Disclaimer: I do not own anything that I have written. Yep, that is right, I own not even one iota of the below work.

Warnings: Cannon violence, sexuality, and blood. Possibly worse language than the actual movie. Will contain homosexual relationships.

...

Chapter One

...

Project Proving: When it felt like nearly everyone left Tony Stark, he made Project Proving as a way to show all of the people who were no longer there that he was still capable and strong without them.

...

"I can't do it anymore, Tony."

Anthony Stark had been working on his newest update for the suit when Pepper had come down into the workshop holding a thick set stack of papers. Seeing what was going to happen soon, Tony pushed his feelings of hurt down to concentrate, and potentially fix the situation before it got any worse.

"Awwwh come on Peps, you've only been CEO for a month." Tony said, spinning around to face her, a small smile forced onto her lips.

What really hurt was the fact she didn't even notice – Too stressed from the job, and it was aging her, even over the month long course she had there. It was a stressful job, but Tony had actually thought her well fitted for it when he'd handed it over. He hated to see just how wrong that assumption was, and now knew that this wasn't going to be an argument. The decision was already made; she was just here to get the paperwork signed.

"Tony, please." She whispered, not bothering to hide her desperation.

"You, Pepper Potts, are one of the strongest people I've ever met." Tony spoke simply, taking the paperwork and quickly running his eyes along every line. He trusted Pepper to have not done something Tony wouldn't sign, but it was instinct to read things before signing them. Then, he felt his world drop out from under him, "... You plan to quit completely, not even coming back as my assistant."

"It's too much, Tony. I love you, I really do, but I cannot do it anymore. The stress, Iron Man, the company, I'm not made for these things. You are, and I don't fault you for it, nor would I ever ask you to give it up, but I can't do it anymore." As she spoke, there was that familiar, loveably stubborn light back in her eyes.

"Are you breaking up with me too?" It was meant to be a joke, but the look that he got told him everything he needed to know, "You are..."

"I'm not cut out for it, Tony. If I were to stay, even in a relationship with you, I'd get sucked back into it." Her tone was soft, and she was trying not to hurt him even as she tore his heart straight out of his chest. Yet, Tony still wanted to spare her the pain of hurting him, so for some ridiculous reason, he forced his reaction down, keeping himself neutral at least until she left.

So that he could break.

Tony picked up the pen and signed in all the marked places, making quick work of the transfer, within the next half hour, Tony was once again CEO of Stark Industries, and Pepper Potts was walking out the door. The whole affair had been startlingly silent considering Tony usually had the biggest mouth in the whole world, but Pepper hadn't pressed for a single word.

"JARVIS, opinion?" Tony asked, after just standing there, holding the paperwork feeling so utterly empty.

"I would advise you not to fall into alcohol, as your identity as Iron Man makes this far too dangerous now. A different form of obsession – Suggestions that help with your extracurricular activities would be learning more on hand to hand and combat outside of the suit, creating new projects and tech around the suit, and as you have reminded me several times, hacking the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." JARVIS almost sympathetic tone erupted form the walls.

"Right, for now we'll do that. Find the best for my needs for a private instructor JARVIS, someone that will actually keep secrets from the government, I do not want SHIELD knowing more than they already do. Move everything in relation to Iron Man and my person stuff to the highest protected server and start upgrading it with the nastiest firewall you can imagine. I'll start the hack on SHIELD and brainstorm on ideas." Tony spoke to the AI, starting his work, but his voice was utterly despondent compared to how he normally was. However, Tony knew that he needed to stay away from alcohol, it was his vice, and drinking it when he was depressed would quickly lead to an addiction – Tony was far too smart to fall into something like that. He wouldn't become dependent on anyone other than himself and his creations.

...

...

...

"JARVIS, what's your current sentience per-cent?" Tony asked, but his eyes were highly focused on the watch in his hands, carefully taking it apart.

"Estimates are about 67 per-cent, sir." JARVIS stated clearly, and there was a hint of pride there.

"Project Learning is clearly a success. You know I love you, right JARVIS? You take care of me, look after me, and do pretty much all of my legwork. I'd definitely say you are my favourite person –"

Tony was interrupted by the AI not a moment later, "Why are you sucking up to me, sir?"

The inventour didn't even hide his smug smile, because he'd done that. He had created an AI that had personality, which was an actual being with feelings of their own. Something that people have been debating for years, and Tony had done it with a few ingenious lines of coding, "I was hoping that you could take over most of the SI operations and only bug me about the actual important stuff."

"You only ever had to ask, sir."

"That's why you're my favourite, bunny-buns." Tony said sarcastically, but the bright grin on his face for the first time in a long time gave him away.

"If I might inquire, what is so important about the watch?"

"Vibranium, because my father was always such a greedy bastard. I don't know why I never assumed it before. There was no way he would give all of the metal to Rodgers, Howard wasn't that generous. Of course, knowing my father, of course he would wear the most expensive and rare metal in the world around his wrist like it was nothing." Tony hissed out, angry for only just having caught on, but also borderline admiring his father for his two-faced manner.

Finally, all the watches components were placed on the work table, and Tony started to separate the parts that were, and weren't Vibranium with fading anger. Why was he no longer angry? Because despite the fact he hadn't seen it before, the idea he had for the metals use was far, far more useful and practical for him to remain angry. His father, always leaving little gifts for him to find. It was as if the man was begging for forgiveness even after death. Of course, he would never have that forgiveness, but that was beside the point.

"Start new project named: Project Proving. Put everything on my private servers and make the call to that instructor you found."