By the time the Avengers returned to Stark Tower, Loki was still unconscious. Later, it was said that when he finally woke up in a S.H.I.E.L.D. holding cell, the first thing he snarled was:
"Just you wait, you little brat!"
…
After Loki was escorted away, Tony kept his promise and took everyone out for Shawarma.
The kebab shop had taken heavy damage from the battle—shattered glass littered the floor. The owner had originally planned to close for repairs, but when heroes walked in, how could he possibly turn them away?
As a result… Tony ate the worst shawarma of his life.
The grill was half-broken, leaving the meat either undercooked or burnt in strange places. If he hadn't been starving with no other options, Tony would've taken one bite and walked out.
After the meal, Tony returned alone to Stark Tower. Looking up at the building's sign—now blasted until only a single letter remained—he had a sinking feeling that he was about to become very, very busy again.
"That kid," Natasha said suddenly as she drove him back, "she was absolutely certain you weren't dead. She even tried to stop me from closing the portal."
"What?" Tony frowned, not quite following.
"You're lucky, Stark."
Natasha smiled, then drove off, leaving Tony standing there in confusion.
A moment later, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the soft pink paper crane.
Tony didn't realize it—but the corner of his mouth had lifted into a faint smile.
…..
Clara walked along Park Avenue toward the subway station. Ground traffic had completely collapsed after the battle, and there was no way she could get back to Brooklyn on her own. All she could do now was hope the subway was still running.
Along the way, she saw the remains of countless Chitauri soldiers—if they could even be called bodies. They looked more like destroyed machines than living creatures. On nearby rooftops, several enormous mechanical leviathans lay motionless, bathed in the afternoon sunlight.
Everything felt unreal.
Clara didn't even consider taking alien debris as souvenirs. Leaving aside the possibility of alien pathogens, anything from the battlefield would obviously belong to the authorities. She had no desire to wake up one day to men in black tearing her apartment apart.
Sure enough, the military had already set up cordons at the edge of the combat zone. Everyone leaving was scanned to ensure they weren't carrying extraterrestrial objects.
Once Clara was cleared, she was allowed to pass.
On the way to the subway, she saw wounded civilians being loaded onto stretchers—and others covered with white sheets, surrounded by family members sobbing uncontrollably.
Even though the war was over, the dead would never come back.
This was the first time Clara had ever truly faced the cruelty of war.
Inside the subway station, it was packed with terrified civilians who had fled underground for shelter. To calm the crowd, the transit authority temporarily suspended fares on affected lines, evacuating people for free as long as the tracks were intact.
By sheer coincidence, Clara spotted her school group huddled in a corner.
She'd thought they had already left.
When Ms. Daisy saw Clara—alive and unharmed—she nearly burst into tears. Though strict in class, Daisy genuinely cared about every student. After realizing Clara was missing, she'd been worried sick.
Jeresia had personally seen Clara blasted into the air. The moment she saw her again, tears poured down her face as she threw her arms around Clara, sobbing.
"I saw you get blown away… I thought I'd never see you again…"
Clara gently patted Jeresia's head. "I'm fine. See? Iron Man saved me. He saved all of us… and the world."
A quiet sense of pride bloomed in Clara's chest.
Because the hero who saved the world was her father—
at least… the father she believed in.
That alone filled her with a strange, shared glory.
About half an hour later, a subway train bound for Brooklyn arrived. Desperate to leave Manhattan, people surged forward—but thankfully, transit staff reserved an entire carriage just for the students, preventing them from being separated again.
The carriage was still crowded, but at least everyone felt safe. As the train rocked forward, tension finally gave way to exhaustion. Sitting on the floor, students leaned against one another and drifted into uneasy sleep.
Jeresia, who had been on edge the entire time, grew visibly drowsy.
"Sleep," Clara whispered, guiding Jeresia's head onto her shoulder. "I'll wake you when we arrive."
Clara straightened her back so Jeresia could rest more comfortably.
Outside the window, illuminated advertisements flashed by, unchanged by the war above—bright, steady, indifferent.
Nearly an hour later, the train pulled into Lesper Falls Town Station. Children poured out of the carriage, where anxious parents were already waiting beyond the turnstiles.
Seeing their children safe, many parents broke down in tears, hugging them tightly. No one could have imagined an alien invasion—survival alone was something to be grateful for.
As her classmates were picked up one by one, Clara decided to take a bus home. The station was still several stops from her apartment, and she didn't want to walk.
"Clara, ride with us!" Jeresia called from her car window. "I'll have my mom drive you home!"
"You go ahead," Clara replied with a smile. "My family will come get me soon."
After seeing Jeresia off, Clara headed toward the bus stop—only to be stopped by Ms. Daisy.
"Come take a taxi with me," Daisy said gently. "All the other students have been picked up. It's just you and me now."
Clara had never spoken about her home life at school. No one knew she was an orphan—but Daisy, as her homeroom teacher, knew everything.
No one was coming to pick Clara up.
The distant war in Manhattan had left Lesper Falls untouched. The thunder of battle now felt like a fading dream. The taxi soon arrived outside Clara's apartment building.
She said goodbye and turned toward her door.
"Wait, Clara!"
Daisy called out.
Clara turned back—and found herself wrapped in a tight hug.
"Clara… I'm so glad you're okay."
She froze for a moment, then slowly relaxed as warmth spread through her chest.
"Yes," Clara said softly. "I'm okay. I'm really okay, Ms. Daisy."
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals