Ok, so he feels like he just ripped out his arc reactor by rejecting Captain America.

He rejected probably the only person on the planet who can still like him after dealing with him on a daily basis.

He rejected Steve.

Who knew someone could look so terribly crushed while trying to smile?

'Jarvis, where's Rhodey?'

'Colonel Rhodes is in his suite reading. Shall I place a call?'

'Yeah,' he's dropped back to the floor now Steve's gone.

'Hey, Tones, what's up?'

'I broke Captain America.'

'What?' Rhodey doesn't sound impressed.

'He implied he wanted to be with me and I shot him down.'

'Literally?!' he can hear the sudden alarm in his friend's voice.

'Figuratively,' he corrects with an eye roll.

'Right,' Rhodey lets out what must be a sigh of relief.

'What do I do?'
'Tony, if you rejected him he probably doesn't want anything to do with you right now,' he can see his friend is leaving his room.

'We need to be ok,' he pushes his fingers through his hair. 'There's too much riding on us.'

'I've seen the way you look at him,' he gets a look. 'I'm not surprised if he thought he had a shot.'

'I can't be with him,' he dismisses, 'not like that.'

Rhodey's gaze sharpens,

'Tony, if you are seriously telling me you are lying to that man for his own good again...'

'Rhodes, this isn't the same.'

'It sounds pretty similar to me.'

Aren't friends supposed to be more supportive than this?

He never gets this from Jarvis.

'You in the ballroom?' Rhodey shifts on the screen, 'I'm coming to you,' the connection drops.

'He's forgiving me for Jim, so he'll forgive me for this, right Jay?'

'I don't believe Captain Rogers believes this is something he needs to forgive you for, sir.'

'I rejected him.'

'I suspect Captain Rogers believes the fault to be with himself, rather than with you.'

'He thinks I rejected him because of... him?'

'You have given him no other reason for your decision.'

'We'd be a terrible match,' he points out as Rhodey enters the room. 'I told him so; we're from completely different times, we have completely different interests and if we fall out, and fall out properly, then we mess up the Avengers and... my kids.'

'Tony, have you considered telling him your reasons rather than pretending you aren't interested?'

'That would be ok?' he asks. 'That doesn't sound like a thing that would be ok.'

'Better than making the guy think he imagined your flirting.'

'I flirt with everyone.'

'Uh huh?' Rhodey doesn't sound convinced. He spots a sandwich on the table and lifts one corner of the bread to investigate,

'I flirt with you.'

'Tony, you like him,' he's ignored.

'Yeah,' he takes a bite, 'but that doesn't change anything.'

'You're so certain that it'll end badly.'

'Playing the odds,' he shrugs. 'And the risk to the team and to my boys if we break up isn't...'

'Isn't worth the possibility of a happy, lasting, romantic relationship with the father of your son?'

'This is the same game I played when I took the risk with Pepper; I'm actually trying to be more mature now. Do you realise what could have happened if Pep held a grudge when we broke up?'

'And you don't think you learnt anything from that experience that could make you better at this?'

'I learnt that even someone as amazing, brilliant and patient as Pepper can't handle being with a jerk like me.'

He gets a glare for that,

'Let's be fair here; you and Pepper broke up because the two of you were too busy running SI to have time for each other.'

'It's not like we have time for anyone else either,' he shrugs. 'And Pep was the one who pointed it out; I was happy.'

'You told me it was mutual.'

'It was mutual. Just as soon as I realised she wasn't happy.'

'Tony...'

'And you know what? Maybe Steve wouldn't do that. Maybe he'd stick it out for the kids and the team and he'd see I was happy and he'd just be stuck in a relationship he didn't want anymore and that isn't any better than him leaving.'

'Why when looking forwards do you always come to the worst possible scenario?'

'Because those are the ones to plan for,' he takes another bite of the mystery sandwich. Rhodey shakes his head and sighs,

'You're impossible.'

'We just need to be friends,' he reasons. 'He can be happy like that, right?'

'Can you?'