Crunch.

Momo tore her teeth through the crust of the pizza. Truth be told, she was no fan of the carb-riddled delicacy. It was a far cry from the caviar she ate from a golden plate off the Amalfi coast just a few days sooner. Not to mention, the carton of milk provided to her was less chilled than the Pioret wine that her servants poured into her silver glasses on the yacht. She felt bad for the crew of the boat. Transporting the yacht from the ocean to the Detroit River was a hassle. Truth be told, the locales to sail to we're not as exotic nor picturesque. The boat would mainly be moored for the time she lived in this town.

A text popped up on her phone. Her valet asked if she was prepared to return home for the evening. She texted back that she would after Izuku had arrived back at the school. He had thrown her a quick message about how some major traffic accident had him stuck just north of the island, and he would be delayed. She chuckled at just how apologetic his words read over the phone. He was a always so worried about hurting others in some way, it stressed herself out.

The day had been less eventful after her performance at Izuku's class test. She returned back to the school and found the classroom she would frequent. Hawks hired her as head of the support department, so she would teach all three levels of support technology classes for each branch of the school. Of course, there were other teachers to help her, but she insisted on teaching a few sessions of her own. She planned on Izuku's class to go upstairs to the fifth floor of the building where her classroom and laboratory sat wedged between a teacher's lounge and a support weapon warehouse already stocked with various gadgets curated from some of the best tech companies and Hero agencies in the world.

"Miss Creati?"

Momo swallowed the crust and glanced up at the bespectacled second-year student holding an empty tray in his grasp.

"Yes, Gavin?"

He set his tray down at her table. He slid into the circular bench and plopped himself on the plush scarlet padding of the seat.

"Sorry it took so long," Gavin said. "Some pink-haired first year was talking my ear off."

"I saw that," Momo smiled. "Nothing wrong with getting to know people."

"If people, you mean people that will help me advance with this project," Gavin tapped the end of his glasses up his nose.

"Or future projects," Momo said. "Connections are very important in the support industry. One of these students could be your future boss. Or future employee."

"Perhaps," Gavin said. "But until I can bypass the square cube rule and perfect the wormhole dragging formula, then nothing will get done."

Momo nodded. "It is the first day of the year, Gavin. I know we just met, and I can tell you're very ambitious. But that only gets you so far. People can get you farther."

Gavin sighed. He picked at a small piece of pepperoni off Momo's slice and chomped on the grease-drowned meat. He wiped his hand on a napkin and buttoned up the top part of his suit jacket.

"Look, I had to spend the first part of my life in Detroit public schools," Gavin said. "I don't think you realize just how close I am to the precipice of history. You saw my theory, didn't you? When I showed it to you after class earlier?"

"It looked…interesting," Momo said.

"Interesting?"

"The building blocks are there. I'm not an expert on the math," she added. "I mean, it looked good to me."

"I know the math works, because I proved it," Gavin said. "Time and time again. I even had my mother try and contact all of the major Support Industry Companies. None of them will touch it."

"Because it hasn't been proven yet," Momo shrugged.

"I'm going to prove it," Gavin said. "This can change our world."

Momo smiled at the boy. "Well, perhaps you'd be better of changing your jacket first. Unless pizza grease is normal to wear around Detroit."

Gavin looked down at his suit. Sure enough, a large stain burned into his right arm.

"Aw, man," Gavin dabbed at the stain with a napkin. "My mother just bought this from Venice."

"Gavin," Momo said. "Try and enjoy this year. I'm glad to have you in my class and have you take it seriously, but none of it matters if you don't appreciate the sunshine."

"I will," Gavin said. "After I finish this."

Momo sighed and wiped her lips. She peered down at her phone. A text popped up from Izuku that he would be returning to the school shortly.

"Make sure you get your homework done for tomorrow," Momo said. "You'll get to work on it right away in class."

"Already have the blueprint," Gavin said. "I did it in my head while that girl blabbered at me."

Momo laughed and scooted her way around the open end of the booth. She grabbed her pizza crust and shoved the remnants into her mouth. This student was a strange one for her very first day of teaching. She had introduced herself to the various levels of classes she would teach. This student stood out. His uniform impeccable with an air of importance to his straight gait and pompous wave of his suit jacket. He introduced himself with a notebook detailing pages of mechanical theoretics that Momo scratched her head about when witnessing. To utilize her quirk, she had to know quite a bit about the building blocks of chemical reactions and the biological components of making certain items. Therefore, she was able to gather what this boy was attempting to conduct with his project.

Truth be told, she doubted that he would succeed, but the logic behind his arguments made sense. He told her that he was intrigued by her performance as a hero in Japan, and that she could be of great help to him. She hoped to live up to those lofty expectations, but had to remind herself that it was her first day as a teacher as well. She needed to relax and not be so apprehensive before her students.

Besides, she smiled to herself as she texted Izuku back. She had support on her side.

Izuku had not visited a crime scene in ages.

It was the snapping of rubber gloves and the smell of plastic that brought back those old memories of appearing at various landmarks of previous crimes that occurred before he had arrived. Most of the time, the cops wandered about and rolled out the yellow tape marking the specific part of the area to not interfere with for evidence sake. The small pink flares around the various bits of evidence along with the white tape outline of dead bodies blinked in front of a despondent ambulance that held no person. Instead, it was a large black van that whizzed away escorting a body to the coroner for examination.

Chirp!

Izuku looked down at his phone. It was Momo again. He had completely forgotten about their meet-up this evening, and he profusely apologized. She said it was okay, and even invited him over to come anyway since the night was still young. He would have to look extra nice as a way to make up for his tardiness. Also, he doubted she would want to be around someone who smelled like burnt rubber and blood.

Izuku sighed and picked at a random thread of lint on his town black dress pants. Yes, the flashing police lights and bright snaps of cameras capturing the scene brought back memories of his own investigations. While he had been to scenes that held victims far less justified than the events tonight, the splattered blood dried on the base of the street lamp was no less unsettling to his stomach.

"Well, the one without a head is dead," a rotund detective in a brown fedora came over. Crumbs of a roast beef sandwich rained down from his chin as he munched on the food with saliva shining on his lips. "The other is in a coma. Might be a vegetable now. We're still looking for the third guy."

"Oh, geez," Izuku covered his face with his hands. "What am I gonna do?"

"You don't have to do nothing," the detective said. "These three were gangsters from that new Green Bandanas groups. No immediate family. Seem to be low in the totem pole. Just some tweakers looking for a job."

"Are they some organized group?" Izuku released his head from his hands and blinked.

"Yeah, but these guys don't have much," The detective said. "A burner phone, but only one number. We'll try to trace it, but these guys are sophisticated. A whole operation. Probably make more money than the city does, that's for sure."

"What do they do?"

"We've been trying to get close to them," The Detective took out his notepad. He crossed out a few spots on a tic-tac-toe game to appear busy. "All their street guys know shit. Just deal spice, that new quirk drug. But they're not snitching on where they get it from. Either they all really don't know, or these guys at the top are scaring them."

"I just want to make sure my kids will be okay," Izuku said. "I don't want reprisal from them."

"Like I said, these guys were just low-level," the detective put his notepad away. He scarfed down the sandwich and licked his fingers. "No product on them either, so their job was done. Besides, all the headlines are gonna be taken by Miss Murder over there."

Izuku peered over the detective's shoulder to Moxie. She was talking to Ivan and Ayumu who had her head resting on Ivan's shoulder on the verge of sleep. They stood at the back of a squad car, and Moxie seemed to be excited in explaining something to the students. Ivan listened with rapt attention and a content smile pointed at her.

"How much trouble is she in?" Izuku asked.

"From me? Nothing," the detective smacked his lips. "She did us a favor. You know how much money it costs to process and house and feed these guys in jail? One less thug to worry about, as far as I'm concerned. That said…we are obligated to report this to the state Hero Association. And they'll report it to the National one."

"And then the World Hero Association will hear about it," Izuku facepalmed. "They'll want her license stripped for this."

"Sorry, but can't help you much with all those hero rules," The Detective shrugged. "If it makes you feel better, I told her about this mechanic up in Dearborn. He fixes old Dodges."

Izuku glared over to the battered Charger parked on top of a tow truck bed. Blood splattered on the shattered windshield, the car was riddled with bullet holes along with leaking oil dripping from the undercarriage.

"Yes," Izuku grit his teeth. "Excuse me, but I must speak with the owner of this vehicle."

Izuku marched around the crime scene. He was tired of cleaning up this girl's messes for her. He was going to tell her what she needed to hear, and he stopped at nothing. Not even the various reporters trying to push microphones into his face dissuaded him when he reached the opposite street and barged into the conversation with the students.

"…so I figured I could just use one of Deku's old tricks. That's what the Detroit Smash is. It's when I-."

"Ivan, Ayumu," Izuku growled. "Go to the taxi. I'll meet you there."

"It was just getting good, Mister Deku," Ivan said. "Lagniappe was gonna tell me one of her special moves she did to the guy in the house."

"Taxi. Now!" Izuku bit at the boy.

Seeing his presence unwelcome, Ivan grabbed Ayumu by the shoulders. He dragged her over to the taxi with her feet skittering over the cracked concrete.

Meanwhile, the brunette before him twirled a strand of her hair. Seemingly oblivious to any wrongdoing, she tapped her foot and grinned at Izuku.

"I hope you ain't mad at them, Professor," Moxie said. "You know they ain't ready for real-life situations."

"I know that, dummy," Izuku spat out with saliva flying out of the corner of his lips. "I'm mad at you!"

"What?" Moxie tilted her head in confusion.

"You killed a quirkless civilian and put another one in a coma," Izuku tremored. "All in front of my students! You shot him in the face! Ayumu had bits of his brain on her blouse!"

"She thought that was cool," Moxie defended. "And Ivan agreed."

"He was no longer a threat when you disarmed him," Izuku waved a fist at her. "And yet, you still shot him! With a gun! You couldn't even be bothered to use One-For-All! But even if you did, you were completely unjustified at that point!"

"He could have had another gun," Moxie said. "And besides, he and those couyons shot up my car."

"I don't care about your car," Izuku said. "You acted like a villain tonight. Destroying that house, cracking that man's skull, blowing the other guy's face off. When the hell did I ever teach you to do that?"

"They were the villains," Moxie snapped back. "I don't know what you're talking about, Professor, but they shot at us and tried to rob us. I took them down. That's what heroes do, right? Take down villains?"

"They're gonna report this to the WHA," Izuku shouted. "Do you know how many times they've tried to strip away your license? How many times I've had to personally go there to bat for you? The hero code is there for a reason, and it's not just so you can break it every time you stop a villain! You've been vicious, cruel, and reckless ever since you became a Pro-Hero, and you won't fix it! Is it because you don't care? You don't want to be seen as a hero? Or are you really just that dumb?"

"Don't talk to me like that," Moxie yelled back. "I stop people from doing wrong. And I'm good at it, too. And God let me be here and have your quirk for a reason, so-."

"Oh, there you go again with the God talk," Izuku threw his hands up in frustration. "Every time I bring up something wrong with you, you hide behind God."

"He's a pretty big guy to hide behind," Moxie said.

"Then maybe you can bring God to the next WHA meeting," Izuku yelled. "Maybe God can stop your license from being revoked. Maybe God can teach you to use One-For-All properly. In fact, maybe God can give One-For-All to someone who deserves it instead of a crazy, stupid redneck who can't even speak proper English!"

Moxie laughed.

But it wasn't a kind laugh. Instead, it was a laugh of incredulous mirth. She shook her head and looked down at her shoes with another heart rendering chuckle.

Izuku, realizing his words, relaxed his face with his mouth hung open. His eyes softened, and he swallowed with a sharp pain zipping through his chest.

The two stood there for a few moments of terse silence. Save for a cop car rumbling away, and more reporters snapping photos of the wreckage, no sound flowed between the teacher and his protégée.

Izuku looked down at his red shoes. He arched his eyebrows, and he placed his hands in his pockets. His head was screaming at him to say something, but his mind kept his lips pinched shut.

Back at a taxicab running next to the parked ambulance, Ivan frowned at the site of his teacher and one of the top Pro-Heroes arguing. From what he saw, both of them were frozen in a sphere of regret.

"Do you want me to spy on them?" Ayumu's dream projection had just rose up from the ground after Ayumu fell asleep. The real Ayumu's arms dangled to her side with her head and body leaning in Ivan.

"No," Ivan said. "I think I've seen what I needed to."

Across the street, Izuku rubbed a corner of his eye. He swallowed again and pushed his hands into his pockets further.

"Moxie," Izuku said. "That was stupid. What I said."

"I thought I was stupid," Moxie said in a low, even tone.

"No, I'm stupid," Izuku said. "I'm stupid because I'm…well…I am. I'm stupid! I was the number one hero in the world. The Symbol Of Peace! I lost my best friends, both of them. I got stuck in some computer for years without knowing. I…I don't even know how to drive a car! Even with those lessons you gave me the last year at U.A. You're so much better than me. You're so much more pure. Both in heroics and in your heart. I just worry about you because…because…I don't really have that many people left."

Moxie looked up at the sound of a sniffle. Izuku wiped away a tear, but more kept flowing past his eyelids and started to stream over his pale skin.

"I'm alone in a new city," Izuku said in a shaking tone. "I'm not a hero anymore. I'm…I'm old."

"You're not old, Professor," Moxie said. "Thirty-five is still plenty of time."

"Not like that," Izuku said. "Old in another way. And…I don't have anyone here with me."

"You still have your classmates," Moxie said. "That Hawks guy and the Yaoyayoyo girl."

"Oh…they're okay, I guess," Izuku said. "He wiped away more tears and tried to drown the lump clogging his throat. "But family…I don't have that anymore. I mean, my mother in Japan. You. Our class. But you all don't need me anymore. You're all grown up. And…I keep thinking this class I have might be my last chance to do something that really matters."

"You can keep teaching," Moxie said. "There's gonna be all kinds of students to help in the future. Lots of more quirks to be discovered still, right?"

Izuku tugged at his collar. He could tell Moxie the truth of why he was in Detroit to begin with. In fact, there were quite a few things he could be more truthful about to her. Despite this opportunity, he shook his head and wiped away another tear. His face flushed from the embarrassment of crying in public, but most importantly before his student. His head was hot with a dull throb beating at his skull.

"Right," Izuku said. "It's been a long day. I think it's time for me to get back to the school."

"I gotta take my car over to that mechanic," Moxie said. "I'll probably have to come pick it up later. It's gonna take a while to fix up everything."

"Did you need a ride to the airport then?" Izuku asked.

"That'd be great," Moxie said. "I'll try to get a flight tomorrow in the evening. I'm gonna sleep in some."

"Well, I'll see you then," Izuku turned back to the crime scene. Some of the cops were talking to one another and laughing the night away by the nearest squad car. A few detectives took photos of the crime scene, and a news van right by the lamppost stood with a reporter speaking to a camera in front of an LED light board.

He took a step to the taxi cab humming in an idle state at the end of the intersection.

"Professor Deku?"

Izuku looked back. Moxie brushed away her hair from her face in a sheepish manner and shifted the toe of her boot on the spot to make a soft scrunching noise.

"What you said," Moxie sighed. "If God ever did give you chance to…give your quirk to someone else…would you do that?"

Izuku blinked and shook his head. "Never."

Moxie flashed a gentle smile. She nodded at Izuku and walked over to the tow truck. She climbed on top of it and slid herself through the driver's side window which was now open due to the destroyed glass. She slapped her hand on the door, and the tow truck lurched forward. The truck rumbled down the street with the Pro-Hero disappearing into the soft late summer night.

Izuku, still unsettled by the whole affair, placed his hands back in his pockets and straightened his back. He needed to put on a stronger face for his students who would no doubt remember what just occurred.

"What a day," Izuku mumbled to himself. "What a day."

Clink.

Izuku frowned at the cold metal that hit his hand. He peered down to his pocket. From the streetlight, a glint flashed from the interior cotton.

The revolver. He never gave it back to Moxie or placed it back in the glove box.

Izuku spun around. He saw the tow truck's red lights evaporate into the mist of the cool wind.

He gazed at the rest of the intersection. Some of the cops were dispersing with the ambulance pulling away from the crime scene. Only a reporter and a couple of detectives remained while the taxi cab hummed in wait for Izuku.

Izuku looked back at the revolver. He could hand it to one of the authorities. He could simply throw it into the dark abyss that was the hood of Detroit.

Another look around. Nobody paid him any mind.

Then, he zipped up the pocket containing the firearm. He would dispose of it later, he was sure. For now, he had no choice but to hold onto it and get his students home.

He trudged over to the cab. Not an inkling of what would transpire with the revolver came to pass in his head.

Lynn's footsteps echoed off the steel walls. Each bounce of her shoes onto the stairs pounded along with her heartbeat with each floor she climbed. For some reason, the dormitory floors didn't begin in the dorm buildings until floor three. She supposed utilities took up most of the second level, but it made her climb all the more arduous.

She burst into the girl's first year common room. It was similar to the boys save for a yellow and orange color scheme that was striped and ran diagonal over the walls. Already, the fragrance of strawberry perfume permeated over the empty area. Yet, she paid no mind and ran over to her new assigned room. It was the brown door at the very end of the hallway.

She got to the door and grabbed her keys. However, in her haste, she dropped the keys onto the ground. She scrambled for it and then picked them up. With a quick straightening of her hair, she took a quick breath. Then, she dipped the key into the lock and turned.

She opened the door. The dorm room was also pretty standard. With few decorations, only a basic full-sized mattress with a pink duvet and comforter atop the mattress stood on a bunk about two feet over the green carpet flooring. To the side was a giant oak wardrobe which held her clothing, and a small vanity that doubled as a wooden desk next to a small window facing the Detroit River and the mouth of the large lake to the north.

Lynn looked around her dark room. Moonlight trickled through the thin silk curtains that wafted from the wind blowing past the open window frame. Lynn snuck forward and could only hear the soft whistle of the breeze.

She approached the window. Looked out and then down at the ground. At the base of the dorm building was a small parking lot. It was mostly empty with a small bus and some teacher vehicles still parked. However, one vehicle stood out that was planted right under her window. The hood of an obsidian Gran Torino shimmered under the moonlight with its pristine mirrors glimmering up to her.

"Beauty, ain't she?"

Lynn yelped and twisted around. On instinct, she leaned forward and bashed her face right into the nose of another boy just inches away.

"Ah!" He cried out. "My nose."

Lynn looked at the boy when he uncovered his face. Jason stood before her in a leather jacket and dark pants. His eyes watered, but he had a soft smile pointed at her.

"Jason!" Lynn laughed. She jumped onto him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Lynn, relax," Jason stumbled back. "It's only been a few months."

The girl landed her feet before him with her arms still around his neck. She giggled and brushed her fingers on the black scruff on his chin.

"You're trying to grow it out?" Lynn chuckled.

"I haven't shaved since the beginning of summer," Jason said. "I thought you'd like it."

"I love it," Lynn said. "Makes you look more intimidating than you actually are."

"I can be intimidating," Jason said. "I did leave home and drop out, after all."

"Yeah, dropped out," Lynn's grin disappeared. She looked over her dorm room and then quirked an eyebrow at Jason. "So, you were serious about that."

"Yeah," Jason said. "I spent the summer driving like I said. And…my grandparents actually let me keep the car."

"The Gran Torino?" Lynn asked.

"The Gran Torino," Jason said. "And I've kept the passenger seat extra clean for you."

Lynn frowned. She looked back out the window. Then, she glanced over at her open wardrobe. Her school uniform hung on the door hook. The baby blue skirt with a dark blazer held an emblazoned crest of arms that was obscured by the shadow of the curtains wafting in the air.

"Jason," Lynn said. "I missed you a lot this summer."

"I know," Jason stepped closer to her. He traced a finger over her chin and placed his other hand on her neck. "And I think I can make up for it right now."

He closed his eyes and tilted his head. Before Lynn could fathom what would occur next, Jason had pursed his lips and erased the remaining space between them.

Lynn instantly melted into the kiss. Her heart slammed into her chest like a Boulder toppling over a cliff and plunged into a natural hot spring in winter time. Her body warmed, and her hands raked through Jason's soft hair and the back of his neck. Their breathing tickled the other's face and exhaled in sync with one another. Jason pressed forward and then kissed her again, and Lynn let out the softest of moans with the scent of dark coffee invading her senses.

Kissing Jason, a fantasy of hers for the longest time, was better than she had dreamed. The two stood in the center of the room and made out for what felt like hours. Eventually, Jason pulled away. Lynn opened her eyes and, with her mouth agape, ruffled her hand through Jason's hair again.

"Jason," Lynn said. "I…that was like…my first real kiss."

"Well," Jason said. "I guess we'll just have to knock your second and third ones out of the way, too."

Lynn, with a light chuckle, took the initiative and pounced on Jason. They kissed again. And again. And again.

Eventually, Jason sat down in the window ledge. The ledge was a brick outlay about three feet wide, so it was safe to sit on and maintain balance. Lynn sat in his lap. The sound of their lips smacking off one another was the only noise save for the wind brushing over Lynn's blonde hair.

"Jason," Lynn huffed through one of the kisses. "You'll get in trouble being here."

"You're worth it," Jason said. "Besides, we can do this a lot more on the road."

Jason pressed his lips back to hers. However, Lynn stopped and opened her eyes. She examined the boy whose lap she sat in with curiosity and confusion.

"On the road?"

Lynn stood up. She calmed her breathing and brushed back some of her hair. Jason sat at the ledge and jabbed a thumb behind him.

"Yeah," Jason said. "It's time to go, Lynn. Just like we talked about."

Lynn blinked and regained her footing. Breaking herself out of her dazed, clouded state, she straightened her shirt collar and wiped at her mouth from her white sleeve.

"Jason," Lynn said. "I…I can't just leave. I mean, how did you even get in here?"

"You told me what room, so I counted the windows," Jason said. "I bribed the security guard out front like half of what I saved this summer. You wanted me to come."

"I did," Lynn said before gesturing at her room. "But…a lot has happened since we spoke about this. I mean, I didn't think I'd actually get accepted. And then today…I actually did good today."

"Yeah, I saw the news," Jason stood up blocking the moonlight from the window. "You passed that crazy test that your crazy teacher made you go through. The same one that almost ran over us."

"That was an accident," Lynn said. "And Deku is just trying to challenge us. And I actually suceeded. I thought you'd be happy for me."

"I am," Jason said. "And now I'm here to pick you up so we can go."

"Go where?"

"Anywhere," Jason threw his hands up. "Like we talked about! My Gran Torino and a full tank of gas. We can go anywhere. We don't need any of this. Lynn, you don't need this. It can be just us."

"I need a future, Jason," Lynn stepped up to the boy. "And I worked pretty hard just to get to this point. Why won't you apply for the school? Your grades are good enough, and I can convince Deku to put in another student."

"I don't belong here," Jason said. "Not here with all the rich elite losers that lay their way into being a Pro-Hero."

"Oh, so now I'm rich and elite?"

"No, but most people here are," Jason said. "Especially those two that you keep hanging out with."

"What do-." Lynn cut herself off and glanced back at the door towards the hallway. "You mean Leon and Skylar?"

"Yeah, whoever they are," Jason said. "Some airhead who has white hair at like sixteen years old and that dumb twink from New York."

"Have you been fucking stalking me today?" Lynn shouted.

"I saw that idiot's TikToks," Jason said. "On the way over here. You can't be serious hanging around those fakes."

"They're not fakes," Lynn said. "Both of them are very genuine, and they actually helped me beat two Pro-Heroes today. When was the last time you did that for me?"

"I don't know, Lynn," Jason spat out. "When was the last time you did anything for me?"

Lynn fumed and took another step to Jason. She jabbed a finger up to his face and scowled at the boy. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means what we talked about," Jason said. "What we said we'd do for one another."

"And what is that, Jason?" Lynn asked. "What do you think that means?"

"It means get your things so we can leave this shitty city," Jason shouted. "So we can go."

"Go where?"

"Anywhere!"

Lynn stopped and read the contorted sneer on the boy's face. He huffed and glared at her with his body still blocking the moonlight. The two were in a silent standoff with both of their eyes cutting into the other's soul.

"I just want to go with you anywhere," Jason eventually said. "It doesn't matter to me where. But as long as it was with you, I'd be okay."

Lynn's face softened. Her shoulders lowered with her hands unclenching from her stressed fists. With Jason's voice lowering, his body also reverted to that of a smaller boy. One of a boy who was insecure and would do anything to vie for her attention. One of a boy who was alone.

"Jason," Lynn said. "I want you with me. But here. Not out there. We can always do that later. But right now, I think I'm where I need to be."

Jason looked up with a sorrowful expression on his face. "So what happens if you become a Pro-Hero? Do I disappear? Do you even want to be a Pro-Hero?"

Lynn sighed. "I'm still not sure. But I know I have to try. I have to try to be better than I am today. And if that means being a Pro-Hero…then maybe I'm worth that challenge."

Jason covered his mouth and looked back out the window. He stepped to the side and turned so the portal could be accessible to Lynn.

"Then I'll make it simple," Jason said. "Me or this school."

"Jason, I-."

"It's nothing personal," Jason said. "I just want to know what matters more."

"That literally makes it personal," Lynn shouted. "Jason, you can't make me choose. I don't have to."

"I'm giving you a chance to be free, Lynn," Jason said in a soft tone. "With me. All those days we played out in the sun. All those nights reading Foucault and waking up next to each other. The summers that never ended. We can still have that. Because Lynn…I'm not coming back. Not back here to Detroit. Not back to my home. Not back to…them," Jason sniffled and blinked away a few tears.

"Jason."

"It's okay," Jason said. "I just can't back home again. And that car outside…that's the only thing I got left. If not you. So…I'll leave it up to you. Here…or there," Jason glanced out the window.

Lynn shook her head. This was so unfair, she thought to herself. How could Jason just put her on the spot like this. And yet, it made perfect sense that he would do something like this. He was so concerned about having someone loyal to him, he would want to test that right away. But she had worked so hard to get into that small dorm room! And she had performed well on her first day. And she already had two boys that may end up being just as close to her as Jason.

But then, Jason. The one person there with her every step of the way down the run-down streets of Detroit. The one she could be free to laugh about any dumb pun or joke. The one she could tell any secret to and it not feel like a secret at all. She didn't want to throw away her future, but she didn't want to throw away Jason either.

With a deep swallow, Lynn breathed and narrowed her eyes. She knew what she had to do.

She stepped forward to the open window. Where underneath sat a parked Gran Torino awaiting her direction to send her to anywhere.

Uh oh. What does that all mean? Why does Deku have a revolver? What is Gavin talking about? What is Lynn going to do?

IDK. Find out in the next chapter.

Thank you so much! Please review and join the Discord if you haven't. And yes, submissions are still open! But please tell me all your thoughts.

Thank you! See you soon.