Terror.

In young May Parker's short life, she has barely been able to experiment much of the world. She was still a child; Small, weak, puny and defenseless. Marveled at the wonders of the world, and unaware of its horrors. Her parents always protected her, their friends always saved the day. - They told her.- And there was nothing to fear in this world, her mother even promised. They would always protect her from its evils.

But right now, she didn't believe so. In fact, in her childish mind, she couldn't understand anything but that simple emotion: Terror, fear. And everything around it would become her own personal image of that terror for years to come. The destroyed buildings and streets, the people running away in fear and panic. The fire, the rubble, the cracks...It would all become ingrained in her mind about this moment. As she cried with all of her might until her throat could take no more, and call for her mother and father to help her. Even if she already saw them suffer.

But above everything, what she would still remember for years to come...Was that face.

The face of death. The Red Death.

" HAHAHAHAHA! What is it? Crying for your daddy...?!"

May herself remained paralyzed. As she saw the monstrous red figure, wearing fire as some sort of cape, approach her in a slow and torturous way. Growing bigger and bigger in her impressionable eyes as she could only fall down on her rear and crawl away. The monster played with her as if feeding on her panic. May remembers that face, that smell of sulfur and brimstone as the smell of death itself. Because in that small window of her life, she felt like she was gonna die. Barely aware enough of the world, and yet sure enough that this monster was going to take her from it.

"Don't be scared, little girl. I'll promise it will be quick...Once I had-"The crazed red monster exclaimed again, in an echoing voice that made her bones shake. Yet, it suddenly stopped, his eyes opening wide for a few seconds as he looks down at his own body in some sort of confused expression. "...Heart...Failure? That's a lotta...Bad luck..."

"Get...Away...From her..." The pained voice threatened weakly. It was a woman, May knew, it was her mother. Turning rapidly to look at her. Bloodied, bruised, beaten. Felicia could barely kneel on her spot, and her mind felt about to crack when she overextended her powers so much, and even then. It was for naught.- The heart failure was almost instantly negated by the Symbiote, who forced Norman Osborn's heart to start beating again.

May cried for her mother again, to no effect. The monster now turned towards Felicia instead. "Well, if you insist...~!" It laughed again and even went to jump forward, having eschewed his former glider to get truly personal with his kills. Felicia was paralyzed by the pain and was just moments away from being on the receiving end of the red claws, was it not for a kick that caught Norman's face, seconds before it reached May's mother.

The Red Goblin was kicked to the ground away, but no damage was truly done. As he now turned to look back at his attacker, he let out another crazed, amused laugh. "Still standing, Parker...?"

May never saw her father so injured. In so much pain.

There were no quips, no jokes, no safety or reassurance. Her father simply charges savagely to fight his enemy, like a cornered animal knowing his death was close. Peter swings and punches him so hard even May could feel the ground shake and her body tremble just of how hard it was. Never before did he cut so loose with someone, but the monster was nonetheless mostly impervious. Even if it was injured? Those bruises, those traumas in its red, almost flesh-like skin healed moments after. Her father only grew more tired, and the monster continued to strike back. Even a child like her could realize he wasn't going to win like that. He needed friends, but this thing? It attacked when only a few of them were around. She saw that man who wore a costume similar to her father's being beaten. That black monster being defeated...Even that flaming man, Uncle Johnny...Even Uncle Ben. He beat them all. Only years later would she realize the kind of ambush it trapped them in, but right now, she felt alone. Defenseless.

Fortunately, she closed her eyes. She didn't need nor wanted to see how the fight went. Even if she could hear and outright feel the punches and kicks the two rivals shared against each other. But eventually, the inevitable happened. This thing, this 'Red Goblin' was dispatched her father after hitting him hard enough to send him to a nearby build him, only to trap him by using the red webbing made from its own biomass. Finally turning to look at the terrified May, who could simply not move away. Her legs did not react.

"Oh, Parker.- You have no idea how much I've been wanting to do this my whole LIFE!
DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU LOVE IN FRONT OF YOU!
BEHOLD! NORMAN OSBORN. VICTORIOUS!"

May trembled; even a kid like her could realize the sheer insanity this thing was made of. Yet, she could do nothing but crawl away in the middle of the broken street still, as the Red Goblin continues to approach, its jagged maw opening slowly. Would he eat her? She didn't know. The fear didn't let her think. The fear didn't let her do anything. The only thing she could ask, in her head, was for someone to save her: Her mother, her father, anyone. But her mother was down, her father was tied...Nobody could save her.

And then...

She did not react, at least at first, to the sudden turn of events. It happened so fast she could not react to it, and even Peter, who was suddenly free of his bindings, was barely able to keep up with it by sight alone. The Red Goblin was blown away by a single but sure hit that made him roll and crash several streets away until he extended crimson tentacles from his back to stop the momentum. May was only able to see that because afterward she was put down gently by strong, caring arms. And that was her moment her memory shifted every time she recalled the event...Because it was no longer about terror. It was about hope

"It's fine now, little girl! Hope has arrived...Because I am here!"

May could only stare, completely awestruck, at this unknown, massive blonde man that now stood over here with a confident pose and a reassuring smile. There was something different about him, something she didn't see before. Maybe it was the way he spoke, the way he reassured her and proclaimed. He didn't boast that line, he didn't fake it. He promised her. - Everything would be fine. And she only shrank in her spot, overwhelmed.

But she truly believed those words, a smile shyly drawing on her face moments after.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

The thunderous, completely enraged voice of the unholy symbiosis demanded to know. The Red Goblin made his way back to the street after making a large leap that cracked the ground underneath him. He was furious, hysterical even, breathing fire out of his hellish mouth like a rabid animal. He could not believe what just happened, he never accounted for it. Clearly, his mind was growing sloppy.

The unknown man turned, still with that confident aura, and answered without even an inch of fear in his voice.

"Me? I am just a hero from Japan who was passing by this street. You can call me...All Might!"

"YOU'LL NEVER MAKE IT BACK!"The red monster roared, it scared May once more. Sharp-edged tentacles grew from the back of that being, with his claws growing sharper as well and more fire being released. He truly looked deranged, out of his own mind. - If there was anything in that mind aside from broken madness, that is. It still terrorized the young girl, yet, the presence of the hero in front of her...It calmed her. All Might gently lowered his arm, putting it between her and the monster. He protected her, and it was the first time a hero did that for her.

"Stay back, young lady! And don't worry anymore.- You are safe now."

All Might smiled at her once more, leaving her bewildered by that same aura. She was only able to nod to him again before his expression turns more serious, even if he kept smiling. He never stopped smiling, even as he started to...Run.

But he ran faster than anyone she saw run before. Her hair waved harshly, part of her clothes waved too and was slightly torn. But she was thankfully not blown away. In the single second that took her to blink, he was already in front of the Red Goblin, and he threw another punch. - This time, an uppercut that strikes directly into his jaw, so hard once more that the windows of the store buildings around them break at that exact moment. The sheer impact was massive, but there were few people around. Only May, who saw from away as the two figures dueling against each other. The color of her skin returns, and her heart beats once more, even if she continues to shake. The sight of that hero made her feel...Different.

"May!" Peter rapidly exclaims, panting heavily due to the exhaustion and injuries. He runs to her side, grabbing the young girl and hugging her tightly before standing up. Felicia also ran to their side, having waked up moments before. The trio just hugs each other for a brief moment, almost in complete disbelief that they survived that encounter, even if it was not finished. May's parents murmured between each other, but whatever they said was something she would not remember. She didn't pay attention to it. She just hugged them...And continued to watch the fight going above the building now. There was a maniac, demonic laughter that contrasted with the boisterous and reassuring one. She would not forget either of them.

"I have to go." Her father told Felicia, who was now handling the young May. Peter stared as well, adjusting his mask if only for show.

"Do you know that guy?" Felicia then asked, staring up with May in her arms. Between confused and relieved as well.

"Hell, I wish," Peter commented and used his web to swing away rapidly, propelling himself to reach a nearby building and run over it, approaching to the fight that was now taken to the rooftops of the buildings. Even then, they could still see and feel the shock waves of that same fight. Felicia was left behind, but she could not nor did she want to take part in that fight either. She knew her limits, and someone had to take May to safety. Turning away, she starts to run off with the girl on her arms, huffing tiredly under her breath.

"It will be fine, sweetheart. I promise you." Black Cat murmurs, trying to comfort the girl who she expected to be panicking again. But she seemed...Surprisingly calm, still watching the fight before hugging her mother tightly and murmur.

"I know." May's voice was also weak, raspy due to the constant crying. Yet, even if the vestiges of fear and uncertainty were still there, there was something that reassured her nonetheless. Something she could cling to. "It will be fine. He's here."

She didn't doubt those words ever since.

May makes her way back at home. -Her new home, better said. - With a smile on her face that nothing could shake off. Her right arm still held her own basketball as she was coming back from the gym after a long evening of practice. Sports were one of the few things that allowed her to take her mind off of the pressures and excitement of her otherwise eventful life, but now she could not do that. Her other hand was holding the application paper that she just recovered from the mail, it was a notification.

The U.A Entrance Exam was in 10 months. They let her know to prepare.

How could she not be excited? She has been chasing that dream for longer than she has imagined, even if it was a hard one to follow. - Japan was certainly different than her home back in the States, and the requirements to enter as part of their exchange programs were not easy to pass. But May raced through them with a skill that surprised her peers. Her determination to get there was more than evident, and she aimed at it since at a very young age.

"That's where All Might studied? Then...I want to go there, too!"

She recalls that childish promise once she entered the elevator. Her parents probably thought she was just exaggerating, but it was far from it. With her grades? She could have gone to other schools, too. With the rise of superhuman abilities around the world, many started to follow the success of the Japanese model to install order in society. May recalls her parents talking about those older times when things people called 'Quirks' were just dangerous Mutations. It was hard to believe in her. Just imagining the Xavier Institute as anything other than America's most advanced Hero School sounded like another world. But it wasn't truly that far away. She could have gone there if she wanted, but again, that was not her desire.

She wanted to be like him, like that man that saved her so long ago. His smile still gave her the same sense of safety today as it did that many years ago. She continued to think about it, walking towards the entrance of her new department alongside the rest of her family.

May gave the door in front of her a few knocks before it was opened by an equally excited Felicia. The two women enter only for May to reach for her mother and hug her tightly, completely unable to hide her emotion over the opportunity, she exclaimed. "It's almost there! Only ten months! Oh God, where is dad? I can't wait to tell him!" May separated, staring about in search for her father.

Felicia just chuckles at that, gently caressing the brown hair of her daughter while shaking her head. "He is still working. You know how he is; he really wanted to get familiar with the city. - Though, to be honest, it's barely different from what I remember." She comments, apparently remembering something with nostalgia. May laughs at that as well, making her way through the living room towards a nearby window.

"Don't tell him, then. I want to be the one to tell him myself. - The papers say they have a Practical Exam, too. He'll have to take some time to teach me around." The girl comments, giving her mother a knowing and confident grin while she walks next to her. Felicia could see the hopeful, excited beaming in May's eyes, as she stared down without being able to hide it much. How could she not? She has been hoping for this opportunity a long time ago, and now it was in front of her, within her reach.

"You know? I know dad was sometimes a bit iffy about it, but...I am really happy you did this for me." May confesses, a bit overwhelmed by the emotion. Turning to look back at her mother, who once again just smiles back. "He is a bit of a buzzkill at times. But how could we say no to you? After everything you did?"

May's smile only grows and she turns back to her mother, wrapping her arms around her for another warm embrace that is easily returned. The girl whispers, calmly leaning to her parent with a hopeful tone as she asks. "Do you think...?"

"Are you really asking that? May, come on..." The platinum-haired woman responds, with her nails massaging the scalp of her daughter.

"You too can become a hero."

She fell down to her knees, overflowed with emotions, unable to say anything. She didn't know how to respond to such words, She really couldn't, even if she wanted to do something as simple as thanking him. Because those words were what she wanted to hear for her whole life. The knot in her throat forced the words down, but that didn't stop her eyes to suddenly get wet, and teary...Until she started to outright sob on the ground of the street.

The man said nothing. All Might just stared solemnly.

She was called Deku for most of her life, someone useless, someone unworthy. But for the first time in her lifetime, she didn't feel that way. For the first time ever, she truly felt worthy of chasing that dream.

And even with that heaviness in her chest and in her throat, even without being able to actually say it. She promised herself to not let off of that feeling, of those words coming from the man she admired the most. If he believed in her, then how could she not?

She will become a hero

End of Chapter 1.

Author Notes:

So, yeah...I wrote this.

I wasn't even sure I would write it and I still feel a bit unsure about it. As you can see, the writing fell a bit down in the last parts, but I didn't want to horribly dump too much information in the first post of something I was still afraid to post. I've been wanting to write something in the MHA setting for a long time ago, so I decided to fuse two of my favorite things and see how it goes. After reading the MC2 Spider-Girl comics, I really thought it had potential. I will also take this moment to answer a few questions:

-Why Mayday?

There is already a lot of "Spider-Man in the UA" kind of scenarios around, and I don't feel I would be able to add anything new to the formula. After reading some of the Spider-Girl comics, I realized how a lot of its themes with legacy overlap with MHA's own. So I decided to give it a shot.

-Why is Deku a woman?

To quote the Ncko-Art blog. It is something uncommon in Shounen Manga, and I felt it would be interesting to explore the dynamics of a Deku that was a girl instead of a boy. However, the character is still very much the same in its roots. It's not a cosmetic change, but it's still the same character. And not, it isn't to make some lesbian yuri ship. I promise.

-So how does this setting work?

The settings are fused. I am still writing over important details and others will appear thorough the story. But I don't want to make it an infodump either. So I'll have to be careful.

-Are other characters changed?

Well, some things are changed to fit better into the world. While Deku is not the only one who changed gender, all of the other main characters are still the same without changes. So don't worry about that one.

-This sucks.

Probably.

-Do you want Reviews?

Yes please! I love reviews of all kinds. Please, if you have doubts, thoughts or any kind of critique, I am very open to it and I encourage you to send them. I will answer them whenever I can and to the best of my abilities. I write stuff for people, after all.

Regardless. I think this extended more than I would like. I wanted to leave this ready for Christmas, and here it is. Any kind of feedback is welcomed, even if to say that I wasted your time reading this. So don't worry! Regardless, happy holidays to you all, and have an amazing next days!