Hey there everyone! It's time for a new chapter! This chapter's title is from Arsonist Lullaby by Hozier. Enjoy the chapter! I'll see you at the end. Also, I don't know a whole lot about selective mutism, just what I've been able to find in articles. If any of you know more send me some links, please. Also a warning for some non-con elements in this chapter. It's nothing too big, but y'all should be warned regardless.

The day little Anthony Edward Stark was born, it was like the world was crying for him. It was grey and stormy and the wind howled as Tony cried for the first time. For such a tiny baby, he was already alone in the world. His father wasn't there and his mother couldn't hold him because she'd fallen ill. The first one to hold Tony who wasn't a nurse was his godmother, Peggy Carter. She was the one to see the names of his soulmates on his wrist.

She was the one who cried and told Howard and Maria that their son had dead soulmates. That their Omega son had dead soulmates.

This news made Howard furious. He'd been hoping that his son would be an Alpha or at least a Beta. Not a useless Omega. And the fact that he was fated to be alone, well that just made him even angrier. And this was where the problems started for Tony. Let it be known that Howard Stark should never have become a father.

When Tony was little, he was often left alone for hours at a time. His mother wasn't really permitted by Howard to interact with Tony outside of the usual photo shoots and galas. Howard would only see Tony when he wanted to beat him or force him to work on things. So, Tony was often left all alone or in the care of Edwin Jarvis.

When Tony was only four years old, he was left alone in Howard's lab and told to make something. So, Tony did. After burring his hands several times, Tony made a fully functional circuit board. He felt so proud of himself. He felt even more proud when Howard took him and his creation and showed them off to the world.

But when Howard broke it after coming back home and called Tony "useless Omega scum", well, that was when Tony stopped caring.

Tony Stark was only four years old when he stopped talking. It was the one thing he had any control over. At four years old Tony had already endured so much abuse from his father. He'd been beaten, burned, starved, yelled at. It was no way for a child to live. He had no control over anything. But talking? He had control over that.

Jarvis worried when Tony stopped talking to everyone. Actually, he was the only person he talked to. Tony would only speak to him in hushed whispers in private so it was better than nothing. But Tony wouldn't even respond to his mother when she was given the opportunity to see her son. It worried then all, but with Howard around, they couldn't do anything.

In an effort to help Tony communicate, he bought a few books and started teaching Tony sign language. Tony took to it easily and Jarvis was just happy that Tony could communicate. He wished he could take Tony away from Howard and just keep him safe, but he couldn't. So, he gave Tony the tool he needed to communicate without his voice so he could protect himself.

It was also not long after this that Tony discovered who his soulmates were. James Bucannon Barnes and Steven Grant Rogers had died in the arctic years before Tony was born. It really messed Tony up to think that he would forever be alone. He'd turn 18, stop ageing, yet never meet his other halves. He'd be stuck forever alone until he turned 200 and died of soul rot. Tony began isolating himself more after learning that. Nobody needed to be around a defective person.

When Tony was only six years old, he was shoved off to boarding school and placed in the fifth grade. He was small, didn't talk, and surrounded by the rich Alpha sons of even richer Alpha fathers. It was one of the worst experiences of Tony's life.

The teachers at the school both loved and hated Tony. They loved him because he was completely silent and worked independently. They hated Tony because he was so smart. The kid was designing rockets and robots in his spare time. He didn't pay attention in class yet always got a perfect score on everything he did. Tony was beat up often by others and that often got the other kid in trouble and that meant dealing with their parents which no teacher wanted to do.

Because of all this, Tony felt even more isolated. He had no one around that he trusted, everyone was bigger than him, and all Tony wanted to do was curl up somewhere and build robots. With the beating Tony received at home as well as at school, it just reinforced the thought that he was better off silent and alone. His soulmates were dead. He would always be alone.

When Tony was 11, his only confidant, the only person he talked to, Jarvis, has died not long after his wife Ana. He'd died of a heart attack. It had happened suddenly and Tony hadn't been there. Tony felt so alone after Jarvis passed. Sure, he had his mom who he sometimes got to see and his Auntie Peggy who was also just as allusive, so he wasn't completely alone.

But still, the hurt only got worse.

The second Tony turned 14, after having just graduated high school and not having made a single friend the entire time, Tony was shipped off to MIT completely alone. He was dropped off with two suitcases of clothes and books and told to behave himself.

Tony was on his own.

He was given the key to his place on campus by a nice old lady who shot him a smile. He smiled back before taking the key and heading to his dorm room. He wasn't alone in that room. There was another boy there. He was taller and older then Tony was.

"Hi. My name's James Rhodes. What's yours?" asked Tony's new roommate.

Tony proceeded to pull out a well-used whiteboard so he could write his greeting. He was pretty sure that Rhodes didn't understand sign language.

"Oh, are you deaf? Can you read lips?" asked Rhodes and Tony shook his head before writing on the board.

"No, I'm not deaf. I can hear just fine. I just don't really talk. Like… I can, but also I can't. It's complicated."

"Ooooh. Ok. That makes sense. Here, let's start getting our space ready. My mom will be up soon to check in on me. I'm pretty sure she's bringing food." Smiled Rhodes and Tony mirrored him. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad.

"So Tony, how old are you? Where are your parents?" asked Rhodes in a normal icebreaker question. Tony immediately tensed up and began scribbling on the board. He didn't really want to answer the question, but he knew it was rude not to. He'd had that lesson literally beaten into him that was for sure.

"I'm 14 years old. I'm in the Engineering program. My parents just left me here with my stuff before leaving. They're busy people."

Tony hoped that his answer was satisfactory, even if he was lying by omission about his parents.

"You're only 14! You're just a baby!" shouted Rhodes as he put a freshly laundered blue blanket in his bed.

"I'm NOT A BABY!"

"You're a baby. Don't be surprised if my mom babies you."

And baby Mama Rhodes did. When she arrived and saw how small and alone Tony was she practically smothered Tony with some much needed motherly love. She'd brought a few casseroles for the boys as well as some cookies and pies. She helped them set up their room and actually gave Tony a hug. He hadn't been hugged in so long. The last time he'd gotten a hug was when he'd seen his Aunty Peggy a year ago. She'd been so busy lately and he missed her.

Tony and Rhodes actually got along really well. Tony actually started calling Rhodes, Rhodey as a bit of a joke. The nickname stuck. They did everything together. They had almost all the same classes so Rhodey was able to ask questions when Tony couldn't. They spent time watching movies together in the theatres, they learned to cook together. He'll Rhodey was down in the lab with Tony when he made his first functioning AI robot. His name was DUM-E and he was a bit of a clutz.

The bot made the news and that made Howard Stark furious. He hated that his useless Omega son was smarter than him. He hated that Tony was going well for himself. He wanted Tony under his control. So, he and his associate Obadiah Stane thought up a plan. A horrible plan that would fuck Tony up for a long time.

Tony was only 15 years old when his life truly went to shit. Sure, things were going well with Tony at the beginning. He and Rhodey were doing great. Tony had come to trust him enough to speak to him in hushed tones when they were alone in their dorm. He didn't drink or do drugs like so many others on campus. He was doing well.

Until Howard had someone write a fake article about him doing drugs and sleeping around.

None of what was written in the article was true. Tony didn't smoke, drink, or do drugs. He sure as hell didn't sleep around. He was saving himself for his soulmates even though they were dead. He didn't even use toys or his fingers during his heats once they started. He wanted to remain pure of his mates should by some miracle he ever get to meet them.

So, everything that Howard had written about him was fake. But nobody on campus believed him about that. That was when the sexual harassment began. Rhodey did what he could to protect Tony when they were walking around campus together. He did what he could, but it wasn't always enough.

It was late in the evening and Tony was just coming back from a lab bender. He wanted to finish up his thesis project before the weekend. Tony had been walking past the canteen restrooms when someone grabbed him and pulled him into the bathroom. Tony wanted to scream but he couldn't. He looked up and saw exactly who had grabbed him once he got his bearings. It was Tiberius Stone. A brute of a man who's parents probably had to buy their way into sending the idiot to college.

"Hey, there little Omega. Heard from the papers that you're an easy lay. How about you give me what I want and I let you go?" smirked the Alpha and Tony's heart rate continued to rise out of fear. He shook his head no and tried to squirm free.

"Now stop that Stark. I know you want it." Cooed Stone and Tony's face paled. He summoned up all the courage he had and kicked Stone right in the nuts with all his might. He used his size to his favour and ran like hell.

Tony's lungs burned by the time he'd made it safely back to his and Rhodey's dorm. Rhodey was already there when Tony slammed the door shut. He asked what happened but Tony was too shaken to say much. He wrote a few things on his whiteboard, but that was it.

Tony spent the entire weekend hiding in his bed writing code on a stack of yellowing paper.

The next week, Tony didn't attend his classes. He got the notes from his professors but Tony pretty much lived in his lab. He didn't leave unless Rhodey personally escorted him back. He just didn't want to risk anything like what had happened from happening again. And with Howard still having more and more articles printed slandering Tony, it was a real possibility.

So, Tony made a fully functional AI with a personality and everything in order to keep himself safe. Just A Rather Very Intelligent System, or JARVIS for short, was a technological breakthrough. He'd gotten Tony his very first doctorate for the programming alone.

Jarvis was there to keep an eye on things Tony couldn't. He ran Tony's lab space. He kept track of things. He alerted Tony if there was danger nearby. He also functioned as a translator for Tony. He could sign anything he wanted and JARVIS would translate it for people who didn't know any sign language. It was nice not having to write everything down when he had things to say. Not that Tony ever really had much to say, but having the option was nice.

Things didn't really get better after that, but JARVIS was able to alert Rhodey when things were going wrong. The fledgling AI also took it upon himself to keep the two young students out of trouble. Nobody wanted to deal with sleep-deprived geniuses who wanted their coffee.

With his Aunt Peggy's deteriorating health she knew she wouldn't be able to look out for Tony as she should. She'd already failed him by not always being there. So, in a stroke of genius and maybe some alcohol, she persuaded Howard to pass on godparent duties to her protégé Nick Fury. He was a good man with a good heart. He was so much better than Howard's choice of Obadiah Stane.

And so, Nick Fury became the godfather of Anthony Stark. Now all he needed to do was meet the kid.

Nick Fury met Tony for the first time when the kid was just 16 years old. He'd been forced home for the holidays and was hiding in his room nursing a twisted ankle courtesy of Howard and a push down the stairs. Tony was grateful that the injury wasn't worse.

Fury had been snooping around the house looking for Tony when he found him sitting in his room with an almost empty first aid kit. Tony startled when he saw Fury but settled a bit once he started talking. Between what Fury had seen and what Peggy had told him, he quickly began to paint a picture of Tony's life so far. It was a sad life. A life full of pain and rejection. Fury vowed to be a good godfather and at least try to keep an eye on Tony. He needed more people in his court.

On December 16, 1991, Howard and Maria Stark died in a car crash. Howard had been drunk behind the wheel and had crashed into a light pole. It was right before Christmas.

Tony didn't find out about the crash until that morning. Nobody had come to tell him what had happened. He found out on the news. He felt numb at the news. He didn't know what to feel. He wanted to scream, but he had no words. He wanted to cry, but he had no tears. He wanted to feel, but he didn't.

If anything, Tony actually felt… happy. Happy that his abuser was dead and couldn't hurt him anymore. Happy that his mother could finally rest. Happy that this was all over.

But it wasn't really over.

The day before Christmas Tony had to attend the funeral. He was supposed to give a speech about how great Howard Stark was. He couldn't. He just couldn't. Instead, he had Fury come up and translate for those in attendance who didn't understand sign language, all the things he loved about his mother. Even though Tony was often kept from her, he would always love and cherish the time he had with his mother.

The world could glorify his abuser, but Tony would always hold his mother dear to his heart. That could never be taken away from him.

Stane kept giving Tony weird looks throughout the service. It put Tony a bit on edge and made Fury feel angry. That mad was planning something. Something nefarious. Fury wanted to know what it was. But first, he had to make sure that Tony was going to be safe.

"Stane. A word." Commanded Fury as the funeral wrapped up and people began leaving. Stane nodded and followed Fury into a room off the main area of the church.

"Whatever you're planning Stane. DON'T! Leave Tony alone. Whatever scheme you have brewing, leave it. The world had failed Tony enough without you making things worse." Growled Fury as he backed Stane into the wall.

"But…"

"No. Zip it. I will find out what you're planning Stane. Leave Tony alone."

Fury didn't stick around after he was done talking. He had to make sure that Tony was still in one piece.

That spring, Tony finished up his final doctorate at MIT. He graduated with a total of three and he'd never felt prouder of himself. He and Rhodey had celebrated after the ceremony together. Rhodey had also gotten his master's degree and they were feeling great. Well, until things very quickly began to change around them.

In the span of a few months, Rhodey was called in for training with the Air Force and Tony was appointed CEO of Stark Industries. Tony didn't really want the position. Being CEO meant media and meetings. Crowds and chaos. All things that Tony hated. He hated being stuck in rooms full of rich old men who glorified Howard. He hated all the horrible lies the media told about him. He hated signing in front of crowds who just yelled and never understood him. He hated how the world wanted to paint him in a way he wasn't.

Then came the weapons. Tony never wanted to make weapons, but Stane, with his smooth-talking and coercion, managed to convince Tony that his genius was being used to help people. Stane needed Tony in his pocket, creating his weapons and lining wallet with ill-gotten gains.

So thus began the years of spiked drinks and even more slander.

Tony was forced to attend galas where Alphas would try to spike his drinks so they could take advantage of him. It only almost worked once. Stone was there along with his father and had slipped something into Tony's apple juice and Tony hadn't noticed. Luckily he was saved by a man named Harold Hogan who Tony hired at once to be his bodyguard.

Harold, soon dubbed Happy, after time joined Tony's inner circle of trusted people Tony actually talked to. To be put in the same group as Rhodey and Fury was an honour and one Happy didn't take likely.

Unfortunately, the media slander didn't stop. Nobody knew who was responsible for the article printed about Tony saying all sorts of awful things. Not even Fury knew and he had SHIELD looking in on it. At one point it was so bad that Tony couldn't even leave his bed for fear of something bad being said about him. For fear of someone trying to attack him. For fear of death.

Yes, it was that bad.

But Tony still wanted to try and get work done so he wouldn't disappoint Stane any further than he already had by just daring to exist. So, he hired on one Virginia "Pepper" Potts. She was a godsend. She made sure that Stane got Tony's finished work and that Tony got the things he needed when he was too worked up to leave his lab. His lab was his safe haven. The one place where he could just be himself.

This were a bit stagnant for a while. Things didn't get worse nor did they get better. Tony just continued on surviving and inventing. He made weapons to keep Stane and the board off his back, but he also invented things that would actually help people. There were new phones, safer cars, better farming and water filtration methods. These were things that Tony was truly proud of.

And then he got kidnapped and tortured.

It should have been a simple weapons demonstration. Just a thing that needed to be done to keep people happy. But then the convoy got attacked and Tony ended up having open-heart surgery without any medicine in a cave.

The next three months were some of the worst in Tony's life.

He wasn't alone in that cave. He was joined by a doctor named Ho Yinson. He was nice and was the one who saved Tony's life from the shrapnel. He was a good man, but he couldn't save Tony from the waterboarding, electrocution, and violent words flung his way.

The terrorists who kidnapped Tony were called The Ten Rings. They wanted Tony to make them weapons using SI weapons that they already had in their possession. Tony refused so they tortured him. But after a week of that hell, Tony gave in and started thinking up a plan. He was lucky that Yinson understood ASL or he would have been screwed.

The first thing Tony did was replace his car battery with a miniaturized arc reactor. It would keep him alive for the foreseeable future, but the pain it brought with every waking moment just made Tony feel worse about everything.

The next thing Tony did was make a suit of armour equipped with all sorts of weapons so that he and Yinson could escape. It wasn't easy. They almost got caught a few times and when it was finally time to get out, it all went to hell. Yinson sacrificed himself so that Tony could escape. And escape Tony did. He blew the entire place to hell before launching himself in the air and landing hard in the sand. He felt his right wrist break on impact.

But he couldn't dwell on the pain. He had to get further away from that cave and just hope that he found help. Tony wandered in the hot desert for hours before he was found. He was covered in burns and blisters. His chest ached so badly that he felt dizzy. He was dehydrated, starving, and his broken wrist felt numb. He'd never been so grateful to see a military helicopter in his life. And when Rhodey came running to get him, well, he knew he was saved.

Tony cried as Rhodey hugged him and lead him to the helicopter. They brought tony back to base where the field hospital was. Rhodey stayed by Tony's side as they treated his burns and put a brace in his wrist. The break wasn't that bad so all he needed was the brace. But when it came to the arc reactor, Tony wouldn't let anybody see or touch it. He didn't trust anybody to go near it.

Rhodey stuck by Tony's side as they finally boarded a military plane to go back home to the states. Tony didn't say or sign anything the entire flight. He just sat there and watched the clouds through the windows. His eyes were glassy and his mind was elsewhere.

It was a long flight.

When they arrived back on US soil Rhodey helped Tony off of the plane. As the doors opened and they stepped outside Tony was met with the sight of Pepper and Happy coming towards him. He'd missed his friends so much while he was being held captive. All of them ended up in one giant group hug before piling into a car.

"I want to call a press conference." Signed Tony once the car started moving. He didn't have enough energy or care to use what little words he had.

"Tony you need to go to a hospital." Worried Pepper as she got a good look at him.

"No! I want to do a press conference and then I want to go home and eat real food and take a nap." Signed Tony with an air of finality. Nobody argued with him. So, Happy drive and Pepper called in a press conference.

When they arrived at the conference hall Stane was there waiting along with a parade of cameras and reporters. Stane tried to touch Tony and guild him inside but Tony was having none of it. He shrugged Stane off and stomped inside and to the podium that was set up. Now normally, Tony would hate being in this kind of situation. He still did, but this was important. He needed to start fixing the problems before they got worse.

Tony made his way up to the podium and waited for everyone to calm down a bit. And once they were, Tony began rapidly signing while a translator translated all his rage and fury. As of that moment, Tony was shutting down weapons manufacturing at SI. He'd been tricked for so long to think that he was doing something good. But he'd seen what really was going on and Tony wanted no part of it.

There was an uproar of course. It was impossible for there not to be one. But Tony didn't care. After he was done he just walked out and went home. He missed being home. Tony almost cried when he returned and JARVIS and his bots were there waiting for him.

The next few days were hectic, yet oddly calm. Tony slept. Tony slept a LOT. It was the first time he had an actual bed to sleep in in months. He slept, and when he woke up Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey were there with food and comfort. Surprisingly, they all supported his decision. Sure, Rhodey was a little miffed about how this would all affect his work in the military, but he cared about Tony and his wellbeing more than some stupid weapons.

Then came to rumours. People were saying that Tony wasn't fit to make decisions for SI because he was an Omega. Saying that he shouldn't be taken seriously because he doesn't talk. Saying that the kidnapping must have somehow been his fault.

Tony hid in the lab those days. He worked and worked and worked. He had something big planned. Something world-changing. The first thing Tony did was replace his arc reactor with a new one. One not made out of cannibalized parts. He had Pepper help him put it in. She may have freaked out a bit. And now with that done, Tony began working on a new suit of armour similar to the one he used to escape captivity, but so much better.

It became his obsession. Tony would lock himself away and just… work. He drew up blueprints, built flight stabilizers. Attempted to fly for the first time. He made things bigger and better.

But that wasn't enough to help Tony sleep.

The nightmares that Tony regularly had begun to morph from what they normally were. Tony usually dreamt of Howard and all the horrible things he did to him. Now Howard was joined by the Ten Rings and that god awful cave.

So, he took his sleepless aggression out on the Ten Rings. Once the suit was fully functional, Tony took it on a long haul flight to Gulmira. Of course, this was after getting yelled at by Stane and seeing proof that his weapons were still out there.

His mission was successful. Well, successful if you don't count getting hit by a tank missile and having to try and outfly the US Air Force. But, he destroyed his weapons so he had that going for him. And things would have continued to be fine if Pepper didn't catch him struggling to get out of his suit.

They had a long talk about what was going on. Well, Pepper talked and Tony signed because he felt exhausted. But, things got to a point where emotions were heavy and Tony needed to let some things out.

"I shouldn't be alive." Whispered Tony. "I shouldn't be alive unless it was for a reason."

"No Tony. That's not true." Worried Pepper as she sat down beside him at his workbench.

"But it is Pep. I've got two dead soulmates, a horrible past, and I'm so fucked up to even talk to people who I don't trust. I shouldn't be here unless there's a reason for it. This thing here. I think this is the reason. So please Pepper. Please help me do this. My weapons are being sold to terrorists and I think Stane is behind it. I have to stop him but I can't do it alone. I've already called Uncle Nick, but he's still in DC. If I got to the office it'll be suspicious because I never go. All I'm asking is for you to go and get the files off of Stane's ghost drive. Please, Pepper."

"Alright. Fine. I'll do it. But if things go south just know that I will forever be pissed at you."

Tony sent Pepper a tentative smile before she left. Tony spent a little while longer down in the lab fixing up his suit before he resurfaced. He was feeling hungry and decided to treat himself to a little bit of ice cream. But, just as Tony was heading up, his phone rang. And, right as he answered it, he felt his body seize up and his breathing become shallow. He was completely helpless as Stane cradled his body and set him down on the couch.

"You've hidden away in this house of yours for too long Stark. But I suppose that had it's uses. I thought I killed the golden goose. But it turns out that you had one last egg to give." Sneered Stane as he loomed over Tony.

And Tony could do nothing. All he could do was lay there as Stane ripped out his heart and laughed. He felt violated. He felt horrible.

As Stane left, Tony slowly started to regain the use of his limbs. They felt heavy and sluggish, but he dragged himself down to his lab to grab a spare arc reactor. He had to go and stop Stane, but he couldn't do that while actively dying. So, With DUM-E's help, Tony got the new reactor in just as Rhodey was arriving to help.

Rhodey helped Tony get into his suit. It was a bit of a process with Tony hurting and feeling like crap but they did it. And soon enough, Tony had taken to the skies to hunt down Stane. Unfortunately, he was a little late on getting there. Pepper was already outside and SHIELD agents were running around. But they stood no chance against Stane and his giant suit.

Tony ended up grappling with Stane before they both took to the skies. If Tony got Stane up high enough he could ice over his suit and drop him down to the ground. So, Tony raced upwards with Stane hot on his tail. The entire time he was yelling at Tony and calling him all sorts of nasty things.

"You're a goner Stark. My suit is superior in every way." Sneered Stane as he grabbed Tony's foot and twisted it.

"How'd you solve the icing problem?" spoke Tony. Well, it wasn't really him speaking. Tony had set it up so his suit had an eye-tracking keyboard on the HUD. This was he could communicate while in the armour. But even so, Tony wasn't really fond of using it. He'd rather just not speak at all of it was up to him. Talking only ever brought problems and pain.

"Icing problem?" asked Stane as the suit began to shut down.

Tony didn't respond. All he did was hit Stane on the head and watched as he plummeted to the ground. Tony began slowly lowering himself down, but once he landed he discovered that the fight was far from over. Stane was still standing and ready to fight. Tony tried to stand his ground but soon enough he was systematically stripped of his armour.

And that's when Tony saw it. The reactor overload button. He pointed at it from where he was dangling and Pepper nodded. He knew this was a crapshoot that would likely kill him, but they both knew there was no other choice. So, Pepper overloaded the reactor and Stane was electrocuted to death.

And Tony? Well, he lived, but the events of that night would forever lay on his conscience.

The next day there were news reports galore about the events of the previous night. Tony was called in to do a press conference. He really didn't want to do that. His chest ached something awful and his hands shook our of exhaustion, anxiety, and pain.

But, Tony went out anyway to face the wolves. People were shouting questions, and Tony tried to stick to the script he was given. But the questions got more personal and Tony couldn't hold back.

"I Am Iron Man."

And the crowd went wild.

Things were alright for a while after that. Tony worked on healing and destroying his weapons. He made a few public appearances as Iron Man. The kids loved him. Well, they loved the suit. Tony himself was convinced that nobody would ever love him.

Tony put almost all of his efforts into righting the wrongs that had happened. He put more power into green energy and healthcare now that SI no longer made weapons. He spent his days working on new designs and his night's moonlighting as a hero and destroying his weapons. It was the only way he could escape the nightmares that plagued him.

And then the palladium poisoning set in.

Tony didn't realize that something was wrong at first. The pain he felt in his chest just became an everyday normal thing. The shortness of breath was to be expected with a big hunk of metal in his chest. Tony had spent most of his early years covered in blood so seeing his nose bleed more frequently didn't faze him.

But the black spider-like veins coming from the reactor were cause for concern.

He had JARVIS run some tests. They all came back with the same answer. The palladium in the arc reactor was killing him. At first, Tony just sat there in shock. Just when things were going alright in his life shit had to hit the fan. Then Tony started crying. He was scared. He was scared and in pain and he didn't know what to do. The only thing Tony knew how to do was build.

So, Tony started building. He needed to find a way to fix this. But, he didn't tall anyone. He was too scared to. He didn't want to see the pity in their eyes. He didn't want the words of condolence. He didn't want the few people he cared about to suffer seeing him go. So, Tony became distant. He became distant and he built.

But in the end. After hundreds of failed attempts at finding a cure, Tony gave up. His time was up. He was going to die alone. The only solace was that he'd finally get to be with his soulmates.

Tony started getting sicker and sicker. He drank chlorophyll to help counteract some of the more noticeable symptoms so he could get work done, but even that wasn't enough. Tony knew that as he continued to use his suit he only had months left. So, he had to get his affairs in order.

He started by making sure that Rhodey would get his suits and all his bots after he was gone. He trusted him with them. He made sure that Happy would get all his cars. He sure did love unique cars. And Pepper? Well, she got the most important thing if all.

Pepper was shocked when Tony told her he wanted to appoint her CEO. In fact, everyone was shocked. But, she was honestly better at the job then Tony was so it didn't raise too much suspicion. But, it raised enough for Fury to come and investigate. Well, not Fury himself. As much as he wanted to there was a bit of an emergency that needed his attention.

So, he sent Agent Natasha Romanov to keep an eye on things. That was a mistake.

She wasn't the nicest to Tony. From the get-go, she believed all the lies and rumours Howard and Stane had spread about him over the years. She was hardly the first to do that. But the fact that she was snooping around and badmouthing hit at every turn hurt. And she was writing things. Always writing things. The one time Tony tried to ask her about it she yelled at him so bad he had a panic attack in his room

After two weeks of that hell as well as working with Pepper to transition power to her, Tony finally found out why Romanov was there.

"You're dying!" shouted Fury once he got into Tony's room. The Omega was curled up on his bed. His empty nest in the corner of the room lay empty and abandoned.

"I'm sorry." Whispered Tony. His head was bowed down so Fury couldn't see the blood coming from his nose for the second time that day.

But Fury did notice and by Tony side in an instant with some tissues. They sat in silence for a little while just sort of taking in the situation at hand. Fury understood why Tony didn't tell everyone what was happening. He knew that that decision came down to years of Howard Stark's abuse and the lies fed to him by Stane. He understood, but that didn't make everything hurt any less. Fury wasn't heartless.

"Why did you send her Nick? She's so mean." Asked Tony after his face was cleaned up.

"Two things. One, the security council wanted to scout you out for the Avengers Initiative. Which, by the way, you're on no matter what anyone else says. Second, I was worried. I thought Natasha would be able to figure out what was wrong."

"You could have just asked."

"But would you have told me?"

"… No."

They talked for a little while longer. Nick got the lay down on everything that was happening and everything Tony had tried. From there, Fury got Tony to get the others together so he could tell them what was happening. There were tears. Lots of tears. Pretty much everyone except Fury was crying.

"I just don't know what else I can do at this point." Cried Tony as his nose started bleeding again. "I've tried every known element and I can't figure this out."

"Well, if no known element exists then just create one. You're a smart kid. If anyone can do the impossible, it's you." Urged Fury.

So that's what Tony did. He may not have a degree in chemistry, but Tony had the determination and knowhow to get things done. Who knows, maybe he'll get something cool out of this if it works. So, with a week of hard work and a lot of lab destruction, Tony was able to synthesis a brand new element that he called Badassium.

But even with the new element in place and Tony's life no longer in the balance, it took three months for him to get better. Tony spent a lot of time on bed rest while he was healing. He got worse before he got better. He threw up a lot. He bled a lot. He felt weak and shaky. He was dizzy most of the time. It wasn't pleasant. But, he wasn't alone. Happy was there pretty much every day. Rhodey was there on weekends to keep Tony detracted as they designed a custom suit just for Rhodey. Pepper would pop in on the evenings and kept the board away from Tony so he could get better. Fury was there a few times, but he couldn't always be there. Sometimes he sent Agent Romanov in his stead to drop off things that would keep Tony busy. She still didn't like him, but she was the one who was available at the time.

Eventually, Tony did get better. He liked that. Being better. It was nice to actually get down to his lab and play with his bots without passing out trying to get down the stairs. He also liked still being alive. Sure, he was still lonely and felt empty, but he liked spending time with his friends and his bots. They were important to him.

About a month after all the poison had finally left Tony's system, Tony was called to Fury's office. He didn't really know what to expect. Although, Tony was pretty sure this was just a check in to talk about the Avengers Initiative. That would make sense.

So, Tony strolled down to his office but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard yelling coming from the other side.

"I don't want Stark on this Director. I don't care if he's your godson. Stark is a liability on and off the field."

"You and I know that that's not true Romanov. I'm sure you've bought into all the propaganda that the media have written about him over the years. It's clouding your judgement!"

"He's a liability Fury! He doesn't talk. He's prone to panicking. He'll get people killed!"

"Well, then how come you didn't write any of that in your report? All I see here in continued slander and lies. Everything in here is lies that Howard Stark started!"

Tony didn't hear the rest of the exchange. He was too lost in his own head to pay attention. Yet another person alive who didn't want him. What the hell did he do to deserve all of this? All Tony wanted was to be accepted by people. Sure he knew he'd be without his soulmates and without their love his entire life, but he just wanted people to like him.

Tony was pulled out of his thoughts by Agent Romanov slamming the door open and rushing past Tony, glaring at him as she walked by. Tony timidly entered the office and sat down on the couch Fury had set up in there for him. He didn't say much of anything, just sat there while Fury did some work. But, after a while, Fury started up a conversation.

"How's the new tower coming along?"

"… it's good. Pepper's happy." Spoke Tony, his voice never rising above a slight mumble.

"That's good. I'm sure you'll be moving in soon." Tony nodded and the room fell silent again.

"Uncle Nick… why does everyone hate me so much?" asked Tony after a little while. His eyes shone with tears and his head hung low.

"I don't know kiddo. I just don't know. The world has been cruel to you. You don't deserve any of this. Not one single bit."

Poor Tony. He sure as hell didn't have it easy. Unfortunately, things are going to get worse before they get better. Sorry bout that. Well, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I like how this one turned out. I'll see you all soon! -Shadows