Chapter 3: Uncomfortable Truths
Pepper – for the past several years – has been working alongside someone as unbearable and immature as her boss. Sometimes, it's difficult to explain to people inside and outside the company what it's like dealing with Tony Stark on a regular basis. Some days were obviously better than others and, she'll be the first to admit, other days were a complete nightmare. The only difference is Pepper had the great benefit to scold her boss for behaving like a child whenever he did something idiotic.
"Can you please explain why you thought such a joke was appropriate?" The redhead glared at her boss across the table, not caring about the presence of the others. "These two are minors if you've forgotten in the past few hours, and you've been – shockingly – able to act like an actual adult recently. Please do not mess this up."
"I'm sorry, alright?" Tony apologized for what's felt like the millionth time in the past few minutes to his crush, already wishing he could have the past twenty minutes of his life back. "It's not as if they've never heard a dirty joke in their entire lives, Pepper. There's a difference between kids and teenagers."
It seemed the beautiful redhead assistant was far from finished, continuing to rip into her boss for being so immature. Meanwhile, Happy was currently munching on his breakfast and trying to ignore all the bickering between his two closest friends. The bodyguard was tempted to embarrass them by saying to take their marital problems to the living room, mainly out of consideration for the two teenagers sitting across from him.
He could imagine how awkward it must be for them to sit through such an argument. 'I doubt the last thing they expected was to see someone as famous as Tony getting his ass torn up in front of their very own eyes,' Happy – a long time ago – made peace with the reality of working for Tony. Things only got a bit more complicated after he came out as Iron Man just a few months ago. 'I really do hope Tony's decision to help them doesn't backfire on him.'
There were still some concerns in the back of his mind, but Happy chalked it up his mindset as a bodyguard. Not everyone is a threat to his friend. People like to talk shit about others, especially public figures or celebrities. Tony was not exempted from the list. The decision to reveal his identity as Iron Man to the public changed how someone like Happy is supposed to look after his friend, and coming across two teenagers wearing odd costumes in the middle of a storm didn't warrant such an extreme response from him.
"Uh, you don't need to be too hard on him."
Happy wanted to facepalm at the teenage boy speaking up in the middle of Pepper's famous tirades. Either the kid was brave, or a complete moron. It's a fifty-fifty call if he was being completely honest.
What the bodyguard didn't expect was the kid's girlfriend deciding to follow his lead, reluctantly he might like to add as everyone could hear the irritation in her voice.
"I...do have to agree with him, " She took a deep breath afterward, likely trying to calm down. "His inappropriate jest was far from the worst thing we've heard from people in our class. There's no need to completely lambaste him to such a degree, ma'am."
Pepper, eyes widened in surprise, stared at the teenagers like they were insane. "Are you sure? I have no problem ripping into an idiot like him. He may be my boss, but that doesn't excuse a CEO like him from making such casual jokes towards you. I doubt his reputation is totally repaired after the decision he made a few months ago."
The two teenagers looked at each other for a moment before the boy with messy hair spoke up, "We're fine. Compared to some of our friends, the man's joke was far from the worst. B-Besides, I doubt he's trying to make us uncomfortable or anything along those lines."
"Oh? How can you tell that?" Pepper asked him, a brow raised at the boy's claim.
"Just a feeling, ma'am."
Underneath the table, Izuku was currently doing everything in his power to not screw up speaking English with these people. It also helps Momo was sitting right next to him. They were still coming to terms with their situation, and a hero was their best shot to getting back to Japan quickly. He can't afford to waste any time.
His thinly veiled anxiety was always trying to get out. No matter what he tried, but the presence of Momo always made things a lot easier for him and this moment was no different from the rest.
"If that's what you want, then alright. I can't say I agree with your decision," Pepper was not shy about hiding her displeasure. Years of acting like a babysitter were hard to just forget. Even his recent success as a hero couldn't erase that. "However, I will respect your choice. Now, we need to talk about a few important topics; why you ended up in the middle of a storm and finding out where you guys live."
Happy – quietly observing for the past few minutes – looked at the girl as he talked, "I think your best shot is the girl. You're probably rich, aren't you?"
"Ah, so you came to the same conclusion I did," Pepper smirked at her co-worker. "It's nice to see I'm not the only one who thinks that way."
Momo stared at the two adults with surprise written all over her face, "How? I...I don't recall ever mentioning such information to either of you."
"Kid, they don't need you to tell them that," Tony already knew what led to his friends coming to such a conclusion about the girl, and her reaction pretty much confirmed it. "They've been hanging around me for years, which means they probably got chances to talk to other wealthy people. Your way of talking is a big giveaway. How you sit at the table. Also, I saw the way you looked at breakfast Happy bought us. You're probably used to something...different."
It didn't take long for Momo to realize what the man named Mr. Stark meant by those words. A blush appeared on her face, "Ah, I see now."
The adults smirked in amusement at her reaction. Tony, wanting to show Pepper he can act like a responsible adult, decided to take the lead. "Anyway, I do think it is a bit important to learn some names. Makes our jobs easier if we know that much about you," He said seriously, a rare sight for any person who knew an iota about him.
"Oh, I see."
"That's fair. I don't mind reintroducing myself again."
Both teenagers had no qualms about giving up their names. It'll give Jarvis an easier time to track down their families, and with one of them being wealthy, it shouldn't take too long.
The boy went first between them. He scratched his cheek, "I'm Izuku Midoriya. You guys in the West say your given name before your surname, right?"
Pepper simply nodded, answering his question. As a result, Izuku let out a sigh of relief at not screwing up his introduction to these people. His girlfriend went right after him.
"Momo Yaoyorozu. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
The world-famous billionaire knew many people within the wealthy community. To him, most were complete morons. People with money tended to see the world in a different light compared to the average Joe. It's why he's wondering how Momo will turn out. The man then called out to his AI.
"Hey, Jarvis, you heard their names?"
"Of course, I heard their names, sir. I've already begun searching for records in Japan once more for adolescents with their physical description and names," Jarvis stated, getting a nod of approval from its creator.
Pepper and Happy were already used to the existence of an AI like Jarvis. In all honesty, it would be odd for them to go a day without hearing Jarvis' British accent. The same however couldn't be said for either teenager as they still marveled at hearing a fully functional AI interacting with them like a regular person.
"So, I have to ask you two...how hell did you guys end up in the middle of a storm?"
Tony waited for an answer from them, ignoring his beautiful assistant rolling her eyes. Happy didn't seem too interested in the conversation, preferring to munch on his breakfast.
"W-Well, there's a small problem. We don't actually know how we ended up here. Let alone waking up in the middle of a storm or another country," Izuku answered honestly, knowing there was no point in lying to these people. "All we want is to get back home."
Just thinking about his friends, classmates, and mother made him worry for their safety in light of the recent attack. 'I do wonder if they know how bad things are getting over in Japan,' News outlets constantly brought up the difficult question about if the help of international heroes would bring an end to All for One.
Recent events, unfortunately, dashed what little hope people had left.
"You sound like you're in a hurry, kid. There's something you want to tell us."
Izuku found himself looking directly at the bodyguard sitting across from him. "I...I'm just worried about my classmates and my mother. The last time I was awake, things were less than ideal," He wanted to believe his return could inspire hope to people, but the young boy knew the cold hard truth.
You can't save everyone. Doesn't matter if you think otherwise, and Izuku got to learn the cost to try and save someone's soul from darkness.
"Someone after you?" Izuku nearly jumped at the question – accusation being the more apt word – from the bodyguard. Thankfully, he managed to remain physically still in the face of the question.
Physically speaking, Izuku was doing better than when first woke up. Mentally, however, he struggled to refute such claims from the man. Lying made Izuku uncomfortable, and in their situation, the last thing they needed was keeping information from people who were trying to help them.
"And if he is?" Momo asked in a guarded tone, challenging the bodyguard. "Will that change how you feel about assisting us?"
Tension rose at the kitchen table until the redhead assistant intervened, "Okay, let's not turn this into a fight. Happy, we already decided to help them. That's done and over with."
She turned towards the two teenagers, specifically looking at the girl named Momo. "I understand wanting to protect someone you care about. All of us here understand that. However, if someone is out there, going after your friend here...you can't just keep it to yourself."
"Don't you keep up with the news?" Izuku replied bitterly. "You guys sent some of your best heroes to try and help us...turned out to be a mistake."
Everyone at the table was surprised by the anguish fueling his words. It seem to draw Momo's attention as she raised her hand and placed it on top of his to comfort him. He glanced over at her, silently thanking her for the kind gesture with a grateful look. All of a sudden, they were asked a peculiar question by the only hero sitting at the table with them.
"Excuse me...what other heroes?" Tony raised a brow at the teenager's odd claim. "Kid, I'm the only person in this hemisphere that can be remotely called a hero."
Now, it was time for Izuku and Momo to stare at the man like he was insane.
"W-What? That doesn't make any sense. I met Stars and Stripes not long ago. She...She was willing to get in trouble with the UN to help us in Japan," A terrible feeling swelled up inside Izuku, wondering why this man was acting so oblivious to what was going on. Terrible things were happening in Japan as they speak, and Izuku was solely focused on returning back.
"I don't know how to respond to what you just said."
Tony was beyond lost after hearing such a ludicrous claim from the kid about other heroes being around or serious trouble in Japan. Hell, the mention of stars and stripes brought an old image to his mind. A shield with a star painted in the middle and the old days of his childhood. Tony felt some deeply buried emotions, causing him to narrow his eyes at the boy.
'Unless he's talking about him...'
It's been nearly seventy years since the end of World War 2. Not even his father and all his resources could find the famous soldier anywhere in the arctic circle. The disdain he possessed for the soldier came out like a bad attitude, "You should check the year again. It's 2011, not the 1940s. The captain ain't around anymore, kid."
Then, the oddest thing happened. The two teenagers stared at him as if he grew a second head from out of nowhere. Curious as to why they were giving him such a look, Tony cleared his throat before speaking up.
"You guys gonna stop staring at me. It's freaking me out."
"Did you say just the year is 2011?" Momo was beginning to wonder if this guy had a loose screw upstairs. "That's...That's not the correct year, sir. Far from it."
"You're telling me 2011 is not the correct year?" There was an ever-growing desire to laugh at the girl's words. He glanced over at the boy named Izuku, "Please don't tell me she's serious."
The boy nodded, confirming the billionaire's thoughts about these kids. They were crazy as a bag of cats. Tony shook his head in disbelief, 'Why did I have to deal with some lunatics? Maybe that'll explain their weird costumes. Yeah, that sounds right. Just a bunch of crazy kids wanting attention.'
"Okay, I think I've had enough of this talk," Tony let out a sigh as he finished saying those words. "If you two are wasting my time and the time of my friends, I think we should be wrapping this up. Jarvis, please tell me you found something?"
Izuku and Momo looked visibly confused and, from what he could gather, upset at his words. Then, came an unexpected curveball from the AI.
"Sir, I searched through numerous police databases across Japan. There exist no reports of adolescents missing with their age, physical description, or relationship. I must be frank with you; as far as I can tell...neither of them exists from what I can see." Those final words seem to be the nail in the proverbial coffin, confirming the fears of everyone at the table.
"Even using my family name?" Momo didn't believe the AI. Her parents had numerous business ventures across Southeast Asia and the United States. They even had a few friends on Wall Street. So how can an AI claim her name doesn't exist anywhere?
None of this is adding up.
"Okay, let's calm down and maybe we can figure something out."
Pepper – who's been silently observing the conversation for the last few minutes – saw things were spiraling out of control. As someone forced to deal with the messes made by Tony, it's not hard to imagine she's learned a thing or two.
"Figure what out?" He scoffed. "Look, I get wanting to help kids, but I am not dealing with costumed idiots trying to get attention from mommy and daddy."
"You're supposed to be a hero?" Momo frowned at the man's attitude, wondering how he made it through a hero course. "I think you should reconsider with such behavior, sir."
The table became silent after those words left her mouth. Momo didn't regret saying them. She knew it would ruin their chances of getting help, but the dark-haired girl was running low on patience. Recent events led to many people being unable to rely on the heroes around them, and Momo suspected the feeling of frustration towards the man was the closest she'll get to experience it. There was also her time spent dealing with members of the elite, especially boys around her age.
"Sir, can you hear me out for a moment?"
Izuku's quiet voice barely manages to catch the man's attention.
There was a temptation to correct the kid for calling him sir. Someone like him didn't deserve to be called such a thing, even with his recent heroics proving otherwise. All he could think about was how quickly can he get rid of these kids. Before the billionaire could act on his plan, the words that came out of his mouth were unexpected.
"All I want is to go home," His bright green eyes were filled with so many different emotions. His next words, however, would strike a chord in Tony. "Terrible things are about to happen to people I know, and the idea of sitting on the sidelines is beyond frustrating to me. It's a waste of the chance I was given by my mentor...the man who's been like a father to me...to do some good. I...I am truly sorry if what...if what we say to you doesn't make any sense. I promise you, we are telling the truth and nothing but the truth."
After he finished speaking, Izuku could feel Momo tighten her grip on his hand. He saw the comforting smile on her beautiful face, which made him return a smile of his own.
"Usually, I can see through people whenever they try to pull a fast one on me," Tony tried to play off the kid's words as nonsensical. The problem was the billionaire found himself relating to the kid. All he could think about some days in his office was the man named Yinsen, an imprisoned doctor who saved his life, who was the only reason why he survived in the end. If it wasn't for the man going out of his way to save him from a terrible death, Tony had little doubt he would be sitting here today. "But you're not. So why? Why should I believe a single word you and your girlfriend have said over the past few minutes? If anyone heard what you said, I don't think they would hesitate to throw in you guys in the nearest mental hospital."
Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw his friends looking at him with concern. They knew he was being harsh with these kids, especially after admitting the green-eyed kid wasn't lying. Whatever these kids say next, it was going to determine his reaction towards them.
"What would get us thrown into a mental hospital?"
"Everything you guys have said," Tony held nothing back as he answered the girl's question. "Japan is not in any serious trouble. That's for starters. Another thing is there are no other heroes besides me. All you have to do is a quick Google search. Don't even get me started on those weird costumes you guys were wearing."
More questions were beginning to pile up for Izuku and Momo. Neither of them could understand the man's judgment over their costumes. What's wrong with them? It was almost a requirement for heroes to use one if they wished to go far in their careers.
"Don't you use one like us? You did say you were a hero?" Momo inquired about the man's own costume.
Tony snorted at the comparison between the costumes used by these kids and his Iron Man suit. He let out a chuckle, "You do realize my armor packs a lot more punch than either of you can imagine."
"Armor? Then what's your quirk? Is it related to strength?" Izuku considered his love for heroes and quirks to be a normal hobby. Except, everyone else around him would say otherwise. "You don't typically find heroes in Japan who wear armor. They aren't too common. Maybe things might be a little different in America. But I've never heard much about a hero over here using a full suit of armor. But there might other options if your quirk..."
"Darling?"
Upon hearing the nickname his girlfriend likes to call him, Izuku quickly realized she was preventing him from doing his infamous muttering. Nearly everyone in their class got to witness the strange event on a few occasions. Izuku slammed his mouth shut and desperately fought back against the embarrassment welling up inside.
As for the others sitting at the table, they stared at the green-haired kid like he was an alien. The first one to comment on the strange sight was Happy.
"I...I don't think I understood a single word from the kid's mouth."
Pepper agreed with her co-worker. "Y-Yeah, that's...eerily similar to what Tony likes to do sometimes," She said, ignoring the dirty look from her boss.
Only two people caught every single word. Momo, obviously, grew accustomed to her boyfriend's mutterings and learned to decipher them. The other person was Tony, who looked bewildered by what came out of the boy's mouth.
"Did you just ask if I had a...quirk?" The word felt so odd for the billionaire to say. "I'm a smart guy. I can understand many things. Yet the kid just confused me even more.
Momo cleared things up for Tony, "Your powers. That's what he means."
"My...powers? I would say being rich, but I actually have respect for myself. But, in all seriousness, what are you talking about? We're not in a comic book, kids. No one has powers, regardless if you wear those costumes. All I used was my head and some elbow grease to create my armor."
For the entirety of the conversation, Momo has been constantly feeling like something was wrong here. The man claiming no one had powers was bizarre and flat-out wrong on so many levels. She glanced over at Izuku discreetly, noticing his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It wasn't hard to suspect he was just as confused by such a ridiculous sentence.
'Quirks aren't real. Who on Earth are we dealing with here? Some nut job?'
There was a simple way to dispel such idiotic words. All Momo needed to do was stretch her arm out and do what she was capable of doing; creating inorganic items using the lipids in her body. The time to create a Russian nesting doll took less than a few seconds. It soon popped out of her arm and landed on the table.
"No one has powers. You're very wrong about that sir," Momo said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I do hope you rethink whatever games your playing here."
Their reactions were a mixture of surprise, fear, and disbelief. Out of the three adults, Tony was the first one to regain some level of functionality. The billionaire genius was filled with a million possible ways to explain the insanity he witnessed before his eyes. However, his brain had made a decision as to what he was going to do next...
'I need a drink...and to ask if I'm going insane.'
(X)
(A Few Minutes Later)
"Whoa…"
Izuku was used to seeing many impressive things in a world filled with superheroes. Individuals such as All Might – his mentor – were strong enough to level entire buildings and Endeavor could turn entire sections of a city into ash. In comparison, the red and gold armor used by the wealthy man who found them seemed almost inferior to such powerhouses. Izuku – while he may care and respect a man like All Might – found himself in awe of the suit for one enormous and life-changing reason.
Powers did not exist here. Tony Stark – the name of the wealthy hero – created a suit for him to use to help others, disproving what was hammered into his mind for eleven years. It was possible to become a hero without powers. Izuku looked down at his scar-riddled hand, 'But I wouldn't change a thing about my past if it means never meeting All Might, Momo, or the others.'
He stared at the colorful armor through the glass, admiring every detail possible. The golden faceplate and a glowing circle in the middle of the chest were the most eye-catching element to them. There was an ever-growing desire to ask about the armor and its inner workings. Unfortunately, Tony was unavailable for a conversation as he was currently talking with his bodyguard, Happy, over a strange topic.
Earlier, Momo made the faithful decision to suddenly use her quirk in front of them. The kitchen was unnervingly quiet. In fact, Izuku started getting anxious until Tony began asking questions about what she did. The answers seem to confuse him more and more. Yet he accepted them without any real rebuttal. It was odd to see someone so stubborn suddenly start accepting them.
Soon, they came to an awkward conclusion about their situation. Nothing added up. For example, neither of them heard about a story on the news last year about some billionaire going missing after a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan. Nor did they hear about Mr. Stark coming out as the hero called Iron Man in the aftermath of the attack on his facility in California, specifically in Los Angeles. Everything was so foreign to them until the man backed up his claim by showing recorded footage of the battle.
Even Japanese news networks covered the attack. The footage managed to disprove the remaining doubts they had about his claim of being a hero or powers not existing here. What was supposed to be common knowledge was quickly flipped upside down. It left the two teenagers in an awkward place.
"Did he really build a functional armor from nothing more than scraps in a cave?"
Izuku saw his girlfriend looking on in stupefaction. She seemed to be focused on the oddest of the four armors. Unlike the smooth and aerodynamic design common in the other ones, this was a lot more rugged and heavier in appearance. The question from Momo was a valid one. Was it possible to build a suit powerful enough to fight back against a camp filled with terrorists and escape?
It was a tough question to answer. In all fairness, she did have a point for voicing such a thought. They were already used to the crazy inventions of people like Mei. Even the ones from the pink-haired nut job failed to live up to a fully-armored suit with the ability to fly, armed to the teeth with weapons, and possessed the durability to last. Izuku was even tempted to say most pro-heroes would be outperformed by Tony in his suit.
The most important detail about the suit was knowing its existence proved everyone back home wrong about quirks. A hero didn't need to be naturally born. They can be built.
"You two seem to be enjoying the tour," Tony – contemplating if his bodyguard was insane – walked towards the teenagers with a drink in his hand. "I can understand why people would be impressed with them. I manage to take a good first start and turn it into something amazing. At the very least, I can actually do some good with it."
Tony's suspected his words sounded more like gloating than trying to make simple conversation. After the past few years, it was hard to lose such an attitude. He's been making strides to clean up his attitude and try to fulfill the role of being a hero. It's tough, Tony admitted, to know kids were starting to look up to him across the country and, shockingly, even the world.
"You weren't the nicest person around, were you?"
The question from the dark-haired girl earned a brief chuckle from the billionaire, "Not really. I had a tendency to make mistakes without really caring what might happen as a result of them. Almost a year ago...I finally got to see what making a mistake can entail."
His past was hardly something to bring up with random teenagers from the street. Usually, he would've tried to steer clear of the topic. That was until he saw the look in the eyes of the boy named Izuku. It's a bit jarring to imagine someone over twenty years younger than him, carrying such an immense weight on his back.
"Give me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy," Izuku remembered a very interesting quote from a writer prior to quirks coming into existence. "I can't remember the name of the person who said it. All I know is he's from way before our time."
"Eh, Scotty was alright from what my old man told me. While I would be interested in bringing up my terrible childhood, there are far more important questions that need to be answered," Tony gestured to Momo. "Because I'm still trying to make sense of what we saw upstairs and everything you told us. A little hard to believe...you guys may not be from around here."
The man couldn't hide his skepticism over witnessing a sixteen-year old girl pop out a Russian nesting doll from her arm. Happy and Pepper reacted to the scene with varying levels of shock and disbelief. In Pepper's case, she started pinching her cheek and checking the coffee for any signs of drugs. As for the bodyguard, Happy stopped eating his breakfast and stared at the kids – specifically Momo – like he just witnessed aliens arriving on the planet.
"You don't think we're struggling to...accept what you've told us. I'm still tempted to believe all you're doing is messing with us," Momo tried frustration to hide the real emotions affecting her; anxiety. She expected to wake up in the morning, have a frank conversation, and (hopefully) make their way back to Japan. Her plan was torn to shreds upon the ever-growing confusion discovered during the talk. Now, it was turning outgoing home was not going to be easy.
A dangerous thought crept on the dark-haired girl's mind, 'If it's even possible to go home from what it sounds like. But I'm not the only one being affected by this news.'
Izuku took the information from Tony on the chin without blinking. It was cause for concern, and she knew a private conversation between them was going to be needed later. Right now, however, there was a lot to figure out. The most pressing matter was ripping the band-aid off, saying what no one wants to say out of fear.
"I get being a hero was supposed to draw attention, but I doubt kids showing up on the side of the road and claiming to be from a world filled with superheroes...was not on my to-do list," Tony – never one to mince his words – came out and said what was bouncing around inside his head. The words seem to cement reality, considering the two teenagers wincing at the same time. He continued speaking, "I was ready to call you kids crazy and throw you out. Then, you showed me your powers."
"Physical proof will always beat word of mouth, sir."
Tony found himself agreeing with the girl's words, "You're right about that. However, it does make me curious about your boyfriend. What can he do?"
Soon, the spotlight went from Momo and her ability to Izuku's powers. The former wasn't totally sure about how much to share with these people, who are unaware of the situation revolving around One for All. As for the latter, he seemed almost prepared for the question.
"It's a little complicated to explain," Izuku said awkwardly, noticing the strange look he was getting from Momo. He reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. Giving away the secrets of One for All to strangers was a bad idea, Izuku was not denying the unfortunate truth he's had to learn. Anyone, despite their actions, is not always as they seem. "But it can be boiled down to a stockpiling power and it's gotten pretty strong by this point."
The word 'strong' could have a number of different meanings. Tony barely knew a damn thing about the girl's ability to pop out items from her body. His mind already started coming up with theories. If Izuku was referring to physical strength, Tony wondered if his heavily scarred hand had something to do with that. He remembered the others noticing the sleeve covering part of his arm.
What it did indicate was the severe punishment he's faced in the past? Tony decided to take a chance by witnessing an actual superpower on display.
"You mind giving me a glimpse at what you can do?"
Izuku stared at the billionaire, "Are...Are you sure? I don't want to cause any damage to your home in any way."
"Damage my home?" Tony's eyes widened slightly at the casual mention of damaging his house. He looked behind him at his friends, who seemed equally alarmed by the boy's words. "I'd...rather avoid my home being subjected to what you mean by damage. I can do you something better...we just run some tests."
(X)
(A Few Minutes Later)
Tony has experienced many weird things in his life. The sole exception was going on the journey of becoming Iron Man and trying to atone for his mistakes in the past. To go out there and save people was something almost foreign to the billionaire until recently. So it's possible to imagine his skepticism over the boy asking what was the heaviest weight he can deploy. The question definitely made the others a bit nervous until Tony happily agreed to the boy's request.
Now, he's staring at a teenager – maybe two or three inches shorter than him – somehow lifting nearly a few thousand pounds while arcs of green lightning wildly flickered around his body.
"Holy shit."
He silently agreed with his assistant next to him. Pepper covered her mouth at the teenager displaying near inhuman strength. Meanwhile, Happy was sitting on a nearby stool with his mouth wide open and eyes bugging out. It would've been a funny scene if the others weren't so focused on the sight before them.
"Sir, I've calculated display of strength from Mr. Midoriya nearly, if not already, surpasses the MK 3," Jarvis – as per usual – remained utterly calm in the face of such an incredible, and world-shattering, sight.
"What?!" The billionaire exclaimed, shocked to hear a kid somehow could do better than his latest armor. "You're kidding me, right?"
"No, sir, I'm afraid I was never installed with a sense of humor. If I was...I would be quite certain to remove such a program from my systems."
The backhanded insult from Jarvis earned a few chuckles around the room, excluding Izuku, and a not-so-amused expression on Tony's face.
"Unnecessary insult, buddy."
"Apologies for telling you the truth, sir."
While everyone was focused on the AI cracking jokes at the expense of its creator, Izuku was lost in his mind as he thought about how far he's come in the past few years. He went from a skinny kid unable to fulfill his dream to inheriting a great power as well as the responsibility to take down a great evil. At the beginning of his training, Izuku could remember the struggle to lift fifty pounds. It's crazy to believe he was holding up a few tons with nearly fifty percent of One for All. The hard part was realizing it wasn't physically straining him as much as he thought it would.
He saw the disbelief on everyone's face as they witnessed his feat. The only person not shocked was Momo. No, she seemed a little upset. Not that he couldn't figure out the reason. It's been less than a day since his last fight and he was already putting some strain on his body. Izuku imagined if Momo was hurt and tried using her power to any concerning levels, he would be upset as well. So the green-haired teenager knew he was going to have to talk with her later.
Somewhere in their talk was going to have to be an apology from him...
"Okay, I think I've seen enough from you," Tony wanted to avoid destroying his liver if he ever hoped to process what he's seen in the span of thirty minutes. He called out to his AI, "Jarvis, do you mind breaking apart the weights the kid is carrying?"
"It would be my pleasure, sir."
Izuku suddenly saw the floor beneath him start to open up, revealing the numerous moving parts that were hidden from sight. Mechanical arms extended upward and, with a level of finesse impossible for any human to perform, started removing the various pieces to the once-solid weight he was carrying. Soon, Izuku could feel less and less weight pressing down on his body.
Less than a few minutes later, Izuku saw the floor begin to cover up the mechanism and storage space underneath them. The green-haired teenager walked towards the group.
"I imagine you, uh, were convinced." The green-haired teenager said nervously upon reaching them. "Not every day you meet someone surprised by what I did."
Happy scoffed at how he was downplaying what he just did, "Remind me to never piss either of them off. One can crush me while the other can conjure whatever she wants to hurt me."
The comment from the bodyguard made Izuku and Momo try to squash whatever fears he had about them.
"We would never use our quirks to hurt an innocent person," Izuku explained emphatically. "That's why we were training to be heroes in the first place. To be able to help people with our abilities."
Momo added to his explanation, "In addition, there are strict laws in Japan about using one's powers in public..."
She took a deep breath before continuing, "I should say...our Japan has strict laws when it comes to individuals using their quirks. However, I doubt they'd know what to do if someone like you, Mr. Stark, just showed up in your suit."
There was some truth to those words. A lot of laws all but pertained to the actions of people with quirks. Individuals with access to technology like Mr. Stark were unheard of in their...world.
"Oh, that's right. I don't have fancy powers. I just use a suit to help me out," Tony smiled in realization. He soon lost the smile and replaced it with a more serious expression, "Look, I'm more than interested in sitting down with you two and having a talk with people – potentially – from another place. I think we need to bring up the unfortunate news; you guys don't exist here. That, uh, complicates things quite a bit. You have no medical records, background history, and no guardians to look after you two."
Both of them grimaced at the reality of their situation. The worst part was them being underage. It could lead to many annoying problems down the road for the former heroes-in-training.
"Jarvis, you there?"
"Always here, sir."
Tony knew his decision to try and help others wasn't going to be easy. He also understood the risks that came with trying to help cover for two teenagers who might be from another universe. He mentally cringed upon mentioning the truth, still finding it difficult to process.
"Do you think it's possible to create a very, very airtight identity for Mr. Midoriya and Ms. Yaoyorozu? And I want to make sure a guy like Fury can't even get in," Their rate of success to keep the director of SHIELD from finding out wasn't very good. All the billionaire needed was to prevent the man from catching onto their scent.
The AI maintained his polite attitude, even if its words were nearly the opposite. "I do believe it's more than possible. It will take some time, however, to create a plausible background for them. Information directly from Ms. Yaoyorozu and Mr. Midoriya would be extremely helpful to fill in the gaps and make things easier."
"Y-You're going to help us?" It was easy for anyone to hear the surprise in Izuku's voice.
"Yup."
His nonchalant answer surprised even the two other adults in the room. Pepper felt a mixture of emotions towards Tony's reply to them. While she was proud to see him stepping up, there was some part of her a little nervous about helping two teenagers with powers blend in.
A similar thing can be said about Happy and his thoughts on the matter. He could see their anxiousness towards the matter, 'Maybe they'd prefer to go home...but I'm not sure that's possible.'
Happy may not be some science major or a genius like his friend, the bodyguard heard about the multiverse theory. Let's just say it wasn't widely accepted or even mentioned. They already had plenty of questions about their own universe, so thinking about even what lies beyond their own was a bit much to ask.
Still, he couldn't imagine what it must be like to wake up and everything you ever knew was just gone, and there was no way to get it back.
"But even if we have identities...there are still plenty of things that need to be sorted out beforehand," Momo voiced her concerns to the man standing a few feet away from her. "School, living situation, general knowledge to seem normal like everyone else. Let alone what do we do with our quirks. You have to realize Izuku and I went to a hero academy to be able to help others in need."
The passion behind her voice was hard to miss, Izuku thought, agreeing with her points. There was a lot more to deal with than simple background checks.
"You're not wrong there," Tony conceited to her points, a rare occurrence for anyone to witness. "But I am a famous billionaire who uses a suit of armor to fight bad guys. You got to have some faith in me. I know plenty of people who can keep a secret and lend a hand. So you guys okay with bunking up with me until we can resolve your problems right now."
Izuku had one question to ask him. "If we do agree to your proposal, does that mean we can't still be heroes?"
Out of every single question, Tony was not too sure how to answer this without sounding like a total asshole. He let out a sigh before explaining the harsh reality facing these two, "Kids, I would love to tell you being a hero is possible. Except you're not in a world filled with heroes. You guys are a rarity and, if we're being honest, it'll draw nothing but attention to yourselves in the long run. In reality, I'm the only public hero around. The best thing for teenagers such as yourselves to do is...finish school, go to college maybe, get some degree, and live a regular life with maybe some hero action on the side. I like to think you guys would also love to enjoy life together if the way you two look at each other is any indication of what lies ahead."
Tony leaned back against the couch, waiting for their response. He could see the confusion in Izuku's eyes, but more than anything else...
He saw someone forced to come to terms with reality. It was hard to tell someone the dream they wanted to achieve was being denied once more, except for a reason that was completely out of their hands.
'God, what I get myself into?'
I finally finished the chapter. First, I really hope you guys enjoyed reading it. This was certainly a fun time to write, especially as new ideas for the future started piling up. Definitely makes me want to keep going with this story. So that's some good news.
As for the chapter, Izuku and Momo interacted with Tony and the others for the first time. I can imagine the conversation between them sounded odd, but that's what I was trying to do. It's like those conversations where you think two people are on the same page before slowly realizing the differences. Let me know how I handled that part. Also, I avoided mentioning the 'coming from a different universe' directly until the end.
Plus, don't be afraid to criticize anything wrong with it. I can always use the feedback. Anyway, I think I'm going to get out of here and start on the next one. So see ya guys later!