Mellisa Shield, by any account, was beautiful. Long wavy blonde hair, aqua blue eyes, pink oval shaped glasses, just a little taller than Izuku, intelligence that seemed to practically overflow from her eyes.
Gwen Stacy was much the same, long blonde hair, sky blue eyes, just a little taller than Izuku, with intelligence in her eyes that seemed to match Melissa.
Of course, in middle school, he'd never really tried to talk to most girls since they joined in on the taunting when Tsubasa or another of his many bullies would give him a hard time, leaving him unsure of how to greet them both.
"Uh, hi?" Izuku asked, his voice cracking a little, clearing his throat while Peter moved over to Gwen, taking her hand. Okay. It seemed like they were a couple.
"Hey, I'm Gwen, and you?" Gwen asked, extending her free hand.
"Oh, uh, I'm Izuku." The greenette introduced himself, shaking her hand, a little awkward, and then rubbing his neck.
"Are you a scientist?" Mellisa asked, Izuku looking at her with a nervous smile.
"Uh, yeah, how'd you know?" He asked, Mellisa laughing softly as she pointed to the coffee stained lab coat he was wearing.
"Oh. Yeah. Guess I do look the part." He admitted, Eddie subtly elbowing him in the ribs, a little harder than he should've. If Izuku didn't have powers, he'd probably be bruised.
"I guess I should be getting back. Eddie, Peter, swing by the lab tomorrow, and we'll finish that project?" He asked, turning on his heel and getting a hand on his shoulder.
Looking back, he saw Peter, who was smiling at his friend.
"You want to come over? It's spaghetti night, and my Aunt May always makes way too much, and we never eat it all." The brunette offered, leaving Izuku to consider. He had his suit on underneath his clothes, so he didn't need to go get it. Mr. Stark knew he'd be out fighting crime. Besides, they did skip lunch...
After his short decision-making process, Izuku smiled back.
"Sure, Pete, I'd love to."
Peter nodded, looking at Gwen.
"See you tomorrow?" He asked, Gwen smiling at him before lightly punching his shoulder.
"You can't get rid of me that easily." She told him, before everyone said their final goodbyes, Izuku and Peter walking side by side down the road, into a subway tunnel.
"Watch me." Peter told him, ducking under the turnstile.
"I take trains at home all the time. Why aren't we paying?" Izuku asked, awkwardly climbing over the gate.
"That's just New York. Almost no one pays because it's just what we do." Peter explained, the two teens boarding a subway car, spending the hour it took to get to where they were going joking and talking about different projects they wanted to see get off the ground.
"So... can I ask about Gwen? It seems you and she are pretty close." Izuku noted, Peter grinning at the thought of Gwen.
"She's my girlfriend. We met through my best friend, Harry, while she was dating this guy, Flash, and then, when they broke up, we kind of clicked. We only just started dating, but... I really like her." Peter told him, almost gushing at the first opportunity to talk about Gwen.
Laughing softly, Izuku felt a small sense of normalcy, just hanging out with someone who was his friend and understood what he was talking about when he got to muttering about physics and chemistry.
As they got off the subway, they walked the short distance to the apartment where Peter lived in Long Island City.
"May! Ben! I'm home, and I brought a friend from the labs!" Peter called, putting his stuff in a room on the right, the apartment reminding Izuku of the one he shared his mother.
"Oh, Peter, you're late. Did the train run on time?" An older woman, just ahead shorter than Peter, asked, walking over and taking in Izukus appearance, streaks of gray in her black hair.
"You have a stain on your jacket, just there, dear. Warm water, a little bit of white vinegar, and dish soap would take it right out." She told the greenette, who was furiously rubbing the stain his with his thumb, embarrassed he'd forgotten to take the lab coat off.
"Show him where to put his coat, and then you boys wash up." May told them, Peter showing Izuku the coat hooks, and then to the bathroom where they could wash before dinner.
As they went to sit, Izuku spotted a friendly looking man helping in the kitchen, May laughing as he leaned in and whispered, before taking a bowl and setting it on the table.
"Ben, May, this is my friend, Izuku." Peter introduced, Izuku waving a little awkwardly.
"Hello, thank you for having me..." Izuku told them, a little nervous, but bowing to them both.
"Japanese?" Ben asked, and Izuku worried that he may not be welcome.
"Um, yes, sir. I'm here as one of Mr. Starks lab assistants." He mumbled, Ben staring a little longer before patting the teen on the back, relief spreading through him.
"Don't crowd the boy, Ben. Sit, Izuku, and don't be shy. I always make too much." May told the two of them, Izuku sitting and Peter nudging his foot after a moment.
"Oh, sorry, customs are a bit different here. I, uh, I'm still getting used to dining in an American setting." Izuku apologized, making a plate and then passing the bowl to Peter, who did the same and passed it to May, and then to Ben.
"Do you mind if we pray?" Ben asked, looking at Izuku.
"Yeah, of course. This is your home."
Ben laughed and bowed his head before praying.
"God, we thank you for this meal and for someone to share it with you. I ask you to keep an eye on us and keep us safe. In your name, we pray. Amen."
"Amen." Peter and May followed, Izuku quietly doing the same, kind of wondering if there was a God, and if there was, why had he of all people been blessed with these powers?
"Well? Dig in boys." May told them, Izuku eating quickly due to his enhanced metabolism, meaning that he was almost always hungry.
"You're too skinny. You need to eat more." May told him, piling his plate.
Izuku laughed, rubbing his neck, whipping his lips on the paper napkin in front of him.
"My mother says the same thing." He told them, Ben snapping his fingers.
"Doesn't he look like a young version of that fella Rick used to hang out with, May? What was his name? Oh lord, it's been years... Hizashi? Hitoshi?" The older Parker asked his wife, who thought about it.
"Midoriya Hisashi." Izuku told him, wondering how well they had known his father.
"That's him. Good guy. Figured he'd be some world famous science guy, but I haven't heard a peep about him since he moved back to Japan." Ben mumbled, scratching his cheek.
"My dad quit science, became a salaryman." Izuku told him, suddenly not very hungry. At least not feeling like he wanted to eat.
"Your dad's Hisashi? Small world, huh? Give him my best, would you?" Ben asked, and Izuku couldn't think of anything besides the fact he didn't act. That he was the reason his father died.
"My..." He paused, looking down. "My father was killed in a robbery. He tried to stop the man and was shot for his efforts." Izuku spoke, his voice cracking a little before pushing himself from the table, quickly heading for the door.
"I should be getting back to the lab. Stark has been burning the midnight oil lately, and I don't get paid for nothing."
"Izuku, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Peter asked, following his friend to the door, May approaching with a Pyrex bowl of spaghetti.
"Here, just send the bowl back with Peter, and no rush, okay dear?" She told him, Izuku silent before nodding, leaving without a word to any of them.
Closer to the roof than the ground floor, Izuku quickly took his clothes off, his costume underneath and swinging away. Spider-Man was his way to give back. To make up for his mistakes. To remember his father.
Stopping by Avengers Tower, Izuku quickly tossed his clothes and the bowl May had given him onto his bed, taking a moment to gather himself. He just needed to shake the hurt inside away, and then he could go.
Heading down into the vault, Izuku found comfort in the creature in the tank. It was practically his brother. It was the last part of his father, and here he was, missing his father.
The symbiotic symbiotic suit banged against the window, Izuku looking over and wondering if it missed their father too. If it was sentient enough to remember.
"Hey, goopy. You seem a little more lively than usual." He muttered, putting a hand up against the tank and watching the goop bounce around excitedly.
"I wish you could speak. I don't even know if you're smart enough to remember more than seven seconds. I want to ask you what my dad was like. Midoriya Hisashi was the best, right?" He asked, the symbiote stopping as he said his father's name, stretching up to the top of his tank.
"Do you remember? Hisashi? My dad?" He asked, the symbiote backing away before Izukus spider sense went off, the glass breaking as the Goop broke containment, and then approached the teen, who was feeling something. Not his spider sense, but something else. A kinship.
"You do remember him, don't you?" The teen asked, kneeling and offering his hand. All tests had indicated the symbiote was safe. Why not give it a go?
Without hesitating, the symbiote began to spiral up his arm, completely enveloping his body in a layer of symbiotic protection.
"Brother..." A growly voice spoke in his ear, but turning, Izuku found no one.
"Venom. Is that you?" He asked, silence following for a moment. It was probably just his imagination. After all, he felt nothing. Not his spider sense, not nerves, just the feeling that he was more than he'd ever been. Better than Izuku or Spider-Man. He was unbelievable.
Iuku flexed his arm. He felt incredible. The symbiote was taking his enhanced body and amping it up to eleven while filtering what his senses took in to keep him from being overwhelmed and still processing the information so he didn't have to.
Grinning, Izuku headed out the vault, up to the balcony, jumping off with a cheer as he swung away, his webs black as he began to hunt down crime, not needing to search very hard.
"Just stay down, and no one has to get hurt." A man in a gold and red colored suit told the police who'd already shown up, the gauntlets on his arms glowing with energy.
"I mean, even if they do, you'll probably get hurt anyway, knock-off Iron Man." Izuku called, clinging to the shadows, watching the man looking for him in the dark.
"I'm Shocker! Shocker!" The Shocker yelled, Izuku laughing.
"Consider me shocked."
Two webs on either side of the villain, launching himself at the villain, feet first, knocking Shocker against the floor with a loud crack from below him.
Groaning, the energy in the man's gauntlets faded, Izuku watching the police cuff the would-be villain before swinging away, feeling pretty good about how quickly he'd been able to handle a guy with what he'd assumed was super powers. Maybe a suit. Oh well, what were the odds he'd have to fight Shocker again?
Swinging out into the city, he felt alive, powerful, like he could handle the world, and then some. Venom felt great to have, and Izuku stooped up on the corner of the Flatiron building, seeing the people below taking photos. Well, he was a superhero. Might as well take advantage of that fact.
Dropping down, he caught himself on a streetlight, doing a one-handed handstand while waving to the people with his free hand. He was on top of the world, at least, until he heard a scream from his right, pushing off the light and swinging into an alley, finding a group of armed men surrounding a young woman.
Without a word, he webbed the owners' hand of the only gun among the group to a dumpster before jumping down in front of a woman, someone he recognized.
"More costumed freaks? I remember a time when a man could do what he wanted in this city." A tall man with long blonde hair and sunglasses that hid his eyes.
"Keyword was man, right? Because no way are you men, attacking a defenseless person in an alley." Izuku shot back, webbing one man in the crotch and hearing him groan in pain before ducking under a pipe that a short man tried to bash him with before punching him in the stomach.
"Damn it! I'm not afraid of some webbed jackass!" The blonde yelled, brandishing a knife and approaching the spider vigilante.
"Oh my God, is that a knife!?" The greenette asked, falling to his knees, his hands put up in fear in front of his face.
"Damn right, it's a knife."
"How did you know my only weakness was small knives!?" Izuku asked before turning his wrist and webbing the man in the eyes, getting to his feet.
Web shot after web shot, Izuku began sticking the men to the walls, leaving the blonde man for a moment as he pulled the webbing off his face, finding the spider hero had disappeared.
"That's right... better run." He muttered before he was snatched up into the air and left hanging in a web cocoon.
Descending from a web line upside down, Izuku offered his hand to Melissa, who had watched a man dressed like a spider web up and beat a gang who were going to rob her, or worse.
"You okay, Melissa?" He asked, helping her to her feet.
"How do you know my name?" She asked, Izuku mentally slapping himself. Now, he could either look like someone who knew her or a stalker.
"Probably a big fan of my dad." She told him, and he just nodded, a relieved sigh leaving him.
"Well, I should be going. Lots to do, spider stuff, you know?" He joked, getting ready to web himself away before she grabbed his mask and pulled it down past his mouth.
"Hey! Secret identity and all that!" He complained, his spider sense silent as his stomach seemed to flip and flop around.
"Not too secret. Not many Japanese vigilantes showed up the same time you did." She told him softly, leaning in while he leaned away.
"Wait, you know? Who else knows? Oh God, does Hatsume?" He asked, Melissa grinning.
"I had my suspicions, but you confirmed them." She leaned in again, and this time, Izuku didn't pull away, a kiss against his lips for only a second or two, but it felt like longer, and he wished it was, even when her glasses felt weird against chin.
"What a strange response to being saved. But, who was I to say no twice?" He asked, Melissa laughing and pushing his face away.
"You want a super powered escort home?" He offered, Melissa shaking her head.
"No, I'll be fine. You just get out of here before the cops show up and start shooting." She told him, Izuku grabbing his web line and looking back.
"Sure. See ya." He told her, giving a two finger salute before pulling the line and starting to swing away. For the first time in his life, he'd gotten a kiss from a girl who wasn't his mom.
"God, I love being Spider-Man." He mumbled, whooping cheerfully before swinging off into the night.
The next morning was a doozy for the teen, a knock on his bedroom door and shouting, surprising even him. Whoever was out there, he must trust them enough that his spider sense hadn't tingled even a little bit.
"You're dead, dude! You had no right!" Eddie yelled, Izuku crawling out of bed to open the door.
"What the heck are you on about so early?" Izuku mumbled, noticing Peter a bit in the back, behind Eddie, looking hurt.
"Selling our fathers invention to Spider-Man! What kind of asshole are you?!" Eddie asked, pushing Izuku, who by now was wide awake and very confused, until he saw Eddie's phone, a picture of himself from last night, when he showed off in front of the Flatiron building.
"Eddie, with all due respect, and since you're yelling before I've had breakfast, it's not much, I didn't sell anything to anyone. Or give it away. I just... I got a little excited and tried on Venom... needed a rescue. It bonded with him." Izuku tried to lie, but his friends were too smart for that.
"You're the only one whose DNA synchs up with the symbiote. Scientifically speaking, you're the only one who can wear it..." Peter told him, Izuku tired and backed into a corner.
"As if this jackass could be Spider-Man. Spider-Man saved me, remember? Midoriya is just a prick." Eddie told him, Izuku rubbing his eyes.
"So I brought you on board just to sell the damn thing? Is that it?" Izuku asked, royally angry now as he stepped up to Eddie. He had the power. It was his responsibility to use it, right?
"Izuku, don't." Peter pleaded, Eddie pushing Izuku, the greenette not budging an inch.
"Big muscles on a little man, that's all you are, Brock." Izuku taunted, his spider sense tingling as a fist hit his jaw, his head snapping back so he didn't hurt his attacker before he pinned Eddie to the wall, his elbow planted into his stomach as he fought back the urge to punch him.
"Get out! We don't need you! Peter is a good friend. He'd rather think I'm Spider-Man before thinking I would backstab him. But you? You come into my home, insult me, and then expect me to take it lying down?" He asked, anger like he'd never felt before surging through him.
"Get... off..." He mumbled, Izuku pushing off and turning, taking a deep breath.
"Get out. Both of you." He mumbled, his eyes burning as he tried to think of any excuse that wouldn't incriminate him as Spider-Man. He was sure Peter knew, but Eddie would never believe it.
"Whatever. We don't need some sneaking asshole selling our work to a stinking vigilante anyway. Come on, Peter." The oldest of the teens replied, walking to the elevator.
"You left your lab coat at my apartment. I saw your spare web shooters." Peter spoke quietly, the elevator dinging, Eddie getting in and leaving the two.
"And? That doesn't mean anything." Izuku denied, turning away, a little annoyed still.
"Come on, just tell Eddie your Spider-Man." Peter tried to persuade him.
"No way. Too many people know my identity as is." Izuku argued, taking Peters arm and guiding him to the elevator.
"That suit isn't just the last part of your dad. It's the last part of both mine and Eddie's father's, too, y'know." Peter told him, Izuku suiting up as Venom revealed itself having been hiding inside him.
Peter grabbed Izukus arm, shaking his head. "That thing is messing with your mind. You can't go out in it." The brunette told him, before Izuku pushed him away, Peter hitting the floor and watching his friend swing from the balcony.
Spider-Man was angry, but here he was free from being Izuku. Spider-Man wasn't needed in the lab, Spider-Man didn't have summer reading, and Spider-Man didn't have friends who turned on him in an instant.
"You do not need friends now. You have me~" A voice growled, Izuku confused as he looked around, alone where he was.
"Do not be afraid, brother. You and I, we are more than the sum of our parts. Together, we are better." It continued, a black gooey face forming and moving around at the end of black tendril.
"What are you?" Izuku asked, the creature laughing.
"You don't recognize us?" It asked, Izuku realizing what it must be.
It seemed the creature knew its host had figured it out.
"That's right. We. Are. Venom."