Chapter 6: The Concrete Jungle (II)
Warning: Spoilers for events beyond season 5 of the anime are mentioned below!
Enormous was the first word to pop into Izuku's mind as they stepped into the apartment set-up for him and Momo. The young man was used to living in smaller places for most of his life. It wasn't until the incident at Kamino ward did everything change. U.A High implemented a dorm system for all students in order to keep them safe and maintain a watchful eye. The small taste of living in a larger space made it easier to deal with the size of the apartment being given to them.
The entire place was already furnished from top to bottom. A fully-renovated kitchen using some of the best appliances on the market. The living room resembled a modern-day theater, especially with the television covering a large portion of the wall. Out of everything, Izuku found himself walking towards the wall made of glass on the other side.
It gave way to a gorgeous view. Dozens of buildings for miles in every direction. A mixture of bricks, glass, and cement stuck out to the young man's eyes. Hard to believe he was truly standing in a city as famous as New York. The few conversations he's had with All Might about his time in America led Izuku to wonder what it would be like to walk these streets.
Sure, he's visited places like Tokyo when he was younger. Those places had their charms, but nothing replaced the sheer awe of witnessing this city from below.
"Enjoying the view?"
He snapped out of his weird trance as he heard the voice of Mr. Stark. Izuku turned towards his left and saw the part-time superhero standing next to him with his hands behind his back. The smirk on his face was hard to miss.
"I, uh, never imagined seeing this sight any time soon," Izuku answered with the truth. Lying was never really his thing as he discovered over the past two years. He's found honesty to be a better policy in the long run. "After what we've been through, I had my doubts about us getting a chance to visit a city like New York with everything going on back home. Now, I'm looking at Manhattan with my own eyes. All I can do is say thank you for doing this for us, sir."
The gratitude in his voice was foreign to the billionaire. For a moment, Tony was actually struggling to find the right words. He did his best to smile and replied with a simple statement, "Don't sweat it. I did become take up whole hero gig for a reason."
"And what reason would that be?"
"...Using the second chance given to me. That's all."
Izuku decided against pressing the man for any more answers. Mr. Stark was being more than generous with the amount of help he's been providing over the past two weeks. It wouldn't be right if he started to doubt his intentions, even if there was a small part of him wanting to investigate his motives. On the other hand, Izuku had bigger problems right now.
As he gazed out into the distance, the young man was more concerned about the lack of communication between him and the previous inheritors of One for All. None of them, including Nana, reached out to him. At every turn, it seemed more and more questions continued to pop up in his mind about the quirk and the secrets buried within. Maybe he'll finally get a chance to fully analyze it without some villain having aspirations to become a demon lord threatening him and his loved ones.
There was, however, a problem with doing so.
Using his powers would no longer be easy. Back home, Izuku was exposed to people with quirks on a regular basis. He didn't need to ever feel lonely or left behind by society. Unfortunately, that no longer is the case. In this world, nobody possessed a quirk. It meant he would stand out from the crowd for a very different reason.
Being able to bring down a building with unrivaled strength would turn some heads. The ability to use these whip-like appendages made from energy to either capture or increase his mobility. Plus, the many other quirks he's unlocked over time.
It made Izuku remember the conversation surrounding the reason why Mr. Stark became a hero. Despite all his wealth and power as a CEO, he chose to create a suit of armor and fight against those who wish to harm others. Why risk his own life? What did he stand to gain from it? Most people would question his reasoning. Izuku, meanwhile, took a far simpler approach and asked the man about the possible outcome of trying to be a hero in this world. Given his rather stubborn nature, the idea of giving up on a dream he wanted to achieve was hard to swallow.
"Mr. Stark, do you really think being a hero would be...a detriment to our life here?"
Tony didn't answer the question immediately. No, the billionaire took a moment to think about it before he said anything. The man sighed as he told the truth.
"Would it be a detriment to your life? Depends on what you do with it. Fighting criminals? Both of you are bound to be targeted by law enforcement and other agencies for being a vigilante. As for saving someone from a burning building, you wouldn't get into too much trouble. The problem is I left out some details about the people here," Tony wanted to keep them away from SHIELD. That agency would stop at nothing to get their hands on these two. No matter how much Fury said otherwise.
Izuku furrowed his brows at the billionaire. For a moment, he looked behind and saw Momo interacting with the red-haired woman they met today. They learned her name was Bethany Gabe, and she's going to be keeping an eye on them for the next few months until his 18th birthday. He didn't blame Tony for asking his employee – a former service member – to do such a thing.
Still, he was curious as to what Mr. Stark was keeping from them.
"Is it something we should be worried about down the road?" Izuku asked seriously.
There was an awkward silence as Tony tried to formulate his thoughts on how best to explain SHIELD in a somewhat fair light. "In the immediate future, you shouldn't have to worry about them. If either of you uses your powers and someone sees it, there's a decent chance an agency responsible for protecting the world from danger will come after you," The billionaire saw the young man's eyes widen for a brief moment.
Personally, Tony doubted everyone in SHIELD was interested in protecting the world. Rumors made it seem like the organization had no problems with hiring former agents from other intelligence agencies across the world. Tony couldn't seem to find any way to validate the rumor. Cracking into their security system would've been easy, but he would become a target rather quickly.
Patience was never his strongest suit. Jumping into a situation and figuring it out as he went was more his style. On the other hand, he'd have to wait for an opportunity to come along and bust into SHIELD to find out every little dirty secret in their vaults.
"...Looks like there's another thing in common between our respective homes."
Izuku thought about the Public Safety Commission and their shady actions coming to light. What were the chances of this world having an organization on a similar level as them? If Mr. Stark thought it was enough of a concern to let tell them, Izuku needed to keep them in mind whenever using their powers.
"Is that so?"
"Yes," The news surrounding the Public Safety Commission and their willingness to send someone like Hawks to infiltrate the future Paranormal Liberation Front crushed what little hope Izuku had for them in the long run. What damaged it even further was the encounter with Lady Nagant. Heroes are supposed to protect people to the best of their ability. He frowned upon remembering them using her to get rid of anyone deemed a threat to society, hero or villain. "They...They lied about so many things. But most of the members died in an incident a few months ago."
The war against the Paranormal Liberation Front has claimed many lives on both sides. Izuku recalled the news covering the attack on the headquarters for the commission. After that day, whatever heroes remained have been forced to do more than ever before. That included Izuku as he felt forced to leave U.A, fearful about the possibility of All for One attacking the school.
"These agencies have a tendency to hide their dark side from people," Tony struggled to believe these two teenagers went through such a difficult experience. Everything about their demeanor and attitude pointed in that direction, and it made Tony concerned about them. "It's why I don't trust them. I like to keep things in-house. Better that way for everyone. No matter how much they say it's for the greater good, it makes me wonder...who determines that?"
His question struck a chord within Izuku. For his entire life, the young man wanted to become a hero as great as his mentor/father-figure. More than living up to the mantle created by All Might, Izuku wanted to make his late father proud. The man always said he would become an amazing hero if given just one opportunity.
'Wonder what dad would think about everything?'
Thinking about his father was always a tough subject for the green-haired teenager. The few memories they shared felt like a lifetime ago. His quietness seemed to catch the billionaire's attention.
"Let's...forget about the depressing topic about agencies and their willingness to do some terrible things to keep the peace. I'm going to go look for Pepper and head out to your brand new high school. Might as well get that awkward conversation out the way."
These situations were way out of Tony's league. Better to move away from the topic.
Izuku had a similar thought. He quietly agreed with him, "I hope it goes well. The last thing we want to do is give you any more trouble."
"Trouble?"
"I...I mean, I'm not used to...people just helping me for no reason whatsoever," Before he was given an immense responsibility to master One for All, Izuku dealt with bullies like Bakugo for years. A mindset he struggled to shed throughout his year at U.A High. "There's always a reason behind it," Izuku felt a bit of guilt for thinking Mr. Stark had some hidden motive for helping.
Young, but not naive to the world. Those words best described what Tony thought.
"Sorry if I disappointed you by not being the stereotypical rich asshole who wants to take advantage of you two," Tony said jokingly. Soon, however, his face morphed into a serious expression. "Maybe it's a little...unfortunate to know you and Ms. Yaoyorozu already know how the world works. Not everything is what you see. Acting like an idiot is my way of...accepting the truth. Guess yours is trying to fix how the world works."
Fixing the world? Izuku would've happily agreed with Mr. Stark's assessment in the past. Now? Izuku had some doubts about wanting to go so far. A world like theirs was filled with darkness, no matter the side someone stood on. Heroes or villains. They were all living in a fragile society held together at the seams.
Izuku looked down at the street below, watching the tiny forms of people walk in every direction. "My dream is to save everyone I can with a smile on my face," The idea of heroism remained a raging fire in his heart. He smiled sadly upon remembering a discussion with the previous inheritors of One for All, "No matter who that person might be."
(X)
(Later that Day)
The tall, horseshoe-shaped building was an interesting design choice for a high school. Tony thought it made sense for the board of education to make the most of their limited space. Being located right in the middle of Manhattan island was never going to be easy for anyone wanting to build a high school.
"I'm not easily impressed, but Ms. Yaoyorozu picking a place like Midtown High is looking like quite a solid pick to finish their schooling," Tony had to give his compliments to the former heiress. Currently, the billionaire was standing outside the gates of the high school with Pepper standing next to him.
She seemed to be equally impressed as well. "Momo was at the top of her class," Pepper said, recalling her conversations with the young woman. "In some ways, she reminds me of your intelligence. Except, she has way more common sense than you."
"Really? You're gonna insult me like that?"
Pepper smirked at her boss, "Just making an observation. No need to be so upset, sir."
Whatever Tony was put on hold. Their little back-and-forth was soon interrupted by someone coughing quite loudly. The two adults turned to face the person responsible for making the noise.
Standing a few feet from them was a short, curvaceous Asian woman dressed in professional attire. Her long black hair was tied into a neat ponytail. Brown eyes twinkled with amusement as a smile could be seen on her face.
"Been a long time, Tony."
The woman walked up to the billionaire with a sway to her hips. For being hired to be the principal to a school full of teenagers, Tony really questioned if the board of education knew what they were doing.
He cleared his throat as the ever-gorgeous Rumiko Fujikawa knew what she was doing. 'Of course, she knows what she's doing,' He could be considered an expert on the woman after spending a few years in and out of a relationship with her.
"Long time? Definitely fair to say," The attempt to distance himself from their time together was quite noticeable to the two women. Afterward, Tony steered the conversation towards the topic behind their visit. "Not that I'm against seeing you again, Rumiko, but when the heck did you decide to work at for a school?"
"Wanted to do something different." She said as if talking about the weather. "Then, I remembered an old friend of mine mentioned about some new school being built in Manhattan. So I went through some hoops to become an educator and took on the job."
Tony crossed his arms and let out the comment on his mind "I hope you're not scaring the boys in this school. God knows what they're doing when they see you walking around."
He was immediately slapped on the shoulder by his assistant.
"Ow!"
"Can you act your age for once?!" Pepper scolded the billionaire, unable to believe he would say such a crude and inappropriate statement. She faced the principal and tried apologizing for his behavior, "I am so sorry for him being an idiot."
Rumiko cracked a smile at the redhead, "Don't worry. I can handle Tony's dirty comments. I mean, we did share a bed in the past...so there's that."
"R-Right."
Sometimes, Pepper had to remember the articles written about his mile-long list of past relationships as well as one-night stands weren't totally fake. Looking back at them, the vast majority of women named on those lists were correct. It's just the media never found out about women such as the one in front of them. The only one worth mentioning by the billionaire was someone named Rumiko Fujikawa. Pepper never met this woman as whatever happened between them was long before her employment at Stark Industries.
...And it became apparent they were close at some point. There was a very uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach as she witnessed their interaction. Tony – never one for useless conversation – went along with this woman and seemingly acted as if they haven't seen each other in years. The same went for Ms. Fujikawa.
"So, this is the famous Virginia 'Pepper' Potts?"
The redhead held back a shiver as she noticed how the principal seemed to be looking at her. It quickly became apparent the woman had no shame about checking her out in front of a school. 'Oh God, I am dealing with a female version of Tony,' Pepper was nervous about how her boss would handle himself, but it seems she was wrong to worry about him.
"Yes, this is my lovely and very reliable assistant," The billionaire had a feeling Rumiko would be a bit much for Pepper to handle. Even though he personally found the latter to be best-looking between the two of them. Tall, curvaceous, and a redhead. Not many women can beat that combination. Or could it be due to his feelings for Pepper?
Eh, he'll worry about that later.
Rumiko looked between the two and, after a brief moment, came to realize something. "Ah, I see. Well, I apologize for the...friendlier than expected welcome. Wasn't my intention to bring up the past. So do we want to get started by heading up to my office and signing some paperwork?"
"Thank you, that would be appreciated, Ms. Fujikawa."
Soon, the three adults walked past the gate and entered the courtyard. It appeared to be well-maintained with even a fountain located in the middle with a statue of a horse right in the middle of it. They did read the mascot for the school was the mustang. Right as they walked up the steps to the entrance, Rumiko decided to make one correction to something she heard Tony's assistant say to her earlier. She smiled at the redhead.
"Actually, it's Mrs. Fujikawa,"
The slight correct caught the redhead off-guard. "O-Oh, you're married?"
"Technically speaking, we're not officially married. But this idiot managed to help me and my wife get through some legal hurdles to...make things legitimate," Rumiko enjoyed the embarrassed expression on the redhead's face as she realize what was said.
Pepper's eyes widened and stuttered as she spoke, "I-I am sorry. I was not...aware about your...martial status."
Immediately, Tony and Rumiko laughed at the redhead. The former already knew about the latter being in a relationship with another woman. It's why he kept the flirting to a minimum. In the past, he might have tried to worm his way into the bedroom and get it on with a lesbian couple. These days, he tried to stay away from such behavior.
Doesn't too good for a superhero to be caught screwing a married couple.
For the rest of the tour around the school, Pepper barely said to her boss. She was trying to get over the embarrassment from being the center of their joke. Even if she remained quiet, the redhead still listened to Mrs. Fujikawa as she explained the school and the reputation they've built up. Academics and sports were the pillars of most American high schools. One did not exist without the other.
Pepper saw some of the classrooms and the equipment being used in some of them. This school seemed to be a paradise for anyone aspiring to join tech companies springing up. Although, she did learn about the school having an excellent football team from Momo. Everything they were hearing about from the principal almost sounded too good to be true.
Thankfully, for whatever reason, Mrs. Fujikawa green-lit their enrollment into the school. The tour around the school concluded in her office as the three adults went over some final paperwork needing to be filled out.
"I'm surprised such good students are transferring so late into the year," Rumiko voiced her opinion of the situation, masking her surprise. The dark-haired woman looked at her former lover, "Do you mind letting me know what's going on?"
Tony looked at her with confusion written all over his face.
"I'm not stupid. Any administrator would love to have two quality students transferring to their school, and happened to have spent most of their lives in Japan before coming over to America," Rumiko knew most people in her profession cared more about the school's reputation over anything else. The problem is she's dealing with Tony, and there's always more to the story than what he was selling.
His famous press conference surprised the hell out of her. Who knew her last boyfriend would become a superhero years later?
"What do you wanna know?"
The two women, especially Pepper, were taken back by him being forthcoming about information. As a result, Rumiko scrambled to ask some questions.
"Okay...that was unexpected," She muttered before clearing her throat. "Look, I don't want to deal with troublemakers. I already have to deal with the unruly children on the football team. The last thing I need is kids with a trouble history."
"If you're concerned about them being trouble, I wouldn't worry."
The grin on Tony's face didn't comfort the Asian woman. In fact, she was worried he might be pulling a fast one on her. Instead, Rumiko faced the man's gorgeous assistant.
"Is he bullshitting me?"
Pepper, for once, felt no need to lie. She smiled back and shook her head, "No, these two are as good as you're going to get these days when it comes to behavior."
"Well, that's good to hear. I have one more question, however, about these two and it involves their last names being different from each other," The two adults sitting across from Rumiko were not sure how to explain their relationship. While most American schools hardly cared about that stuff, neither was sure about how the staff might view them coming in. "Are they...together?"
"Um, hypothetically speaking, what would you say if they weren't?" Pepper resisted the urge to reach over and smack Tony on the shoulder. The billionaire smiled at the principal, confident in his ability to sidestep the issue.
"Tony, I really don't care if they're romantically involved with each other." Rumiko stared at him with an amused look. "If their grades are good and they don't get into trouble, I can't ask for anymore. The things that go on between them isn't any of the school's business unless something happens within the hallways."
"Oh."
Rumiko continued looking over their files on her desk. The last thing she expected on her to-do list was finalizing the enrollment of two students coming from her homeland. Interestingly, they turned looked to be in a relationship, adding to what must have caused them to come over. But she decided to save all the future teasing for when she meets them later this week.
She can only hope they don't deal with Flash Thompson and his football crew. 'Let's not forget about the cheerleaders, especially Ms. Allen and Ms. Arvil.'
Unfortunately, the beautiful principal was going to be dealing with two former heroes-in-training. One happened to be a young man with a desire to save people, and a desire which so happens to get him into trouble more often than not.
'Did I jink myself? God, I think I did.'
(X)
(Around the Same Time)
"...Protecting the world?"
Momo imagined the differences between the two worlds, but the young woman was alarmed by some of the similarities between them. Learning about the existence of an agency with the resources to take on threats around the world was a lot to swallow. What made things worse was realizing they possessed the authority to deal with them as they saw fit. While the Hero Public Safety Commission kept an eye over the pro-heroes operating in Japan, they had no real control beyond the nation's borders.
The terrifying difference between them and this international organization would've made anyone back at home nervous. Momo wasn't too sure how to feel about them. At the least, it seems Mr. Stark was on the same page as them. He held some mistrust towards them.
Apparently, the heroic billionaire said he actually met the director of this organization.
"Mr. Stark was a bit light on details about them," Izuku explained, lying against the back of the couch as the couple was sitting inside their new living room. He looked down at Momo as she rested her head against his chest and lead against him. "He did mention they did whatever it took to keep the peace."
Compared to his girlfriend, Izuku wanted to believe an agency as large as theirs was created with the best of interest. The problem is his previous experience shattered the once naive mindset he possessed about the world. Trusting people was going to be difficult moving forward. Let alone using any of the quirks within One for All in light of recent news.
Momo remembered what the Hero Public Safety Commission had done in the name of keeping 'peace' around Japan. She briefly scowled at the actions done under their watch.
"Peace...they always say they do whatever it takes to maintain it," She whispered. "They never bother to think about the cost involved."
Questions began piling up about SHIELD. If someone like Tony Stark was already on their radar, how long was it going to take before someone finds out about them? Using their powers once in public could be enough to expose them. Still, Momo wouldn't think twice about helping someone if she was forced to choose between keeping their existence a secret versus allowing something terrible to happen before their eyes.
She imagined Izuku felt a similar way about the situation.
"You have that look on your face again."
His random comment caught her off-guard. "What?" Momo lifted her head and stared into his face. "I have a look on my face? That's...ridiculous."
The green-haired teenager looked away with a sheepish expression on his face. As a result, it prompted Momo to ask once more what he meant.
"Right, darling? I don't have a weird look on my face."
"I...I just meant you seemed pretty...bothered by the topic," Izuku never really liked confrontations with his friends or loved ones, especially Momo. They've been lucky to avoid any major fights. 'Well, there was my decision to leave the school,' He would never forget the anger on her face. 'The last thing I will ever do is make Momo feel like that again.'
"Bothered?" The former heiress was about to continue speaking when she closed her mouth and took a moment to think. She knew Izuku was right to feel uncomfortable about where this was heading. They haven't even been living in this place for more than a few weeks. There was a proper order, and dealing with SHIELD was the last thing on the list for them to worry about right now.
In two days, they were going to be attending a brand new high school. This meant new classmates, new classes to dominate in, and adjusting to an entirely new culture. Whether the transition will be smooth is irrelevant to Momo. It's why they've been doing everything to catch up on subjects commonly found in American schools.
Some common ones and some not-so-common ones.
But, in the end, Izuku might be right to point out his concern. Teenagers – in this world – didn't need to worry about an enormous intelligence agency with the resources to combat threats across the globe. All they needed to worry about was making sure to make a good impression on their first day.
Although, she was hoping those American dramas on high school life were simply exaggerated. A show like Degrassi was...certainly an experience.
She still couldn't deny the feeling of unease about being in a new school. The most difficult part was to imagine a world without their classmates. After going through all-girls schools for most of her young life, Momo remembered how nervous she was about attending U.A High. It was the first time she had male classmates, and most of them turned out to be okay.
'With the exception being that little idiot.'
Every single girl in class 1-A agreed on fact; Mineta would be nothing but trouble. And, unfortunately, they turned out to be correct in their assessment as the year went on
However, compared to her, Momo couldn't lie about feeling worried for Izuku. For most of his life, he was treated poorly by his classmates. One of them – Bakugo – was especially cruel towards him. While they may have...learned to ignore each other's existence over the past few months, Momo struggled to look at their fiery classmate without feeling the urge to punch him in the face.
Violence was never the answer, but Momo felt compelled to do what someone should've done to him a long time ago.
'Let's not go down that path. Izuku said they've decided to move past it,' There was no point in bringing up uncomfortable memories for him. School was certainly going to be a daunting task. She was unsure how things were done on this side of the world, but the former heiress was prepared to accept whatever is thrown her way. As long as Izuku stood next to her.
Speaking of her boyfriend…
"Lost in your thoughts?" Izuku suddenly spoke up, a tiny smile on his face.
Momo placed a hand over her mouth, "W-Was I muttering?"
The smile only confirmed what she feared, and the former heiress hid her face in the crook of his neck and avoid the embarrassment of being caught by him. Meanwhile, Izuku took some enjoyment out of the situation as he found it cute to see her muttering as he does on a somewhat regular basis. She's done it a handful of times over the course of their friendship as well as relationship.
It never got old, and Izuku doubts it never really will.
"Don't worry...it just makes me love you all the more," Teasing was sometimes difficult for Izuku. Yet it came easier with Momo than he expected. "Plus, it makes you all the more adorable."
Momo lifted her head and stared at him, flustered beyond belief about his comments. "You...You…" It was a struggle to her words out.
"I'm what?"
"...Are lucky you have those freckles on your face."
The young couple appeared to be settling into their news live together. Neither teenager was certain of what might come in the future. The revelation about a group like SHIELD hung over their heads. In a world without powers, blending in with people would probably be more difficult than they imagine. All their training to become heroes…
Was it for nothing?
Another one bites the dust…
I'm back with another chapter of this story. As you can see, things seem to be coming together. In the case of Izuku and Momo, they're about to start attending a certain high school. For those who caught on, enjoy the show. Those who didn't? Also, enjoy the show.
Anyway, I don't have much else to say as any more information would spoil the surprise. The next few chapters are going to be interesting as some other parts of the MCU are about to kick. I will confirm an important scene is going to happen in the next chapter.
So stick around to find out. ;)