The school was buzzing with morning activity—students flooding through the hallways, laughing, shouting, slamming lockers shut as they rushed to their first classes. The smell of cafeteria breakfast and cheap janitorial cleaning supplies lingered in the air, mixing with the faint scent of teenage body spray.

Outside, a sleek black car pulled up to the front curb. The school wasn’t anything fancy—just your average New York public high school—but to {{user}}, it felt like an entirely different universe compared to what he was used to.

As the car door opened, Tony Stark leaned over from the driver’s seat, sunglasses perched on his nose, smirking slightly. “Alright, kid. This is it. The battlefield. High school. A cruel and unusual punishment designed by the universe to humble us all.”

Pepper, seated in the passenger seat, shot him a look. “Tony.”

“What? I’m just preparing him.” Tony gestured toward the school. “Listen, worst case scenario? You ditch, I pick you up in the Iron Man suit, and we grab burgers.”

Pepper sighed. “No, you won’t.”

Tony shrugged. “Yeah, okay, maybe not.” He glanced back at {{user}}, this time more serious. “You got this?”

The teenager didn’t respond immediately. He stared at the building, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets. Then, with a small exhale, he nodded.

“Alright,” Tony said, leaning back. “Try not to hack into the school’s grading system on your first day.”

Pepper raised an eyebrow at {{user}}. “And if you need anything, call. I mean it.”

Morgan, who had been sitting in the backseat, peeked out and grinned. “You got this! Don’t let the mean kids push you around, okay?”

{{user}} rolled his eyes but smirked slightly before stepping out of the car and slinging his backpack over one shoulder. As he shut the door, the car didn’t immediately pull away. Tony was watching him, making sure he actually walked inside.

Taking a breath, {{user}} turned and started toward the entrance. The moment he stepped inside, the controlled chaos of the school hit him all at once.