Rhodey felt awareness return to him slowly, and then all at once. There was a clawing in his stomach, and a dull pain throbbing through his whole body. What happened…?
Suddenly, the memories all came back to him. The imposter, the monsters, the pain. But now he was awake, he had to get up, he had to fight, and escape!
Rhodey's eyes snapped open, and he frantically tried to stand up, and get away. But there was something warm wrapped around him, and it wouldn't set him free. Let me go! Let me g-
The soft fabric underneath him was suddenly gone, and his body crashed onto the ground. The warmth was gone, and the pain had returned. He limp foot caught on something, and a loud shattering noise invaded his sensitive ears. He let out a cry of anguish, his blurry vision desperately trying to find an escape. There is none! I can't get out, I can't get out!
"Wha- Rhodey!" A strangely familiar voice called,"What are you doing? You need to get back into bed, you need to rest."
There were suddenly hands on his shoulders, pulling him back. "No!" He yelled, throwing his elbow back. It slammed into the thing behind him with a satisfying crack. The hands jerked away, and Rhodey fell back down.
His freedom didn't last long, and those hands returned. Rhodey struggled as much as he could. "Let me go! I'll kill you, I swear!" He snarled,"You won't get me again!"
"Rhodey, I'm not going to hurt you! Calm down!" The familiar voice snapped. When no pain followed after the voice spoke, Rhodey allowed himself to slow down and try to take in his surroundings.
The room had red bricks and cream walls, with brown hardwood floors. There was a mahogany desk with a laptop, an old fashioned radio, and lamp as well as a bookshelf stacked with items. Suddenly, the Colonel felt confused. This isn't the place those… Things took me..
There was a shuffle of movement, causing Rhodey to whip his head around quickly. Instead of the opaque monster he expected, he found himself staring at the exact opposite. It was a teenage boy with messy brown hair, brown eyes, marks on his wrists, and blood splattered on his face.
Rhodey narrowed his dark eyes, still suspicious that he might be in a trap. "Who the fuck are you?" He snarled, only to feel slight shame as the teen's worried face morphed into sadness.
"You.." He began, before faltering. He went to rub his pale hands together, before bringing his now sad chocolate eyes up towards him. "You don't recognize me, platypus?"
That simple word sent a bolt of nostalgic shock through the man. The only person who called him that was… "Tony?" He croaked.
That was it, it was Tony. He looked almost exactly like his college self, that lanky teenage brat whom Rhodey became friends with all those years ago. Those brown eyes jerked up once more, bright with hope. He smiled, nodding feverishly, before growing nervous. He moved closer, kneeling to Rhodey's height. Slowly, he tried to explain. "I'm sorry, I know this is all really weird, but I-"
Rhodey didn't allow his friend to continue, instead grabbing his shirt, and pulling the smaller into a large hug. He wrapped his scrawny arms around Tony as tightly as he could, and buried his face in the shoulder. All the brave defense he had been showing before melted away, revealing the despair underneath.
"Tony!" He wailed, shoulders shaking as tears tumbled. "I- I didn't know what happened to you, everyone thinks you died! I-I was looking for so.. So long! What happened?! Why didn't you come back?!"
Tony held his friend close, feeling guilt emerge in his chest at the sight of Rhodey's sorrow. He tightened his hold as gently as possible, and whispered,"I'm sorry, platypus, I'm so sorry… But I can explain everything now. But you have to stay in bed, that thing ate up a lot of you, it'll take a while to fix it."
Rhodey nodded, but he did not try to move. He was terrified that if he were to let go of his best friend, he would disappear once more. Tony seemed to understand, because he did not try to get up. Instead, they simply held each other for a long while, relishing at the feeling of finally being beside each other again.
Finally, Tony slowly moved out of the embrace, hitting the pillows to fluff them, and then leaning Rhodey back on them. "Okay, before I explain, I am going to get you some food. You wait here, alright?" He said, and instantly Rhodey grew concerned again. "I promise, I'll be right back."
Tony quickly left the room, feeling guilty all over again, but his best friend needed to eat. He sighed, looking towards the hallway. He then noticed a familiar fluffy cat on the ground. Wait.. I have an idea.
He wandered over, kneeling down next to her. "Hey, can you keep Rhodey company?" He asked,"I don't think it's a good idea for him to be alone after what he went through."
The tortoiseshell slowly blinked, and then tilted her head forward. "Of course I can," She meowed,"That human is skin and bones, I can make sure he becomes warmer for a while."
The cat raised her tail and trotted down the hall, soon vanishing through the doorway. Tony smiled thankfully, before heading back into the kitchen.
Within the kitchen was Castiel, who lifted his head at the sight of Tony. "He's awake?" He asked quickly. Tony nodded in return, moving to open the fridge.
Castiel looked like he wanted to say something else, but Tony was too busy muttering to himself to notice, frantic brown eyes glancing all over the room.
"Fruit.. But he needs something better than that. He's starving!" Tony was nervously whispering. His emotions and lack of concentration sent his magic flowing out.
Tony did not seem go notice, still nervously pacing. "Rice? But that takes an hour! He needs more than that!" He exclaimed.
Hands suddenly grabbed his shoulder, eliciting a cry of surprise from the druid. "Tony! You need to calm down," Castiel's gravel voice ordered,"Your magic is reacting."
Reacting? Tony thought in confusion, turning his head to look at the kitchen. To his surprise, many of the items, ranging from fruits to a few pots and pans, in the room were floating in the air. His chocolate eyes widened in surprise, cheeks heating up in shame.
The druid sighed, lowering his shoulders with a sigh. As he began to calm down, things slowly began to lower back down to where they were before. "I'm sorry, Cas," He softly said,"I'm just worried about Rhodey. I just want to make sure he's okay."
"If you panic, so will he," Castiel pointed out,"And so will your magic. Believe me, strong emotions and magic doesn't mix well."
Tony almost laughed. Oh, Cas. I could tell you some stories. He thought in amusement, but he was still thankful for the advice. He was still trying to learn how to control his powers, and having someone around who could help was a big relief.
"You're right, Cas. Thank you," Tony replied, giving a slight smile. The angel returned his expression, before walking over to the fridge. He pulled out a medium sized tupperware and handed it to the genius.
Tony looked in it, noticing it was leftover spaghetti and meatballs. "It's Deans, but he'll live," Castiel said.
The druid snorted, beginning to put the food into the microwave. "Are you sure we will when he comes back?" Tony questioned.
Castiel's eyes widened in terror, blue eyes flickering over to the now rotating plate of spaghetti in the microwave. He turned back to Tony, and quickly whispered,"How strong are your shields again?"
Rhodey was shaking with fear the entire time Tony was away, but focusing on his environment was difficult with all the confusion flowing through him. I don't understand… Where am I? Why does Tony look like a teenager? Why does he look perfectly fine?! If he was alright… Why didn't he say anything? Why didn't he come home?!
He looked around the room, taking in the brick walls and hardwood floors, along with the very simple furniture. There was a desk and bookshelf, but they were both empty. They weren't dusty, however. In fact, it looked as if someone had hastily cleared them off.
His brown eyes turned to the cat now nuzzled against his side, raising his eyebrow. "Hey, kitty. Do you have any idea what Tony has been doing?" He questioned jokingly.
If he didn't know any better, he would have said that the cat rolled her eyes at him. He sent an incredulous look towards the feline, before the sound of footsteps jerked him out of his thoughts.
Through the open doorway came his suddenly young friend, holding a plate of what looked like it was steaming and a glass of water. Rhodey's shoulders slumped in relief, and Tony returned the gesture with a gentle grin.
He slid back into the chair next to Rhodey, and placed the plate on the man's lap. "I'm pretty sure you're fucking starving," Tony simply declared.
Rhodey practically drooled at the sight of the noodle covered with the red sauce, the four meatballs on the plate seeming to complete the dish. He didn't even respond, he merely grabbed the fork and began scarfing down the spaghetti with a fervor.
"Be careful!" Tony warned,"We don't want you to get sick."
The colonel slowed his movement, curiosity now overcoming his hunger. "We?"He questioned the teen. Tony's eyes widened a fraction, as he nervously looked around for several seconds.
"W-well… Me and the people who saved me have live here. They were with me when we went hunting and found you," He explained, seemingly very interested in his thumbs.
"You? Hunting?" Rhodey teased.
"It's a different kind of hunting, platypus" The genius retorted, seemingly insulted.
Once again Rhodey's face scrunched up in confusion. He didn't focus on it, however, as his hunger was making itself known again. He gobbled up the last of his spaghetti, and placed the plate down with a happy sigh. It felt as if he hadn't eaten weeks, he was glad that feeling was gone.
He then looked over at his friend again, who looked rather nervous. "I.. I suppose you have questions?" The genius asked. Rhodey wanted to scoff. What kind of question is that?!
"Uh... Yeah!? I have lots of fucking questions, Tony!" He exclaimed,"What happened to you?! Why do you look like that? Where are we?! Why didn't you come home?!"
Tony began to look very uncomfortable. "W-well… It's hard to explain, Rhodey. It isn't exactly as simple as a suit made out of gold titanium alloy," He muttered softly.
Rhodey snorted, gaining a bit of amusement in his tone as he declared,"Nothing is simple with you, Tony."
The genius laughed in return, his eyes seeming to glow. No, seriously. Rhodey was pretty sure they were glowing. But he shook it off, more focus on on what the hell had happened to the both of them.
"I.." Tony awkwardly began,"I was kidnapped off the compound the day we were supposed to meet with Ross. They tortured me. I-I wasn't the only one, either… But I was the only one who survived. Then, Dean and Sam killed my captors and rescued me. I've been here ever since."
Rhodey turned his brown eyes towards his friend's wrists. "Is that why you're younger? And why you have those have those markings?" He asked.
Tony's eyes widened, and he quickly pulled his sleeves up with a blush of shame covering his cheeks. "Yeah," He simply answered, his eyes seeming to glow a color for a moment before it faded away.
I've seen it twice now… Now I know I'm not seeing things. Rhodey thought with narrowed eyes. Tony noticed his suspicious, and shuffled hesitantly in his chair. Even more suspicous, Rhodey decided to ask. "Why didn't you come back?"
Tony whipped back around to face him, looking surpised by the question. He stood up, moving a little farther away from the bed. "I couldn't." He firmly said.
"Why not?!" Rhodey snapped back,"Was it because you look like this? Tony, you know the press doesn't matter. The others and I wouldn't care what happened to you-"
"That's not it!" Tony snapped.
"Then what?!"
Tony opened his mouth to yell back, but then he heard the sound of the bunker opening. All the anxiety within him expanded to astronomical size, and he quickly said,"oh! T-that must be Sam and Dean! I'll be back!"
He dashed out of the room, running all the way back to the front of the bunker. When he saw the two men walk in, he excitedly said,"Sam! Dean! You're back!"
"Yep!" Dean said happily, making sure to ruffle the Druid's hair.
"We would have been back sooner if SOMEONE hadn't wanted to stop at every new restaurant we saw!" Sam declared, pointedly looking towards the shorter male.
Dean rolled his eyes, and replied,"Oh come on, only five of the stops were my fault. You didn't let me on the way there, so I had to it on the way back!"
"We had a hunt to finish first!" Sam argued, before turning towards Tony. "Besides, if we hadn't gotten there when we did, we wouldn't have been able to save Tony's friend."
Tony's thankful smile instantly melted into a cringeful grimace. "Ah… Yeah, about that," He began, lowering his voice and moving closer. "Could we not tell him about you being hunters or me being a druid yet? I would rather he get better before throwing all this new shit on him."
Sam's eyes were filled with understanding. "Don't worry Tony, you have our word," He replied,"It's probably for the best, anyways. I'd rather not have him go into shock."
Dean nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we've seen how people react when all this is suddenly shoved on them. Trust me, it isn't pretty. It's like accidentally opening a 70s Playboy magazine," He stated, heading for the kitchen to most likely purge the fridge of any edible food.
Sam scoffed, instantly knowing what was happening to their poor fridge. But, his face lit up, and he turned towards Tony. "Oh! Look what I got!" He exclaimed, pulling out a test vial that contained some slime from the creatures they killed earlier in the week.
"Whoa!" Tony exclaimed, eyes glowing a bright yellow. "How did you manage that?" He questioned.
Sam shrugged. "They weren't moving anymore. My theory is that it's a lot harder for them to reform when their parts are completely scattered," He answered,"Maybe we can study it!"
Tony jumped to his full height. "Yes! That would be awesome! Imagine what we may discover about them!" He chattered excitedly.
"Where the FUCK is my spaghetti?!" Dean's voice echoed through the bunker, causing Tony's chatter to come to a halt.
The druid quickly pointed finger guns towards Sam. "And on that note, I must run for my life!" The druid frantically exclaimed, before dashing back down the hall as fast as his enhanced body could take him.
Tony slowed to a stop just outside Rhodey's room, and leaned against the wall. When he poked his head around the corner, he noticed that Rhodey was slumped over with his eyes closed. The sheet had fallen down a bit, one scrawny arm was hanging over the and the empty plate was now resting on his chest.
After their spat a few moments ago, Tony was instantly suspicious. He wandered in the room, and looked toward his cat. "Asleep?" He asked as quiet as possible. The cat gave him a slow blink, before nodding her head.
Tony sighed in relief, and quickly moved to take his seat once more. He lifted a pale hand, and it began to glow with a green light. He then tool Rhodey's hand in his own, sending the healing aura throughout the man's body.
"Don't worry, Rhodey," He whispered,"You'll be better in no time. And then… Then I can tell you."
In the meantime, he would just continue to heal his friend's muscles and help him grow strong faster. Maybe feeling better would make Rhodey calm down.
Rhodey was ready to strangle someone.
Two weeks into his stay in the strange house, and he still was none the wiser to anything that was happening. Tony was hiding something, and so were the other three. Hell, maybe even the cat was hiding something!
After waking up, he had been introduced to Cas, Dean, and Sam. Cas was a strange fellow, who reminded him of Vision with his blank and blunt responses. Sam and Dean were interesting. Their personalities were what Rhodey imagined Tony would be like if his mind was split into two different people.
Dean was a jokester, and he and Tony would always be going back and forth with each other, it was almost like they were brothers. (Not that Rhodey was jealous or anything…).
Sam was really nice, he even made a meal plan for Rhodey to recover faster. It helped, but Rhodey found that he was still recovering extremely fast… Too fast.
He knew it had to do with Tony, but the damn genius still wasn't fessing up. He just continued to fuss over Rhodey and his injuries. But, after two weeks he was finally able to walk again, and damn did it feel good.
The strangest thing, however, was that he didn't need his leg braces anymore. It was as if his legs were brand new… But whenever he brought it up with Tony, the teen avoided the question. Rhodey decided not to worry about the issue anymore, and just be happy he had the ability to walk anymore.
Tony led him out of his room for the first time after those two weeks, and into the bunker. Rhodey examined every detail with curiosity, the hardwood floors, quartz walls, and the numerous bookshelves. "What exactly is this place?" He asked.
"The Men of Letters Bunker," Tony explained,"It's where we live. It's the safest place for our kind, safe from everything, built in 1935-"
"Wait, wait, our kind?" Rhodey questioned.
Tony's smirk fell, and he shuffled nervously. "U-uh, just people like Sam, Dean, Cas, and me. People who have been hurt, and other stuff."
Rhodey narrowed his eyes, still frustrated with the fact that Tony was obviously hiding something. But, he set it aside. Tony knew he was suspicious, and pushing the matter wasn't going to make the teen fess up.
Clapping his hands together, he looked at his friend. "So, what else does this place have to offer?" He asked.
Tony jumped up in excitement, and began leading his best friend through the bunker. The left the library, and Tony took him to the war room, the firing range, where the bedrooms are, the garage, and the Dean-cave. Rhodey wasn't blind to the fact there were some rooms that his best friend pointedly avoided.
They stopped in the kitchen this time, where Tony tossed his friend an apple. Rhodey caught it, thankful his reflexes were back, and then bit into it. As he chewed, he built up a plan in his head.
"So, is this bunker underground?" He asked curiously, leaning forward on the table. Tony smiled, picking up the cat that had been wandering by them.
"Yeah it is, there's an old power plant that is above it to throw people off. Only a few people know where the entrances are," Tony explained.
A plan formulated perfectly in his mind. "An old power plant?" He asked excitedly,"That sounds awesome! We should go up and look at it!"
Tony's eyebrows furrowed, and the cat stopped cleaning her paw for a moment. "W-well, I really dunno, Rhodey," He muttered,"You're still recovering-"
"-And fresh air would do a lot for my health, right?" He interrupted, feeling a little guilty for doing so but desperate to get Tony alone.
The teen seemed to consider his idea, staring down at his own apple for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "Sure, why not?' He said, hopping off the stool. Just as Rhodey went to follow, Tony quickly added,"But we can't go too far! Sam and Dean will worry."
Rhodey nodded, secretly feeling a frustrating jealousy at the mention of those two. They were very kind to him, but the colonel knew that they had something to do with the reason Tony wouldn't return home. But, considering how close Tony was to them as well, he kept his mouth shut.
They climbed up the balcony, and went to the exit. Outside of the bunker was a gray, gloomy sky and trees that were empty of leaves, most of them now resting on the ground. Rhodey turned, looking towards the old power plant.
He thought the bunker was quite well hidden, considering that it was in the middle of nowhere. Rhodey himself probably would have passed over it a few times himself while searching for his friend.
That reminds me….
Turning towards Tony, who was staring up at the sky silently, he demanded,"Tony. I want a straight answer. Why didn't you come back?"
He saw the calm, relaxed expression fade in an instant, becoming filled with frustration. "Is that the reason you brought me out here?" Tony demanded,"So you could interrogate me again?!"
"W-well you won't tell me anything in front of them!" Rhodey snapped,"So I thought that maybe if I got you alone-"
"What the fuck is your problem?! They've been nothing but nice to you this whole time? Why are you suspicious of everything we do?!" Tony angrily snarled.
Rhodey threw his hands up into the air. "WELL, MY FUCKING BAD!" He sarcastically yelled,"I'm so sorry that I'm not okay with my best friend vanishing and then deciding not to come home after finding these three weirdos and the fountain of youth. I'm sorry I'm not okay with you prancing around for no reason!"
"It's not like that!" Tony persisted.
"THEN WHAT?!" Rhodey snapped, making the younger man flinch backwards, hands going up to cover his ears. But, just before his hands made contact, Rhodey saw the teen freeze. His hands dropped into a cautious position, turning towards the trees nearby.
After a few seconds of silence, Tony suddenly whispered,"Rhodey, go inside."
The man whipped around in an instant. "What? No! We are NOT done talking yet!" He snapped loudly.
"Rhodey! If you know what's good for you, shut up!" Tony frantically whispered. The older man, still feeling enraged, opened his mouth to yell at the man once more. Tony quickly reacted, slapping his hand over the colonel's mouth and holding it there.
Before Rhodey could even think about fighting the hold, he saw exactly what Tony was looking at. Out of the trees wandered a human, looking creature that was on all fours. As it came out into the light, Rhodey cringed at the wormy skin it had. It was pale, with prominent veins and skin folds, and pitch black eyes.
"Rugaru…" Tony whispered fearfully. The colonel had no idea what a rugaru was, but he kept his wide eyes on the monster in front of him. It growled at Tony the moment he spoke,and then began to sniff the air. It stopped, wide eyes turning toward Rhodey.
It flew forward, so fast Rhodey could barely see it. "No!" Tony yelled, pushing the colonel behind him and throwing up his hands. Tony's hands lit up with blue, a dome-like shield suddenly surrounded the two of them. The Rugaru smashed into it with an angry screech, scratching at it with animalistic vigor.
Tony's shield suddenly vanished, making the monster falter and nearly fall over. In that instantly, Tony rammed his shoulder into it's chest, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. The monster scratched at Tony with all its might, and reaching for Rhodey with one hand.
"Get Sam and Dean!" Tony yelled, making the frantic Rhodey jump from his thoughts. He nodded, and stumbled back into the bunker as fast as his newly healed legs could take him.
The Rugaru let out a monstrous roar at losing his prey, slamming it's hand into Tony's face. His strength sent the druid tumbling nearby.
It dashed towards Rhodey, who was just opening the door. Tony quickly raised a forcefield in front of it, causing it to smack against it once more. Then, the brunette ran forward, pinning it to the ground.
It fought, struggling against Tony once more, but a hot resolve was flowing through the druid. He felt hatred, and a fury towards the monster. "I just got Rhodey back, I'm not going to lose him again!" Tony yelled, and the burning that had been surrounding his heart suddenly reached his hands.
His hands burst into flames, the Rugara instantly let out a horrified scream as his body started to burn, thrashing even more violently under Tony's hold. Tony didn't let up, allowing his hatred to fill his whole body.
Just as his brothers and best friend ran out with their weapons, Tony's flames completely engulfed the man's body. The druid stumbled to his feet, watching the monster's screeching until the body was nothing but a pile of ash.
Nobody spoke for several seconds, the only sound was their frantic breathing. Rhodey looked at the three others, then back at the monster's ashes. "What.." He panted,"What happened? What was that thing?!"
"A Rugaru," Sam told him. "They are humans that turn into monsters and feed on human flesh."
A sense of dread filled Tony as he realized exactly what had just happened. He had almost been killed… Again. Tony saved his life once more.
After he let this sink in, he pointed a shaky hand towards his friend. "B-but if it eats humans, why was it only chasing after me?" He worriedly asked.
"Because I'm not human anymore, Rhodey," Tony's nervous voice reached his ears. He turned his wide chocolate eyes towards his best friend, who pushed back his hair and lifted up his shirt.
Pointed ears, sharp teeth, a tail…
Rhodey decided in that instant that Tony was smart not to tell him about this revelation earlier, because the next thing that happened was Rhodey''s eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell over in a dead faint.
