Marvel's IronMaiden

WARNINGS: THIS WORK OF FICTION CONTAINS REFERENCES OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE, PERIL, AND MENTIONS A COUPLE CHARACTERS CONTEMPLATING SUICIDE AND/OR SELF-HARM. ALSO, IT CONFRONTS MATERIAL THAT SOME MIGHT FIND CONTROVERSIAL.

Disclaimer: IronMan, Avengers, and SHIELD are not owned by me. They belong to Marvel Comics, and Disney. Please do not sue me.

Many things could be said about Tony Stark. He was charming, rich, attractive, and brilliant, of course. He could have any woman he wanted, yet he still felt lonely. He was surrounded by admirers, but he was still alone. It had been a few months since he and Pepper decided they should be 'on a break', which was still an open wound, as far as he was concerned. He hadn't wanted this. He wanted Pepper. The fiery redhead was the only person who could stand him for more than a few weeks of 'adult fun'.

Since the breakup, Tony had been a busy man, trying to desperately fill that hole inside him with work. He stayed in the lab, wouldn't be bothered by anyone, and he barely ate or slept. Liquor fueled him, as it always did, and a few weeks ago, he'd sighed as he looked at his AA coin before falling off the wagon. Again. Without Pepper, it seemed New York's favorite genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist was helpless. Tony Stark was certainly unfamiliar with feeling helpless. He had felt helpless twice in his life. The day he received the news that his parents had died in that car accident…and the day Pepper left, and it seemed the malaise would last every day afterward.

Sipping his scotch, he rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling the exhaustion kick in. But there was one person who'd been able to get a hold of him during his depression. Bruce. Once Thor and Hulk had returned from Asgard, dealing with Thor's Ragnarok thing…he had kept in touch with him every so often. Now, he was down in the foyer, waiting for JARVIS to give him security clearance. Putting his hand to the pad, he smiled weakly. "Bruce Banner. Is Tony doing alright, JARVIS?" He asked. The security device beeped before Bruce knew to pull away. "Welcome, …Strongest Avenger." It chimed before the restricted door was unlocked and he could enter. He was, however, quite happy to hear JARVIS's calming British voice. " …I regret to inform you of Master Stark's condition. He's been drinking again, and I fear for his health. Perhaps you could talk some sense into him." He suggested.

Bruce felt his heart clench as JARVIS told him the news. He had to take a deep breath through his nose, and out through his mouth to calm himself. He felt a twinge of anger, but he was awash with a greater sense of disappointment. Dammit, Tony had been clean and sober for a year…Pepper had even confirmed that. But his friend wasn't a strong person, emotionally. Tony could fake a smile well enough to be nominated for an Oscar, but that was a mask. Tony ran from his problems, which was the reason he was so susceptible to his vices. Alcohol, sexual promiscuity, and even his sarcasm and sass that seemed to define the name Stark. But Bruce knew it was all an act.

Walking down the pristine hallways, he made his way to Tony's penthouse, where JARVIS let him in. Once he was down in the lab, it would be too late to turn him away. Down in the lab, Bruce frowned, seeing a clearly sleep-deprived, drunk Stark middling over physics equations in his head. When he finally noticed the mild-mannered fellow scientist, he growled at JARVIS. "JARVIS, I thought I told you no visitors." He said as he promptly turned away. "I apologize, Bruce, it's nothing personal. I've just been…dealing with a few things." She sighed. Bruce raised a brow. "Of that I'm well aware. Pepper told me you two were on a break. So I'm guessing you never got a chance to propose." He said, coming over to sit on the swivel chair near him.

Tony's response broke his heart. Not in what he said, but how he said it. Tony hid his face in his hand and nodded. "Your analysis would be correct." He breathed, the melancholy in his voice enough to tell Bruce just how hard he'd taken the rejection. Bruce sighed and clapped an open palm on his back to rub in a small circle. "Jesus, Tony…I'm so sorry." He grasped at his words, wanting to find the right thing to say to his friend in a situation like this. Sometimes, there just wasn't a 'right' thing to say. This was one of those times.

There was a long silence between the two before Bruce broke the ice again. "I'm here if you need me. I know it's not the easiest thing to deal with overwhelming emotions like these. But JARVIS is worried about you, and I'm worried too." He tried to soothe his friend. It was obvious that Tony was nearly inconsolable. "I take it you didn't get to tell her you wanted to start a family soon, either."

Tony was doing his best to keep himself together, but his walls seemed to be crumbling. All he could manage was to mutter a quiet "No.", before he buried his face in his hands. "I'm not going to live forever, Bruce. I've never been the type of man to think about getting married, or having children…but I wanted Pepper to be the One. And as sick as it sounds, I still want a child. The years go by like weeks, and I…I WANT to be able to stay sober, and raise a child as my own. To teach them to grow up to be a better person than I was." He bit his lip as he stared into his computer screen.

Bruce took a deep breath. "I can empathize. Before the Gamma Radiation, I had fully planned to start a family with Betty. But with Big Green inside me, that dream is dead. But it's not too late for you. You're handsome, charming, intelligent, generous, and you could easily find a willing young la-"

"It's NOT Pepper, Bruce. No girl will EVER be Pepper. She's the only woman who could handle me, and I don't have the heart to adopt. I know it seems ridiculous, but I want my genes to pass on into a child that will grow up to be better than I ever COULD be!" Bruce was startled at Tony's interruption. "Genes aren't everything, Tony." He attempted to calm his friend down. As it was, it looked like Tony was about to burst into tears.

"It is to me, Bruce. I want to prove to myself that my CHOICES have made me so fucked up. Not my DNA." He confessed. "If I have a child and he or she turns out a smart, resilient individual…" Tony paused as he tried to keep his composure. "Everyone knows I'm an alcoholic. I want to know whether or not a child born from me could have a half-decent chance at LIFE. I'm praying to whatever God that may or may not exist, that it's jusCH And that's when he lost his grip on his emotions, and hot tears rolled down his cheeks.

Bruce sighed, rubbing the back of his own neck. "What if…you could have a child? If I could talk to Pepper, and see if…if she'd give you that much?" He asked tentatively, awaiting some response.

"That would be…a miracle."

END PROLOGUE