New York City. The City that never sleeps. The Big Apple. Mm. Apples. You could go for an apple right about now. When was the last time you ate again? Oh. Sorry. Getting sidetracked before the story even starts. Anyhow, New York City. The only home you've ever known. All your life you've been trapped in the endless maze of tall buildings. You've seen it all. Homeless, thugs, rats robbing people. Honestly the last one is a tad bit more impressive than the other two.

You've been on your own for as long as you could remember. The alleys became your bedroom, the streets were your playground, and rooftops were your living room. Sure you had to fight to survive almost every single waking day of your existence, but it was nice to have the kind of freedom you had.

Hell's Kitchen was off limits though. You learned that after witnessing a blind guy beat up some asshole at a cafe.

Sure life wasn't perfect, you were prefer to have a home with a loving family, but it was yours and you loved it. Hell, you had front row seats to every super-powered battle in town! The police would try to get everyone to leave but you just took to the roofs to watch. You've seen it all at this point. Alien invasion, civil wars, imposters, even a wizard. That was weird. You had to recall if you did LSD that morning when you saw everything get shifted around.

Needless to say, you were having the time of your life. This didn't come without it's fair share of difficulties however. Hunger was at the top of that list for most of the year while staying warm was an issue during winter. Police were always looking to take you down as well since you were a minor on the streets and whatnot. Then there were the thugs who would always try to rob you when you had nothing. By all means, you should be dead.

You've never been to school, never had any meaningful relationship, never felt a parent's warmth, and never had any friends. Well, there was one. The old man who taught you everything you knew. He called himself the Creator. You called him Old Man.

The Old Man was the only one to really look out for you even when you didn't want him to. He would sacrifice half his food just make sure you would eat, would give you his coat during winter, and even taught you how to fight. He a old WWII vet who had ended up getting the shit end of the stick. Poor guy. He did give you the best advice you've ever been given however.

You had been practicing on a roof at the age of 13 with him watching. You were trying to keep yourself up with one arm like he had showed you. You were getting a hang of it until you found yourself falling face first into the gravel. You stood up frustrated and ended up almost punching a nearby water tower. Old Man stopped you before you could.

Creator: Are you giving up?

You looked at him unamused. You knew the answer.

Y/N: No.

Creator: Then don't go loosing your temper. Your anger will do things to you that you will regret.

You sighed and returned to the vent you were practicing on. You tried to get back on your hands but found it difficult to. You let out a frustrated cry and slammed your fists down onto the metal.

Y/N: We've been at this all day! Why can't I get it? Why is it so hard?!

The Old Man just smiled before walking to you. He took a seat on the vent and looked up at the sky.

Creator: You see kid, it's not about rather it's easy or hard. It's about rather or not you're willing to push yourself to do it.

He then looked down at the streets below.

Creator: You want to know what separates a Hero from a Villain?

What was he on about?

Creator: A Hero helps people even though it's hard to. A Villain hurts others because it's easy.

He then looked at you with that warm smile.

Creator: You would make a great Hero.

Y/N: I can't even do a handstand. How am I supposed to be a Hero?

Creator: It's not what you can do that makes you one. It's what you're willing to do that makes you a true Hero.

Y/N: That's easy for you to say. You're already a Hero.

The Old Man laughed.

Creator: Would you like to be a Hero like me?

You nodded. Suddenly your hair was getting ruffled much to your annoyance.

Creator: Then don't give up.

He unfortunately passed away two years later. He taught you everything he knew hoping that you would survive. He helped you way more than he would ever know. He left you with two things. One was his knowledge, and the other was a red scarf. His last attempt to keep you warm in the winter.

That was a year ago. It was rough.

Ever since you've been moving around New York without a vision. If you weren't sneaking into clubs for a quick drink, you were off fighting thugs for their money. You had fought with yourself often to retain your beliefs. The Old Man didn't teach you his lessons for nothing after all. 16 years old, you think, and you still haven't done anything worthwhile with your life.

Today was different however. Today was the day your destiny began.

It was just another Tuesday when you found yourself walking down the street. It was warm out yet you wore the scarf around your neck regardless. You also wore a plain white tee with a pair of old jeans and shoes that were two sizes too small. You kept your hands in your pockets out of fear that someone may try to pickpocket you for what little you had. The sky was clear and the streets weren't as packed as normal. A perfect day.

Until you heard a loud crash and spotted a car flying in the air about a block away.

Y/N: I thought I was in Brooklyn.

Excitement came over you and you pushed your way through the crowds to catch a glimpse of the action. You wondered who was fighting today. Spider-Man? Iron Man?

Y/N: Oh. It's just Captain America.

You watched as he threw his shield at his opponent.

Y/N: Who the hell are they?!

Y/N: Four against one? That seems unfair.

You watched as Cap's shield was caught by the man in green who laughed.

Wrecker: Nice try Captain but we're not going to let you stop us. That building is going down!

You watched the fight from a nearby spot with excitement. You haven't seen these guys in a while so it took you bit to realize that they were the Wrecking Crew.

Bulldozer: Let's take him down boys!

He rushed Cap who was quick to dodge by rolling out of the way. Cap leaped towards his discarded shield and braced himself for another hit. Piledriver slammed his fists on the shield leaving him open for a punch in the gut.

Y/N: Oh! That's gonna hurt.

Cap swipped the feet and threw his shield in the process right towards Bulldozer. It hit it's mark but left Cap unarmed. Thunderball swung his wrecking ball around before throwing it. Cap spotted it and leaped out of the way allowing the ball to crash into the street. Cap moved to attack him but was caught by the leg and was flung away.

Y/N: This isn't looking good.

You spotted his shield on the ground still and wondered why he wasn't trying to get it. Well, it doesn't look like he could. Wrecker swung his crowbar right into the Captain's jaw. Blood sprayed on the cement as Cap collapsed. You suddenly began to grew worried. He shouldn't be struggling so much. You looked around and realized that there was no one else around to help.

Cap was kicked but Wrecker which caused him to roll a bit away. He tries to pick himself back up but he was suddenly coughing.

Y/N: Is he sick?

You watched as the four men all approached the weakened Cap.

Y/N: Why isn't he getting up? What the hell is going on here?

You didn't even think, you just moved. You found the shield and mentally scolded yourself as you stepped forward. You then threw the shield with all your might. To your amazement, the shield flew through the sky with such force that it had slammed into Bulldozer's helmet, causing it to crack.

Thunderball: Who was that?

The group of thugs turned to spot you standing there with wide eyes. How did you do that? You weren't that strong. Cap looked at you through the Wrecker's legs.

Cap: Get out of here!

You wish you could. Really. You were held into place by the pure fear of getting caught by the giant men. Bulldozer stood back up and looked at you with a very pissed off expression.

Bulldozer: You're dead!

You suddenly found yourself getting charged at by the Bulldozer. Well, it was nice while it lasted.

No.

This wasn't the end. You refused to die here. You were not going to die after everything the Old Man had taught you. To hell with that!

When the Bulldozer got close enough, you found yourself feeling a odd sensation in your body. You were suddenly swinging your right fist right into the helmet. To everyone's surprise the Bulldozer found himself on the ground once again, unconscious. A large dent was now visible in the metal. Your hand didn't even hurt.

Y/N: What the hell is going on?

You looked down at your hand but nothing was out of the ordinary. You've been in fights before but this has never happened. You've never felt this kind of strength before. You looked up and found the three remaining criminals looking at you. You took a deep breath before raising your fists for a fight.

Y/N: Guess I'm doing this.

Thunderball was the next to attack. He swung his wrecking ball before throwing it right towards you. You ended up ducking under the metal ball after feeling that sensation again and began to dash towards them. Thunderball brought his ball back and tried to swing it right back at you. You decided to test something out by letting the ball pass you before you kicked the chain. The ball reacted to the kick by swinging right back around right at Thunderball.

Two down, two to go. Piledriver moved to attack but you ended up delivering a fast uppercut which knocked him out. That just left Wrecker.

Wrecker: Who the hell are you?

You just shrugged before giving him a round house kick.

Y/N: Holy shit! I've never done something that cool before.

Cap wiped the blood from his mouth has police sirens filled the air. Time to go. You looked around and spotted an alley way that could work for cover. You moved to leave but Cap grabbed your leg.

Cap: Where are you going?

Y/N: Kinda an orphan that needs to get away. Good work Cap!

You broke free from his grip and ran towards the alley where you disappeared.
----------
Night had finally fallen and you found yourself sitting on top of a water tower. It was a bit nippy but you were used to it. Today had been a weird day. What did you do? How did you do it?

A lot of questions flashes through your mind as you thought back to the fight. Why did you even jump in. It was Captain America! Surely he could've handled it. So why didn't he? He wasn't fighting like he usual did. Maybe he was tired or something? He was getting old. Maybe his body was finally catching up to him.

You let out a sigh and laid down against the cold metal and watched the night sky. The blank, black sky was something you were used to seeing. You've actually never seen real stars before. That was something on your bucket list. The Old Man had told you about them and how he would watch them while he was in the trenches.

You suddenly sat up when you felt something in your body go crazy. You looked around but found nothing. Why were you suddenly worried? Scratch that. Why was your body freaking out? Was it something to do about that crazy strength? What the hell was going on?

???: Hey kid, you know it's dangerous to be up this high?

You stood up and soun around to spot whoever was talking to you.

Spider-Man: Careful. You don't want to fall.

And your day gets weirder. Was that weird feeling because of him?

Y/N: What do you want?

Spider-Man jumped down from the wall he was sticking to and walked over to the water tower. He leaped up and landed across from you.

Spidey: Cap told us about you. Said I would recognize the scarf.

That made sense. Who else was wearing a dirty red scarf in New York during the summer?

Y/N: So, why are you all looking for me?

Spidey moved next to you and sat down. He looked at you and signaled for you to sit down as well.

Spidey: Cap said that you told him you were an orphan. A super powered orphan. After what you did today, a lot of people will be looking for you.

You groaned once you finally realized what you did. That would mean that you were going to have to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life. You didn't even know you had powers! You still didn't know what they were! You were strong and your body felt weird. This was just getting more and more frustrating.

Y/N: So what now?

Spidey: Well you got two options. One, you come with me and we'll figure this out together. I happen to know some people who can help you with all of this.

Y/N: And the second?

Spidey: I pretend I never found you and let you continue with your life.

You debated the options in you head. One was definitely better than the other and would most likely give you the answers you were looking for. Then again that would mean you would most likely have to go through some tests. Yeah maybe this wasn't so easy.

Y/N: What would I be doing if I go with you?

Spidey: Mostly trying to figure out what your powers are and how to use them for good. Stuff like that.

Y/N: Like a Hero?

Spidey nodded. A Hero. You could be a Hero. Just like the Old Man.

It's not what you can do that makes you one. It's what you're willing to do that makes you a true Hero.

Y/N: Alright. Not like I got anything else.

Spidey stood up and held his hand out.

Spidey: Good to hear. I've got a lot of people who are going to take a liking to you.

You looked at his hand for a moment before taking it.

It's time for your story to start.