"Don't do it."

The voice pierced through the silence. The night was dark, the building too high up for the sounds below to be heard.

"I wasn't going to."

A sigh. A hoarse laugh echoed around them.

"Just because you weren't going to doesn't mean you weren't thinking about it."

"A fall like this wouldn't kill me, Tony."

"I know how you feel, you know."

"You have no idea," the voice cracked. The emotion was raw, finally coming out after being hidden for so long. "I'm damaged. Broken."

"We all are," was the smooth reply. "But that's what makes us, us."

"I don't want to be me. I want to be normal."

"We all do."

"You don't understand!"

There was a pause. The breeze ruffled their clothing, dancing around in the darkness. The sky was only illuminated by stars that gazed upon them.

"I used to believe that the stars were those that had passed. That they were watching us from above. I thought that they had finished their time on Earth so they carried on caring from above. After my parents died, I used to imagine my mother was there, despite having forgotten my childish thoughts about the stars."

Tony chuckled slightly, his throat clogged.

"Today I completed the most selfless act I'd ever done. Only for it to be completely selfish. When I sent that nuke into space, I didn't hope to come back."

Bruce turned to him, eyes slightly wide.

"And when I woke up, I couldn't. I couldn't even die properly. You saved me, Bruce. You fucking saved me. But now -even though it hurts - I'm glad I didn't die. Dying isn't something you can come back from, no matter what you do. I don't know what haunts you, Bruce, but this wouldn't help."

Then Tony walked away, a weak smile o his face.

Bruce stood up, gripping the metal railings hard enough to leave a dent.

"Dammit, Stark."

He forced himself to turn away, a deep laugh escaping his throat. He looked over the railing, at the city they had saved, before walking back inside.