Revelation
"Tony!"
He heard the male voice calling him. Definitely not Pepper. Damn.
"Down here!" He called out.
Rhodey descended the stairs two at a time, stopping at the entrance of the glass doors. He peered through the glass and stood still. After a few seconds of perhaps internal monologue he punched in his code and the glass doors allowed access.
He moved towards Tony who was still lying down on his medical chair.
"Hell man, what did you do to yourself? You look like hell."
Tony groaned as he straightened himself slightly. "I feel like hell too."
"Is Pepper still…"
Rhodey looked overly sympathetic here. "No she left, she's pissed."
"Seems to be the norm around here nowadays." Tony grumbled more to himself then to his companion who eyed him curiously.
"Can you blame her? Look at yourself you look like your knocking on death's door and you think she should be jumping for joy."
"Yeah I would actually not mind the jumping for joy bit."
"Tony." Rhodey stared at his friend a serious expression spreading through his already stern features. "Tony. Seriously."
"What?" Tony asked innocently.
Rhodey crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Tony critically. He couldn't understand how blind his friend was. How completely oblivious Tony Stark was on how much his Personal Assistant of almost a decade was completely and entirely in love with him. He had no clue. None. Poor bastard, Rhodey thought, doesn't know how lucky he is to have a woman like that right underneath his arrogant nose.
"Come on honey lets not fight." Tony joked sarcastically. "I'm bleeding my heart out for you here, literally." The last bit held more of a sober chant to it.
"You know you have no idea what you put her through. Not even a clue, man." Rhodey over and proceeded to help Tony clean up the blood and bandage him up.
"Of course I do, she's all I have, who else would be capable of doing what she does for me on a daily basis."
"You don't get it." Rhodey said curtly, as he bandaged a few cuts on his friend's arm.
Tony lay there baffled for a bit. Did Rhodey have a thing for Pepper? When did he become so protective of her? A pang of jealousy over took him. He was starting to get a bit annoyed of the course of this discussion and where it was heading.
"You have a thing for Pepper?" Tony said trying to make it as casual as he could.
Rhodey clicked immediately, Tony was so transparent sometimes.
"You know what you are?" Rhodey asked, a bemused grin playing on his lips. Tony waited patiently. "An idiot, a first class idiot. If there ever was one."
Tony looked utterly confused. "Are we still talking about Pepper?"
"You know when you went missing and everyone thought you were dead? Yeah well Pepper never believed for a second that you were gone, she refused to believe it. She would call me practically everyday asking about any news about your search and rescue. And everyday I felt my heart breaking for her to see her holding it in so professionally so loyally when I would tell her that there was nothing yet. She kept up her duties never falling back because she didn't want anything to be a mess when you would supposedly come back. Everyday I would see her becoming this shell of what she was. You have no clue what you put her through. And if you say something smart about me and Pepper I'll punch you straight in the face, got that."
Tony's gaze fell on some spot on the wall behind Rhodey. He looked immersed in his thoughts. "She's…in love with me. Isn't she?" Tony's voice was not his own. He wanted to tell his friend that the feeling was starting to be extremely mutual.
"Completely." Rhodey conceded setting the last bloodied swab in the waste basket at his feet. "I don't even think she knows that, she's just as blind as you are."
Tony smiled sadly. Everything Rhodey had said had been true and Tony had known that the minute he walked down that plane at the airport on his arrival after his captivity.
Her beautiful blue eyes, red and puffy from crying. The shaking in her usually steady and soothing voice. It didn't take a genius to have known the damage his absence had done to her.
"She's reliving it all over again." Tony blurted out his expression strangely angry.
"Yep. Exactly. These constant missions, you leaving for days with nothing but Jarvis informing her of your vitals to tell her you're still alive, she's driving herself crazy with worry for you."
"I need to talk to her. Pass me a clean shirt." Tony started to sit up and cried out in pain when a sharp stabbing overcame him with agony. Stupid ribs, he thought.
"You're not going anywhere, Tony." Rhodey helped his friend to slowly sit up. "Right now you need to rest."
"I need to find her Rhodey." Tony's demand sounded more like a plea then anything else.
"Look she'll be in tomorrow bright and early just let her cool down."
Tony's mind was buzzing. He needed to find Pepper to apologize for being such an ass for being an idiot and not understanding how she felt. He wanted to tell her how much he needed her and not just as his PA, but as his friend and as someone he cared immensely about. He needed her to understand that he understood what was happening between them. He wanted to make her understand that his new found attention towards her was not his want for female companionship or just a fling, this felt like something real.
Something clicked in his brain.
"Jarvis where's is Miss Potts."
Rhodey eyed his friend oddly.
"Miss Potts is currently just up the street." The A.I's voice filled the room, his answer was very neutral. Tony's reaction contorted into one of panic.
"Why is she down the street?" Rhodey voiced the questioned the floated across Tony's mind.
"I don't know but we need to find out."
Tony jumped off the table, the wave of pain made him slump slightly but he ignored the throbbing pain that stabbed at his side. He didn't care about his physical pain, his heart hammered hard against his reactor that he almost cried out in pain. God help him if anything happened to Pepper he would never be able to live with himself again.
He needed to find her.
He needed to tell her. Everything.
'Hold on Pep, I'm coming.'
To be continued…