Tony Stark stood in the center of his lab, surrounded by holographic projections, but his mind was miles away. The battle with Steve, the collapse of the Avengers—it all still played on a loop in the back of his mind. The betrayal. The silence. The sense of finality. But here, alone in his workshop, it was different. He was moving on. Or at least, that's what he told himself.
The projections flickered as Tony absentmindedly swiped through designs for his new suit—the Mark 51. It was sleeker, faster, and more responsive than anything he'd built before. Yet no matter how many upgrades or modifications he added, it didn't feel like enough. It was never enough.
He stepped away from the glowing interface and made his way to the large windows that overlooked the vast landscape of Malibu. His mind wasn't on the tech. Not really. It was on the ghosts of the past few years. The Avengers—the family he had tried to build—were fractured, and it felt like no amount of technology could fix that.
A soft ping broke the silence.
Tony turned to see FRIDAY's hologram flicker to life beside him. "Miss Potts has arrived. Shall I let her in?"
He hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, let her in."
A few moments later, the doors slid open, and Pepper Potts stepped into the lab. She looked as poised and composed as ever, but there was something different about her now. The tension between them—years of unspoken words and the weight of their shared history—seemed to hover in the air.
"Tony," she greeted, her voice soft but steady.
"Pepper," Tony replied, turning back to his workspace. His voice was casual, but underneath it was something more. They both knew why she was here.
Pepper stepped forward, glancing at the projections floating in the air. "Still working on saving the world, I see."
He smirked, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Well, someone's got to. Can't let the bad guys have all the fun."
She crossed her arms, watching him for a long moment. "Tony… we need to talk."
Tony knew this conversation was coming. It had been hanging over them for months, ever since the Avengers had split. Ever since the distance between them had grown wider, despite their best efforts to keep things together.
"I know," Tony said, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not exactly the easiest guy to be with."
Pepper shook her head, a small, sad smile on her lips. "It's not that. It's just… we're different people now. You're on this path, and I don't think I'm on it with you."
There was no accusation in her voice, no anger. Just the truth.
Tony exhaled slowly, turning to face her fully. "I never wanted to push you away."
"I know you didn't," she replied softly. "But you're still chasing something, Tony. And I don't think you'll stop until you find it."
He nodded, accepting her words. They were true, after all. He was always chasing something—whether it was peace, redemption, or simply the next great invention. But this? This was different. It was more than just the Avengers. It was about who he was when everything was stripped away.
"So… what now?" Tony asked, his voice quieter than before.
Pepper stepped closer, reaching out to touch his arm gently. "We'll always care about each other. But maybe it's time we stop pretending that we can go back to the way things were."
He met her gaze, and for the first time in a long time, Tony felt a strange sense of peace. He didn't like the idea of losing Pepper, but in his heart, he knew she was right. Their paths had diverged, and it was time to let go.
"Yeah," he said with a nod. "Maybe you're right."
Pepper squeezed his arm before stepping back. "You'll figure it out, Tony. You always do."
With one last glance at him, she turned and walked out of the lab. The doors slid shut behind her, and the silence settled in once again.
Tony stood there for a moment, processing the conversation, letting the reality of it sink in. Pepper was right—he was still chasing something. But for the first time, he wasn't entirely sure what that was anymore.
He walked back to the interface, staring at the incomplete design of the Mark 51. It was good, but it wasn't enough. He needed something more. Something different.
Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind. Wakanda. He had heard whispers about their technology—far more advanced than anything he'd ever seen. Vibranium. Renewable energy. Healing tech. It was all cutting-edge, the kind of innovation that had the potential to reshape everything he knew about technology.
Tony tapped a few commands into the holographic interface. "FRIDAY, get me everything we have on Wakandan tech."
"Yes, boss," FRIDAY replied, and soon, Tony's workspace was flooded with new information—maps, data reports, technical specs, everything that Wakanda had chosen to reveal to the world after T'Challa opened its borders.
As Tony sifted through the data, a new energy surged within him. Wakanda wasn't just the key to the next step in technology—it was the key to something much bigger. A new direction. A new beginning.
And perhaps, somewhere along the way, a new chance to make things right.
With renewed focus, Tony dove into the research, his mind buzzing with possibilities. This was what he needed. The next evolution. The future wasn't in the past or the mistakes he had made—it was out there, in the technology that could change everything.
And for the first time in months, Tony Stark felt like he was moving forward.