Chapter 71: Maria's Backstory

[Third Person's PoV] 

Tony rode around on the Microbots as they made their way back to the lab where the suits were stored. "Have you thought about what type of suit you want for you and Mom? We can't forget about David either. We'll need their input on what they want too."

Howard scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know, this is a tough decision. All the suits you make are top-notch, so it's hard to choose. The adamantium one seems a bit heavy, though. The only reason you and Melissa can use it so effectively is because of your enhanced bodies. So that's one option out. I'm torn between the Vibranium model and the Iron Patriot. Both have solid weaponry and tech."

Tony chuckled, a playful glint in his eyes. "Oh, my dear old man, it seems age is finally catching up to you."

Howard narrowed his eyes and cracked his knuckles. "You know, sometimes I think I was too lenient with your upbringing. Maybe it's time to start correcting that now."

Tony quickly adopted an awkward smile, clearing his throat. "What I meant was, you don't really need to choose. I can just combine the best features from both suits. Friday, can you call the others down?"

As he spoke, Tony walked over to his workspace and brought up a hologram of his armor. "Friday, switch it to the Vibranium model."

Howard watched the hologram shift as Tony then said "There's a lot to think about with these suits. Vibranium is great for stealth, but the weapon systems on the Iron Patriot are hard to beat."

"We'll need to discuss what kind of weapons and capabilities you want," Tony explained.

As they continued talking, Friday interrupted, her voice light, "Boss, you keep receiving text messages from your friends. They seem quite worried about you due to your sudden departure. I didn't inform you earlier due to the circumstances, but I hope you won't fire me for that."

Tony scoffed with amusement. "Text them back that I'm fine, everything's resolved, and I'll get back to them later."

Howard glanced at his son with a smile. "It's nice to see you have friends who worry about you, Tony."

Tony blushed slightly and waved off the comment just as Melissa brought the others down to the lab. Maria walked in, happily munching on a piece of cake, clearly enjoying herself. Tony stared at her in mild surprise, causing Maria to pause and look back at him in confusion.

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing… just enjoy yourself," Tony replied, shaking his head.

Maria narrowed her eyes playfully. "Are you calling me fat?"

Tony blinked, taken aback. "Huh? When did I say that?"

"You didn't need to say it. I could feel your eyes judging me."

"No, you hormonal woman, I just never saw you enjoy cake so much before," Tony said defensively.

"Oh…" *Smack* "Respect your mother," Maria said, giving him a light smack on the back of the head. "I get this sudden sweet tooth when I'm pregnant. It was the same when I was pregnant with you."

"Really? I didn't take you for someone with a sweet tooth. I thought you were more of a bitter kind of lady."

Maria raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Like, I don't know, that you preferred coffee more than sweet things," Tony replied with a shrug.

Maria chuckled and shook her head. "Just because I love my coffee doesn't mean I can't enjoy a good slice of cake now and then." 

Tony nodded thoughtfully before asking, "So, what do you want your suit to be like?"

Maria, still savoring her cake, shrugged. "I don't know, I'll just go with whatever your father chooses."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Come on, Mom, have some individuality. This suit is for your protection."

Maria shrugged again. "Honestly, I've never been much of a fighter or had a need to fight, especially with my quirk. It was actually one of the reasons I was pretty much disowned from my family."

"Excuse me?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You didn't know?" Maria replied, surprised. 

"I never did any background research on you guys. I didn't see the need to… What do you mean, disowned?"

"Well, you always spent time in your office. We never really had a sharing moment, did we? To start, Stark isn't my maiden name. My maiden name is Carbonell. They're a big hero family, top 10 S-rank heroes in America. They all have telekinesis or similar abilities, but I didn't. My quirk turned out to be something different—like a depowered version of theirs. It's called Sharp Mind. It heightens intelligence, quick problem-solving skills, and gives an exceptional memory.

My family believes in power above all else. They worship the hero ranking system and think anyone who doesn't reach A-class is worthless. They thought I'd just be a sidekick, which is how they treated me. I was kicked out at 18. Luckily, my quirk helped me get into a prestigious school that valued intellect. That's where I met your father and David. Howard and I fell in love, graduated, got married, and had you."

Maria finished with a smile and kissed Tony's cheek, wiping off a bit of frosting.

Tony turned around, typing on a holographic keyboard. "Tony… What are you doing?" Maria asked suspiciously.

"Hacking into all their systems and extracting all the dirt on them so I can run them out of business, My dear mother" Tony said casually.

Howard laughed. "Ha! That's my boy."

Maria sighed, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Tony, don't…"

"But Mom…" Tony whined.

"Tony, I tried the same thing when I found out, but your mother has too kind a heart. She doesn't want to see people suffering because of her. Her kind heart was one of the reasons I fell in love with her," Howard said with a sigh.

"Just leave it be, Tony," Maria said with a smile. "I appreciate you getting angry for my sake. I really do. But I don't want you getting into trouble because of me."

"But…" Tony said, looking at her, seeing her smile and shaking her head. He sighed and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine…"

Maria chuckled, ruffling his hair and giving him a kiss on the side of his head. "So like I was saying before, I don't really know what I want for such a suit of armor. I'll just go with whatever your father choices. He knows best after all. Or you know what, why don't you surprise me. I'm quite curious in what you would be able to make for me" 

"Fine since you want to be like that, I'll make a completely new suit of armor for you." Tony said as he cracked his knuckles and neck. 

…

Meanwhile…

There was a group of armored cars driving on an empty road with an armored Truck in the middle, protected. Inside the armored truck, there was a man with blue hair, bound and blindfolded, sitting in utter darkness. Suddenly, the vehicle jolted to a stop, followed by the sounds of gunfire, screams, and brutal violence outside. The cacophony was interrupted by a deafening roar, and then, silence.

A tired sigh broke the quiet. "Kurogiri, do we really need to do this? I already told Master I don't need friends," a voice grumbled.

"You remember what he told you, right?" another voice replied.

"Yeah, yeah," the grumbling voice responded. "Since technology is rapidly advancing, why don't we catch up with it? I was there; we watched that stupid sports festival together."

The restraints on the blue-haired man suddenly loosened and fell away. He cautiously opened his eyes, revealing eerie gear-shaped pupils, and looked at the person standing before him.

Tomura Shigaraki's unsettling smile greeted him. "It appears you've been recruited. You should be glad. This is where your life turns around."

Tomura then turned to Kurogiri. "How was that? Was my recruiting statement good?"

"It was good, but it could use some work," Kurogiri nodded.

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