His fathers funeral was a quiet, private event, with only a few close family friends and a few of his father's coworkers. But Izuku couldn't cry. He was trying to be strong for his mother, who wouldn't stop crying for more than a few minutes. But even after the funeral, he stuck around, too ashamed to leave yet.

Standing in front of his father's grave, dressed in a black kimono, Izuku wasn't sure if the world would ever be the same. He'd lost someone he loved. What was worse, he was partially responsible. How could he ever tell his mother? What would he tell her? Tell her that if he'd acted, maybe his father would still be alive?

No. All he could do was mourn and dream of revenge. Revenge on the man who'd taken his kind and patient father from him. He had the power now... it was his responsibility to use it, right?

Izuku touched his father's headstone, turning away, thinking about how he'd failed. Well, he wouldn't fail this time. The guilt and anger he felt, he would use it to make the man who killed his father pay.

Spending days working on a costume and making wrist dispensers for a modified version of his adhesive, Izuku was ready. Green with black accents like spider webbing, a red belt, his red sneakers. His mask had large white eyes and green accents. It wasn't fancy, but if he was hoping to catch the man who did it and make them pay, then he needed some way to protect his identity and keep his loved ones safe.

Okay. There was no time to train or even really test his adhesive webbing. Well, there was, but for someone so smart, Izuku was too angry to really think about the consequences of his actions in the moment, standing up on the roof of his apartment and looking down. The night calm. What better time than now to just jump in stir up the underbelly of it all.

"Okay, Midoriya, you can do this. Just jump." He mumbled, taking a few steps back before running, leaping from the roof and aiming his adhesive shooter, white ropes of an almost webbing substance shooting out sticking to a nearby wall, taking his finger off the button and then holding out his other wrist, a new line of webbing shooting out.

Okay. It worked. Of course, it worked. Izuku just tweaked a formula he'd already had. Although he was constantly doing math in his head, making sure the webs shot out where he wanted them to. It was still fun, almost free, the cool air, and feeling like he was flying. It almost made him forget why he was out here.

But he couldn't, responding to a cry for help by dropping in and looking at a man with long orange hair, holding a knife out towards a girl with a browh hair in a bob-styled haircut, with two longer, rounded strands that framed her pretty face.

"Really, dude? This is kind of cliché, don't you think? I mean, ugly face, tacky clothes, and you gotta knife held out to a pretty girl." Izuku quipped, shooting a line of web and sticking the muggers hand and knife to the wall, then his other hand.

"Well, you're not who I'm looking for. That sucks. Imagine being the first ever guy to be caught by... huh, I didn't think of a name for myself. Well, it doesn't matter. Have fun waiting on the police, dirtbag." He continued, turning to the girl. "You okay, ma'am?"

The girl nodded, looking relieved. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thank you, whoever you are." She told him, watching as Izuku stuck to the wall.

"You're welcome." He paused and stood on the wall next to the criminal, looking at her. "Call the police, okay? Get away from here."

Running up the wall and jumping off, he swung away, unaware of the impact he'd had on the girl below, just swinging around and doing whatever he could to help. Old ladies crossing the street, a few petty thefts, stopping a kid from being run over.

"Woah, kid, you gotta be careful in the street." He told the young child, setting him on the ground and seeing phones out and about, a few people taking pictures of him. Well, people would learn about him eventually. Might as well be now.

"Aw, shucks. Get my good side." He joked, swinging away and checking the time on a sign. Might as well head home and get some sleep, quickly evading prying eyes and crawling back into his window, changing and hiding his costume so his mom wouldn't accidentally stumble onto it.

Morning came, and he got up, not particularly ready for the day ahead of him. He was a fifteen year old about to finish middle school, and that really put a damper on life, even if he was now a masked vigilante. But his first day back since his dad had died? God, he really didn't want to go.

Shower, breakfast, hug his mother, out the door. The world kept spinning, even when he wished it wouldn't. But he'd spent nearly two weeks grieving and making a superhero costume, so going back to school, having a sense of normalcy again, maybe it was what he needed.

"Yo, Deku." Katsuki called, walking next to his friend, a little quieter than usual, something Izuku noted before turning his head to look at his blonde buddy.

"Yeah?" The greenette replied, running a hand through his curls and ignoring the looks the rest of his neighbors gave him. They could be sympathetic from afar, but who needed neighbors who didn't even bother to wish him well before this? Who didn't speak to him, even now.

Katsuki didn't know what to say. He'd been there at Hisashis' funeral, but Izuku had been too torn up to talk. Not that anyone blamed him, but something was different about his friend. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and he didn't seem so weak. When had he gotten such lean and muscular? It explained how he was able to beat up Tsubasa so easily, but when had he had the time to work out? Was this just a super growth spurt or something?

Silence fell over the duo as they went to school, Izuku ignoring the looks from his peers. They were sympathetic now, but where were they when he'd needed them, being beat up all the time? Where were they when he'd suffered?

"Hey, Midoriya, got a minute?" Tsubasa of all people asked, stepping out in front of Izuku, who balled his fist, taking a step forward before Katsuki put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

"Just hear him out." Katsuki told him, and Izuku grit his teeth, unballing his fist as he looked into the chubby boys face.

Izuku hated the boy in front of him, hated that he'd waited so long to fight back.

"What do you want?" He asked, impatient and tired and angry.

"I just, I wanted to say I'm sorry about your dad. My mom passed away a few years ago, and I know that it hurts. I'm sorry for lots of things, like making fun of you and hitting you. The other day, man, when you got me, I realized how scared it made you feel, how powerless. I'm sorry about everything, and if you ever need to talk about stuff, I'll listen."

Was this really Tsubasa, the guy who'd given him hell since he'd been diagnosed as quirkless? Was he really being genuine and making an effort to be better?

Izuku balled his fist, the moment too much. He'd expected to be picked on or to have someone make his dad's death into a joke. But this? This was unexpected. Maybe there was still hope for the flying bucket of KFC in front of him.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." Izuku finally told him, offering a fist bump to his bully, who looked a little surprised but bumped him back before Izuku grabbed his backpack straps and kept walking. That's all he could do. Keep moving, try to spin as the world did, and eventually, he'd be able to handle it.

A week later

That's how Izuku spent the next week. Searching for his father's killer, doing his best to help out wherever he was needed, going to school, avoiding the issues of what he wanted to do with his life. If he wanted to go to New York for the Stark Internship or if he even wanted to go to high school anymore. But, he'd made a promise, didn't he? Intelligence was power, and with great power, there must also come great responsibility.

Swinging through the air, Izuku had to make a decision. Leave his mother for the summer or abandon the future he planned for the world? Wasn't there a third option? Couldn't he figure anything else out?

Crawling into his window and changing, Izuku found the crumpled card from what felt like a lifetime ago. A chance to change his future and make his dad proud. Besides, the other heroes could keep watch, right? They were looking for him, so maybe he should keep the heat down anyway. Then again, he wanted to catch the man who'd done it.

Dialing the number, Izuku took a deep breath and waited for someone to answer. Sure, he had a lot of pent-up anger and guilt, but he was smarter than that. He could figure it out.

"Hello? Who's this?" A man's voice asked in English, and Izuku cleared his throat, trying to remember all the English lessons he'd blown off. They never seemed worth it until now.

"Hello? Is this Tony Stark?" Izuku questioned, trying to think about how to translate the next few words.

"No, this is his assistant. Can I assist you?"

"Uh, Mr. Stark offered me a place at his summer internship program. I'm calling to confirm my spot."

"I'm sorry, but all the spots are full. We had thousands of candidates, and we stopped accepting students yesterday."

What? What was he talking about. His father had died, and he'd taken a few days to mourn, a few more to craft a superhero persona.

"Please, put Mr. Stark on. He said he knew my dad, and I don't know what I'm doing anymore. Please. Please." Izuku begged, pausing before throwing out his last resort.

"My father, he was Hisashi Midoriya. My name is Izuku Midoriya." He told him, putting his forehead against the wall as he spoke. What else could he do now? If he didn't get in, maybe he'd just spend the summer being a vigilante.

"Give me a minute." The man on the other end told him, Izuku nervously standing there until a voice came on, one he knew.

"Hey, kid, Happy said you're interested in the internship program." Tony spoke, calm as he could be even as explosions came from the background.

"Yes, sir. But your assistant said there's no open spots left."

"That's true, but I could use a new personal assistant. You know, getting coffee, handing me tools, taking notes, and all the other normal assistant stuff. That, and you'll be working my lab with me."

Work with the Tony Stark, in his lab, all summer? Holy crud, this was the opportunity of a lifetime.

"Can my mom come too? My dad was just recently killed, and I can't leave her here alone." Izuku asked, his summer plans hinging on whatever Stark said.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Hisashi was a good man." Tony told him, pausing for a moment, before another explosion rocked the conversation, and Izuku had to move the phone from his ear.

"Yeah, you know, kid, I'll have Happy finish making the arrangements with you later. I'm kind of busy here." Tony said, the call switching back to the other man Izuku had spoken to.

"Yeah, I was listening to the conversation. When's your last day of school?" Happy asked, typing loud enough Izuku could hear it on his end.

"Uh, May twenty-ninth. The graduation ceremony should end at five." Izuku told him, more click-clacking coming from the keyboard on the other end.

"Great. I'll send a jet out to pick you and your mother up from the Tokyo Airport on the thirtieth at three in the afternoon. If you need anything else in the meantime, please don't hesitate to call."

The call ended, and Izuku was standing there, unsure of how he asked his mom. Was it appropriate to just leave and get away from it all for a while? Izuku didn't like how quiet the house was now, but would his mother want to leave?

Screams came from outside, and Izuku threw on his costume, jumping out the window and swinging to see what was going on, already forgetting that he needed to ask his mother to go with him.

The End of the School Year

Between spending his time working to get into the support course of U.A. and the last few weeks of school as a vigilante, coming home with bruises he just explained as being beaten up at school, he'd gotten a handle on his powers and not enough sleep. Of course, all the heroism and schoolwork did was push the subject of asking his mother to come with him to America away from his mind.

Izuku shot up, rubbing his eyes and turning off his alarm before it could go off. Ever since getting spider powers, he'd had some early warning system in his head. Before his alarm went off, he was up, and being awake when his alarm went off was almost as jarring as being asleep.

Getting up and ready for the last day, Izuku put his costume in his backpack, heading to the kitchen for breakfast. It was supposed to be a big day, and he had to be ready for all the noise and sights. Maybe he should figure out a way to limit what he was processing at any given moment. If he became a goggles guy, would anyone say anything?

"Mom, you're coming to the ceremony today, right?" He asked, cleaning his dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

Inko looked up from her own meal, and Izuku noticed she'd put on weight since his dad had been killed. She wasn't supermodel skinny before. She'd had a whole kid, after all, but lately, she was always eating. It seemed they were coping in different ways. Not that Izuku was going to say anything. Coming home black and blue probably didn't help her stress any.

"Of course, sweetheart. I wouldn't miss it for the world." She told him, smiling big and loving, and Izuku wondered if they were starting to heal. Sure, he missed his dad every day, but it had been weeks since he'd cried. Hell, the whole reason he put on the suit originally was to hunt the guy who did it down. Now? Now he did it to help people. To protect people who couldn't protect themselves.

"I'll see you there then. I love you, mom." He told her, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and heading for the door. It was going to be a good day. He just had to get through this, and his summer would be upon him.

At school

Graduating middle school. Was there any better feeling? He was going to be free of school for a full two months. Being free to be a hero whenever he wasn't running around for Stark.

"Man, you there? I've been talking for like, five minutes." Katsuki asked, snapping his fingers in Izukus face.

"Wha-? When did you get here?" Izuku asked, and Katsuki sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"Are you okay? Since your dad died, it's like you're not even here. I knew you're going through stuff, but you have to lock in."

Izuku leaned forward, looking at Katsuki. He'd be a popular hero. He had a strong face, a powerful quirk, pretty eyes, plenty of muscles...

Derailing the train of though, he smiled at Katsuki and spoke.

"I'm okay. I know I'm a little out of it lately, but I'm working hard for the future. I did the entrance exam for the support course at U.A., and... I'm okay. Dad dying still hurts, but I'm gonna be okay." The green haired teen told his friend, looking at the blue robes in his lap. They had to get dressed and practice their walkout for graduation, and sitting here talking wasn't getting them ready.

"You know yourself best." Katsuki replied, watching as Izuku pulled off his shirt, stopping him before he could put on the robes.

"Holy crap, when did you get so swole?" Katsuki asked, and Izuku stopped, looking at himself.

"Huh, must be puberty." He lied as he slipped his robes on and walked out.

Graduation Ceramony

As the students came out to sit, music playing softly in the back, Izuku spotted his mother, having to resist the urge to wave to her.

The principal stood and took his place at the podium, clearing his throat before speaking.

"Welcome, students, faculty, and parents, as we honor the students leaving Aldera Junior High today. Before we begin, however, we have a guest speaker. Please welcome tech genius, Starktech CEO, and armored hero, Tony Stark."

Tony took the microphone in his hand and smiled at the crowd, charming them as he looked out at their faces.

"You know, ever time I do one of these things, I always say the same things, and eventually I'll get to the point. Well, I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I'll skip the bush beating. One of the lucky students attending my Stark Internship Program is none other than graduating student Izuku Midoriya. Come on up, Izuku, and say a few words."

As he walked up to the podium, Izuku had one thought. How could he have forgotten to ask his mother for permission and to come with him? Had all the late nights fighting crime and working on entry paperwork for U.A. make him totally blank that had on the subject? Well, he could still ask tonight and probably convince her, right?

Getting up, the eyes on him felt strange. Sure, he had to do a speech as valedictorian, but this? Could he just skip talking about science and get this over with?

"I was supposed to make a speech as valedictorian, so I'm going to do that. We did it. We're moving towards the future. I'm hopeful for everyone here, and I'm grateful for the opportunities we have in the future. But I'd like to take this moment to remember my dad, who sadly isn't with us anymore. He was a kind man, focused on making the world a little better, one person at a time. I hope in time I can grow to be the kind of person my father always thought of me as, and be as kind as he was."

It had little to do with graduating school, but he meant every word. It felt like his father was there for a moment before he turned and walked back to his seat

After the ceremony, he was scooped up in a hug, his mother able to leave his ribs aching. Jeez, powers didn't mean anything when moms were involved.

"Oh, that was perfect." Inko told him as she let go, wiping tears from her eyes.

"It was made up. My real speech was about science and the future, but... I wanted to talk about dad." Izuku mumbled, smiling at her.

"Well, I know he'd be proud of you. But why didn't you mention that internship thing?"

"Oh. I forgot. All the U.A. paperwork was crazy, and then the exam happened."

Inko sighed and looked at him. "When is it?"

"We have to be at the airport tomorrow at three..."

"We?"

"Yeah, I asked Mr. Stark if you could come."

Inko shook her head, smiling at him. Her son was thoughtful, but she wouldn't leave.

"No. This is something you need for yourself, but I'm going to stay here. This is my home, and I just want don't want to leave."

His mom wasn't coming? But, being alone at home, it couldn't be good for her.

Inko could see the thoughts swirling in his head, and she took his hand in hers, patting it lovingly.

"You're a good son, but it's okay. I'm making my peace, and I'm proud of you."

Izuku felt tears fill his eyes, unable to stop himself from crying softly.

"How? I-I keep trying to make peace with it, but sometimes it just hurts so badly." He asked, and she wiped his tears. They really only had each other in this world now, but she was so willing to see him leave.

"By living your life. That's all we can do." Inko told him, telling him what he needed to hear.

"Heh, that's the kind of thing dad would have said." Izuku mumbled, wiping his own tears and smiling.

"He's always with us." She told him, the two of them going home.

The next day

Izuku got up and packed, making sure he had enough web fluid and his costume in his bag, standing in the doorway. He was ready, wasn't he?

"I'm so proud of you." His mother told him, watching him leave and head out. Okay. Living his life. He had to start now.

At the airport

Izuku had been led through a special path, boarding a jet that was nice. If he was spending the next sixteen hours in the air, he was glad that it was here. He'd be alone to play Smash Bros. and sleep.

"Hey! You're the guy who won the science fair! You must be pretty smart!" A girl, the one from the science fair, yelled, and Izuku wondered how she managed to evade his danger sense.

"Oh, uh, yeah. You're... Hatsume, right? I'm Izuku." He introduced himself, and she nodded quickly.

"Yep, that's me!" She told him, working a little machine as she talked.

"What's that?" He questioned, seeing gears and springs, intricate and kind of beautiful.

"Alarm clock. I like to work on it when I'm not able to work on bigger things." She told him, holding it up so he could see it better.

It was kinda weird, but he couldn't judge. He dressed up as a spider/man/guy and fought crime.

As it turned out, she was much smarter than he was with machines, the two of them putting their chemical and engineering minds together and discussing what they could do when they landed. Personally, Izuku hoped to see an actual suit of Iron Man armor.

New York

"Kinda feels like I should he singing." Izuku quipped, stretching and grabbing his bags before stepping off the runway, blinded by cameras. Jeez, the press really knew how to be awful here. At least in Japan, the press was polite enough to ask before taking photos.

"I get it, I'm pretty, but come on." He complained as a man a little taller than he was grabbed his bag.

"Come on, Kid, you just got off a jet with a girl on a StarkJet. You're making small rounds already on Twitter." He told them, and Izuku recognized his voice.

"Mr. Happy?" The teen asked, helping Hatsume with her bags since she'd brought so much stuff, mostly things she was working on.

"Just Happy." Happy replied, trying to lift a bag and grunting with effort, Izuku helping by taking that bag too, pretending to struggle as he walked over to a limo.

"I can make you an exo-skeleton to help you carry stuff if you want." Hatsume offered, Happy rolling his eyes as they loaded the trunk and got inside.

"Man, this thing is nicer than my room..." Izuku joked, looking in the little nooks and crannies. Surely, a car sent by the Tony Stark had something cool inside.

"Thought you said your mom was coming along too." Happy questioned, driving like a pro down the busy highway.

"I thought she'd need the time away from home after... well, my mom is the strongest person I know. I should have known she would be alright." Izuku replied, sending his mother a text to let her know that he'd arrived and was leaving the airport.

Happy nodded, checking his mirror before merging to another lane. "Moms usually are. They're built tough."

The ride was silent, Izuku thinking about what the next few days could entail. Man, if he signed up to be a glorified coffee runner, he was gonna be so mad. At least Reed Richards or David Shield would let him do science.

Izuku didn't even notice the car stop until Hatsume got out, quickly following after her, helping get bags out of the trunk.

"Midoriya, you're not getting out here." Happy called, and Izuku turned, holding half a dozen bags, confused.

"What? Oh, is this like a girl building?" The teen asked, Happy struggling to take one of the heavier bags from Izuku.

"No, this is where the Stark Internship Program students are living. You're an intern for Stark. No program. This is a summer job for you, not a school activity."

"Oh... well, uh, I guess this is it, huh, Hatsume? See ya when I see you, I guess." Izuku told her, setting the bags on a luggage cart and offering his hand.

"Aww, man, you get to work for Tony Stark? That's so cool! Here, take my number, and tell me all the cool stuff you do!" Hatsume told him, taking his phone from his pocket and getting in his personal space as she did before typing in her number and handing the phone back to him.

"Come on, we got road to cover." Happy told him, and Izuku looked at his phone. A girl gave him her number? What the hell was the world turning into?

"Bye, Hatsume." He told her, getting in the car and turning in his seat, watching three bellhops struggle to push the cart with Hatsumes luggage.

Stark Tower

Stark Tower!? Where Avengers frequently visited, where his Iron Man suits were stored, and most importantly of all, where they made? Oh, Izuku had died and gone to geek heaven.

His two bags weren't an issue, carrying them in his arms as he looked around, fancy art in the lobby, and a mural of the Avengers on the roof of the elevator.

"This is so freakin' cool." He geeked, Happy just checking his phone and sending text messages as they got closer to their destination, the elevator dinging before the doors opened.

Anything Izuku expected to see, he was pleasantly wrong because standing there waiting on the elevator was the U.S. super soldier himself, Captain America.

Of course, there was only one thing he could say, taking in the star spangled heroes glory.

"Holy Shit."