Little follow up to the last one-shot that came to mind! :) Please do enjoy!! Thank you for all the great reviews!! I dedicate this to you guys!! Disclaimer: Do you think I ACTUALLY own Iron Man? Wow.
1979…The same fateful day that the young Tony and Pepper had met…
"Hey Rhodey!" The five year old Tony Stark greeted his older friend, turning around from his sketch of a plan for a rocket he wanted to build. "Come see my sketch!"
"Hey Tony!" The eight year old Rhodes greeted his younger friend with some older authority within his voice. He walked over to the desk Tony was sitting at to look at the plans he was drawing out. "That's really cool. Are you gonna build it?"
"Of course, Rhodes. Why not?" Tony smirked up at his friend. "Do you wanna help me?"
"Sure! That sounds fun!" Rhodey pulled up a chair to Tony's desk.
The two were on the top floor of the main office building of Stark Industries where the meeting was just about to begin. Howard Stark had placed a desk within his vast CEO office where his son could design anything he wished to keep him occupied during meetings such as these.
"I just have to finish the tail then we can ask my dad if we can go downstairs to the labs to build this thing." Tony grinned eagerly at the thought of his newest project.
"Umm…alright. I don't know the math stuff like you do, Tony." Rhodey looked over the five year olds shoulder at the extremely complex design. "So just tell me where to use the screw driver."
"You got it." Tony laughed, not understanding why everyone else in the world couldn't design inventions like he could. "We'll, I'm done. Let's go Rhodey!" Tony eagerly got up out of his seat, his design in one hand and the collar of James Rhodes' shirt in the other, yanking him towards the door.
"Daddy! I want to see Tony!" The four year old Pepper cried as her dad stepped out of the car in the Stark Industries parking lot. "He's my friend!"
"Virginia, I'm sorry but you can't come!" Mr. Potts comforted her daughter through the car's open window, still highly doubtful that their four year old daughter knew Tony Stark, the child protégée of Howard Stark, the protector of the United States, ruler of the weapons industry, Mr. Pott's employer. "Errr…he might not be there sweetie." He smiled sheepishly at the now screaming and bawling little girl.
While poor little Pepper was too distracted by her disappointment in not being able to go into the company with her father, the two parents whispered to each other through the open front passenger's seat window.
"Honey, just take her in to see if he's there. Ask at the front desk. I'll wait out here with the car. It'll calm her down, I don't want her crying all the way home. You know how persistent she is." The mother whispered, eyeing her young daughter.
"Fine." Mr. Potts sighed, opening the van door to get Pepper out of her car seat. "I'll go ask. Come on Virginia." He unbuckled his daughter and lifted her out of the car. Pepper's expression became one of pure joy at the realization at what was going on. She took her father's hand willingly, the two walking side by side to the front doors of Stark Industries, Mr. Potts looking back to Mrs. Potts to throw her an uneasy glance.
The father and daughter duo approached the front desk.
"Umm…Hi." Mr. Potts nervously approached the young blonde secretary sitting at the desk smiling. She looked from the father down to the daughter and a confused look appeared on her face.
"…Can I help you?"She asked, thinking the two were lost.
"Err…yes. I have to be at the meeting about to take place with Mr. Stark and Mr. Stane." Mr. Potts held his Stark Industries idea out in front of him so the woman could verify. "And umm…my daughter was wondering if Mr. Stark's son would be here…" He paused and added sheepishly. "She apparently knows him."
"Sir, I can let you in but-" She was cut off.
"Pepper!" An excited little boy with wide brown eyes and almost jet black hair jogged over to Mr. Potts's daughter. The father just stood there in awe that this little four year old girl was correct about something so unlikely to happen to an average human being. Little Virginia was able to meet one of the Starks before he had had the chance to, and he was an adult who worked for their company! And why had this little boy called her Pepper?
"Tony!" Virginia gasped, tugging at her father's shirt. "See! I told you he was here!" The little girl giggled, letting go of her father and running to meet her friend.
A tall and older looking black boy carrying what looked to be a design approached the two. He was looking it over, deep in thought. "Umm…hey Tony..?" He looked up from the paper. "Oh-hi." He smiled noticing Pepper.
"Pepper, this is my friend, James Rhodes." Tony introduced the two. "Better known to me as Rhodey!" He grinned, then pointed to Pepper. "And Rhodes, this is Virginia Potts. I call her Pepper." Tony looked up to meet the eight year old's eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Rhodey." Pepper greeted shyly.
"You too." Rhodey grinned down at the little girl.
Mr. Potts, still flabbergasted and standing in the same spot, watching the young children's conversation with interest, suddenly looked at his watch.
I'm going to be late!" He swore silently within his mind as to not upset the still innocent kids before him. He ran over to his daughter, kneeling down to face her gaze. "Virginia honey, daddy's going to work now. Do you want me to bring you back to mommy or do you want to play with your friends?"
"Can I stay with Tony and Rhodey, daddy?" She pleaded, her amazingly blue pupils enlarging into puppy dog eyes. The father sighed, standing up.
"I guess so." He was already half jogging towards the elevator. "I'll call her on the way upstairs. Please, don't get into trouble, honey!" The heavy metal doors closed in front of him as he boarded the lift.
"You can help me and Rhodey build our rocket, then?" Tony looked pleased. He grabbed both Pepper and Rhodey by the hands leading them out of the office building and to the lab. "Great! Come on!"
Clinking, hammering, welding, and the sounds of the three friends' laughter could be heard by all the scientists throughout the lab building. These scientists just shook their heads, smiled to themselves and tried to reminisce as to how easy life must have been at such an age of innocence.
It was here, that faithful day within that lab, in which Tony, Pepper and Rhodey formed their everlasting allegiance; a true friendship that is as rare as the blue moon.
Tony stood at one of the lab tables, the diagram of the rocket flattened out on the surface before him and tried to explain to his friends what materials he would need. Pepper and Rhodey, listening somewhat intently (or as intently as children under 10 years can) to Tony's complex list would then frantically search around the room for what they perceived as being said object. Sometimes however, when they really didn't understand their genius friend, they would ask for an exact definition as to what the item was and looked like. Tony would raise his eyebrows, laugh and then explain.
While building the rocket, the trio gathered around the material filled table, allowing Tony to figure out all the complicated math and statistics needed inside his head. Tony was the ring leader of the project, telling his two friends where to screw and where to place certain pods and where to put the fuel. Mostly, the young genius built it; Pepper and Rhodey mostly just watched in amazement and then helped when they could, which was rarely.
Rhodey sometimes took to entertaining Pepper while Tony worked on the harder parts. The eight year old, being as tall as he was, was able to give young four year old Pepper piggy back rides around the lab and even took to playing catch with her when they found one of Tony's lost tennis balls under a tool container. Tony even joined in on the fun by throwing in some fun science facts about the phases of the moon every now and then, intruging both his friends.
After an incredible mere two hours, the trio marched outside, each helping to carry their new rocket to the parking lot to launch. The trio carefully set their project in the middle of the parking lot where there were no cars around. As soon as everything seemed in place, they backed up to a safe distance.
"Are you guys ready?" Tony laughed, pulling out the incredibly small control panel from his pants pocket.
"Yes!" Rhodey exclaimed triumphantly.
"Wait-" Pepper held out her hand to stop Tony from pressing the button. "Shouldn't we name it?"
"Name it?" The five year old Tony looked incredulously at her. "Where did you come up with that idea, Potts?"
"I dunno." Pepper shrugged. "It just seems like we should."
"We should!" Rhodey grinned at the idea. "How about 'Speedy'?"
Both Tony and Pepper looked towards their friend with raised eyebrows.
"Nah. Bad idea, Rhodes." Tony shook his head. "How about 'Starblazer'?" Tony felt that his name would win.
"Hey…" Pepper thought for a second. "Tony…remember what you said about the blue moon? How it sometimes isn't always there?"
"Mhm" Tony murmured distractedly, stroking the control pad, still aiming for the name Starblazer.
"We should call it Blue Moon, then!" Pepper clapped happily.
"Why?" Tony was offended that his name didn't get chosen over hers. He didn't like the feeling of loosing.
"Because," Pepper grinned at Tony and Rhodey. "Getting good friends is hard to do." She began. "The blue moon is hard to find or see. Like good friends are hard to find, but are also a special thing to have."