Paimon's victory feast never ended up happening. Thanks to the complicated entanglement between Iron Man, the Winter Soldier, and Captain America, Lin Ze spent the rest of the day breaking up their fight.
Time slipped away in a rush, and before they knew it, night had fallen.
Tony fought with blinding fury. Only when he noticed Qiqi beside them, so exhausted from constantly healing him and the Captain that she could barely lift her hands, did he gradually calm down.
"You can't protect him forever, Steve Rogers. I don't care who he is to you. To me, he's a butcher."
"A cold-blooded killing machine. I hope you understand that perfectly!"
Tony lifted his armor's faceplate. His face was wet, and no one could tell whether it was sweat or tears.
Breathing heavily, he walked around Steve, who stood in front of the Winter Soldier, and approached Qiqi.
Tony took the girl's hand and slowly walked away, one step at a time.
Sunlight fell across them. Though its color was warm, everyone watching saw only a bleak loneliness.
After they had walked a little way, Qiqi tightened her grip on the large hand wrapped around hers. She tilted her head up, gave it a gentle shake, and whispered:
"Mr. Tony..."
"Don't cry..."
As she comforted him, Qiqi rose onto her tiptoes, trying hard to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes.
"I'm not crying. I'm just..."
Tony forced a smile for Qiqi. "It's just stuffy inside the armor. I'm hot."
Honestly, not even an idiot would have believed him.
If Lin Ze had been there to describe it, he would have said that smile looked more like crying. It was hideous.
"...You're lying."
Qiqi pouted, looking a little dejected.
She felt down because she hadn't been able to help