Radiant light from the summer sun shines down on the city, reflecting off each building like rows of skyscraping jewelry. Today, Spider-Man barely notices Musutafu's polished pearl appearance despite swinging across its rooftops way overhead. Web slinging, which often serves as a release and a joy for him, one of the things that makes being Spider-Man fun, holds no allure even on this bright morning. Ever since his reputation was tarnished, he frankly hasn't had much of a taste for anything lately. Not even his mother's infamous Katsudon dish. He stops that train of thought, derailing it himself before chucking it out of his head, pretending to drop it to the pavement dozens of yards below. If there had been any saving grace, it had been his mom's attempts to cheer him up with Katsudon. He'll be grateful for that much.
She had suggested he see a therapist if he doesn't feel comfortable sharing his feelings with her. Even with doctor-patient confidentiality, Izuku isn't so sure he'd feel that much better revealing his double life as Spider-Man to somebody he never met before. "Nah. This is better than any therapy!", the boy's thoughts filter out through his mask covered mouth since there's no worrying about anyone hearing him from so high up in the sky. "This way, the only thing I feel is the wind against my face and the cool breeze in my tights", he does a little aerial maneuver as though to emphasize his point and grins a little under his mask upon pulling off the trick, "Besides! It's not Spider-Man who needs help, but always somebody else that needs–"
"HELP!", a shout loud enough to be heard even from his current heights draws Spider-Man's attention. It's as though on cue. And it isn't like he WANTS there to be trouble or anything, but it does make his hidden grin grow a bit now that he has something to take his mind off things. The vigilante readjusts his swing by firing a web line from his other hand so that the wire of webbing anchors to a building opposite of his current path. Then he pulls himself in the direction of the desperate cry for help.
It's a familiar sight that he sees from the sky. A speck retreating from another speck amongst indifferent dots gradually grows until increasing to a size that shows what they really are. A purse snatcher fleeing from an innocent old lady comes into view for Spider-Man once he swings low enough. Instead of launching another web line towards the buildings suspended above, he spins a string straight for the thief. The web snags the purse that the crook is holding instead; Izuku's aim was just a little off, but he's still glad because it's better than missing his quarry completely.
"Hey! Is that Gucci brand? Let ME have a look!", a jeering joke alerts the purse snatcher to the vigilante's arrival before the web line's firm pull does. The handbag flies into Spider-Man's gloved palm.
"Hey!", the purse snatcher stops short when he realizes the purse has now been snatched from HIM. Spider-Man looks the man up and down, seeing that the bag clashes with a rather punkish aesthetic. Purple mohawk. Facial piercings. It just doesn't work. "Give that back!", although the punk himself apparently disagrees.
"Funny you should say that", Spider-Man quickly wraps things up before hopping down to street level. Literally. The punk doesn't say much else with webbing sealing his mouth shut, nor does he do any more snatching or running away with the rest of his body as equally bundled up. "I was just about to suggest the same to you", Spider-Man figures it's all in a day's work after that.
Except, when he hands the purse back to its rightful owner, he doesn't quite get the thanks he expects or deserves. "Menace!", the grandma has quite a mouth on her when she spews a few alternative unaffectionate names at the spider themed vigilante. She also starts whacking him with her purse, now having been supplied with a weapon from the very same person that she's using it on.
"Ow! Hey! What gives?!", Spider-Man shields his head with his arms to block the blows that his Spider-Sense deems insignificant to warn him of. But some of those blows land pretty hard. So he backflips away and sticks to a higher spot where the old lady won't be able to reach him.
Unfortunately for the vigilante, the grandma gains enough attention with her behavior to garner a group of more civilians and her backup has no qualms about throwing things at him to account for that distance. Tomatoes splat and cans crack when groceries get tossed his way. Spider-Man scrambles up the wall in a full retreat as he's verbally assaulted to go along with the flogging. He's only able to escape the crowd's booing by ducking into a dark alley.
"I didn't think my reputation was THAT tarnished!", Izuku goes back to feeling dejected now that his effort to forget about his problems turned into another harsh reminder of them. The whole neighborhood – no, scratch that – the entire CITY has been turned against him! He solemnly shakes his head. It's not like he's in the hero biz for the praise but it does bring him down a bit to be considered a criminal.
A trashcan sits opposite to a dumpster, probably separate disposals for whatever businesses interconnect to the back alley. Izuku bounds over to the can, peering inside to see that it's emptied. Part of him wants to shed his suit and throw it in there. Spider-Man No More! might make for a good following headline to Hero Or Menace?! But that other side of him knows that he'd regret it later. Doing the right thing doesn't mean you'll always be rewarded. That's the funny thing about responsibility.
Deciding that Spidey stays for now, he starts crawling his way back up the alley wall. He's just about to reach the top and hoist himself over onto the roof when he hears something back down below. It's distant but not as hushed as one might think a hidden conversation might be. Izuku twists himself to have his hands front first on the wall and climbs towards the source of noise. He makes sure to be much quieter than the two talking. And it is two talking, he can tell that much upon getting nearer to the voices.
"I'm the only Trigger supplier left in Japan", one of the speakers has a buzzing drone in their tone that sounds more like a side effect of their quirk than intentional speech pattern. The decibel sharpens to a sting when they add, "You don't have much of a choice but to pay the price that I give you for it."
The other talker has some sort of voice filter disguising their voice, the type that meshes a high pitch and a low pitch together to formulate one tweaked tone. "You're forgetting that the Yakuza has drugs too", the distortion discloses their mood that it sounds like a monotonous machine but it's anyone's good guess that they aren't happy just by what they're saying, "I could always buy from them."
"Who do you think they get their resources from?", the other voice's buzz becomes brasher. It seems they're both irritated by their discussion. "Prices go up when it's a matter of resale value", a cross between hissing and humming tails the end of that sentence like a period.
Spider-Man doesn't require his Spider-Sense to know things are bound to escalate if the attitude these two are giving eachother stays the same. Intrigue increased and now prepared to intervene if a fight breaks out, the wall crawler carries himself closer. He's able to see the two back alley conversationalists clearly but they're unable to see him so long as they don't look up; he hopes things stay that way.
"You're sure they or none of your other resellers aren't able to replicate it?", the altered voice belongs to a man dressed like a – Parrot? Hummingbird? Green wings that are way too sharp to be comprised of feathers are enclosed at his sides. A matching metallic mask shaped into a long beak hides his face.
The other person also covers their tracks well, a lavender hood hanging over their head and draping down into a cloaked cape. "If they were capable of pulling that off, then Trigger wouldn't be in such short supply with such a high demand…" Small specks wisp around the cloth, weaving in and out of it. At Izuku's distance, it's hard to see just what those specks are though.
That susurrated sound emitting from the hooded figure suddenly seems a lot louder. Pretty soon, Izuku's Spider-Sense buzzes with it. He looks about to find the source and discovers a small bee bumbling around beside him. Izuku waves a hand to shoo it away but the bug is unbothered by his attempts to scare it off. The buzzing of the boy's Spider-Sense gets more intense than the bee's buzzing, causing him to return his attention to the two people below.
The hooded figure is staring back. Or rather, a swarm of bees under a cowl directs their focus on him. "We're being watched", the organized droning that composes a voice alerts the bird bad guy of Spider-Man next. Which causes Izuku to backpedal on all fours along the wall that he's clinging to.
"Oh God…", Izuku shudders when he realizes what those specks are under the lavender cloak, "Not the bees!"
When the cloak levitates and ascends out of the alley, Izuku is surprised to see it's the bird person who remains grounded. "Wait!", the flightless fellow calls after their partner in crime when they see that there is no honor amongst thieves. A sentiment that Spider-Man can agree with when spinning a web line to snag the swarm's fancy robe.
"What he said! Nobody told you to buzz off just yet!", Izuku gives the web line a good tug to reel his quarry in. What he gets is only the lavender cloak, the fabric flying off and a whole hivemind of bees exposed in the sunlit sky still managing to slip away. The lenses on Spider-Man's mask expand as much as they can when he sees there's seemingly no physical body to this baddie.
The vigilante shakes it off, filing that one away for a later date. The buzzard villain is still here, at the very least. And he doesn't plan on letting that one get away as easily. "And where'd you come from? Sesame Street?", Spider-Man hops overhead just in case this fellow tries flying the coop too. He watches the end of the alley to make sure they don't try to make a break for it on foot either, which is where that empty trash can is. "I did see Oscar's house closeby, come to think of it…"
"Spider-Man!", the metallic wings that had been tucked behind the villain's back suddenly expand into steeled feathers that are sharpened to a point. He crouches while preparing for liftoff, or maybe he's just striking a fighting pose. Either way, the vigilante has his full undivided attention now.
"Was it the web patterned suit that gave me away?", Spider-Man judges the jumping distance between himself and the villain before springing from his spot on the wall. It's all in good timing when he sticks the landing on a fiend taking flight.
"No! Get off!", the tackle causes some turbulence but Spider-Man isn't so willing to oblige to that request, "I'm not the one you should be going after!", even after hearing that. The airborne duo dive down towards street traffic, narrowly avoiding a brush with passing cars. "You need to understand! I'm not someone you want to fight! I'm not a bad guy!", Spider-Man's struggling ceases momentarily, "I work for The Commission!", but then he's back to trying to land his opponent.
"The Commission? Yeah, right. Let me guess – the leader of your secret organization is a stereotypical big fat guy with a diamond topped cane and an ascot?", Spider-Man's skepticism comes out in the form of sarcasm. He's well enough versed on heroes that he doubts this guy is an underground hero and he's never heard of some task force before either. There is one way to know for certain though. Spider-Man grabs for the guy's beak shaped face covering.
"No!", the feathered fink fights back. Spider-Man swerves as he's sky bound, dodging a sweep of the villain's bladed wings. It takes some aerial acrobatics but the vigilante manages to stay attached to his flying foe all the while. "I'm trying to tell you that there's no need for this!", the filtered voice practically screeches through the helmet's speaker system.
Spider-Man shouts back to be heard over the wind whipping around them, "You sure have a funny way of doing so!" His back bangs against a rooftop's trimming when the bird baddie tries shaking him off again.
The two twist whilst doing a nosedive, the maneuver meant to disorient and throw Spider-Man off. While Izuku might admit to getting a tad bit dizzy, he still manages to keep ahold of his pilot as a passenger. "I'm starting to think you ARE a menace like the paper says!", the villain glances back at their unwanted freerider with what must be contempt underneath the visor of their helmet.
"A menace to guys like you? Any and every day of the week, bird brain!" Spider-Man cocks an arm back as he prepares to throw a punch, planning on cracking that stupid beak shaped mask wide open like an egg shell.
But his Spider-Sense stops him short. He has to swing himself back to avoid getting close lined by a flagpole. Which leaves him open for an uppercut from the villain. He maintains his hold. But in doing so, earns himself another shot. Izuku isn't content with letting a bad guy have their way with him but there's not much else he can do if he doesn't want them to get away.
The two grapple some more as they get close to a particular rooftop. They nearly crash into a billboard sign before slamming into the side of a water tower instead. It's there that Izuku loses his grip. And his opponent takes immediate action with that advantage. Izuku finds himself getting thrown into the elevated tank and sealed inside. If it were a giant waterspout, he's certain that he'd drown in it.
"Don't think that'll stop me!", Izuku calls out from his water enclosed prison with the vain hope that he'll be heard. A good spring in his step launches the boy up and out of the water tower. Except, once he's perched atop the elevated tank, he sees that the person who stuffed him inside is long gone; he gets flashbacks to similar situations with lockers and bullies, and he's sure that there'll be plenty more made when the next school semester starts – he just didn't think he'd be getting a head start of practice in beforehand.
"Great way to start the morning…", Izuku huffs and grumbles to himself. He shifts from a squatted position to sit down before tugging a spandex sock off. The sopping material squelches when he wrings it out. "Soaked to my skin and still hated by the general public", the vigilante allows himself to feel a bit of angst before sliding the spandex sock back on and getting over it.
There's still a lot to be done on his to-do list and he won't let a little plunge in the pool or some negative nancies ruin it for him. He was able to, at the very least, save his camera from getting water damaged. Which means he'll have some shots to sell. And there's a particular beach he plans on paying a visit later too, even if he won't be swimming there. He's already done plenty of cooling off already, courtesy of his friendly neighborhood buzzard boy.
Spider-Man hops off of his perch and spins a new web line in order to swing to his next destination. If he's fortunate, there won't be any more causes for interference. Though he can't remember the last time he wasn't unfortunate enough to think that.
Izuku can't help but contain some contempt for the pigeons swimming above him within the oceanic blue sky. When silvery feathers that have sunlight sheening through them gracefully descend rather than feces though, he reconsiders his vendetta for birds and limits it to one in particular. It's not like they're all in cahoots with one another. Or so he thinks… The lens on the boy's mask narrow when he shoots the sky a suspicious stare. It seems silly to be paranoid without his Spider-Sense so much as registering a single tingle of threat, so he shakes his head and goes back to terraining the city.
The boy bounds from rooftop to rooftop as he nears Juko News. Only to discover an empty parking lot and darkened windows with their blinds closed. The lens on his mask blink with his eyes. A little creepage down the wall of the building gets him close enough to read a sign. The place is closed. Of all the dumb luck, he can't even sell the photos he got of his own humiliation like he had last time. He gives a rough sigh before scaling the building back up and away from any potential people booing him again. The last thing he needs right now is another putdown. Which is why he's dreading the decision to make a second stop before heading home.
A strand of webbing shoots out from Spider-Man's wrist and anchors itself to a cellphone tower. Then he's off. A sailing in the wind that's controlled by spinning strings sends him splashing through the sea colored sky.
Radiating off seashells in the sand are streaming strands of sunlight; the yellow glow along the smooth surface is simulating a burning grill with its graininess compacted. That long line formulates a perfect path only darkened along one edge by waves bordering into it. It's as clear as the stretch of water beyond it. Not a single speck of scrap metal or litter juts out from the beach. Itsuka finished cleaning it all.
Nobody would ever guess Takoba Beach had been a dumping ground for waste of varying types. Izuku would like to tell Itsuka that he's impressed by her handiwork, but she's nowhere to be seen. Which is a shame because that was the reason that he came here in the first place. He was hoping to explain himself to her and get unblocked but that doesn't seem very likely now that she's finished doing her voluntary community service.
The boy sighs, mentally scratching out another unmet task in his imaginary to-do list. First his flop with getting paid for pictures and now this… He's been so down in his luck lately that he makes sure to watch out for any ladders or black cats. Neither of his identities can seem to catch a break. At this point, he wouldn't be surprised if he ran into one of his old bullies. That they'd be the only people actually around somehow feels practical. He quickly gets rid of that thought before he jinxes himself and makes it happen, instead opting for just swinging straight home.
A lone seagull flaps its wings to slow its landing. Once planting itself on the beach, it looks up to see Spider-Man taking to the sky that it left.
Still clad in red & blue, Izuku clandestinely crawls his way through his bedroom window. Spiders tend to creep carefully into corners, unnoticed and unheard. Whether the bite that gave him his inherent abilities passed that skill along or not, it's a quality matching his namesake that has helped him hide those definitive gifted powers from his mother. As quiet as a mouse – Izuku spares a second to thank God he wasn't bitten by a radioactive rat – the boy moves from his ceiling to his wall. It's not until the boy turns rightside up that he notices a note taped to his computer, the note informing him that his stealthy entry wasn't necessary; his mom wrote a message letting him know she went out for the day. Izuku's smile is the first thing unveiled when he pulls his mask off. Not only does his mom deserve a day out for herself, but his luck finally allows for him to have some time to do some Spider-Man-ing without having to worry about her finding out.
Izuku tosses the facial covering aside, allowing it to fall to the floor where dirty laundry casts a pattern of other clothing. Next, off comes the gloves and the web shooters. Those go on his desk where he keeps a miniature screwdriver and other tools to touch up the support equipment occasionally. But in the meantime, he opts for a seat at his computer to do some researching on other potential gadgets. After having so many encounters with villains but all of them managing to get away as of late, he's been trying to think of a solution. The notebook he tucked between quirk analysis journals contains some of those thoughts in the form of writing. He grabs the book and flips through its pages to find where he left off before syncing up the data with a web page. Izuku taps a couple of keys and follows along with what some forums say, jotting down what he agrees with and disregarding the rest.
A miniature tracking device. That's his goal here. It'd be a plus if he could get the device to somehow also be in the shape of a spider. He figures that'd make it all the less discoverable too. The only hitch in that idea is how difficult portably wireless relays tend to need more packaging in their mechanical makeup. In other words, he can't fit all the required tech into such a compact widget. Not if he wants the signal to span a good length, at least. So Izuku spends a lot of his time trying to think of a way to remedy that problem. The city does have a lot of cellphone towers and there's always satellite dishes he can bounce the signal off of. Except, that becomes too contingent on the person he'd be tracking staying within city limits. Someone suggested having the opposite receiver carry all the tech on them to compensate but that wouldn't work since that'd mean asking villains nicely to do so; he can't blame his online helpers though, since he has to keep details scarce enough for them to not figure out what he needs trackers for.
Needing a break away from his computer to simply think to himself, he gets up to grab some clothes off the floor. A few sniff tests help him find a sweater and a pair of pajama bottoms that he can wear to cover up his spider themed spandex. An idea enters his head then. He starts thinking about how he can use his senses. If he could somehow interlink his sense of smell or possibly his hearing to pick up a specific decibel, then that could compensate for a signal. Except that the matter of distance still remains a major issue. The range in which he'd be able to smell or hear is a fundamental factor that not even his spider abilities increased enough to resolve.
And then it hits him like his palm against the side of his head. He has a built-in signal already. His Spider-Sense. He figures that if he can somehow link the tracer to his danger sense that he'd be able to track someone based on how sensitive the tingling is. It's a bit of a long shot since technology and organic matter don't tend to mix well but he also believes it's worth a try. Especially since this method would allow for him to make his tracking devices as small as possible per his preference. A quick search for forums about heroes having quirk support gear specifically built to aid or enhance their quirk helps to spur him on a little further. Present Mic has a speaker system created as a collar that helps him calibrate and control his vocal chords, for instance. Something that takes his internal power and makes it external doesn't seem all that impossible afterall.
Eventually, blueprints and plans lead to the actual activity of building these things. Izuku flips on his desk lamp as he leans forward to get a better look at what he's putting together. Tweezers maneuver metal parts that are nearly at a microscopic level. It takes a scientific mind to see what parts of the process work for this type of surgery. Wires that can leak fluid like blood vessels or veins are carefully connected. The Spider-Sense that's meant to tune into and link with the device warns him when he nearly makes a mistake or two, preventing short circuiting or spark bursts. His eyes narrow with intent focus; he'd probably have needed a pair of glasses to see something so small if not for his enhanced senses, which fortunately includes sight. Izuku pays no mind to the bead of sweat rolling off his face while he works. He's in the zone now.
Afternoon shadows move across his room, and at some point, the window in which he entered loses the sun. Izuku barely notices that or his mom peering into the room as night falls. He didn't hear her come home or call his name. But Inko is okay with that. She's just happy that her son found something to be passionate about again – something other than being a hero – little does she know.
A cool splash of water washes over Tsukauchi's face, the hands that had been cupping that water lingering rather than sliding away with what drips from his bottom jaw. He typically tries waking up to his mornings with a shower and then a cup of coffee but today calls for this extra measure. The detective stops the sink from jacking up the department's plumbing bill – they don't need any extra cutbacks – and looks at himself in the mirror. He'd never win a competition against Eraserhead when it comes to who has the droopiest eyebags but he can certainly qualify for second place. In addition to Spider-Man, Trigger is back on the streets, and that's splitting the underground hero's attention as much as it is the department's. He doesn't know whether he'd be lucky for the two cases to intersect or unfortunate but he half expects some sort of connection sooner rather than later.
And as such, that means making up a corkboard with strings and the whole nine yards. Which if he's wrong that they won't connect, will mean he'd be doing that work for nothing. Meaning he won't get anywhere with either case and he'll be pulling another all nighter. Tsukauchi doesn't even bother wiping his face with paper towels. He lets the dampness remain as a reminder of how vexing the day is going to be.
As though the universe is deciding to emphasize his point, he winds up bumping into Tamakawa on his way out of the restroom. Turns out the cat-cop is back from his vacation. "There's my favorite detective!", the returning co-worker seems chipper despite having come back to duty – that's a surefire way to tell he's not been doing his paperwork – a smile playing at the tabby headed officer's whiskered maw, "Missed me?"
"Can't say I have", Tsukauchi may be able to disguise his tone but he can't hide his own small smile. He'd never admit to it but he may have actually missed the chucklehead. That doesn't mean Tamakawa is any less distracting though, and he really can't afford a distraction at this stage in either the Spider-Man or Trigger investigations. "I'll catch you later though", the detective gives his colleague a friendly pat on the shoulder as he brushes by.
"That's it? That's all I get?", Tsukauchi can hear Tamakawa whining behind him but he knows better than to stop or look back. The best he can do is give a half hearted wave of his hand. Sticking around and playing into Tamakawa's neediness will only lead him to the breakroom or some place other than his own desk.
Which is where he needs to be. And where he finds Eraserhead waiting for him. The detective raises an eyebrow, wondering if the underground hero snuck his way in or bothered going through the front desk, considering they hadn't crossed paths earlier. Regardless, Tsukauchi wastes no more time in shutting his door and getting down to business.
"Hope I didn't keep you waiting", he pulls out a chair for Eraserhead to sit in before plopping down into his own.
Eraserhead's only acknowledgement to an answer of how long he might have been waiting is a barely audible grunt. "Was that Tamakawa's voice I heard?", he's rather more interested in Tamakawa. Which makes the man's poker face funny now that the detective knows what's hiding behind it.
Tsukauchi stifles a laugh, nodding. "He happened to come back from his vacation today", the detective is already plotting how he can pit the cat loving underground hero and the cat quirked cop together in the same room.
Fortunately for him, he doesn't have to plot too much. "We should get him in on this", Eraserhead suggests Tamakawa's involvement in the case. "It might help to have a … fresh perspective", he even offers a 'logical' excuse for the partnership.
Come to think of it, that excuse may be actually logical in a sense. To get an outside-looking-in opinion on the matter, from an officer who hasn't been around to know anything about the situation, could prove beneficial. "Let's go grab him then", Tsukauchi reconsiders the case and his co-worker's return now that the vexation is able to have some merit to it.
"The least we can do with him is have him scope out the scene for us", Aizawa agrees with a nod that may as well serve as a smile.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Shie Hassaikai aren't exactly subtle with their stronghold. It could have to do with that whole 'hiding in plain sight' thing. Then again, they probably wouldn't have bothered erecting concrete walls to hide their property if that were entirely the case. Izuku bets they didn't build those barriers with spider powered individuals in mind though – or the types that like to fly and get an aerial view – the old Japanese architecture all dates back to a pre-quirk era. Suited up as Spider-Man, Izuku infiltrates the site as stealthily as he can. He remembered the Yakuza being mentioned during whatever illegal transaction he interrupted and decided that'd be a good lead to follow up on, if not for the sake of testing his newly developed spider tracers.
And apparently, that hunch was as good as any instinct to act upon. None other than bird brain himself stands across from what must be Yakuza representatives. Gripped in the fiendish fink's talons is a plastic bag that makes it evidently clear where the payload is. Izuku figures whatever drug that living hivemind had to offer is also available here. If one seller falls through then there's always the next best option. This bird apparently needs a little help when it comes to getting high. So, Izuku places his camera in a good spot to snap some shots and takes into account what some wildlife photography may have to offer.
"No wonder Toucan Sam got the cereal mascot job instead of you", Spider-Man flips from the wall to a more revealing spot where the group of baddies can see him, "You may have the Fruit Loopiness down but you'd make a bad spokesperson if kids saw this!" It does the trick. They're focused on him and not his hidden camera. Now, he can get down to business.
"You again! You're ruining everything!", the Fruit Loops mascot reject retaliates towards Spider-Man's second interference with a literal lashing out of his winged arm. The sweeping appendage releases a barrage of bladed feathers that are flung full force at the vigilante.
Spider-Man contorts his movements to outmaneuver the projectiles before sticking his landing on a water fountain's center statue that's made to look like some sorta unicorn lady. "I have a knack for that!", he keeps up his quippage and takes to dodging some coverfire from the Yakuza people next.
The gun toting thugs are easy enough to dispatch. A little webbing here and there with occasional frontflips or backflips manages to take them down quickly. It's their feathered friend that Spider-Man wants to keep an eye on. "Stay out of business that you don't understand!", he's not sure whether to consider himself lucky or not when he sees the bird hasn't tried flying the coop; while the villain staying grounded does make the vigilante's job easier, it does seem a little odd for the bird brain to be choosing 'fight' in their fight or flight response.
"I've played enough Monopoly to understand what's important", Spider-Man snatches the money bag with a thick line of webbing, "Yoink!", and catches it in the same extended hand.
The beaked baddie's mask tilts, noting the cash grab. Which is a little less of a reaction than Spider-Man had been expecting. Nevertheless, he takes to the water fountain statue again for a good vantage point and prepares for what comes next. What comes next is a buzzing. But not the typical type that he gets from his Spider-Sense. Spider-Man glances up, recognizing the sound as a signature to the swarm of bees heading his way.
"Looks like someone else wants the honeypot", Izuku has enough time for one last wisecrack before dropping down to avoid getting stung to death. He lands in the fountain's water pool, hoping that the theory about water warding off bees holds true.
It's strange that the cool splash of water loses its initial chill seconds after. A stroke of heat hovers over Izuku's back. For a moment, he fears the worst that he's been stung or hit somehow. Except, when he turns over, he sees the source of warmth targeting someone other than him. A wrist mounted flamethrower from the bird villain burns the swarm with a streak of fire. Izuku shields himself from the orange consumption as well as he can in what may as well be a kiddie pool.
Confused by their spat and very much not wanting to get caught up in it, Izuku dives away from the two villains. In doing so, he finds himself by the gate of the facility. Which so happens to be the entrance. Which so happens to have a police officer outside of it. The cop has a cat-like head, ears perked and eyes dilated, as he stares up at Spider-Man.
Izuku looks down at the clear bag of money that he's holding in his hand and then back up. He has flashbacks to his framing with the transfer truck and tenderly hoists the yen sack out to emphasize his innocence within the misunderstanding when he says, "This isn't what it looks like…"
But it very much looks too much like what it looks like, he guesses. Because the officer's response is to draw his weapon and shout, "Hold it right there!"
"Maybe YOU should hold onto it instead", Spider-Man tosses the bag towards the law enforcer. As expected, the officer's innate reaction is to catch it. Which means dropping their gun. Which means Spider-Man can get away without getting shot.
Tamakawa gawks when he's left with the sack of yen. He'd been sent to the Shie Hassaikai stronghold to perform reconnaissance. He wasn't expecting all of this.
To be fair to the vigilante, neither had he. Spider-Man swings around an old architecture before landing on its roof. From there, he sees the swarm of bees being dealt with. The druggie is also a murderer. Go figure. And NOW the murderer wants to flee the scene.
"Not on my watch", Izuku does what he had anticipated he'd be doing in coming here; he performs a field test of his new support gear and fires a spider tracer from his wrist shooters. It lands on the villain's calf and stays.
After watching it fly away, he starts listening to his Spider-Sense and puts the tracer to the test.
The bird themed villain, along with the spider tracer attached to him, gradually glides from the sky to the mid level height of buildings. It's there that his front facing flight path redirects itself into a feet first landing. Like a platform prepared for him, he comes upon a broad balcony with equally wide glass panes opened up for him. That entry overlooking Musutafu leads into a dimmer setting with an oval desk and other office materials. Seated with hands clasped and fingers interlocked, overlooking all of this all-the-while, is an old woman.
Izuku keeps his distance, but that's fine and dandy, since his camera does actually have a zoom function despite all of the lies he told Tokuda about using it beforehand. The lady has a stoic and steely expression as she watches a villain fly right into her office, so he supposes the two must already be acquainted. Considering her ash blonde hair is slicked back and her attire consists of a suit jacket along with a costly necklace, he's starting to believe there may as well be a 'Commission' involved. Well, at least his guess about it being run by some large guy with an ascot didn't turn out to be the case.
"Progress report?", the woman's voice is low but it still carries in the wind well enough to be heard by Izuku's enhanced sense of sound. Even so, the boy cranes his neck and angles his head to turn an ear closer.
The villain's voice is just as tonally deep. More-so because of the filter in his mask, but it does create quite a tense atmosphere; at least, in Izuku's humble opinion. "Spider-Man intervened again", the vigilante feels a little tense himself at the mention of his name, "But there was still a relative resolution to my assignment this time."
"Kuin Hachisuka?", that name doesn't ring any bells in Izuku's head but he keeps listening anyways. It turns out that there isn't much to listen to though when a holographic bio appears above the desk between the lady and her avifauna assassin.
Izuku snaps a silent shot of the bio. It lists a few aliases Hachisuka went by like 'Queen Bee' at a point. Apparently now, this lady goes by 'Swarm'. Considering she's a living hivemind, Izuku supposes that makes enough sense. And then, a red X crosses her out, the image fading as the crimson lines cover over the bio.
"Eliminated", the villain reports her dead. Izuku's heart clenches at that. He starts feeling guilty for not trying to intervene more. Being burned alive can't be a good way to go.
"Along with the drug?", Izuku refocuses at the mention of that Trigger stuff they were pedaling between themselves and the Yakuza. There must be some sorta power struggle between criminal factions, he thinks.
The villain produces a tiny vial, setting it upon the desk. The lenses on Izuku's mask shift between squinting and widening; he doesn't recall this guy snatching any of that stuff during their scuffle. "They call me Vulture because I take care of the scraps", 'Vulture' must take some pride in that.
"Then Trigger can finally be laid to rest with the Shie Hassaikai", the Commission lady takes the vial and looks at it closely but lacks any actual interest in what she's holding.
Vulture nods, moving away from the desk so that he's facing the balcony. Izuku hunches down, worried momentarily that he's been spotted; the red and blue color scheme of his Spider-Man suit seems like it would stand out. Fortunately for him, it somehow doesn't. Vulture doesn't notice that he's being spied on.
Which must be the reason why he's so comfortable with removing his mask. "We can get Nighteye's Agency to follow through", the voice filter falters and fails as the helmet dislodges from the man's head, "It could prove troublesome if anyone were to find out the number three hero was masquerading as a villain" The pro hero Hawks shakes his sweat slicken blonde hair loose once the beaked helmet is removed.
The wind ceases. Spider-Man slips, startled enough to lose his firm foundation of sticking to a building. After he catches himself from falling, he releases a breathless choke of a gasp; it's hard to breathe behind his own mask. Izuku's forefinger falls numbly on the shooter switch of his camera. The DSLR snaps a picture of the unmasked fiend.
A hefty heave carries the bag high enough to thud against Tsukauchi's desk; all of the yen inside spreads with the landing of the bag's bottom, pushing pens and other materials like the detective's stapler aside to make room for it. Tamakawa pants heavily, having carried the sack of money all the way to the office. Behind him, Eraserhead offers a cup of water. The officer greedily takes it before flitting his tongue to lap it up, much to the underground hero's amusement.
"Where'd you get this?", Tsukauchi refrains from gawking at how much dough is on his desk currently. It's not likely Tamakawa made a withdrawal from an ATM while he was out. Though he doubts an enforcer of the law would rob a bank either.
"The Yakuza", Tamakawa breathes out his answer eventually enough. Though that only raises other questions until further elaboration is given. "Spider-Man was holding it", the officer gestures with his free hand as though to demonstrate that it's clean and he's not the thieving type.
"Guess the papers are right about him turning over a new leaf from vigilantism to crime afterall", Tsukauchi doesn't keep himself in check anymore and allows a grievanced sigh to escape his downturned lips.
"How did you get ahold of it then?", Eraserhead prompts Tamakawa to keep sharing details. As he does, the underground hero simultaneously works on refilling the cop's cup of water.
"He, uh, threw it at me?" Tamakawa pauses as he recalls the order of events. Suddenly he's itchy behind the ears and he needs to scratch at his head.
"So what you're saying is… he tossed the money bag back?", Eraserhead crosses his arms over his chest while giving Tsukauchi a quick glance. The detective swallows and nods.
"What else did Spider-Man do?", Tsukauchi looks between the bag of yen and his partner while reconsidering his opinion on the web patterned person.
"He actually looked to be feuding with the Yakuza", Tamakawa hums while trying to come up with his own theory on what transpired, "Could it be some sort of intergang dispute?"
Eraserhead refrains from facepalming. He's had students brighter than this. "Not likely", the underground hero deadpans. But rather than waste any more time spelling things out for the officer, he heads for the window to carry out his own fieldwork. "I'll be in touch…"
"Sure thing..", Tsukauchi nods despite the man's back being turned to him. After Eraserhead is gone, he looks back down at the bag to find the vigilante's usual calling card is left inside.
Thought you could use a raise in your allowance!
-Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!
Not even nightfall can cool the summer shimmer in the air. Ripples of erosion waft through puddles in potholes. Dust mounds roll and billow into shadowed crevices. Moths flutter as they struggle to remain stagnant within a lamppost's tint of yellow light. It's a repeated array of those miniature beams and even smaller ponds that forge a path for Tokuda to terrain. And it's that trail that he follows to his parked car.
He stops short so that he can unlock its doors, but before the man can fish his car keys out from his pants pocket, he catches a glimpse of something in his peripheral vision. A red and blue blur. A colored haze that comes to a halt atop his car and perches itself there once becoming clearer. Tokuda instinctively staggers back, startled, and drops his keys the way someone might do in a horror movie.
"S- Spider-Man?", Tokuda fights the urge to take his glasses off and clean them to make sure that what he is seeing is legit. Instead, he opts for pushing the bifocals up the bridge of his nose in order to readjust the lens over his eyes. "Wh- To what do I owe the pleasure?", it takes him a moment to regain his composure but he manages to do so nevertheless.
"Contrary to popular belief about the youth these days, I myself do a little more reading than just manga", Spider-Man starts by trying to smooth out the strangeness with a joke but he can see that it's more of a miss than a hit when Tokuda doesn't laugh. Resting on his haunches, he goes for making his body language less intimidating instead. "You like to write about me quite a bit", he also tries keeping his voice even to not make it sound like he's upset or anything.
Though Tokuda is more occupied trying to place the familiarity of the vigilante's voice rather than the tonal vibe of it. He nods nonetheless, agreeing with Spider-Man's sentiment. "You're hot and fresh news that sells", the photojournalist pauses to consider what he says or does next before daring to add, "Especially what with your whole turning over a new leaf."
"You got it all wrong", Spider-Man shakes his head. "I'm still just a guy trying to do good and only good", the vigilante clarifies his vigilante status with enough waving of his hands to show he's genuinely passionate about emphasizing that point, "There was a whole misunderstanding with this other person posing as me and then another misunderstanding with me holding a bag of money that wasn't mine and now everyone thinks I'm their not-so-friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."
One corner of Tokuda's mouth twitches with amusement as he holds back a smile. "Is that why you're here? To set the record straight?", he bends down to pick his keys up off the ground now that he feels safe enough to take his eyes off the masked figure, "I don't presume you'd be open to an interview about it?" But he still makes sure to right himself quickly and continue making eye contact with the strange lens on that mask.
Spider-Man physically recluses at the mention of an interview, "Uuhh.. Not quite", but there's a hint of humor from him about the prospect too. Tokuda is glad that he returned his field of vision to the vigilante when the spider clad do-gooder makes a move from point A to point B. Point A being Tokuda's car and point B being the post that's a few feet closer. "But while we're talking about sharing the truth – that does have something to do with why I'm here", the vigilante's fingers wriggle between the material waistline of his spandex to procure something.
Tokuda's eyebrows raise when he sees what Spider-Man has to give him are printed pictures. He takes them, a little hesitantly, but can't help letting curiosity get the better of him to have a look. "Where'd you get these?", it starts as an honest question probing for a honest answer but then he sees what it is that he's actually looking at, "This is…"
"Our mutual contact has his ways", Spider-Man keeps it vague but Tokuda gets the hint.
"Midoriya?", the shot composition is familiar enough now that he looks at the photos closer but Tokuda has to swallow some saliva to keep his mouth from running dry when making that connection. Amazing shots for a story are one thing but how the kid got them is another.
"Yeah… But I think we both know why I'm the one giving these to you and not him", Spider-Man sounds a little more reserved now – which would be odd by contrast with his personality upon introduction – but Tokuda can understand somewhat under this set of circumstance.
Tokuda breathes a husky breath out through his mouth, something much heavier than a sigh. It makes sense why keeping anonymity with such a sensitive subject being brought to light is essential. The poor kid would be put in grave danger otherwise. Hero Society is one thing but society in general and how they'll react is another thing entirely. Hawks, the number three ranked hero, is secretly operating as a well known villain. And the one to expose that information is Izuku Midoriya – or rather, now, Taneo Tokuda.
"Why come to me with this? Why not a bigger press?", Tokuda hides the compromising images in his coat as though somebody is spying on them. Considering the situation, someone may very well be. Tokuda glances about, becoming slightly paranoid.
But what Spider-Man does next clears the man's mind completely. Spider-Man hops down to stand like a normal person and says, "Because Midoriya trusts you more to do the right thing with it", the sincerity in that statement slamming Tokuda enough to jar his thoughts. "And so do I", Spider-Man holds out his hand.
It takes Tokuda a moment to realize what the gesture is for, but he does take the extended hand and he does shake it. He steels and resolves himself, regaining his nerve. "Then I guess it's up to me not to let you down", the photojournalist gives Spider-Man a lopsided smile.
"Uuhh, you mean each of us, me AND Midoriya…" Spider-Man cocks his head to the side, somewhat tracking that smile.
"Right", Tokuda winks at the vigilante.
The eyes on Spider-Man's mask widen ever so slightly. He doesn't say anything for a second before the lenses return to their usual size and he begins backing away. "Right", the vigilante clears his throat with a feigned cough, "Right.." Before performing a backflip and crawling back into the shadows that he came from.
No matter how gently he closes the door, it still shuts with a resounding click. The snap of the lock makes him wince. And as though to confirm he should be worried about his mother overhearing his arrival back home, the lights to the room flick on so suddenly that a flash grenade may as well have gone off. Izuku's eyes don't need to fully recover from the shock of bright adjustment for him to know it's his mom standing by the lightswitch.
She has one arm crossed over her stomach, the one holding the lightswitch moving to fold over and join it. "You're late", she states the obvious but Izuku still acts strangely surprised.
The boy gives his mom a sheepish smile, "Really? I didn't notice…" His smile wavers when his mom raises an eyebrow. Her eyes move to a window, his eyes darting to track her glance. It's pitch black outside. Izuku has to swallow to keep his jaw from unhinging, "Is it not daylight savings time?", but that means being able to talk and say something stupid that'll dig him a deeper grave.
He knows he messed up and made things worse when Inko's gaze comes back to him with a hardness to it. She practically glares right into his soul. "This is beginning to become a bad habit of yours", she speaks sternly enough that Izuku knows better than to keep joking around about the subject matter.
"I know, mom, I really did just lose track of time though…" He knows it isn't the greatest of excuses but there's not much of an alternative. Subconsciously, Izuku adjusts the collar of his shirt to be pulled up a little higher on his neck, a subtle move to hide his spider themed spandex beneath it.
"Where do you go when you stay out so late?", Inko's stare softens as she uncrosses her arms to reach out with. She moves to grab him, maybe give him a hug. "Is.. Is it a girl that you're sneaking off to go see?", but Izuku jumps back to avoid getting caught up in it.
"What?! No! Mom! No!", he feels his face flush red from embarrassment. He'd rather get accused of being Spider-Man than have to go through any sort of girl talk with his mom. Well, maybe not, but the pros and cons of either difficult conversation compare surprisingly close.
Inko notices his physical reaction, withdrawing a bit to give him some space. She holds her hands up as a sign that she doesn't mean to put any pressure on him. But she's quite literally backed him into a corner. "Okay… Is it a boy then?", her change of paced slow and steady approach is a bit too cautious for his liking now.
"No!", Izuku buries his face in his hands. He's not even able to look his own mom in the eyes anymore. Yet, he can feel her presence lingering over him even without his Spider-Sense and that's only making things worse that he forces himself to look at her again anyways.
Inko backs up a bit, something Izuku is grateful for. But she still doesn't let it go. "It's okay, Izuku, I really don't care whether–"
"Mom!", Izuku interrupts her before that line of conversation can go any further. Romance is one thing but sexuality is another. "Can we please just drop it?", he all but pleads for her to stop.
Inko is hesitant but ultimately agrees with a nod. "Fine", she sighs and finally allows him some more breathing room with a complete backup, "We'll put a pin in it for now."
"Thank you…", Izuku releases his own sigh. One full of relief. But that was a mistake; he really should have known better than to lower his guard.
"But I think it's still time that I tell you about the birds and the bees", Inko unknowingly gives her son some equivalent of a heart attack with that suggestion, "Just to be safe…"
Izuku has to brace himself against the wall to keep from falling flat on his face. "I've already had enough birds and bees for one day…", his grumbled mumble of complaint leaves his mouth before he can think better of himself to utter it aloud.
"YOU WHAT?!", Inko does a complete 180 to face her son again when she hears what he said about birds and bees.
Which sends Izuku into a flustered tizzy of flailing his arms around, "Wait! Mom! It's not what you think!", he squeaks each protest a higher decibel than the last until his screams shift into screeches.
Inko doesn't let her baby boy get away with playing innocent. Not this time. She tackles him to the floor, where she wrestles the reckless youth to make sure he doesn't re-escape, and prepares to teach him a lesson or two. Even if she has to silent his shouts by shoving a bar of soap into his mouth in order to clean it.
AUTHOR NOTES
And so thus concludes another chapter! I don't have any personal thoughts to share this time, so we'll just skip straight to the fun part and start reading your comments. Shall we?
Thank you UzumakiRamen for your continued support!
Love the theorizing that you've got going on there, Splashyatom431! Although, I don't think I should confirm or deny any of it for sake of spoilers since Izuku still needs to survive his summer before starting school again. But you'll get answers soon enough, I promise!
Thank you equinoxhun! I'm glad that my story could stand out from the other SpiderDeku fics for you to give it a chance and will do my best to keep it that way for as long as I can!
To quote Tobey's Spidey, "Nice to have a fan", which he funnily enough says to MJ! Thanks, Guest W!
Welp! That's about it! Thanks again to all readers & commenters, old and new. I hope to see everyone again, as well as newbies, in the next one. Till then!
-Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood author!
