It had been a long and tiring year.
Everyone's sudden return from the blip sent the world to a halt, not to mention the loss of IronMan sending the world into a depression.
Trying to get everything back on the right path was challenging.
Many were confused, lost, homeless, or grieving.
The Earth's population had literally jumped back up in the matter of seconds.
Everyone was scared; they all wanted answers to things they couldn't understand, things that would send them into madness.
Returning to school had been its own challenge.
The middle schoolers were now close to graduating, while some teachers and faculty members retired; everything was so unfamiliar to those who remained.
And to make matters worse, the school board decided it would be best for everyone to restart the entire year, forcing them all to restart from the grade level they had been at before the blip occurred.
Luckily, Naruto hadn't gotten too far into his junior year.
Speaking of the blondes, Naruto had taken a while to return to his usual self.
The death of Tony had taken a toll on the teenager.
The battle in space, in general, took a toll; he'd fought in a literal war at the age of 16, and it left a huge strain on his mind, honestly.
He tried his best to keep a brave face, but it was hard to clear your mind when everywhere you turned you saw a Tony Stark memorial or poster.
After a while, Naruto gave himself time to grieve and heal from the death of his mentor/father figure. Eventually, he started getting back to normal.
Slowly, but surely.
Said blonde had been currently speed walking towards his art class before entering the room and plopping down beside his best friend.
"I have a plan." Naruto said.
Since they'd returned, Ned and Naruto had only grown closer.
During his time of mental suffering, Ned had truly proven to Naruto that he cared about him and not just Spider-Man; though Naruto never questioned it, it felt nice to finally have someone acknowledge it.
His friend wasn't much of an emotional type either, but he truly made Naruto feel better by spending hours just trying to cheer him up and getting his mother to set him up a small party to lighten the mood.
"Okay, first I'm going to sit next to MJ on the flight; second, I'm going to ask her if she wants to watch a movie". Naruto said with a smirk before pulling a small object out of his pocket.
"I bought this dual-headphone adapter just for the occasion; I'm gonna make sure we watch movies the entire time". Naruto said as he began wiggling both eyebrows.
"Right." Ned replied in disinterest.
"Okay, then when we get to Venice, I'll buy her a necklace because Venice is known for its amazing glasswork, right?". Naruto asked.
"Right". Ned replied nodding his head.
"Great, so I'm going to buy her a black dahlia necklace because her favorite flower is the black dahlia." said Naruto.
"Because of the murder, I know". Ned replied with an eye roll.
"Right, the murder." Naruto replied slowly, noticing his friends' lack of enthusiasm.
"Anyways, then I'm going to take her to the top of the Eiffel Tower where I'll give her the necklace and tell her how I feel, hoping it's reciprocated." Naruto finished with a smirk before crossing both arms over his chest.
"That all sounds really great, but you're missing a step". Ned said causing Naruto to lift a brow, turning he faced him.
"What step?". Naruto asked in confusion.
"The step where you don't do any of that". Ned replied with a mock smile.
"Ughh, Why?". Naruto asked in annoyance; he had honestly thought his plan seemed perfect.
"We're going to be bachelors in Europe." Ned replied, waving both his arms in the air.
"Ned-". Naruto began only to be cut off by Ned.
"Look, I may not know much about Europe, but I do know this: European women love Americans, and we're both Americans, and half the people there are women; there's no way we won't be babe magnets out there." Ned said, trying his best to reason with the blonde.
"Right, but I really like MJ, and you know that dude, she's really awesome, smart, and super funny, but in a dark way that I find hilarious and kind of hot, and she's coming right now." Naruto said before he quickly fixed his posture as the exact person they'd been talking about began walking up to them.
"What up dorks, excited about the science trip?". MJ asked as she approached the duo.
"Yes, we were just talking about the trip actually". Naruto said.
"Yeah, and about Naruto's plan". Ned said with a smile.
"Plan? What plan?". MJ asked as she began staring at Naruto who sent a glare at Ned before quickly turning to face her with a sheepish chuckle.
"I- uh, haha, I've been planning on just collecting stuff." Naruto said, trying to come up with something believable.
"Yes, he's collecting spoons". said Ned before gasping in pain as Naruto stomped on his foot.
"Collecting spoons kind of sounds like an old woman's hobby, doesn't it?". MJ asked with a raised brow.
"It's actually for my grandma, but I'd have you know that there are actually some very beautiful spoons out there; I'm sure you'd be surprised by." Naruto replied before crossing his arms and giving a 'hmph'.
Trying not to laugh, MJ simply shook her head and looked down a bit.
"Well, that was a real roller coaster. Anyway, you guys should travel with a VPN on your phones, just so the government can't track you". MJ said awkwardly before walking off.
"That went well". Ned said before looking away as Naruto began glaring.
-A few hours later-
"I just wanted to thank everyone for coming out and supporting those who were displaced by the blizzard, and I wanted to give a special thanks to New York's very own Spider-Man". May said over the mic.
Naruto stood beside May onstage as she spoke during the fundraiser, she had been hosting for the shelter she had been working with.
She had begun working at the homeless shelter after returning from the Blip.
The shelter had been funded by a man named Martin Li, someone Naruto still hadn't gotten the chance to meet.
Realizing May was signalling for him to speak, Naruto awkwardly shuffled towards the mic.
"Uh, thank you guys for having me, and thank you, May, for everything you've done; stay awesome." He said lamely before giving the crowd a thumbs up.
Turning with a pivot, Naruto quickly shuffled backstage before commanding his mask to remove itself.
"Wow! That was amazing." Naruto said as May entered the back room, giving her a high five.
"That was amazing; though, I feel like you were a bit stiff, but we can work on that for the next time." May said with a smile.
"Well, I mean I thought I was pretty decent, but okay." Naruto replied lowly.
Hearing the door behind him open, Naruto quickly began calling for his mask before realizing it was only Happy Hogan.
"Hey, Happy, What are you doing here?" Naruto asked.
Happy ignored the blonde as he quickly approached May.
"You look wonderful tonight". He said with a smile. "Don't think I've seen this dress before."
Chuckling a bit, May said, "Thank you, it's actually just something old I threw on; is that a new beard I see?"
"It's my blip beard, I grew it during the blip you see." Happy said with a goofy grin.
"I see." May replied.
"Oh, by the way, the reason I'm here is to bring you this check; it got misplaced at the office," Happy said.
"Thank you, I think I'm going to go check on the vegan lasagna now". May said before she began walking away.
Pausing for a moment, she turned to face Naruto. "Hey Spider-Man, don't forget to shake hands before you leave." She said before exiting.
"Uhh, got ya". Naruto replied awkwardly.
He was confused and a bit disturbed by the little interaction he'd just witnessed.
"Okay, what was that?". Naruto asked as he turned to face Happy.
"Heads up, Nick Fury's on line one." Happy said, ignoring the question.
"Nick Fury is going to call me?". Naruto asked confused.
Why would Nick Fury need to speak to him out of all the heroes to choose from?
Bzzzz!
Hearing his phone buzz, Naruto moved to grab it, lifting it up and seeing that it was an unknown number.
"I told you". Happy said, noticing the puzzled look on her face.
"I don't really want to talk to Nick Fury". Naruto replied honestly.
Happy quickly replied, "Answer the phone."
"Why don't you answer the phone?". Naruto asked.
"Because I'm scared". Happy replied only to gasp in shock as Naruto declined the call.
"You sent Nick Fury to voicemail?". Happy said rhetorically.
"I'd love to help him, but I don't want to". Naruto replied with a smile.
"Hey, I think they're calling my name; I'll definitely call him as soon as I can." Naruto quickly said before walking towards the curtains.
Naruto commanded his mask to return, and then, taking a deep breath, he slowly made his way back onstage.
Terrible idea.
Naruto had never been much of an anxious person, but he couldn't help but begin to panic as he was bombarded with questions and flashing lights from the cameras taking photos.
'Are you the next Iron Man?' 'What will you do if there's another alien invasion?' 'Are you the new leader of the Avengers?'
Naruto could barely handle it.
He wasn't built for the public, he wasn't Iron Man and he wasn't media trained, he didn't expect for the events that occurred to take place when he left that school bus during the invasion.
He didn't want to think about who the next Iron Man would be while he was still dealing with the loss of the man.
"Does anyone have any neighborhood questions? Things about the local community?". Naruto asked, trying to regain his composure, only to be met with more crazy questions.
Feeling panic beginning to wash over him, Naruto leapt into the air, flipping over the crowd he landed at the top of the nearby wall.
Pushing off the wall, he shot through the open skylight and disappeared from the crowds' sight.
Naruto made his way through the city and landed on a nearby rooftop.
Taking a seat on the ledge, he removed his mask before taking in a refreshing breath.
Whenever life got hard, he would take a swing to get his heart beating a bit before sitting on the ledge of a building or a rooftop, preferably the roof of his school, where he could enjoy the breeze and the view.
It seemed as if no matter where he went or what he did, he just couldn't escape Iron Man.
He missed Tony deeply.
He felt tired; he simply wanted a break, time to just live a normal life.
Looking to his right, he saw a giant painting memorializing Iron Man; smiling at the display, Naruto stood before commanding his mask to return.
He leapt off the building as he began his journey home, ready to get home to his comfy bed.
-The Following Morning-
Today was the day.
Naruto woke up bright and early to pack for the two-week summer trip to Europe.
Hearing his phone buzz he moved to check it only to see it was Nick Fury; letting the call decline, Naruto stood as he finished packing.
Sighing, Naruto stared at his costume hanging up in his closet before shaking his head and closing the closet door.
This summer was supposed to be a vacation, a break from being Spider-Man; Naruto truly wanted a chance to just be a normal teenager and experience a few things, like maybe getting a girlfriend.
"Hungry!" He heard before being hit in the face by a banana.
"I am so sorry, I thought you had those spidey tingles that warn you". May said, trying her best not to laugh.
"I'm pretty sure my mother throwing a banana at me doesn't count as a threat worth warning". Naruto replied dryly, picking up the banana he began to eat it.
"And it's Spider Sense's". Naruto grumbled with a full mouth.
"Able to dodge bullets but not bananas, kind of strange don't you think". May teased.
Finishing the banana, Naruto sighed. "I just really need this vacation; I feel like I deserve a little break." he said.
"Aww, come here". May said as she moved towards Naruto before embracing him.
"If anyone deserves a break it's definitely you". She said before she broke the hug, moving to exit the room; she paused before turning to face Naruto once more.
"You know what though, I do think you should pack your suit, I'm having a tingle about it". May said before walking away.
Naruto groaned aloud before closing his bedroom door.
Staring at his closet once more, he shook his head and turned to finish preparing.
He wouldn't bring any suit, New York and the rest of the world would be just fine without Spider-Man for two weeks.
-On The Flight-
The plane hadn't been anything special; flying with Tony had grown Naruto accustomed to such luxuries.
He sat beside Ned as he waited to see where MJ would be sitting; he planned on finding a way to sit next to her, most likely by simply asking.
"Yo, Parker." Naruto heard as he pulled himself out of his thoughts.
He turned to face the voice only to frown as it was none other than Flash Thompson.
He stood in first class holding a glass of what seemed to be champagne.
"This is called an airplane". Flash said, "It's like the buses you regularly take, only it flies over the poor neighborhoods you're used to instead of driving through them." He smiled.
Honestly, Naruto paid it no mind; Flash had been the biggest Spider-Man fan he knew, so it was hard to take him seriously.
"Ma'am". They heard.
Turning to face the new voice, Naruto saw MJ who had boarded the plane standing next to a guy named Brad, gaining the attention of the flight attendant standing beside Flash, She smiled a bit.
"He blipped, so technically he's 16, not 21." MJ said causing the attendant to swipe Flash's drink away.
"You know, there's nothing better than having someone to fight your battles." Naruto joked as MJ turned to face him.
"Your Knight in shining armor." She replied, flashing a smile before continuing toward her assigned seat.
"Classic MJ". Brad said as he followed behind Michelle.
Looking the boy up and down in disgust, Naruto could only grumble.
"Did you know Brad was coming?". Naruto asked Ned curiously.
"It's so weird, it's like he was just that one weird little kid who cried and got nosebleeds all the time, then boom, he's like this guy every girl is after". Ned replied, earning a scoff from Naruto in response.
"It's definitely not every girl". Naruto said before looking back at MJ, "I need your help to sit next to her". He said.
"What? I thought we had a plan dude, American bachelors in Europe!". Ned exclaimed.
"What? No, I literally told you I wouldn't be participating in your plan, come on Ned! I really want to be with MJ and I need your help to sit next to her, are you really going to deprive me of love when I literally saved your life?". Naruto said as he raised an eyebrow; he knew it was in bad taste, but he really wanted that seat.
"Ugh". Ned groaned as he slowly got up.
Naruto watched as Ned somehow managed to get him the worst seat possible, seated in the back of the plane with his teacher near the restrooms.
To make matters worse, Michelle had now been seated next to Brad who happened to have brought an adapter as well; Naruto knew what the boy was up to and he refused to let Michelle be taken away from him.
Although she technically wasn't his yet, she would soon find out.
They had eight hours of flight time ahead of them; things just couldn't get any worse.
-Later-
Naruto couldn't wait to get off the plane; he had only an hour left before landing and he couldn't be more grateful.
Placing a hand on the overhead bin, Naruto lifted himself from his seat, using his power to stick to the surface as he slowly slid past his teacher, trying not to wake him up.
He managed to pass his teacher without incident and set himself down in the hallway before making his way to the bathroom; once finished, he opened the door only to freeze as he came face-to-face with none other than Michelle.
"Did I surprise you?". MJ asked, trying to break the silence as they stared at one another.
Composing himself, Naruto smirked.
"Just a bit, I wasn't expecting to walk out and see you, but this is definitely already one of the best moments I've had this whole ride." Naruto said.
Michelle smiled a bit before she looked down and awkwardly moved a bit of hair behind her ear, trying to hide a smile.
pivoting, MJ quickly returned to her seat without another word.
Naruto could only sigh.
Something about her.
As Naruto prepared to make his way back to his seat, he bumped into Brad.
"Whoops, sorry about that". He said.
Smiling goofily, Brad patted Naruto's head before walking into the restroom.
Naruto could only look around him in confusion.
It took all of his willpower not to kick the restroom door open and beat Brad to an inch of his life.
Shaking his head, Naruto made his way back to his seat, eager to get the plane ride over with.
Although he hadn't been able to sit next to Michelle like he had hoped, he would find a way to make their trip a romantic getaway for the two of them.
Or so he thought.
•
•
•
•
•
Just dropping the first page of the new arc as a teaser, not too interesting this page but I'm just getting things ready, I'll always drop the first page of each arc before releasing the rest all at once just to give you a preview I guess. I wanted to also let you know that the story will be following Tom's storyline it'll follow the story closely but for ffh and nwh I'll be changing a lot more because I'm going to be getting into the spider society and miles etc etc. stay tuned, also check out my other book, Moonknight ninja where Naruto is (Marvels) Moonknight.
I hope you've been enjoying the story, feel free to review and also put people on of course. Check out my SoundCloud (@SIY3R) and instagram (@RelativelySiyer) i also make music.