New York was everything Jin had expected it to be.
And somehow, nothing like he expected at all.
The first thing he noticed was the noise.
Cars honked constantly, people shouted across sidewalks, music spilled from storefronts, vendors called out to pedestrians, buses groaned as they stopped and started, and somewhere in the distance an ambulance siren rose above the chaos before gradually fading into the endless background noise of the city.
Jin stood on the sidewalk with both hands buried inside the pockets of his jacket and stared upward.
Buildings surrounded him.
Huge ones.
Glass and steel stretched toward the sky in every direction, reflecting sunlight between narrow streets and making the city feel like a canyon built by people who had decided that the ground wasn't interesting enough.
He smiled.
"So this is New York."
He had seen it before.
Not this New York.
Not this version.
But New York had existed in countless comics, movies, cartoons, and games back home. It had been the backdrop for Spider-Man swinging between buildings, Daredevil prowling rooftops, the Avengers fighting invasions, mutants being hunted, aliens invading, villains destroying entire blocks, and somehow ordinary people still waking up the next morning and going to work.
Back home, New York had been fictional.
Here, it was standing in front of him.
And that realization still hit differently every time.
Jin adjusted the sunglasses resting over his eyes.
He had gotten used to wearing them.
They were useful.
They helped reduce the amount of information reaching him without forcing him to keep his eyes covered with bandages like some kind of injured patient.
Nobody at Xavier's knew the real reason.
As far as everyone was concerned, Jin had suffered severe eye damage during the Sentinel incident and had eventually recovered enough to use his vision normally again.
The sunglasses were simply a preference.
That was the story.
Jin intended to keep it that way.
He started walking.
He had no destination.
That was the point.
For once, he wasn't training.
He wasn't studying.
He wasn't hiding inside his room trying to figure out the next strange ability his body had decided to give him.
He wasn't listening to Xavier explain mutant politics.
He wasn't being dragged into another training session by Scott.
He wasn't being interrogated by Logan.
He wasn't helping Hank with some experiment.
He was simply walking.
The freedom was strangely refreshing.
He crossed the street when the light changed and entered a crowded avenue.
People passed him without a second glance.
That was another thing he liked.
At the academy, everyone knew he was strange.
The new guy.
The mysterious kid who had appeared unconscious and somehow survived.
The white-haired boy with an unexplained body and unexplained abilities.
Here?
He was just another person.
Granted, a white-haired person wearing sunglasses who looked considerably more confident than he actually felt, but still.
Nobody cared.
A man bumped into his shoulder.
"Sorry."
"You're good."
The man kept moving.
Jin smiled.
"Normal."
He liked normal.
He continued down the street.
A few minutes later, his stomach reminded him that he had skipped breakfast.
Jin stopped in front of a small restaurant.
He looked through the window.
Food.
That was enough.
He entered.
The place was crowded but not packed, and he found a seat near the window.
A waitress approached.
"What can I get you?"
Jin looked at the menu.
"What's good?"
She gave him a tired smile.
"Depends on what you like."
"Sweet."
"Breakfast?"
"Anything."
She thought for a second.
"French toast."
"Done."
"And coffee?"
"Definitely."
She walked away.
Jin leaned back.
His eyes wandered across the restaurant.
People talking.
Phones ringing.
Children complaining.
Someone arguing about politics.
Someone else reading a newspaper.
A couple quietly sharing breakfast.
Normal.
Ordinary.
He watched them for a while.
It was almost surreal.
There were people in this city who had no idea that somewhere not terribly far away, a school existed for mutants.
They probably didn't know that Magneto existed.
They probably didn't know that Xavier existed.
They probably didn't know that the X-Men were operating in secret.
And they definitely didn't know what was coming.
Jin's expression slowly changed.
He looked down at the table.
What was coming?
That question had been bothering him for weeks.
He knew this world.
At least, he knew pieces of it.
The problem was that knowing a story and living inside it were two completely different things.
He had already changed things.
His presence alone was proof of that.
He had no idea whether the events he remembered would happen exactly the same way.
Maybe they wouldn't.
Maybe his existence had already thrown everything off course.
Maybe the entire timeline was completely different.
That was the comforting thought.
Unfortunately, Jin knew enough about fiction to understand that comforting thoughts usually existed specifically to make you feel better before everything went horribly wrong.
His food arrived.
He immediately forgot about the timeline for several minutes.
"This is good."
The waitress smiled.
"Told you."
Jin ate slowly.
He wasn't in a rush.
When he finished, he paid and left.
He continued exploring.
A bookstore caught his attention.
Then a comic shop.
Then another café.
Then an electronics store.
Eventually, he found himself standing outside a large technology showroom.
Jin stared through the glass.
He recognized several pieces of technology.
Some were normal.
Some were advanced.
Some looked like they had been designed by someone who had access to technology decades ahead of its time.
He walked inside.
A salesperson approached him.
"Looking for anything specific?"
"No."
"Just browsing?"
"Pretty much."
The man smiled.
"Take your time."
Jin walked through the store.
He picked up a small device.
Turned it over.
Looked at the construction.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The engineering wasn't revolutionary, but the miniaturization was impressive.
He put it back.
Then he noticed the man standing near the far display.
Dark hair.
Expensive suit.
Sunglasses.
Confident posture.
Jin stared.
The man noticed.
"Something on my face?"
Jin smiled.
"Not exactly."
The man approached.
"You've been looking at the technology."
"I like technology."
"Most people look at the price tag first."
"I looked at that too."
"And?"
"Ridiculous."
The man laughed.
"Fair."
Jin looked at him more closely.
Now that he was nearby, there was no mistaking it.
Tony Stark.
Not Robert Downey Jr.
Not a comic panel.
Not an actor.
Not a fictional character.
Tony Stark.
Real.
Standing three feet away.
Jin's brain briefly stopped functioning.
He recovered quickly.
Tony extended a hand.
"Tony."
Jin looked at it.
Then shook it.
"Jin."
"Just Jin?"
"Usually enough."
Tony smiled.
"I like it."
"Thanks."
Tony glanced toward the device Jin had been examining.
"You know anything about it?"
"Enough to know it's overpriced."
Tony laughed.
"That's actually one of my products."
Jin paused.
"Oh."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"You've got something against Stark Industries?"
"No."
"Good."
"I just have something against overpriced products."
"That's worse."
Jin laughed.
Tony looked at him for a moment.
"You're not from around here."
Jin glanced at him.
"Is it that obvious?"
"You're looking at everything."
"Maybe I'm curious."
"Curiosity is expensive."
"Apparently."
Tony smiled.
"You with the school?"
Jin's expression remained neutral.
"What school?"
Tony's eyes narrowed.
"The one for mutants."
Jin stared at him.
"You know about it?"
"Everyone important knows about it."
"That sounds arrogant."
"It is."
Jin laughed.
Tony looked amused.
"You're different."
"So I've been told."
"Mutant?"
"No."
Tony studied him.
"Sure."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
The two stared at each other.
Jin eventually smiled.
"You're nosy."
Tony grinned.
"And you're evasive."
"Fair."
Tony glanced at Jin's sunglasses.
"Prescription?"
"No."
"Then why wear them?"
"Preference."
"Interesting preference."
Jin smiled.
"You ask a lot of questions."
"I get paid to."
"You own the company."
"Exactly."
Jin shook his head.
Tony laughed.
The interaction was strange.
Not uncomfortable.
Just strange.
Jin had spent years imagining what Tony Stark would be like based on comics and movies.
Meeting the real man made him realize something.
Tony was smarter than fiction had managed to communicate.
Not simply intelligent.
Observant.
He was constantly calculating.
Every answer Jin gave became another piece of information.
Every hesitation.
Every movement.
Every glance.
Tony was studying him.
Jin recognized it because he did the same thing.
"You've got an interesting look," Tony said.
"What does that mean?"
"Like you've seen things you shouldn't have."
Jin's smile faded slightly.
"Maybe I have."
Tony studied him for another second.
Then smiled.
"Have a good day, Jin."
"You too."
Jin turned and left.
He walked several blocks before finally exhaling.
"Tony Stark."
He laughed quietly.
"Okay."
He pulled out his phone.
Several messages waited.
One from Scott.
Where are you?
Jin typed.
New York.
Three seconds later:
I know. Where in New York?
Jin looked around.
He had no idea.
Somewhere in New York.
The reply was immediate.
You're impossible.
Jin smiled.
Thank you.
He put the phone away.
Then his phone rang.
Hank.
Jin answered.