[Third person POV]
"Hmmm!!" Melissa hummed, practically vibrating with excitement and joy as she watched the arrival of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, portals opening across the battlefield like golden halos. Reinforcements poured in from Kamar-Taj, Wakanda, Contraxia, and New Asgard. Alongside them were the resurrected heroes—friends and allies of the Avengers from Wakanda, Titan, and even San Francisco.
On the field, Scott Lang grew to his giant form, reaching down into the flooded remains of the Avengers compound. With careful hands, he retrieved Bruce Banner, James Rhodes, and Rocket Raccoon from the rising waters, placing them safely back on solid ground. The tide had turned.
With the odds finally balanced, Steve Rogers stood tall, battered but resolute. He called out in a voice that echoed across the field and through the hearts of every hero present.
"Avengers!!" he shouted, Mjølnir flying into his hand with thunder. He took a breath, recoiling slightly from catching Mjølnir, then said in a low and resolute voice: "Assemble."
"WOOOOOOH!!! Hahahaha!! That is so freaking amazing!!!" Melissa screamed, unable to hold back her thrill. Her smile was radiant, wide with excitement, as she shouted along with the countless heroes who surged forward, charging into Thanos' army.
She turned to Tony with wide, sparkling eyes and a grin stretching ear to ear. "You have no idea the shiver that just went down my spine!"
Tony chuckled, clearly enjoying her energy. "Oh, I do. Trust me—I've seen this movie so many times, and I still get chills every single time this scene plays."
Melissa couldn't even look away to reply. Her attention was glued to the screen as the legendary battle unfolded. When Stark and Pepper stood back-to-back, their repulsor blasts lighting up the battlefield in unison, Melissa spun toward Tony with a proud, cocky smirk.
"That's you and me in another universe," she declared confidently.
Tony cackled at her smug tone, shaking his head in amused disbelief.
Her attention snapped back to the screen just as Spider-Man swung in to save Tony from an incoming attack. Peter landed, animatedly rambling about how he'd woken up on Titan, only to be pulled into a heartfelt embrace by Tony Stark.
"Father and son reunion!" Melissa gasped, placing her hands together in adoration. "You just love to see it!"
Tony groaned playfully, pressing his palm to his face. Still, a fond smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "You know, I bet the reason Peter asked, 'What are you doing?' when Tony hugged him is because the last time Stark looked like he was going in for a hug, he was just reaching past him to open the car door."
Melissa let out a dramatic, emotional groan. "Ughhhh! Why do you always do this to me? My heart can't take this emotional whiplash!"
The scene shifted again. Banner, visibly strained, told Barton they had to get the Infinity Stones back to their original timelines—far away from Thanos. With their primary time machine destroyed during the initial strike, their only remaining option was the quantum-powered van. Without hesitation, Ant-Man and Wasp leaped into action, racing to restart the dormant vehicle.
As Thanos' forces swarmed, Clint Barton sprinted through the chaos with the gauntlet in hand. Soon overwhelmed, he passed it off to T'Challa. But before the Mad Titan could intercept him, his path was suddenly blocked by none other than Wanda Maximoff, her eyes blazing with grief and fury.
Melissa gasped as Wanda floated down, radiating pure power. She sat up straight, kicking her feet slightly in nervous anticipation. "You know, I'm realizing more and more just how terrifying Wanda actually is… I'm honestly so relieved I didn't end up on her bad side when we met."
Wanda descended upon Thanos with unrelenting force. Her powers cracked and splintered the air as she shattered his blade and tore pieces of armor straight from his body. Thanos, desperate and outmatched, ordered a full missile strike from Sanctuary II. Even Corvus Glaive protested the move, but Thanos didn't care. Explosions tore through the battlefield indiscriminately, harming both sides just to escape her wrath.
One missile struck a dam, sending a surge of water toward the battle. Doctor Strange immediately conjured barriers, diverting his focus from the fight to hold back the flood and protect the others.
Then, suddenly, the warship redirected its massive guns skyward, targeting something incoming from space. A glowing streak descended through the clouds, crashing through the ships.
It was Captain Marvel.
She landed with effortless power, brushing debris off her shoulders before turning her gaze to the battlefield. There, curled protectively around the gauntlet, was Peter Parker.
Melissa tilted her head with a sheepish laugh. "You know… I'm gonna be honest—I completely forgot about her."
Melissa blinked as the camera panned across the battlefield, now showcasing nearly every female hero standing side by side. Her eye twitched slightly.
"What the hell is this?" she asked flatly.
"A girl power moment," Tony snickered, clearly amused by her reaction.
"Ew…" Melissa cringed, recoiling. "Don't get me wrong—I love when girls show why they're total badasses. Seriously. I live for it. But this? This feels like it was directed by a guy who thinks this is how women act when they want to prove a point. None of them were even near each other a second ago. Did they just teleport to the middle of the battlefield for a magazine cover shoot?"
She sighed deeply and shook her head, muttering under her breath.
But after a few more seconds of eye-rolling, she exhaled and decided to let it go. She wasn't letting one awkwardly staged scene ruin the rest of this masterpiece for her.
The battle resumed. Captain Marvel dashed toward the van now wired and activated, but Thanos hurled his double-edged blade with brutal precision, obliterating the vehicle—and with it, the quantum portal. The last and only chance to return the Stones safely was gone. With the gauntlet nearly in his grasp, Thanos advanced.
Thor, Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Iron Man rallied for a final stand, a desperate effort to stop the Mad Titan from ending it all—again.
Melissa's brow furrowed as Doctor Strange subtly raised a single finger in Stark's direction, the motion slow and deliberate.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Melissa asked, her voice quieter now, a bad feeling creeping in her heart.
The music swelled. Stark charged forward with raw determination. He grappled with Thanos, trying to wrest the gauntlet from his hand—but was thrown aside like a rag doll.
"I… am… inevitable," Thanos declared, his voice heavy and final.
Melissa's eyes widened. She leaned forward on the couch, barely breathing. Her hands clasped, her forefingers pressed to her nose, and her eyes locked onto the screen with laser focus.
Snap.
But nothing happened.
The camera slowly turned… and revealed Stark. His suit had absorbed the Infinity Stones, the power now coursing violently through his body, rainbow energy rippling up his arm.
Melissa didn't move, didn't blink. Stark was breathless on-screen, broken and battered, but with defiant resolve. He raised his head.
"And I…" he gasped, "am… Iron Man."
Snap.
A wave of cosmic energy rippled outward. Thanos' army began crumbling into ash, fading into nothing before his very eyes. Outriders, Chitauri, Leviathans, and Black Order—all gone. Thanos collapsed into silence, his face hollow with defeat, as he too turned to dust.
Melissa didn't say a word. She was frozen. Still leaning forward, her fingers now trembling as they hovered in front of her lips.
Tony Stark lay mortality wounded, grey in color, it was clear he was as day… He was dying.
Tony glanced sideways toward Melissa and caught her expression. She sat motionless—except for her eyes, which were red and watery, one of her irises was visibly turning much redder, which started to spread. She had literally burst a blood vessel from crying so hard.
He leaned in slightly, quietly trying to get a better look at her, when Melissa finally turned toward him. Her cheeks were streaked with tears. Her body was trembling. She opened her mouth to say something—but only a choking sound came out before she clamped her hands over her face and broke down completely.
Loud sobs burst from her as she collapsed into her hands, unable to keep it together anymore. Her emotions spilled over like a dam breaking, and the noise she made was so heartbreakingly raw that it echoed through the room.
Tony awkwardly reached over and patted her back, gently at first, then a little faster as if trying to reassure her—while also not totally sure what to do.
She let out a stuttering, "Whyyy did he have to die?!" between sobs, muffled into her palms.
Tony tucked in his lips tightly, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back against the couch.
He was trying so hard not to laugh.
Like… really trying.
But her combination of absolute heartbreak and chaotic emotional collapse was hitting him in a way he didn't expect. His shoulders shook slightly from holding back his chuckles.
"You're a monster," Melissa sniffled from under her hands, somehow knowing.
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