Unmasked

Spider-Man, Captain Britain, and all associated character, are property of Marvel. My Hero Academia and all related characters are property of Kohei Horikoshi

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"Have no fear," Toshinori Yagi smiled widely, gesturing to himself (and maybe, maybe pushing a bit more of One for All into his body to make his cape flow with the added air pressure of his movements) as all eyes turned to him, "for I am HERE!"

"Ugh, this guy!" Shocker shouted, aiming his gauntlets above the terrified civilians and firing off twin concussive blasts at Toshinori.

"Where's Mysterio when you need him?" Vulture hissed, flying down from the ceiling and throwing dagger down at Toshinori.

The Japanese (not that many people actually knew that, what with his blonde hair, blue eyes, and lack of an accent) hero kept a smile on his face as he dodged the attacks but grimaced inwardly; his last run-in with Mysterio had been a disaster. Who knows how much damage he would have wrought were it not for—

"Guys, guys, we've been over this." Speak of the devil. Vulture and Shocker froze, the latter furiously swearing beneath his breath. Even Toshinori stopped what he was doing to scan the ceiling. Indeed, there, just above the chandelier, casually defying gravity as he sat on the ceiling, was Spider-Man. "There's a limit on withdrawals—and a tax for costumed crazies on top of that."

"Oh, c'mon!" Shocker screamed, he and Vulture immediately turning their attention and aggression towards Spider-Man, who leapt away with more snide remarks.

It was scary, Toshinori mused, how quickly the Villains in New York could fixate on a single Hero; Spider-Man, more often than not. Just…drop everything for a chance to hurt—to kill—him.

Still, Spider-Man had been in the game for a while. Toshinori had only started true heroism—well, technically vigilantism, but few people outside of Japan cared for the distinction-when he came to the United States, a few months ago. Spider-Man, from what he'd heard, had been protecting New York for at least five years. The things he could learn from the man, if only they could speak outside of 'work'.

"Shocker, Shocker, Shocker," Spider-Man chided the Villain as he corkscrewed above another blast of concentrated sound, "what are you even doing? I mean, Vulture, I get. He's old, stubborn, maybe a little senile," the elderly Villain let out something reminiscent of a squawk, throwing another volley of daggers at Spider-Man, most of which he didn't even have to dodge. "But you? You're young-ish. You have to have known that you wouldn't get away with this."

"Oh, you'd be surprised what a guy like me can get away with!" Shocker snarled, aiming his gauntlets at the ground and using the blast to hurl himself into the air. The back blast ended up knocking one of the retreating civilians off their feet, and Toshinori quickly dashed forward to grab him and clamp his hand over the man's mouth to keep the Villains focused on Spider-Man. It wasn't the most noble of actions, but he'd worked with the other Hero long enough to know that he would always put another before himself.

He led the man outside the bank, doing a headcount and nodding when he concluded that everyone had made it out safely. A cop car pulled in, and Toshinori could barely hear the words 'Spider-Man', 'New Guy' (which hurt a little, to be honest; he'd been in New York for two months now) and 'back-up'. He barely suppressed a grimace; were the police on another 'Vigilante Hunt'?. American Heroes may have a greater degree of freedom compared to Heroes from other countries, but he couldn't wait for the day when he finally returned to Japan and wouldn't have to worry about getting shot in the back by an overzealous officer.

He quickly purged such thoughts from his mind; he had to focus on the present. He reentered the bank, noting that the battle was now almost entirely being performed in midair, neither Vulture nor Shocker giving Spider-Man any opportunity to land on solid footing, Spider-Man still shooting the breeze. Still, the arachnid-themed Hero found that time to stare at Toshinori through his wide, white lenses. He just smiled wider, pushing his hands out and raising his thumbs.

Spider-Man nodded, twisting in the air and aiming his hands down to the ground. In the blink of an eye, he shot out two strands of webbing on either side of Shocker. The Villain cursed, using his gauntlets to scramble away—right into Toshinori's arms.

The Japanese Hero's smile didn't quite reach his eyes as he said, "We've got to stop meeting like this."

"Sorry, Shocker!" Toshinori and Shocker both looked up to see Vulture smash through a window and into the open air. Spider-Man made to follow, only for the Villain to come crashing back through the same window not a second later, mechanical wings sparking as he crashed to the ground.

"Better luck next time," an accented, male voice said from the window. The man floated into the bank, revealing Captain Britain, another foreign Hero that started operating in New York around the same time Toshinori did. He had an odd choice in apparel; not the outfit itself, which was a rather snazzy deep red spandex emblazoned with a golden lion that Toshinori was certain meant something British history, with miniature Union Jacks on his wrists and forehead. Really, the only odd part of his costume was the top of the mask, which was open and allowed his hair to flow free. It wasn't a bad head of hair—thick, wavy, and gleamed like gold under the right light—just a weird design choice. That and the gold mace-thing he carried around everywhere. Not that Toshinori had anything against weaponry, but the man was able to match blows with the likes of Scorpion and Rhino, so it seemed like overkill.

"Captain Britain," Spider-Man exclaimed, and Toshinori bit back a groan as he slipped into a terrible British accent, "fancy a spot of tea?"

"Stop that," the floating hero replied, but there was laughter in his voice.

"Knock me out." Toshinori blinked, looking down at the Villain (who he'd almost forgotten about) held in his grasp. "Please, I don't need to hear this." Nodding sympathetically, Toshinori put Shocker into a sleeper hold, gently placing the Villain on the ground when he finally stopped struggling. Not a second after, there was the tell-tale sound of Spider-Man's webbing, and Shocker was pulled across the floor. Toshinori blinked, looking up to see Spider-Man propping the two Villains against each other and webbing them together.

He paused as he reached their torsos, tilting his head, "I'm honestly having trouble resisting the urge to have Vulture rest his head on Shocker's shoulder. Maybe web their hands together too."

"Hey, c'mon," Captain Britain gently admonished their colleague, floating down onto the ground, "that's just mean."

"He's right, Spider-Man," Toshinori replied, walking forward to meet them. "They're already beaten, no need to humiliate them further."

"Whatever," Spider-Man replied, and though he couldn't see it, Toshinori was sure the man was rolling his eyes. Still, he webbed the Villains up in a normal, non-humiliating (well, not quite, it was still pretty bad) manner.

Before Toshinori could even think about making more small talk, his phone went off. He reached into his pocket (sown on the outer left thigh of his suit) and upon seeing the name of his close friend—David Shield—answered it.

"Nah, it's cool. Not like there's anyone else here."

"Must be a girl. Only reason to ignore people like us."

Toshinori ignored the painless barbs, and Spider-Man and Captain Britain's subsequent conversation. "Hello?" he said into the phone.

"Toshi," David said, voice urgent, "I was scanning police frequencies. Someone issued the use of lethal force in capturing Spider-Man. You've got to move!"

"Wha—why?" It was a stupid question; the mafia and other criminal syndicates still had a noticeable hold on American society. Toshi had yet to directly experience it himself (and if he ever came out as both Japanese and affiliated with Gran Torino while in New York, he was certain he would be left alone for fear of an international incident), but Spider-Man had frequently interfered with those circles and was often the subject of legalized manhunts.

"Who cares?! You two—"

"Three," Toshinori automatically answered, "Capta—"

"Move it!"

Toshinori ended the call, frowning at the other heroes. "The police—" He'd barely said that before Spider-Man leapt over their heads, swinging out the broken window. He and Captain Britain stared after the man for a moment, before Toshinori said, "We should go too. They've authorized lethal force against Spider-Man."

"Again?" Captain Britain, groaned rising into the air, "What did he do this time?"

"I'm sure we'll find out," Toshinori chuckled grimly, crouching low, One for All coursing through his body. Then, he released, zooming into the open air, Captain Britain not far behind.

"There!" someone below them shouted.

"That's not Spider-Man!"

"All those costumed freaks know each other; take'em down!" Toshinori gasped, flailing in the air as bullets whizzed past him. They were shooting at him! Why were—well, he knew the answer to that question.

Could he withstand gunfire? He knew, with One for All pulsing through his body, knives and shoddily made weapons would break across his skin (it would still tear-up his costume, though, so he tried not to get hit anyway). But bullets? He wasn't sure, and he wasn't eager to test it out.

Not that he had much choice, as a bullet flew across temple, splattering blood across his face and sending him spiraling to the ground. At least until he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his waist, hoisting him higher into the air.

"Shit!" Captain Britain shouted, zooming away from the police and landing on a rooftop several blocks away. "Shit, shit, shit!" he set Toshinori against an AC unit, squatting over him, "Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"M'fine," Toshinori slurred, ears ringing and head throbbing. He could still talk, that was a good sign, right?

"Oh my god!" The two heroes turned—Captain Britain more sharply than himself—at the voice to see Spider-Man leap down from a higher rooftop. "I can't believe they shot you!"

"Yeah, what the hell was that about?!" Captain Britain snarled, rising to his feet and stomping forward. "Why would the cops want to shoot at you? At us?" Toshinori had similar questions but was more concerned with the blood starting to seep into his left eye.

"Easy, easy!" Spider-Man replied, holding his hands up but standing his ground. "It's just…I may or may not have…accidently…broken into a one of Kingpin's lawyers' offices."

"…What?"

"Look, when you see a bunch of guys in wetsuits wielding machine guns rappel down a skyscraper, you don't really ask a lot of questions."

Spider-Man further explained the circumstances behind the Kingpin's latest grudge against him, but now the blood was starting to drop down Toshinori's chin onto his costume, so he tuned the other hero out.

He didn't think it was fatal, he didn't hear (or feel) his skull breaking. Still, the injury would need heavy stitches, and probably leave a nasty scar. That wouldn't do, he had an image to maintain (well, establish). Can't exactly lead Japan to a brighter future if everyone cringed when they looked at you. Was that vain? He hoped not. He'd heard the stories; Heroes that focused on their image and reputation instead of—

He cut himself off with a low growl; focus, Toshinori! More than potential vanity, there was still the matter of the gaping bloody wound on his head. He screwed his eyes shut; he could take this as a learning opportunity. Sure, Spider-Man and Captain Britain would be able to help him now. But in the future? When he was out patrolling the streets alone?

He focused on the skills he had on hand; the ability to sew clothing could be easily, if crudely, translated to stitching wounds, but on himself? Of course, before today he hadn't really gotten injured in such ways (memories of Gran Torino's brutal training quickly bubbled to the surface of his mind, but he shoved those back down to the recesses of his mind). One for All offered him protection from such things; strengthened his body's physical properties. On top of a bunch of other physiological benefits, like a resistance to toxins and the ability to burn through fat like a—

He gasped; could it be so simple? One for All assisted him with other bodily functions, could it be used for healing as well? Only one way to find out.

He sat up straighter, slowing his breathing and focusing on his inherited Quirk and the injury on his head. He could feel the power coursing through his veins, lightning shooting through his nerves.

"…we can parse out how I can get back in the police's good graces—again—later, Captain Tea-Time. Right now, we need to focus on All Might and his bleeding head wou—where'd it go?"

Captain Britain made some sort of questioning grunt, leaning over Toshinori. "What in the…" he carefully wiped away the blood, and Toshinori grinned widely at the lack of pain over the contact. "It's healed!"

"Man," Spider-Man scoffed, "you certainly won the superpower lottery—why are you smoking?" Toshinori blinked, looking down at his body to see steam wafting up in the air. He sucked in a breath; he normally had greater control over his form than this. Must have been his newfound healing application of One for All's powers.

He sprang to his feet, starling the other two Heroes. "My apologies," he said turning away, "but I must get going. Thanks for the save, Captain. Good luck with the whole false accusation thing, Spider-Man."

"Woah now!" Toshinori blinked, stepping back as Spider-Man suddenly appeared in front of him (he was always faster than you'd think), arms spread wide. "You're literally smoking. We gotta get you to a doctor." He looked over his shoulder, "Chinatown's a couple miles away, can get you over to Night Nurse in five minutes, tops."

"I can cut that in half," Captain Britain added, clapping a hand on Toshinor's shoulder.

"Gentlemen," Toshinori smiled widely, but it was tense, and he could feel his muscles pulse as One for All started to enter it's forced dormant phase. He had to leave. "Really, I'm fine—guh!" Too late.

Steam erupted from his body, forcing Captain Britain and Spider-Man back with startled cries. In the panic, Toshinori thought about making a run for it; but Spider-Man had webs and Captain Britain could fly. It would be a very short run.

Thus, he was resigned to stay put, his body mass shrinking, his costume hanging loosely on his body. He finally looked up when he heard the other two Heroes suck in breaths. "Uh…hey," he coughed (it was always harder to mask his accent in his normal form), "how's, uh, how's it going?"

"Good god!" Captain Britain exclaimed, "You're—" he made a noise in the back of his throat, clamping his hand over his mouth. Toshinori furrowed his brow; he and Captain Britain knew each other as Civilians? Who could—and then it clicked. The build, the accent, the timing, the hair.

He sprang back, pointing his index finger at Brian Braddock, "You're—!" he then clamped his hand over his own mouth.

"…So," Spider-Man drawled, "I take it you two know each other?" Toshinori and Brian—hands still held firmly over their mouths—nodded minutely. What were the odds? That two Heroes would both travel to America, enroll in Empire State University, and live down the hall from one another? How had it only taken him until now to figure it out?

"Okay…" Spider-Man trailed off, rubbing his shoulders, "this seems very much like a 'you' problem, so I'm just gonna head out."

"W-Wait!" Toshinori leapt forward, grabbing onto Spider-Man's arm. The Hero stopped, looking at Toshinori with what was no doubt an expectant brow. "Er…you won't, tell anyone, right?"

Spider-Man scoffed, "Who do you—I've been in this game a lot longer than you two blonde bozos, I know the value of a secret ID."

"'Blonde bozos'?" Brian repeated, offended and curious. Toshinori agreed with the sentiment, only to pause; he'd heard that particular phrase before (albeit in much more light-hearted contexts). But only one person ever said it, and as far as he was aware, only to Brian and himself...

"…Oh, no way," Brian whispered, no doubt coming to the same conclusion Toshinori had.

A conclusion Spider-Man also reached, given the way he slumped and said, "Aw, crap." He then shrugged Toshinori off, crossing his arms with a huff, "For the record, I blame you two. I swear I lose brain cells by proximity alone."

"P-Pe—" Toshinori began, only to get cut off as a glob of webbing covered his mouth.

"Quiet!" Peter Parker hissed. "You don't just blurt out secret identities in public!"

"…We're on a rooftop," Brian lamely defended.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," Peter groused. He then looked back to Toshinori, "Listen, before we figure all," he gestured wildly in the air, "this out, I'm still taking you to Night Nurse. That steam thing—"

"Mmhm memhme," Toshinori tried to say, momentarily forgetting about the webs gluing his mouth shut. Peter offered a short apology, pulling out a spray bottle from his belt (how long had he had that) and dissolving the webbing. "Thank you. It's normal when I change forms rapidly." He bit his lip, "Never happened so like that, though."

"So, you still need to go," Brian said sternly, finally shaking off the shock of their recent, unintended revelations.

"Listen," Toshinori returned his attention to Spider-Man, "you can trust Night Nurse with your ID. But you said that you can change forms, so…" he trailed off.

"Oh, right." Toshinori nodded, "Give me a second." He stepped back, taking a deep breath. In an instant, his body bulked up, and he was satisfied that nothing seemed out of whack for now. "Okay, let's go."

"Man," Peter chuckled, nodding at Brian, "you could learn a thing or two about accents."

He blinked, "What do you mean?"

Peter gestured to Toshinori, "He actually loses the accent when he puts on his duds." Toshinori nodded along with Peter's words.

"I change up my accent!" Brian said, offended.

"No, you don't."

"Yes I do! This is how I sound in costume." He cleared his throat, "And this is my normal voice." Peter and Toshinori exchanged a look, before sadly shaking their heads. "Ugh," Brian spat, "Americans."

"You're only half right," Peter snarked back, "or, three-quarters?" he directed the question to Toshinori, who laughed, shaking his head. "Really?" A nod. "Weird, what the American poster-child thing you've got going on."

"Should have seen me back home," Toshinori replied, "Got a lot of chocolate on Valentine's day for my looks alone."

"Ooh, lucky you!" Brian sniped, rising a few feet off the ground.

"Maybe he does need medical attention," Peter sniffed, shooting off a cord of webbing, "a head that swelled can't be healthy."

Toshinori laughed, crouching low and rocketing off into the sky as Brian and Peter flew or swung alongside him. He wasn't sure what was going to happen next (in fact, his entire world had been turned upside down), but with those two at his side, it couldn't be all that bad.

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A/N: This is something that's been bouncing around my head for the past…while. Ever since I found out the Toshinori spent his early career in the U.S. Fun fact, Peter Parker and Brian Braddock shared a dorm at ESU (until Brian got homesick and turned to drink and a bunch of other comic book shenanigans). I've got a so many little stories in my head, and what might be an actual main plot. But that's all for the future. Maybe. Be sure to leave a review. Later.