Too Broken to be Called Home

Tony wasn't a fan of the thing people called 'true love'.

He never experienced it so he thought it hadn't existed. Something you only would see in the movies and something little kids would chatter about when playing dolls or dressup. Tony remembered talking about so-called 'true love' when he was younger and his dad telling him he would never find it because how could you find something that didn't exist. Tony always felt like a burden after hearing those words from his father. Like he couldn't believe in the love his parents shared for each other. Almost feeling like he was the cause of their marriage and never felt like he was loved as a child and more loved because it was his parents obligation.

Tony grew up, learned to grow up fast, and replaced the feeling of love with money, women, and booze. Everybody believes a happy front is real, and that's what Tony put up. He hid everything behind his dark tinted glasses and everyone was none the wiser.

People started asking questions about his lovelife and he ignored it all until it tipped the edge of his privacy. Stalking paparazzi hiding in his home, sneaking pictures through the bushes, and yelling questions as they were almost shot on site by JARVIS.

Tony grew tired of the questions and soon saw his patience ending. A constant cycle of gambling, drinking, women, and a killer hangover with regret ringing louder than the bell in his ears from the liquor.

Then along came Pepper Potts.

A woman of many traits and even more faces. She had everything Tony could have asked for in a woman. Smarter than any other woman he's known. Forcing him to get out and exercise, helping him take breaks when he was down in the lab all day, even breaking his nasty habits of drinking when he dove too deep into his projects. She was everything he wanted to be and more and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

Engagement ring picked out and her answer already given, Tony finally had his privacy and the world began to leave him alone.

But he didn't feel right. Tony never felt comfortable in his own skin, even as a kid, but he never had the strength to say anything about it. He always feared the worse when it came to his own health but ignored everything when it came to his feelings of what he thought he was.

Tony knew he was gay for a while but didn't see it ever becoming a reality. He couldn't come out when he was engaged to a woman and a multi-billionaire playboy physique he worked so hard to keep up; to hide the fact he was someone else.

True love didn't exist when you couldn't be yourself and belong in your own skin; inside and out.

"Tony?! Can I talk to you please?" Pepper called. Tony looked toward the door of his lab, seeing his fiance behind the glass door; twisting the engagement ring on her left ring finger. Tony knew this wasn't going to be a regular conversation.

With a fake smile, Tony opened the door and greeted her with a kiss. A kiss meant for the lips but she turned her head in embarrassment. Tony furrowed his brow.

"What is it you wanna talk about?" Tony asked, sitting back at his work bench to work on the arm piece of his suit.

"I know Tony."

Three words.

The three words that slapped Tony in the face, clenched his jaw, and forced his stomach upward. He felt his hands go numb as he turned to Pepper on his swivel chair. He couldn't even bring his eyes to hers, keeping them fixated on his armor piece but his work came to a stand still.

"And I've known for a while." Pepper continued, her gaze watching Tony's.

Tony didn't understand how everything came to a standstill in his life. He had the career of his dreams, working with unusually amazing people to save the world. He had everything he worked so hard the cars, the house, the cutting edge technology. He even had the woman of his dreams as well.