of the building. It was scary to be up this high, especially with the fear of slipping and falling. However, he was also interested since this was a first-person view at his adhesive ability. It was different from how Tsu's was in terms of surface contact. Peter's was far smoother and quicker, with his fingers acting as magnets to any surface, while Tsu's was more like suction cups. When they reached the top of the building, Peter set Izuku down and leaned on the fence built several feet up from the roof's surface. At first, he said nothing and looked out at the sun setting in the distance. The sky was yellow, soon to turn red and birth a new night.

"Peter …" Izuku stood next to Peter, leaning on the same fence.

"I was given my powers by accident," Peter suddenly said, almost catching his roommate off guard.

"Oh, Peter! You don't have to tell me, it's ok! I get the need for secrets-"

"I was on a class field trip," Peter seemed to ignore Izuku as he continued, "We were visiting a company called Oscorp, run by my best friends' father. I got turned around and found myself where I shouldn't have been. It was a lab that worked on genetically enhancing spiders. I only found out today that they were trying to make a cure, but I accidentally…ruined it," he turned around, leaning his back against the metal fence, "One of the spider's, the only successful enhanced spider, escaped it's containment and bit me."

"So …that spider gave you your powers?"

"Yeah. When it bit me, it transferred some of its genetic code over and gave me spider-like abilities," He paused, "Ururaka once asked if I used my powers to get back at bullies. While I didn't do that, I did go into wrestling for a while. I used my powers to beat people up and get money for it, even created my web shooters originally as an aesthetic to please the crowd. It was really hard to cash in checks without revealing my identity, so I went to the showrunners office to collect actual cash."

He looked out at the sun setting over the hillside. The sky was now a mixture of red and blue clouds, sometimes crossing to make purple.

"One night, when I was collecting one of my payments, the wrestling ring was robbed. I could have stopped the thief when he ran passed me but …I was full of myself," Peter looked down at his feet, fiddling with them against the ground, "I let him go because I thought it wasn't my problem. I was tired of being the guy who fixed everything and never got the appreciation I deserved. I immediately thought back to when Flash Thompson made me do his homework then shoved me in a locker."

"So …what happened next?" Izuku asked.

Peter's eyes glossed over, just thinking back to the memory was enough, "That night, I came home to police cars in our driveway. They told me …they told me my Uncle had been shot…murdered."

Izuku let out a faint gasp but refused to interrupt him.

"I was so angry," he clenched his fists, shaking with fury, "I put on the costume I made, and I went out into the city. It didn't take me long to find the guy held up in a warehouse. I felt …I was ready to kill him for what he did. I had knocked him out, and before I could do anything …I finally saw his face. The face of the man I let get away from the wrestling ring."

There was a silence that lasted only a moment, allowing Izuku Midoryia to take in what Peter was saying. He finally understood where all of his guilt came from, feeling as though he caused the death of a loved one. Knowing this now, it makes that villains wife Emily's death that much worse on him.

"My Uncle Ben once told me something," His fists unclenched and relaxed, "He said 'With Great Power, comes Great Responsibility."

"What did he mean by that?" The once Quirkless child asked.

"If you have the power to help someone, then it's your responsibility to use that power to make the world better. If you can help someone, you help everyone. That's what he always believed, and it was the last thing he taught me. I've …I've lived by that motto ever since."

He wanted to put a hand on Peter's shoulder to comfort him. Spending your whole life misunderstood and rejected is something he understood completely. Yet, he was surprised that Peter was once full of himself. Knowing who he is now, it seems impossible to picture that version of him. When Izuku got his Quirk, he was nervous about showing it off. At the same time, he did appreciate the attention even if he did feel like he didn't deserve it.

"I didn't …I'm sorry," Izuku said, "I know what that feels like to be given so much power, and to feel so much weight put on you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah …Peter," Izuku took a deep breath, "I didn't just gain my Quirk. It was given to me …by All Might."

Peter straightened his back and looked at his roommate in surprise, "What do you mean?"

Izuku continued to speak despite not knowing why, "All Might's Quirk is called 'One for All'. It's a Quirk that is passed down generations. He chose me to be his successor, and passed his power down onto me. That's why I got my Quirk so late, because I was never supposed to have one. The doctors told me when I was a kid that I would never get a Quirk. But All Might changed that …"

Perhaps he was telling him because he trusted Peter. He knew that he was a good person, Peter already knew about All Might's true form. He trusts that he wouldn't do anything stupid with this information.

Suddenly, Peter started to chuckle. That chuckle turned into a laugh that caught Izuku off guard. Confused, he simply laughed nervously along with him, "Why are you laughing?" he asked.

"Because!" Peter exclaimed, "We really are so similar, aren't we? Our goals, interest, origins. I swear, we were meant to be friends."

Izuku smiled at his statement, immediately tearing up and sniffling from the overwhelming joy, "I-I'm really glad I can trust you."

Now it was Peter's turn to cry, though much less intensely, "You too, Midoryia."

The two came in for a tight hug, the sun fully setting in the distance. In that moment they felt a trust grow between them, one that wasn't there before. Peter wanted to tell him more about what was going on. He wanted to tell him about the Infinity Stones, about other worlds and the truth of where he came from. However, he didn't want to make that decision while fueled by emotion. Even if he felt Izuku was someone he felt close with, this was a choice he needed more time to make.

Meanwhile

Doctor Strange floated up the walls of his library and picked out several books from the higher shelves. The ones he couldn't hold in his hands, he had floating around his person. Tony Stark waited at the bottom, sitting in a fancy chair and tapping his foot impatiently. Occasionally, he would scratch his beard, lowering his eyebrows as he stared daggers at Strange.

"I implore you to show some patience," Said Doctor Strange, "Finding the right spell book will take some time."

"You don't have great organizational skills, do you?" Stark asked sarcastically.

"I do, actually. There are simply many types of spell books to choose from per category alone. Besides, you haven't given me much to go off. There isn't much I can do without knowing for sure that he is scattered across other dimensions."

"I tried turning on his tracker but there was nothing," Retorted Stark, "The suit I gave him is made of vibranium nanites. It can send signals back to me from across galaxies. The only reason it wouldn't work is if he was in a different reality. It's not like you're unfamiliar with that."

"You're right, I'm not. But there are endless amounts of realities parallel to our own. Some are close in resemblance, some are entirely different. Traveling across these realities is one thing but finding a specific one is another."

Strange finally floated down, holding a big brown book in his hands. The pages were old and surrounded by alligator skin covering. It almost seemed to hum in his grasp, giving off an unusual vibe.

"Do you have something of his?" Strange asked, "It will allow me to identify his aura type."

Nodding, Tony stood up and reached into his pocket. In his hand was a red mask, the same one Spider-Man had lost during their mission to the prison, "I went back and found this far outside the prison. Can you use it to find him?"

Doctor Strange takes the mask from him, examining the slightly tattered fabric, "I can try."