Tony's Choice
Part three
I've been having a hard time finishing A long way back home, so I decided to work on some of my other ideas. First, "A hero's revenge", and now this.
Tony Stark drained his glass and then raised it and held it against the light.
Col. Rhodes looked up in alarm. "You're not gonna order another drink, are you?"
"Me? No. I said I'd order one, and that's what I did."
The fact that this was his fifth glass didn't count, apparently.
"Damn it, Tony; you promised -"
"And I kept my word." Tony eyed the glass critically, then called out, "Hey, Joe! Does this look empty to you?"
Which was yet another way of ordering a drink without actually saying the words.
He'd been doing that all night.
To Rhodey's frustration, Joe the hippie bartender brought another glass. Whatever he'd put inside was green and frothy and probably poisonous, and, to judge by Tony's reaction, it tasted just as bad.
"Jesus, why do you keep drinking that stuff?"
"What else am I supposed to do with it?" Tony asked reasonably. He glanced at the glass on Rhodey's side. "You still haven't finished that?"
"I didn't come here to drink! We shouldn't even be here, Tony! We should be back home and -" He lowered his voice, "Back in our own time!"
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Why do you whisper? You can say anything out loud here." And to prove it, he waved at Joe. "HEY, JOE? DID I EVER TELL YOU THAT I CAN FLY?"
Joe put down his joint before he replied, "Yeah, man. Me, too, man. Peace."
Rhodey closed his eyes for a moment. Once he'd calmed down, he tried again.
"Tony. You said we'd stay three days and then we'd go back -"
"And you believed that," Tony said with a chuckle. "Tsk, tsk, Col. Rhodes; you still don't know me very well, do you."
"Tony, I swear -"
"Oh, relax. We're gonna go back. Eventually."
Rhodey bowed his head in frustration.
"I'm screwed," he said. He banged his head on the counter. BAM! "That's it." BAM, BAM. "I'm gonna get court-martialed -"
"Most probably," Tony said placidly. He paused, then chuckled when he saw the look on Rhodes' face. "Aw, come on; I'm joking, you know that. You're not gonna get court-martialed. You're a big shot in the army now; the big cheese. You're the big… Kahuna?"
"Oh, shut up. My career's in shambles and you're just -"
A feminine voice cut in then.
"Well! Isn't this nice. I'm worried out of my mind, thinking the worst has happened, and it turns out you're partying."
Both men turned at the same time. Rhodey's eyes opened wide. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn the girl standing there was Pepper Potts. She sounded like Pepper and kind of looked like Pepper, except that Pepper Potts would never wear a flowing dress that reached her ankles, or a floppy hat, or a crocheted vest. The girl was just another hippie, one of the many that Tony had 'befriended' these past days.
Tony's reaction was warmer.
"You're here! Oh, thank God!" He half-rose, only to lose his balance. Rhodey rushed to help but the woman was faster. She caught him and hoisted him back on the stool.
"Oops!" Tony said cheerfully. "Almost fell there." He looked into her eyes. "Thank you, Pepper," he said huskily; "I can always count on you. And lean on you," he added, and he shamelessly did just that.
Rhodey rolled his eyes. Could this guy be any more transparent? He'd only pretended to fall so he could get his hands on Pepper Potts –for it was her, all right. Rhodey recognized her the minute she helped Tony, her face showing equal parts of affection and annoyance –the usual.
"Well, I'll be damned," Rhodey said. "How did you get here?"
"JARVIS sent me. He was getting nervous; said you guys were supposed to be back at eight this morning!"
"We were. But Mr. Nostalgic here wanted to try more of the local, hum, flavors."
Mr. Nostalgic didn't bother to deny the accusation. Instead, he made himself more comfortable in Pepper's arms, and after a few tentative tries found a perfect place to rest his head: Her shoulder.
"I still can't believe you're here," Rhodey said, "How did you manage it?"
Pepper shifted a little under Tony's weight before replying.
"I wore a suit," she said, eyeing the macramé bag resting by her feet.
"Really? Which one?"
"My own," she said ruefully; "Tony built it for me a long time ago but I refused to wear it -till now. JARVIS said you had to either come back tonight or wait a whole week for a safe return."
"That's what I've been telling him." Rhodey glared at Tony's back, then did a double take. There was something funny in the way Tony and Pepper were holding each other. For one thing, he was not touching her. His first impression -that Tony was only trying to cope a feel- was all wrong; he was leaning on her, sure; and yes, he'd furtively rubbed his cheek on hers a couple of times, but he'd scrupulously kept his hands hanging by his sides all along. And Pepper was just as careful not to lay a finger on him; she was using her forearms to hold him.
How weird was that?
Tony didn't seem to mind. He was smiling contentedly.
"I missed you," he said.
Pepper gave him a sideways look, (maybe, Rhodey thought, to make sure it was Tony Stark speaking, and not a look-alike).
She stared back ahead.
"Thank you," she said briskly.
"I love you."
She only sighed at this.
"I mean it," he added.
"I know," she said patiently.
"I'm crazy 'bout you. I'm sorry I never say it."
"You say it all the time."
"Do I?"
"Yes, Tony," she said, and by now she was visibly struggling to keep him upright. Finally, she gave Rhodey a pleading look.
Rhodey promptly intervened. He put his hand on Tony's shoulder.
"Come on, Tony," he said firmly. "We've got to go."
"Sure," Tony said, very cooperative all of a sudden. "That's what I was saying; we've got to go. Oh, wait," he added. He took a handful of dollars from a pocket and twisting around, managed to drop them on the bar. "Hey, Joe?" he called out. "Thanks for everything, man. PEACE! Great man, Joe," he added, as Pepper and Rhodey helped him off his seat. "Hey, Potts; when we get back, I want you to find out all you can about my bro, Joe Barney. Joseph William Barney," he said, carefully enunciating the name. "I wanna know what happened to him." He frowned. "Or what will happen to him…? Damn! I keep mixing my tenses -"
"You keep mixing your liquors, too," Rhodey muttered.
Once outside the bar, Pepper looked around.
"Should we take a taxi?"
"That won't be necessary," Rhodey said. "My car's right there."
Pepper noticed a red convertible on the other side of the street and started in its direction, while Rhodey went the other way. Tony, with both arms wrapped around their necks, found himself pulled in opposite directions.
"Cool! We're playing tug-of-war!"
"Here's my car, Pepper," Rhodey said, motioning them to a lime-green VW bug. "Isn't she a beaut?"
"Nice color," Pepper said snidely.
"You're one to talk," he retorted, pointedly looking at her tie-dyed clothes. "You really went overboard."
"Hey, this was the best I could get on short notice," she said defensively; "I didn't even know I'd have to change clothes!"
"So, why did you?"
"I was getting too much attention. A woman in a black suit, in a hippie neighborhood? And carrying a briefcase? That's why I got that macramé bag."
"Hey, what color is your suit?"
Pepper didn't immediately reply.
"Pink."
"Pink?" Rhodey said incredulously. "You let him build you a pink suit?"
"I didn't even want a suit! I kept telling him, but he wouldn't listen!"
"Yeah, he never does."
"He just went right ahead -"
"- like a stubborn son of a bitch."
"Hey," Tony said testily; "He is listening, you know. I'm drunk, not deaf!"
"Sorry," Pepper said.
Rhodey put Pepper's briefcase in the trunk, between his and Tony's. Then he took care of Tony. He opened a door and motioned him inside.
"Hop in."
"Ok." Tony gingerly got in. He settled in the corner, then leant over and tugged at one of Pepper's flowing sleeves. "Come sit with me."
She gently pulled her arm away. "Not tonight, Tony."
"Oh, come on. I don't bite." He smiled charmingly at her. "Hard."
She smiled despite herself. But she was firm.
"You'll be more comfortable if you lie down, Tony. Try to get some sleep."
"I'm not tired," he protested.
But he was asleep by the time they reached the outskirts of town.
Neither Pepper nor Rhodey spoke till then. In Rhodey's case, it took him that long to get the courage to say what he was going to say.
He glanced at Pepper.
"What Tony said…It's true, you know. He loves you."
"I know."
"You do?"
"He tells me all the time. No, wait; not all the time. He tells me only when he's drunk."
"Oh." Damn. "Well. It doesn't make it any less true, you know. Maybe he'd tell you while sober, if you hadn't shot him down the last time he tried to -" He didn't finish. He wasn't supposed to know about that, except that Tony had told him... While he was drunk.
"You gotta understand, Pepper. A guy doesn't like making a fool of himself twice." He glanced at her. "It would help if you gave him a sign, or something. Be honest: D'you even like the guy?"
Pepper flushed. She pressed her lips together as if to keep herself from saying something she might regret.
She took a deep breath. "I blew the reactor," she said. "I went inside that building twice in one night, even though it gave me the creeps. He asked me, and so I did it."
"I know -"
"He could have died –I could have died, but you know what? I'd do it again. I'd do anything for him. And it's not because of the money, Rhodey –though God knows I earn it. If I were in it for the money, I would have left a long time ago; I've got job offers from all over the world -"
"Really? You've got offers?"
"Just last week I got a call from Bruce Wayne."
"Bruce Wayne, the billionaire?" Rhodes said, impressed.
A noise came from the backseat; a derisive snort -or something close to it. Pepper looked back suspiciously, but Tony seemed to be asleep. He turned on his back and openly snored.
Reassured, Pepper turned her attention back to the road.
"I could be working in Gotham right now," she said. "Instead, I stayed in Malibu. For the last three days I fielded calls from the police and the government, not to mention a dozen manufacturers who want to update Tony's products –everything from toys and colognes to shoes and those wife beaters he's so enamored of!
"I traveled back in time with no guarantee that I might make it here or back; I put on that damn pink suit even though I swore I'd never wear it, but hey, what's one more broken vow when my boss' life is on the line, right?"
She took a deep breath. "And now, you've got the gall to ask me if I love him?"
"I know you do," Rhodey said gently; "I just wanted you to say it."
"I didn't say it!"
"You admitted it, Pepper. You love the guy," he said gleefully; "You wanna jump his bones and have his kids -"
"That's enough!" she said indignantly. "You're acting like a teenager girl!"
"I was just repeating what my niece was telling her friend the other day. So, you love him. What are you gonna do about it?"
"Nothing."
"Wait, what?"
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Jesus, Pepper. What century are you living in? You can ask him out –no, that would be too subtle. Why don't you just tell him? Just pull him aside and let him have it. Or bring a movie he likes for a change," he said with a glare. "I mean, 'Sophie's Choice', Pepper? Is that what you call a hot date?"
"It wasn't meant to be a date! I just wanted to…I don't know; share something meaningful with him."
"Pepper, what you and Tony have shared these past months is meaningful enough. What you're doing is putting yourself in no-win situations!"
"Yeah, well. Maybe I don't want to win."
"Why?"
She didn't immediately reply.
"Because it's too big a risk," she said at last. "What if it doesn't work out? What if we end up losing everything?"
Rhodey stared at her in disbelief.
"Jesus, Pepper. You two need to talk."
She scoffed.
"We talk all the time."
"You know what I mean. You gotta be alone. Like on a deserted island. No interruptions; no Iron Man stuff, no Stark Industries business to get in the way."
Pepper sighed and shook her head.
"I'm serious," he insisted. "And you know what? I'm gonna make it happen. One of these days I'm gonna grab the two of you and put you on a plane and drop you somewhere."
Pepper pointedly looked out the side window.
"We're almost there," she said suddenly.
Rhodey glanced outside. He saw the familiar landmarks along the road.
"Yeah," he said. "It was around here that JARVIS dropped us."
Rhodey parked the car in a secluded area. He took the keys from the ignition and held them in his hand for a moment.
"I'm gonna leave them on the seat," he said, almost to himself. "I just hope someone finds her soon. I don't want this baby to end up rusty and alone on the side of the road." He was still looking at the keys, when a sudden idea occurred to him. He looked up. Pepper was about to open the door... "Wait!"
"What?"
"Here," he said, handing her the keys.
She instinctively took them.
"What do you want me to do with them?"
"Listen to me, Pepper," he said eagerly. "This is as close as you'll ever get to a deserted island. Take the car. The papers are in the glove compartment. There's another key there, that's from a motel room. I paid for the whole week, so -"
"Rhodey, I… I can't -"
"Sure, you can!" He reached and closed her fingers around the key. "You need to do this. You got to, Pepper; otherwise, you'll never know. Just think about it." He looked into her eyes. "What if it does work out?" He released her hand. "And don't worry about the company or the government; they'll survive."
"Rhodey -"
"There's some money in the glove compartment," he said, ignoring her. "And some condoms too."
"I've got my own," Tony said.
Stunned, Pepper and Rhodey turned around at the same time.
Tony was sitting up –no big surprise there. It was the fact that he didn't sound or look drunk that was surprising.
"I thought you were asleep!" she said.
"I thought you were drunk!" Rhodey said.
"It wasn't real booze, Sherlock. It was herbal tea." He turned his gaze back to Pepper. "I wanted to be sober in case you came."
"You knew I'd come?"
"I was hoping you would," he said quietly. "I thought maybe we'd have a chance to talk and… clear the air, so to speak." He smiled faintly. "I knew, Pepper. I just needed to be sure."
Her eyes bulged as she realized he'd listened to everything she'd said. It was more than she could handle. She abruptly turned away.
"Don't be mad." Tony reached out and, after a brief hesitation, laid a hand on her shoulder. "I love you. I don't know if that's enough to make this work, but I want to give it a try." He tightened his hold on her. "What do you say, Potts? Wanna stay a couple of days in hippie America?"
Rhodey had discreetly turned away the minute Tony started talking, but now he couldn't help sneaking a look at her.
Pepper was staring ahead; her lips were parted, but no sound came from them.
Say yes, Pepper, Rhodey thought; say yes, damn it!" Unfortunately, his one-hour visit with a local guru had not improved his telepathic abilities.
Pepper reached for the door.
"Tony," she said, her voice tremulous with emotion. "We need to get out of the car."
Rhodey rolled his eyes. Oh, girl. You disappoint me.
No matter. Now that he knew how things stood between those two, he'd see to it that they got together. He already knew what to do: He'd enlist his Special Op buddies –they owed him big time, and arranging a kidnapping for him would be a piece of cake. They'd drop these two somewhere over the Pacific –yeah.
He made a mental list of necessities as he got out of the car. They'd need a tent and lots of water; some survival gear. A gourmet basket would be a nice touch, too. Some wine –he'd steal a couple of bottles from Tony . He'd take some condoms while he was there, too. They'd need clothes too, of course. He'd get something in pink for Pepper, he thought evilly. Or maybe yellow, since she was such a frigging coward…
He walked to the back of the car and took Pepper's briefcase out of the trunk. He was going to pick Tony's, when he remembered the man wasn't drunk after all. He could pick his own damn briefcase.
He looked up.
"Hey, Tony, come get your -"
The word died in his throat.
Tony wouldn't have listened, and neither would she. They'd probably forgotten all about him by now. They were standing very close, and they were looking intensely at each other...
And they were touching. At last.
Pepper, especially, seemed to be having a blast, her hands moving all over Tony's face. And Tony... Well, Tony was doing his own recognizance of her. He wasn't being very subtle, either; hell, he was already undoing the numerous buttons on the back of her dress. He was looking hungrily at her mouth, as if his own life depended on a kiss from her. Yeah, he was dying to kiss her, but for some reason he wouldn't take the first step. He wanted some sign from her, perhaps.
Rhodey looked away. He mechanically put Pepper's briefcase back on the trunk and took his instead. He was forcing himself not to look –these were his friends, after all; surely they expected a little privacy- but come on, who wouldn't take a peek if given a chance?
He looked.
They were kissing –finally. Actually, face-eating would be a more appropriate term. And they were pulling at each other as if they could not get close enough.
So this is what years of pent-up passion do to you. Pepper looked like she was coming just from the touch of his body on hers.
Reluctantly, Rhodey picked his briefcase and started walking to a clearing. He set it on the ground, opened it, then stood still while the armor built up on him.
Meanwhile, a door opened and then closed.
Rhodey was sure the next sounds would be of a car driving away, but the sounds that reached him were quite different.
Incredulously, Rhodey turned to look.
The little car was shaking and swaying.
"Oh, for crying out loud, Tony! You could've at least waited till you got to the motel! That's so not classy!"
Suddenly he heard it. A wail. No, not a wail. A moan. Moans. Pepper, moaning in pain -or was it? It was hard to tell.
"Damn, Tony; what the hell?'
He would have intervened if Pepper hadn't spoken then. "Oooh, Tony… Oh, it's so… so GOOD -"
Rhodey was gaping by now. Who would have thought a prim little white chick could sound like that? It was a huge turn-on. For a couple of seconds, he toyed with the idea of using his War Machine Special visor to get a glimpse of them –
But no. He would NOT do that.
"Farewell, kids," he said aloud. "Have a good time."
THE END
