I Am Iron Man (MHA) Chapter 157: Too Many Coincidences

[Third Person's PoV]


"That, up there," Stark said, pointing skyward, his gaze unwavering as his voice carried an uncharacteristic weight. "That's Endgame."


Tony’s heart raced, ‘Oh my God, he said it! He said the thing! It’s happening—it's really happening right before my eyes! This is history in the making!’ Internally, he celebrated like a giddy fanboy, but outwardly, he kept his usual composed demeanor.


“How exactly are we supposed to defeat something like that?” Stark asked, his serious tone cutting through the awe-filled silence. His gaze shifted to Captain America, his expression tinged with a rare vulnerability.


“Together,” Steve responded without missing a beat, his voice resolute.


“And if we lose?” Stark pressed, the weight of the question hanging heavily in the air.


“Then we’ll do that together too,” Steve retorted firmly, meeting his gaze with unwavering confidence.


A heavy silence enveloped the group as Stark and Steve locked eyes, the gravity of the moment sinking in.


‘This is so beautiful, I think I’m actually going to cry,’ Tony thought, feeling an uncharacteristic lump forming in his throat.


Steve eventually broke the silence. “Thor’s right. Ultron’s calling us out, and we need to find him before he’s ready for us. The world’s a big place, but we can start making it smaller.”


Tony raised a hand as if asking for permission to speak. “Actually, while you all are busy hunting him down, how about I upgrade your tech? Just saying.”


Stark scoffed and crossed his arms. “Upgrading tech is my thing, kid. Go find your own gig.”


Melissa, leaning casually against the table, smirked. “Actually, it’s our thing. Our tech is more advanced than yours, and it just makes sense for us to handle it.”


Bruce nodded thoughtfully. “She’s right. Their tech is leagues ahead of ours. It’s logical to let them take the lead on this.”


Natasha raised a brow at Stark, her tone pragmatic. “Stark… They came here on a flying spaceship from another universe. Just let them handle it.”


Steve nodded in agreement. “Fine. Tony, Melissa, we’re counting on you. Upgrade away.”


Tony held his hand low for Melissa, and with a grin, she slapped it down before they knocked fists together. “You got it,” Tony said with a casual salute, already standing up.


As he started walking away, his hands raised behind his head in a carefree gesture, he called over his shoulder, “Hey, Other Me, I’m going to be borrowing some of your stuff. If anything goes missing, don’t blame me.”


Stark’s eye twitched. Melissa chuckled and hopped off the table, pulling out her phone. With a quick tap, she enlarged the screen, her fingers flying over the holographic interface as she followed Tony.



---


A Few Minutes Later


Melissa was reading over some files with furrowed eyebrows, her fingers were scrolling over the screen regarding information about Captain America. 


“Ugh… Tony?” Melissa called out with wariness and suspicious creeping into her voice. 


Tony let out a sigh, ‘I was afraid this would happen…’ 


Tony turned towards Melissa and placed a finger over his mouth. His eyes turned red as he activated his techno vision and deactivated any surveillance in their surroundings, his eyes darting from side to side for a few seconds before letting out a sigh, “Alright go on” 


“Based on your reaction, I think you know what I'm going to ask… What the hell is this?” She asked as she flipped over the screen to show a skinny version of Steve Roger's, “A skinny boy from Brooklyn, chosen to be part of the super soldier program despite his multiple physical issues… Hmm I wonder where I heard this from?” Melissa said sarcastically. 


“Melissa, I really don't want to get into it…” Tony let out a heavy sigh. 


“And let's see here, that's strange he wields a shield made out of… What's this? Vibranium? I wonder where I heard that name before” Melissa hand on her chin tapping her jaw, her mouth shifting to the side as if pondering the question. 


Tony felt his chest begin to heavy for some reason as he couldn't look at Melissa as he had his back turned away from him. 


“The skinny soldier, The Super Soldier Serum, The Shield, the Vibranium… Once it's a coincidence, twice is suspicion, thrice it's a scheme… What do you call 4 and 5?” 


They were too many coincidences for them to simply be coincidences, she understood that some of the things related to Tony would be coincidence due to them being in a different universe, however everything related to Steve wasn't Tony related nor was there knowledge of it in their home world. 


Melissa’s instincts were acting up as something just didn't feel right, she narrowed her eyes slightly as she asked, “What exactly is going on Tony?”


Melissa paused as she heard Tony started breathing a bit heavily. She saw him put a hand over his chest and gripped his shirt slightly and closed his eyes, “Melissa… Drop it” 


Tony felt a tingling sensation over his body but not the good kind, his throat suddenly hurt as he felt a bit light headed, ‘Am I having a freaking panic attack?’ Tony wondered with worry as the beating of his heart quickened.


Realizing the severity of the situation, Melissa’s bravado crumbled. “I… I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice small. “You don’t have to explain anything. I shouldn’t have pushed.”


Tony closed his eyes, taking slow, deliberate breaths, trying to steady himself. “Let’s just focus on the task,” he said quietly, though his hands still trembled.


Tony looked at his hands and noticed that they were still shaking slightly, ‘I didn't think about what it would mean coming here… Is my secret really about to be discovered… This is supposed to be one of those secrets you take to the grave. The consequences of it being known by anyone is simply too much… I can really lose everything here’ Tony had his hands pressed at the table his eyes widened as they shook with fear, his breathing becoming more erratic, tears wielding into his eyes as his mind spiraled downwards.


Melissa’s head snapped towards Tony's direction as she heard his breathing become more labored and saw him shaking. 


‘Tony!’ Melissa inwardly exclaimed as she rushed over towards him, she quickly wrapped his arms around him, hugging him. She began coaxing him trying to sooth him and calm him down. “It’s okay, Tony. Breathe. It’s all okay,” she said softly, her voice filled with regret. 


“You don't have to answer anything. I was just curious, that's all, not all secrets are supposed to be shared. This just happens to be one of them. So it's alright… I don't have to know and you don't have to tell me” Melissa said, holding him tighter as tears gathered around her eyes as she never meant to hurt him. 


Her words cut through the haze of Tony’s spiraling thoughts. Slowly, his breathing steadied, and the trembling subsided. Melissa held him a moment longer, tears glistening in her own eyes.


“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she whispered.


Tony gave her a faint nod, his voice barely audible as he muttered “Thank you… let’s just get this done.”