Chapter 137: A Gift

The pounding rhythm of loud, energetic music hit Sean the moment he stepped inside...

Having changed into fresh clothes, he frowned at the heavy mix of alcohol and expensive perfume in the air. The lighting was deliberately dim, with colorful strobes flashing and shifting to create a club-like atmosphere.

At the center of the spotlight stood Tony, clad in his Iron Man armor, surrounded by adoring fans and vivacious young women. Staggering slightly, he clutched a bottle of Budweiser, his words slurred as he showed off his signature dry wit.

"Oh, look who's here! Sean, our genius~" Spotting the newcomer from the corner of his eye, Tony immediately directed the spotlight toward him, announcing in an exaggerated tone as if heralding a hero's entrance.

Navigating through the crowd of enthusiastic women, Sean reached Tony's side and said quietly, "Is this really how you plan to spend your last birthday?"

"Absolutely!" The drunken Iron Man swayed to the music, seemingly caught in a euphoric high.

Below the stage, Rhodey and Pepper exchanged helpless glances. At this moment, Tony was like a willful child... no one could stop his antics.

Sean shook his head. The toxins released by the arc reactor were gradually eating away at Tony's body. It wouldn't be long before Iron Man dominated headlines across America again... though this time, in the form of an obituary.

In the original timeline, Nick Fury (who had been close to Tony's father) tracked down the dying playboy. Through hints and guidance, Tony found inspiration in his father's old recordings, ultimately creating a new, more stable element that saved his failing body.

"You seem unusually emotional today. Did you take something, or is this your final hurrah?" Sean picked up a martini from a passing tray, the burning liquor sliding down his throat with a pleasant warmth.

"These past few days, I've been having the same dream. In it... I'm free from palladium poisoning, a superhero everyone admires. I fight alongside many allies, saving this country countless times, defeating villains who want to destroy the world."

Tony fell silent for a moment, draping an arm over Sean's shoulder as he drained his drink. His eyes held a trace of confusion as he murmured, "But then, I watched those allies fall one by one... I couldn't save them. I couldn't save anyone! The only silver lining? You weren't there. Sean Cyphers didn't exist in that dream."

He laughed self-deprecatingly, grabbing another glass of strong liquor. The usually vibrant, confident playboy now seemed like a dying ember, his brilliance fading.

"Interesting dream," Sean remarked, patting the Iron Man armor. His gaze drifted to Pepper who sat alone on a couch in the corner, isolated from the revelry, "You haven't told Pepper?"

"My suffering won't lessen just because someone else shares it. Why make her worry too? I believe she'll be a far better CEO for Stark Industries than I ever was." Tony smiled faintly as he looked at his secretary.

Sean said nothing...

Tony charged back into the dancing crowd, swaying energetically with the women around him. The music grew even more frenzied as the playboy launched into his usual repertoire of terrible jokes.

"The question I get asked most? 'How do you go to the bathroom in the Iron Man suit?'" Tony paused, adopting a mysterious expression before making a relieved sound, "Like this! A safe, controlled filtration system, even drinkable!"

"Aren't you going to stop him? I just saw Colonel Rhodes head down to Tony's basement," Sean said, taking the glass from Pepper's hand. It seemed Tony had been giving his poor secretary quite the ordeal lately.

Pepper leaned back on the couch, her tall frame forming a perfect curve, "Tony has becoming more and more unfamiliar... like I never really knew him at all. Maybe I didn't. Ever since he came back from the front lines, he's been a different person, sometimes mature and steady, other times even more reckless. I don't understand what's happening to him!" Her bright eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

Glancing at Tony's wild celebration on stage, Sean said softly, "Maybe he has burdens he can't voice. Men always find it harder to open up than women, especially someone as proud as Tony."

Their attention returned to the dance floor, where the birthday boy was now tossing bottles into the air and shattering them with repulsor blasts. The surrounding women gasped in awe, further fueling Tony's excitement as he sent glass and liquor spraying like fireworks.

"He treats everything like a game... the Expo, new energy... handing Stark Industries to me. Maybe he really does trust me, but I'm terrified of failing him. It's all too much. I don't know if I can handle it." Pepper voiced her fears, the immense pressure of recent days leaving her nerves frayed.

"I felt the same when I first founded Umbrella. External scrutiny, constant self-doubt... it's like a boulder pressing on your heart," Sean said, his gaze steady. An imperceptible psychic breeze seemed to soothe Pepper's restless mind.

Her anxieties momentarily faded, the turmoil in her heart gradually calming as an unfamiliar peace settled over her.

"Don't dwell on uncertainties. Tony's just lost right now, but he'll find his way soon," Sean murmured, his voice like a gentle spring breeze. Pepper's eyelids grew heavy, the tension of recent days melting away.

...

Helping the drowsy secretary to a guest room, Sean returned to find chaos outside. The partygoers had fled, leaving behind shattered glass and wrecked decorations.

At the center of the devastation, two figures in Iron Man armor clashed, repulsor blasts reducing the remaining glass walls to dust.

A shockwave sent debris flying as Tony's best friend, Colonel Rhodes, wearing the unpainted War Machine suit, blasted through the ceiling and into the night sky.

Tony slumped against the wall like an exhausted traveler who had journeyed too far. He knew his friend disapproved of his self-destructive behavior, but who could understand the agony of slowly dying?

"Today's a day worth remembering. Let me give you a birthday gift," Sean said, looking down at the defeated Tony.

He didn't want Iron Man to die... not when Umbrella and Stark Industries still had collaborations ahead.

"Leaving this world with regrets isn't your only fate, Tony. You can change it." The young man's voice echoed in the now-silent room...