The bright lights of the city were ones he recognized instantly. The electronic bill boards bright enough to make you think it was mid-day at 1am. The excited tourists hoping to get a glimpse of Avengers Tower, or see the web-slinger swing above their heads. The over-priced pizza cooked in an oven overdue for a replacement. Every corner of the city and its inhabitants yearned for his return. That constant sense of unfamiliarity had finally come to an end. Peter Parker had finally come home.
Only one problem. He wasn't alone.
All Might had perhaps visited America only a few times in his youth, so he hadn't recognized New York City straight away. Even if he could identify it, it looked far too different from memory. Its shape was the same, but the details felt all wrong. The very air he breathed didn't sit right with his lungs, as if it was the first time that he was breathing it. All he could understand was that this was a different city, let alone a different country. A different world.
Lumina was panicking within her helmet. When she grabbed Peter mid-fall, the stone must have responded to both their thoughts. The culmination must have opened a portal to his world on accident. Funny enough, she had only ever been to that S.H.I.E.L.D base on this world and nowhere else. She had never actually allowed herself to explore this other world in grand detail.
Peter was so far into shock that he dropped his mask right out of his hands. Could this have been real? Was this the same New York he knew? The same one he had grown up in for so many years? He had spent so much time dreaming and hoping of seeing this city again, to be able to swing from its buildings like he once did. Now here he was, the son returning home.
"New York City …?" All Might muttered, finally recognizing the city he barely knew, "It's been so long since I've …It looks so different."
Peter awkwardly shifted his eyes as everything else settled in. He was back in his world not only with Lumina, but with All Might. He had crossed the multiverse with someone unfamiliar with it. How was he supposed to explain this to him? Why did Lumina bring them here? Why was she there at all?
"Why are we here, Lumina?" Peter asked, "Why did you bring us here?"
"It's not as though I meant to," She answered, "I was trying to rescue you. I guess we came here on accident. It was kind of a tense moment back there."
"Rescue me?"
"From All Might. Have I not made it clear I don't want you getting hurt?"
"You sure that's why you rescued me?"
Lumina almost looked offended if not for her mask covering her face. She knew what he was getting at, that she may have only rescued him for the stones. However, as she thought this, Peter smiled and shook his head.
"Relax, I know you're not that kind of person," he said.
He's changed, she thought. His time as a fugitive has taught him quite a bit. She saw hints of his changing mind back when he was captive at the warehouse. Now, those thoughts had come full circle. Finally, he was seeing the grey area she so wished he was able to find, and understood that she did what she had to for a reason, even if he didn't agree with it. He didn't side with her goal, but perhaps he finally understood her motive.
"You two seem to be friendly," All Might questioned, "When did that happen?"
"Calm down, Symbol of Peace," Lumina mocked, "He's not working with me, if that's what you're wondering. I just have professional courtesy. How many villains do you know have that?"
In his anger he wanted to stand up and approach her but he was still weak from the fight. The wound on his ached and stung. Trying to enter his strong form proved impossible; Spider-Man's attack had drained the clock on it. He needed time to recharge before he could use it again. Lumina, the woman they had heard so much about, the villain hunting the stones, was right in front of him. This may be his only chance to stop her, and there was nothing he could do. Spider-Man, who boasted about the right thing, did not move against her. What did he know that All Might didn't?
Peter walked over to the edge and stared down at the city buzzing with life, "I've spent so much time away from home …I started thinking I would never see it again. The smells, the sounds, the sights …everything was starting to fade from memory." He knew, as much as he missed it, that he couldn't stay here. There was still so much to do back home; he couldn't end his journey just yet.
She knew what Otto would be saying right now, "Don't waste time! Grab the stones while he isn't looking!" He only ever thought about the job, setting a to-do list in his head and following it down to the smallest detail. It's how he coped when he was hurting, and he had been in constant pain for some time. Still, her conscious couldn't help but look around for Peters bag. Being on the run, he would have had to keep the stones as close to him as possible. Yet, as she looked, she found the bag was not here.
He was wearing his classic Spider-Man outfit, ripped and ruined from his fight with All Might. Normally he would have his bag on, but this was not one of those days. If it wasn't here, he likely hid it somewhere he could retrieve it later. They had only been in this world a few moments, which meant the bag was on the other world.
A world he currently had no access too.
Now she didn't like what she was thinking, but it was a situation too perfect. She wasn't going to just do it, not without explaining it, an apology attached to the end.
"Peter …" She spoke up, stealing his attention away from the city, "When you arrived …I wanted to use you to get the stones because the villains couldn't get it done. After you ended up on the run, I didn't know where you were, and having you out there took heat off of me so I could work."
"…And?" he asked.
"I could have sent you here anytime if I knew where you were, it would have been easier to do that, to take you off the board …and now you don't have the stones."
As he began to understand what she was trying to say, he inched his body closer to her with one hand trying to reach, "Lumina, I know what you're thinking, please don't."
"You'll be fine …you'll both be fine …" She said, backing away with the stone raised in her hand, "I'll come back for you when it's over."
"Lumina, no-!"
He tried to reach for her, aiming to swipe the stone from her fingers. The portal opened under her feet and pulled her through, disappearing into the floor as he tried to grab her. It closed, and he ended up grabbing at the surface of the roof with the last of the purple mist dissipating. He shouted at her even though she was gone, slamming his open palm into the ground.
"What just happened? Where is she?" All Might asked, not truly understanding the weight of the situation.
"Back in Japan," he said, turning around to face him, "She stranded us."
…
Nightmare paced back and forth in the warehouse with his hands held behind his back. Mayume had been gone too long. She left a while ago to find Peter and rescue him from All Might, and has yet to return home. Its technically been less than half an hour, but that was too long considering the subject matter. What was taking her so long? Had she gotten caught? Was she fighting All Might as well?
"Calm yourself, Nightmare," Otto spoke as he continued working on the gauntlet, "Pacing will do you no good."
"My name is Koji," He reminded him.
"Oh, Please. Koji Aihara was the boy who died 14 years ago. You're a shell of a man, a coward hiding behind a shield of lies he created."
Nightmare sped over to him with a knife in hand, pointing it toward Otto's neck. Otto held no reaction to what he considered a childish action, continuing to work despite the obvious threat on his life. In seeing his threat had no effect, Koji retracted the knife and placed it back on his belt, returning to pacing around the room.
"Your sister will be fine. She can take care of herself," Said Otto.
"Do you care about her at all?" Asked Koji, bringing his movement to a stop.
For Otto, there was indeed a time where he admired that amazing woman. She's so full of passion and drive, willing to push limits to reach her goal. Her ambitions were grand, rejecting the reality around them to mold it herself and get back what was stolen. That strength was what drew him to her. Yet, he saw that strength fade day in and out. He could see her losing confidence in herself and the mission, and it happened every time she talked to Peter Parker. The boy who boasts about responsibility, yet puts others in danger because of his mistakes.
A once powerful woman became a slave to her own fears.
A portal opened above them, and Lumina came flying through, landing on her feet as the portal quickly closed above her. It was so unexpected that it took a moment for them to register she was there. Once they had, only Koji rushed to her side to see if she was hurt. "What happened?" He asked.
"…I stranded them," She said, taking off her helmet and tossing it to the ground. Her face spoke of disbelief and disappointment. Not toward others, but toward herself, "I stranded All Might and Peter back in the other New York."
In hearing what she said, Otto finally dropped his tools and laughed loudly as he approached the sibling duo, "Brilliant!" he cried with joy, "Two of our most powerful enemies finally off the board!"
"I didn't want to do it!" She shouted, pushing Otto away from her, "But Peter left his backpack here on this world… And leaving him there for a while is our best bet at getting that bag and retrieving the stones he was carrying."
"'For a while'?" Otto sounded of disappointment, "Tell me you aren't planning on bringing them back here after you get those stones. This is better for all of us!"
"I am not a villain!" She cried, one fist glowing with light, and the other brimming in darkness, "I don't treat others poorly on purpose! I saw an opportunity and took it!"
Otto, with a grin on his face, leaned in and said "That's what villains do."
She had no more to say, only a look of shock over her face as Otto towered over her. He was only messing with her. She wasn't like that, right? Lumina was only a mask she put on to move freely and without consequences. It wasn't who she really was. All for One once accused her of being a villain, pretending to be a hero. None of that was true and yet she stranded two real heroes on another world, where only one of them was familiar. A villain would do that.
Had she really become like those she swore to stop?
"We must move immediately," Said Otto, strolling back to his workbench and pulling out his laptop, "We need to figure out the last place Peter was with his bag before fighting All Might."
Koji and Mayume peered over Otto's shoulder as he worked. On the screens, he found camera footage from many of the city's security cameras, some of which even the police forgot existed; there was never a need to use them when criminals were often stopped before they could get away. Assuming Peter had come back recently, he monitored all the city exits simultaneously. When the time codes reached early morning, they found him swinging across one of the bridges.
"There he is," Otto confirmed, "Let's see where he went."
Switching cameras regularly, Otto followed Peters movements through the city. He swung desperately, trying to get where he was going as fast as possible. The recklessness of a child, he thought. Eventually, Peter swung to the hospital and entered on the roof.
"What was he doing there?" Asked Koji.
"It doesn't matter," Otto scolded, "Keep watching."
Time went by, enough where he needed to fast forward slightly to get any results. Suddenly, another figure leapt across the screen and jumped through one of the windows. Otto stopped the recording and hit rewind, but was unable to get a good look at the unknown figure. Instead, he let it keep playing. After the figure went through the window, not long after was when Peter jumped out that same window and swung away. All Might came out only a few moments after.
"He wasn't wearing his bag when he left," Mayume stated, "Find out where he put it."
Further examination required better angles, so Otto began to work through the camera footage of the hospital hallways. Unfortunately, there were no cameras in the individual rooms, only the hallways. He wasn't able to find Peter in the halls, but he did find All Might standing near room 616. When All Might went inside, he was only in there for a moment before running back out, likely to chase Peter.
They would have thought he left the bag in that room, until they saw another person exit the room soon after All Might. He was carrying Peter's bag on his shoulder, and it was none other than Izuku Midoriya.
"Midoriya," Said Mayume, "Peter's friend and old roommate. He gave him his bag because he knew he might not be able to beat All Might."
"Then we take the bag from the boy," Otto said with a poison in his voice.
"Otto," Mayume sternly asserted, "We don't want to hurt him. We get the bag, and that's it."
"Fine."
"I'm serious," she grabbed his shoulder and forced him to face her, "If he gets hurt, I won't forgive you."
She was trying to get control back. To Otto, she hadn't led this crusade since Beck died. Now here she was trying to assert dominance over him. He didn't need anyone telling him what to do, but of course, she was the one with the space stone, and unfortunately had abilities that surpassed his own. "Of course, Lumina."
He spoke with her villain name as if to shun her for it, but she simply brushed it aside, for there were bigger things to handle.
…
Peter was without his bag, which meant a few problematic situations. For the immediate moment he was without any clothes to change into, so blending with the crowd wouldn't work out. He also didn't have his phone, so he couldn't just call Tony for help. The other problem was now Lumina was going to hunt his bag down, which meant going after Izuku, who has the stones he left with him. He had done that in case he couldn't defeat All Might, but now everything has changed. Izuku was on Lumina's radar now all because of him.
"We need to get back!" Peter exclaimed, "We have to find a way back, now!"
All Might shook his head, attempting to find his phone in the hidden pockets of his suit, "I can try contacting some friends who owe favors, they could get us a plane-"
"No, All Might! That won't work!" he said, remembering then that he couldn't easily explain why, "Izuku is in serious danger!"
"Izuku? Why?"
"I …I kinda gave him the stones I had before we fought."
"You what?!" All Might scolded, "You put his safety in jeopardy!"
"I didn't know what else to do!"
Grunting from distress, Peter grabbed his tattered mask and put it over his head. It wasn't perfect, but it did the job in protecting his identity. He was now in a world where no one knew his secret, so he had to get back into the habit of protecting it. There was so much on his to-do list now. He needed to find both Tony and Doctor Strange, more importantly the latter. Strange could send them back to stop Lumina, hopefully before she realizes Izuku has the stones. While he would like to stop by his Aunts house to restock on gear he left behind, getting back was far more important.
"I know someone who can get us back really quickly," Said Spider-Man, "Do you trust me?"
Trust. That was a word All Might was having trouble understanding. He was supposed to trust in the system assigned to him, in the people who made him a hero. Yet, that same system criminalized Spider-Man for doing everything he did. There was only one difference between them, and that was that Peter didn't have a license. But was it really only that? Does an I-D decide whether you go to jail or not when it means being a hero? Of course, he had begun to realize now it may have been because of something else.
The government can't exactly profit off a vigilante.
"I trust you," All Might said, knowing he had no choice either way, "Let's hurry."
Being careful as not to hurt him further, Spider-Man held All Might up and leapt across the rooftops. He was still without his webs, so this would be a longer journey than he would like. As they maneuvered through the city, civilians had started to take notice of the wall-crawler carrying the symbol of peace. Some had cheered for his return, others told him to go back to where he came from.
"Some things never change," Said Spider-Man.
"It was always like this?" Asked All Might.
"Here's the truth, All Might," he decided that his secrets needed to come out one at a time, "I was never a legal hero. I've always been a vigilante even from the very beginning. Police have always hated me, even when I was able to team up with 'real heroes' like the Avengers, or the Fantastic Four. I became Spider-Man to help the little guy, because no one else will."
The fact he was always a vigilante didn't surprise him, rather it was that he's always dealt with a two-sided city. Half the people loved him, while the other half hated him. No wonder he wanted to safeguard his secrets so much; it must have been difficult to know who he could and couldn't trust.
Finally, they came upon a strange looking building. Atop the building was a circular skylight with a unique pattern that mimicked a symbol for a language they didn't recognize. Despite its unique look, not many people paid much attention to the complex. It almost seemed like it was invisible to the average eye, or rather, no one wanted to acknowledge it was there. Just looking at its window gave off a strange vibe, one that made All Might want to immediately leave. Little did he realize that's exactly what it was meant to do. "This is it," Said Spider-Man, "Hopefully the good doctor is in right now."
One brave leap allowed them to soar through the air and land on the roof of the Sanctum, sticking to the window that shined light inside. There weren't any obvious entrances from what they could see, which in hindsight was a good thing. It was doubtful Doctor Strange wouldn't try as hard as possible to ensure no one came into the Sanctum without permission. Spider-Man's usual 'through the vents' tactic likely wouldn't work this time around.
Instead, he held All Might tight and leapt down to street level, where people were immediately surprised by his landing. To them, it had been some time since they had seen the wallcrawler in the city. He had been absent since his fight with Green Goblin. They assumed he was with the Avengers since he was seen leaving with them. Having him gone though gave J. Jonah Jameson a field day, thankful that the menace to New York was finally rid of.
Spider-Man awkwardly waved and made finger guns to passing pedestrians as he approached the front door of the Sanctum. Once they stepped to the door, fewer people began to pay attention to them. Was that because of the building, All Might thought? Did it make people want to look away?
He knocked on the door and waited, flinching at the wound on his cheek now that the adrenaline had worn off. It wasn't too deep, but it still stung in more ways than one. Jin wasn't that close with Peter—they had only met a few times—but he thought he was a good person. He was odd, of course, but that wasn't his fault. Jin was just trying to survive in a society that rejected him for being different. Looking at it like that, it made sense he did what he did; joining the League of Villains. They would be the only ones who truly understood the kind of rejection he was feeling.
Peter felt he could have saved him, instead he allowed another good man to fall into darkness.
"I'm sorry," All Might suddenly said.
Spider-Man turned around, keeping his body sideways in case he needed to quickly face the door when it hopefully opened, "About what?" he asked.
The pro hero hesitated, but his words escaped him despite how hard he fought it, "I've always known you were a hero. Ever since the attack on the school, I've known you were special. Before taking the job of hunting you down, I asked several people what I should do. Principle Nezu, Mt. lady, Kamui, and Overcast. I asked them all what I should do, and the majority answer was to leave you alone. Despite this, I took the job anyway. Now I realize I made a mistake."
Hearing Overcasts name was rough, considering the subject matter around her. All Might had no idea who she really was, and Peter wasn't sure he should tell him. Perhaps Peter thought he could still save Mayume before she does something she'll regret. What if All Might condemned her for being a villain without understanding why she was doing it? Then again, All Might wasn't like that. He clearly didn't choose to hunt Peter because of his personal feelings, "So why did you take the job?"
"Regretfully …my image. People look up to me as the Symbol of Peace. They expect me to protect them from every conceivable threat. As your reputation grew, so did the demand for your capture. With everything I can do, there was no way I could avoid people asking why I refused to act. The people need to feel safe, and I was convinced I was doing it for your own benefit as well as others."
"What do you think now?"
"…It's complicated."
To cut their heart-to-heart short, the door of the Sanctum quickly opened to reveal the buildings owner standing there. He was dressed in a fancy old robe with the hair on his chin cut elegantly. He wasn't one for big emotional reactions, as he chose to rather keep himself composed. Still, the Sorcerer Supreme felt a flurry of relief and surprise upon seeing the costumed hero standing before him, wounded and tired.
"Well don't just stand there," Said Doctor Strange, "Come inside."
The two heroes were let inside and the door shut behind them, all going unnoticed by the people of the city. The inner Sanctum was very open in space, filled with artifacts like a museum. Everything they saw had a long story to tell, some of which were probably interconnected with one another. There was a magical property to the place that All Might couldn't fully comprehend.
The Sorcerer Supreme led them to a room upstairs full of more artifacts in glass casings. In one corner of the room were couches and drinks waiting on the coffee table. Neither All Might nor Spider-Man hesitated to sit down and finally rest.
"I've been trying to locate you for some time," Said Doctor Strange as he poured tea into two cups. He had yet to address the presence of All Might, but chose to put it off as he knew Peter would eventually explain, "Just a half hour ago, I suddenly felt your presence enter this realm again. How is it you found your way back here?"
All Might didn't know what he meant when he said "this realm", he assumed that it was fancy talk for something else. Since he didn't believe in magic, All Might assumed he was simply filling the part he dressed as.
Peter removed his mask and placed it on the table, resisting the urge to itch the wound on his cheek, "We ended up here on accident because of the space stone. I was in a fight, one thing led to another …"
"And now you're home. And with a friend," he finally addressed.
All Might waved, introducing himself as "Toshinori Yagi. You can call me All Might."
Peter eyed him with one eyebrow up, "That's your real name? I'll stick with All Might. 'Toshi' sounds too much like that guy who interrogated me."
Strange handed them their cups of tea, and Peter immediately took a sip. It was warm with a hint of sweet flavors. Drinking it woke him up from his post-adrenaline fatigue. His shoulders were finally able to relax and droop at his side. Letting himself bask in that feeling for a moment, he was finally able to compose himself and get to the point of their visit, "We need your help, Doctor Strange," Peter said.
"Anything."
"We need to get back."
He didn't need to address where for Strange to understand what he referred to. What he didn't understand was why he wished to return. For All Might, perhaps it made sense; Strange could easily tell his aura wasn't of this world and he likely wished to return home. However, Peters tone of voice said that he too wished to return there, the question was why? After finally being able to come home, why would Peter only wish to return? The only explanation was that he had unfinished business.
"What's at stake?" Strange jumped to the point.
"The Infinity Stones," Said Peter, leaning forward with his elbows on his thighs, "Their stranded back there. A friend of mine has three of them, but some dangerous people have the others. There's one stone I don't know the whereabouts of, but I can assume they have it too. I don't want them getting the rest."
"What happens if they do?"
"Her name is Lumina, and she wants to resurrect her family, and use the limitless power to, quote, 'Be the hero others fail to be'. I know it'll get to her and she'll become too dangerous."
It was obvious by how he spoke that he was avoiding specific terms relating to the world they came from. All Might probably didn't know they were even on another world, and Peter was trying to keep it that way, "Toshinori," Strange addressed politely, "May I speak alone with Peter for a moment?"
All Might nodded and stood up, weakly holding his saggy costume over his thin body and dragging himself to another corner of the room.
Once he was out of ear shot, Strange leaned forward and quietly said "He doesn't know, does he?"
Peter sighed, lowering his voice down to the same level, "No, he doesn't. I don't know if his world is ready for the multiverse yet. Guarding this secret has costed me so much. Only two people actually know the truth."
"He's on this world now. He's going to learn the truth one way or another and you can't avoid that."
"Can you get us back or not?"
This wasn't something Peter wanted to deal with right now. He wanted to get back and save his friends before something happens, and he knew they were running out of time. Strange was their only hope of getting back as quickly as possible. His friends were now in danger because of him, and he was the only one that could save them.
"I can," Said Strange, "With your friend here, I can use his aura to find the other world more quickly. Still, it's going to take a little time, perhaps a few hours."
"A few hours?!"
"Without his aura, it's been taking weeks. To sift through billions of different realities, a collective of multiverses, it's taken quite some time. Only now do I have the means to pinpoint it more effectively."
It wasn't ideal considering the stakes, but multiverse travel wasn't a trip to the store. It was complex with roads that twist and turn constantly. Peter was honestly lucky that he didn't end up in the space between, or a world uninhabitable from which he would have immediately perished."Ok, ok, you're right. I'm sorry."
There was a loud knock on the door of the sanctum, fast and abrupt in nature. It echoed through the rooms at a pace too quick for patience. The desperation either drew one close, or drove others away. Who could be knocking, wondered Peter? Not many people were aware enough of the sanctum to come looking for anyone here.
"I hope you don't mind," Said Strange, "But when I felt your presence, I went ahead and gave him a call."
A wave of his hand, and they could hear the front door unlock as it quickly opened. Footsteps rushed through the halls in desperation as a man jumped to the upper floor with one hand on the rails. He looked over the massive room and toward the corner where Strange and Peter sat, out of breath with his eyes wide open.
"…Hey kid," Tony said with a smile on his face.
…
He had never missed class before.
Izuku Midoriya had always been sure to arrive on time for class every morning. He was never the first one there, but he had never been absent as of yet. Today, however, was the first time that he chose not to go to school. How could he? Held over his shoulder was the bag given to him my Peter Parker. Inside the bag were three of the Infinity Stones that he knew to be extremely dangerous. With Peter fighting against his idol and mentor, someone had to keep them safe.
It just meant sacrificing his attendance record.
Many of the students hadn't yet returned to the school. They remained with the crowd and waited for All Might and Spider-Man to return. No one had seen them since they disappeared into the air during their fight. To avoid any suspecting eyes, Izuku kept to the shadows as he crept around. He couldn't return to school and risk being separated from the bag, nor could he go home and face his mother as to why he was there. Remaining hidden was the only thing he could do until Peter returned—If he returned at all.
There was only one person who could help him right now; Itsuka Kendo. She was the only other person who knew about the multiverse and everything Peter was up against. He didn't want to bear this responsibility alone, and she was the only option he could look into. Peter was counting on him, and he couldn't let him down.
He watched the crowd from alleyway. They were taking loudly among themselves about their theories as to why All Might fought Peter. The news was branding him a villain on the rampage, one only All Might could stop. It was all lies, Peter wasn't a villain, but All Might's interference branded him one. The purest soul could go against All Might, and everyone would brand that soul a devotee of the devil. As much as he admired All Might, he couldn't deny how true that was.
Before he was able to approach the crowd and find Itsuka, he felt something metallic grab him from behind and chuck him to the other side of the alley. He held onto Peters bag with a death grip in dear someone mat rip it away. In front of him were three figures. One he knew from the auction house, Otto Octavius, sporting his metallic arms that sprung from his back. The others were Lumina and Nightmare, whom Izuku had never actually met face to face until now.
"Izuku Midoriya," Lumina's voice was masked with synthesizer, "Hand over the bag."
Just what he feared, someone had already come hunting for the stones Peter left behind. License or not, he couldn't let them take it, "It doesn't belong to you!" Izuku shouted.
"Don't make this hard."
"I know who you are!" He diverted the subject, "You're the villain who's been trying to get the stones. I know what you want and why, and it's not happening!"
"You think, you know. But you are uninformed to the whole story."
Otto groaned and prepared to move forward, "This is taking too long," He complained, but Lumina held her hand out in front of him.
"Stand down, Otto," She commanded, "We don't want to hurt him, remember?"
"He has the stones!"
"And we must have mercy!"
Izuku seized the opportunity and engaged Full Cowling of his quirk. A single leap sent him flying across the walls of the alley and up to the roof, where his trail of lightning vanished out of sight. "Dammit!" Shouted Otto as he further extended his metal arms, climbing the wall after him. Lumina and Nightmare followed, chasing Otto more than Izuku.
The once quirkless child leapt across the rooftops whilst keeping the bag gripped firmly to his chest. He only looked back a few times to see the three villains in pursuit of him. Thankfully, he seemed to have the advantage in speed when it came to Otto and Nightmare. As for Lumina, she seemed to have been using her Light quirk to quickly catch up. Only with his quick turns could he avoid her.
Unfortunately, he was so busy avoiding Lumina that he didn't see when Otto had taken a shortcut and cut him off when he came around. Izuku found his body struck with the sheer force of one of his metal arms and he was sent crashing into a closed dumpster barrel. He bounced off the top and landed face first on the ground, bruised and tingling all over from the pain.
Otto landed with all his arms and approached the boy quickly and without mercy. Only with Lumina landing in front of him did he stop, "Calm down!" She said, "You got him, so lighten up!"
"We must do all we can to retrieve the stones!"
"Not my sacrificing mercy!"
"We don't have time for mercy!"
"Why not?!"
As they argued, Izuku attempted to stand up by pushing his body against the wall, still keeping the bag as close as possible. He tried to walk, but found himself limping from the pain that had yet to dissipate. He needed only a moment to get his movement back. Sadly, a moment was something he didn't have.
From the sky came Nightmare who brandished a blade in his hand. He landed with force and pinned Izuku to the wall with his elbow, the blade of the knife pressed against his neck. He had yet to use his quirk, so any movement would result in a quick and deadly slice. "Going somewhere?" asked Nightmare, "Hand over the bag or blood spills!"
Lumina ceased her argument with Otto and turned desperately to face Nightmare. This was the side of him he never wanted her to see; the side of the killer within him, "Koji, no!"
"We can be done with this quickly!" Argued Koji, "None of it will matter when we have the stones!"
"It's not about that!" Lumina pressed, "Koji, it doesn't matter if we can undo a death, a murder, or whatever! We shouldn't let that power allow us to stop trying to be good people! Remember why we're doing this! No one has to suffer like we had ever again!"
"But-"
"You can choose a better path. If you want to undo all the killings you've ever done, you have to start by refusing to commit another. He's just a boy, Koji! You were young once, too! Afraid of death as it stared you in the face."
"Yeah, I was," he snarled, "And I waited for someone to save me, and they never came!"
"So be better!"
Three simple words that seemed to hit him hard. Be better, she told him. Better than those who failed to do what was right. He became this way because of conditioning; no one was there to save him from the years of torment and training. If a hero had caught on that he was alive maybe he could have been spared, and reunited with his sister. Someone like that never came to exist; does that mean he has to take the role?
"Kill him, KojI!" Otto shouted, "We don't have time for hesitation!"
Lumina couldn't believe what she just heard him say. Izuku was only a child! How could Otto even consider something like that? She knew he had become cold since Beck, but this was an entirely new level. "Don't listen to him," She argued, "Please, make the right choice!"
Every instinct in Koji's body was telling him to do it, to end his life before he had a chance to move. As far back as he could remember, there was a voice that told him to kill, or be killed. Now, however, a new voice had erupted from the echoes of his conscience. It spoke softly, telling him to pull away and show the boy mercy. It wasn't an unfamiliar voice. It was the same voice who taught him right from wrong, who told him people could grow and be better.
It was the voice of his mother.
Gently, he pulled the blade off Izukus neck. The assassins body recoiled, feeling his heartbeat throughout his entire body. It was like refusing to feed an addiction for the first time, every nerve but the ones that mattered were fighting against it. His heartbeat echoed through his fingers, up his arm, across his temples and back into his chest, feeling every inch of his body all at once as his eyes readjusted. This was the first time in years he held his knife, and hadn't fully attempted to kill someone.
"…Thank you," Said Lumina with a gasp of relief.
The air was sliced next to her as Otto's metal arm flew past and struck Izuku to the ground. It pinned him by his face and slammed his head with great force, nearly knocking him out had he not seen and braced for it. Stars filled his eyes as cold metal pressed against his face. Otto came closer with one of his other arms lifted up. Pointing out of it was a blade aimed straight for Izuku, "We don't have time for this!" Otto shouted.
In seeing what he was doing, Lumina leapt forward in-between him and Izuku just as he thrusts the blade downward. She managed to push it off aim with her Light Quirk, but not before it struck her helmet directly in the visor. The eyes of the helmet ripped off, revealing a portion of her face underneath as she fell down facing Izuku.
When he realized he had hurt her instead of the boy, he removed his metal arm from Izuku, who barely managed to sit up. It was then that he had a good view—despite his injury—of Lumina with part of her mask destroyed. He recognized the dark skin and eye color, along with the blonde hair that was escaping through the hole. He hadn't met her as many times as Peter did, but he did enough research to know exactly who she was.
"…Overcast?" Izuku questioned. It couldn't have been true, yet the proof was in front of him. The woman who was meant to protect them, who saved Peter and fought for him so many times. Overcast, the Pro Hero, was Lumina? Did Peter know about this? Why did he never say anything? Why was she Lumina? Overcast was a hero who graduated from U.A. Lumina was a villain who was stealing the stones. How could they be the same person?
Recovering from shock, Otto tried to strike Izuku again, but Lumina blasted the metal arm away and shouted at Izuku to "Run!" Her voice synthesizer was broken, glitching her voice beyond distinction. As weak as he was, Izuku activated full cowling and ran as quickly as he could.
"You're letting him get away!" Otto said just as Lumina had hit him with an energy blast, sending him back to the ground.
"You tried to kill him!" She accused, "That is not ok!"
"We need those stones now!" he stood back up, using his metal arms to leap through the air over her. He did not account for her speed, as she quickly tackled him into the sky and landed with him on the roof. They struggled for dominance over each other until Otto pulled her off with one of his metal arms, getting up and launching after Izuku.
"Dammit!" Shouted Lumina, "He's gonna kill Midoriya! We gotta stop him!"
Nightmare managed to get to the roof just as Lumina had taken off after Otto. She had to stop him before he made a huge mistake.
…
For so long, Tony had been calling every day to ask Strange for an update on his progress. He waited in his office and researched ways he could help, making excused as to why Peter Parker was missing from school, along with his aunt at a later date. Everyone believed Peter was kidnapped or dead, then his aunt went missing too. Strangely, May had also being making excuses, saying that Peter was sick, so this was the excuse he went with spreading. Now, here he was, alive and well.
Tony stared and blinked as though the boy would vanish in a moment notice. Yet, he remained there apart of the reality he stood in, seeming just as surprised as he was. It didn't take long for Tony to make his way across the room and hug Peter tightly, officially realizing his presence here was real. The hug was short, but well earned.
"You look like crap," Tony smirked.
"And you look like you spent half a million on a half-quality haircut," Peter joked.
Tony smiled, exhaling in relief, "It's good to see you, kid. I knew Strange would get you back eventually."
Strange wanted to chime in and mention how often Tony doubted him, but found ruining the moment to come off as rather rude.
"You look like you've been through hell," Said Tony.
"You could say that," Said Peter, "There is a lot you need to be filled in on."
All Might remained on the other side of the room examining the many artifacts while the three caught up on missed history. Peter managed to give Tony the basics of everything that has happened since their separation, taking roughly 45 minutes to inform him. All Might would glance over at them every once in a while, causing Peter to quiet down over certain details. There were still some things he didn't want him to know, things he wasn't ready to tell him.
As Peter told his story, all Tony could think about was how to fix this. The stones were on this other world, which was a huge problem. The poor kid has been through so much and he had to take the responsibility off his shoulders. "Ok," Tony said as he stood up, "Strange should get us back there. I'll call the Avengers and assemble them here."
Peter stood up quickly after the Avengers name was mentioned, looking anxious at the idea of them, "That's not a good idea," He suggested.
"I'm sorry, did you hit your head on the trip back? If the stones are in the wrong hands, we need to assemble the Avengers to find them and stop her."
"Tony, no! We don't need to assemble the Avengers! I told you, Lumina isn't the kind of villain you're used to. She doesn't want to conquer the world or destroy the universe, or wipe out half of all life. All she wants is to resurrect her family, and use her power to 'become the hero others fail to be'."
It was simpler than purple aliens wanting to impress lady death, or galactic emperors bent on domination, Tony admits. All the same, these stones called for an Avengers level solution that Peter was denying. Why was he so sure they didn't need them?
"Tony," Peter continued, "Lumina is at risk of being corrupted the same way the stones previous users were. I don't think a team of muscle is what we need here. There may be a chance I can reason with her."
"You can't reason with people like this."
"You don't know her! Not like I do!"
Tony recoiled and backed off slightly when he raised his voice. There was so much passion in his voice about this, about her. Most villains Tony met were nothing like he described. They didn't care what happened to others, and he wasn't ready to believe she was any different. "What do you suggest?"
"Well …I think you and Strange would be backup enough. We aren't fighting a god this time around, just as misguided human. We're trying to save her, too."
He had clearly put a lot of thought into this. Peter felt different than when he last saw him, more mature and calculated, yet passionate. Though, no matter how much he may have changed, he was still a kid in Tony's eyes.
"No way," Tony denied, "I got you into this mess, and I'm gonna fix it. I'm assembling the Avengers," Tony pulled out his phone and walked a short distance away, scrolling through his contacts as Peter threw his hands into the air with disbelief, then sat down with his hands on his face.
"Stubborn one, isn't he?" said Doctor Strange.
Peter always knew Tony was stubborn, and Its part of why he admired him. No matter what he was up against, he always pushed through it no matter what. However, this also meant he didn't know when to quit, and some problems didn't need his way of fixing it. The Avengers were meant to deal with planetary or even galactic threats. With the stones involved, Tony didn't realize this was different.
"He's scared," Strange stated.
"Scared of what?" Asked Peter with his hands still on his face.
"Of losing you again. You saw how happy he was to see you. He feels like what happened at the prison was his own fault, that he shouldn't have made a kid come with them on that mission. He's trying to fix it the only way he knows how, by ignoring everything and everyone else and doing it himself."
Taking his hands off his face, Peter thought about what he was saying. Tony never often showed emotional weakness, often choosing to joke through a conversation. Today, he did seem a bit different when he saw him. It was nice he wanted to help, but Peter knew that overdoing it would only make everything worse.
"I know Lumina," Peter said, "She's not a bad person. She's just hurting and scared. I really think I can save her from the stones before she's lost to them. Believe me, I used to think the same way Tony does. But I've learned things about her, and I can see she's not the supervillain everyone wants her to be."
"Much like how you aren't the menace people want you to be."
"So, you do get it."
"Peter," Strange sat down, adjusting his cloak as not to sit on it, "You describe Lumina's actions as being driven by fear and pain. Does that not mean others like Tony and yourself are the same? Isn't that why you became Spider-Man?"
He knew he was right, but that didn't change that Tony was going to take things too far. He didn't want to send an all-out assault at her anymore. In the beginning, he begged for the Avengers to save him. Now, he was beginning to think he was going to have to save her from them.
Though All Might wasn't invited to be apart of the conversation, he did overhear most of the ending details about the Avengers. Peter had mentioned them once or twice in their classes and they seemed like a big deal. He always talked highly of them, so you'd think he'd jump at the chance for a team up. However, All Might knew Peter wouldn't deny their help if he didn't have a good reason.
Awkwardly, All Might left his corner of the room and approached Tony just before he could call anyone, "Excuse me, Tony, right?" he asked.
Tony turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow, "You're Peter's friend from …Japan. I'm trying to make a call right now, so …"
"That's the thing," All Might said, "You should listen to the kid."
A small pause overtook Tony before he shut off his phone and pointed an accusing finger at All Might, "There's the keyword, 'kid'. He's a child, he still thinks he can save everyone. Peter hasn't learned yet that you aren't able to save everyone in this line of work. I'm doing what I know is best. She needs to be stopped before she hurts someone."
"I don't disagree. She does need to be stopped, but not by punching her into submission. I really think the kid is onto something, and …" He paused registering what Tony said earlier in his sentence, feeling partially offended by his assumption, "Do you really think he doesn't know?"
"Excuse me?"
"You think Peter doesn't know he can't save everyone? You do know what happened to his uncle, right?"
"Of course I do, he died in a mugging. What's your point?"
Tony didn't know the specifics, but All Might did, and he only knew because Izuku had told him when Peter confessed the origins of his powers, "He died because the mugger who killed him was a criminal Peter let escape. He blames himself every day for every little thing he does wrong now because of that one moment. I don't think there is anyone in the world who understands responsibility better than he does."
Tony glanced over at Peter in surprise. He had never mentioned that detail of his uncle's death. Practically being his mentor, he thought he would have told him everything.
"All I'm trying to say is this," All Might continued, "Peter may be a kid, but he's no longer a rookie."
Strange called over to All Might, quickly stealing his attention away from the conversation. As he approached the sorcerer, Tony was left alone with the incomprehensible idea that Peter wasn't the rookie he remembered.
…
Izuku hopped from building to building, holding his own body tightly against the bag as the straps flaunted through the air. The green lightning seeping off his body gave a trail easy to follow for Otto and those behind him. Otto chased the boy in a fit of rage and desperation, clanking against the rooftops without hesitation or care for stealth. All he could focus on was the bag and retrieving it, even if it meant from the boy's lifeless body.
Lumina and Koji chased them from behind, doing their best to keep up. Lumina was slightly hindered due to the wound now present on her face. Koji could only dash forward in bursts, but still managed greater distance than she had.
She should have paid more attention, she thought; she should have kept him in line and seen what he was becoming, and how far into the dark he had gone. Even as she called out his name, Otto refused his onslaught toward Izuku.
As the once quirkless boy leapt into the air once again, Otto had caught up and slammed one of his metal arms into his body, sending him down into the street where civilians were walking. His entrance kicked up dust that cars swerved to avoid. There was only one crash into a lamppost that fell on impact, leaving the driver with a mild concussion. When the dust cleared, everyone peered over the boy from a distance, wondering if he was ok, and how he got there.
Otto landed with all four arms and caused a panic that made everyone run away. The moment they saw someone like Otto, so sinister looking, they branded him a villain and ran the other way. Some stayed behind to film it on their phones, but kept a safe distance from the scene as it unfolded.
"Give me the stones, boy," Otto demanded, "I won't ask again."
As terrified as Izuku was, he knew what was at stake. He wasn't going to give up the bag without a fight, no matter the cost. Peter entrusted this to him, after all. With a sting in his nerves, he stood up an kept the bag tight to his chest with both arms. His legs would be all he had to fight with, "Forget it!" he shouted.
The second Izuku rejected his demand, Otto launched one of his metal arms and struck him, sending him crashing into a mailbox. Letters and papers went flying through the air as Izuku's vision blurred. The back of his head made a direct impact, and he felt himself falling into a daze. Despite this, he shook his head and stood up with one leg bent to hold himself up.
"I was hoping you would say that," Otto grinned.
Before Otto could thrust another arm forward, Lumina leapt down and grabbed it tightly, pulling him in the opposite direction. Everyone watched in awe as the assumed supervillains fought against one another. Was it a struggle for power? Was one of them turning to the other side? None of them knew the context but those involved.
"Let go!" Otto shouted.
"Leave him alone!" Lumina shouted back, her voice synthesizer still damaged and glitching.
Otto didn't hesitate to lift his arm up and slam her against the nearest wall. When she didn't let go, he repeated the action again until she slipped off. Immediately he returned his attention to Izuku, who was still struggling to stand. She quickly lifted a hand and hit him with a Light blast that seared his back.
Nightmare came in quickly through the air after her attack with his blades in his hands. Otto however saw him coming and swatted him away, making the crowd gasp in awe. Another villain was fighting the man with robotic arms. It was clearer now who they were suppose to cheer for since they seemed to be ganging up on him. Still, was it a power struggle, or a misunderstanding? Lumina was clearly trying to save the green haired kid. Perhaps they turned to the side of good, or was it something else? The crowd couldn't help but theorize.
"Don't do this, Otto!" Lumina begged, "Don't kill him! Don't be the villain everyone thinks you are!"
"Then stop being the hero everyone thinks you are!" he spat, "You pretend you'll do whatever it takes but you don't! You don't really want your family back, do you? You're just a coward! A pathetic girl in a costume!"
"That's not it, Otto!"
"Oh, please! All your power and you still needed help?! No wonder your parents died!"
That was what set her off. Her eyes glowed a terrifying bright white as she charged him. Her skin emitted light as she punched him, dodging his swinging arms. She was quick, quicker than his robotic limbs. Even when they managed to strike her, she was protected by a layer of light energy that forced them to spark off her body.
From her fingers, the light focused into a straight line stretching only a few inches from her hands. The light solidified into the similar shape of claws, and she used them to slice through one of his robotic limbs. It sliced clean through, leaving him with only three remaining. The severed limb twitched until all power had drained from it.
"I have hesitated, especially when it came to killing" Lumina said, "But I won't hesitate to hurt you, Otto."
He struck again, and she jumped through the air with a spin. Her back scraped the edge of the metal arm. As she brought her hand back up, she sliced through another arm and severed it from him. Just like before, it twitched for a moment before stopping. This brought Otto down to his feet, from which Lumina fired a massive blast that sent him down.
By now, the police had arrived and began setting up the barriers. Fences and police tape cut off the street from civilians. In this world, it was all they would good for anymore while the real heroes came in. A few Pro's arrived at the scene to investigate, but found it difficult to actually get close to the fight. They weren't entirely sure who they were supposed to help; none of them knew the details of the conflict, so they didn't want to risk helping the wrong side.
One hero did decide to jump the barricade and rush in, but not to help in the fight. Miruko, even with her powerful quirk, chose first to run for the boy she remembered being Peter's friend from Hosu. The boy was innocent, she thought; he couldn't possibly be involved in any of this. As much as she wanted that rematch with Lumina, saving the boy was more important.
It wasn't always about beating the bag guy, not anymore.
"I got you!" Said Miruko as she picked the wounded boy up and began carrying him back toward the barricade.
Otto noticed Miruko taking Izuku away, or more accurately, the bag, and stood up quickly with his remaining arms raised. "No, you don't!" he shouted as he thrusts them both in their direction.
Lumina was the only one who saw it heading for them. She recognized Miruko as her friend, a Pro hero she befriended over the last seven years. Her body engulfed in light; her heroic instincts kicked in. She blasted herself forward as quickly as she could as the arms reached for the hero and the victim. There was no way she could bring the arms to a halt, rather she needed to divert them. As fast as she moved, however, she wasn't fast enough to fight her own momentum and bring her arms up. Her body fell between Miruko and Izuku, and Otto's arms as they struck her. One hit her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. The other struck her in the head, dead on.
On impact, her helmet broke clean off.
As she hit the ground, the helmet of Lumina had crashed onto the ground and broken into pieces which rolled away from her. Miruko had just gotten Izuku to safety when she turned around to see what the noise was.
Her heart seemed to stop and shatter all at the same time as everything went quiet and still.
The wind pushed her blonde hair out of the was she got to her knee's. Feeling the wind, she realized what had happened and put her hands to her head. Her eyes met with Miruko's as they both stopped and stared, a thousand thoughts running across one another. Once the shock settled in, Mayume was the first to shed a tear, knowing what this meant and what it would lead to.
Miruko nearly dropped Izuku upon seeing her face. They weren't as close as they were in the beginning, but they were still friends none the less. She helped Mayume learn everything she could about real field duty, and treated her as someone she could get a drink with. Never had she imagined this moment like this, when Lumina would finally be unmasked. Never did she think it would be her.
"…Aihara?" Miruko's voice choked as she fought her tears, refusing to cry in public.
Everyone's eyes and cameras turned to see her. Mayume looked around in horror as they stared at her. They knew exactly who she was, and now there was nothing protecting her. No mask to hide her secrets, to elude punishment for her sins. Civilians looked at her with disappointment, shame and even anger. How could a Pro Hero turn evil? How could someone like her become a villain?
Now seeing her face, they had branded her; Overcast, the villain.
Every muscle in Mayume's body seemed to crumble upon realization that this was it. Her secret was out, and everyone could see her for what she was, and chose to remember it however they wanted. Every terrible thing she did would now define her for the rest of her life and there was nothing she could do about it. There was no coming back from this, no redemption, not in a world where people will believe anything for the sake of comfort, to avoid that feeling of panic and tingling nerves that rush over your cheeks.
The very same thing she was feeling right now.
"…I'm sorry," Otto said, finally coming to realize what he had just done.
This was what triggered her. Despite all he did today, his apology is what set her off.
With all the emotions running through her body, she screamed as loudly as she could to the sky and released a massive wave of shadows from her body. The darkness flooded the street and robbed everyone of their sight. No one could feel anything outside their own flesh, not even the air they breathed until it was already in their lungs. Sound was muffled to a near silence. A few shuffles here and there were all that was made out. No one dared move in the worry they would find themselves somewhere they shouldn't be. Most hung onto to whatever they could, despite being unable to feel it. The only clear sound was the echo of Mayume's dreadful wail.
The shadows finally cleared up slowly like mist on a sunny day. Everyone regained their touch, their sight and their hearing. The street was now empty of the three villains, the only thing left behind being two of Otto's metal arms, and Lumina's broken mask.
Upon the shadows being removed, Miruko was found standing in the same position she was left in, completely in shock despite Mayume now being gone. It was only now she could feel again, and found she had her eyes open too long from shock. Closing them eased their pain and forced tears out of her eyes, of which she quickly wiped and sniffled.
"No!" Izuku shouted.
Miruko turned around and knelt down to him, immediately assuming he had been wounded, or perhaps someone else had. Instead, he found himself patting his chest as though something was previously there. "What's wrong, kid?" She asked through the stinging in her eyes.
"The bag!" he shouted, his voice cracking, "The bag is gone!"