Warning: NO OFFENSE IS INTENDED BY ANY OF THIS STORY'S CONTENT! The point of this story isn't to encourage racial discrimination! The plot is intended only for the purpose of a good story!

"Danny," a voice whispered. Danny Rand turned around, and he smiled sweetly at his secret lover, Ava Ayala.

Ava smiled back, sharing this stolen moment. "Meet me, tonight, at the corner store," she whispered, before turning back to go to class.

Danny sighed. He wished he could have talked to Luke, but Luke wasn't around. Besides, Midtown High might have been an integrated school, but with this government, no one could talk to anyone of a different race anymore.

"Hey Danny," a different voice called him back to reality. It was Harry Osborn.

"'Sup, man?" Danny asked, running a hand through his blond hair. It wasn't that Danny didn't have friends other than Luke. Far from it, in fact, Danny had lots of friends. It's just that Luke was his best friend. Unfortunately, Luke was of African ethnicity.

"Nothing much," Harry replied. "You?"

Danny shrugged. "This new government sucks, doesn't it?" he whispered suddenly. He was surprised to hear those words come out of his mouth. He was usually very sensible.

Harry looked around nervously. One never knew when there were cameras around.

Dr. Doom was a smart man. He had managed to overturn a democracy and take the United States back to the days before the Civil Rights Movement. He would have turned the clock back further, but the Avengers had stopped him, just in time.

"What are you talking about, man?" Harry whispered back. He glanced around with anxiety before hurrying off. "I gotta go," he told Danny.

Danny sighed again. Today, everyone was ruled by fear. There was no way to stop it. He wished it were different.

"Something wrong, Danny?" Ava asked, that night in their hiding spot. Her hoarse voice was full of concern, a feeling that rarely showed through.

Danny thought about how he and Ava were supposed to be superheroes, and yet they couldn't even save themselves from Dr. Doom's regime.

"Yeah," he murmured.

Ava glared at him for a second, wondering what was the matter with him.

Danny made his decision. He was seventeen years old, practically a man. "Will you marry me, Ava?" he said quietly.

The White Tiger stared at him. She grinned mischievously, obviously glad to be breaking Doom's segregation laws. "I thought you'd never ask, Iron Fist," she asserted.

Danny smiled. Superheroes may have been a thing of the past, but he could still be Ava's hero.