[Third Person's PoV]
"And that's how your boy ended up dead—pushed off the school rooftop. The last thing I saw was the ground floor rushing toward me, then pain as I smashed against the pavement. Everything went dark in an instant. Next thing I knew, I saw a light at the end of the darkness, and when I came out of it… I was a baby again," Tony explained with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head.
Melissa was softly crying, making him shift awkwardly.
"You just reminded me!" Tony suddenly exclaimed. "I swore revenge on that damn nurse!" He slammed his fist into his palm.
"What?" Melissa asked, quickly wiping her tears.
"That bitch! Imagine falling from such a height, pain coursing through your body, the last thing you remember is dying—then, when I was just born, that damn nurse smacked my ass! And she wasn't gentle either! Who the hell does that to a newborn?! From that day forward, I swore revenge. I'll be sure to get back at her when we return."
Melissa's soft cries turned into chuckles as she shook her head, drying her eyes. "No, you won't. That nurse was just doing her job."
"Nah, she enjoyed tormenting newborns. She's a villain—I just know it," Tony scoffed. Then he turned toward her and asked, "So, shall we finish setting everything up so we can go home?"
Melissa nodded with a smile and leaned over to kiss Tony on the cheek. "Yes, let's go home..."
As they worked on the finishing touches, Tony suddenly said, "Remember to be careful about mentioning what we discussed around Friday."
Melissa nodded as Tony called out, "Friday, disengage sleep mode!"
Hearing the command, the system powered back up, and Friday's voice chimed in with a fake yawn. "Thanks for the nap, boss. My circuits needed it."
Tony scoffed. "Alright, what's the status of the things I asked you to track and retrieve earlier?"
"They arrived while you were in the middle of your rather private discussion," Friday replied. "They're currently outside the ship, ready for retrieval."
She briefly opened the hatch before sealing it again. Moments later, previously cloaked drones appeared, hovering before Tony and presenting their collected data and objects.
"Here are all the samples and cores we managed to gather on short notice," Friday reported. "I hope this meets your expectations."
Tony nodded. "Good work, Friday. Keep them secured until we get back to our main universe."
With the repairs nearly done, Tony and Melissa worked on restoring everything to how it was before. A few minutes later, they finished.
Melissa stretched, arms raised above her head, her chest rising and falling with her movement.
Tony let out a sigh, scratching his head. "I guess it's finally time to say our farewells."
"I know what you mean," Melissa said, sadness creeping into her voice. "I just hope we'll see them again in the future."
Tony gently rubbed the top of her head. "We'll give it a try… Now come on, let's gather everyone."
…
All the Avengers stood before the massive spaceship that would take Tony and Melissa back to their universe.
"I suppose this is where we say our farewells..." Stark said, looking at Tony with an uncharacteristically somber expression.
"Don't tell me you're gonna miss me, you geezer?" Tony teased with a smirk.
Stark scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself. If anything, I'm relieved to finally be rid of you. You're an annoying kid."
"Don't listen to him," Steve added with a grin, nudging Stark playfully. "Out of all of us, he's probably going to miss you the most."
Melissa was holding onto Natasha, tears streaming down her face. Natasha, though trying to keep her composure, was visibly emotional as well.
"It's such a shame I won't be able to see you have your baby," Melissa sniffled. "I would have loved to be there."
"If it's a girl, I'll be sure to name her after you," Natasha said, embracing Melissa tightly.
Clint nudged Stark. "Weren't you planning on giving them something before they left?"
Stark let out a sigh as Steve called Melissa over as well.
"We had a feeling this day was coming," Steve said. "So Stark and I decided to make something for the both of you—something to remember us by."
Tony and Melissa tilted their heads in confusion.
Stark and Steve reached into their pockets and pulled out two sleek metal cards. One side had a large red circled "A," while the other had Tony and Melissa picture present.
"We want to give these to you as recognition for everything you both did to help us on this mission," Steve explained.
"And with these cards in hand," Stark continued, "We officially welcome the both of you as members of the Avengers."
Tony and Melissa's eyes widened as the team erupted into applause.
Thor stepped forward, looking at Melissa. "Though you are a mortal with... peculiar habits, you are also a mortal whom Mjolnir deemed worthy. That alone makes you a warrior I am proud to call comrade and friend."
Melissa and Tony were genuinely touched. The only words they could find were, "Thank you..."
Tony raised his hand, and his symbiote surged forward, forming a futuristic mechanical sphere in his palm. The Avengers looked on curiously as he handed it to Stark.
"Here," Tony said. "This is a Quantum Communicator—the same one I used to contact my parents. If the Avengers ever need our help, don't hesitate to call. We'd be happy to lend a hand."
Stark caught it and began tossing it in the air with a smirk. "So basically, I can just spam-call you?"
"I'd block you so fast, don't even think about it," Tony scoffed, earning a round of chuckles from the group.
"It's a shame," Pietro added. "We only just met, and now we're already saying goodbye."
Wanda still looked slightly momentarily surprised, as even knew she knew the fact that Tony and Melissa were from another universe seeing it first hand was another matter.
As the last goodbyes were exchanged, Tony pressed his fingers to his tongue and blew a sharp whistle. The sudden sound made everyone flinch.
A moment later, they heard rapid pitter-pattering footsteps.
Master Splinter appeared, carrying a basket of food with his tail, huffing as he ran. "I'm coming! I'm coming! Don't rush me!"
Stark narrowed his eyes. "Is that our food? I better not go back and find out my fridge has been raided."
"RUN!" Master Splinter shrieked as he scurried toward the ship at full speed. "You'll never catch me alive! Hahaha!!"
Tony shook his head with a sigh. "We better get going. Don't be strangers." He turned and saluted with two fingers.
Melissa waved at everyone as she boarded the ship.
Just before stepping inside, Tony paused, turned back, and grinned at Stark. "Oh, and just to set the record straight—I'm the Superior Iron Man."
"Wha—" Stark started, but Tony was already inside, sealing the hatch behind him.
"Alright, Friday! Set the course for our universe!" Tony called out as he strapped himself in.
Outside, Stark crossed his arms, shaking his head. "What a brat. I hope none of my kids turn out like that."
As the ship powered up, the thrusters roared to life. The Avengers watched as it lifted off, hovering in place for a moment.
From inside, Tony's voice rang out over the comms: "THROW AN AFTER-PARTY IN MY NAME! WOOOOHOOOO!!"
With a sudden burst of energy, the ship shot forward, a beam of light cutting through the sky. A shimmering octagonal breach opened ahead of them, and in the blink of an eye, the ship vanished inside, the portal sealing shut behind them.
The Avengers stood in silence for a moment, watching the empty sky.
"They're really gone, huh?" Clint said with a faint smile.
"Good," Stark scoffed, turning away while absentmindedly twirling the Quantum Communicator in his hand. "He was a headache. Glad we don't have to deal with him anymore."
Natasha smirked. "Should've taken this one with them. Then maybe we'd finally get some peace."
That earned a few chuckles as the team slowly dispersed, leaving only the memory of their unusual but unforgettable visitors.
The End
Of The 3rd Volume.
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A/N: It's the end of the volume, so you know what that means~
You're favorite moment of the volume!! Yay!
Mine was during the wood log chopping scene, definitely a part I'm very confident I did well on…
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