This is a short (possibly motivational) one-shot. I've been having exams and a tough time in school and I still will have long days in school for the next three weeks and that's why I still haven't updated My Life In A Team. I hope you guys enjoy this.

Disclaimer: Don't own any of this. Marvel owns all characters, events, places mentioned below.

- Tony Stark's POV -

At 10, I was kidnapped. I barely escaped alive. No one in my family actually cared whether I lived or not .

At 17, my parents died in a freak accident. I still lived.

At 32, I was almost killed by the creations of my own hands. I then started realising how much my job, my carelessness (of not monitoring the double dealing under the table) and my words were hurting others.

At 32 (almost 33 then), I realised that the palladium inside my reactor was killing me. Yet this Natasha and a certain one-eyed director came and intervened with my life, and I miraculously survived. I survived the poisoning, the attacks by Justin and Ivan and also saved Pepper and Rhodey. The last thing I expected was to have a stable "relationship" with Pepper Potts.

At 34, I thought I lost one of my partners Phil Coulson. I blamed myself ever since. I never understood how I came out of that portal in the sky in one piece. It still remains a mystery. But one thing I know, Big Jolly Green was part of the reason I survived.

6 Months later, (I was still 34), I thought it was the end of my life. My house was blown up, my suits and concrete blocks of different sizes sunk into the ocean while I was being crushed by 'em. I thought I was gonna die in the sea, all by myself, a painful death that no one will remember until a certain genius computer came back into the picture and rescued me. And that was also the first time I had to depend on a child to save me. That was ridiculously embarrassing, and I really have to stop endangering other people.

Two months later, I went for an operation. I didn't know if I'd make it or not. But I did. Now there won't be a gaping hole in my chest to serve as a dreadful reminder of my tragic past.

A year later, Pepper's family finally approved of our relationship. I couldn't believe it. I thought they were going to keep me away from their daughter forever. I was so wrong…

After all these, I just stop to reflect, to think, to wonder. Why am I alive when so many people around me have passed on? Why a ruthless, spoilt, arrogant billionaire like me?

One day I accidentally blurted out the questions to Pepper while I was half asleep in my lab. I thought she'd be angry with my self-doubt and esteem but she wasn't.

"You, Tony Stark, of all people. have received a second chance. A second chance to do good and make right of all things that you've done wrong. To prove that you can actually make a positive impact on people's lives. And you've achieved this a million times already. Look at all the lives you've tried to fix. You've repaired them. You've helped these families recover. Your inventions save so many lives."

That was when my brain started waking up and registering what she was saying.

"Tony look at me…" She murmured soothingly. I fixed my eyes on her face while trying to decipher if she was making all these up just to make me feel better.

"Tony, you are gifted with so many things. I believe you have this gift so that you can make this a better place for living. I'm so proud of you Tony. I'm not angry or disappointed with you. I know how much effort you've put in to rectify your errors."

She took a deep breath before continuing.

"You're a man of great talent, strong determination and goodwill. That's why you've been given many chances to live your life to the fullest. To make all these to full use."

I smiled at her and hugged her, tiredly but gratefully, as I finally took in what she said. From that moment, I put every breath of my life into good use.

I never ever questioned my existence, ever again.

And you are tired of living, my friend, know that you are living for a purpose.

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