Izuku finishes the exam early. When he hands in his sheet of filled out answer bubbles, he's among only a few others that have done the same before the end of the exam period. And since he's only applying for General Education, there's no practical portion for him to provide any physical demonstration of talent. Which means that he's free to head home and wait for his results to get mailed to his house address. He takes the long route off campus, hoping to spot a pro hero or two before he leaves; the walk also allows him an opportunity to see some more of the establishment.
While he doesn't run into any heroes doubling as teachers, he does manage to find a canteen corner near the Gen Ed auditorium. A variety of vending machines are available to choose from. Off to one side, there's some other fellow who finished their exam early. Izuku sees that they're buying from the canned coffee selection. Feeling like he could go for a bit of caffeine himself, Izuku decides to strike up a conversation. "Hello", he announces himself before approaching as to not startle the stranger.
Half lidded eyes glance Izuku's way. Upon getting closer to the person, Izuku sees that there's much more to their dreary demeanor than just their eyes. Hair as unruly as his own stands on end, an indigo bush of bed head making the dude appear taller. Izuku suddenly understands why this guy came here to get himself some coffee. The vending machine spits one out for the sleepy stranger to take. The can lid cracks open and he takes a slow sip.
Despite not having his greeting returned, Izuku continues talking to the guy. "Do you think you did well on the exam?", he figures it's only natural and polite. Especially since they have to pass eachother by in close proximity to switch spots at the vending machine, and it'd only make for an awkward exchange if he didn't say something.
There's an uncomfortable pause anyways. Izuku thinks for a moment that he'd have better luck talking to a wall and hoping for it to respond. But then he sees that the person appears to be considering something. Despite that contemplative look, the stranger answers, "Don't care.."
"Really?", Izuku reacts with genuine surprise. It's beyond him who'd go through the trouble of applying to a school without an actual care, much less a place as prestigious as U.A. But then he reconsiders and thinks that it's possible this person is applying to more than one department. "What kindof placement were you hoping for?", he lets his curiosity carry the conversation further along while choosing his own canned coffee from the vending machine.
The indigo insomniac makes an expression that knits his brows together. An already skewered stare shrinks even further. "What do you care?", Izuku hears some agitation in the tone of that question; it's accompanied by a pop from the boy's beverage when pressure is put on the grip of the can.
Believing that he could be dealing with a potential secondary Kacchan, Izuku dials it back a bit. "I- I don't mean to pry", he uses his signature submission method of displaying his hands as a sign of surrender, "I was just wondering if we might get put in the same class or not" He lets a nervous laugh escape, hoping that the possible aggressor will laugh it off too.
Fortunately, some of that tactic must have worked, because there's a visible release of tension in the fellow U.A applicant's shoulders. But there isn't a complete loss of attitude, not judging by the snippiness to the stranger's next sentence. "It takes a lot of pride to automatically assume you're already in the Hero Course", he says it with a sneer.
Izuku's emerald eyes widen at that. Realizing that there's clearly been a misunderstanding, he begins waving his hands around in an exaggerated effort to clear it up. "Oh! You thought– No, no! I only applied for Gen Ed!", he starts laughing again while nervously rubbing the nape of his neck, "I'm not exactly Hero Course material by society's standards.."
The indigo insomniac's slitted stare parts enough to be considered wide too before blinking. It's as close to a surprised expression that the stoic poker face allows. "You're not.. ?", but his humbled hesitance in what to say next gives away a lot, "Sorry. I didn't realize."
"No need to apologize! You had no way of knowing!", Izuku continues to laugh and wave it off. When he sees that the other boy isn't laughing along, he sobers himself with a couple of feigned coughs to make it seem like he's clearing his throat. Izuku pauses before trying to pick up from where they left off, "So.. I take it that you applied for the Hero Course then?"
That standoffish demeanor remains in the stranger. Even when he twists on his heel to walk away. "No", his answer comes as he turns his back to Izuku; which of those two things is more surprising to Izuku is a tough competition.
The shellshocked spiderling soaks it in while grabbing his canned coffee from the vending machine. Once his mind catches up to his body, he realizes that he's standing there all alone now. "O- Oh", Izuku stammers out a quick response while stumbling forward to catch up with his acquaintance. "S- So, um, what did you apply for?" He speaks up just enough to be heard from behind the other boy.
The stranger side eyes his pursuer until they're walking next to eachother. After a moment, those eyes roll dramatically and the boy answers, "Same as you", albeit with a less than enthused sigh, "General Education."
"I see", Izuku nods along while mulling over that fresh bit of information about the purple headed puzzle. Pieces of that puzzle snap together in his mind. Pretty soon, he's come to a conclusion. "If you're like me, you must have originally wanted to try for the Hero Course instead then!"
The sleepy stranger sobers up enough to shoot Izuku a serious stare. "We're nothing alike", his voice growls into his coffee can before he takes a long swig from it.
Izuku recluses after that, realizing that he may have made a mistake in being so presumptuous. Embarrassed, the boy diverts his gaze and takes a sip from his own beverage to-go. "Yeah.. Probably not..", he drags his feet with a downtrodden mien.
The other boy's feet stop completely, other than turning to face Izuku. "So why do you keep following me?", he glares as he gives Izuku an accusatory attitude.
Izuku jumps, startled by the sudden stop that was immediately followed by an interrogative advancement. "A- Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to! It's just that – Well, the exit is in this direction, so.." He fidgets while trying to come up with a logical explanation to cover for something as stupidly simple as 'trying to make small talk and become friends'.
The peeved purple headed person continues to stare down Izuku a while longer before eventually accepting that answer. "Tch", he steps back and then begins heading for the building's exit, "Fine."
Izuku takes that as a sign that he can at least follow the other boy off the premises, so he hurries to catch up. It becomes a bit of an awkward walk when the two of them don't say anything more to one another, the silence only broken up by periodic sips from their drinks, but it's better than arguing at least. Until… The uncomfortability becomes a bit much even for the one who caused it to be that way.
The bedhead boy begrudgingly clears his throat before awkwardly asking, "..When you said you don't meet society's standards.. What did you mean by that?"
Izuku stares at the indigo haired fellow, surprised by his inquisitiveness. "Oh, I-" He stops and swallows. He hadn't expected to talk about it and 'reveal' this about himself, but he figures it won't change anything if the stranger already dislikes him. "I'm.. I'm quirkless…", it's weird to say that now that he has spider-like abilities but it may as well be true still. At least, as far as the public's perception of Izuku Midoriya is concerned, he is still quirkless. He has a mirthless smile on his face to go along with his bitter laugh. "Not exactly Hero Course material, right?" The irony of him not being up to society's standards IS kinda funny though.
Izuku isn't sure whether it's a good thing or a bad thing that he's the only one laughing right now. So he doesn't look at his acquaintance. He can't bring himself to do that. He looks ahead instead. And is relieved to see that they've reached U.A's frontal barrier. "Ah, we're at the exit gate.. Well, guess this is where we part ways.." He turns to leave, throwing a wave goodbye over his shoulder as he does.
"Where are you headed? Train station is this way", but finds himself shocked still rather than continuing to leave. He whirls himself around to look at the boy he was walking with, as if that will help him to make sure that he heard that correctly. The stranger's stoic stare is still there but there's a notable softness to it now. Izuku realizes that the guy has lowered his guard somewhat.
Green curls fall to one side when Izuku tilts his head, "Eh?", looking at the stranger from another angle doesn't help him to understand either. He momentarily believes it must be pity or something along the lines of that but he's seen what that looks like from people before and this doesn't quite fit that category.
Seeing Izuku's delay, the other boy raises both his eyebrows. He casually points behind himself in the direction that he's going in. "You did come by train, right?"
And that makes some sense to Izuku. "R- Right!", he figures that it's nothing to do with anything other than what would be expected of their situation and decides to stop overthinking it, "Thank you!"
Izuku internally laughs now. From what he knows about this boy's behavior, he bets all of what he said to him went in one ear and out the other. Even someone who's quiet or reserved would gasp or shout when hearing he's quirkless. The fact that he got no such reaction means what he said fell upon deaf ears most probably. Izuku feels slightly relieved at that. It's hard enough being judged as Spider-Man when he's trying to do everything right that he doesn't need judgment imparted onto Izuku Midoriya again.
"You were right", a short sentence from the stoic stranger stabs straight through Izuku's thoughts.
"Huh?", Izuku does a doubletake.
The indigo insomniac gives his fellow U.A applicant a brief glance before elaborating, "I did want to try for the Hero Course…" Izuku is wondering why this is getting brought up or where it's going, listening intently. "But I couldn't because of my quirk", he has to withhold a gasp when he realizes that the acquaintance was listening to him about his quirklessness afterall and that's what this is about, "It was.. A bad matchup. I found out that the exam has robots, so I doubt I would have been able to pass."
Sensing that what was shared is due to some small relatability in their experiences, Izuku can't let that sit or slide for more than two seconds. "You could have still tried though", he offers some encouragement with a strained smile to boot.
But the other boy shakes his head. "Nah, I don't think anybody would have appreciated me using their quirk on them because I couldn't on robots" The corners of his lips tug in no particular direction, fighting to lift into a mirthless smile or fall into a frown but neither expression winning.
Izuku misses a step, nearly tripping over himself. He realizes that he doesn't know what this guy's quirk is; part of him wonders if he had just assumed the person was also quirkless. "Wh- What's your quirk?", his gaze is immediately met with a glare. He recoils. The other boy appears to regret that, loosening his steely stare. But Izuku can tell that he overstepped, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want–"
"Did you get bullied growing up because you're quirkless?", that question is personal enough that Izuku can understand the point of it being asked after asking one of his own over-the-boundary types of questions. He knows he should leave it at that. He should just stay silent and let the other boy know that he understands he crossed a line. But another part of him feels inclined to answer.
Izuku starts to say, "Yes–"
But suddenly, he loses all of his cognitive function. Followed by the paralyzation of his body when those brain functions return. Despite his eyes being glazed over, they still see clearly that he's been frozen in animation. A numbness relaxes his muscles to the point where he can no longer feel them. For a second, he thinks he's fallen asleep. But that can't be the case since he's still standing. It should scare him to feel so disconnected from himself but his Spider-Sense doesn't register whatever is happening as a threat currently so he just keeps trying to analyze it as an experience rather than escape it.
Which doesn't last long, because his escape comes promptly with a release and relinquishment of whatever control harbored him.
"My quirk is called brainwashing", the Hero Course wannabe explains what happened with a remorseful and shameful shrug, "It does exactly what its name implies…"
Izuku understands why such a quirk wouldn't prove effective against robots. "That's…", but he's still overwhelmed by what that kindof power can do, "That's amazing!" His urge to perform quirk analysis has him materializing a journal out of thin air to write in with a pen that seemingly also teleported into his hands.
The brainwashing boy takes a step back, flabbergasted by both that incredible ability to make pen & paper appear and – more importantly – that unusual reaction to his quirk. He's used to people ridiculing him and calling him a villain or evil because of his ability to take away their body's free will. He's certainly not used to anyone praising his power in any sortof way. He's pretty sure nobody has ever called it 'amazing'. He stares, openmouthed and wide eyed, "Wha–"
"You should totally resubmit yourself for the Hero Course! You'd be so good at rescue – Oh! Or hostage situations! – And it'd only be even better if you can control more than one person at a time!", Izuku loses himself in his hyper fascination of quirks as he tends to do. And while some of those ramblings may have gotten lost in translation to the owner of that quirk, they are all kind words that tug at his heart strings. Izuku stops spewing stuff out of his mouth about how cool the power is when he sees the boy's poker face has been broken and there are now tears bordering his tired eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry, I probably got a bit carried way–"
"No!", the brainwasher stops Izuku from apologizing. He allows a small smile to appear on his face as he dries his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. "I mean.. Thank you.. Nobody has ever said any of that to me before", he bows ever so slightly to express his gratitude.
"Y- You don't need to thank me!", Izuku scratches the top of his head as he tries to pull a more coherent thought out of it to quell his nerves. He's not really sure what to say or do in situations such as this and it's quickly starting to become awkward again. And then he's struck by a sudden realization, "Oh! I never got your name!"
There's a bit of hesitation from the acquaintance before he finally formally introduces himself, "Hitoshi Shinso", which is followed by the question, "And yours?"
"Izuku Midoriya!", the broccoli headed boy straightens and smiles as he returns the favor, "It's nice to meet you, Shinso!"
Shinso raises an eyebrow, appearing skeptical. "Midoriya.. ? Really?", his drawl is full of just as much incredulity.
Izuku blinks, confused as to why someone would doubt his name is legit. But when he follows Shinso's eyeline and realizes that the boy is staring at his green hair, he understands. "Oh! That's just a coincidence!", he laughs since that does happen to be such his type of luck in life.
If Shinso believes him or continues to doubt it, he doesn't bother pushing the matter further. He simply brushes that topic of conversation off with a wave, which then becomes a gesture for them to get a move on. "Come on. We've got a train to catch", he urges for Izuku to pick up the pace.
Izuku follows along, impressed by the other boy's sense of direction. "Do you take the train often?", he figures that must be the case for Shinso to have such a familiarity with the process.
Shinso shrugs, "I guess", not really elaborating enough to give Izuku a real answer. But that's fine since they're already boarding one of the train cars and there's not much room for conversation when getting crammed into what's essentially a sardine can of people.
They don't get a seat; those are already occupied. So Shinso holds onto a roof strap to brace himself while Izuku grabs the car's support pole. Even with something to keep themselves sturdy, they along with everyone else lurch a little when the train gets its sluggish start. It's muffled by their enclosed carrier but what comes next is the clashing of steel wheels against railway tracks. And then the car rocks side to side while being pushed along.
After a while, Izuku moves closer to Shinso so that he can whisper with him for the rest of the ride's duration. He goes back to the original root of their conversation and asks, "Why don't you try applying for a different hero school?" Shinso gives Izuku a look that makes the boy feel inclined to explain why he's asking that, "I mean – if you don't care about going into Gen Ed, then why bother applying at all?"
"Dude.. It's U.A", Shinso says that like it's an obvious enough answer. Which, to Izuku, it may as well be; Izuku nods, understanding completely. But even so, Shinso continues to explain himself and his reasoning behind going for Gen Ed, "Plus… I heard that it's possible for students to prove themselves during the Sports Festival so that there's a shot at getting transferred to the Hero Course."
Izuku's eyes widen at that news; it's a first for him, he had absolutely no idea that was possible. "Really?", his awe leaks out through his mouth before he can stop himself from saying anything aloud about it.
Shinso nods, reaffirming his statement. "Only General Education students are able to do it, apparently. So that's what I thought I would try to do", he grips the ceiling strap above him a little tighter as he adds, "It's my last shot at getting in that I don't want anyone sabotaging me."
Izuku understands the implications of that last part. It must have been why Shinso started out so suspicious and aggressive towards him. "I won't tell a soul about it", Izuku crosses his heart with his pinky finger before holding it out towards Shinso, "As a matter of fact – I wanna support you in your dream."
Shinso stares at the outstretched pinky. Albeit apprehensively, he performs the pinky promise ritual. Afterwards, Shinso scoffs. "You trying to live vicariously through me?", he eyes Izuku up and down with what might still be some distrust.
Izuku chuckles, admittedly not able to deny nor confirm that possibility. "Maybe so..", he answers honestly, "But what hope does a quirkless kid have compared to you?"
Shinso falters at that. A beat later, he hums in agreement. Izuku worries that he might have soured the moment by bringing up his 'quirklessness' but his concern gets alleviated when Shinso asks, "So how exactly are you going to help me then?"
Izuku smiles as he fishes out his quirk analysis journal from the back of his pants. Already, the otaku is mulling over ideas in his mind of how Shinso's brainwashing can be used as a hero. Thoughts of how they can train his talent to prepare for the Sports Festival share that headspace. Like he did when preparing himself to become Spider-Man, he even considers making some sort of support device. Izuku clicks his pen to begin writing notes, "I'm glad you asked–"
Suddenly, something screeches throughout the train cabin, interrupting Izuku; it sounds similar to the brakes being hit but that can't be the case since they're still going. Izuku covers his ears along with everyone else, hands clasped around either side of his head when he drops his journal and pen. Through squinted eyes, he sees the source of the shrill squall. It's the announcement speaker system reverberating some kind of feedback. Thankfully, whatever connectivity problems were causing that issue gets resolved. Unthankfully, that means the next thing everyone on the train hears is an announcement that isn't from the conductor. The voice they hear is just as high pitched and it belongs to–
"Screwball.. is.. LIVE!", a villain that Izuku is familiar with announces her takeover of the train, "Consider yourselves lucky because, thanks to yours truly, you'll all be going for a joyride today!" Already, the hijacking has caused passengers to panic. A full swing of murmurings that are coupled with shouts makes it hard to hear whatever else Screwball has to say. Whatever her announcement, it can't be good since the train notably begins picking up speed per her proclamation.
Izuku subtly shifts closer to one of the train's windows. From there, he can peer outside onto the tracks and gauge the speed override more practically. Everything zooms by, blurring together. They're definitely going faster than they're supposed to and he imagines Screwball has no plans on stopping them any time soon. To make matters worse, the villain sounds euphoric about it all, "And joining me for a special guest appearance is none other than the most gentlemanly criminal of all!"
She introduces a partner in her crime when the rustling of a microphone being passed over diminishes, "Quite the introduction from our lovely host! Though this particular type of content isn't my usual forte, I must say that I am quite honored to be doing this collab!" A man's voice, much more even and refined by Screwball's contrasting enthusiasm, takes the wheel. Izuku fears that the transfer of control isn't just figuratively but also quite literal. "We pay attention to what you enjoy watching, dear viewers, and there was a noticeable spike in viewership with Screwball's most recent stream. After putting our heads together, we thought it best to raise the stakes – and what better way to one-up a plane's nosedive than a train wreck?"
"Yes! Let's cause a train wreck in this lowly society built around heroes!", the 'gentlemanly' voice suddenly gains some energy as he begins performing for everybody that's listening, "Did you know that this railway was founded and built to transport civilians in critical condition during hero battles? That's why the system collectively runs around Musutafu Hospital! But obviously there's been a change in the train's usage over the years. Yes, I'd dare say its originally intended purpose has gone off the rails!" Screwball's guest star breaks out into hysterics, along with Screwball herself giggling up a storm. Izuku shares a look with Shinso, each of them sharing the same dread.
Izuku grips the hemming of his shirt. Underneath his casual clothing is his superhero spandex. It's not like he can make a subtle change with all of these people surrounding him though. If he does then his secret is out. But if he doesn't, he might not be alive much longer to have a secret. It's a dire situation and the stakes are high that he can't just idly wait for a pro hero to come and save the day. This calls for the vigilante Spider-Man to appear on the scene. So, Izuku balls up the bottom of his shirt even more and begins to slowly raise it up. He prepares to face the consequences of exposing himself because he has the power to help and it's his responsibility to use that power.
Izuku pauses, seeing something up ahead through one of the passenger windows that grants him a miracle. It's a tunnel! When they go through it, the car will be barely lit. He'll have just long enough to switch into his Spider-Man persona before anybody can see him do it. Izuku thanks God above for saving his butt. Not even Shinso who's right beside him will get a glimpse within the darkness.
And so that's exactly what Izuku does. He waits until the train enters the tunnel. As soon as the car gets blacked out, he pulls his shirt off to unveil the spider emblem centered in the web pattern of his suit's top. Then, just for caution's sake, he pulls on his mask next. Which is followed by his web shooters and gloves. Lastly, off comes his pants and shoes. He falters, realizing he has to hide his top layer of clothing somewhere. With time running out, the train about to come out of the tunnel at any given moment, he tucks his clothes under his seat.
Spider-Man hops to the ceiling right as sunlight recolors the car's cabin. All of those murmurings from earlier return full swing at their loudest decibel, everybody surprised to see the vigilante sharing space with them. Not wanting to cause a panic or for any of them to get the wrong idea, Spider-Man quickly thinks of a joke to lighten the mood. "Somebody here doesn't have their boarding pass – and I don't think it's just me!", he turns to address the car's announcing system so that Screwball and her partner in crime get the message too.
"Spider-Man!", synchronized shouts from the pair of villainous streamers confirm that they can hear and/or see the vigilante. Knowing that, Spider-Man starts looking around for where the cameras and microphones are located. "You meddlesome menace!", Screwball voices her disdain. While her other half calmly and cooly addresses the vigilante with delight, "I expected that someone would attempt to stop us but I wasn't expecting you! Nor for it to happen so soon!"
Remembering his previous encounter with Screwball, Spider-Man knows how important it is to play along. "Well, what can I say? I like to be punctual!" Luckily, it comes easy with his quippage-like nature. He just hopes that he's able to buy himself and the rest of the train passengers enough time by doing so.
"Alas, the show must go on!" Screwball's guest star shares the commentary with the host of the stream like any good professional. "That's right, Gentle! No pesky bug is going to ruin this one!" She starts explaining the scenario that's set up but it's all just straight yapping. Spider-Man gets tired of hearing it and webs up the announcer system.
"Yadda yadda yadda! First off, I'm an ARACHNID, not a bug! And second off, it's time to hit the brakes on this thing!" Spider-Man uses the pole he'd been using to support himself as Izuku Midoriya to loop himself around the car before diving through one of the windows. He goes feet first through the glass, free from the confines of the carrier. Once outside, he uses a few web lines to pull himself ahead to the front of the train.
Flying alongside the track are familiar looking drones. Spider-Man waves to them, knowing that they're a direct line to Screwball and her newfound ally. But he doesn't stop to showboat for long, considering time is of the essence for him. Spider-Man clings to the head car of the line, trying to think up a solution to his problem. Stopping a runaway train is going to take some innovation. He finds himself wondering what other heroes would do in this situation.
"All Might would probably…" He gazes down at the rapidly passing of the train track beneath him. It's going to take a lot of strength to pull off but he figures that it's worth a try. Spider-Man hops down to put himself between the train and the railway. Immediately, he regrets it. Using his legs as a brace to try and stop the powerful force pushing forward doesn't work out so well. If it weren't bad enough using his body as a physical blockade, fragments of the track tear loose and pelt against him due to his foreign presence.
Spider-Man jumps back, unable to withstand the pressure. He grabs his calves, tenderly touching them as though that will somehow ease their soreness. The boy seethes through his teeth, hissing due to his pain like the steam from the train's barreling treads. That hadn't been the brightest idea. He's not All Might. He's Spider-Man. So he needs to stop the train how he's able to. He remembers how he stopped the airplane from crashing. If it worked once, then it might work again. Spider-Man abandons the first plan and decides to go with his newly improvised plan B.
Web lines, and lots of them, attach themselves to passing buildings. The vigilante anchors the strands on either side of himself. He acts as the connector at the forefront of the train. Whatever strings snap get replaced in an instant. Until the fluid in his current cartilages runs out, he just keeps laying it on thick. It becomes as strenuous as it was when he tried using his legs as brakes instead of his webs, but now on his arms. He's forced flush up against the train's front, pressed against it with all of the pressure of the fighting forces between going or stopping. Izuku screams with all his might, not letting go and not giving up.
But the train does start to slow. When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object, this is apparently what happens. Spider-Man stays firm, clinging to the cords that he grips in his hands. Though the web bands stretch to their limit, they don't snap anymore. Gradually, the train's treads clack and churn with less power. The locomotive grinds itself to a lurching halt. Coincidentally, where the train stops is one of its stations. A release of steam from the vessel's overworked engine announces its arrival.
Spider-Man releases his hold on his webs, also releasing a lungful of air as he sighs with relief. With that heavy duty of a workout done, he almost feels content with passing out right then and there. But he can't do that just yet. He first makes sure that everyone on board the train is safe and sound, glancing back at them all. "Welp! Looks like this is your stop!", he's out of breath and he can barely get the joke out but he knows it's necessary after a close call rescue the same way All Might's soothing smile is. A few chuckles from the civilians he can hear assures him that he properly put them at ease as he intended.
Above him, the drones that had been tracking the train and recording everything start to fly off. He wants to follow them back to Screwball's presumably 'evil lair' but knows that he's currently in no condition. He can hardly carry himself up onto the train's roofing, much less do a high speed pursuit through the city. And when he hears Shinso calling his name, he's reminded of another cause for concern with swinging off into the sunset. Izuku Midoriya's mysterious disappearance is going to go unexplained because Spider-Man reappearing to retrieve his clothes would be just as exhausting to explain.
Izuku sighs, resigning himself to leaving his clothes behind and worrying about giving Shinso an explanation later. Right now, he has to worry about somehow swinging home without throwing out a shoulder blade. First, Izuku replaces the empty web cartilages in his support items with some spares. Then, instead of swandiving over the edge of the locomotive like he'd normally be capable of doing, he takes a ginger step off to ease himself into a soft spin.
A long agonized groan flies free with Izuku. He starts web swinging his way home nevertheless, taking his time and not overexerting himself. With his whole body feeling like one big bruise, it takes twice as long to go through the motions. There's no whoops or hollers; he saves his breath for when he wheezes while taking in sharp intakes of air. And he definitely doesn't do any astounding aerial acrobatical moves – not when doing so would be what causes a wipeout. Several times, he even has to stop and squint his eyes due to his vision wobbling or swimming.
During one particular bend around a building, his Spider-Sense alerts him to danger. The only problem is that even with his early warning system, he's too tired to do anything about what it is he's being notified of. Which so happens to be a kick to the back from somebody else occupying air space. Spider-Man is sent plummeting down, the wind knocked out of him. Instinctively, he tries spinning a web to catch himself. Instead of the line going taut, he feels it go loose; whoever hit him has also cut his cord. All Spider-Man can do now is desperately grab for something to cling to. By some lucky chance, he manages to get his grip on a flagpole.
A spike of pain stretches across the dangling vigilante's arm as it supports his weight. It would hurt a heck of a lot more if he were to fall further down though, so he doesn't let that stop him from holding on regardless of how strenuous it is. He instead directs his attention to the reason for his current predicament. None other than another enemy from his past has returned to cause him trouble; Hawks' alter ego, The Vulture, hovers over him. No doubt to exact revenge. Spider-Man turns his head down, seeking something to save him. When he finds what he's looking for, he spins a web downward where Vulture can't cut it this time.
There's too much throbbing in his head to think up a good enough quip. So he goes with a half assed attempt, "Something about air mail", while using his web line to toss a mailbin at Vulture.
The aerial attacker bats the mailbin aside; there's not enough force behind it with Spider-Man so weakened. Which means the vigilante is completely vulnerable to Vulture's counter move of diving down at him.
Unable to jump or pull himself up in order to dodge or evade the incoming attack, Spider-Man is left with only one option. He lets go of the flagpole and goes into a freefall. Vulture passes overhead and the vigilante spins a web to carry himself further away in the other direction. It saves Spider-Man's life. Except that Spider-Man is still too siphoned of strength to be moving so rapidly, and he finds himself overexerting his body to a point of collapse.
The vigilante tumbles onto a rooftop, rolling across its surface with no refinement or control of the crash. The boy's body aches all it can to protest against his attempt at getting back up. With Vulture barreling down towards him to continue their spontaneous battle though, he doesn't have much of a choice but to tolerate that pain. Spider-Man gets on his feet to stand up, legs wobbling as they try to keep him that way. But by the time that he's gotten himself vertical, he has to throw himself sideways again to dodge an attack.
Vulture veers overhead with the full width of his wingspan unleashed. The bladed tips of the feathers slice through the support stand of a water tower. Spider-Man's Spider-Sense screams at him to move but he's barely able to even get on his feet by the time that the storage tank comes toppling down. Millions of gallons of water within the container crashes over the vigilante; he's knocked to the ground like a surfer going under a wave. What remains of the broken tank lays on top of Spider-Man as rubble.
From beneath the wreckage of all that's landed on top of him, Spider-Man stirs with what's left of his remaining consciousness. "You got my suit wet… Now I'm really mad..", his voice barely carries itself over his choked coughs.
But Vulture's landing is loud and clear. Upon touchdown, heavy metallic boots create a splash from the water that's been spilled. "You're mad? You don't know mad", more stomps from the villain walk through the rooftop's giant puddle, "I found your little tracking device on me! I know it was you who leaked this side of me to the public!" The footsteps grow louder the closer that they get.
Spider-Man is about to roll himself over, but one of Vulture's wing extensions beats him to it. The villain places a boot over the vigilante's chest to keep him down. Right then and there, with Spider-Man unable to muster the strength to lift that foot off of himself, Vulture may as well have him dead to rights. Vulture levels the sharpened wing tips of his metallic feathers just below Spider-Man's jugular.
Through a shattered eye lens, Izuku defiantly glares against what's basically the Grim Reaper's scythe to his throat. That young rebellious stare gives Vulture some form of pause. The villain also sees a green tuft of hair poking out through another damaged section of Izuku's mask. And after a beat of taking that in, "You're just a kid..", that becomes a revelation capable of appealing to the hero persona of Hawks.
Working under The Commission has led to Hawks doing some dirty stuff. The line got so blurred that he more than likely crossed it a few times. But even after all that he's done, even as The Vulture, he never went as far as to kill a kid. Despite having his reputation tarnished, he doubts he can start murdering children now. Hawks spares the boy beneath him, drawing the dagger shaped feathers of his wings away.
But that doesn't mean he'll forget what the brat did to him either. "You'll only get mercy from me once. Give up this masked crusade of yours. If I catch you in my skies again, you won't get another chance" A warning is bestowed from Vulture's beaked helmet before the buzzard bats his wings and takes off.
Izuku is left laying on the rooftop, where he finally allows himself to succumb to the exhaustion that had been accumulating within him. "Yeah.. You better fly away…", he mumbles a retort that his subconscious mind makes for him. And then, he blacks out.
It's slightly less painful to walk home rather than swing. Because of his initial attempt at stopping the train being the usage of his legs, every step sends a stab of muscle strain up from his feet through to his calves. It's significantly better than the stretch of torn ligaments in his arms and shoulders as he tries not to lose his grip on web lines for being at risk of plummeting to certain pancake shaped doom though. It's also better than having to worry about another ambush. Clearly he isn't capable of defending himself as Spider-Man if he's caught in costume. So, for the time being, he's mild mannered and ordinary looking Izuku Midoriya.
The bruised boy brushes a hand over his sore spots. His current state reminds him of the days of when he'd get beaten by bullies for being quirkless. There wasn't much that he could do to defend himself then either. The only difference is that now he has no intention of curling up into a ball and surrendering. When it comes to threats from genuinely bad guys like The Vulture, he won't allow himself to be submissive nor will he back down. There's no hanging up webs or threads for his double life as the wallcrawler just yet. He only needs to rest and recuperate first. And then he'll go and return Vulture the favor.
It may be because of that desire for R&R, or maybe it's because he's dressed down and within a few blocks from his house, but Izuku finds himself gradually lowering his guard. Which is why he isn't all that concerned when his Spider-Sense signals him to a potential danger. It's that mistake of ignoring his danger detection that leads to a knife getting pressed against his jugular. Izuku stops short, a hitch in his breath causing his Adam's Apple to lean against the edge of the blade touching his throat.
"Don't try to be a hero", Izuku feels the warmth of a girl's breath tingling behind his ear in unison with his Spider-Sense. "Your pal Spider-Cutie does that enough", and he's able to tell without the need for eight eyes like a spider to know just who it is behind him saying such things because of that. He's willing to bet that the blonde girl who works with The Hero Hunter is one and the same who's currently holding him hostage. And he's also willing to bet that she'll go through with her threat if he doesn't answer her question, "You ARE buddies with him, right?"
"With Spider-Man?", Izuku feigns fear well enough thanks to plenty of years practicing with Kacchan and his cronies. "Uuhh..", but the act of innocence can only do so much when someone is actively wanting an excuse to hurt him; the knife pushes into his skin to pressure him into talking faster, "I take his pictures – he tips me off and I snap photos."
The knife eases up, but only momentarily, before nearly giving him a close shave. "Really? You two never hang out?", the girl's tone is one of genuine curiosity but Izuku is no fool to knowing there's still a real danger to her.
As he commonly does nowadays when in high strung moments, Izuku turns to his knack for humor to hide his anxiety. "He's the one who does most of the hanging–" But his captor doesn't appreciate it any better than all of the other foes he faces; she raises the knife up to his chin to give it a tap. "I'm not sure what it is that you want from me", Izuku bites down on his tongue to keep himself from provoking her with any other jokes that might try to slip out not of his own accord.
In truth, he has a good idea of what this femme fatale may want from him. While she hasn't let on to any hints towards suspecting he himself is Spider-Man, there's a chance that she's playing some twisted game with him while actually already knowing. Or, perhaps, she wants to use him as a means to hunting Spider-Man since he's his own personal photographer. It doesn't take a genius to deduce whatever the connection is there.
"What any girl wants when it comes to their crush!", but he doesn't expect the phrasing of her motive to be like she says, "I wanna stalk em!" She sounds more like a yandere than anything else as she yaps like crazy, "I can only find so much about him online – it's not like he has a social media page – but you, the one guy he has ties to, on the other hand!"
Izuku tries gesturing with his shrug while not making it too sudden of a movement that she might cut him, "Sorry to disappoint but I don't have much to tell."
"Hmm", he's surprised that the yandere actually sounds considerate rather than upset. Until she resorts back to her threatening of his life, "Maybe you aren't that close afterall. He wouldn't be all that upset if I killed you then?"
Izuku finds himself wishing that he had kept his web shooters on. As he is right now, there's not much of a chance of saving himself. "I can say in good confidence that I don't think he'd be very happy", he tugs at the collar of his shirt where the top of his suit hides underneath.
This would be the one time that he does listen to his Spider-Sense – if it were bothering to buzz anymore. "You're probably right!", the knife is brought away from his neck and the dangerous situation is alleviated … somewhat. The girl changes the blade's positioning to where his kidney is located as she leans against his side; he tenses but doesn't react more than that since his danger sense doesn't react. At this angle, he can finally see and confirm that she's the villainous girl that he thought. "So I'll just ask you this once…", her voice is venomous and part of him wonders if the fangs that she grins with are as well, "Do you know what he looks like under the mask?"
Izuku is too used to wearing a mask that hides his expressions from people to put on a good poker face. "Um..", he visibly falters with wide blinking eyes.
"That's a yes", the girl's grin grows. He feels his face heat up when she presses against him more than the knife currently is. "Is he cute?", her own face is just as red but he's pretty positive that it's for a different reason.
Izuku stutters, feeling his mouth move as it struggles to say something that won't compromise his identity but won't get him stabbed either. "He's… Some might say he's pretty plain looking?", Izuku recalls what people said to describe his appearance before and decides to roll with that.
It instantly backfires, "YOU'RE pretty plain looking", the comparison made between himself and his alter ego makes him start sweating more than he already is. The girl either doesn't notice or simply doesn't care though. She's still too in a state of mania, "..but I bet you would look good covered in red like him", her cat-like eyes look Izuku up and down. She takes note of his fit form pressing against her own, "A girl can look for more than a handsome face."
Her hand snakes around his side and up his chest, sharp fingernails just as deadly as her knife. The close contact makes Izuku shudder; it tickles through his clothes but pricks at his skin. She moves her face forward that it nearly mashes into Izuku's. The boy swallows a breath; he's right on the brink of hyperventilating. Just as he believes this girl is about to steal his first kiss from him, her mouth stops short from his. She says, "I wanna know who he is", and he's reminded that her fascination is with his secret identity as Spider-Man for a reason.
He's about to push her away for that reason. Maybe even expose his identity for the sake of stopping her. But as it would turn out, he doesn't have to do anything. A third wheel gets in between he and her, disrupting the private moment. "Deku?", a confused voice grabs ahold of both he and the girl's attention.
"Kacchan?", Izuku recognizes the blonde boy who lives on the same block.
As for the blonde girl that the blonde boy doesn't know, she recovers from the awkward disruption better than any film actor would be able under improvisation. "Hiii! You must be one of Izukun's friends!", she enthusiastically greets the newcomer with a cheerfulness that wasn't there before. And the act only gets better when she adds, "I won't keep him away from you for much longer", playing to the part that she gave herself perfectly. She leans in towards Izuku's face again, as though she's about to plant a peck on his cheek, but instead whispers in his ear. "I'll just come back another time", the foreboding farewell shifts back to her fake friendliness when she breaks away to skip off into the sunset, "See ya!"
And Izuku is left standing in his spot as dumbfounded as the blonde boy across from him. "Um.. That was..", he tries and fails to think of an excuse to hide that he was just held at knife point.
"Spare me the explanation", but he's fortunate enough that his childhood friend turned bully apparently doesn't need one. "I don't care who you're hanging out with, nerd" 'Kacchan' grabs ahold of Izuku's shirt, "I just don't want you or them anywhere near ME!" The manhandling gets a little rougher when the blonde bully gives the other boy a hard shove,"Got it?!"
"AGH!", Izuku doesn't need to pretend to be hurt this time thanks to his muscle soreness from being Spider-Man that morning. "G- Got it..", he winces while squeezing his stinging side in an attempt to quell the pain.
Katsuki pauses, noting that reaction was more dramatic than the other times that he's gotten rough with Izuku. But it's only a momentary pause and nothing more. After a once-over, Katsuki scoffs and says, "Good", before shoving his hands into his pants pockets and walking away.
Izuku pauses after that too, picking up on his old friend's strange hesitation; he'd swear by anything that Katsuki would normally have stayed and done more. But then again, he figures it's about time that he gets an ounce of luck from the day he's been having and decides not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Izuku stands up and dusts himself off. At the rate of familiar foes that he's been encountering, he half expects another one to swoop in and knock him back down. But at long last, he's able to get home and spend the rest of his time recuperating instead.
AUTHOR NOTES
Surrounded by more enemies than he is friends, it's a wonder whether or not our protagonist will pull through. Let's take a quick comment/review readthrough to see what else you may all be wondering about.
equinoxhun is on the right track in regards to what course Izuku is going for, but we're still waiting on that acceptance letter that one can never be too certain!
You've got it, Guest! The spider bite technically doesn't qualify as a 'quirk' in the same way the Marvel Universe wouldn't classify Spidey a mutant - I suppose it would all boil down to genetics and DNA but that's something I'll attempt to tackle & explain in a later chapter.
Thank you, James Birdsong! Of course!
Ah, that's an excellent thing to wonder about, Splashyatom431! Without giving too much away, I will briefly say that there are loads more to come and this is only barely scratching the surface of the character mashups I've got planned.
Fingerdash ... Congratulations! You're my first 'hate' comment on this story! I was going to ask you to elaborate on what it is that you consider trash about my writing considering you read five whole chapters before forming that opinion so that I could potentially find a resolution - however, after having a quick look at your profile, I believe I already know the answer - are you disappointed that I didn't write any Lemon or Smut fanservice? Well, if you return to keep reading what you consider to be trash, then I just might reward you with a little something later down the line for being a trooper.
That goes for the rest of you! If you keep enduring my terrible fanfiction, it'll eventually be worth it, I promise!
-Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood trash!