Hello! Apparently, my mind can only churn out angsty, twisted Avengers stories. Huh. Anyway, on with the story!

Warning: This may be disturbing to some readers, just because. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, the quote below, or the song I Dreamed a Dream.

"Beware the dark pool at the bottom of our hearts. In its icy, black depths dwell strange, twisted creatures it is best not to awaken." –Sue Grafton, I is for Innocent

Tony was a living legend.

A cocky, self-absorbed, narcissistic legend, and he made sure everyone knew it.

Everyone knew, and didn't care. His machines, his girl, his team knew and didn't care.

He thought he knew that everyone had finally accepted him, and for the most part, his struggles in life were over. He wasn't dying, had a stable relationship, and, dare he say it? A family. He thought his life was good, his battles were over.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Pepper left.

She left Stark Industries, she left him, but most of all, she left his heart, soul, and life.

He needed her, and she left.

Rhodey and Happy left, too.

Apparently, Pepper was a better friend than he was.

He needed them, and they left.

They all assumed he was in the wrong. They all assumed she left because of him. They yelled at him, they hit him, they hurt him.

He did nothing but look at the ring she left behind.

He thought he was wrong, too. He wasn't sure what he had done wrong, but he had done something wrong. Pepper cheated on him for a reason, he was sure of it.

He was sure of it.

His heart cracked.

Natasha broke three of his ribs. She screamed and raged at him, asking why he would do such a thing to Pepper. She left, too, cracking Tony's heart even more.

Bruce ignored him. He would work in the lab beside Tony, resolutely staying silent. He stayed, but he left as well, breaking Tony's heart.

Clint shot him from behind, then followed Natasha out the door. Tony had to get one of his kidneys removed, and what felt like another piece of his heart.

Thor refused to come back to Midgard. He brought his 'fair maiden' Jane back to Asgard, and in Asgard he stayed. Another piece of Tony's heart went missing.

Steve left.

Steve, he had tried to plead.

You disgust me, Steve had said. What right do you have to call me Steve?

What was left of Tony's heart shattered.

Tony spent most of his time in the lab. He churned out new inventions almost every day, ranging from cell phones to tanks. He created another robot. He named it Klutz.

Once every two weeks, he went to a board meeting. Once a month, he attended a Stark charity event. He never once got drunk and actually had relationships that lasted more than a day.

The media and the public loved the new Tony Stark. Spends time with his company, his creations, his people, they said. Genuinely cares about consumers and friends.

The newspapers showed Tony open, happy, and smiling. The headlines called him a hero, the articles said he brought light and color to the world.

The Iron Man suit lay in his lab, gathering dust.

As time passed, Tony became less attentive. He retreated into his lab for weeks at a time. Bru- No, Banner, had finally left, and Tony couldn't bring himself to clear off the table he had worked on.

Tony did his best to ignore Banner's neat, clean, cold table.

Tony only came up to eat, shower, and change. He slept in his lab. It's not like anyone was in his house.

It's not like anyone cared.

He started getting drunk again.

Jarvis became more and more distant, no longer inquiring about Sir's state of mind, imploring Sir to take better care of himself, asking if Sir would like another cup of coffee.

Later, Jarvis only spoke when spoken to.

Later, Jarvis fell silent.

Tony sighed. It seemed like Jarvis had left too.

Tony sold his company.

Occasionally, when Tony came back to the lab, he thought he heard Jarvis talking.

Sometimes, he heard Bruce muttering equations and theories, then asking himself what good it would do.

Sometimes, he heard Pepper pleading with someone to wake up.

Sometimes, he heard Natasha muttering something under her breath in Russian.

Sometimes, he heard Clint complaining about losing his only fellow prankster.

He'd just stand there, listening to their voices, because he knew the moment he stepped foot into the lab, they would be gone.

Once, he heard Howard tinkering with his tools. His father. With his tools.

When he rushed into the lab, nobody was there.

Once, when he woke up, he heard a soft voice crooning a melody in his ear.

I dreamed a dream in time gone past…

When hope was high, and life worth living.

He wondered if it was Bruce.

I dreamed that love would never die…

I dreamed that God would be forgiving.

No, he decided, it was too well-sung. Maybe Steve?

Then I was young and unafraid…

When dreams were made, and used and wasted.

It was a female voice, he realized. Was it Natasha?

There was no ransom to be paid…

No song unsung, no wine untasted.

Tony jerked awake. It was Pepper! He looked around excitedly, then slumped as he realized nobody was there.

The song had stopped.

He picked up a welding torch and burned a hole in his hand.

Tony's beard grew long and tangled. His face grew long and gaunt, his eyes wild and sunken. He developed a twitch in his left hand, which led to many burns, cuts and scrapes.

He silently willed his hand to twitch more.

A few times, he purposely held a razor blade to his skin. Once, he did it with the intention of pushing down, seeing the crimson flow out of him.

Don't die, Tony. Don't hurt yourself like this, he heard Steve say somewhere behind him.

When he whirled around, nobody was there.

Tony pushed down.

He put the razor away.

Dummy, then You, then Butterfingers stopped responding to him. They stayed in their little alcoves, silently watching him, quietly judging him.

Tony relied on Klutz as his only interaction.

Klutz stopped responding.

Now, Tony was really, truly, alone. He found it harder and harder to get up and retrieve the things he needed. He found it harder and harder to feed himself, to take care of himself.

So he didn't.

Once, he tried to make a new miniature Arc Reactor out of only the vibranium he had on his table. The vibranium exploded, setting Tony's lab aflame. Tony was too weak to escape.

And for the first time in twenty long years, he made a sound. Tony Stark laughed. Scratchily, harshly, Tony Stark laughed as the ashes of his heart, his soul, his sanity blew away into the raging inferno around him.

Somewhere, a long beep sounded in a bright white room.