[Third person POV]
Melissa turned toward Tony, her mouth agape as she stared at the screen, watching the catastrophic destruction of Sokovia unfold before her eyes. The sheer magnitude of devastation left her stunned. Buildings crumbled like sandcastles, and the entire country was being ripped from the earth, rising into the sky as Ultron's insane plan to transform it into a meteor came to terrifying fruition.
"I knew this was what he had planned," she said, her voice cracking slightly as she gestured toward the screen, "but to actually see it happening like this?! It's completely different knowing something is going to happen and then witnessing the result. And Pietro's death—what the hell was that?" she continued, her voice rising with frustration. "He was a speedster! Just like you said when you saved him. He should have easily been able to avoid those bullets. There's no way he couldn't have survived. It makes no sense!"
Melissa went on a passionate tangent, ranting about the tragic flaws and heart-wrenching moments of Age of Ultron, venting her emotions as she processed everything she had just seen.
"Man," she finally exhaled, leaning back with a deep sigh. "I feel so bad for Wanda. Losing your brother like that… Thankfully, we managed to intervene and save him"
Tony, who had been quietly observing her emotional rollercoaster, folded his arms and leaned against the couch. "We aren't completely sure if he's safe though," he said ominously, his tone carrying a weight that made Melissa look up sharply.
Her head snapped toward him, a look of concern instantly replacing her earlier frustration. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
Tony shrugged, his expression unreadable. "I just mean… yes, we saved him, but who's to say he didn't end up getting himself killed in some other unfortunate incident? It could be carelessness, or…" he paused, lowering his voice, "maybe it's the universe trying to correct a mistake. A timeline where he was supposed to die."
"Please don't say that," Melissa whispered, her voice tinged with fear. "You make it sound like we're powerless against fate… like no matter what we do, we can't change the course of events. That all the effort we've put into making things better has been for nothing."
Melissa looked ahead and smiled gently. "I prefer to believe that Wanda and Pietro are alive and happy—living a peaceful life in the future we've carved out for them."
"Alright, alright," Tony said with a half-laugh, ruffling her hair affectionately. "I'll stop being such a Debbie Downer."
The last scene of the movie began to play—the poignant exchange between Vision and Ultron—and Melissa's expression softened. Her posture relaxed, and her eyes stayed fixed on the screen, fully engrossed. That moment had become her favorite part of the movie.
"You know," she murmured thoughtfully, curling her legs underneath her, "it's like they're complete opposites. Both artificial beings—Androids, Robots, whatever you want to call them—but they couldn't be more different in how they view humanity."
Tony smirked and rolled his eyes "Yeah, that's kind of the point, genius. Two non-human entities with entirely different ideologies about Humanity. It's a pretty classic philosophical setup."
Melissa stuck her tongue out at him in mock annoyance.
As the end credits rolled, Tony stretched and looked at her expectantly. "Alright, ready for the next movie?"
"What's it called?" she asked, tilting her head with curiosity.
"Ant-Man," Tony said with a perfectly straight face.
Melissa blinked. "Are you messing with me?"
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Remember the Pym Particles?"
She paused, then her eyes widened in realization. "Ohhh… Now that makes sense. I was starting to wonder why you named them Pym Particles instead of something arrogant like Stark Particles or, I don't know."
Tony chuckled. "Well, that wouldn't have had the same ring to it, and I did take inspiration from—let's just say—a few cinematic resources."
As the opening scenes of Ant-Man began to play, Melissa turned toward Tony, her gaze softening into something warm and appreciative. "You know… you're incredible."
Tony blinked in surprise, caught off guard. "What? Where's this coming from?"
She smiled gently. "You took something that was pure fiction—nothing more than a story from a comic book or a movie—and turned it into reality. With no guide, no manual, and barely any help. You took an idea and made it real with your own mind. That's beyond impressive."
Tony scratched his cheek, suddenly looking a bit embarrassed. "I always thought you might think less of me, you know… since the ideas weren't originally mine."
Melissa shook her head. "Tony, I could write a thousand stories about magic artifacts or ancient power, but they'd just be stories. None of them would ever come to life the way you make things come to life. You have a way of bringing dreams into the real world. It doesn't matter where the inspiration came from—what matters is you brought it into existence. That's what makes it incredible."
Tony, now blushing, lifted a hand and gently placed it over her mouth. "Okay, okay, stop. Even I have a limit for flattery."
Melissa giggled from behind his hand, clearly enjoying how flustered he'd become. Teasing Tony was one of her favorite things to do.
"Let's just continue watching this crap…" Tony grumbled, slouching further into the couch as the opening credits of Ant-Man rolled across the screen.
Melissa raised an amused brow but decided to stop to tease him—For now. Instead, the two settled into a comfortable silence, eyes glued to the screen as the movie played out. By the time the end credits rolled, Melissa stretched with a satisfied hum, leaning back with a soft smile.
"You know," she said, turning toward him, "that was actually a lot better than I expected. I thought it was going to be silly—shrinking heroes and ants and all that—but it was surprisingly heartfelt. Funny, even."
Tony smirked. "Glad you enjoyed it. Up next is another favorite of mine: Captain America: Civil War."
Melissa gave him a mock-suspicious look. "You know, the last two movies you've called your favorites have both been Captain America films. Are you secretly a Cap fanboy or something?"
Tony glanced away, feigning irritation. "Shut up, will you?"
"I'm not mocking you," she said, laughing lightly. "It's just funny. I would've pegged you as more of a 'Stark is the best, everyone else is secondary' type."
"There are two types of character archetypes I like," Tony explained, lifting two fingers as he counted them off. "First are the heroic, selfless types who believe helping someone is the obvious course of action… and second are the cocky, brilliant types who actually have the skills to back it up."
Melissa tilted her head, pretending to be deep in thought. "Huh. I honestly wouldn't have thought you were a fan of the hero type of Characters, you're more like the type to say they're unrealistic, or have a secret agenda."
Tony pressed play without answering, but the faint smirk tugging at his lips gave him away.
As the film played, Melissa's attention was quickly captured by the emotional weight of the story. The brainwashing scene with Bucky made her visibly uncomfortable, her expression softening with pity. She'd grown fond of the character—especially after watching Winter Soldier—and seeing him broken like this unsettled her.
To Melissa these were more than just movies and characters, they were real people and she was watching their life unfold behind a screen. Instead of a fantasy movie these were more like documentaries.
Then came the Lagos mission. Captain America fought Brock Rumlow, cornering him after an intense skirmish. But Rumlow, unwilling to lose, activated a bomb vest in a last act of vengeance. Wanda intervened, using her powers to contain the blast—only for the explosion to shift midair, destroying a nearby building and killing Wakandan humanitarian workers.
Melissa gave a mocking wince at the scene, shaking her head slightly. "She needs to be placed in the Hero Course," she muttered.
Tony let out a sudden burst of laughter. "Phttt—okay, that was funny."
The movie continued, and soon Tony appeared on-screen, younger and more clean-cut, presenting his holographic memory tech at MIT—B.A.R.F. The moment a teenage version of Tony appeared, Melissa burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Phtt—Hahahaha!" she snorted, pointing at the screen. "Is that supposed to be you?!"
Tony's eye twitched as he folded his arms, pretending to be unbothered. Melissa, however, was already doubled over, falling onto her side and smacking the couch cushions in delight. Her laughter echoed throughout the room, completely overtaking the scene on-screen.
"I cannot—pfft—how did anyone take you seriously back then?!" she gasped between fits of giggles.
Tony merely placed a hand over his face and shook his head with a dramatic sigh.
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