As a direct result of the Sports Festival, all the students of 1-A and 1-B were interning for hero agencies to get a taste of what it's like to be a Pro. Normally, first year students don't get that chance, but they were a special exception this time around. The results came in quickly for class 1-A and 1-B, and everyone had gotten their internships. Some of them got several requests from Pro's, while others got none, but everyone got the chance to go somewhere, and they all jumped at the chance. It provided a good distraction from what's happened, if anything. Even though a lot occured lately, they tried to show their enthusiasm for the opportunity that was given to them.
Most of them.
Unfortunatly, not every student found it in their hearts to forgive Peter for what he's done. Mezo Shoji was still unsure of the status concerning Peter Parker. He was usually rather empathetic toward others, which was why he was still divided on the subject. Peter was a good guy who liked to help people when he could, so he could at least understand where he might have been coming from with how things turned out. That didn't make it easy, though, but it helped cope with it. Others like Rikido Sato were the same, unsure if Peter should be forgiven. After spending so long in their class, doing something like this just hurt whether they were close friends or not. Deep down, he was waiting for a reason to show forgiveness.
Kyoka Jiro didn't think the same way. Yes, like nearly everyone else, she admired Peter's skill and determination. However, she also recognized he wasn't perfect. From the start, she could tell something was strange with how he was thrown into class without warning, and everyone just accepted it, even her. Over time, however, she noticed how trouble just seemed to find him. He had been attacked so many times that the pattern caught up with her. Yet, in spite of this, she still defended him when Naomasa came to his arrest, mostly because she thought he was innocent. Now, she wasn't so sure anymore.
Jiro sat in the bed provided for her at her Pro Agency of choice. She was a few days into the internship, and so far, she was enjoying it. It was far more intense than the classes back in school, both physically and emotionally. Being able and allowed to help protect and save people was a win as well. Because of her quirk, she could plug her ear jacks into walls and listen to what is on the other side. More often than not she was good for dealing with hostage situations. At least she knew where her strengths were when it came to serious situations like that.
As well as where her weaknesses were.
It was hard for her to sleep that night as she couldn't stop reading on her phone. The screen was open to an article posted only a few hours before. It was about Peter, or more specifically, Spider-Man, with the brand of fugitive put next to his name. It made her angry to read and she should have stopped, but her eyes just kept moving down the screen. It wasn't terribly long, but it pointed out enough details to forge a timeline starting at the first attack in the police station.
Seeing what's become of Peter made her angry. After spending all this time with their class, even after being defended by them after the festival, this is what it comes to. Peter Parker becomes a wanted criminal. Granted, he's wanted for doing heroics without a license, but he's a criminal none the less. He's been at the center of at least three attacks in the last month alone, and now they hear he forged his papers to get into the school and possibly lied about his identity. She wished things could be different, but they weren't, and this was just the reality. She trusted him like everyone else and was stabbed in the back.
The only thing that helped her was plugging in her headphones and drowning out the world with music.
…
Wind blew over the tall empty rooftop and whistled a sweet tune. It was empty all except for one teenage boy, fiddling away at small wrist sized devices. He smelled of trash, having to dumpster dive to get the parts he needed for his gadgets. This roof was the only place he could be alone without interruptions. The entire building was closed for the night, no one was around except for the security guards on the first floor.
It had been a few days since his friends would have started their internships. They were scattered all over Japan now. Part of him hoped he'd run into one of them eventually, but had no idea what he would even say. After leaving them without so much as a goodbye aside from Kendo and Midoriya, they must have been feeling cold toward the whole situation. He only wished he could explain why he did what he did.
The wind blew in Peter's face again and sent his bangs upwards. His face pointed to the sky where he saw the moon, and it made him smile. It had been a few days since he left the city where U.A was. By now, all his friends would be in the middle of their internships. Everyone was spread out far and wide to many agencies to perform hero duties under the guidance of a pro. Despite the distance that was now between them, at least they could share the same moon each night.
Loading the gadgets with web fluid, Peter clasped the web shooters onto his wrists and extended the triggers to his palms. The design was much simpler than his usual ones, mainly because he had so fewer tools to work with. He wouldn't have access to the web gadgets he had come up with like the trip mine, web bomb or impact web, but he would at least be able to shoot and swing from his normal webbing. Since these were only prototypes based off his Mk 1 design, he needed to run a few tests to make sure they actually worked. It would be embarrassing and more importantly painful to start swinging across buildings only for them to fail suddenly. He couldn't set up obstacles or else the wind would just knock them down. Instead, he decided to go back to his roots, much like the first time he tested his webbing.
Jumping to the edge of the building, Peter pulled his mask over his face and looked to the streets below. Once upon a time, he was extremely scared of heights and wouldn't even climb one of Uncle Bens 16ft ladders. After getting his powers, he decided it was time to get over that fear, so he climbed to the top of the empire state building in New York. He wasn't so scared of heights after that; a distance like this was nothing compared to other days.
Positioned like a diver, Spider-Man leapt off head first into the night, zooming by the windows and just barely touching the outer wall of the building. When he was just two stories from the ground, he pushed away from the wall and shot a web that stuck to the nearest building. It tightened and swung him forward, then threw him up into the sky.
He cheered in excitement, feeling as though he had just regained a part of himself. Spider-Man performed a backflip at the peak of his flight before diving back down and shooting another web. He swung again and flipped forward, before pushing his feet off a building to change his direction and swing down another street.
Civilians looked at him in awe, some cheering and others confused. Peter didn't care, he was just glad to be back soaring through the air once more. It felt good, like he was home again. He would let himself free fall as his back resisted the wind, as if falling through water. His favorite thing to do most of all was reach the peak of his flight and feel as though he was floating in midair. The entire city became his playground, and he was a child on the swing set.
Perching on the next building, he took a moment to look around at the city he was in. With the police and Pro's on his tail, he's had to continuously move from city to city. In all honesty, he wasn't entirely sure where he was right now, or how far from U.A he seemed to be. He's done several hours of walking a day, taking time to hide, rest, and repair his gear. The stealth suit had finally been fully repaired and ready for use, though he only had one remaining power source for it. For now, though, his worry should be on figuring out which city this was and perhaps then returning home. It was time to do what he promised Stan, and find Itsuka Kendo.
Down below him, the sound of a television echoed from a store window. It was the brightest light on the street compared to the lamp posts. On the screens behind the glass were videos of a Pro Hero he wasn't familiar with. It was a young blonde woman in a red dress with jewelry on her wrists and ankles. Unlike other Pros he has seen, she was soaking up all the spotlight given to her by her fans. The Tv was playing a newscast of her going out and seeing her fans. He hated how so many heroes let themselves drown in their fans love. That isn't the way you should treat the people who admire you. If Stan Lee taught him anything else, it's that your fans should be just as important to you are you are to them. Had she been doing her job and then checking in with them, perhaps it would be different, but it was clear by her face she loved the attention, not who was giving it.
Her guests on the other hand were different.
He jumped down to the sidewalk to get a closer look at the scene playing on the news. Behind the woman and all her fans were two young girls he recognized in a heartbeat. One was Momo Yaoyorozu, dressed in her hero outfit. The other that made his heart skip was Itsuka Kendo. She was wearing a blue knee-length qipao; a feminine body-hugging dress with Chinese features. Over that, she was wearing a black double-breasted corset, ending just below her chest and starting above her waist. Equipped to her as well was a brown utility belt and a satchel attached at the back. To finish off her look, she was wearing heeled navy boots and a domino mask around her eyes.
Even in her hero costume, he couldn't deny how beautiful that she looked.
The only explanation for them being there was that they were currently doing their internship with that hero. He hoped she was excited to be out there despite everything that's happened recently. Both her and Momo were standing there rather humbly in comparison to the hero they were interning for. They probably wished they could see some real action rather than just standing around while their guide soaks in the limelight.
The news that was playing was more than willing to reveal where the Pro and his friends were, as it went on to say which city they were in as well as the agency. Just hearing the name, he thought it sounded rather familiar. Come to think of it, there was a good chance he saw a sign for that city on the highway he took to get here. If that's the case, then she wasn't far from here.
"I'm coming, Itsuka," he smiled under his mask and swung away toward the bridge out of the city.
…
It's only been a few days since everyone's internships had started. After being allowed to pick their own hero names, the members of classes 1-A and 1-B were sent off to work under the guidance of real Pro Heroes. To many, this would be the first taste of real risks and danger they would face while using their powers. Danger wasn't something 1-A was unfamiliar with, having fought against villains at the attack of USJ. However, even that couldn't have prepared them for the real world. The training and work they were put to was often harder than that of classes back at U.A.
At least for most of them.
This would mark another day where most of what they did was walk around and watch their mentor work. Both Itsuka Kendo and Momo Yaoyoruzu were interning under the guidance of Pro hero Uwabami. She was extremely popular with the people due to her good looks and charm. Many often associated her as the celebrity hero, spending more of her time doing photo shoots, walking red carpets, and filming for TV and commercials. Her prime focus wasn't on crimefighting, as many would think of her being a pro.
Neither of the young girls were excited for seeing this day in and day out. The most exciting thing to happen so far was being told they would be in a commercial with Uwabami and it would end up on TV. Beyond that, all they've really done is walk around and watch her get greeted by fans while they get ignored moist of the time. It wasn't exactly the taste of being a Pro they were hoping for. Still, Momo tried to keep her spirits up, mostly because she felt as though this was all she deserved.
Momo still hadn't recovered from everything that happened at the festival. Besides losing her first match in under 15 seconds, Peter had still been missing since being taken away, and was now a wanted fugitive. It was hard to get excited about what she was doing with that information on the brain, so all she could really do was latch onto the smallest thing that would make her feel important. She couldn't help but think that Peter decided to go on the run because he didn't want to come home and see her. He must have hated her for what she said so much that he preferred to stay away instead.
Kendo knew the truth about why he was gone, and why it was important he stay away. Seeing the turmoil on Momo's face was hard because she could tell she was blaming herself. It would only take a few words to reassure her this wasn't her fault, but that meant revealing what really happened that night, thus breaking the promise she made with him and Izuku. Besides, if anyone was gonna blame anyone, Kendo was going to blame herself.
The silence between the two girls was unbearable while Uwabami signed autographs. She had to break the tension somehow or this would go on forever.
"So," Kendo spoke suddenly, "How many autographs do you think she signs per day? I'm getting pretty impatient to fight some crime, aren't you?"
"This is what a Pro does," Momo answered while trying to force passion into her voice, "To become the best one day, we need to understand every aspect of that it takes to be a hero!"
"Yeah …but I mean, this is the third day in a row where we watch her soak in the limelight. I'm not trying to talk bad about her, but isn't she known for not really fighting any crime?"
"Sometimes being a hero is about more than fighting crime, it's about connecting with the people."
Kendo looked back to Uwabami, fans surrounding her and holding their photos and papers out to be signed. They all looked to her like she was some kind of god, and she was more than happy to accept that kind of loyalty as she blindly signed one after another, "That doesn't seem like connecting to me. Connection is opening up to someone and showing them who you are beneath the fancy cloths and jewels. There is more to every person than what is shown in the media, but everyone instead clutches to what is given to them on the surface. It gets to a point where even the person in question can't see what's underneath."
Momo turned her head with a raised eyebrow, "Where did you learn all that?"
"I guess Peter rubbed off on me-" She caught herself too late, seeing the look of distraught on Momo suddenly take form. Just as she seemed to have taken her mind off of it, she forced the memory right back into her head. It was hard on both of them, and they couldn't avoid it no matter how they tried to.
Screw it. She couldn't just avoid the topic.
"Peter isn't a criminal," Kendo stated confidently, "I don't care what the news say, and I don't care what the Pros think. Peter is a hero all the way through."
Momo couldn't even bring herself to speak back to her and get the conversation going. Her mind flooded with images of the last time she saw him and it make her want to choke. In no way did she feel strong enough to tackle this anymore. When she first joined U.A out of recommendation, she felt confident she could do this. After the sports festival, everything had drastically changed. She saw how strong the others really were in comparison and just snapped. Along side them, there was no way she could ever become a hero. She couldn't stop herself from feeling so useless.
"There is nothing that we can do about it …" She said softly, "We have to live with the fact that he isn't our friend anymore."
"You don't buy that, I know you don't," Itsuka retorted, "You care for him."
"Not as much as I thought," He instinctively spat out, "I projected my insecurities onto him and called it romance, but it was never that at all. In Peter, I saw what I was not and resented it without even knowing. I idolized that and convinced myself it was something else. I did that to him, I put him on that pedestal and made him feel horrible about it."
She tried to comfort her in some way, but Itsuka just couldn't find the words for it. That shame and guilt was clutching onto her heart like a raven's claws. Until the raven finally calmed down and stopped flapping its wings, those feelings would never go away.
"Alright girls!" Uwabami left the crowd with her hands resting on her hips, "Let's keep going. There are still plenty of people who want to see us!"
Momo quickly sped to her side, Kendo following reluctantly after. There was still so much pain in her and there was little she could do to mend it. So much guilt had been placed on her shoulders, it reminded her of how she saw Peter, carrying more weight than what is required or even asked of.
As the three continued across the sidewalks of the city, greeting fans and paparazzi, a fourth figure followed them from the rooftops. The arachnid hero jumped from perch to perch on the buildings roofs and looked down below. Despite the broad daylight, no one was really noticing him up there, though he was wearing his repaired stealth suit just in case. The lenses used their zoom-in function to get a closer look at them, so he wouldn't have to position himself too close to the street. Just as what happened on the news the day before, this Pro hero was more focused on the limelight than actually being a hero. Though he had many words he could say about that, his mind was only trained on one thing.
Having finally accepted his feelings, he could see just how beautiful Itsuka Kendo was, even when in her costume. The way her red-orange hair flowed in the wind and how the light shined on her eyes was breathtaking, enough to make his heart speed up just seeing her. He smiled brightly under his mask, not even realizing he was blushing. He had never realized how deep these feelings ran since he spent so much time rejecting any form of romance. Now, he was feeling it in full throttle, and it made him happy. For a few moments, it was as though he was feeling peace again, perhaps for the first time in a while.
Then, the nervousness took over.
He stood up and paced on the roof of the building, taking deep breaths and trying to loosen his shoulders. It felt worse than having to do public speaking for a project in classes back home, probably because those often ended in paper being thrown at him. What can he say; paper balls are trauma weapons.
"Ok, ok," he said repeatedly with a stutter in his voice, "What should I say? What should I say? Uh … 'Hi Itsuka! It's me! I know it's been a while and' - ugh that's dumb," He bonked his own head of stupidity, "Uh … 'Kendo! Wow, fancy meeting you here'- no that's stupid. 'Kendo, I know you're probably still mad but'- Ugh, don't remind her."
He went through several different iterations, calling each one worse than the last. If it didn't sound dumb, it sounded insensitive. It had been so long since he tried talking to a girl about his feelings that he actually forgot this was how it felt. The nervous shaking in his fingers and the quick breathing that fogged up his lenses. He hadn't been this nervous since trying to ask Mary Jane Watson to the school dance.
The boy finally stopped and took a deep breath. After feeling all of that stress, it was as though something crossed his mind and slowed his train of thought. A single word echoed through the walls of his head, as if to empower him.
"…Excelsior," he said quietly, rolling his shoulders to remove the tension. Overthinking wasn't going to work, he just had to go with it and keep moving upward no matter what happened.
The three women stopped once again to greet the Pro's many fans, earning photos and autographs from their hero. The young girls were left once again to watch her soak in the glory as they stood helplessly in the corner. They had been silent ever since the last encounter, finding no real words they would be able to say to one another. It was nothing but tension, horrible and agonizing tension.
Come to break the ice was a phone call from Itsuka Kendo's phone. It rang and vibrated annoyingly, and she almost didn't answer it. The only reason she had was because she needed to get her mind off of things. What was strange was that there was no caller I.D, so she assumed it was a wrong number or perhaps someone who go a new phone. It didn't matter to her, she answered it regardless, greeting the caller averagely.
"… Kendo?" Peter's voice came through, "It's me."
Her heart nearly fell out of her chest. She was so taken aback that she almost thought this was some kind of prank, but she knew his voice anywhere.
"…Is it?" She said softly, not wanting to alert Momo to who she was speaking with. That may have been to much for her to deal with right now.
Spider-Man in the meanwhile was using stealth mode, operating a street phone not far from them that he paid for with the few coins he had. His own phone barely ever worked, minus the one point when Goblin made May call him, but he assumed that they had used some kind of technology to do that.
"Go to the alley next to you and get out of sight."
Peter hung up before she could ask why or where he even was. Not even an explanation was given to her, but she didn't care. This was more than she thought would happen today and she needed to jump at the chance before it was gone. "Momo, I'm just going to talk to my parents real quick," She said, still holding the phone to her ear as though they were on the line. When Momo nodded to her, she dashed for the alley and turned the corner, where she was out of sight of her, Uwabami and the crowd of fans.
Her phone now stuffed away, she looked above her and expected to see him rappel down on a web, or crawl on the wall. Hell, even if he just jumped from the roof, that would make her happy. Whatever it took to see him again after watching him go that night. She waited a moment, but he had yet to appear and her thoughts started racing. What if it was a scam? What if someone who had her number was just playing some sick prank on her? Or worst of all, what if she was so desperate to see him again that she imagined the phone call.
Behind her, Spider-Man took visibility once more with his battery at 89%. Kendo hadn't noticed him standing there yet, but there was no point in waiting as he cleared his throat.
She turned around quickly and with a short gasp, staring at the arachnid in a suit she didn't recognize. Despite that, she knew it had to be him with the masks shape and the large symbol on his chest. She hadn't rushed to hug him right away, wanting to be absolutely sure she wasn't being duped somehow.
Peter had thought of a dozen different ways this conversation could have gone. A dozen different greetings he could have given her with many different tones for each. Instead, he opted for the silent solution as he slowly took off the mask of his suit and dropped it gently to the ground beside him. His face finally forced the tears out of her eyes and she smiled uncontrollably. She didn't need permission to finally jump into his arms at full force and hang on as if something was trying to pull her away.
Even Peter had started crying when she was finally in his arms again. He could feel her heart beat pound against his chest, a feeling that gave him hope and reassurance that this was really happening. His hand stroked the back of her head to comfort and ease her into reality. This was real, and he finally came back to her. A few days without him had felt so much longer. She didn't need him to say anything to know that he was sorry; the way he clung to her was enough.
"I missed you so much!" Kendo cried through her tears, choking on them, "Peter, I-!"
"I know, I know. I've got you," he reassured, "I missed you too."
The embrace continued in silence as they took in the reality that they were back together. Neither of them wanted to let go of the other in fear of being unable to hold them again. It was in this moment the fully realized how much they not only cared, but also needed one another. Being apart for only a week long time had thrown them into such distraught when finally reunited. It was as if coming home from a world of torture and never wanting to go back.
Her head rested on his chest; her hands clutched to his back as she smiled. She didn't need to ask where he had been, or what he had been doing. All that mattered to her right now was that he was here with her, everything she wanted since he left on his own. She still retained the information from the Mind Stone, so she knew everything he has been through and no longer wanted him to go through it by himself.
"…I'm sorry I didn't come see you sooner," Peter apologized, "I wanted to but …I'm sorry."
"I know," She said, finally backing up enough to look him in the eyes but still hanging on, "You were trying to protect us."
"But I was going about it all wrong," He corrected, "I um …I met this guy, to put to simply. He helped me realize what …what actually matters."
"I …I don't understand."
"Neither do I, fully," he laughed nervously, "Um, I guess I …well when I first got …when I became Spider-Man, I mean not right when I became- I mean when I started fighting crime, I thought I couldn't be happy and fall for people because they would just get hurt so I shut myself out and …well that's why I left because I thought I had to deal with it myself but I don't, I …" He tripped over his words so much that he came to a full and nervous stop. There was a good chance he had only confused her further.
"Peter," She cupped his cheeks and massaged his skin under his eye, "Don't think about it."
His heart was beating too fast from the adrenaline of seeing her again. He tried to slow his breathing, but it made his chest hurt. Peter needed to find something to focus on and calm himself down. That's when he realized how close he was to her. Their chests were just an inch from touching one another. He hadn't been this close to someone before, much less a girl his age. It caused the blood to rush to his cheeks. All that was on his mind now was her, and nothing else.
"…I once told you this was my war," He said, "But a wise man recently told me something. He said 'A life without loss is a life without love.' He lived his life allowing himself to love the people who cared for him, even if he may lose them, or they may lose him. He knew that having that love in the first place would overcome having lost it. I don't want to avoid love just because I'm afraid of losing it."
She had never heard him talk like this before. Every time they spoke about this crusade of his, he always had the same viewpoint; he needed to fight this alone because everyone who got involved would only get hurt. He always carried the weight of the world on his shoulders and refused to let anyone help. Now, he was talking differently. Something inside of him had changed and she was only now seeing how much his face seemed to be glowing with happiness. It was like something or someone had opened a piece of his heart he kept locked away for so long. The light coming off his eyes was enough to make her blush the same way he was.
"I don't want to deny my feelings anymore, basically," He finished.
"Feelings about what?" She asked, feeling as though she knew exactly where he was going with this, and it made her heart flutter.
"My um … You know this part is actually the hardest one but I'm just- I want to get it out of the way so we don't run into that cliché where the two get interrupted before the confession-"
"Peter."
"-I like you," He spat out, "I …I really like you, Itsuka Kendo."
It took everything in her power not to kiss him on the spot with the smile on her face joyfully hurting her cheeks, "I like you too, Peter Parker."
Part of him had expected she would reject his feelings and wish to stay friends, but the fact that she had instead returned them in kind only made him like her more. Talking about his feelings was not an act he knew well, but he could easily get used to it if this is what it feels like.
"You know …uh …the most common response I get to admitting my feelings to a girl is 'no', so this is a surprising first," he laughed.
She laughed with him, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Any other firsts you haven't had yet? First date? First kiss?"
"Yes, and yes, actually. I've kind of always been the nerd without charisma. As long as that doesn't bother you. Along with the fact that I'm still a fugitive."
"I don't think anything could get in the way at this point," She paused, the smile slowly leaving her face, "But you are …still wanted by a lot of people. I – I just don't think that's fair. There must be some way we can prove your innocent."
The smile on his face faded as well, but into one of calm, rather than worry, "That's the issue, Kendo, I'm not innocent. I fought without a license."
"But you did it for good reason. Couldn't we convince them of that? Is there no way we can give them proof so they back off?"
"Proof?"
"Of the …you know, the multiverse?"
Explaining a topic as complex as that wasn't an easy feat. He was only able to get Kendo and Izuku to believe it because they saw his memories unfold thanks to the mind stone. Without that, proving the idea to anyone else would be impossible and only make them look crazy. Still, that didn't necessarily mean the stone was the only way, "Well, I suppose … the only way we can prove it without the mind stone is if we could get some people from my world to come here."
"You're world?"
"Yeah. The multiverse is a bit more accepted over there. Leading scientists like Tony Stark and Reed Richards have been studying it ever since Thor joined the picture."
She double took his statement, having to blink a few times at the mention of the name, "Wait, as in the god of thunder in Norse mythology?"
"Yeah," he dragged out his word, "My world is weird."
"I wanna go there," She laughed.
"The point is that they would have to have some definitive evidence. If I could ever find my way back there, then maybe there would be a chance …"
She swiftly kissed his forehead and made his blush increase in intensity, "I'll take that as a plan. That Doctor Strange guy is still looking for you, so maybe he'll come up with something?"
"Maybe, I hope so anyway. It would be nice to come home," He smiled sadly, before it faded into purely sorrow, "How um …how is everyone? Momo, specifically, since she's only a few yards away."
She dropped her head and finally let go of her embrace with him. It only took a peek around the corner to see that Momo was still standing quietly while Uwabami took in the fame and admiration from her fans. The look on Yaoyorozu hadn't changed, either. She was still internally distraught and watching their guide receive love didn't help. Momo felt she wasn't good enough to be a hero, so seeing their supposed mentor get love and respect on a dime while she was ignored only cemented those feelings in her heart.
"She's …struggling," Answered Kendo while peering around the corner, "Her confidence lately has severely dropped after the festival. I mean, she thinks watching Uwabami get loved in the limelight is what it takes to be a hero; watching others to better than you."
"She's been different since then, I noticed. I think its because she lost to Tokoyami."
"And she watched you get arrested. That messed up a lot of people, especially in your class."
Mostly he had been thinking about a select few in his class, but not the entirety. There were plenty of people in there, some he never actually had a conversation with, "What does everyone think of my …new status?"
"Well …most of them don't find it fair, but some of them …haven't forgiven you."
"Yeah …yeah I figured that."
It made sense not everyone forgave him. After what he did, earning their trust and friendship, turning around and becoming a wanted criminal would be a major blow toward that. He wanted so badly to explain the truth and get it all back, but that required proof he didn't have yet. Everything fell apart in such a short amount of time and he hated it.
Excelsior, he thought to himself over and over again. Stan said it meant 'Ever Upward'. No matter how far down Peter thinks he has fallen, he knew he had to keep climbing up. There would always be a way out of the darkness even if he couldn't see it. He just needed to keep moving up and hold onto the things that matter most.
"Kendo!" Momo shouted from the end of the alley, "We're moving on!"
"Coming!" She called back.
Kendo quickly rushed into Peter's arms without a second thought, hugging him tightly with her face buried into his chest. He was a little surprised, but still embraced her warmly and rested his head next to hers. His worries and doubts faded away with her near him; that's how he knew this was real. What he felt for her, every heart beat and stomach butterfly, it was real, and it's what was keeping him moving upward.
"Don't leave town," She whispered, "I want to see you again, ok?"
"I'll come by the agency tonight if you want," he suggested, "Maybe we could go for a swing? I promise It'll be fun."
She chuckled, "I'd like that."
With one final goodbye, Kendo rushed back out of the alley and rejoined Momo and Uwabami. Momo immediately noticed the smile that seemed to be glued to her face, but brushed it off quickly. It wasn't her business to ask, she thought. The three of them continued forward down the street while Spider-Man watched from above.
Ever upward, just like he said.
…
The league of villain's hideout had become much more cramped recently. The arrival of new villains wasn't planned, but it would hopefully prove useful. Prior to his arrest, the Green Goblin lent them villains to use in their attack. With him out of the picture, Lumina tried to take up the deal, but only wished to keep them at bay. As a result, many of her workers came to be allied with the League. The only issue with this is now they need more room in the bar. It was far too cramped for their own good, but they've had to make due.
Tomura Shigaraki didn't very much like the new fish in the pond. They were useful, yes, but they were loud and obnoxious. Their costumes were too colorful and their mouths ran for too long. The only reason he didn't simply disintegrate them all now was because the big man told him not to. With their attack coming up soon, he needed them to work with the Nomu's and more importantly with him rather than be dust on the ground.
It was time they got their name out there and crush the reputation of the publics so called 'Number one Hero', All Might. It was always All Might that caused him so much pain. Everyone's eyes were on him, not the league. He was too colorful, too loud. All Might stole the spotlight that should have been his, and he hated him for it and so much more.
"Tomura," Kurogiri, his ally, addressed him, "Stain is planning his move tomorrow in Hosu, we should greet him then, before he gets to his dirty work. The newbies and the Nomu's are ready as well."
"Don't tell me this!" Tomura complained, "Just get everything ready! I want to see heroes die and soon!"
"We'll get right to it. On another note, the other villains suggested we release the red one onto the scene, cause a little more …carnage."
"Hmm …" Tomura pondered. The red one, as they called it, was one of two in a set. Red was far more destructive than the black and blue one, and would surely get peoples attention. The only problem was that he was unpredictable, and would likely only fight for himself. It didn't matter, though, as long as the fight was pointed at heroes, the results would be the same.
"Fine! Do it! Release them both for all I care! The red one annoys me anyway …"
The front door of the bar slammed open against the wall and startled everyone inside. Standing there with her shoulders risen was Lumina, fully dressed in her armor. Even though none of them could see her face, it was easy to tell how angry that she was. The vibe coming off of her was terrifying, drastically different from when they last saw her in the warehouse. Some of the villains who once worked for her looked away awkwardly. Why was she here, they wondered?
Lumina paced forward toward Tomura in silence, somewhat scaring the others around her. She recognized many of their faces, and now felt a certain malice upon seeing them. Part of her seemed to blame them for everything that's happened, including Quinten Becks death. Had they continued working with her rather than try and find a faster way to get rich, perhaps he wouldn't have died for her cause.
"Lumina, what are you doing back here? You know you don't belong here," Tomura scolded, "This is my place! Mine! Now get out!"
She paused, feeling cold and angry, while also sad and grieving, "Quinten Beck is dead," She stated.
This got the attention of the many villains from another earth. They murmured to each other about what she said, finding it hard to believe he was actually gone. It seemed like the status quo had been shattered somehow. How did he die? Did someone kill him?
"Why should I care about what happened to one of your people?" He said insensitively, "What do you want?!"
"I want my people back."
The villains laughed at her, which didn't help the way she was feeling. Otto had become cold to her since Quinten's death, as did Peter after discovering her secret. Her friends were abandoning her one by one and she wasn't in the mood to deal with this, not today, "I'm low on muscle. I want some of my people back from you. I don't care how it gets done, even if we have to strike some kind of deal."
"A deal?!" Tomura laughed, "You have a bad history of falling short in your 'deals', Lumina. Get out of here, I'm stick of looking at you!"
She hated having to talk to him. He always acted like a child, only thinking about what he wants and no one else, then getting angry whenever he was opposed. She thought he was immature, selfish, and childish, every quality a pure villain would have.
She hated villains.
Her clenched fists sparked a powerful glow as rage built up inside of her. She came here hoping for some kind of miracle, but she should have simply expected this. Otto and Quinten were the only ones who stayed with her. The others would never come back to work for her no matter what she did. More than anything she wanted to solve this with violence, blast them all to hell where they belonged. However, if she did that, she knew she wouldn't be any better.
The glow in her hands subsided, and she relaxed her shoulders.
"Fine," She stated before storming out of the bar.
Once she was outside, Lumina leaned against the wall of the alleyway and groaned in annoyance. Why did she even bother coming here? What did she think was going to happen? Their villains, they don't care if someone they knew died. All they ever care about is themselves and nothing else, and it made her sick to her core. She had been fighting so hard for this, and now she might as well be all alone.
"That could have gone better," A voice said. She looked up and saw a figure standing on a fire escape. He was looking down at her with a lazy body posture. She didn't need to illuminate the alley to see that the figure in question was the assassin known as Nightmare, "You can't expect much else talking to those guys, believe me. I spent a long time working with them and I know how stubborn they can be."
"You worked for them, Nightmare?" She asked.
"Oh, so you know me?"
"I know of you. You're an assassin, a hard one to track too. Pro Heroes have been searching for you for a long time but can never catch you."
"Guess I'm just too fast," He gloated, "Yeah, I worked with their boss for a long time. He's the guy who gave me my bearings."
"Good for you," She said coldly. Her hero instincts were telling her to arrest him, knowing that he was a wanted criminal and murderer. However, she wasn't Overcast right now, and it was broad daylight. She didn't want to cause any scenes if she didn't have to. Besides, she had other things to be doing right now with only one stone left to be claimed by someone.
"I can see how tense you are," Nightmare stated, "Must be really hard not to punch me, huh?"
"Do people always punch you after you meet them?"
"Only heroes like yourself, Mayume."
The marbles have dropped. Her words completely escaped her after hearing how casually he mentioned her name. How did he know who she really was? She's made absolutely sure to keep her secret in the dark; almost no one outside Otto knew who she was under the helmet. Was that why he was here? Was it because he knew who she was?
"Secrets are funny, aren't they?" He asked, jumping to the next level on the fire escape, "I bet we could help each other with a few things, couldn't we? Like finding those Infinity Stone things."
"What?!" She asked in shock, "How do you know all this?!"
"There are a lot of things I know, Mayume," He poked his helmet, "I'm a smart guy."
Nightmare was speaking as though he knew her. Whenever he had said her name, it was as though he's said it a hundred times before. Did they know each other somehow? Had Mayume met his true identity and just not remember? The thoughts were spiraling too fast in her mind and she couldn't keep up.
"If I managed to get your attention," Nightmare continued to climb, "I want you to find me after the chaos is over. That little event the League is planning? It's gonna happen soon. After it's over, let's meet up, maybe we can strike a deal."
"A deal for what?"
Nightmare reached the top of the building, looked down at her and said "To find the Time Stone," before vanishing from the rooftops.
Lumina tried flying up to catch him, but he was completely gone from sight. With his quirk, there was no way she could keep up with him if she tried. He was playing a game with her, it was obvious. Luring her in with information no one else could know, then teasing at the location of the time stone. He wanted her help somehow, and the stone was his motivation. Was he looking for them too? With a quirk like his, why did he even need her?
Who was he?