A/N: Slightly longer chapter this time around. And I think there's going to be another four chapters or so? For those wondering.
Rhodey was exhausted. A simple, if not straightforward, operation that was supposed to last six weeks had lasted over six months so far, and this was just the intermission. A forty-eight hour pass in Tokyo and then it would be straight back into danger.
Sometimes he thought the reason why the Joint Chiefs were happy to leave him as War Machine wasn't because he was so qualified, or even because he was the one that Tony had given the suit to, but because he didn't have any family to worry about. His next of kin was Tony Stark, and no one thought Tony worried. He did, of course. Always had. And Rhodey wasn't sure exactly what would happen if he got killed on a mission and Tony decided it was the air force's fault, but he knew it wouldn't be pretty.
That was one of the many reasons why calling Tony was at the top of his list of things to do in the next couple of days, right after getting a shower, some decent food, and a solid twelve hours sleep.
That was before he noticed that everyone on the base seemed to be eyeing him speculatively and talking in whispers that stopped the moment he got too near. Okay... Well, he was somehow a superhero of sorts, so this wasn't completely uncharted territory for him, but somehow this was different. His concern only grew when he heard "Do you think he knows about Stark?"
Right. So something with Tony that he'd missed. God, if someone had kidnapped him again, Rhodey wasn't going to let Tony kill them quickly this time. They should suffer.
"Knows what about Stark, Lieutenant?" he asked dangerously.
"Colonel Rhodes, sir!" the kid squeaked with a frantic salute.
Rhodey returned it, but didn't bother putting him at ease. "Knows what about Stark?" he asked again.
The kid stood ramrod straight, his eyes darting everywhere at once. "That he's turned f...that he's a homosexual, sir!"
"He isn't," Rhodey said automatically, his mind racing.
"Yessir." The kid sounded desperate." He's in a relationship with another man, sir. It was all over the internet."
Rhodey took a deep breath. "The correct term is bisexual. Look it up. Dismissed."
He walked away, heading for his quarters, mind racing. Oh, hell. That meant Tony and Pepper had broken up. God, he hadn't seen that coming. Things had seemed to be going well – Tony had been happier than Rhodey had ever known him. Plus he must have taken the break-up hard, whoever had done the actual breaking up. He wished he'd been there...although Tony had the Avengers now, so at least he wouldn't have been alone. Maybe it hadn't been so bad. With a grimace, he admitted to himself that the odds weren't good that even Captain America could have learned the danger signs in a couple of months that it had taken Rhodey a quarter of a century to learn. No, he should have been there.
And where the hell had this new relationship come from? Since when did Tony do relationships so easily?
He turned his phone on and quickly scrolled through the missed calls and messages. A couple of calls from Tony, one voice message. But when he tried to listen, there was nothing there. The voice stubbornly told him there was no message, despite his phone assuring him there had been. He pursed his lips. Tony could easily have hacked his phone and deleted the message if wanted to, if he'd decided he didn't want Rhodey to hear it. But if that was the case, why would he have left clues on the phone to tell Rhodey there had been a message? He stared down at it for a long moment, frowning. The only explanation he could think of was that Tony hadn't deleted the message himself, he'd asked JARVIS to do it and JARVIS had felt there was something there Rhodey should be aware of.
Damnit, this needed more than a phonecall. He wanted to see Tony himself, to see what was going on. But here he was, stuck on the opposite side of the world, and he couldn't just fly over there and...he had forty-eight hours. It was a ten hour flight in War Machine, and that was door to door, no need to wait in line at the airport. Yeah, by then he'd be running on fumes, but he could recharge at the tower, and he'd have time in New York to see Tony and get back, and no one would ever know he wasn't where he was supposed to be.
Mind made up, he was out the door in an instant.
During the flight he called up all the press Tony had accumulated since he'd been gone. Sure, there was no chance he'd be able to figure out what was really going on with Tony that way, but he knew from past experience that if he read between the lines he'd be able to get a few clues at least.
The first thing he learned was that Pepper had probably done the breaking up, at least if the photo of her and Happy Hogan was anything to go by. Goddamnit, Tony had trusted her. Tony had trusted both of them, and that sort of betrayal was the last thing Tony ever needed. Like the guy didn't have enough reasons for his trust issues. And that probably went a long way to explaining why the new few stories he saw were all about Tony drinking too much, sleeping around and generally acting outrageously.
He frowned unhappily. There were plenty of worse ways Tony could be self-destructing, but all he could see was Tony in pain. And he knew from bitter experience how difficult it was to keep sight of that when you were in the middle of Tony's excesses – he only hoped that the Avengers had understood what was really going on.
The tales of wild behaviour ended abruptly. When this new guy came on the scene, Rhodey guessed, and the start of the pictures of the two of them together kind of confirmed it. And that was good...right? Tony meeting someone he cared about, someone who was important enough for him to pull himself back from the brink...that had to be good. But it just seemed weird. It had taken Tony ten years to get together with Pepper, and he'd loved her long before it was ever a thing. Entering into another serious relationship so soon? It really wasn't Tony's style, and the whole thing screamed rebound to him. Oh, he was going to give this...Mark...a chance because he'll he'd been wrong before, but still. He just hoped Tony knew what he was doing.
He dozed for most of the flight, the suit flying on autopilot. War Machine didn't have JARVIS, but it did have state-of-the-art auto-navigation functions that would make civilian pilots break down and weep.
He got a call as he was about fifty klicks out of Manhattan. "Good morning, Colonel Rhodes," JARVIS said pleasantly. "Is your destination Stark Tower?"
He grinned at the familiar voice and fell into a quick barrel roll of sheer delight. Almost home. "It sure is," he agreed. "Is Tony there?"
"Yes, Colonel," JARVIS told him. "Mr Stark is in residence. May I say I am inordinately pleased to see you?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Inordinately, huh?"
"Yes, Colonel," JARVIS agreed. "Inordinately."
That did not sound good. "Something wrong with Tony?" he asked, increasing his speed as far as he could.
"No, Colonel," JARVIS said at once.
He sighed. "But could you tell me if there was?" he asked rhetorically. He knew that however much JARVIS might want to, he couldn't go against Tony's direct orders. But there did seem to be something JARVIS wanted him to know.
"Sir has expressed to me on a number of occasions recently that he is fine," JARVIS volunteered primly.
Which sounded harmless, until you realised that meant that JARVIS had needed to ask how Tony was several times recently, or worse still that Tony had volunteered the information. His lips thinned. "Alright, JARVIS. My ETA is about four minutes. I'm running empty and I'm going to need to head back within the day, you think you could take care of that for me?"
"Certainly, Colonel," JARVIS answered promptly. "Do you wish me to alert Mr Stark to your impending visit?"
He frowned. "What do you think?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"I think perhaps the element of surprise would be most effective," JARVIS said after a barely noticeable pause. "To please Mr Stark, I mean."
"Of course," he agreed dryly. In other words, JARVIS wanted him to catch Tony without his masks up. Damnit, what was happening? "I'll be there soon."
He ended the call and kept silent until the world's least subtle superhero hideout was in sight, the large Avengers sign clearly visible on the New York skyline. He frowned; that was something else that had been niggling at him. JARVIS had said 'Stark Tower', not 'Avengers' Tower'. And JARVIS didn't make that sort of mistake, which meant that was another subtle clue. JARVIS was angry with the rest of the Avengers, or at least thought they couldn't be trusted. His eyes narrowed; Tony had invited them into his home. If they'd betrayed that...he wasn't sure what he'd do. But there would be consequences.
He landed smoothly on the pad and the disassembling rig did its job obligingly. He could trust that by the time he was ready to go, the suit would be fully charged and, if he was lucky, a few of the dents might have been polished out.
"Well, hello there." The voice wasn't Tony's. He turned quickly to see a tall dark-haired man come strolling casually out of the penthouse. He looked so at ease that if Rhodey hadn't just had his armour removed by a series of whirling robot arms, he might have thought he'd somehow got the wrong apartment. "You must be Rhodey," the man went on smiling. "I've heard a lot about you. Tony didn't say you were going to be visiting, though...?"
"Tony didn't know," he explained, shaking the proffered hand. "Believe me, if I'd told him, you'd have heard about it." The last time Rhodey had said he was visiting, Tony had made a room full of arcade games. Including a claw machine filled with Rhodey's underwear. He'd spent over an hour trying to win himself a pair of clean boxers, before he'd 'borrowed' one of Tony's gauntlets and blasted it open. The two of them had still been laughing madly about it two hours later. Somehow, he didn't think this visit was going to run along similar lines.
"Really." Mark didn't stop smiling for a second. "Well, you're very welcome of course. I know Tony is always glad to see you. Why don't you come in and have a coffee?"
The casual way this man invited him into Tony's home set his teeth on edge. And it suggested... "So you're living here now?" he asked, trying to sound casual. That seemed damned quick to him, and Mark seemed a little too comfortable. He didn't want to think Mark was just after Tony for his money, but nevertheless he was wondering.
Mark nodded as he led them inside. "I have been for a couple of months, yes. Tony invited me, and how could I say no?"
"Honey Bear!" Now that was Tony's voice. He smiled instantly and turned to see Tony practically skipping towards him, dressed in a rollneck sweater, hair still damp from the shower.
His smile faded in spite of himself. Tony looked tired. There were dark shadows under his eyes, and his skin was paler than it should be, even accounting for the move from Malibu to New York. He even looked like he'd lost some weight, and none of that was good. "Hey, Tone," he said, smiling again with an effort. "How're you doing?"
"Great!" Tony said, his smile a little too bright and his voice a little too loud. "Thanks for asking. Everything's great. You've met Mark, he's great, you'll like him, everybody does. Is this you back? How long are you staying for? Oh! Are you here because War Machine needs fixed? Or were you looking for upgrades? Because I've been working on some ideas that - "
" - Tony!" he interrupted fondly, before the hyperactive kid on a sugar rush bit got completely out of control. "I'm just here to see you, okay?" He glanced sideways at Mark, who had taken a step towards Tony, his arm wrapped around Tony's waist. He wasn't the best at saying anything emotional, and Tony was even worse at listening, and he couldn't help but think it would be so much more difficult with an audience. "I'm not really here – I mean, technically I'm AWOL right now, but I just got back to civilisation this morning, I got a couple days leave and I heard about you and Pepper, and I wanted to come see you."
"That's sweet," Mark said, with a saccharine smile. "Isn't that sweet, Tony?"
"Yeah," Tony mumbled. "Sure."
Rhodey frowned unhappily. "We should go out," he suggested. "Tonight. I'll buy you a few drinks and we can get caught up properly."
"That sounds good," Mark said at once. "We'd love to."
Rhodey gritted his teeth; suddenly the word 'we' had become insufferable. "Actually, man, I was hoping to spend some guy time with Tony. I've not seen him for months. You know how it is."
Mark stared at him coolly and he wasn't smiling now. "You know, Rhodey, you just dropped in unannounced. As it happens, me and Tone had already made plans for tonight. But I'm willing to put those on hold for you. Maybe you want to think about extending me the same courtesy."
Which sounded about reasonable, except that Tony was Iron Man and Rhodey was War Machine, and neither of them lived reasonable lives. "I'm only in town tonight," he pointed out. "I'll have to leave tomorrow morning, probably before 0600 hours, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to come back."
Mark suddenly laughed disarmingly, spreading his arms wide. "Why the hell are we arguing like this?" he demanded lightly. "What are we, kindergarteners?" He turned to Tony. "What do you think, babe? Do you want me to stay at home tonight?"
Probably if Rhodey wasn't so predisposed to dislike Mark that one would have slipped right by him. He really wasn't the sort of guy who normally noticed the nuances of what people said. But the way Mark phrased that, there was no way Tony would be able to say yes without being a complete asshole. And making Tony choose between them right off the bat was a complete dick move anyway.
"Of course I want you along," Tony mumbled, then he turned to Rhodey. "That's okay, right? You don't mind?" his voice was anxious and, if possible, he looked more tired than he had when they started this conversation.
"Course not, Tone," he said softly. "Whatever you want."
"Right. Good." Tony looked away quickly. "Your rooms are still there...I haven't turned them into a holodeck or a brothel or anything. So I don't know if you want to go shower or something, and then maybe we could check out the workshop? I know you said you weren't looking for upgrades, but there's a couple of things...um. Unless you had other plans. I mean, you said you were only in town for a day, you probably don't want to - "
" - I do," he interrupted firmly. "I really, really do." There was absolutely no place else in the world he wanted to be right now. Not when Tony was actually hesitating and saying 'um'. Something was badly wrong.
"Okay, then," Tony nodded with a pleased smile. "I'll see you downstairs in half an hour? Or an hour? I'll order pizza - "
" - it's nine o'clock in the morning," Mark interrupted flatly.
"Coffee then," Tony said with a shrug. "And bacon. There should be bacon."
"Sounds great," Rhodey said, somehow finding that Mark was herding him expectantly towards the elevator. "I'll see you then."
Just as the elevator doors closed he heard Mark say "So when are you going to build me a suit of armour? Honey Bear?"
Oh, hell no.
"So, when are you going to build me a suit of armour, Honey Bear?"
Tony winced, at the question, at the pet name, just at everything. It wasn't the first time Mark had dropped hints that he wanted armour, and Tony was running out of excuses why not. In theory it was obvious. Mark was fit, he was a former soldier and trained FBI agent, he wanted to be a hero, and Tony wanted to keep him safe and make sure no one could get to him through Mark. And yet the thought of Mark putting on armour made him sick to the stomach. Maybe it was because he was being selfish and possessive again, afraid that the Avengers might just realise that Mark made a much better hero than Tony ever could, or maybe it was because he didn't trust Mark to keep control of his temper while in the suit, and a full strength punch from the armour would be enough to kill him. Dramatic irony aside, he really had no intention of being killed by one of his creations.
"Oh, you know," he muttered, in response to Mark's impatient look. "I've had a lot on recently. And the whole idea just seems weird."
"You made a suit for him," Mark pointed out, angrily jabbing a thumb at the elevator and taking a step closer.
Tony flinched back in spite of himself. He'd tried so hard to act 'normal' in front of Rhodey, but his nerves were stretched to breaking point and he just couldn't hold it together anymore. It had only been a few days since the incident on the roof at the gala dinner, and he was still aching and exhausted.
As pleased as he was to see Rhodey – and he was, he really, really was – the timing couldn't be much worse. He didn't want Rhodey knowing about...everything. Rhodey wouldn't understand.
Or maybe he would, a darker part of his mind whispered to him. Rhodey got pissed at him often enough. Maybe he'd be as pleased as everyone else that someone was putting Tony in his place. No. He swallowed hard. No, they'd first met when Rhodey had saved him from a group of guys intent on kicking his ass. No way Rhodey would just sit back and watch that happen...except he wasn't fourteen anymore, and like Mark said, he should be able to take it. Besides, if you'd asked him six months ago whether Captain America would watch someone throttling him and just apologise for interrupting and walk away, only worrying about the possible negative publicity, he'd have thought that could never happen.
He hadn't been able to look Steve in the eye since. Every time he tried he just felt small and ashamed, and he'd dreamt about the look in Steve's eyes. It wasn't even like Steve had considered saving him and decided he wasn't worth it. Hell, that at least was something they could agree on. Instead Steve had just looked like there was nothing wrong, as though Tony couldn't possibly want saving.
He didn't, of course. He didn't want or need saving from Mark. But he was just starting to feel less and less like a person and more like some hollowed out shell; something that was kept around for Mark's pleasure and because it could be useful to the Avengers, and now Rhodey was here and he wasn't sure what the hell Rhodey would want from it...him. From him.
"Tony!" The slap caught him full on the face and he jumped, coming back to himself to see Mark staring at him impatiently. That had been happening a lot lately. He just...drifted off.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"Yeah," Mark snorted. "It's like living with JD from Scrubs, except you're not as cute and not as funny."
His shoulders hunched. He was literally too tired to think of any kind of come back. "Sorry," he muttered again. "What..what were we talking about?"
"Your friend Rhodey," Mark repeated impatiently. "You made him armour."
"I made that for him when I was dying," he tried to explain.
"And you let him keep it after," Mark spat.
"He...what was I supposed to do?" he asked. "Make him give it back? He's doing good work, keeping America safe and all that."
"Sure," Mark snorted. "That's the reason."
"He's my friend," he protested, not understanding.
"Right. 'Friend'," Mark agreed sarcastically, making exaggerated air quotes.
He frowned. "Wait, are you jealous?" he asked incredulous. "There's nothing like that with Rhodey and me. Hell, Rhodey is as straight as they come."
"No shit," Mark said, rolling his eyes the way he did when he thought Tony was being stupid and missing something. "Did you see the way he looked at me? Or rather, the way he didn't look at me?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, almost afraid to know the answer.
"Your friend could barely stand to look at me," Mark told him coldly. "You really think he came here because he heard about you breaking up with Pepper? Or do you think he came here because he heard about some big, bad faggot corrupting his drinking buddy and turning him queer and he wanted to come save you."
He nearly laughed. "No," he protested at once. "No, Rhodey's not like that He knows I've been with guys before, and he's never had a problem with it."
"Sure," Mark agreed. "When it's just a quick one night stand he wouldn't care too much. But a relationship? Knowing you're sucking my cock every night? He's career military, right? It's only been a few years since Don't Ask Don't Tell was repealed. You really sure your friend doesn't have a problem with it? Like really, really, one hundred percent sure?"
"Yes," he said, not sounding anything like one hundred percent sure. He trusted Rhodey. Rhodey had never let stuff like that bother him. But Mark suggested it and Tony couldn't help but wonder. Mark had been the one to suggest that the Avengers would tolerate him more if he just kept quiet unless he had something useful to say.
Mark sighed. "Just think about it, babe, okay? And be on your guard. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Right," he said with an effort.
Rhodey took a shower and got a clean change of clothes, thinking furiously all the time. He didn't like this new relationship of Tony's at all. Mark seemed possessive, domineering and emotionally manipulative and that was only from a five minute conversation. He wondered if it was always like that. Surely not; Tony tended to run a mile at the first sign someone wanted to control him.
"JARVIS?" he asked softly. "Can you show me a list of everything Tony's bought or made Mark over the past six months?"
The list was as long as he feared and at least a few of the items that flickered up would have cost hundreds of thousands at the very least. An apartment in Aspen, a custom-designed Rolex, a smartphone that was waterproof, bullet-proof, fingerprint activated and also contained a taser – typical Tony presents. Particularly, typical Tony presents when he was trying to buy forgiveness...or affection.
"Damnit," he muttered. This relationship was moving too fast, and Mark clearly had Tony wrapped around his little finger, and here was all the reason in the world why. He didn't want to believe it, but he found it easy to imagine Mark seeing Tony's vulnerability and worming his way into Tony's life in order to take everything he could. Whatever was happening, Tony was unhappy and JARVIS had practically told him something was going on, and Rhodey had every intention of getting to the bottom of it.
Once he was ready, he headed to the workshop. Tony was already there and and buzzed him in, and he saw a pot of coffee and a large plate of bacon sandwiches.
"Don't tell me," he smiled. "You finally made a robot capable of cooking."
"Nah," Tony shook his head. "All my work, I'm afraid. Though Dummy could make you a smoothie if you're really craving that authentic robot-made taste. As long as you don't mind the risk of motor oil, anyway."
"I'll pass," he said with a grimace, nevertheless returning Dummy's enthusiastic wave. "Since when did you cook anyhow?"
"Uh, making sandwiches is hardly cooking," Tony pointed out.
"For you?" Rhodey teased. "Tony, you once managed to turn hot chocolate into cheese."
"Mark says I should do more things for myself," Tony explained with a shrug. "He says it will help me be more normal."
Once again, Rhodey found his smile a strain. "Since when were you trying to be normal?"
Tony shrugged again and said nothing for a long moment, gazing vacantly at his mug of coffee. "So how was North Korea?" he asked abruptly.
"Awful," Rhodey answered honestly. "The whole thing's a mess." He paused. "Also, you're not supposed to know where I was," he added with a stern look.
He was rewarded with a tiniest smile before Tony grew serious again. "Did you get hurt?"
It was the same question Tony asked every time Rhodey came back from active duty, right from when he'd come home from his first deployment, and Tony had been a skinny seventeen year old, finishing up his second masters and trying not to show how much he'd missed his best friend.
"No," he answered reassuringly. "Not surprising, really. You did give me awesome armour, remember?"
"Yeah, that's not always enough to save you," Tony told him quietly.
He hated it when Tony got in this mood. He always felt so helpless. "How about you?" he asked softly. "Any bad missions I should know about?"
"Nah," Tony said awkwardly. "It's been quiet."
"Good," he said, relieved that at least Tony hadn't been physically hurt recently. The obvious emotional hurt was more than enough to be going on with, thank you. "You look tired," he told Tony quietly.
"So do you," Tony retorted.
"Yeah," he nodded, rolling his shoulders and helping himself to a bacon sandwich. "I guess we're not teenagers anymore. But it seems like more than that, Tone. I'm worried about you."
"No need," Tony said quickly with a bright grin. "Everything's fine with me. Just ask anyone."
"I'm asking you," Rhodey pointed out patiently.
"I'm fine," Tony insisted.
He paused for a moment. "Look, I know you don't want to hear this, but I don't like this new relationship of yours."
"You mean you don't like Mark," Tony said in an odd tone of voice.
"I don't like the way he talks to you," Rhodey said, determined to press on. "I heard that bit about you building him armour as I was leaving."
"Jealous our little club might be growing?" Tony asked, wriggling his eyebrows like he was trying to be flirtatious.
Rhodey bit back on the urge to sigh. "Of course not. But I'm worried you're rushing into things...that Mark is encouraging you to rush into things. I mean, you're living together already? Tony that's - "
" - my idea," Tony interrupted harshly, his lips thin. "I asked him to move in with me. He didn't even suggest it. Next?"
He hesitated. He could already tell this wasn't going to go well. But he needed to say his piece. "Upstairs, he was talking for you as well. You were letting him make decisions for you. Since when do you do that?"
"Well, since every decision I make is bad..." Tony answered flippantly. "Maybe letting someone else take charge isn't the the worst idea in the world."
"Take charge?" Rhodey repeated, his mouth twisted. "Tony, he's supposed to be your boyfriend, not your commanding officer. They way he talks to you is wrong, it's too harsh, too controlling, too - "
" - male?" Tony suggested sardonically.
That pulled Rhodey up short. "What?"
"That's the problem here, isn't it?" Tony went on, staring at him angrily. "If you'd come back and found Pepper had dumped me and I'd hooked up with another woman, we wouldn't be having this conversation, would we?"
"Bullshit," Rhodey said at once. "That has nothing to do with it."
"Oh yeah?" Tony demanded, and Rhodey had no idea where this was coming from. "Everyone likes Mark except you. And you've barely even spoken to him but you've decided he's no good for me. So what else could it be?"
"Everyone likes Mark?" Rhodey repeated.
"Yes," Tony snapped defiantly.
Rhodey looked at him intently. "How about JARVIS?"
Tony froze. "That...that's not..."
"JARVIS?" Rhodey asked, not taking his eyes off Tony. "What do - "
" - JARVIS, mute," Tony said furiously. "Face it, Rhodey, it's because he's a man that you're so down on him."
"Bullshit," he said again. "Tony, I was the first person you ever told you were bi, right?" He barely waited for Tony's reluctant nod. "And in all the time since have I ever been anything but supportive? I don't care about that, Tony, you know that. I just want you - "
" - he loves me," Tony said quietly, looking away from him. "He said so. Can't you just like him? For my sake? Please, Rhodey."
Tony's voice was raw and Rhodey's heart ached.
"No," he admitted softly. "But I can be civil at least." For the moment anyway, until he had a better idea what was going on. If he had more evidence that Mark wasn't good for him, Tony would have to listen.
Tony sighed. "I know you think you're helping but you're really not. So just...don't start any fights with him, okay?"
"I won't," Rhodey promised. "So what was it you wanted to show me?"
Tony smiled, the first genuine smile Rhodey had seen since the one Tony had greeted him with, and started to bring up holograms.
Bruce was drinking coffee and reading the papers with Steve when Mark walked into the kitchen. Steve liked reading the news the old fashioned way, and Bruce liked the company, so it had become something of a habit on lazy weekends when he didn't have any projects on.
Mark stood awkwardly in the doorway for a moment. Bruce raised an eyebrow. When Tony had told them Mark was moving in they'd been surprised but welcoming, and he'd thought Mark was comfortable not acting like a guest.
"Come in and sit down," Steve invited, sounding slightly worried and Bruce guessed he was thinking something similar. "You want a coffee?"
"Thanks," Mark said, sitting down and accepting the cup Steve offered with a sigh.
"Is there something wrong?" Bruce asked sympathetically.
In response Mark rubbed the back of his hand over his face and sighed again. "How well do you know Colonel Rhodes?" he asked, watching them carefully.
"Tony's friend?" Bruce asked blankly. "Not that well."
"We've met a couple of times," Steve clarified. "He's been away a lot."
"Well he's upstairs now," Mark said grimly.
"That's good, isn't it?" Steve said with a worried glance at Bruce. "I know Tony misses him when he's away."
"Yeah." Mark pressed his lips together for a moment. "I don't like the way he talks to Tony," he said at last. "I know he's Tony's friend and I shouldn't think like this, but practically the first thing he said to Tony was that they should go drinking together. Tony's been doing so well lately, he's cut right back...God, maybe I'm just being selfish but I don't want him encouraged to start drinking again. I don't know...am I being controlling?" He looked at them with a sort of hesitant appeal.
"No, of course not," Bruce assured him at once. "You're only doing what's best for Tony. That's not selfish at all, everyone knows how good you are to him."
"I'm sure Colonel Rhodes would understand if you just talked to him about it," Steve added earnestly. "I don't know him that well, but he seemed a pretty reasonable guy."
"Yeah," Mark grimaced. "I'm not so sure he's going to be willing to talk to me. He didn't seem to like me too much. I don't think he was exactly happy at seeing Tony with a man." He blinked a couple of times and stared down at the table looking unusually vulnerable. Bruce felt a stab of sympathy. It wasn't easy when someone close to the person you loved didn't like you. "But that's okay," Mark went on unconvincingly. "I mean, he's career military. God knows I wasn't out when I was in the army. The rules might have changed, but the attitudes take longer, right? It doesn't really matter I guess..."
"Yes it does," Steve said fiercely. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with you or Tony, and if he can't accept that he doesn't deserve to be Tony's friend."
Mark exhaled slowly. "Thanks, Steve," he said with a warm smile. "You'll help me keep an eye on him, right?" He looked at both of them.
"Of course," Bruce agreed at once.
"Good," Mark said with satisfaction. "He's only in town tonight. We're going out, would you mind coming along? And bringing the others, If possible. With enough people there disapproving I'm sure Tony wouldn't listen if Colonel Rhodes encourages him to drink."
Bruce was pretty sure that would work. It was good for Tony to hear they were all on his side.
Today wasn't going anything like Rhodey had hoped it would. After that unsatisfying conversation in Tony's workshop he'd barely had a second alone with Tony. Mark had arrived after a few minutes, and Rhodey had been dismayed to see him walk straight into the workshop. JARVIS at least warned them and a glance at the screen told him that Mark only had access when Tony was there, but this was far more of a warning sign that things were moving too fast than even them moving in together had been. Tony didn't give people access codes to his workshop. Pepper was the only one he'd ever trusted that much, and Rhodey desperately wanted to ask what Mark had done to earn the privilege, what did Tony see that made him so special? But he didn't get the chance.
Mark walked in while Rhodey had been busy playing catch with Dummy, listening to Tony talk gleefully about a new rotator that should allow them to turn tighter corners. Rhodey figured only Tony could revolutionise aerodynamics for the express purpose of flying indoors.
"Not that I'd ever do it in the tower of course," he added quickly as Mark walked in, his attitude suddenly a whole lot less exuberant.
Dummy missed the catch and Mark picked up the water bottle they were using as a ball. "Having fun?" he asked lightly, his eyes bright. He threw the bottle to Dummy, and Dummy couldn't turn quickly enough and the bottle bounced harmlessly off the bot's arm. "Oops," Mark said with an apologetic grimace. "Sorry, little guy."
"We should go upstairs," Tony said, standing up quickly. "Is that okay?" He glanced at Mark then Rhodey nervously and Rhodey nodded not sure what else to say. "Good," Tony said, and he curled his fingers briefly round Dummy's casing as he passed.
And after that they'd been upstairs for lunch and awkward conversation with the other Avengers. Rhodey could see now what Tony had meant when he said everyone liked Mark. They did, it was as simple as that. He was funny, charming, perfectly happy to listen to other people's stories, and he made an effort to include Rhodey in every conversation, even when Rhodey only gave one word answers at best...hell, if Rhodey had met him normally he'd probably have liked him. But instead all he could see was how quiet Tony was. How polite, how subdued. He barely said a word unless someone spoke directly to him and the worst thing was no one seemed to notice. It wasn't like they were angry or upset with him, or even plain didn't like him. That was something he could understand even if he didn't like it. No, they spoke to him like he was their friend and they simply didn't notice he wasn't Tony.
His sense of unease only grew over the course of the day, until they were out that evening in one of his and Tony's old favourite haunts and when Steve got up to get a round and Tony said he wanted a beer, Steve looked past Tony to Mark and Rhodey turned his head in time to see Mark nod slightly, like he was giving permissions. What the hell? Yes, Tony had a history of drinking too much and when he'd announced he was cutting down after the whole thing with Vanko and Hammer, Rhodey had been delighted, but Tony was a grown man and he had a right to decide whether or not he wanted a lousy beer, especially when it was his first. And last. Tony caught the look and ordered lemonade for the rest of the night. And that was wrong. Not the lemonade part so much, but Tony should argue. Tony would resent anyone making decisions for him and he would be spiky and sarcastic and angry, and everything but the meek and compliant stranger who'd taken his place. Honestly, Rhodey was practically at the point of wondering if they'd put a chip in his brain to make him behave.
The conversation continued just as awkwardly as it had in the tower, and Rhodey got the impression the Avengers were suspicious of him. He caught a couple of hard looks from Steve and Clint when he tried to draw Tony out of himself a little. He never caught Natasha looking at him and that might be more frightening. They hadn't acted like this to him previously. Before he'd been sent to North Korea, he'd spent time in the tower, getting to known them, and they'd all seemed to get on just fine. Something had changed here, and the only new factor here was Mark.
When it was his turn to go up to the bar Mark followed him.
"I thought you might need help carrying things," he smiled.
"Thanks," Rhodey said with bad grace.
"You know," Mark began conversationally, leaning against the bar as they waited for the drinks. "Tony would be happy if we got along."
"Yeah. Well," Rhodey shrugged. "I don't see that happening, do you?"
There was a pause and Mark smiled, showing all his teeth. "Is it because I'm a man?"
"Nah," Rhodey said, grinning coldly back. "It's because you're an asshole."
Mark nodded thoughtfully a couple of times and laughed, shaking his head. "You just don't like picturing him on his knees, face covered in drool and cum as he chokes on my fat cock, do you?"
For a moment Rhodey really couldn't believe what he'd heard. "What?"
Mark smirked. "That's it, isn't it? You don't like to think that the great Tony Stark spends every night flat on his back with his ankles hooked over my shoulders, begging me to pound his sweet ass harder and harder, like the pathetic faggot he is."
Rhodey punched him.
It was a second before he fully realised what the pain in his hand meant, but then he just thought what the hell and punched him again and again, and Mark was hitting back and they were on the floor, punching and wrestling, and Rhodey managed to get on top, still fighting desperately as strong hands grabbed him and pulled him back.
"Enough!" Steve said harshly and this was what it felt like when Captain America gave you an order. "What in the world is going on here?"
Rhodey looked past him. Clint had hold of Mark, his face blank. There were people gathered around, watching, taking pictures, and Thor and Natasha were quietly leading Bruce out of the club. And Tony...Tony was standing there, looking straight at Rhodey, his face full of hurt.
"It was my fault," Mark said at once, regretfully, and Rhodey snorted. Damn right it was. He was pleased to see the blood trickling from the corner of Mark's mouth. "I made a couple of jokes...I thought it would help break the tension. I guess Colonel Rhodes is more closed-minded than I thought."
"What? No, that's not what it was." He made a start angrily towards Mark, but Steve still had hold of his arm, gripping bruisingly hard. Right. He took a deep breath and twisted round to look at Tony. "You didn't hear what he was saying, Tone. I'm not going to stand and listen to someone call you a faggot. I never have. Nothing's gonna change that."
He heard Steve take a sharp breath behind him, but all he cared about was the look on Tony's face, all blank and shut off. "Except I am, Rhodey. I'm with Mark now, and you need to accept that." He shook his head slowly. "It was the one thing I asked you, Rhodey. Don't start a fight. I thought I could trust you." Disappointment evident, he turned to walk away.
Rhodey swore. "Fuck, that's not what I...Tony."
As he watched, Mark hurried after him and wrapped his arm around Tony's shoulders and maybe it was meant as comfort or affection, but to Rhodey it just looked like triumphant possession.
He broke free from Steve and looked round angrily, but both Steve and Clint were frowning at him. "Just leave them alone," Clint told him in a low voice, and he didn't need to make the threat out loud.
"Listen," he said urgently. "You need to know what he was saying about Tony. It wasn't - "
" - I don't want to hear it," Steve said coldly. "I know you're Tony's friend, but you're the only one hurting him here. With all due respect, you need to get your head on straight, colonel."
He gazed at them in helpless anger. They weren't going to listen.
What the hell was he supposed to do?
Tony ended up walking Rhodey back to his rooms. Mark wasn't happy about it, and no doubt it was one more thing he'd have to answer for later, but Rhodey had looked so miserable he hadn't wanted to brush him off again.
Not that he wasn't angry. He had no doubt the fight Rhodey had started would end up being his fault somehow. He expected he would get every single punch Rhodey had landed back in triplicate. A small part of him wanted to scream at Rhodey for that, but really, Rhodey didn't know and it was better that continued. Cos Rhodey hadn't seen Mark do anything anyone could actually say was wrong, his hatred was irrational, and Tony didn't want the fact that Mark hit him to be just more fuel to the fire. Besides, Rhodey would be gone in the morning, and Tony still had to live here and...and he was ashamed. He didn't want Rhodey to know because he was ashamed and because he couldn't really trust that Rhodey would think there was anything wrong. (No one else did, remember, Stark? You deserve this. Suck it up and deal with it like a man.)
They walked in silence and stopped outside Rhodey's door. "Well, goodnight," he said abruptly. "War Machine will be ready for you by the morning, so I'll see you then."
"Tony, wait," Rhodey said gruffly. "Please."
He waited.
"I'm sorry about tonight," Rhodey went on, visibly uncomfortable. "I hadn't planned on starting a fight, I swear, it's just...the things he was saying." Rhodey's face was creased with horror and disgust. "God, Tony, he was talking like your pimp, not your lover." He stopped suddenly, studying Tony's face. "You're not even a little bit curious, are you?"
Oh, shit. "That's because I trust him," he said lamely.
"No." Rhodey shook his head. "No, that's not it. You already believe me, don't you? You know exactly what he was saying."
Exactly? No. But it took a lot to get Rhodey to lose his temper to that extent – the fact that he'd never beat on Tony was proof enough of that - and he knew the sort of thing Mark could say, like all the unpleasant insults he'd thrown at Tony's head in the beginning of their relationship in order to get a reaction he could draw out into the light and twist until Tony saw how true the insult really was. Rhodey had made it clear he didn't like Mark, and Mark wouldn't stand for that. And what better way to get rid of him than to have him start a fight in front of the Avengers? Now everyone liked Mark and hated Rhodey, and Tony was just too tired to give a damn anymore.
"He's got a crude sense of humour," he said with an indifferent shrug. "You overreacted because you don't like the thought of me and him together. Forget about it - "
" - Forget about it?" Rhodey demanded furiously. "Tony, if that's the way he talks to you to someone he hardly knows, that shit is unacceptable."
The anger in Rhodey's voice was surprisingly difficult to take. His stomach lurched and he had to screw his toes up tight in his shoes to keep from turning tail and running. "It's fine," he pleaded. "You don't understand."
"I know something's wrong, Tony," Rhodey said intently. "I want to help. You're my friend."
"Why?" The question escaped him before he'd had time to think, and he pressed his lips together firmly a second later, determined not to say anything else embarrassing.
"Why am I your friend?" Rhodey asked disbelievingly.
"It's because I got all the best toys, right?" he joked weakly, trying to lighten the mood.
But Rhodey just looked more upset. "Shit, Tony, maybe I complain about you too much. I can't believe you even have to ask that." He took a deep breath and looked at Tony for a long second, and now Tony wanted to run for a whole different set of reasons. "Okay. You remember back in MIT when Louise dumped me for that douche with the Camaro? You bought out an ice cream parlour and a liquor store to make me feel better, then you invented a new sort of glue, broke into the douche's dorm room and stuck everything in there to the ceiling."
He remembered. It had seemed funny at the time. "I just wanted you to stop moping," he explained hesitantly.
"And the first time I was sent over seas," Rhodey went on, still looking straight at him. "I told you how much it sucked that I was going to be the only guy in the squadron without family there to see him off, and you skipped out on the first board meeting your Dad ever invited you to so you could come say goodbye and I wouldn't be alone."
"So I blew off a board meeting," he said with a shrug. "I've blown off hundreds. Just ask Pe...just ask anyone."
Rhodey nodded. "And you remember a few years back when I called you at three o'clock in the morning from some shithole south of Tijuana, drunk and crazy, and told you I had to get to Arlington? You came and got me in a private jet and you stood there in the rain for six hours while I looked at gravestones, and then you bought me a bunch of drinks and let me tell you about them."
He remembered that day. He'd been scared and uncomfortable, and he'd just tried to do whatever seemed like a good idea with no real clue whether anything he was doing was helping. "I just..." He shrugged again. He didn't know what to say.
"That stuff mattered to me, Tony," Rhodey said softly. "It mattered a lot."
Yeah, Tony could almost wish Rhodey was friends with him for his money or gadgets. At least that was something he could rely on. All those things Rhodey talked about, he hadn't set out to do them, so how could he count on being able to do them again so Rhodey would stick around? So much more likely he would screw it all up like he always did.
"When I'm in trouble, you're my first phone call," Rhodey said, rubbing his hand across his face. "And I can deal with the fact that you wouldn't say the same. What kills me is knowing that when you're in trouble, you don't call anyone."
"I'm not in trouble," he said automatically, and Rhodey's eyes called him a liar. "I should...yeah, I should go. And you should sleep, you have an early start tomorrow. Oh, and I had JARVIS yank all the photos of tonight off the news and social media. You said you were AWOL, right, so I figured if pictures turned up of you getting in barfights in New York someone might just figure out you're not where you're supposed to be."
"Thanks," Rhodey said quietly. "Tony - "
" - no," he said hastily, and now he was running away. "Sleep. I'll see you in the morning, bright and early, Honey Bear."
"Sure," Rhodey said, defeated, as he walked away. "Goodnight, Tony."
He practically ran to the elevator, his fingernails digging deep into his palms. He could still hear Rhodey's voice echoing in his ears, and the warmth and sincerity made him want to scream. No, that wasn't right. That wasn't what he deserved.
He hesitated outside the apartment door, imagining Mark on the other side, waiting for him. He wondered what would happen if he turned round now and went back and told Rhodey what was waiting for him...?
Squaring his shoulders, he pushed open the door, and Mark was on him in an instant, shoving him up against the door, tearing his shirt aside, his hands gripping Tony's arms tight as he trailed searing kisses down his collar bone, just below the bruises which spread out from his throat.
"I'm sorry," he whispered in Tony's ear. "About your friend."
"I don't think he'll be around much," Tony managed to say.
"Good," Mark said fiercely, pressing his body hard against Tony, and kissing him with an almost vicious lust.
Tony closed his eyes and surrendered to the passion, and the punch, when it came, didn't surprise him one bit.
Rhodey groaned and slumped back against the wall as Tony ran away. "I guess I screwed that up," he said miserably.
"On the contrary, I believe it is good for Mr Stark to hear that he is valued for reasons beyond money, sex and technology," JARVIS answered. "Given time to reflect, he may come to appreciate your words."
He wasn't altogether surprised that JARVIS had been listening. They had been talking in a public area, after all, and JARVIS was at least as invested in Tony's well-being as Rhodey was. "Yeah," he answered heavily. "Too bad time isn't exactly something I've got to spare." He was leaving in about five hours and he didn't know what was going on with Tony, and he had no idea how to fix it. God, hadn't he just got through saying how Tony wouldn't confide in him? Maybe if Tony could rely on him sticking around, he just might.
And if he went back now, no one would be left looking out for Tony.
Closing his eyes for a second, he reached inside his pocket and pulled out his phone and dialled a number without even looking.
"Colonel Harrity," the voice said brusquely.
"Harrity? It's Rhodes," he said in a low voice.
"Jim!" Harrity said enthusiastically. "How are you enjoying your pass? I thought we'd get a drink in the officer's club last night but you were nowhere to be found."
"Yeah." He swallowed hard. "Something came up. Listen, how much of a problem would it be if I didn't come back tomorrow?"
There was silence. "That's not funny, Rhodes," Harrity said eventually.
"Wasn't trying to be," he said. "Seriously, what would happen if I didn't come back right at this moment?"
Harrity didn't even hesitate. "Seriously? We might just lose Hawaii."
"Fuck," he said quietly, staring round the tower with a feeling of quiet desperation. This wasn't fair. Why did Tony have to go and make him indispensable.
"Look, Jim," Harrity began in a soothing voice. "I can't imagine how tired you must feel. And I'm not going to ask where you are right now, just...make sure you're back tomorrow morning. Okay?"
"I'll be there," he promised dully. He didn't have much choice. He couldn't put one man, even Tony, over a million people.
"Good," Harrity said, relieved. "Now, try and get some rest. I'll see you soon, Rhodes."
"See you soon," he echoed, and he hung up. "Fuck." Angrily, he smashed his head back against the wall, and it wasn't enough, so he did it again. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck."
"Colonel Rhodes," JARVIS said sternly. "If you continue this behaviour I will need to summon someone to stop you."
"Right," he said bitterly. "No self-destructive behaviour in the tower unless you're Tony, huh?" He clenched his fists tightly. "I can't stay, JARVIS."
"I gathered as much, Colonel," JARVIS told him gently. "And I would add that Mr Stark would not thank you for prioritising his well-being over others' safety."
"I know," he said. "That doesn't make it any easier. He glanced up at the ceiling out of habit. "What am I going to do JARVIS? I know you can't tell me anything, but something's wrong here, and I can't just leave without doing something."
If circumstances were different, he'd call Pepper and ask her to keep a close eye on Tony. And even though he hadn't had a chance to talk to her, he doubted she had any intention of cutting herself out of Tony's life altogether, but still, right now she was part of the problem, not the solution. And the Avengers obviously weren't going to listen to him.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Who does Tony trust right now?" he asked, already suspecting the answer would be 'no one'.
"Mr Lowing," JARVIS said promptly, and that might just be worse.
"Anyone else?" he requested hopefully.
There was a minuscule pause. "Mr Stark was always partial to Agent Coulson," JARVIS said slowly.
"The SHIELD agent?" Rhodey said incredulously. "I thought he trusted them about as far as he could throw that helicarrier of theirs."
"Indeed," JARVIS agreed. "But he has been inclined to listen to Agent Coulson in the past, and I believe Agent Coulson has generally dealt fairly and openly with Mr Stark as opposed to certain other parties."
"Okay..." Rhodey said slowly, mind whirling. It was a possibility at least. He yawned suddenly.
"Colonel Rhodes, you really should get some sleep," JARVIS said, sounding worried. "My scans suggest you are under a great deal of stress."
"No kidding," he said with a sigh. "Alright, JARVIS. Do me a favour and wake me in four hours, huh? I want to get a shower before I leave."
"Of course, Colonel," JARVIS agreed.
Five hours later found him knocking lightly on Tony's door, needing to get out to the landing pad. Tony opened the door almost immediately, fully dressed. Mark was sitting on the sofa, facing the door, completely naked, his legs spread wide. He met Rhodey's eyes with an amused smirk.
Rhodey didn't even blink. He wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing the reaction he wanted. Though he did smile a little inside to see the dark bruises standing out on Mark's chest. Served the bastard right.
"Morning," he said to Tony with a warm smile.
Tony nodded slightly but didn't say anything, which wasn't altogether unusual for Tony this early in the morning.
"I need to get going," he said regretfully, walking towards the balcony. "Is everything ready?"
"Yeah," Tony nodded. "All fuelled up, and I had JARVIS load some new targeting algorithms for you."
"Thanks, Tony," he smiled. He stepped out onto the balcony and let the assembly rig put on the armour for him. It was definitely quicker than doing it manually, but it still wasn't that convenient. He looked at Tony. "Any chance I could get some of those bracelets at some point?" he asked hopefully.
Tony shook his head, his eyes blank. "No. It's too easy for them to be taken off you. I'm working on something better."
"Okay," he said, frowning slightly. "I wasn't serious anyway." Tony still looked tired, and he didn't think it was anything to do with how early it was. He glanced back towards the penthouse, but Mark had only followed them as far as the door at least. Last chance. "Can you tell me what's wrong, Tony?" he said in a low voice so as not to be overheard. "Please?"
Once again, Tony just shook his head and said nothing.
He sighed, and with a sudden impulse he stepped forwards and wrapped his arms round Tony, hugging him tightly. He couldn't feel Tony through the armour and he wished he'd thought to do this before he put it on. "I love you, man," he whispered in Tony's ear. "Remember that, okay?"
He stepped back, and prepared to fly off.
"Rhodey," Tony said quickly. "Be careful out there, okay?"
There was bright fear in Tony's eyes. Rhodey nodded. "I will," he promised. "You too, okay?"
"Sure," Tony agreed with a tired smile. "See you, Rhodey."
He flew off and waited until he was well outside New York before making the call. It went to voicemail, which at six o'clock in the morning probably wasn't so surprising. "Agent Coulson?" he began. "This is Colonel Rhodes. I want to talk to you about Tony Stark."
