Before every interview he is asked the same question "Just so we know what not to ask, are there any questions that upset you, Mr. Stark?" Every time he gives the same exact answer, "No, of course not! I'm Iron Man, no question could upset me!" It always puts these fresh out of college kids at ease and the interviews go without a hitch.
"You don't care about anyone but yourself, do you?"
But then there's that.
It wasn't often that accusation was thrown at him. Well, not often after he revealed to the world that he is Iron Man. Before that it was thrown at him almost daily. He wondered how people could still accuse him of being so selfish when he risks his life to save people more times than they even know about.
He sat in his workshop and took another swig of JD which emptied the glass he was holding. He set it down on the table a little harder than he anticipated and the loud clink of glass on metal in the unusually quiet room startled him so badly he jumped. The action caused him to hit his funny bone on the arm of his chair.
"Fuck!" he hissed when the pain shot up his arm.
"Are you alright, sir?" came the ever present disembodied voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine J.A.R.V.I.S." Tony answered.
He rubbed his elbow for a moment before he grabbed his glass and got up to refill it.
"You don't care about anyone but yourself, do you?"
There it was again. The only question that got under his skin.
It had been hours since some homeless woman snarled it at him but it just refused to quit circling around in his brain. He'd just been going for a walk, something he only did rarely, through the city when he bumped into her. She asked for money and held a cup out to him. He dug through his pockets and found he had no cash on him, at the moment, and apologized. He would have given her something, he had more money than he knew what to do with so why wouldn't he, but he just didn't have anything on him. It was the truth. She didn't believe him, though, and started calling him a liar and various vulgar names.
And then she said it.
"You don't care about anyone but yourself, do you?"
And just walked away.
Now he was home, hours passed between then and now. The sun had set, dinner had been eaten, and he had even finished working on the latest Iron Man suit. But now the accusation wouldn't leave him alone. It was always when he was unoccupied that his thoughts would start to eat him alive.
When he got upstairs and reached the bar he poured himself another glass. He looked at it and swirled it around twice before taking a sip. Don't people realize how much I do for them, he thought. Wait, does asking that make me selfish? He didn't want to think about that. In fact he didn't want to think about any of this anymore. This question always drove him insane. He downed the fresh glass and poured yet another. He was planning on spending this night working on things, but now he realized he'd be spending it drinking away these accursed questions that were eating away at him.
After practically inhaling the third glass of Jack he slammed the glass down on the bar, "I do care, goddamn it!"
"Care about what, Tony?"
He turned to face the elevator and the action made him a little dizzy. Or was that because of the alcohol? He wasn't sure. Walking toward him and smiling brightly was Pepper. She always showed up exactly when he needed her to. He smiled, the terrible thoughts inside his brain already retreating back into hiding for another night.