Choose!
Tony Stark died three times after Siberia.
Which wouldn't have been that bad in itself if it didn't come with a side serving of cliché, of the whole "life before your eyes" variety, he had to re watch the whole debacle, starting from that fateful day in Afghanistan. He even made side trips into Loki's and darling Rogers life. Carol Danvers, too, and Tony thought "well, Platypus will be glad."
The next time, he saw the present: Ross, the Accords, Siberia...
Joy.
And the last time, it was the kid getting in trouble, the threat he'd been talking himself hoarse about just to be dismissed, and his death.
Again.
And then two idiots talking it out like it was a movie or something, saying "There's no butterfly effect in the MCU".
Right.
First, what's the butterfly effect has got to do with time paradox, respect your science, people. No, really.
Second, that was the worse movie marathon he'd ever been forced to endure, and that included the Star Wars movies that shouldnotbementionned. Honest, compared to Rogers, Darth was a peach.
And the fact that this was his fucking life (what was left of it, anyway) was... really tragic.
Now, Tony had noticed that those were not his memories. Heck, he was not present half of the time. At least it gave him an interesting perspective on what had happened, up and including the shitty way the Avengers behaved. Not only toward him, but towards everybody. Heck, Loki and his half-assed (if that) attempt at world domination had a lower body count than Rogers and his merry band in pursuit of the Winter Princess.
Tony almost giggled while picturing Rogers in tights... When realizing it what not that different from his usual getup. Wondered, briefly what was the percentage of Captain America's popularity was due to the spandex. 12% ?
Speaking of Rogers, did it really mean the utter bastard was there, somewhere, knowing everything that was supposed to happen and never lifted his tush from the couch to prevent ANY of it? Up and including his BFF capture, torture, brainwashing and so on. Tony now knew Rogers was an utterly selfish bastard, but that was taking it to another level.
"CHOOSE."
"Uh?" yes, Tony could be articulate. Now, however, was not one of those times.
"CHOOSE" Afghanistan and his stumbling through the desert before Rhodey found him... Himself lying in a hospital bed with beeping machines and tubes going everywhere... or the gauntlet with the stones.
"CHOOSE!" well, okay, he was getting used to weird shit by now. So he chose.