Disclaimer: I do not own anything that I have written. Yep, that is right, I own not even one iota of the below work.

Warnings: Cannon violence, sexuality, and blood. Possibly worse language than the actual movie. Will contain homosexual relationships.

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Chapter Five

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"About time, let me know when he gets here, okay?" Tony responded, getting ready for a fight of two different types. Sparing with Wade was going to be fun, at least compared to having to deal with the emotional upheaval that Rhodes' arrival would bring.

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The session went just about as well as you could expect. That is, Tony spent the majority of it with his ass practically embedded in the mat, Wade and Tony using it to exchange playful insults and witticisms. Hours of it passed, and for once, there was no soreness in Tony's body for a few hours. The whole thing was becoming increasingly more pleasurable of an activity now that the inventor did not have to deal with pain for hours afterward. The Stark could even tell that he was improving at a rather remarkable rate.

"The Colonel has arrived, sir." JARVIS spoke, starling Tony, and resulting in him being flipped onto the ground yet again.

"Military? Did I tell you I used to be in the military, they kicked me out though... Something about inability to follow orders." Wade mentioned, holding out a gloved hand to help pull Tony to his feet.

"That does explain why we get along so well." Tony stated, and it should have been in good humour, but there was terseness in his voice that was not there five minutes ago.

"Well, I have a job going on for the next week, got too unalive a real baddy, so I'll see you around Tuesday." Wade mentioned, before literally disappearing before Tony's eyes.

The Stark blinked, staring at the spot that used to hold his friend. A friend that was there one second ago – Then was not the next second. Wade could teleport fucking teleport, and the mercenary had not told him. What a mean friend Tony had chosen for himself. The genius withheld the urge to pout as he walked into the kitchen, trying to keep his mind off the most likely inevitable -

"TONY!" The word bounced off the walls, the borderline aggressive tone definitely registering.

Fight...

"Rhodes! I've missed you buddy." Tony spoke as he rounded the corner, his vision immediately filling with the sight of his oldest friend; Tony forced himself to open up, as though offering a hug to the man. Really, all Tony wanted to do was wrap his arms around himself. The last person who took his tech had also taken his arc-reactour...

"I apologized; I even told you I was going to give the armour back. You impatient son of a bastard." Rhodes spoke, but there was a friendly grin on his face, teasing even. The man actually went in for the hug, giving Tony a 'bro pat' on his back.

That was exactly the problem with the situation. How could Tony tell if the man was actually apologizing, or if he was just doing, is so that he might get access to the technology again? The genius desperately wanted to believe him, there was nothing Tony wanted more than to be able to take his oldest, best friend at his word. Still, Tony knew better than that, the betrayals of Stane and Rhodes both had taught him better than that. Sure, Tony been planning to actually give Rhodes a suit – As a gift, as something Tony purposely gave to him. Not stolen property... The only reason Rhodes had gotten off the ground with that suit was because Tony had been planning to give it to the man after the party.

"Well, you know me, can't resist the dramatics..." Tony gave a fake chuckle, and James noticed, looking confused as to why the genius was doing so, "Why did you do it?"

"Steal the suit?" Rhodes clarified.

"You know about my issues with people touching my stuff, Rhodes. Especially after Stane, I can't understand what could possible possess you to think it was a good idea to take my technology." Tony eventually managed, looking more mildly depressed than angry.

"Tony... I told you, I had to do it. I was ordered to... I am sorry, very sorry that I did it, but if I had to go back in time I would still do the same." Rhodes spoke, and his convictions were very clear on the matter. Tony fought the desperate chuckle that eventually slipped out of him.

It was an actual apology – A heartfelt one, but one that did not matter at all, because Rhodes still thought he had done the right thing. It was more of an 'I'm sorry I hurt your feelings' than an 'I am sorry I did something wrong' and the idea of it was degrading. Rhodes cared more about military orders than he did his own friend. If the situation was reversed, Tony might have torn down the agency that attempted to get him to hurt his friend.

Maybe just a sign that Rhodes did not care about Tony as much as Tony cared about him.

"Alright then Colonel I prepared something for you." Tony practically spat out, but contained his anger. Usually he could just brush something like this off and laugh, completely hiding his hurt... With Pepper gone though, he had no one else to fall back on emotionally. So, Tony led Rhodes into his workshop and stopped in front of a familiar silver suit.

"You will not allow anyone other than yourself or me to touch it, Colonel. If someone else does, then the coding will make sure it explodes. I'm not kidding, it will kill whoever else gets in the suit, and anything left of the suit will be completely unusable." Tony explained, his voice blank, "I won't have some second rate getting their hands on my technology. This suit is yours though, like I had planned on from the beginning, you know, before you stole it from me."

"Listen Tony –"

"No, you listen! I have been having a bad time this month, so I will make it abundantly clear. I trusted you, and you decided that your military overlords were more important than your friendship with me. A friendship that was going to end with you getting a suit the very night that you stole it! If you had just pretended to be a real, true friend for a little while longer, an hour, even... Then again, you are brainwashed by the American propaganda, you probably think that we live in the best country there is. No wonder your orders are more important than your friends." Tony finished sardonically, a dark chuckle leaving his lips, "Maybe, just maybe you can earn my forgiveness, by actually taking care of my present to you this time. Of course, if you do not, I made sure to give you a nasty surprise this time. Now take it, and get out of my house."

Tony stared down his friend. The genius rather wanted to stomp up to his room and hide, but that would destroy the image hurt maturity he was attempting to display here. After all, for someone as hard-headed as Rhodes, you really needed to drive the words home effectively. Inwardly, Tony had a desperate hope that Rhodes would not leave, because if he did, then he would not get a second chance. All Rhodes had to do was stop, turn to Tony, and give that actual apology.

Instead, the man got in his suit, and flew away with only a sad glance back toward his once friend.

"I'm not sure I understand." JARVIS eventually broke in interrupting Tony's vacant staring.

"Shoot, Sweetie." Tony murmured, but did not have the energy to put his usual flare into the words.

"You are angry at the Colonel, yet you still gave him a suit. Wouldn't it have been more effective if you hadn't given it over?" JARVIS inquired, genuine curiosity in his tone. He really did not understand why Tony had gone about it as he had. Tony could understand his AI's point of view; it did seem a little bit weird.

"It's much more satisfying this way." Tony stated, his eyes darkening slightly as sadness faded into something more like anger, "Knowing that Rhodes will take that armour back to them, be forced into practical slave work with it because no one else can use it, forced to always make sure that no one else touches the suit out of fear of making me angrier... He will be constantly forced to make sure he does not betray me once again. I couldn't think of a more fitting punishment."