It was finally over.

As the ocean breeze blew the dust and smoke away, firefighters and cleaning crews worked around the mangled battlefield of the hospital. This was the sight Peter Parker witnessed as he sat under the tent as paramedics checked on him.

"You'll be okay." An EMT said as they finished patching him up. "Some rest will do you good. No signs of concussion or any trauma. You're quite lucky."

"Right…" Peter murmured as he looked at the others. "Thanks."

Eri hadn't left Mirko's side as she stayed with her in an ambulance. Momo was getting an IV attached while also being provided with some snacks. Kirishima was covered in bandages and Shoto was in an ambulance being checked for a concussion, with bandages around his ribs. Izuku was also being patched up as Peter took a deep breath.

His eyes settled on Mei, who was off to the side with a few scrapes and bruises.

Peter got up, walking over to her. She looked up at him before climbing to her feet.

"You okay?" He asked.

She winced.

"I should be asking you that. Peter you-"

"I'm fine. I'm-"

"No you're not, look at you! It's… It's I-Island all over again."

Peter winced.

"I'm okay Mei."

The pinkette raised her head, looking hard at him.

"Just don't… throw yourself into a fight like that alone. Like at I-Island or there just…" Mei paused. "Don't throw it all away…"

…

Peter took a deep breath. "I'll do my be-"

"Promise me." Mei's voice was shaky. "You were bloodied and you got shot and and and…." She stammered, and Peter felt the vice in his heart tighten.

"Don't… act like you're alone." Mei breathed. "I mean… Heroes and Babies work together so they can come home and be okay and save more people and…"

Peter felt the inside of his stomach twist into knots, watching the usually bubbly and energetic techie pour her heart out to him.

"He doesn't have to." Izuku stated, walking up with a somber expression. Peter blinked, looking at Izuku who smiled back.

Peter looked back at Mei and took a deep breath. "I promise Mei." He said, and the pinkette smiled lightly at him.

"Peter?" Momo said as Peter turned. "Later on… can we talk?"

"Sure, what for?"

"That bullet… what you said."

…

'Me and my big mouth.'

"Yeah, we don't have to talk about it here." Izuku added. Peter looked at Izuku and sucked on his lower lip.

"Sure, we can. Back at school?" He asked.

"That works." Momo said. "And Peter…" Peter blinked, the girl falling silent as she looked to the side.

"Yeah?"

"Nothing I… I'm just…" She took a deep breath before pulling him into a hug. "I'm just glad… that you're okay." Her hug was tight, warm…and soft.

What? He was still a teenage boy being hugged by his very attractive classmate. Cut him some slack.

Peter took a deep exhale, letting his arms wrap around her lightly in a comforting embrace.

"Yeah…"

This is nice…

"Your heart rate is rising Peter." Karen said as Peter and Momo separated, the spider-themed hero gazing into those obsidian jewels that were her eyes.

The two stared for several seconds uninterrupted, leaving many wondering what would happen next. Luckily for them, fate decided to intervene.

There was a rumbling noise that caused the contents of a glass of water to shake and rumble, reminding Peter of Jurassic Park.

"Earthquake?" Izuku wondered.

"Nope." Karen said, tone indicating a smirk as Peter turned.

"Let me through, let me through!" Mt. Lady yelled as she had finished running up the boulevard, Edgeshot looking up at the still giant woman.

"I figured it was you." He rolled his eyes.

"Yu?!" Peter squeaked. The towering Mt. Lady shrank before running through the police barricade, officers and EMTs alike vacating her path before the blonde threw herself at her young charge.

"Oh thank god you're okay! You're okay…" She shuddered as Peter hugged her back, causing Edgeshot to chuckle a little.

"You ran along the coast? Right?" Edgeshot asked. "I don't want to deal with angry complaints of foot-shaped potholes in the streets."

"I took the river to the coast and sprinted through it, relax!" Yu chided her fellow hero and hugged Peter tighter. Momo couldn't help but giggle, Izuku smiling while Peter sighed.

(X)

"Yes yes yes yes thank youuuu no questions!" Laughed Fatgum as students and Pro Heroes filed into a convention center that the HPSC had rented as a pseudo-command center. Various cameras of the media members outside flashed as Endeavor stormed past, hand on the door.

For Mirio, getting through the crowd was easy as he phased his way through the walls. Nearby officers then cordoned off the doors and prevented the paparazzi from getting up in the heroes' faces. The Heroes who could still walk and weren't in the hospital needed to reconvene at his location.

"Endeavor! Mr. Endeavor! The combat gravity hero known as Uravity had a hand in saving dozens of people in a massive pileup near your agency in Shinjuku today!"

Endeavor's eye twitched.

"Do you have a comment regarding Uravity's conduct in thwarting the Tsushima Pirates and of the street roads needing re-?"

He slammed the door shut behind him and breathed hard through his nose.

"Vultures." He hissed as he stormed off, Mirio feeling the temperature go up a little.

"He seems angry." Mirio mused.

"Eh, don't mind him." Fatgum waved it off. "He's probably upset that he can't go to his son down in Kawasaki right now. Heard he got banged up pretty good."

"He'll be fine, he's always angry." Burnin walked up. "All Might being around doesn't help either to be fair. That said… he saved the day for us." She sighed. "If he hadn't fought that black mask guy…"

Mirio frowned. He remembered seeing the League of Villains file out after him. Was he perhaps their mastermind? Had the Hassaikai been working with them all along?

"Nighteye's going to debrief us and send us on our way, better not keep them waiting." Fatgum mentioned as Mirio nodded. "And I need to check in on Creati and Red Riot too. Red got roughed up down in Kawasaki…" he murmured, eyes filled with concern.

"Sounds good. I gotta make a visit to recruit a potential intern too." Fatgum cocked an eyebrow at Burnin's response.

"An intern? What for?"

"Bossman's orders." Burnin stretched her arm a bit. "Wasn't roughed up too bad, so I want to try and finish the day getting a read on the new blood." At least she was in good spirits as Mirio smiled.

Tamaki was ok, but he'd need to spend the night in the hospital. Nejire was a little roughed up, but she would be fine too.

Everything was looking good, thankfully. They'd saved the day and outside of varying injuries, everyone made it out alive in the end.

He pitied Recovery Girl though. She was going to be run ragged after all of this…

(X)

"Is Mirko going to be okay?" Izuku asked as he sat in the back of a helicopter as it flew over the Tokyo area. After treatment by the EMTs, the group had gone their separate ways to return to their respective agencies or to the hospital for further treatment.

Shoto and Kirishima were on the way to the latter, while Momo was en route to reunite with Fatgum at the command center near Jionoshi. Yu had offered her services to help with cleanup in Kawasaki, given she wasn't going to be available for assisting in recovery efforts in Jionoshi. Kamui Woods and Death Arms were in Jionoshi as well.

Mei was here as well, sitting next to Peter who was looking out the window.

"Yeah. She's with Eri and going to another hospital right now. Eri was feeling faint after bringing her back. Her horn is practically just a zit right now in size." Peter sighed. "That was insane though, he just… brought her back to life."

"More or less rewound her back to normal." Edgeshot explained. "Eri's blood was vital for the Quirk Eraser, so it had to be tied to her quirk." He cupped his chin. "Maybe her ability wasn't so much 'erasing' quirks, but 'rewinding' the Quirk Factor within our genome back to when we were young and before our quirks awakened perhaps?"

"It's something to consider." Izuku mused as they spoke over the headsets in the helicopter. "You'll tell that to Nighteye?"

"He was in charge of the operation, and I'll probably mention it in my report." Edgeshot mused.

"Mr. Edgeshot, respectfully speaking," Peter spoke up. "Maybe you should hold that tidbit back? I mean, if Eri's power becomes more well known, who knows who may target her, especially if it gets out that she can be used to take away people's quirks." Izuku looked his way.

"You think the League of Villains could try and target her next?"

"Who knows… but some powers are better kept secret." Peter mused aloud as he observed the passing scenery. "She's like what, six? Last thing she needs is a massive target on her back."

"I'll keep that in mind." Edgeshot nodded as Izuku looked out the window at the Tokyo city center where dust and debris still lingered from one ward.

He looked at his phone, seeing a chipped screen after all the fighting. He saw a flood of texts from Mom, asking about his well being, some in all caps. He knew that the moment he replied back she'd call him on the spot, and he couldn't really talk in this deafening helicopter.

He did text another though…

'All Might, are you okay?'

Mei was silent, looking out as the helicopter came in sight of UA and approached the ground in front of the gate.

"We're stopping here?" Peter asked. "What fo-" He stopped, looking out the window as Izuku did too.

Nezu was waiting alongside Power Loader at the front gate. He let out a sigh of relief, leaning back in his seat.

Finally he was back home in Musutafu.

"Come along." Edgeshot prompted the group as they touched down and the rotator blades stopped. He stepped out, walking forward as they saw the group.

"Hey Principal Nezu." Peter spoke out. Mei looked nervous as Power Loader's gaze landed on her.

"I'm glad to see that you are all alright." Nezu explained as Power Loader stood there, arms crossed. Mei didn't look away, staring unflinchingly back at him.

The older hero sighed.

"Look Mei, you took support gear without permission and then jumped into an active warzone, we can't ignore that." Power Loader sternly said which caused Mei to wince, but she nodded. Peter put his hand on her shoulder and Izuku stepped up to Mei's side.

"But she saved my life." Peter said in her defense.

"It's true. If it hadn't been for Hatsume here we-"

"We are aware Parker-kun, Midoriya-kun." Nezu replied as Loader looked down at him.

"Hatsume-san," The white furred bear-rat continued. "Can you explain why you did what you did?" He offered a wry smile of sorts. Mei rubbed her arm, looking to the side.

"I… I had…." Mei uttered. "Well, I know this sounds bad-bad but I had to…" She said, looking back to the teachers. "I had to give Peter his baby. I wanted to help him and… my body just moved. I didn't think. I had to get to him and-"

"Exactly," Power Loader growled. "You didn't-"

"Power Loader."

Nezu's voice had an edge to it, and the man looked down in surprise. He took a deep breath, sighing and stepping back.

"I understand Miss Hatsume." Nezu replied, a small smile gracing his features. "I can say that while you did break some rules, Hatsume-san, you did so not out of recklessness or conceit, but genuine concern for your fellow students, for public safety. In breaking the rules, you saved the lives of your fellow students and many other heroes in the field. If following the rules leads to death and disaster, of what use are the rules?" His eyes settled on Izuku and Peter. "Expelling a student from a Hero Academy for displaying unalloyed Heroism would be counterproductive at best, a display of bureaucratic obtuseness at worst." He let out a soft sigh. "As pleased as I am to see you upholding the spirit of UA's ethos, we do have rules here Miss Hatsume, and you did break them, so I hope you understand that, yes?"

Mei nodded. "I do."

"Alright. Let's head to my office, unless you need any medical attention?" Mei shook her head, and Nezu nodded.

"But will I…" She uttered, the small animal man looking up to her. "Be expelled from the Support Course?"

There was a silent exchange between Nezu and Power Loader, causing Izuku to feel like his insides were turning over in shock.

Then again, this was an incident where school wasn't… directly involved.

"No… but you are Suspended for this Semester." Power Loader uttered. "And no more sleepovers like before. That's done. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" He almost growled.

"You bas-" Peter was cut off as he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned, seeing Mei look back at him with a hard glance.

He fell silent after that as Mei stepped forward.

"I understand, Sensei." Mei replied. The usual pep in her voice, the feisty energy of her endless creative drive to invent and make technology was… gone.

Izuku felt sympathy swell up for the girl. To think all of this would happen…

"Alright then. Come along Miss Hatsume. We can talk over tea and some cookies." Nezu nodded before turning to Edgeshot, Peter, and Izuku.

"Now, are you two alright as well?" Nezu asked.

"Just a rough day at the office," Peter muttered, looking to the side as he was no doubt doing his best to quell his feelings towards Power Loader. "Still got our skins."

"We will be alright." Izuku bowed lightly back.

"So I noticed." Nezu looked to Edgeshot. "I imagine you must return to your office to prepare your reports."

"We do." Edgeshot bowed lightly. "I will be returning later, and I wish to speak with you on Hatsume's actions as well. I imagine you would like to hear from my perspective too." The Ninja Hero stood at attention.

"Of course. Parker-kun, Midoriya-kun" The rat bear nodded towards the two boys as he began to walk with Mei. Power Loader had already stalked off to the building.

"Thank you, Sensei." Edgeshot nodded as the furry man chuckled.

"My pleasure, Class Representative." The bear rat nodded before he began walking back to UA as the helicopter took off.

"Now you two, get yourselves settled down, you've got reports to write," Edgeshot said.

"Right…." Peter uttered. "My kanji and Japanese typing skills… need improvement." His mood soured, both due to Mei's predicament and his Japanese writing.

"I'd be happy to help." Izuku said, feeling another buzz in his phone before he looked down, seeing several messages.

'You okay? Please let me know ASAP. How did the Full Gauntlet do?' Melissa's text was the first on the list.

'Please call me are you okay baby please call me' Mom was next.

'I'll help Peter with the report, but some tutelage from you would help 😉' from Karen.

And lastly.

'I'm glad to see you're safe, Young Midoriya. I'll call you later.' All Might.

"Something interesting on your phone, Deku?" Edgeshot asked as Izuku perked up.

"Oh uhh, just mom and her… dozens of texts."

Edgeshot chuckled.

"Well, you can call her as soon as possible once we're back at the office. Come, we have work to do." The older Ninja Hero stated.

"After a shower?" Peter asked and Edgeshot looked back, blinking with his one visible eye before he nodded.

"After a shower." The man nodded and cracked away as Izuku lashed out with Black Whip to follow, Peter right by his side.

"Spider-Man," Izuku said as he leapt beside him, jumping from lamppost to tree as he took off, One for All crackling inside him. "Are you-"

"I'll live." Peter replied. "Always have."

He sped on ahead, Izuku feeling familiar guilt swell inside him once more.

(X)

The next day

Aizawa Shota felt the painkillers fog up his head, but it was necessary as he rode in the chopper. Even with a night's stay in the hospital and a visit from Recovery Girl, the ache in his leg lingered.

All Might was due to rendezvous with him at the infamous coastal prison that housed Japan's most dangerous and notorious criminals as he saw it out the window. It was a fortress of black metal connected only by a four lane highway going to and from the mainland.

Tartarus.

The chopper touched down before he stepped out, and up ahead he saw the black-coated form of Abe Hanako.

"You made it on time. Good." Abe said, the stern blonde woman and head of the Hero Public Safety Commission looked at her watch. "We have ten minutes before the tranquilizers fade out."

"So we're finally doing it then?" Though his tone was neutral as always, his intent was clear.

"Yes. All for One got away last time due to corruption inside of the Diet and in the HPSC." Abe replied as the gates leading out to the highway that connected to the prison opened. "I don't plan to make the same mistake as my predecessor."

Shota didn't consider himself a murderer. In the line of duty, he had taken some lives.

Just came with the nature of the job. And if there was ever a case where ending a life was necessary, this was probably the best time to do it.

He felt a buffet of wind and turned, seeing All Might in his full and bulky form.

"I am here." The Symbol of Peace said, voice low as the September sky rumbled with thunder.

"You don't have to take part in this, All Might." Abe replied as the three of them made their way inside, the guards opening the door into the facility.

"I'm aware. I'm here just in case the worst occurs." All Might stated. His smile was still on his face, but it was pained as Shota did his best not to give anything away. "And… to see it all end."

He knew what Nezu told him that morning about All Might's shortening time limit.

It was only a matter of time now before they had to live in a world without All Might.

Though, at least now, it would also be a world without the Symbol of Fear in it.

"Does the Prime Minister know of this?" Shota asked.

"Whatever I see and hear, will be told to the Prime Minister himself." Abe replied as the head warden, Wakatsuki Taruki, appeared in the lobby of the prison. He was a stern-faced man with a widow's peak and graying hair, bowing in greeting to the visitors.

"Commissioner Abe. All Might." He mentioned, his eyes settling on Shota.

"Eraserhead." Shota replied, and the man nodded.

"Pleasure to meet you. Come, it's time we get this over with." He walked ahead. "I trust the travel here wasn't without issue?"

"There's hardly much traffic that we'd have to worry about," the Number One Hero murmured under his breath.

"True, we rarely get visitors here," Taruki mentioned, gesturing for them to follow him down a particular hallway and down an elevator. It was a long descent down into the prison's depths. Then, they made their way down a gray steel hallway.

It wasn't long till they found it.

All for One's final room was… sterilized, that was the best way to describe it.

Glass separated them, but each man could see the tubes inserted into his veins with more than one canister of unknown substances. Every substance known to kill a man, and a few dozen others several times over, along with several mounted machine guns on the off chance something went amiss.

A single chair with a mic was set up, it was no question who it was meant for. All Might entered the room and took his seat in the chair as the villain shifted in his restraints, eyeless features seemingly recognizing something. Shota stood next to Abe and Taruki, using some eye drops as he got his quirk ready.

"So… who is it? Is it you, All Might?"

All Might nodded, more for himself than anyone else. Shota's gaze reddened, his hair waving.

"Course. I promised it would end with us."

"Yes, you're here, but I feel…"

All for One attempted to move his arms.

"Ah… I was wondering how it would be done. Is Eraserhead with you?" The villain smirked, looking to the side as Shota felt his gaze settle on him. "How fitting… the two biggest thorns in my side to the very end."

All Might, even deflated as he was, couldn't keep the scowl off his face.

"Legally, this is the part where I inquire if you have any last words, but I think we've said plenty to one another over the years." All Might glared. "You're finished. Make peace with whatever god you believe in, because you're going straight to Hell in a matter of minutes from now."

The blind man behind the glass simply chuckled.

"If you say so, All Might, and yet, I have oh-so-much to share."

"We don't need you to find your operations, or your… successor, Shigaraki Tomura."

All for One smiled with broken and bloodied teeth.

"Oh yes, and what a wonderful successor he is. Surely even you can see the potential."

"I see a child broken and twisted by your senseless need to be some sort of demon," All Might said firmly, "He could've been a good man, even a hero, if only you hadn't gotten your disgusting claws into him."

Again, the villain chuckled before it turned into a barking laugh.

"I took nothing," he said, "I simply picked up what your society left forgotten, and placed him where he needed to be. After all, he became the way he was because no one came to save him. None, except me."

"You're lying." All Might growled.

"Oh All Might… in all of our battles together, have I ever lied to you?" He mused. "Why, look around you. In the time I was forced into hiding, more villains began scurrying under the surface. When I was in control, things were orderly. All in service to me. Why…" All for One scoffed. "I was more of a Symbol of Peace than you ever were."

All Might shared a glance with Shota who nodded back. Despite what they said, getting some answers was part of why they were here. But the black-haired man could see that the titan was clenching his fists.

"Save your speeches. Where did you send your successor?"

"Now? I frankly have no idea, nor any inclination to give you any ideas. I told Kurogiri to take him as far away from here as he could if the worst occurred. He's as free as the wind, and able to break down your perfect structure with a twitch of his finger."

One last chuckle.

"I honestly wish you luck. Because he is far younger than I, and soon, will become far more powerful. All for MY sake."

A thousand emotions flitted over All Might's face. Anger, disappointment, resentment, everything that he could. Yet, in the end, the number one hero simply sighed.

Abe signaled someone in the back room, and Shota made a point to keep his eyes trained on the villain, his eyes getting irritated from not blinking for so long. Liquid moved through the tubes as All Might stood up, turning his back on his old foe.

"Oh, one last thing, All Might."

All Might sighed, rubbing his eyes and turning around.

"My successor, Shigaraki Tomura… is Nana Shimura's grandson. Shimura… Tenko."

The blonde's eyes widened. He knocked over the chair in his rush to slam against the glass.

"You're lying." He uttered on the spot, voice hollow.

All for One coughed, a smile still on his face. "Oh yes All Might… the poor boy, abused by that cruel patriarch who despised heroes but really…" He shook lightly as Shota's eyes widened. "Was it… his fault… or the society you… created?"

"YOU'RE LYING!" All Might screamed, fist smashing against the glass as he hoped to hear something else.

But he didn't as the man known as All for One leaned back in his chair, unmoving.

The Symbol of Evil was dead, a final mocking smile on his face.

(X)

A few days later…

It was just past dawn when Peter arrived onto UA's grounds. In a way, it felt liberating, coming back to school.

The last few days were hectic, with visits to the hospital and spending an entire day at the Lurker's Office to write up the report he needed to submit to the HPSC.

"Aizawa clearly didn't mention writing reports of that magnitude…" Peter mused aloud as he walked through the gates towards the H-shaped building. A few janitorial bots were present as he made his way inside.

"To be fair, it would be in the curriculum next semester." Karen replied in his ear as Peter's face soured.

"You're not going to help me write this one up, are you?"

"If you're going to master the Japanese language, Peter, you must practice extensively. I can guide you, I can't do it for you," Karen chided as Peter rolled his eyes. Leaving early helped him get ahead on studying Kanji and Hiragana, but there was only so much he could do before he felt his brain conk out. "I can, however, suggest a multitude of stretches and wrist exercises."

Peter rolled his eyes, something between a smirk and a grimace on his face. "Gee thanks."

Math equations that usually filled whole chalkboards? No problem. Complex blueprints for micro machinery and circuitry? Could do those in his sleep. But coaching these intricacies in a foreign language? Literally an Avengers-level threat!

Besides, right now he'd be going to the Lab but…

He let out a sigh as he walked into UA's halls.

"Peter?"

A voice spoke and he turned, seeing Izuku and Momo walking in.

"You're here early." Momo said

"Yeah." He remembered their postponed talk. "So uhhh… what are you guys doing here so early too?"

"We asked Karen when you usually come before class," Izuku said.

Peter winced, being reminded of the other, much less serious, problem he was facing.
"I… see…I… you need something?" Peter murmured.

"Of course I mean…. I have questions about your… well," Izuku said with a soft smile. The sun was rising right behind them too, the American basking in their shadows.

Peter let out a soft chuckle, smiling ruefully. "Alright, so about my power…" He rubbed the back of his head as he leaned against a tree, his friends following. "How do I explain this…"

"Yeah, it's been on my mind for a while." Izuku mused. "You got hit with the Quirk Eraser, right?"

"I did." Peter mused, silently trying to think of some plausible answer.

"And you still kept your Quirk?'" Momo mused, head tilted. "I mean, you told it to Overhaul's face after all…"

"Yeah… so… where I came from, I'm kind of unique." Peter admitted. "Funny, being in a society full of unique, crazy and cool Quirks, like your guys' for example, I..." He took a deep breath.

…

His friends waited patiently, clearly cluing in that this wasn't just another Peter Parker yarn.

"I have a condition that makes me unique among Quirk users. See, my Quirk's rare because I look, er, baseline, right? But my abilities are biological, right down to my bones and muscles."

"Biological?" Momo quirked an eyebrow, her tone skeptical but receptive."That would explain your, er, reaction to those brownies..."

"Hey, yeah. Your reaction to caffeine is like Asui's reaction to cold. You look pretty human, but your biology must be way different." Izuku said, rubbing his chin. "Moreover, everyone we've seen get hit by the Quirk Eraser weren't heteromorphs... how's a Quirk Eraser supposed to even work on a heteromorph?" He thankfully continued. "Like you said it's right down to your cells would it turn off the gene if Ojiro got hit would his tail just fall off or maybe–"

"Sort of." Peter interjected. "On the outside, I'm as human as it gets, but on the inside, I'm all spider.."

"To be fair Peter, you've always been an enigma." Momo spoke. "The first day you came here to U.A." She gestured. "You were out of place. Quirk mastery. Combat experience. Support gear. All that was strange enough, but that's not what tied it all together for me." Momo looked to the side, guilt evident on her features. "You also have experience in Herowork. In the philosophy of being a Hero. 'With great power comes great responsibility'. That's wisdom, Peter, and my mother often says that wisdom is experience tempered with..." She took a deep breath. "...Pain."

Peter felt his blood go cold.

"You don't have to lie, Peter." She offered a smile. "After all, we're your friends. I figured it out."

"Huh." Peter uttered as Izuku stood, eyebrows raised.

"You came from America with a Support suit, something happened to you in the past that makes you hesitant to speak about it. Your tech savviness, your experience, and everything that comes with it along with you coming here the first semester All Might teaches, the same All Might who began his hero career in America." Momo nodded. "And something happened… most kids our age wouldn't have experienced what you did after all." She closed her eyes, face stern.

Peter licked his lips, feeling his heart race.

"And honestly, that's good enough for me." She said with a smile. "Because, whatever your past, it's the past. What happened then, doesn't matter." Izuku blinked before he stepped forward.

"That's right." Izuku admitted. "Peter-san, you've… been so amazing. Like, how the media calls you the nex-"

"Don't. Don't… finish that. Because I'm not the next All Might." Peter pleaded.

"I know; you're… not like All Might. You're..." Izuku looked up, and a big grin was on his face. "You're our friend."

He took a deep breath.

"I…" Peter admitted. "I died… once."

He watched them shuffle.

"You… died?" Momo asked.

"My heart stopped. I felt sick, as if I was… fading away." Peter uttered. "And when I woke up… everyone was gone…" He breathed. "My parents, my friends, my idol, the one who gave me the inspiration, the tools to become who I am today…" He looked up to a wide-eyed Izuku. "My All Might, to you, Midori."

He saw Izuku's eyes widen, his jaw fall.

He felt like he was going to be admonished. After all… he had a feeling Izuku knew.

Yet he felt Izuku's hand on his shoulder tighten.

"I failed… that is why I'm here…" Peter admitted.

"Peter… I will always care for you. For where you came from, for what happened…" Momo whispered, and she was so close… "We will help you, every step of the way." Izuku nodded.

Momo hugged him first followed by Izuku. Reflexively he raised his arms and hugged them back

He sniffled, his face against Momo's hair as he could smell… whatever nice shampoo she had used this morning.

"It's okay… it's going to be okay… I…" She paused, looking up with a smile as he saw tears in her eyes. And in Izuku's.

"Yeah, we…" Izuku squeezed on Peter's shoulder. "Are here."

"Ghnnngh…" Muttered a voice as Peter blinked and turned.

There in sweaty workout attire, tears on his face, was Kirishima Eijiro.

"Ace… you… you've…"

"Kirishima…" Peter uttered.

"You've been holding onto that pain… all that sorrow and… I didn't even notice it…!" He wiped his arms. "How can I be so damn blind!"

"Kirishima-san!" Momo murmured.

"How can I be as manly as Crimson Riot, a man who ensures that no one could cry…! When my best friend! My inspiration!"

"Eijiro…" Peter's heart was about to swell.

"When my friend is crying?!" The red-haired boy walked up, no, Eijiro ran forward and tackled them all in a big hug.

"My mom always said! Hugs help!" He said, hugging as tightly as he could.

"K-Kirishima-san!" Izuku exclaimed.

"So I'll hug ya! Cry on me!" His red eyes burned with overflowing tears.

Peter realized… his own eyes were wet, as were everyone else's.

'We're just a bunch of crybabies…' He thought to himself.

"You are so blessed." Karen uttered in his ear. "Peter Parker…"

"I'm grateful." Peter bowed a little at the head. "I really… I really am."

"We're here, all of us. After all… we are heroes. And heroes, sometimes… need to help each other." Momo admitted.

"After all," Izuku sniffled a bit. "This is your Hero Academia too Peter. So… let's be students, and learn together."

"Yeah! AND BE GREAT MANLY MEN!" Eijiro belted out before weeping again.

"Let's just settle for great." Momo chuckled as Peter joined her. It turned into outright laughter, and then became hysteric as everyone else soon joined in.

"Oh…." Oh man… "Jeez louise…" Peter uttered, taking a deep breath to compose himself. "What a way to start the day." He asked, smiling a bit. "I needed that laugh…"

"There are worse ways, I imagine." Momo added, chuckling a little.

"Say, Kirishima-san, what were you doing here?" Izuku asked.

"Oh uh…" Eijiro rubbed his eyes. "Was going to the showers, but decided to do a cooldown jog around the school ya know, then I saw you guys and…"

"It's fine." Peter had his hand atop Eijiro's shoulder and squeezed. "Thank you for being there for me, Eijiro."

Eijiro snuffled a little before tissue appeared from Momo's wrist. "For your nose." She offered.

"Thanks…" He blew as everyone let go of the hug and sighed.

"So…" Izuku rubbed his arm. "How did…" He looked to Peter, who nodded.

"At a park." He replied, shrugging. "After our first outing together."

"Our fi-Oh." Izuku nodded. "I see…"

He was glad he had smart classmates.

"First outing? Of what?" Eijiro asked.

Think think think, Peter. Your stupid mouth got you into this.

"Of Izuku's preference in girls." Peter spoke.

"EHHH?!" Izuku paled, Momo and Eijiro looking at him as Peter winked. "I-I mean… yes! Oh my… preference. In girls." He laughed.

"Well, that's enough to make any man a little nervous." Eijiro stated. "But hey, enough about that!" He beamed, looking at Peter. "Whatcha doing this early in the morning, Parker?"

"Doing some extra studying. Speaking of…" He looked at Momo and Izuku before clapping his hands and bowing his head a little. This was the right way to show super gratitude, right? "Can I brush up on my Kanji and Hiragana with you please? I still need work… That was the exam I barely passed…" Peter uttered.

'Just focus on school stuff. Focus on that. Not on the girl that has been with me since day one here in U.A. and the next holder of All Might's Quirk and All Might is gonna retire soon and he's his successor almost got me for being a foreign dimensional exchange student.' He thought. 'And… I'm going to need to talk to Yu, and set up that appointment. With the therapist.'

Focus on that. And everything would be peachy keen.

He smiled lightly.

"Of course we will." Momo exclaimed. "I will be happy to tutor you before class."

"Oh oh, same here! I gotta improve too!" Eijiro clapped his hands together. "I'm in your debt, Yaoyorozu-senpai!"

"I'll do what I can to help." Izuku got his phone out, and Peter got a buzz on his own phone which caused him to look down.

'Thank you. For keeping my secret safe.' Peter looked back up at Izuku, and nodded.

His phone typed itself. 'No problem. ' Good ole Karen.

"Well, then let us be off and get you both practicing in calligraphy and identification of chara-" A growling noise came off, and Momo blinked. "Acters… After breakfast." And she looked at Eijiro. "And Kirishima-san takes a shower."

"A shower? I have a man-" Eijiro paused, sniffing at his arm. "Oh. Yeah, a shower doesn't sound so bad."

Peter chuckled.

Friends. He had only a handful in his first high school.

But never friends like this.

He saw his friends walk down the hall, Momo gesturing for him to follow with a smile.

She had the prettiest eyes…

"Hey, Momo." Peter mused, the girl pausing and looking back.

"Yes?"

"This weekend… do you wanna go out for lunch?" Peter asked. "I'd say coffee but, you know me and caffeine." He shrugged, smiling bashfully. "Like that time before we went to that forest camp. I mean, if you're busy-"

"Yes." Peter blinked, the girl looking back and smiling softly. "I can find time. How about after school on Saturday?"

Going to school on Saturday… the ultimate bane of the American Student Life.

But this foreign exchange student could make an exception. "Sounds great. It's a…" Peter paused, the word 'Date' hanging as Momo blinked, then blushed as she looked away.

"Date."

Peter looked back, Momo smiling bashfully back. "It's a date."

Peter nodded dumbly.

"Yeah… let's go on a date." He said, Izuku and Kirishima looking back with wide eyes.

He had a lot to do. But for now…

These little moments… they made a hard life worth living.

Big thanks to IKnowNothing , Ld1449 , WildJoker000 Vandenbz , and Buried In Ash for thier help on here. This chapter underwent a lot of redrafting and edits, but it's here at last.

Also had help from Wr1teAn0n too in polishing up some segments too. Thanks buddy!

I can safely say we have two chapters left. The Next one and the Epilogue.

Plenty to chew on, with Peter finding his true circle of friends here in Japan, and taking a big step forward to bettering himself. And finally taking those steps to improve mentally and emotionally.

Of course, All for One dying with a smile on his face isn't promising...

Anywho, sorry for the wait. Lots of things got in the way. Creative juices imed elsewhere, and I wanted to get a big arc in HOTNW done.

Hope you all enjoyed this. And I'll see you in the next one.