It was nine o'clock at night and Tony was in the temple checking all of the systems he had installed. He was depressed that he couldn't find Gene or his father and that Gene probably lied to him so that made him sadder and angry that he allowed himself to get duped. He let those thoughts fester as a song from his play list started playing on his computer.
I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
When the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk alone
He thought of his mother, he had really known up until she died in the car accident when he was six, it was one of the worst days of his life and since then he hasn't been nearly the same. He thought of his dad, he was always being cocky around him and not treasuring every moment he spent with his dad, thinking nothing would ever happen to him. His dad always was there for him through good times and bad, and Tony should've appreciated him more, if anything its his biggest regret. He thought of being alone growing up, his dad managing Stark International and creating inventions. He remembered how he didn't have a single friend and he would have robots and imaginary friends, they never filled the void in his heart.
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk a...
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone up there will find me
'til then I walk alone
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, aaah-ah,
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah
He thought of how when his time came if he would accomplish many things or nothing at all. He wondered if he would ever have an heir, someone to become Iron Man and someone to run his company. He wondered if the Stark family would end with him and if it did what people remember him when he's gone. He thought of what would happen to Iron Man and New York when he got to old to pilot the armor and if Iron Man will die with him. He knew that if Iron Man died with him then villains would roam the streets and everyone would live with fear that nobody could stop them and that it would be his fault.
I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone
Read between the lines
What's fucked up when everything's alright
Check my vital signs
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone
He feels the loneliness inside him, missing his mother and father, sure he had his best friends and Roberta, but no one truly understood him better than his mother and father. His father matched him and even exceeded his knowledge and understood his way of thinking and how he solved problems. His mother understood his personality, behavior and likes and dislikes. She was always there to comfort him and would make him laugh and smile and whatever he was upset about would disappear from his mind. He knew that some day he would see them, but until then he had to wait and he hated that
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk alone
I walk a...
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone up there will find me
'til then I walk alone
He thought of his friends, Rhodey and Pepper. He thought of how he endangered them and their families' everyday having them involved with Team Iron Man, and the risk of their identities being revealed and being hunted down by every villain in New York. They always denied it, but he knew better. He thought of how he would rush head first into danger scaring Rhodey and Pepper and when Tony was angry he would do stuff that he never would do and he would anger Rhodey and Pepper. He thought of all of the times he lied to them and they lost their trust. He saw it in their eyes every time they found out he lied to them. He had good intentions, but in the end he always felt guilty.
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, aaah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah
I walk alone
I walk a...
I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
When the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk a...
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone up there will find me
'til then I walk alone...
Pepper and Rhodey walked into the armory as the ending of the song could be heard. He heard Pepper and Rhodey and turned around to face them with silent tears streaming down his face. His face was contorted in pain and they knew that once again he was feeling depressed. Instantly and without thinking Pepper reached out to hug him and he reciprocated the action while Rhodey put his hand up to his bro's shoulder. They stayed that way for quite awhile before separating. Pepper and Rhodey knew that if they left anytime soon that he would start getting depressed again, so they stayed and talked with him. They chatted until two am. Pepper started feeling sleepy, so Tony quickly found a blanket to cover her and carried her over to the couch. During this time, Rhodey started activating the overnight security protocols and started locking up the armory for the night. After setting her on the couch Tony walked over to his computer to finish checking the systems when Rhodey put his hand to his bro's shoulder. Tony knew that Rhodey was telling him to get sleep. He was about to object to it when he stifled a yawn. He rubbed his eyes and looked into Rhodey's to see that he too was tired and didn't want to argue. So he nodded and walked to one of the chairs he had put in the armory and Rhodey walked to the other one. They sat down and crashed in five minutes. It was then that he realized that he didn't walk alone.