Chapter 1
Tony Stark was running late. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue because he did have a private plane that waited for him, and as Tony Stark he’s never late, everyone else is simply early. However today he was meeting his nephew and his sister would murder him with Jarvis if he was even as much as fifteen minutes late to showing up ten minutes early because he’s already a year late to being there for his birth.
“Jarvis how much longer until we’re at the airport?”
“At least another ten minutes Sir.”
“Shit.”
“I told you Tony, we should’ve left an hour ago. You didn’t need to spend three whole hours at the toy store. The kid probably has enough of them and you know how pissed Inko’s going to be when she sees everything you got.”
“Yeah yeah Platypus laugh it up I know I’m a dead man walking doesn’t mean you have to rub it in my face.”
“That’s my job as your best friend Tone, that and once you get in an actual lasting relationship or have kids telling embarrassing stories of your days at MIT.”
“Nope never gonna happen and even if it did MIT would be forbidden. Don’t need to give any children being raised by me any more reason to be traumatized. Now let’s see how fast my new baby can really go.” Tony speeds up the car even more, trying hopelessly to get to the airport before their takeoff time in 5 minutes. He knows it’s useless at most he’ll probably shave off two or three minutes from Jarvis’ prediction but the sooner he’s on the plane the more likely he is to survive his sisters’ wrath.
Ten minutes later he, Rhodey, and Happy arrive at the airport and board the plane. As they wait for the final pre checks to be done Tony feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. After fishing his phone out of his pocket he reads the name Obadiah Stane on the screen before sighing and pressing answer.
“Tony, where are you? Skipping out on another board of directors meeting? You can’t keep doing this Tony you know they need to be updated on your next project.”
“Obie! My favorite man, there was a board of directors meeting? And I wasn’t told? For shame.”
“Tony..”
“Yeah yeah I know, besides I’m the one that comes up with all the ideas that keeps the military interested in buying from us, the board of directors can wait a while. And I told you last week I couldn’t put off visiting Inko anymore, you know she’ll riot if I don’t go see her and the tyke soon.”
“We’ve had this conversation before Tony. I don’t like her, she tries to undermine your business. Telling you to cut ties with the weapons industry, I’m telling you your lack of superhuman abilities, or what do they call them in Japan again? Quirks? Your lack of one is why she’s telling you to stop what you’re good at. She doesn’t think you can do it because you’re not special, not like she is, not like the rest of her family is. Not like her son will be. I’m just trying to protect you Tony, since your father isn’t here to do it for me.”
“Listen Obie, I listen to you on everything else, but this? Her? She’s one thing I won’t budge on. She’s family. Now if you’ll excuse me, my planes about to take off.”
“Tony, wait!”
“Sorry can’t hear you too busy hanging up and strapping in. I’ll call you if I feel like it once I’m in Japan. Bye Obie!”
“Tony! Wait just a minute,” Hanging up before Obadiah can object to his visit to his family any further, he leans back in his leather seats before accepting the sake handed to him by the flight attendant.
“Don’t say anything Rhodey. Not a thing.”
Holding his hands in the air Rhodey replies, “I wasn’t going to say anything Tones.”
Tony snorts “Sure you weren’t. And I’m not a billionaire.”
“I was just going to point out that he’s getting pushier about it.”
“You know how he is. How they both are. Inko and Obie have hated each other for years. It would be funny if it wasn’t happening to me, but it is so it’s not.”
“Maybe you should talk to them. Find out why they hate each other.”
“You say that like I haven’t”
“Listen Tones you’re a genius, but not always when it comes to talking to people.”
“Excuse you! Insulted! I feel insulted right now. I am positively charming, no one can resist my charms.” Here Rhodey and Happy shoot him a deadpan look before Jarvis interjects with “Actually Sir the amount of partners in your bed this month has decreased by 7% from last month and this year a total of 13% from last.”
“Hush it Jarvis, those are private statistics. And they’re incorrect, there’s no way I’m down by that much. Maybe I should donate you to the community college instead of DUM-E with all your incorrect mathematics.”
“Why sir, I'm positively trembling in my boots at the mere thought.”
“Remind me why I programmed you with sarcasm?”
“I believe you said it was so you’d have a proper flite with matching IQ points as yours sir.”
“Ah yes I remember now. My mistake, put a reminder to reprogram that later yeah?”
“Of course sir, would you also like a reminder to Ms. Potts to throw out all the Italian coffee your cousins sent you last week as well?”
“You drive a hard bargain J, fine keep the sarcasm it keeps me on my toes.”
He feels a nudge on his side, “If you’re done arguing with your child now Tony we were talking about Obadiah and Inko?”
“Just give it a rest platypus, they’re not going to get along. It’s fine, I'm handling it fine, I'll be fine.”
“Whatever you say, Tone, whatever you say.” They spent the rest of the ride in silence, Happy asleep since they stepped foot on the plane and he was strapped in, Rhodey only falling asleep around the 5 hour mark, and Tony awake the whole time because insomnia. By the time they make it to Shizuoka, it’s almost 8 am in Japan and all three men are feeling the jetlag already, back home in Malibu it would still be 4 pm the previous day. They still have a two and a half hour drive from the airport in Tokyo to Inkos place in the Shizuoka prefecture by car so they waste no time in getting into the prepared car waiting for them outside of the plane, Happy actually driving for once, before heading out towards Shizuoka. On the way to Inko’s house Tony receives a text from Pepper reminding him that while he was in Tokyo he had to meet up with the principal of that superhuman training school in order to finalize the purchase of materials for their support and engineering courses, as well as a speech for the business courses on being a CEO. He responds to the texts with a simple I know I promise I won’t forget, before turning off his phone and psyching himself up to meet his nephew for the first time.
“Awe look Happy, he’s worried.”
“I’m not worried, you’re worried.”
“Denial,” Rhodey sing-songed, “We can see it on your face Tones, you’re actually concerned about meeting your nephew. You’ve faced countless death threats, all the people on your board, and that one reporter who stalked you and you did it all with a smirk and a witty remark, yet you’re scared to meet a one year old who probably still poops in a diaper. I’m sorry if I’m finding this situation utterly hilarious.”
“Oh come off it Rhodes, like you’re not equally as nervous to meet him.”
“I’m not. I’m nervous about facing Inko’s wrath for not visiting the last two years. We've only talked over the phone I’ve been so busy on duty lately thanks to you.”
“Don’t blame me for that, I’m just the developer. And the pitch maker. Obie handles the actual sales, and your superiors handle your assignments. None of this is my fault.”
“Sure Tony, that's what you want us to think.”
“Contrary to popular belief I do not, in fact, rule the world.”
“Fine Tony I’ll admit to that. Doesn’t change the fact that you’re more scared of a baby than your sister's temper.”
“God damn you Rhodes.”
“Hey that’s what I’m here for, making you suffer. On that pleasant note however you should pull yourself together. We'll be there soon and you probably don’t want to be seen like this when Inko sees you. You think I’m bad, you know she’s ten times worse.”
“Ugh you win this time Rhodes.”
From the driver's seat in the car Happy asks, “What does that make the score now Jarvis?”
“It’s now 297-268 in favor of Colonel Rhodes.” Once they hear the score Rhodey is wearing the most smug smirk Tony has ever seen his brother in all but blood wear, and scowling he resigns himself to calming down before his sister sees him so nervous about meeting her “sunshine in the form of a toddler” child. He only has a few minutes left until they’re at his sister’s place, and as he looks at the time he realizes that he actually won’t be late for once and that helps relieve some of the tension left in him. After a few minutes they’re finally pulling up to Inko’s house, he takes one more deep breath before plastering on his million watt smile and getting out of the car. Once he gets to the door it swings open and a blur of green is bounding toward him and knocking him off his feet. As he hits the ground with the green blob on top of him it starts hitting him in the chest.
“You told me you’d come when he was due to arrive Tony! You’re a year late you absolute bastard how could you miss the birth of your nephew? You have a lot of work to do to make this up to me, no good rotten asshole of a brother. Mom would be so disappointed if she were still around.”
“Yes I know Inko I’m so sorry now can you stop hitting me please? I’d also like to get up off the ground. I'm not as young as I used to be, you know.”
“I’m well aware of that fact big brother, in fact I’d like to tease you some more about it.”
“Don’t you dare Ink.”
“Aw come on you do it to poor Rhodes it’s only fair I do it to you too.”
“...”
“Fine. Spoilsport. Anyways welcome to my humble home, it’s nowhere near as grand as your place in New York or Malibu. Or that one vacation home in, what was it again, Sicily? Venice? Your moms’ family's old place. But I have enough rooms for all of you thanks to your generous allowance Tones, which again I’ve told you over and over again I don’t need your money please stop giving me so much of it.”
“Yeah that’s not going to happen, you have a kid now the tyke needs some sort of backup plan for money. And just think how would you house all of us if I didn’t help you buy this house?”
“I wouldn’t have to host all of you. I’d only host Happy, he’s the least annoying and he helps me with the dishes.”
Rhodey interjects “Hey I also help with the dishes!”
“Ah yes but you see you told my boyfriend in my sophomore year that I used to sleep in a my little pony onesie until I was 15 and then proceeded to let him know that if he came near me again you’d have his balls strung up on your base's flagpole. So Happy is the only one I’d keep around if I didn’t have the room.”
“Fair enough Inko, I didn’t think you were still mad about that.”
“I can hold a grudge longer than anyone except maybe Mrs. Stark.”
“Yeah I don’t know how I forgot about that.”
Inko smiles victoriously before leading them into the small house. “Don’t forget to take your shoes off in the genkan, Izuku is still sleeping but he should be up soon so feel free to make yourselves at home. Happy come help me make lunch.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Awe Haps did I scare you?”
“.... I’d prefer not to answer that question.”
Inko lets out a delighted laugh patting him on the shoulder before brushing past Tony and Rhodey heading toward the kitchen, as they leave she calls out over her shoulder “If he wakes up before I’m done in here Tony you can just grab him he’ll sit on your lap if you’re on the couch, he’s a cuddler when he first wakes up,” and then she’s gone with Happy through the kitchen door.
It only takes a few minutes before Tony’s fate is sealed and a sharp cry bursts through the house signalling the end of naptime. He slowly gets off the couch before making his way towards the back of the house where the nursery is. The door is slightly ajar and there's a light that’s flickering above his head in the hallway. The sounds of the baby crying a steady sound piercing his eardrums straight through his head. He slowly pushes open the door stepping carefully inside and walking toward the crib. He peers inside and suddenly everything about this horror movie-esque situation cleared up. The light in the hallway wasn’t flickering menacingly; rather it was just the result of a bulb about to die. The sounds of the crying no longer pierced through his head instead they shot arrows straight into his heart because they sounded so pitiful and desperate. He holds his hand out to the baby and watches transfixed as the one year old latches onto his finger big green eyes still full of tears but no longer openly sobbing, before shoving Tony’s hand in his mouth.
“Ew gross baby, come on let go of my hand we don’t know where that hand has been. There’s a good tyke come on let go.” After finally dislodging his hand from the toddler's mouth, said toddler raises his arms into the air in the universal sign of pick me up, and Tony obliges, grabbing the child under his armpits and holding him straight out in front of him. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to carry you but I guess this’ll do until I get us to the couch,” and then he walks out of the room, the toddler still held out arms stretched in front of him.
When they get to the couch Rhodey just looks at him, “Seriously Tones? That’s not how you hold a kid.”
“I’m sorry Rhodey, I didn’t know you were some kind of kid holding expert, please show me your ways if you’re so knowledgeable on how to correctly hold a toddler.”
“Tony I have nieces and nephews, of course I’m an expert at holding children. Here bring him to your hip and wrap your arm around him under his butt. There you go. That’s how you hold a baby.”
The two men and baby sit together on the couch, the baby enjoying cuddling up to the new source of heat, for the next few minutes until Inko and Happy call them to say that lunch is ready. It was a simple ramen with chicken broth and they all dug in because it has been over 14 hours since any of them had last eaten. They finish the entire meal within the next few minutes clearing their plates before setting them in the sink to be cleaned later, then they all head to the living room to sit on the couch together.
“I know you guys are probably exhausted, and Izuku has a playdate soon anyways, but it’s been so long since I’ve seen any of you. How’s life treating you all? Tony, anything new at SI?”
“Nothing new yet, which just means the board of directors is up my-” He’s cut off with a sharp look from Inko who nods her head towards the toddler in his lap staring up at him in fascination “-my well defined backside?” Inko nods in acceptance. “And that means Obie is up there with them trying to keep them happy.”
“Tone..”
“I know what you’re going to say Inko and I can’t. He’s like a father to me. He’s treated me better than mine ever did. He’s the closest thing I’ve got to one. Please, just let me have this.”
“Fine Tony, but remember you have more family than just him. You have me. I promise I’m here for you. I don’t trust him Tones he gives off bad vibes.”
“I appreciate that Inko. And you reserve full rights to say I told you so if something does happen. But please leave it for now.”
“I promise I’ll leave it alone for now Tones. Pinky swear.”
The three continue talking for the next hour before Happy and Rhodey start yawning and Inko gets a call from her friend asking if she’s leaving soon for their playdate. They say their goodnights as the three head off to sleep and Inko heads out the door with Izuku. The last thing Tony thinks before falling asleep is,
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The next morning Tony wakes up to a small something poking him in his cheek. He brushes it aside before turning over and attempting to go back to bed. Then he hears a small giggle come from the small thing poking him, and the smell of bacon and coffee rush up to meet him.His eyes shoot open and there's a face directly in front of his. A chubby face with constellations of green freckles on the cheeks and nose and big green eyes with curly little green lashes overtop them. He folds his arms around the small child that he can now identify as Izuku, his precious nephew, before rolling over with the child who starts giggling with the movement.
“Unc Toe Up”
“Up?”
“Ye. Up Unc Toe.”
“Alright, alright we can get up but first snuggles.”
“Nuuuuu unc toe stop stop. Up.”
“Fine fine you win bush baby. We’ll get up. Let’s go see what your mom made for breakfast, yeah?” Tony picks the child up and carries him out of the room following the delicious scent of coffee to the kitchen where Inko and Rhodey are cooking breakfast. “Look squirt. It’s Uncle Rhodey. If he’s making breakfast you know it’s going to be good. Breakfast is his specialty.”
Tony puts the toddler in his bouncy seat that’s hung in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room before going up to his sister and kissing her on the cheek. “I have a meeting with that stoat from UA today so I’ll be gone for a while. Take the black card and go crazy.”
“Tony,” Inko says warningly.
“Don’t worry it’s to start making up for being a year late. It’s yours to borrow. I promise I did not try to add you to my bank accounts again. I learned my lesson after last time.”
“Good Tones. You need to be more careful. If I wasn’t me I could take serious advantage of you. I don’t want you to get hurt Tone. You’re my brother.”
“Alright Ink I’ll be more careful, promise. But take Rhodey with you. He needs to learn to relax. Ooh and take Happy too, in fact take the car you guys can drop me off and then use it the rest of the day.”
“Alright Tony, I’ll take your man children off your hands. Don’t worry they’ll have fun. Or at least they’ll pretend to or so help me-”
“We’ll have fun promise no need for threats Ink.”
“Hmph good. Now finish making those eggs in a basket so we can wake Happy up and get ready to leave.”
“Ma’am yes ma’am.”
The two continue to cook in silence as Tony watches baby Izuku bounce himself silly giggling hard enough that Tony is worried he can’t breath. A few minutes later Happy walks into the kitchen looking as buttoned up as usual, always so serious.Once Happy sits down with his own cup of coffee Rhodey and Inko are done with cooking breakfast and the table is set waiting for them all to sit down and eat. Inko scoops Izuku out of his bouncer before depositing him in his highchair and spooning eggs onto his plate. They enjoy breakfast together sharing banter and rehashing stories from when they were younger before they all head to their rooms to get ready for the day. Inko is the first ready wearing a sundress and sandals, with Izuku dressed up in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with some hero’s face painted on it. Rhodey is next dressed comfortably in a pair of jeans and a button down shirt wearing a pair of steel toed boots. Tony leaves his room wearing his signature three piece designer suit, bought for him by a doctor friend who thought his taste in designers was severely lacking in numbers. They hop in the car driving towards UA first, it being late October school is in session which means the principal should be in the building. They pull up and wave him off as he walks towards the gates speeding off as Inko shouts something about takoyaki. He walks towards the games and right before he reaches them they open for him. He looks around quickly before shrugging his shoulders and walking inside, hearing the gate click shut before him. He feels a shiver race down his spine as he suddenly feels like he’s selling his soul to the devil.
As Tony walks down the halls he runs into a child with long black hair probably no older than 17. The child reminds him scarily of himself after his parents passed. Desolate, alone, wading through waist deep water with no help just trying to keep his head afloat. Something deep inside of him that was newly awakened after meeting precious little Izuku, roared with fury that a child was going through something that made him look the same as Tony did at his worst. Tony may not be a parent, most people think he doesn’t have a parental bone in his body, that he can barely take care of himself let alone another human being. He may not be any of those things but he knows he doesn’t want anyone feeling like they have to destroy themselves like he did. He helps the kid up since he’d fallen on the floor when Tony bumped into him, and helped him collect his school things.
“Sorry kid, guess I was lost in my head. Here’s your stuff.” The kid just remains silent, but Tony knows he can’t leave this kid alone. He is going to find out what’s going on so he can fix it. “Listen I’m looking for the principal's office, you don’t happen to know where it is do you?”
“... Yeah… I can show you the way. I guess, come on it's in this direction.”
“Sweet thanks catboy.”
“Catboy?” The kid looks bewildered.
“Yeah you have fur all over your black uniform. Here’s a hint: a lint roller is your best friend when it comes to owning animals with black outfits.”
“Oh. Thanks I guess.”
“Anyways the names Tony Stark what about yours?”
“... Aizawa Shota.”
“Now it’s been awhile since I’ve used honorifics of any sort since I’m me, but let’s give it a shot. It’s nice to meet you, Aizawa-kun. Did I get that right?”
“Yeah. Now hurry up, I'm going to be late to class.”
“Wow you sure are eager to do schoolwork.”
“... Not really. I just can’t afford to be late.”
After a few more minutes of twists and turns they end up in front of a large door, larger than Tony has ever seen before, which opens up for him right before he goes to knock on it. He turns back to the kid but he’s already shuffling away towards where Tony presumes his classroom is. Once inside the first thing he notices is that everything is comically large. The desk, the principales for his desk, the chairs in front of it, the couch in the corner. The man’s a stoat and his office is the same size as Tony’s in SI Headquarters -which he only uses for intimidation purposes he’ll admit and considering Nezu’s reputation it makes sense- so excuse him if he needs to take a breath so he doesn’t bust out laughing. There sitting on a chair positioned on top of the desk is Nezu, the infamous stoat in charge of UA. Highest IQ known to man,
, and fellow lover of chaos.
“Ahhh Stark-san it’s nice to meet you in person, as lovely as our chess games are in person is so much better than online don’t you agree?”
“You can call me Tony Nezu-san, and yes you’re more capable of taking in my beautiful face in person. You just can’t fully appreciate the masterpiece that is me through a screen.”
Nezu laughs before responding, “You can call me Nezu then Tony. Now I have the distinct feeling there’s something you want to ask me about, and I also get the feeling that it’s about Aizawa-kun, am I right?”
“Scarily right, rat god, let’s get this started. That kid looks the same I did after my parents died right before I OD’d on all the hard drugs and alcohol I could find, the worst parts of my life when I felt the absolute need to self destruct. He looks younger than I was and I know you run a tight ship so I’m having trouble understanding why you’re letting a child continue looking like that and going to class like normal.”
“Ahh. Well that’s a particularly sad story Tony. You see Aizawa-kun was fighting a villain on his work studies with a friend of his Oboro Shirakumo, and Aizawa-kun has such a hard time making friends you see, and Oboro-kun unfortunately did not make it out of that battle. Aizawa-kun was there when it happened but was the last to know, he swears he heard Oboro-kun cheering him on but that’s simply not possible because the communicator was broken and Oboro-kun had already passed when he heard the voice. The board doesn’t believe in grief leave for hero students, they say it gets them used to what their future looks like. I do have him in therapy with one of our counselors though to work through his lingering trauma and grief.”
“Aside from the fact that Japan lets 16 year olds risk their lives during school enforced activities, which I know you can’t control overall so I don’t blame you personally, what about his parents?”
“...Aizawa-kun hasn’t seen his parents since he got accepted into the hero course. We believe they didn’t think they could hide their physical abuse when he was surrounded by heroes during training, which means he had nothing else to blame his bruises on.”
“So where is he staying?”
“That’s the other thing Tony, we don’t know. He disappears at the end of the day as fast as he can, and reappears right before the bell rings in the morning. He doesn’t talk to the other two friends he has anymore, and he certainly doesn’t confide in his teachers. Even me and he’s my prized personal student. I’m teaching him everything I know. We think the most likely place is on the streets but we can’t find him, he does have the best grade in this entire school when it comes to stealth training. If you could find out for us during your stay here I would be much obliged, and I’d count it towards that debt you owe me for helping with that missing piece of code from your last weapons demo.”
“You don’t have to sweeten up the offer Nezu, I’m helping this kid. No one else needs to make the same mistakes I did. Not if I can prevent it.”
“I’m ever so grateful Tony. Now onto less serious matters.”
“Ah yes. Let the fun begin.”
----------------------
After about two hours of hashing out details of which materials he’d be providing for support and engineering students, and the date of his talk with the business course students (a week and a half from now just before he leaves to go home) they decide to play a game of chess while they wait for the school day to end so Tony can follow Aizawa home from school and see where he’s been staying. Their game finishes right as the hero students are finishing their last class. He slides out of Nezu’s office leaving the front of the building and hiding around the corner waiting for Aizawa to show up.
“Jarvis when I tell you, I want facial recognition on all cameras in a 50km radius from the school watching for Aizawa Shota. Black hair around 16 or 17.”
“Yes sir.”
Tony sees Aizawa rushing through the gates a frantic blonde boy and tall blue haired girl trying to follow him but unable to follow him at the same speed as Aizawa.
“Jarvis tag him and drag him. Let’s see where he’s headed. If you lose him I’m donating you to a community college.”
“Following him with street and phone cameras now sir.”
“Display the route J.” His phone screen turns on and is filled with a map of Musutafu and a red line forms the path taken by Aizawa. His sunglasses are tracking the nearest cameras to the kid to make sure they have eyes on him at all time. “He sure is skilled at avoiding street cameras I’ll give him that. He doesn’t know that I have access to any camera so this is like first grade homework for us J. Map out a route opposite his, plan out where you think he’ll end up based on patterns and guide me as close to him as we can get without letting him know. And text Happy to let him know not to come get me yet. Let him know I’m doing a favor for the rat god.”
“Very good sir. Anything else?”
“Yeah shoot a text to Pep. Make sure she remembers DUM-E isn’t allowed near the fire extinguisher after what happened last time. Ooooh and remind her that they get bored and need company will you?”
“Done and done Mr. Stark.”
“You’re a godsend J. What would I do without you?”
“Starve probably sir.”
“Again with the sass.”
“Always sir, I was made by you.”
Tony spent the next fifteen minutes being guided around the city by Jarvis and watching to make sure he didn’t lose sight of the kid. Around the seventeen minute mark Jarvis finally tells him that the kids stopped moving and a quick glance down shows him dipping into an alleyway that is a dead end. Looking at the shops next to it he sees a cat cafe and a dry cleaners. Tony follows the route mapped out for him by Jarvis getting to the cafe first, before slipping into the alleyway. He carefully walks into it, seeing a dumpster about 7 feet down the alley and a pile of cardboard boxes another 3 feet past that.
“Jarvis scan for heat signatures.” Tony whispers, phone already sliding back into his pocket as his glasses read the thermal signatures around him.
“It looks like there are none.”
“Did the kid leave the alley?”
“No sir.”
“Hmm. Are there any doors leading to the alley from either store?”
“There looks to be a door behind the pile of cardboard boxes on the right, the cat cafe.”
“Alright thank you Jarvis. Let Nezu know I found his kid.”
Tony follows Jarvis’ direction to the side door of the cat cafe, knocking on it and sticking his hands in his pocket glancing around again and seeing an unused mattress on the ground.
“Jarvis. I’m planning something stupid.”
“So business as usual sir?”
“Har har very funny Jarvis. But seriously I need you to find his parents, call Pep and my personal lawyers, not the SI ones.”
“Sir. You’re not going to…? Are you?”
“.... I told you it was a stupid idea J. Just do it please.”
“Yes sir. I just want you to know I’m calling it now, this is going to end horribly and with lots of yelling.”
“Yeah I know J. Text Inko too. Let her know we might need that guest room soon.”
Jarvis doesn’t respond, but he doesn’t need to. Tony knows he’s doing like he asked because Jarvis is the best. Right after he finishes the conversation with Jarvis he hears the door open and turns back to it, readying his million-watt smile. The person who opens the door is an old woman probably around 60 or 65 with white hair wearing a floral robe and bunny slippers.
“Hello?”
“Hi ma’am I’m Tony Stark and I was wondering if you’ve seen this kid around?” He shows her a picture of Aizawa taken from the UA files “He’s not in any trouble but his principal is worried about him and asked me to help find him to make sure he was safe.”
“I’ve never seen that child before, but I hope you find him.”
“Please ma’am. I don’t know if you’ve heard of me, but I’m Tony Stark. Genius, billionaire, philanthropist, owner of Stark Industries, and tech god. I know he entered that alley and didn’t leave it. I know he didn’t enter the laundromat next door. And I know he likes cats. Please. I promise he’s not in trouble we’re just worried about him. He’s been through some really rough stuff and he needs help. Let us help him.”
“... He’s this way. Him and that calico of his, Sushi I think his name was. He’s been staying on the cafe with the cats at night and he gets free reign of the apartment as long as he makes coffee and feeds the cats. He’s a good boy and I know he’s going through something which is why he’s here. As soon as I saw him sleeping on that ratty old mattress I knew he’d need bigger help than I can give him eventually. My names Izumi Maiko. It’s nice to meet you Stark-san, please take care of him, he needs it.
“I will I promise. Thank you for letting me help him Izumi-sama.”
She leads him into the back of the cafe and up a short flight of stairs instructing him to wait in the genkan for her. She disappears into the apartment before reappearing a few minutes later the kid in tow, only this time without his school jacket on.
“Hi Aizawa-kun, you remember me right? You can call me Tony if you want. Nezu was worried about you and called in a favor I owed him. Listen I know you’ve been through something horrible recently, and if it were up to me you wouldn’t have had to go through with it at all being how young you are, but the fact is it happened and now you need help. Help and support and you’re not getting it right now. I’d like to help you, if you’d let me.” Tony outstretches his hand waiting for the kid to do something with it, anything as long as it gets him to accept the help he’s being offered. The kid stares at it in disbelief as if he’s never been offered help before, not like this, and not by an adult who didn’t know him.
“Tony-san, why? I have a villains quirk, it’s my fault Oboro is gone, if I wasn’t so useless as a hero student none of this would’ve happened. You shouldn’t waste your help on me, you should give it to someone who can actually use it. I’m fine. I’m always fine. I’ll always be fine.”
“You’re not fine kid, trust me I know. I’ve been exactly where you are, which is why I want to help you so bad. Please let me help you I’m begging. And I never beg I always get handed anything I want, so you should feel honored. Please kid let me help you the way I wished for people to help me.”
Ever so slowly Aizawa Shota reaches out and clasps onto Tony’s hand, finally accepting help from someone because he felt a kinship with this strange American man in a suit. Tony counts it as a win.