The thought of my family's graves was the only moment I used to experience true love

That love remains infinite, as I'll never be the man my father is

Tony wasn't known for being a sentimental man. He didn't like to dwell on the past. Little known to everyone else, every year on the anniversary of their death, Tony would go and visit the graves of Howard and Maria Stark. Tony would never say it out loud but he adored his mother when she was alive. She would protect him from his father when he was in one of his moods. Tony's relationship with Howard was very strained but he still respected him. Howard Stark may not have been a great father but he was a successful man. In a few aspects of his life, Tony tried to be just like Howard but he knew he could never be. How could he compete with the man that gave Captain America his shield? The man that invented the Arc Reactor? The man who helped develop the greater half of a century? No, that greatness would forever be out of his reach. No matter what Tony did, it would always lie in the massive shadow cast by the great Howard Stark.

...

Dear child, stop working, go play

Forget every rule

There's no fear in a dream

When Tony was a small boy, he would always be tinkering. He would excel in his school work so when that was done, he would work on his projects. His mind was always so busy that he never had any time to just enjoy being a kid. One day, Maria entered Tony's room to see him hunched over his desk, scribbling out his latest project.

"Tony?" He grunted in response.

"Tony, come play the piano with me."

"Can't. Busy."

"It wasn't a suggestion." Tony let out an exasperated sigh and stomped towards the piano room. Maria patiently followed her sullen son. The two of them sat down at the piano and started playing. After a while Tony started making careless mistakes and got angry about them.

"Ugh! This is stupid! Why am I wasting my time playing piano when there are things to be done?!"

"Anthony Edward Stark, listen to me." Tony looked at her, knowing he was in trouble. Maria cupped his cheek.

"You are still just a young boy; you have your whole life ahead of you. Before you know it, your childhood will pass by you in a blink of an eye. Enjoy it while it lasts, my darling son. Time waits for no man. Remember that." Tony nodded slowly and let the words sink in.

"Now, let's try that piece again." Tony began to play, making fewer mistakes this time and just simply enjoying the company of his mother.

...

I, too, wish to be a decent manboy but all I am

Is smoke and mirrors

Still given everything, may I be deserving

To anyone else, Tony was a functioning member of society but all of that was an illusion. On the surface, it seemed like he had everything together but underneath, he was so deeply broken. It was almost a daily battle he had to deal with. New York, The Mandarin, Sokavia, The Accords, they all weighed heavily on his shoulders. At night, the nightmares would plague his dreams. He wanted to be normal; find the right woman, settle down, maybe even start a family... but he was afraid to. Tony didn't want anyone else to fight his demons. He felt like that he would forever be on the outside of happiness looking in. Maybe one day... Tony would find that special woman and all those walls he built up would come crumbling down.