Mark III and a Marvel Easter Egg

Tony finally managed to peel the Mark II armor off himself, and he felt like his bones were about to fall apart.

His head especially had taken several solid hits during that "free-fall collision from the roof to the garage." Grimacing, he found an ice pack and pressed it against the swollen spot. The chill slightly eased the burning pain.

As Tony passed a table piled with tools and parts, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention—a square box wrapped in ordinary yellow kraft paper.

Tony stopped, puzzled. He did not remember ordering anything recently, nor had anyone informed him that a package had arrived. With his right hand, the one not holding the ice pack, he removed a coffee cup resting on top of the box, revealing a white note beneath it.

Written on the paper in black marker were the words: From Pepper.

Driven by curiosity, he set down the ice pack and tore open the plain paper wrapping with both hands, revealing a display case inside the kraft paper.

It was a sleek yet exquisite sealed display case. Five sides were made of pristine, transparent glass, allowing the item within to be seen clearly from every angle, while the bottom was a silver-white metal base.

When Tony's gaze fell upon the object carefully placed in the center of that metal base, he froze.

It was the First-Generation Miniature Arc Reactor he had told Pepper to "smash and burn" not long ago. It lay there quietly, still emitting a faint blue glow like a star frozen in time.

Written on the metal ring securing the reactor was a line in English: "Proof that Tony Stark has a heart."

Pepper had obviously had someone put those words there.

Tony stood motionless. The surprise on his face