"Tony, Tony"

Tony Stark woke up with a splitting headache and felt like his head had been stirred into a big pulp. He sat up in a daze, patted his head, and tried to regain the focus of his eyes. It was only after he had barely adjusted to the harsh white light that he finally recognized that this was his lab table from the mess of mechanics and circuit boards in front of him.

He remembered. He had spent the last seventy-two hours working in the laboratory, and he remained awake until all the functions of his body no longer allowed him to be conscious.

He subconsciously looked at his watch and found that he had been asleep for four hours before he knew it. He glanced to the side again and saw Steve Rogers, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, standing beside him, looking at him quizzically.

"Are you alright, Tony?" he asked.

"I ...... It's okay. Tony waved his hand, staggered to his feet, and rubbed his eyes.

"What's the matter, Captain"

"Christmas party, you said you were going to party. Everyone has already arrived in the building. Rogers shrugged, "You remember, right?"

"Oh yes, party...... Yes, of course, I remember. Tony patted his head, "It's just...... Wait, it's Christmas today."

"Today is December 24th, Christmas Eve." Rogers frowned, "You don't look like you're in good shape." Maybe you can continue to rest here and we can ...... ourselves."

"Nothing, not at all. I'm in good shape, and voila. ”

He said as he stepped out of the lab table, as if to prove that he was fit for a party. Rogers frowned as he looked at his vague steps that looked like they were about to float.

"Seriously, when was the last time you slept, Tony"

Before Tony could reply, Jarvis's voice rang out in time: "The last time Mr. Stark slept was seventy-two hours ago. ”

"Didn't talk too much, Jarvis." Tony said unpleasantly.

"You should pay more attention to rest. Anyway......"

"Okay, I know." Tony got rid of the criticism and education of the "political commissar" a little impatiently, walked quickly to the bathroom, and said directly, "You go back and wait with the others, I'll wash my face and come." ”

......

It should be said that it is worthy of Stark-style generosity, and the entire top floor of the Avengers Building on Christmas Eve has activated the optical camouflage setting, and the entire roof has become transparent. Snowflakes flutter and fall slowly like swan feathers, sliding down the transparent roof, and the night sky is clear.

By the time Tony entered, most of the Avengers had already arrived. Among those present were Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson (Falcon), Colonel James Rhodes (War Gears). The agent duo of Natasha and Clint was also a rare appearance. Spider-Man is not here for the time being, because he has to spend Christmas Eve with Aunt Mei, but he should also join in a little later when Aunt Mei falls asleep.

Thor also returned to the Atrium after cleaning up Loki's previous incident, this time with the main task of retrieving the Destroyer's armor. So today, he also had a rare opportunity to attend this Christmas party, and even enthusiastically brought a thousand-year-old wine from the Asgardian Divine Domain (although most people chose to stay away and did not dare to try it).

Tony was in the mood for a while. He only talked symbolically with the attendees, and even with his best friend Rhodes, before sitting alone on the couch and not talking.

It's undoubtedly quite perverse, not at all like Tony Stark at the party.

Rogers sat down beside him.

"No energy," he said, placing a glass of wine on the table in front of Tony.

"If you don't close your eyes for seventy-two hours, you'll be the same." Tony didn't touch his glass, he just lay on his back on the couch and said, "Oh, when I didn't say it, I know you won't." ”

Rogers looked at him with a serious expression as if he was in office: "It's not that simple. You've always had something on your mind, and it's been serious since you came back from a trip to God's Domain with Thor. It's about that, right, what did you go through over there?"

The Avengers probably knew that Iron Man and Thor had a two-person trip to the Realm of God a dozen days ago, and they had roughly heard their rough account of Loki's attempt to usurp the throne and was eventually successfully stopped. Both of them have a rather vague account of the incident, and they downplay the course of their battle with Loki. But since Tony came back that time, he has always looked absent-minded, eager to spend 24 hours a day in the laboratory. It was clear to Rogers that the experience was not as simple as they had casually written it off.

"Nothing."

"I asked Thor, but he didn't give details. All he said was that you played well, you fought very well......"

"A good warrior who lies down all the way" Tony laughed sarcastically, and unlike before, this time he was taunting himself.

Rogers closed his mouth and looked at him for a moment.

"So that's why," he asked, "you've been frustrated, your self-confidence has taken a hit." That's why you're stuck in the lab all day long, trying to figure out something new."

Blows yes, he was hit, and far more than that.

Before, he naively thought that Iron Man's technology was the dawn of world peace, and he thought that he could solve all problems by putting on armor and incarnating as Iron Man. But he soon realized that he was wrong. The cruel reality and the successive powerful enemies shattered his illusions again and again, and also trampled his explosive confidence to the ground.

It started with Aldridge Killian, the self-proclaimed "ultimate creature" who defeated his armor head-on for the first time, making him realize for the first time that Iron Man armor was not invincible. He then encounters Kree robots, Thor, Asgard, and then an alien army. Then there is the Hulk who goes berserk at the Avengers Tower, and finally Loki, who he faced in Asgard earlier.

Each defeat made him further realize the inadequacy of Iron Man's skills, and he was forced to see the reality that Iron Man was far from enough to deal with the real threats.

Oh yes, and Ultron, the creature he thought he had designed to solve the problem, turned out to be the trouble itself, and it was surprisingly haunted. Ultron also appears to have stolen some of the most incredible armor from Asgard, which, according to Thor's description to him, was a set of armor that was "impossible to stop".

"You can't carry the world on your shoulders, Tony." Rogers enlightened, "No matter how you say that you are only a human after all, there is a limit to what one person can do......

"Oh, yes, but I knew there was another human, who also fought on individual armor, but he was ten times stronger than Iron Man...... No, a hundred times. ”

Rogers shook his head, "It's not just guns and equipment that fight, Tony. The fighters themselves are no less important. ”

Tony slumped up from the couch and said loudly, "Okay, this isn't a fight." Times are changing, and the good days of captains, who could win battles by spirit and will, are long gone. ”

He stopped his mouth just in time when he realized that his voice was too loud and attracted too much and he didn't need to pay attention. He didn't want to say anything more, he felt tired. Tony turned his head and walked briskly out of the room under the gaze of the crowd, heading towards his lab again.

Strength, this is what Iron Man needs most now, and what the Avengers need most.

He needs much more power than he does now.