It was late when they got home and Tony collapsed in bed shoes and all. He forgot to charge his heart before he went to bed and soon enough he was being woken up by a loud alarm and Avengers running into the room.
"Tony!" Steve yelled as he sat up the sleeping Tony his heart blinking.
"Huh?" Tony was confused and Steve picked him up and carried him out to the lab.
"You alright?" he felt claustrophobic in the arms as he realized how irregular his heart was beating.
"I'm okay. I think. I just forgot to charge," Tony groaned inwardly he had no idea what time it was.
Tony was caught off guard by the current that went through him and he jerked slightly. Bruce grabbed his hand at that point.
"I'm sorry Tony," he muttered.
Tony looked at him and then at his watch, "Done," he ground out.
Bruce quickly unhooked with practiced skill.
"It's just ten o'clock Tony. We were still up," Bruce told him when Tony looked at his watch and apologetic.
"I still feel bad. Gave you guys a panic attack. I need new palladium for this reactor," he said pulling it out while Bruce jumped to get some.
Steve looked worried. New palladium meant there was that much more in Tony's body. Bruce took the reactor removed the old core and placed the other in. He handed it back to Tony glad to help.
Clint and Natasha were quiet. Clint looked he was going to start crying.
"Why were you still up?" Tony asked.
"We have a mission," Nat answered, "We leave in a week."
"Prep work," Clint explained quickly.
"That's what my dad was talking about huh?" Tony asked and they all nodded, "Well then I'm glad Rhodey's coming this week."
"Rhodey's coming?" Bruce looked relieved and the others looked confused.
"My non- superhero- army brat best friend?" Tony seemed to have forgotten that he never mentioned Rhodey. Per Rhodey's request, 'I don't need you to talk them into me. I want them to like me for who I am,' he had said. Only Bruce knew about him.
As they continued shaking their heads Steve looked appalled at the term "army-brat."
"Alrighty then. Nevermind, you'll meet him before you leave. J's picking him up tomorrow from the airport," Tony looked excited if a little embarrassed as he stumbled trying to make his way to the elevator. Bruce held back the others from helping him and they gradually followed after him into the elevator.
"TONY?!" Tony started at the loud exclamation of his name. Rhodey never had a problem using his voice. Tony blamed it on the military school background. Always competing with others for the attention Tony presumed.
"In here," Tony sat on his bed and didn't really have the strength to yell for Rhodes.
"You look shitty," Rhodey wandered in the room with his bags. He dropped them on the floor and Tony had no doubts that he didn't plan on sleeping in the guest room prepared for him. Rhodey knew why he was here. He'd taken off a few weeks of school to take care of Tony and Howard had told him the situation.
"Thanks dude," Tony chuckled and Rhodey sat on the bed next to him.
"How's your car?" he asked eyebrows raised and Tony grinned widely.
"Let's go downstairs," Tony's voice raised in volume, "You can meet the team, and if you're nice I'll let you take my car. Jarvis drives."
"You really do feel crappy huh?" Rhodey maneuvered to the other side of the bed and Tony accepted his help. After Tony had gotten his first surgery Rhodey had stayed then too. The first day had been a lot of arguing but the second consisted of Rhodey saying what he was there for. He hoped to not repeat the obvious news that he was the best bestfriend ever.
"Yeah it's been a rough couple of months," he worked his hardest to keep his footing. Everything was a struggle lately and he stumbled more often than not just trying to pick one foot up high enough to not drag the floor.
The elevator seemed miles away and Rhodey headed straight for the chair in it. Tony was sure it was compliments of Bruce who always knew when he was needed. They stopped a few floor from where they were supposed to be. Cap got in it was the floor that Cap's kitchen and studio was. It was one of his favorite places to be. A few floors later they picked up Natasha and Clint who were coming off the training bars.
"How you doin' Tony?" Clint asked what everyone was thinking.
"Just tired, mostly," Tony assured Clint who Tony belatedly realized was in his uniform, "You guys leaving right now?"
"An hour," Steve answered, "You James Rhodes?"
Rhodey looked surprised to be addressed. There was always an adjustment from school to Tony's house.
"Yes sir," Rhodey nodded, "They just always call me Rhodey."
"You don't mind then?" Steve asked he wasn't sure of nicknames or anything. He had a hard enough time with codenames sometimes.
"Nope," Rhodey shook his hand firmly and in turn Natasha and Clint's as they stepped off the elevator.
"Heard good things about your test results," Natasha spoke to him and he nodded very solemnly.
"Thank you," Rhodey worked hard for that.
"Bruce going down? Rhodey wants to ride in my car. But I got to say goodbye to you guys before you leave," Tony smirked slightly. He wanted to be bitter about them leaving but he knew what had to happen.
Rhodey helped Tony up carefully. He didn't look good. Rhodey knew it was probably just the pressure change but he knew something was up. Tony sagged into him for a few seconds before finding his footing.
Tony shuffled over to the couch where Rhodey stood behind him. Steve admired the protective stance he could tell the man was aware of everything that happened in the room. The basement wasn't Steve's favorite place to be because it wasn't that secure. Rhodey seemed aware of the same thing. Relief filled his chest at the realization.
Natasha sat next to Tony and made her way under his arm giving him some needed heat. His body couldn't seem to regulate either running too hot or too cold. Right now he was freezing and he gladly pulled in closer to Natasha. Bruce came in a few moments later holding up a clipboard. He had to do his tests before he left.
Blood pressure was low, iron was low, and blood sugar was low. Bruce went to the kitchen to get him something to eat and Clint went to grab a glass of chlorophyll for him.
"How long you guys leaving?" Tony asked leaning his head on Natasha who smiled slightly.
"A week," Steve assured, "We told them we couldn't go any longer than three days and Fury compromised for seven. We tried Tony. You're dad has been arguing for us since Ireland. Fury's letting him direct the mission from here."
"I got Rhodey here you guys you don't have to worry," Tony told them and Clint raised an eyebrow at Rhodes. He'd read his file last night. He was the top of his class in everything. He worked his ass off in the programs he'd been in. He'd been good friends with Tony since they were kids.
"We're going over all of his meds and tests when we get back," Rhodey told them and they nodded as Tony closed his eyes.
"You good?" Steve's voice made Tony feel obligated to open his eyes and Tony shook his head ever so slightly.
Steve grimaced. He had a gut feeling that something bad was going to happen. He knew deep down that they shouldn't leave. He had a feeling everyone else knew it too.
They wished Tony goodbye and Jarvis brought him down a jacket. He was freezing already and was glad it was warm outside. Jarvis took them driving all three packed in the front of the small car. It was the first time in a long time that Tony had been out and he was exhausted afterward but the good kind of exhausted where Jarvis helped him into bed and Rhodey felt it was okay to go make them something to eat instead of watching with constant vigilance.
Hours later Tony got up and ate and he and Rhodey played a lot of video games. Tony couldn't yell or even talk to loud when he won so they kept the volume on low and even though he was too sick to walk on his own he still creamed Rhodes at every game they played.
Then, Tony slept, Rhodey noticed every pain line that was creased to be smooth and kicked himself for not being here the entire time. In his defense, Tony had insisted that he was fine. Said that he was going to be better soon. So, when Rhodey had called a week ago and Tony had, in a roundabout way, asked him to come Rhodey had made immediate plans.
Howard came in and hooked up a few monitors to Tony and wished them a good night. He didn't even stir. Rhodey sighed heavily hesitant to close his eyes. The entire team of Avengers was relying on him to watch Tony which only added to the pressure he already felt.
It was a long time before Rhodey built a pillow line down the middle of the bed and fell asleep.
Howard had hooked up those monitors for Bruce who was halfway around the world. When they came online he was excited to watch the phone he had connected. A collective sigh came from the entire room when they realized that Bruce's own heart rate was slowing down. The first two days were long ones for the rest of the team. Setting up a perimeter around the mission Steve had done a lot of negotiating to try and prevent them staying any longer than they had to. Everyone wanted to get home. Of that there was no doubt.
"Bruce go to sleep," Natasha told him again as he continually stared at the phone.
"His oxygens a little low. I'll text Jarvis, tell him to put it under his nose. He doesn't like it but he needs it," Natasha shook her head at the concern.
"Howard has his eyes glued to those as much as you do. He knows what to do. You know Jarvis keeps an eye on them too. Just go to sleep Bruce or I'll turn them off," he nodded before going to sleep.
Rhodey kept Tony from falling for the third time that day. He was light headed and after the third time Jarvis and Rhodey convinced him to stay in bed. Reid came in several times actually sitting down to play a game with them a couple of times. He also checked monitors and made some notes on a notepad.
"Rhodey? You get Jarvis for me?" Tony asked and Rhodey nodded racing down the hall to go get him.
"Mr. Stark?" Jarvis talked rush which was something that rarely ever happened.
"Don't panic, but my chest hurts. And I think I need the oxygen," Jarvis nodded and told Rhodey to go get Howard while he helped Tony with the oxygen.
Howard came in, a flurry of color to Tony's eyes, that couldn't focus and started pulling out the reactor.
"Dad, something's wrong, test the palladium. Somethings wrong," he repeated and Howard pricked Tony's finger. Ninety percent, ninety percent, his son was going to die. He was too weak to do it anymore.
"Mr. Stark, don't freak out," Rhodey told Howard quickly, "He needs you now more than ever. I want you to breathe and pick your brain one more time."
"In this moment of crises," Jarvis added and Rhodey nodded affirmation.
"My paper," Tony's voice was quiet and Howard looked down, "Dad my doctoral paper. That I was working on. It talked about, new elements. About adding the different amounts and isotopes. Dad, it has something to with Asgard. Get Thor here. He'll know. He'll know Dad. Different elements, different planets. But that doesn't mean it can't be made here. Dad. Call Thor."
"Tony, you're at ninety percent. I don't know, if this will work. I don't know kid. I don't have time to mess around with a theory."
"That's all we got Dad," Tony grabbed the reactor from his Dad and put it back in his chest, powering it on, "Let me up."