CHAPTER 4: THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

Remnant, System Unknown

Kingdom of Vale

Stark Residence

April 27th, 56 AGW

"Welcome back to the Vale News Network. My name is Diamond Skylar and the big story right now is the latest press release from Stark Industries. Today, CEO Tony Stark took to the stands and addressed criticisms and complaints levelled against him in regards to his acceptance of Faunus employees in spite of the continued contention and heightened hostilities between Faunus and Humans. The self-proclaimed genius made his stance on the issue very clear and left little room for any debate."

"Let's see how good I look on that screen." Tony said to himself while watching himself, evaluating his own speech. His face appeared on the screen. He was quite the handsome man, not to toot his own horn. Actually, he was doing just that because he was just that good-looking. Anyway, getting back to the speech...

"You know, I've done my research on the Faunus and listened to people who love to complain about them and you know what? I'm calling bullshit on all of it because that's exactly what it is. All of the stupid and nonsensical reasoning is just mind-boggling really. I worked all the problems out in a few minutes.

"Faunus are lower than Humans? Not buying it considering the fact that there are people in the world with a Human parent and a Faunus Parent. What are you gonna tell those kids with a mommy or daddy that'a a Faunus? And don't get me started on the blood purity spiel. I've heard it before a million times. That's a notion whose time has long since passed. What does it matter as long as both parties want it?

"Next up, Faunus don't deserve the same rights as Humans. On what grounds are we talking here? That they're animals? Oh wait, that doesn't exactly hold up because if we can make babies together, then we're all animals by that logic. Oh, by the way, don't do the deed with any real animals. That's just weird and you should forget this part of the speech.

"What's next? Ah, Faunus and Humans will never get along. Do you guys remember that war that happened some fifty-plus years ago? I can't seem to remember what it's called. I think it's called the Ungreat War and this is probably wrong, but I think it involved all people from all places in the world. And when the Grimm attacks increased and ceasefires happened, Humans and Faunus came together. Oh and don't forget about the Faunus Rights Revolution. C'mon guys, take the loss like a champ and move on. Nobody cares that your pride was hurt, at least I don't.

"And the crux of the argument. This one was so funny that I almost forgot to laugh. The Faunus were slaves in the past. People say that and I ask them to get to the point. The only thing the idiots can say is that that's how things use to be. I say to them this: it's illegal, it's barbaric, and it's just plain wrong. Let's not forget that slavery included Humans too and remember that we're all the same. And this is the present, not the past, so get with the program.

"I could go on and on, but you get where I'm going. Point is, I don't care whether you're Human or Faunus, man or woman, old or young, none of that matters to me. When you come into an interview for Stark Industries, I'm only going to ask you one single question: why should I hire you? All the applicant needs to do is prove that they're worth their weight. That's it and I'm sticking by those words.

"One other thing. I don't know about the loose screws that some of you have in your skulls, but how can you not appreciate these Faunus beauties? I mean, how can anyone disrespect the bunny ears? Also, cat ears. That's all I need to say. Cat ears.

"So I hope that I managed to shut up the critics and pound some sense into their heads. Honestly, I don't know how some people do it, but I want no part in their shitty excuses. Find some other dumbass to preach to. I think… that's all I wanted to say. And don't go trying to analyze my words for greater meaning. What you heard is what you get, end of story. If anyone asks me these questions again, I'm gonna say the same thing like a broken audio file."

"Maybe a few less swear words, but man I am one sexy beast." Tony congratulated himself. "We're probably gonna lose out on some deals now, but we'll get through it."

The young Stark knew that his highly-controversial words would no doubt affect how the public viewed him and he had taken measures to ensure that he would have enough funds and resources and reputation to whether out any storm. He expected a ton of threats and whatnot to come his way. He had undoubtedly hurt a lot of pride and fueled plenty of hatred, but again, that was to be expected. At the end of the day, he would thrive. He was playing a long game after all and his genius was almost never wrong, at least that's what he said mentally. If anyone asked, he would say he was never wrong period.

"The Council of Vale, despite the crass nature of Stark's words, will continue its relationship with Stark Industries. Contracts have been finalized are set to take anywhere from one year to as long as a decade-"

Tony switched off the screen and sat down on his couch. Pretty much everything that had happened was within acceptable parameters and even if things hadn't gone so smoothly, it would've been easy to find another way. It was actually kind of amazing that fortune favored him this day. Even with his genius-level intelligence, there were some things in the world that he couldn't predict or anticipate. As much as he could prepare for almost anything, there was always that one time out of a thousand times that he wouldn't be able to see at all. Well, it hadn't happened to him at all, so as far as he was concerned, that saying was little more than his enemies being hopeful.

Yes, the young engineer had garnered plenty of attention and he knew that he was likely to become the subject of much distaste and hatred. Being who he was and dealing in the business that he did, he would be surprised if he didn't have a target painted on the back of his head. In fact, the dangers of being targeted on Remnant were magnitudes greater than on Earth. This world was in a constant state of warring. Whether it be between the four kingdoms or against the Grimm, there was a never a true state of peace.

With his own well-being in mind, Tony had begun to make inquiries for the services of bodyguards, but he had also done some research into the types of dangers that were most common in the world. So far, based on what he was getting, people in this world were considerably more capable at fighting. That applied to both the legal and illegal side of things. To that end, the questionability of bodyguards was understandable. It would be better to employ the services of more competent protection.

That was where huntsmen and huntresses came in. Even if their primary purpose was to kill Grimm, they were also just as capable of taking on different kinds of jobs and missions that made use of their unique skills and abilities. Bodyguard positions were not uncommon among graduates. It was times like this that the businessman decided that having a connection with Beacon Academy was useful. Now he knew how to best use that internship opportunity he had brought up a month ago. He could use this as a way to make Ozpin owe him a favor or two. It never hurt to have people be indebted to himself.

It would also be a good opportunity to test the waters in terms of how he could make a killing by doing business with huntsmen. He could figure out what exactly they needed for their weapons, field equipment, and other odds and ends. Good old Jacque Schnee might dominate the dust market, but he knew that in terms of competition for huntsmen weapons, there were very few competitors that had a reach in all the kingdoms. For the most part, the market was comprised of small businesses with specialities. If he could harness all of these smaller businesses, he could create the golden standard.

Tony ran a hand through his hair, shaking himself awake from all of these jumbled thoughts of his business. He had plenty of ideas as to how to make these things happen, but until he jotted them down and began working on the details, these ideas were little more than thoughts. Besides, he already had his hands full hammering out all of the newest weapon shipments to the Council of Vale. Just this week, they had requested a shipment of 120 Yaeger Mark I missiles. The cost for a single missile was about 557,000 lien each. The factories he had recently purchases were in total overdrive trying to fulfill this order.

It wouldn't be long before he was selling to all the kingdoms on Remnant. Give it ten years and he would be king of the weapon kingdom.

Are you smiling now, dad? Tony's thoughts drifted to his father. Are you proud of me?

Iron Man - - - RWBY

Remnant, System Unknown

Kingdom of Vale

Beacon Academy, City of Vale

April 29th, 56 AGW

"Professor Ozpin?" Summer fidged a bit while standing. "Are... we in trouble?"

"Not at all, Miss Rose." Ozpin dismissed her words. "This is about something else."

"Oh, thank the Gods." Summer's tension lessened and she slumped her head. "I seriously thought we were going to be lectured."

"I swear, banging my head against a wall is better for my health." Qrow grumbled lowly. "Another word from Port and I'll throttle him."

"Why stop there?" Raven grinned savagely. "Why don't we just kill him?"

"I can't tell if you're joking or if you're serious." Taiyang chuckled weakly.

"Ahem." Ozpin cleared his throat to get Team STRQ's attention.

"Oh, sorry professor!" Summer glared lightly at her teammates to shut them up. "What are we here for?"

Ozpin regarded each of them. Summer Rose, Taiyang Xiao Long, Raven Branwen, and Qrow Branwen. All of them were exceptional students and together, they had proven to be nothing short of stellar. As such, he often assigned them to missions usually reserved for the more senior students as well as turning a blind eye to some of their mistakes and pitfalls. Some of the staff at Beacon were critical of this preferential treatment, but he had his reasons and not all of those reasons were out of charity or the goodness of his heart, although quite a few were.

Today was another of those special missions.

"Are you all familiar with Stark Industries?" Ozpin posed a question first.

"Familiar?!" Summer looked a child in a candy store. "I keep up on all the latest news! It's like KA-BOOM! And then KA-POW! I'm all like WHOA, BIG EXPLOSIONS!"

"The name Stark's all over the news." Taiyang nodded as he recounted his knowledge. "Pretty much the major talk of the school and Vale."

"Eh, it's whatever, I don't care." Qrow just huffed. "It's just a guy that makes really big explosions and gets rich doing it. Plus, he's using our name. Not cool."

"Truly, it's not all that impressive." Raven looked bored as she crossed her arms. "We've been there and done that."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, little bird." Tony's voice cut in. "Any idiot can rig an explosive. What I'm creating is controlled mass destruction. Big difference there."

From the shadows came the man in question dressed in a black suit and tie coupled with a grey dress shirt. His eyes hid behind a black pair of shades and his hair was combed neatly with only a slight bang draping over the left front of his face. His posture was straight yet very relaxed at the same time, a combination of serious and calm. Ozpin could only shake his head at Tony's antics. Glancing back to his students, he noticed a varying amount of faces. Summer looked shocked. Taiyang appeared surprised. Raven looked inscrutable. Qrow just looked demure as usual.

"As for you, scarecrow." Tony pointed to the Q of STRQ. "You aren't rich, so you aren't entitled to an opinion about rich people."

"Hmph." Qrow scoffed.

"And good to know that I've become famous, blondie." Next the weapons developer pointed to boy being specified. "Or infamous, I honestly don't know. Which is more likely?"

"Um, I think the second one." Taiyang answered somewhat unsure. "I mean, we're talking about weapons, after all and they're meant to hurt people... or kill them."

"Good point." Tony nodded. "And you, short stack."

"M-me?" Summer pointed to herself, then looked to her teammates, who gave her varying body gestures.

"Yeah, you." Tony affirmed. "I've got many fangirls, but you might be a one-of-a-kind fangirl."

"Pinch me now." Summer said to no one in particular. "Tony Stark is talking to me and he called me a one-of-a-kind fangirl."

"Got it." Raven pinched her leader's cheek.

"Ow!" Summer jumped. "That hurt!"

"You said to pinch you." Raven stepped back with a wicked look. "I am merely following your orders."

"Qrow, Raven's bullying me!" Summer complained. "Stop her!"

"Summer just told me to stop you." Qrow approached his twin. "And I'm following orders too."

"One more step, little brother." Raven threatened. "I dare you."

"Guys, c'mon!" Taiyang forced himself between them. "We're in the middle of an important meeting."

Both black-haired, red-eyed teens stared each other down for a moment more before backing off for the time being and returning to the matter at hand. The two older men in the room regarded them with strange looks.

"You weren't kidding when you said they were a handful." Tony let out a loud breath. "Are we sure they're not high or taking shots?"

"As far as I know, they are perfectly healthy." Ozpin played along. "Although I have not actually done any tests recently."

"No, we're fine!" Summer declared loudly, then switched gears. "Anyway, i-it's an honor, M-mister Stark! I'm a weapon e-enthusiast. Could we trade i-information, weapon-maker to weapon-maker? Maybe? Pretty please?"

The way that Miss Rose stuttered was amusing to watch for the headmaster of Beacon. The young girl was such an awkward and unbalanced conversationalist, but a genuine one nonetheless, something he admired and respected.

"You don't strike me as a weapons enthusiast." Tony looked her up and down.

"What's not to like about them?!" Summer became more animated. "I mean, the sophistication behind it. Are you using some kind of detection system in the dust to react to Grimm?"

"Close, but not quite." Tony seemed only very interested in talking about this topic. "It's more like I've mixed a tiny bit of Grimm composition into my dust formula to create a reaction. Once the dust mixture touches any part of a Grimm, the dust will be triggered and act accordingly."

"But to be able to program dust to respond only to Grimm." Summer was only more fascinated. "You had to have obtained a sample of Grimm biology to do that."

"And I did." Tony freely admitted. "Grimm biology isn't hard to understand. It's actually fundamentally simple. They're comprised of an unstable structure that can actually be broken pretty easily. When they die, the molecular structure breaks apart almost instantly. All I needed to do was exploit their flawed composition."

"OH! Can I know the secret?!" Summer clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture. "I'd love to see if I can apply this stuff to my combat style!"

"Normally, I'm not in the market to give out free info." Despite his words, Tony looked impressed. "But since you asked so nicely, I'll make an exception for you, little woman."

"I'm not little!" The leader of Team STRQ stamped her right foot. "I drink milk!"

"Uh huh." The genius appeared unconvinced.

"Can we get on with this?" Raven interjected. "I would prefer not to hear nerds talk about nonsensical things?"

"Okay, first of all, only smart people can understand our language." The Stark's head tilted towards the black-haired girl. "So your opinion is terrible, like your brother's."

"Yeah!" Summer pumped a fist in the air.

"Summer." Qrow grilled. "Do you mind?"

"Second, I'm the one giving you guys a sneak peak into Stark Industries going-ons." The CEO concluded. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Mister Stark is currently in the prototype phase of a new weapon and he specifically asked for assistance in regards to a field test." Ozpin found his moment to break up the banter. "Thus, the reason I've called Team STRQ here."

"Professor, you don't mean…" Summer seemed hardly able to contain herself. "We're going to-"

"Yes, Miss Rose." The wizard nodded his head. "We are giving you all an opportunity to help with that test. This will be designated as an official mission and you will be given credit as such."

"Of course we're gonna do this!" Summer volunteered her entire team without a moment of thought. "Team STRQ will take this mission with all of our might!"

"We didn't even talk about it." Qrow groaned.

"As leader of this team, I override all of you by default." Summer countered "So there!"

"Don't even bother." Raven put a hand to her face. "It's not worth the energy."

"Well, never a boring day." Taiyang tried to see the silver lining.

Tony tilted his head. "I like this crew, even if they are of a questionable mental state."

"They are currently the best of the first years." Ozpin said. "I have no doubt that their performance will be excellent."

The headmaster had seen many students come and go from Beacon Academy. Team STRQ was not necessarily his absolute favorite, but all the same they were a group he intended to keep an eye on in the future. They all had unique skills, personalities, and motivations he would no doubt be able to use in the battles to come. He was well aware of all the elements of this team, good and bad and he had accounted for the various factors that would affect the future of the team's cohesion. So far, things were looking good, but he would need to remain vigilant if the union was to remain.

Summer Rose was particularly special with her silver eyes, the eyes of a warrior who was meant to hunt and kill Grimm. Their power had faded into obscurity, just like magic had and both were equally rare to find. Still, his enemies knew perfectly well what sort of power that silver-eyed warriors had. The last thing he needed was for any them to find his trump card. Ozpin knew he was taking a massive gamble by placing one of his most important pieces in the care of Tony.

He just hoped that it would yield promising results.

RWBY - - - Iron Man

Remnant, System Unknown

Kingdom of Vale

Stark Industries Temporary HQ

May 1st, 56 AGW

Ghira Belladonna had not always been in the White Fang, but he took immense pride in what he did for them. He felt that he had to; ever since his childhood, he had been without want or need. He had a good family, lots of friends, and was never lacking for ways to be happy as well as ways to improve himself. He had been among the fortunate Faunus. In regards to his personal life, he had few complaints.

And it was a good thing his personal life was well because his time in the White Fang was very hard. Relations with Humans were less than stellar. Still to this day, many decades after the formation of the organization, Faunus were discriminated against in all ways, be it physically, verbally, or otherwise. The man liked to think that things were not nearly as severe as ten years ago and farther back, but he couldn't really say for sure. He fancied himself as a glass half-full kind of guy. Even when Humans had done some pretty horrific things to his kind, that didn't spoil all of them. Too often did a few rotten apples ruin the perception of the entire bunch for many people. He didn't want to be that kind of person. The world didn't operate on simple logic.

However, the past month had proven to be something quite extraordinary in terms of world events. Nary a month ago, Stark Industries had taken to the global stage and had defied any and all expectations. In its short lifespan, it had managed to make profits of tens of millions of lien. If projections were to be believed, hundreds of millions was a real possibility by the end of the year. In five years time, only the Gods knew.

But more importantly to the White Fang, the CEO Tony Stark might as well have lit a powder keg with his latest announcements. The man had confidently declared that he was in the market to hire anyone who was competent no matter who they were or what they were. The fact that a rising star in the business world would be so blatant as to say he would be willing to hire Faunus workers sparked many debates and discussions in the White Fang. Some were skeptical about the nature of the press release while others were optimistic. Many were still on the fence and waiting for results. Regardless of who stood where, it was clear that things were changing quickly.

In fact, things were moving so quickly that mere days ago, the High Leader of the White Fang had recently received a call from the head of Stark Industries himself and today, Ghira would be meeting with the weapons developer. The reason that his superior was not to meet in person was for the sake of caution, an understandable sentiment. Hopefully, things were exactly as they seemed at face value, but with the treatment of Faunus as it was, the fewer chances taken, the better.

Naturally, Ghira was prepared for any and all scenarios. He wasn't one of the most trusted members of the White Fang for nothing. If he needed to he could fight, but he was more a talker and negotiator than anything else. This was his field of expertise and there was talk of him being the next High Leader. That seemed a bit much considering he was still young and had a long ways to go. One thing at a time because right now, the bullhead he was riding on had just landed in front of a large building, a manufacturing plant.

Stepping out of the aircraft, he was immediately greeted by Tony Stark himself. Although considerably taller than his Human counterpart, there was no mistaking the self-assured body language and cool demeanor.

"Ghira Belladonna." The CEO held out a hand.

"Mister Stark." The White Fang member returned the gesture. "I'm looking forward to our talks."

Conference Room

"I'll be perfectly honest." Tony removed his shades to reveal a pair of dark brown eyes. "That little stunt with the press wasn't just for kicks. Sure, I got a reaction out of people, but I meant what I said. I've seen it all before and if I were to be like everyone else, I'd be letting down some old friends that aren't here."

"I see." Ghira took this in before responding. "You have Faunus friends?"

"No, but I've seen my friends go through treatment similar to the Faunus." Tony sighed as he looked out the window. "But they're out of reach now. I don't know when I'll see them again or if I'll see them again. In any case, I've got nothing against Faunus. That's why I contacted the White Fang: to start a dialogue between Faunus and Humans. You could call it a strategic alliance."

"You'll have to forgive us for being conservative in our approach towards you." Ghira put his hands on the table. "The few dealings we've had with Humans have largely been met with deceit, treachery, and other unfortunate ends."

"Ah, no big deal. There are worse things to deal with. We'll take it in baby steps, figure it out as we go." Tony wasn't the least bit deterred. "To start, what we can do is scratch each others backs so to speak."

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Ghira had a good feeling so far.

"While my company is small in comparison the SDC, I've got big plans for becoming a worldwide name. I'm still working out the bugs, but I plan on going lots of places. That being said, no company can succeed without being charitable and conscious of what's going on in the world. I'm willing to be a sponsor of the White Fang, send some lien your way and in exchange, I'd like to bring in anyone you have that would be a good fit for my company. Basically, funding and manpower in a nutshell."

"It's an interesting offer. While I'm sure that many of our members would relish in the opportunity to be a part of new technologies for the future, our current issue lies in the societal arena. We would need assurances that our people's efforts would be known to the public and that we won't be swept aside."

Ghira was optimistic, no mistaking that, but he wasn't a fool. He always read between the line in any agreement because there was always small print that people often overlooked. When it came to Faunus, that was especially so. Even if a Faunus was accepted into a position of relative or great importance, there was a tendency for their efforts to be marginalized or sometimes swept under the rug, never to be recognized. At the end of the day, since many Humans held their prejudices, they would never allow what they perceived as an inferior species to upstart them. It was a matter of pride.

Not to mention that the few companies that had taken in Faunus were generally slammed and then forced to recant their support. It was a story as old as the White Fang itself and because of this, progress was more or less at a stalemate. The fact that the organization was taking a chance once again proved how hopeful and naive they still could be, but wasn't that the reason why they tried? If there was even the smallest chance of union between the two sides, they would take it. In the end, acceptance was what they all wanted.

"Yeah, sure. I understand that perfectly fine. Actually, I'd already taken this into account when I first founded Stark Industries. Since I've become a part of the defense of the living against the Grimm, it's not like people can turn me down without losing out on major protection. I've made sure that all of my clients can't back out of any agreements we make, not even the SDC."

At this point, Ghira felt that he was leaving everything to chance by continuing to listen to this man. Tony Stark was nothing if not a convincing fellow. He seemed to have this presence about him that told the Faunus man that everything was going to work out in the end. It was nothing more than a purely gut instinct, but Ghira felt now was a good time to be trusting his gut instinct. Whether or not this deal turned into something spectacular or not, trying was the least that he could do, that the White Fang could do.

Brown eyes met gold eyes and for a moment, the latter was asking if all of this was true and not at all a means of deception down the road. The former clearly made eye contact with a serious look. Those were not the eyes of a liar. Those were the eyes of someone who would follow through with what he said. He would do everything in his power to see that his words were made into reality, at least that's what appeared to be so.

"Will this be a formal agreement or are we only speaking word-to-word?" Ghira asked.

Tony sat back. "For now, we'll convey the basic details and then finalize and formulate a traditional contract. There are a few smaller things I wanted to ask about."

"I'll answer to the best of my ability." Ghira prepared himself.

The ball was rolling now and who knew if it could be stopped.

Iron Man - - - RWBY

Remnant, System Unknown

Kingdom of Vale

Stark Industries Temporary HQ

May 4th, 56 AGW

It was weird being able to simply do nothing important. Granted, there wasn't an awful lot going on yet. Yes, he was busy responding to emails, making calls, conferring with new employees, and a bunch of other duties, he still found himself with time on his hands. He wasn't sure how long that was going to last. Once things really took off, he would have to begin working in earnest, at least that's what a normal person would say.

But Tony Stark wasn't normal.

For one, he was genius, so he could do things normal people do and do it better as well as faster, so he probably would have plenty of time to spare for himself because God knew he needed lots of downtime. Second, he was going to change this world on a fundamental level. The name Stark would become burned into everyone's mind when all of his plans and ambitions came to fruition. It wasn't arrogance saying this, just a mere statement of fact. All the numbers and variables were in his favor, end of story and if there were complications along the way, then he'd deal with them. The one thing that man never did was give up, otherwise he wouldn't be able to call himself a man.

Tony's eyes wandered around his office, the mess catching his eyes. Ever since his move from Beacon Academy, he had taken to work immediately separating what he needed right now from what he would need in the future. The Arc Reactor that had somehow brought him to Remnant was currently in pieces. He didn't trust the thing not to teleport him somewhere else. Instead, he was focusing his efforts on a reactor specifically to power Stark Industries. It would be his trump card and one of many renewable power sources he intended to make use of. He wouldn't even bother to make a show of using dust as a power source. He would only use dust in his weapons and nothing more.

And speaking of weapons, the next phase of weaponry was getting closer. The Yaeger Missile was soon to follow. Infantry armaments were already in the development stages. Rifles, pistols, other firearms that made use of dust in unconventional ways. With a little bit of technological know-how from Earth, he would be inventing and innovating at the same time so to speak. That would be how it would work for a time until he felt that dust was no longer essential to his ability to manufacture weapons.

Team STRQ would get to test those bad boys.

Tony noticed the perfectly-shaped dust crystals on his desk, each element placed within a sturdy glass case. It was kind of hard to believe these little things were what gave huntsmen a fighting chance against the Grimm. If not for dust, Mankind would've kicked the bucket thousands of years ago. Although his notes on each element and their effects had yielded dozens of pages of notes, there was one thing he was confused about. Since all of it was mined from the ground, what caused it end up there in the first place? If formed naturally, what phenomenon allowed it? If put in the ground by someone, who would have the power to affect an entire world?

He might not have work to do, but he did have lots of research in the bags.

The beginning of Stark Industries is in the works and I can tell you that it's going to be a long road. I won't bore you guys with all the details, but this story will feature critical points of interest and the rise of the name Stark on Remnant. Keep in mind that this is merely the beginning of it all. There is still much more to be done and until I've set up the foundation, my other ideas will have to wait for a time. Hopefully, it will all come together nicely.

The next order of business is the votes concerning who Tony will be the father of. The poll on my profile page now doesn't feature any ties, but with events in the story progressing as they are, the poll could be taken down and its results finalized when I deem it necessary. If you still haven't voted for your FOUR FAVORITE characters to be the biological father of Iron Man, then go vote while you still have a chance. The results have been interesting thus far, I'll say that much.

Another thing that's got my attention is how quite a few of you have been vocal about Willow being paired with Tony. Let me just that I don't see that working. I say that because in the canon story, she's done nothing so far to end her suffering and pull herself up. As far as I can tell, she's just a rich drunk who doesn't have the will or conviction to turn her situation around. Granted, this is the canon timeline and I've already done goofed it up with this story, but the fact remains that based on what I know, I have no reason to believe that Willow will do anything more than act rebellious in very tiny ways and otherwise be very passive. Unless I'm given a really compelling reason in Volume 7 to change my characterization of Willlow Schnee, then this pairing is not viable.

By contrast and to my knowledge, Tony Stark (the MCU version) has always found the inner strength to get up when he was beaten down. Yes, he asked for help along the way, but before he did, he did whatever was within his own power to save himself. Like a true hero, when he needed to do things himself, he did so. Plus, the fact that Tony has been wrestling so many inner demons in additions to being Iron Man makes him that much more admirable.

So that begs the question: who will be paired with Tony? Well, for starters, she needs to be a woman who is willful, strong, and not afraid to talk back to Tony. At the same time, she needs to be his best friend, supportive of his decisions good or bad, and be willing to accept him for who he truly is, strengths and weaknesses. Also, being able to keep up with him is a plus. With all this in mind, suggestions and reasons for who is the best woman for Tony can be left in a review.

Also, until we get to that point, we're still in the playboy stages, but as far as I understand it, virtually all charcters that I have in mind aren't of age yet, so there will be NO hooking up until legal age is attained. Tony may be a womanizer, but even at this stage of his morality, he does have lines he will not cross. Until these characters are of adult age, there will be no sexy time.

With all of that done, please leave a review. Feedback is always appreciated. I've said it before and I'll say it again: writing Iron Man is challenging so I hope that I'm doing the character justice. Any ways to help improve my characterization of him would be greatly appreciated.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter.

"Either I will find a way, or I will make one."

Philip Sidney