[Third person POV]
Melissa didn't hesitate to hit play once more, her eyes glued to the screen as the next scene unfolded. Stark was interacting with his daughter Morgan, and the sheer joy radiating from the screen warmed Melissa's heart. A large, proud smile tugged at her lips as she watched the father-daughter duo share their time together at the peaceful lake house.
As the pair headed back inside the cabin, the soft hum of an approaching vehicle caught their attention. Steve Rogers, Scott Lang, and Natasha Romanoff stepped out of their car. Upon spotting them, Stark immediately ushered Morgan inside with a hand on her back.
"I see now…" Melissa muttered thoughtfully, her brows knitting as they began to discuss the implications of time travel and the potential consequences. "So it's not like they never considered it before—Stark just has more at stake. If they go through with this, if time shifts even slightly… he could lose Morgan. Hell, he could even lose Pepper," she whispered, her voice tinged with realization as one of her earlier questions was finally answered.
Stark's refusal was quiet but firm. After hearing his answer, the three Avengers departed to seek help elsewhere. The scene transitioned, cutting abruptly to a lab where Bruce Banner—now transformed into the bizarre hybrid known as Smart Hulk—was seen conversing casually.
Melissa's earlier grin faltered immediately. Her smile, once bright and warm, gradually faded as she took in the strange image of Hulk in glasses and a cardigan, calmly eating breakfast like an oversized professor.
Tony noticed the shift in her mood and had to take a deep breath to stop himself from bursting out laughing.
"Tony…" Melissa murmured, her voice low and uncertain, eyes never leaving the screen.
"Yes, my love?" Tony responded, barely containing his amusement. His lips twitched, betraying the laughter bubbling just beneath the surface.
"What the fuck am I looking at?" she asked flatly, her voice dripping with disbelief.
That was all it took—Tony exploded with laughter, practically doubling over on the couch. He didn't even bother to answer her question; the movie was doing all the explaining for him.
Melissa's face contorted in visible discomfort as she watched Bruce strike a pose for a group of kids.
"Hulk out," Bruce said, flexing as the kids that had asked for a picture walked away.
"I think I'm genuinely going to throw up…" Melissa muttered, recoiling into herself like a turtle retreating into its shell. She hugged her arms around her midsection and shook her head slowly. "I can't even begin to explain how much that unsettled me…"
The scene shifted again, cutting to Stark in the kitchen washing dishes. Distracted, he splashed water everywhere before pausing to pick up a photograph of him and Peter Parker. He gently wiped it clean, his expression softening as he stared at the image. The mood subtly changed as the film moved on to Stark working late at night, tinkering with what appeared to be a prototype for a time machine.
Tony, sitting beside Melissa, blinked and paused the movie. He turned toward her, puzzled when he saw silent tears trailing down her cheeks.
"Why did you pause it?" Melissa asked in a broken voice, her throat tight with emotion.
Tony tilted his head, baffled. "Why are you even crying? Nothing sad's happened yet!"
Melissa shook her head and gave a choked sob. "Because that's his son…"
"…What?"
"Stark said he already has his second chance—with his daughter, Morgan. But doesn't that mean… his first chance was with Peter?" Her voice cracked as she spoke. "He's going to do all of this for Peter. He's going to figure out time travel—not for glory, not for the science, but for him. Because Peter is his son too."
Tears spilled freely as she clutched the blanket in her lap. She had wiped her eyes so many times during this marathon, her sleeves were damp. Tony stared at her, stunned, before slowly shaking his head and resuming the movie without another word.
Together, they watched as Stark successfully developed a Time-Space GPS by using an inverted Möbius strip. The successes hit him hard, and he stood back in disbelief, whispering a stunned, "Holy shit."
That was when Morgan, echoing her father's words, appeared behind him.
"Shit," she repeated innocently.
Melissa let out a watery laugh, still wiping her face as she leaned into Tony. Her tears were finally giving way to lightheartedness again.
Later, Stark tucked Morgan into bed.
"I love you 3000," Morgan said sweetly.
"AWWHHHH!! SHE'S SO CUTE!" Melissa squealed, utterly enchanted. "She is so precious!"
She curled up tightly into Tony's side, eyes sparkling with adoration. Her eyelashes were still damp as she looked up at him and said, "Tony… let's make ten of them."
Tony raised an eyebrow and immediately pushed her face away. "Okay, now you're doing too much…"
Melissa pouted in dissatisfaction but then perked up when she heard him mutter under his breath, "Two or three would suffice…"
Her eyes widened slowly, and she turned to him in complete shock. "What did you just say?"
Tony avoided her gaze, now leaning on his palm, trying to hide the embarrassed smile tugging at his lips. A soft blush began coloring his ears.
Melissa's smile stretched into a grin. "You are just so cute!!!" she shouted, pouncing on him. She tackled him with pure joy, showering his face in a flurry of kisses.
"Alright, alright, just keep watching the stupid movie," Tony grumbled, thoroughly embarrassed as he pushed her face away from his with a palm to the cheek.
Melissa's face was slightly squished against his hand, but she didn't mind. In fact, she laughed softly, brushing his hand aside as she settled back into the crook of his arm. With a content sigh, she leaned into him and turned her attention back to the screen.
On-screen, Stark was now speaking with Pepper Potts, revealing the breakthrough he'd made with time travel. Though visibly conflicted, she calmly encouraged him to do what he felt was right—not just for their family, but for everyone else. Meanwhile, in another part of the world, the rest of the Avengers were hard at work. Banner—still in his unusual Smart Hulk form—was attempting time travel experiments on Scott Lang, using the familiar and somewhat comical quantum van back at the Avengers Compound.
The results, however, were… less than perfect.
Lang shifted erratically between different stages of life—an old man, a teenager, a baby, then back to himself—leaving everyone around him confused and mildly horrified. Melissa, however, was thoroughly entertained.
Stark eventually arrived at the compound, walking with purpose and presenting the completed Time-Space GPS. In a poignant moment, he returned Steve's shield—signaling a long-overdue reconciliation. Still, he made one thing perfectly clear: he would not, under any circumstance, risk losing his daughter to undo what Thanos had done. Steve nodded, accepting the boundary without hesitation.
"Tony Stark, everybody!" Melissa declared dramatically, throwing one hand up like she was introducing a celebrity on a talk show. "Proud father of two!"
Tony raised a brow, chuckling despite himself. "You're really pushing this narrative, huh?"
Melissa grinned without missing a beat. "It's not a narrative if it's true," she said smugly, poking his side.
He rolled his eyes but said nothing more as the movie continued.
The Avengers began to regroup. Nebula returned to Earth, and Rocket and Banner traveled to New Asgard—a now-melancholic coastal village where the remaining Asgardians had resettled. There, they found Thor… or rather, what was left of him.
The once-mighty god of thunder was now unkempt, beer-bellied, and clearly traumatized, a shell of his former self as he wallowed in guilt and self-loathing.
Melissa's eyes widened as the screen revealed Thor's transformation. "Holy shit—that's Thor?!" she exclaimed, leaning forward. "He let himself goooooo!"
Tony leaned back smugly, crossing his arms. "Just for the record, this was the guy you said you found attractive before. What about now? Behold—lore-accurate Thor."
Melissa tilted her head, scrutinizing the screen. "I mean, the potential is still there," she said thoughtfully. "It doesn't even make sense that he got fat. He's a god. With that metabolism, he should be burning calories just by existing. Divine physiology shouldn't allow for this kind of gut."
Tony raised an eyebrow, mouth curling into a lopsided smirk. "Uh-huh. You hear that? The double standard is crazy. If I said half of what you just did, I'd be the one that's in trouble."
Melissa didn't deny it. Instead, she gave him a sweet, almost patronizing smile and gently patted the top of his head. "I'm glad you're finally starting to understand how things work."
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