@oakcitymech asked demanded (accepting):
❝ don’t tell anyone about this. ❞
Something big and metallic came out of nowhere, slamming into the asphalt with a noise like the world was ending. Corinna screamed and ducked, shielding her face with her arms.
The whatever-it-was screeched horribly as it skidded a little ways further into the alley, and went quiet. No sparks, and no flying shrapnel, so she straightened up and opened her eyes.
There was a big-ass robot lying in a heap on the ground, smoke pouring out of a vent or a crack in its side. Wait, no, not a robot: it reached up and popped its own head off and there was another very much human head underneath. A suit. Iron Man, but... not.
He saw her and looked a little shocked and said don't tell anyone but, like, who was she gonna tell? What was she gonna tell anyone? Sure, superheroes and their secret identities, whatever, but this was just a guy. Nobody recognizable like Tony Stark coming out of the Iron Man suit—
Wait a minute. She peered at Not-Iron-Man, dark eyes narrowing, and... she did recognize him.
"No fucking way," she blurted out. "Connor?"
Corinna hadn't seen Connor Reilly since junior year of high school, and hadn't really expected to see him ever again. Why would she, when they weren't friends? Most time they'd ever spent together'd been in detention... she knew after a little so-what-are-you-in-for convo that he got in trouble for fucking around with little bits of machinery instead of paying attention in class. Corinna'd just been in trouble for skipping.
Hell of a place for him to pop up again. But once the surprise faded...
"Are, uh, are you okay, man?" she had to ask. "Looked like a rough landing. And you're. Smoking a little."