When he carried a nuclear missile into the wormhole that kept funneling Chitauri troops through, his armor nearly out of power, what had he been thinking?
Fear? Regret? Frustration? Relief?
Or all of them at once.
But Tony knew that if he had to choose again, he would still do the same thing.
It was just that the call he never got to make had made him understand his own heart-
If he died there, his greatest regret would probably be never telling Pepper, "I like you too, actually."
Or perhaps he should use another word: "love"?
So Tony Stark, the playboy who drifted through life, could know what love was too?
He had once brushed against the edges of "love," but his own fear had made him retreat, leaving Pepper in an awkward position. Now, facing death, the person he most wanted to see was also the one he had let down the most.
If I make it out alive...
And now Tony really had survived, only to realize, with sorrow-
"The universe is so vast, and Earth is a drop in the ocean. Against alien invaders, humanity is like a child, powerless to resist. And the threat will never go away..."
The tea had gone completely cold. Bruce sat there without offering hollow reassurances. He straightened, his expression serious.
"Tony, look at me," Bruce said. "How many alien troops did you see? How strong were they?"
"A lot. Very strong... enough to steamroll Earth..."
Bruce raised his eyes, his gaze cold and sharp. "Then we bring out someone who can steamroll them."
Tony frowned. "What did you say?"
"Tony, you've seen an alien fleet. But have you ever seen someone who can move planets, withstand a star head-on, and tear an entire fleet apart in a vacuum with