Don't do it, All Might told himself.

He sat all alone in his home with a folder of files on the coffee table. The symbol of peace had been staring at it for the last half hour trying to figure out what he should do. Naomasa gave it to him to consider the offer from the chief of police. They recognized the 'growing threat' of Spider-Man, aka Peter Parker. Pros have tried to catch him, including one in the top ten, Miruko. Unfortunately, none of them have been able to apprehend the vigilante. Feeling as though they were out of options, they decided to reach out to the best of the best. Apprehend Mr. Parker, they told him over the phone before sending the files over.

It took him this long to even consider opening it.

He recognized how shady Peter has been, but it didn't make this any easier. There was never a sense of illusion when it came to seeing Peter for who he was. True, he's done things that are illegal and questionable, but if he knew him at all, then he did it for good reason. They fought together at the school, and the kid only cared for helping the others. He was a hero, but now he was supposed to treat him like a villain.

Everyone thinks its so easy to be a hero when it isn't. He's just supposed to catch the bad guys and no one really cares what they did or why. Was Peter right, he wondered? Did the government rely too heavily on heroes? Did the public see them as celebrities with an image to uphold? If he didn't do this, people would see him differently.

It wasn't about image, not in the same way as others. He didn't care for his image because he wanted attention, he cared because he was the symbol of peace. His image inspired hope to everyone around him. If catching Peter was the only way to reinforce that for others, should he really deny it?

…

For the first time in so long, he felt unbearably happy.

The moon had begun its journey into the sky now, shining it's borrowed light over a city of ungrateful souls. Spider-Man reached the peak of his swing and flew through the air. There was no crime to rush to or anyone he was running from. He felt as free as a bird up there, soaring along side them as if there was no gravity. That feeling in his chest was gone now; the heart that once caused him nothing but pain now brought him endless joy. Even though he was still wanted by police, he was also wanted by someone he adored.

While he had no idea where their relationship would go, he didn't worry too much on it for now. He wasn't running from anything now, instead, he was running toward something; toward her. Peter would allow his body to fall through the air just to shoot a web last second and swing close to the ground as if on a swing set. He felt like a kid again, when worries were mere thoughts and ideas he couldn't comprehend. If this is what it means to let love in you heart, why did he ever push it away?

Rain had begun to pour down on the city. Peter carried his backpack over his shoulder and ran through the liquid bullets that fell from the sky; It came so suddenly and he wasn't prepared for it. The current time was around 8pm yet it looked to be much later with all the clouds in the sky. For someone who was done running from his problems, he was running pretty fast from this weather.

The nearby Soup Kitchen came into view, titled 'Hungry Haven'. The lights were still on and people were moving about inside. Instead of immediately running inside, he stopped and stood there in the rain while he stared through the window. It pained him to even think about taking resources from a place like this, especially since there were other people who needed it more, but he was hungry. He hadn't really eaten anything big since Stan had gotten him that sandwich. Kendo should be expecting him within the next hour, so he knew he had time. Really, nothing was holding him back except his pride.

If he was gonna eat anything, he would have to swallow his pride first.

Finally, he got out of the rain and inside the building. The lights were a warm yellow color that gave him a sense of comfort. At least a dozen people were inside, counting both guests and workers. Everyone being served was either homeless or just couldn't afford food. Their cloths had holes and dirt all over, some hadn't bathed in a while much like himself. This was why he loved places like this; it was the peak of basic human kindness. The employees worked for free, and it was all based on donations.

He sat at the only available table left and placed his bag under the seat, quietly webbing the strap to the chair leg in case someone tries to take it. You're technically supposed to go up to the counter and pick what you want, but he needed to stay off his feet for a moment. He had been moving from city to city for the last week and it was tiring. Other than when he slept on a park bench or in a tree, he hasn't gotten a lot of rest since setting out as a wanted criminal.

Not long after settling in, the door opened once again and a man came walking through. He was blond with gray-blue eyes, and had a large scar splitting his forehead. From the very first second he came in, Peter could sense a strange vibe from him, but It was hard to figure out if it was good or bad. He went straight to the counter and took what he wanted like he was a regular. The man didn't seem very happy, barely content with being in the building.

He started coming Peter's way, making him realize the table he was at was the only one with an available seat. Peter had hoped to sit alone, but you can't always get what you want. The blond man sat down with his food and greeted Peter with a blank look.

"You seem pretty young to be in here all by yourself," said the man, "What's your story?"

He wasn't sure if he should answer to the man, but there couldn't have been much harm to it, right? It would only be a friendly conversation as long as he was careful.

"I'm just really unlucky," Peter answered, "Seems to run in my family."

"A lot of people are unlucky thanks to the world we live in now," he said, taking a bite out of his biscuit, "I mean, look at me. Couldn't afford my own dinner tonight so I had to come here again. Seems I drew the short straw." He went back to his food as though he was satisfied with the interaction.

"The world rigs it so they're all short straws."

The man stopped and put down his food, suddenly intrigued once again, "That so?"

"Honestly, yeah," At this point, Peter just wanted to get things out in the open, and perhaps this man would understand, "You do one thing for whatever reason and the world reacts as though you've offended it. It's not all bad, though."

"How's that?"

"You come to realize you can't let the world push you around. You need to make your own outcomes and just be yourself."

"You're pretty chipper," He took a sip of his drink, "I agree with that last part. The most important thing a person can do for themselves is understand who they are as an individual."

"Sometimes that's hard, it feels like I'm two people."

The man's blank expression completely dropped. Everyone else he might have forgotten about after today, but that was a sentence that stuck with him. If anyone understood what that was like, it was him.

Oooo! He's speaking our language!

The voice in the man's head was loud and irritating, but he kept a straight face for the sake of it.

"I feel like that all the time. So, which one is the real you?"

Peter sat back and thought about this. For most of his life he was weak and afraid. After gaining his abilities, he found himself more confident and stronger. Nowadays, he takes on both personas to do what he does. He's done is so much now that sometimes he did question which one was the mask and which one was himself.

"I made them both, so I'm not sure," he answered, "What about you?"

"When I've got an answer, I'll let you know," He looked to Peter's empty side of the table, "You gonna eat anything?"

"Oh! Right," He stood up and marched over to the counter for a tray.

Let's adopt him!

"Where the hell did that come from?" The man asked.

You're asking me that? Me? You are crazy! I just like the kid! He gets it, buddy! He totally gets us!

"So what? He's a kid, why should I care? What does he even know?"

You were a kid once too! Make friends already!

"I don't need friends."

"You sure?" Peter asked.

The man looked up and found him standing there, one eyebrow raised. A scent of embarrassment came off the man now, knowing for sure the kid would judge him just like everyone else.

"Relax," Peter reassured, "I talk to myself sometimes too."

Hug him and never let go!

Peter sat down with his food and locked his fingers together, "You'd be surprised what having friends can do."

"I don't think so, kid."

"…What's your name?"

"Jin Bubaigawara."

"Jin," Peter addressed firmly, "if I have learned anything recently, it's that there are special people out there for everyone. Someone somewhere not only understands you, but admires and clings to you. You may look down on yourself, but they look up to you. You just need to keep moving upward to find them."

Jin spent a lot of time alone, especially recently. He was once overbearing and lazy, but something changed him inside, something that drove him mad. There was little beyond a good cigarette that could stabilize his mind. Having friends wasn't something he was keen on trying, but the kid did make it sound kind of nice.

"Friends, huh?" he laughed, "I'll think about it."

After finishing his food, Peter said his goodbyes to Jin and left in a hurry.

I hope we see him again!

"We'll see."

If we wanna make friends, we could always go to that comic book convention in Hosu. It's not too far right? Please?!

"I said we'll see!" he said, aggravated.

…

Peter looked upon the Uwabami agency with his hood on his head. The rain had finally begun to slow itself down to a crawl, though it was still a bit humid. Lights were on inside the building, telling him people were busy. It made sense; Pro heroes were probably always busy. They shouldn't make the interns work past a certain hour so they can sleep, meaning Kendo should be finished with their daily work any time now, whatever work that may be. Uwabami, the Pro Hero, was a celebrity first and a savior second. Whatever work they did probably wasn't what he assumes it should be, or what they would prefer it be.

His impatient was crushed upon seeing Itsuka step out of the building in a hood and jeans and begin walking down the sidewalk, looking behind herself. This was it, the moment to see if it was all really worth. The time they spend tonight will determine if they truly want to make this work.

"Here we go," Peter took a deep breath and leapt into the air.

Itsuka kept her hands in her pocket and her head to the ground so she could avoid the rain, as light as it was. She wasn't quite sure where to go or how to find Peter if he wasn't here yet. Much like the first time they met, she thought just walking through the city would be enough. The young hero was nervous for this, and what it meant. What she felt for Peter was strong, this she knew. What she didn't know was if this first night would go well. What if they discovered they didn't feel as strongly as they thought? What if he changes his mind again and goes the lone wolf route? She had never confessed her heart like this before, and she didn't want it to break so soon.

The familiar sound of his web shooters made her smile and turn around, pulling her hands out of her pocket. She saw him swinging down toward her without stopping, one hand hanging and reaching for her. As he came to the lowest point of his swing, she grabbed his arm and allowed herself to swing up with him.

They both swung high into the sky on the web. When they reached the peak height, Peter quickly pulled her close and wrapped one arm around her, while she hung on with both. Their faces were close together as he shot another web and swung forward. The last time they did this, they were trying to escape Hydro Man. This time they weren't trying to escape anything, now they were embracing something totally new.

The feeling of the wind on her face was different but fascinating. Swinging up and down like this sent butterflies through her stomach, like as a kid when they would drive over a hill. The acceleration was nothing she ever felt before; it was exciting just as it was calming. The large city that once made her feel small suddenly didn't do so anymore. Now it was as though each building was just a single piece of one big playground. Is this what he felt every time he swung around in that spandex suit? How dare he hide such a feeling from the world?

Now feeling comfortable with the swinging motion, she rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled it under his chin. Despite the possibility of falling or even being dropped, she actually felt safer like this than she ever had before.

Peter aimed their swing upwards and released his web, landing their feet on a small roof a few stories high from the street. Itsuka laughed her nerves away and allowed her body to reconnect with the feeling of gravity. For a moment, it seemed as though she forgot it even existed and nearly lost her balance until Peter caught her hand and pulled her close to him.

"You didn't exactly warn me," She teased.

"Sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith," He admitted, "Is that bad?"

"Not this time, no. That was …wow," She laughed again, "You do that every day?"

"Yeah, way better than flying if I say so myself."

When they came to a silent stop, all they could do was stare at each other in blissful disbelief. Both of them had been unsure if this would work, lacking confidence in whether this was worth pursuing. In a single act, however, they found themselves sure again. No words needed to be said, just feelings that kept them connected.

And that was scary.

"Can I be …brutally honest?" Peter asked.

"Go ahead."

"I haven't felt this way about someone before. It's all really new to me and …it's a little terrifying. The coward in me wants to run away and shut it all out."

"…Me too."

He looked at her with surprise, but allowed her to continue speaking.

"I wasn't planning on falling for a guy this year," She said, "My goal was my studies, becoming a hero, making friends and working together to improve. This, though, wasn't a part of my plan. I want to see if this will work, I'm just really scared of what happens if it doesn't."

"…Well, there's a bright side," He smiled, "We can see the outcome together, right?"

A blush came over her smiling face, "Yeah, that's a plus."

The rain seemed to finally stop as the moon just barely made it through the ceiling of clouds. The two heroes sat down on the edge of the building, Peter's arm wrapped around her so she wouldn't fall, not as though that was the only reason.

"So, how is the internship?" he asked.

"it's …slow," She sighed, "Uwabami is more of a celebrity than a hero. She wants us to be in a commercial, which is pretty cool, but we haven't really done anything exciting yet. We just follow her around and watch her bask in the limelight. It's boring …"

He couldn't blame her for wanting some more excitement. She was trying to be a hero, after all, fighting criminals was supposed to be a huge part of her career. The internships are meant to give them a taste of that, but it seems Uwabami isn't given them that opportunity. He knows this means a lot to Kendo, and wished there was some way he could give her what she wanted.

Actually, there is.

Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out one of his black shirts and didn't hesitate to rip it, much to Kendo's surprised. Once he ripped the bottom of it off, he held it in front of Itsuka with a bright smile on his face.

"What… is that for?" She asked, "You realize you just ruined a perfectly good shirt, right?"

"Come on patrol with me," He said, "You want to see what it's like to be a hero? Come with me and you can find out."

The offer surprised her more than the ripped shirt. To fight crime with him as a vigilante was a unique opportunity, and likely far more exciting than anything Uwabami would have them do during the internship. If she did this, however, she would be cementing her choice forever. The previous times she fought villains, it was out of self-defense or protection of others, where she felt she had no choice. This, however, was the first real time she was presented with a choice. To choose to be a vigilante, rather than take the long way to being a Pro.

"…Why the ripped shirt?" She asked.

"Makeshift disguise," He answered, "You can't wear your costume or people will realize it's you later. Maybe hold off on using your quirk too, unless absolutely necessary. I know your skills go beyond your powers, so I'm choosing to put my faith in that," he gestured the cloth to her, "Do you have faith in me?"

If her previous actions haven't proved that already, this one will.

Itsuka gently took he cloth into her hands and smiled at him, "I do."

With a deep breath, Peter helped her tie the cloth around the bottom part of her face, then they pulled her hood over her head. The only thing showing now was her eyes, her beautiful blue eyes that he could stare into forever. "How do I look?" She asked.

"Like a vigilante," He answered, standing up and pulling her away from the edge. It didn't take him long to change into his stealth suit, still remaining at a charge of 89%. He had been using this suit far more recently in case he had to disappear quickly.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked her, "Once we do this, there is no going back."

"…I'm nervous," She confessed, "But it's like you said. Sometimes you need to take a leap of faith."

With a confident nod, Spider-Man held her by the hip as she wrapped her arms around him, and they swung out into the night.

It was that amazing feeling again that she felt deep inside. The feeling of swinging through the air with such grace and adrenaline that made her heart do flips. The city was no longer a city to her, it was an obstacle course. Never did she think she would come to this point, breaking the rules she once scolded him for breaking at all. Now here she was, using him as a guide into the world of free choice, free of the chains of government rules over Pro Heroes and Quirks.

"I've been meaning to ask," She shouted over the wind, "What's with the new suit?"

"Stealth suit!" He shouted back, the majority of his focus still on swinging, "Needed to keep out of sight, you know?"

"Still pretty flashy, no offence."

"It turns invisible."

"It does not!"

His silence told her otherwise. Though she pestered if it was actually true, he only laughed out of amusement.

A sudden call- more-so a scream -sounded from one of the alleyways down below. It was loud, yet few from the street level answered. In fact, many of them just ran at the possibility of danger. Likely, they assumed a Pro would swoop in and deal with it, so that they wouldn't have to do anything. It was as good a place to start as any. Shooting a web angled downward, the duo started their descendance.

"You ready for this?!" He asked.

"Don't jinx it and maybe!" She replied.

A young man laid against the surface of the wall behind him, covering his body with his arms and legs. He was being beaten brutally by a group of thugs dressed in similar outfits. At least half of them looked to be armed with their guns hanging out of their pockets. From how they were attacking the man, they didn't seem to have quirks, especially if they needed guns. The young man in question was begging them to stop but they did not yield to his pleas. This was not an assault of anger, but rather of glee.

Spider-Man and Kendo rappelled down on his web and planted their feet on the drenched ground of the alleyway. Their landing immediately caught the attention of the thugs as they ceased their attack on the victim.

"How many thugs does it take to rob someone? Five apparently, which is really sad," Spider-Man mocked.

"Crap, it's a Pro Hero!" Shouted a thug, making the assumption based on his costume.

"Kendo," He whispered, "I'm gonna web their guns away, that's when you start moving."

"Copy that," She nodded.

From fear, the thugs pulled out their guns and readied themselves to fire at the heroes. Spider-Man webbed their guns like he had done it a hundred times before, yanking them all away long before they could even pull the trigger. The weapons launched up toward the wall and stuck there far out of anyone's reach.

"Whoever beats up the most guys buys the other dinner!" He shouted before leaping into the air.

"Hey, that's not fair!" She shouted at him, charging in after him.

Spider-Man was the first to reach the thugs by slamming the heals of his feet into one of their noses. A crack could be heard from the impact as the thug stumbled back. The wallcrawler then sweep-kicked him to the ground and webbed up his limbs so he wouldn't move.

Another thug grabbed a bat from the ground, presumably used when beating the victim, and swung sideways at Itsuka. Her reflexes allowed her to easily dodge the attack and strike him just above the hip, knocking the wind out of his lungs. As he dropped the bat, Kendo caught it in her hands and swung it across his head, knocking him out immediately.
The sudden rush of adrenaline was not like anything she had ever felt before, but it was something she could easily get used to.

Two more thugs came charging at her while she was distracted, but Spider-man webbed their backs and pulled them to a stop from which Kendo could strike them with the bat. She only managed to knock out one, while the wallcrawler pounced on the other for the same result.

"That's two verses two," Spider-Man pointed out, "Next one decides the winner."

The final thug in seeing his friends beaten tried to run away down the alley. The arachnid quickly jumped into the air, bounced off the wall and flew toward the running criminal before Itsuka could even react. He landed on his shoulders and sat there like a toddler, jokingly playing drums with his head. Finally, he spun his body in a circular motion and tossed the villain to the ground with his legs, webbing him up and pinning him to the ground.

"And Spidey takes the crown! Woo!" he cheered, pumping his arms into the air.

"I guess that means I'm paying for dinner?" Kendo asked.

"Good heavens no," He denied, "I was joking about that, I'm not making you pay for anything."

"Do you even have the money for it?"

"… Irrelevant."

"Very relevant."

All bickering came to a stop at the sound of the victim groaning in pain. Spidey's joking personality subsided as he swung over to him, helping him onto his feet with a sympathetic voice telling him everything was ok now, and that he was safe. His immediate shift into the wellbeing of the innocent was a breath of fresh air for her, often seeing his joking side more up until now.

"Can you walk?" He asked the victim, receiving a nod as an answer, "Run out of here as quick as you can, call the police and tell them to get here in under two hours, ok?"

The victim nodded, and rushed out of the alley as quickly as he could.

…

Kyoka Jiro slipped her jacket over her shoulders and fiddled with earphone jacks hanging from her ears. Tonight was supposed to be rather interesting according to the heroes she interned with. Instead of sleeping, as she would have preferred, she'll be going with them to a nearby city and patrol there with another agency, getting some experience with teaming up with other heroes. They told her sometimes as a hero, you team up with others that you may not know, and you need to be prepared to work with anyone at any time no matter how different you are. The other agency they were visiting was a bit different, enough to give them a general idea.

She checked her phone again, lighting up her face in the darkness of the guest room she stayed in. Another article about Peter had been posted, this time talking more about his personal life at school. The writer seemed to insult Principle Nezu about not seeing Peter's fall into crime beforehand. It upset her to see them trying to blame others for Peter's mistake. Next thing they'll probably do is blame the other students directly, try and blame his crimes on them. The media does anything to get people to read their work.

"Let's go, Jiro!" a voice called from the other room.

"Yes sir!" She shouted back, shutting her phone off and stuffing it into her pocket.

The time was 8:30pm, and she didn't want to miss the train to Hosu.

Hosu, an innocent city full of heroes and villains, now a target of the insane. No one on the streets knew what was going to happen tonight, but there was a chance they would never forget it. The blue skies will soon be colored orange from the flames of destruction, no matter how hard they fight to stop it. Hiding somewhere inside the city was a wanted criminal, desired by authorities for terrible crimes. He had only been heard of, but never truly seen by anyone except his victims just before they die. There had only been one real survivor, a fact Tenya Iida won't ever let go.

Tenya had been horribly lost in his thoughts the entire time him and his designated Pro Hero were walking through the streets. Other agencies let their interns sleep at this time, but Tenya wanted to see how patrol was at night. At least, that's what he told the Pro, Manual.

The hero walking next to him wore a blue and white, skin-tight, long-sleeved shirt that tucks into his orange gloves with a helmet that features a fish-like fin and blue visor. He was one of the Pro heroes that sent Tenya a letter to come to his agency as an Intern, and luckily the one that he accepted. It was bittersweet, though, as he eventually came to realize the real reason Iida decided to intern at his agency.

This was Hosu City, the same city Tenya's brother was attacked by a man called the Hero Killer. The murderer already had several other victims in other cities, and this was his latest attack. Tenya only chose to intern there so he could pursue an act of vengeance upon him. No one else could understand that, no one could fathom how he felt about all of this, how he could have done something.

Scratch that, one person might.

That day, he kept thinking back to his conversation with Peter Parker during the festival. More accurately, it wasn't a conversation, just Peter trying to comfort him and Tenya rejecting it silently. Peter talked as though he had been through the exact same thing, but how could he trust that? Right now, Peter was a criminal just like the man that hurt his brother, and forced him into retirement. Was Peter anything like the Hero Killer? If he was so willing to go rouge, how could he be sure that he was any different than that murderer?

"Tenya," The Pro Hero Manual stopped walking and brought his intern to a halt, a look of concern plastered across his eyes, "You're clenching your fists pretty tightly, are you ok?"

It was only now he realized that he was indeed tightening the grip of his fists. Even knowing this, it took a second to force himself to release that grip, somehow finding comfort in the squeezing of his palms, "Yes, I'm alright," Tenya answered, "Let's keep going."

"I know you're probably upset about what I said-"

"It's not that," He interrupted, "I've been thinking a lot about something else too."

"What is it?"

"…Nothing that matters," Tenya said somewhat coldly, refusing to speak further on the subject. The two of them continued on through the streets as Manual talked more about what he often did on his patrols.

Neither of them realized what was coming.

Elsewhere in the city, the killer in question stood perched atop a roof, looking down over the city of oblivious drones. Each and every one of them contributed to the corrupted image of what a hero was supposed to be. They cheered for them, gave them love and attention that they did not deserve. To him, it was disgusting and weak to praise what this world believes a hero is. The only real heroes go unnoticed, unloved because they aren't flashy, or cool enough, or whatever reason someone can think of to suppress true heroes. They all needed to see the truth, every last one of them.

The Hero Killer wore a dark combat suit, plated with metal armor across his body to holster his weapons. The torso was sleeveless, but his arms were wrapped in bandages all the way from his shoulders to his wrists. His black hair was long and sported a messy fashion, matching the aesthetic of his long and torn red scarf and white bandana.

Not that appearance mattered to him.

"So, you're the guy!" a voice spoke from behind the Hero Killer. It was a man with bright red hair, wearing nothing more than a white shirt, stained in blood. His eyes twitched every dozen seconds, showing that he likely wasn't entirely stable. The Hero Killer himself wasn't too pleased with his new guest.

"And who are you?" he asked the red head.

"Me?" he laughed, going overboard with the enthusiasm, "The League of Villains guys sent me to help cause a little …carnage, while you do your work!" He laughed again, having told an inside joke he clearly would not understand.

"Just don't get in my way, alright?" He urged, "This is important. The people of this city need to know what a hero really is."

"Great! You do that, and I'll get some buckets to fill with blood!"

The crazy man jumped off the building, practically vanishing. The Hero Killer wasn't sure about that one, but it wasn't his problem to deal with.

…

After webbing up the rest of the crooks, Spidey took Kendo up to a nearby rooftop where they sat on the edge and took a breather. For Kendo, that was an experience unlike any other. After days of watching Uwabami get soaked in limelight and adored by fans, finally she got a taste of the action. It wasn't just about the fighting, it was about saving that poor man from a brutal beating and doing what was right, not just because someone told you that it was. After days being in this city, she finally got a taste of what it meant to be a hero.

"So, how was it?" Peter asked her, his mask set to the side.

"It was …unreal," She answered with a gasp, her makeshift mask hanging from her neck, "I have never felt anything like that before. The rush, the adrenaline, the reward of helping someone, it was absolutely amazing."

"Better than the internship?"

"Absolutely, I'm just bummed Yaoyoruzu is missing out on this."

"Yeah …maybe I could have brought her but …with everything going on …"

Kendo realized now that probably wasn't the best thing to say in hindsight. Peter must have still felt guilty abandoning his friends like that, even if he believed it to be the best option for the time. All Peter ever did was what he thought was right, that didn't always mean it was the decision to make everyone happy.

"So …is this gonna be a regular thing?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this. You and me, out here fighting bad guys as vigilantes."

He pondered this for a moment. It would be nice to have someone out here with him, helping him find the Infinity Stones and stopping criminals. He had been doing this solo for so long but never minded the occasional team up with other heroes like the Avengers, but it was never with someone he was so close with. He knew she could handle herself, but that didn't make it any easier when it came to the more dangerous stuff.

"We'll take it slow for now," He said, "Especially with the police still on my back."

"That reminds me, are you planning to come back to town? Even if you don't go back to school or whatever?"

"Probably …that's where most of the stones have been so I need to see if the last one is there too."

"That the only reason?" She hinted.

Peter smiled; thankful the dark of the night was somewhat hiding the blush now resting on his cheeks, "No, that's not the only reason."

Though she smiled in kind, it quickly faded away when unhappy thoughts started to cloud her mind. The change in mood took instant notice for Peter, and he asked her what was wrong?

"It's just …this," She gestured to themselves, "I'm worried this will end up not working. You're still wanted by the police, after all. What if this, nights like these, are all that come of our relationship?"

Of course he understood what she was feeling. Couples should have the opportunity to connect in many ways. They should be allowed to go on dates, see movies, hang out together not just as a couple, but as people to genuinely enjoy each other's company like friends would, only more. If all they ever did was fight crime together, stealing the rare moments he can come out of hiding, then it would never amount to much.

"Hopefully not forever," He finally answered, "I have faith Doctor Strange will get here at some point with enough proof to get everyone off my back."

"…But by then," She interjected, "You may have to go home."

This was something he actually hadn't considered in a little while. The last time this fact really hit him was when he last spoke personally with Tokoyami. He won't be here forever, and one day will return home with his Aunt May and things will go back to normal, relatively. There was a chance he would never come back here again. It made him wonder if being with Kendo was the right choice.

No, it had to be. She made him happy.

"That's a bridge we'll burn when we get there. It'll work itself out somehow, I promise."

"…Ok," She sighed, accepting his answer for now, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to ruin our night, Peter. I really do like you, a lot. I'm just …"

"I know," he said, "I am too. But this is the first time in a while I've let myself accept something good that comes into my life. I want to see it through, you know?"

She smiled, scooting closer to him, "Me too."

Kendo pulled out her phone and checked for the time. It was still early in the night, so she didn't have to worry about being out too late just yet. Just as she was about to shut it off, a message suddenly appeared at the top of her phone. It was a special report alert from the news app she had, titled 'Emergency in Hosu'. Curious, she opened the article and found a live video attached to it. The audio began playing loudly for them both to hear.

"What are you watching?" He asked, looking over her shoulder.

…

"We are live above Hosu City with News Channel 6!" said the reporter as another man filmed the scene from the safety of their helicopter that hovered in the sky, "A terrible event has gone underway. Just a few moments ago, strange creatures appeared out of nowhere and started causing massive destruction! No one can be sure where they came from or what they are, but everyone is advised to stay indoors and lock yourselves in the basement!"

The footage moved to a creature running down the street. It was a strangely colored, muscular humanoid creature with its brain showing at the top of its head. The way it moved was abrupt, almost based entirely on instinct alone. Whenever it came by something big like a car, it would either destroy it or toss it into the air. It was also not the only of its kind; other creatures with similar attributes roamed the streets while Pro Heroes tried to deal with them, arriving quickly to fight against the strange threat.

"I repeat! Everyone is urged to stay in their homes!" Said the reporter, "Do not go outside! It is not safe! I repeat! It is not safe!"

…

Peter couldn't take his eyes away from the destruction he was seeing. It made his heart pound with anxiety, as he knew what was coming next. As terrifying as those creatures were, his Uncles words still echoed through his head like they did every time a threat came into fruition.
"Where is Hosu from here?" He asked.

It took her a second to process what he was asking and why, and she shut off her phone before turning to face him, "You're going?!"

"Something is going on, and I don't know what. All I do know is that I can help."

There he went again, chanting that great responsibility code he was so fond of. While she respected and even admired it, she knew it would get him seriously hurt if he was not careful. Her instincts told her not to let him leave her side, but her heart told her to let him follow his own.
There was only one way to please them both.

"Let me go with you," She offered, "We can fight them together."

"What?!" He exclaimed, "Kendo, these aren't thugs and muggers, these are weird …creature …things! We don't know what they are capable of!"

"Peter, I'm going to cut right to the chase," She said sternly, grabbing his hand tightly, "If we want this to work between us, there needs to be trust. I don't want another repeat of when you webbed my feet to fight Goblin alone. I can help you fight them, because I can't in my right mind allow my boyfriend to put his life on the line if it's not tethered to me first."

He gave her wide eyes rather than an angry expression, "…boyfriend?"

"Do you trust me?"

She was right; if he wanted to make this work, he needed to trust her just as much as she trusted him. She was incredible in so many ways; an incredible fighter, person, and hero, and was far more capable than she looked. That didn't of course mean he wasn't going to protect her at all costs, but he needed to remember that she was trying to be a hero too.

"…I do," He answered, standing up with her and putting his mask tightly around his head.

"Good, then we need to take the train east of here, the route passed by Hosu."

He grabbed her and pulled her close so they were hip to hip with each other, "How did I get so lucky as to have you?"

"Lucky? Face it, tiger," She smiled, "You just hit the jackpot."

With a determined nod, he shot a web and swung out with her into the night. Neither of them knew what they were about to face, only that they were going to face it together.