What If Tony Stark Was The Villain

Part 4 - Bleeding Knuckles

"Tony, are you ready?" Rhodey asks and softly touches his shoulder.

"Ready?" Tony chuckles ironically and takes a sip from the glass in his hand.

"For a funeral I shouldn't have to attend? For a funeral that's my fault? For a reminder that I'm a failure?" he laughs but they both know it's just his coping mechanism.

"None of this is your fault, Tony" Rhodey sighs.

"It certainly doesn't feel like it" he finishes his drink.

"Enough with that. You're not going to Pepper's funeral drunk" Rhodey takes the bottle away from him before he fills his glass again.

"At least that way I'll feel less like sh*t" he yells and throws the glass away, breaking it in pieces.

It doesn't stand out in the mess around the mansion. Everywhere you look there's broken pieces of glass, broken stuff, cracks on the walls and the floor. Needless to say that Tony hasn't taken the loss nicely.

"Come on, get up" Rhodey tries to pull him up from his seat.

"Don't touch me!" Tony flinches immediately and unconsciously pushes Rhodey away.

Rhodey loses his steps due to his recent paralysis and he falls down. That's when Tony comes back to his senses and jumps from his seat immediately to help him out.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" he says sincerely.

Tony gives him his hand and Rhodey grabs it to stand up. They then look into each other's eyes and don't have to say anything more. A simple hug and a pat on their backs are enough to show there's no bad blood between them. After all, Rhodey couldn't blame Tony for his reaction at the moment. He knows how deeply he's grieving.

"Let's go" Rhodey says and Tony nods.

A driver is waiting outside to get both of them to the funeral since it's clear that none of them is in a condition to drive. When they arrived they waited in the car for a while to prepare themselves. Outside, there were already a lot of people ready and waiting. People from S.H.I.E.L.D, from her family and from Stark Industries.

A lot of tears were shed during the ceremony. Everyone loved Pepper, it wasn't a secret. The moment that the casket appeared everyone fell apart. A lot of the attendants couldn't stop crying. Tony didn't think he'd have to hear readings from family and friends of a loved one again but that's what he's doing.

And he definitely didn't think in a million years that he would have to give an eulogy for the love of his life so soon, but that's what he's doing.

"I haven't been very lucky in my life but I consider myself lucky for finding Pepper and having her by my side. She is the love of my life and I'm nothing without her, that's for sure. I don't know how many of you knew this already, but we were expecting our first child together. Yes, our life together finally seemed like it was perfect. That was until, of course, I screwed up.

She was the smartest person I've ever met, smarter than I'll ever be. She was special and strong, that only explains why she put up with me for so long. I was blessed to have her by my side for all these years and, trust me, now I know it more than ever. She was always there for me when I needed her and even when I didn't. She gave my life meaning.

I'll never forget the sound of her laughter. Her beautiful smile and eyes. The way that she always took care of me and put me first. The fact that she treated everyone around her with respect and saw the best in them. How she laughed at every silly joke I made, which of course had only one purpose, to make her laugh.

I'll also never forget our first kiss. God, that was long overdue. Looking back, I don't even know why I didn't realize that I loved her since the day I saw her. I seriously still can't believe that I'll have to find a way to live without Pepper. Without her keeping me in place and down to Earth and without seeing her everyday.

I will always be grateful for the moments we had together and I will always beg to have had more of them. And, most certainly, I will always wish that it was me instead of her in that casket right now. She never deserved anything less than a happy ending and a perfect life.

I love you, Miss Potts. Rest in peace, my angel" he says with tears in his eyes and obvious pain in his voice.

Thankfully, Happy and Rhodey were there to keep him on his feet once he finished his speech. These weren't words he had written before, they were truly spoken from his heart. Tony was still trying to recover from the emotional speech he gave when he noticed something with the corner of his eye.

"You've got to be kidding me" he says under his breath and stands up from his seat.

No one understands where he's going or what made him leave the ceremony but it all becomes clear soon. Tony walks behind some trees and another figure is visible. Especially when they're about to start a fight.

"Sh*t" Happy gasps when he realizes what's happening.

"How dare you show your face here?" Tony yells.

"Tony, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any more harm" Steve replies calmly.

"You're sorry?" Tony laughs.

"F*ck you, Rogers" he then continues and punches him hard in his face.

"Calm down" Happy finally reaches them and holds Tony back.

"You couldn't show up in the battle but you could come here?" he asks aggressively.

"I just wanted to pay my respects. I'm going to miss Pepper" Steve explains calmly.

"Don't say her name" Tony snaps and jumps into Steve's body.

He manages to throw him on the ground and get on top of him. Nothing can stop his anger now. He's punching Steve with all his strength again and again. Happy is trying to contain him but he only gets a couple of accidental hits in between.

"That's enough, Tony!" Rhodey says loudly when he arrives at the scene.

Steve only uses his hands to cover himself and doesn't fight back. Last thing he wants is to get physical with Tony again. He knows he hurt him too much already, he doesn't intend to make things worse.

"You're dead, Rogers" Tony hisses and releases all his energy with his hits.

"Hold him, hold him" Happy repeats as he and Rhodey manage to pull Tony back.

"Steve, go" Rhodey tells him and Steve nods after looking at apologetically.

"Coward!" Tony yells at him when he walks away slowly, bleeding from all the beating.

Rhodey and Happy only let Tony go when Steve is out of reach. Tony's heartbeat has definitely slowed down but his anger is worse than ever. His knuckles are sore and bleeding but he's proud of it. That little fight just brought to surface what he really needs, which is to see Steve suffer the same way he's suffering because of him.

"I'm alright" Tony adjusts his suit and tie and breathes in and out deeply.

He seems alright and calm on the outside but inside he's burning. The only thing that helps him gulp and hide his rage is his respect for the occasion. And, of course, the plan he has in mind for when he gets back home.

They all joined the ceremony again and finished it without further interruptions. Tony apologized for the incident and his behavior and everyone forgave him. It's not like they would talk back or lecture the superhero.

"Are you sure you want to be alone tonight?" Happy asks Tony when they return to the mansion.

"Yes, thank you" Tony tries to smile.

"We're here if you need us" Rhodey adds, looking at him warmly.

"I know" Tony nods sympathetically.

They wait for a few more seconds in case Tony changes his mind but he doesn't so they respect his wishes and leave him alone. He takes a few steps in the huge empty space and takes off his tie slowly. He wraps it around his injured knuckles a few times carefully and then looks up with determination in his eyes.

"JARVIS?" he asks.

"Yes, sir?" the A.I. replies immediately.

"Locate Bucky Barnes" he says and smirks.