"It just made sense. Instead of only all purpose machines I could create many to serve separate purposes. I still have one that's for everything but some that serve a greater, more singular purpose." Tony took a drink of the rum and coke from its tall glass. He was usually more of a scotch guy but this would be easier on his stomach. It was far too easy for Tony to fall into the bottom of a bottle of scotch these days.

Seated at a worn table in the far corner of a dimly lit bar, Tony felt much more like himself that afternoon. No more fear gripping his lungs, no more flashbacks. When he blinked, all he saw was darkness, thank the stars. Seated across from him was James Rhodes, a military man through and through. A vodka soda in hand, he listened intently. Rhodey had always been an excellent listener. It was part of how they'd stayed friends all these years. Tony was a talker. He couldn't help it. The sound of his voice was one he greatly enjoyed. He'd spent his whole life with everyone hanging on his every word.

Even if Tony was acting more like himself, Rhodey could still tell something was wrong. The way Tony talked about his army of Iron Man armor was concerning. He'd never referred to them as weapons before but rather as an extension of himself. Now Tony was preparing an arsenal. Why? What enemies did Tony Stark think he had to ward off? There had been relative peace since the Battle of New York. Then again, Tony hadn't spoken much about it. Either way, Rhodey knew something was wrong and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

Even though his friend was stubborn as a mule and never asked for help it didn't mean he should go without. Rhodey knew better than most how to handle Tony Stark. He had his suspicions, but he couldn't confirm what Tony was going through until he learned more.

"There's no need for deep sea adaptability in a suit I only plan on wearing on the fly. Just like there's no need for stealth on suits designed to lift tremendous weight. I figured it made sense to have a variety. Plus I could expand upon ideas I've glazed over in the past because the technology would be too bulky for older Marks. I still, of course, have my multipurpose suit but these would be specialty suits with specific purposes." Tony beamed with pride. It felt good to talk about his work. No one listened to him these days.

"So, you've created your own army then?" Rhodey was only half joking.

"Not an army." Tony quickly corrected. "Why does everyone assume I'm preparing for war? I happen to be creative."

"Can't think of a single reason why I would think that, Tony." Rhodey chuckled and Tony promptly rolled his eyes and rapped his fingers against the table anxiously.

"They're more like tools. I'm not building soldiers. I'm building… think of it as a Swiss Army Knife. You wouldn't use a screwdriver to open a bottle of wine if you had a corkscrew, would you?" Tony hoped this example would explain it better. In reality, Tony was just trying to feel safe. And he would keep building until then. It wasn't going great so far, but it was all he could think to do. When he thought he made progress, he would wake up on his lonely couch after a horrible nightmare and start again. It was a vicious cycle.

"I get it." Rhodey placed his hand to his chin thoughtfully while Tony continued on about his suits. He stopped listening. Despite his friend's enthusiasm, he wasn't himself. He, of course, always bragged about his latest innovations but he'd never felt the need to justify them before unless they got into a real debate. Most of the time he laughed it off.

"For my latest design I've been working on a new method of summoning the armor." Tony thought of the suit lying in pieces in his basement. He'd been working on it when he came up with the anti-gravity device. "If I could summon the suit to me piece by piece then it'd be more convenient than having to keep it close to me at all times in case of emergencies."

"Remember when you used to just… go out without the suit?" Rhodey posed the question and Tony was thrown off. He couldn't remember the days where he went out without his suit. It wasn't like it'd been that long ago. What did he do in moments like that? He ended up kidnapped with an electromagnet in his chest in Afghanistan hooked up to a car battery.

"That's what I'm trying to make room for. Going out without it. That thing's heavy. Life is too crazy not to have it at the ready these days." Tony knew what Rhodey was getting at, it was impossible not to.

"You know that's not what I mean, Tony. You used to leave it at home and keep it separate from parts of your life. You've become the suit. You are the Iron Man now. Maybe it's time to cut the cord a little? We're not at war. For four months things have been completely safe. Why is it something you have to bring to lunch?" Rhodey gestured outside to the parking lot where Tony's car was. The Mark V was packaged inside of a convenient suitcase in the trunk. Why did Tony feel the need to bring a suit with him to get a drink with his friend? They were both wondering that.

"I'm living my life while being prepared for the unpredictable, Rhodey."

"Are you?" Rhodey narrowed his eyes, elbows on the table.

"Yeah, I am." Tony sipped his drink. "I'm Iron Man, Rhodey. That changed everything. But you're right, I don't want to bring it everywhere with me. I want to be able to get a drink with my friend but still know that if something happens I can jump into action at a moment's notice. It would be irresponsible not to be prepared. Don't make it into something it's not." Tony hoped that would be the end of the questions. Rhodey nodded, seemingly placated. "Enough about that. If you're curious, you should come over sometime. I'll let you take some new toys for a test drive. You're working in outdated technology, my friend."

"I'll take you up on that sometime. Can't update the Warmachine. All tied up in bureaucracy now. Any changes have to be approved and you'd have to reveal your secrets or sign contracts before you did anything. Now you know why I don't show up in the suit."

"This is exactly why I didn't sign that contract the military offered me after the ordeal with Stane." Tony smirked, surveying the dining area of the bar. There were few other people there at this hour. A couple of pretty women sat across the way, having a few drinks and sharing a few laughs. Men were lined up at the bar to get an afternoon drink to take the edge off. He'd never been to this particular bar before but he was immediately fond of it. The bartender and their waiter recognized them without making a big deal over it.

That was how he preferred it, at least when he was only out having a drink with Rhodey. Sometimes he liked when the press was biting at his heels. That and right now he had too many questions to answer and he didn't want to answer any of them. Tony used to enjoy the absurd rumors in the papers but now he couldn't even look.

"Enough about work." Rhodey sipped his drink.

"I agree. Work and alcohol rarely mix, I always say."

"Wow, what a lie." Rhodey nearly snorted into his drink.

"Not sure how I said it with a straight face, actually."

"Right, right…" Rhodey laughed. "So… are things okay? Outside of work?"

"Yeah, they're fine. Don't I look fine?" Tony gestured to himself, his finely trimmed goatee, his short cropped hair that was still somehow untamed, his expensive clothing, and strong physique.

"I didn't mean it like that. You're obviously okay but… are you really? Are things okay?" Rhodey revealed his hand without meaning to. Tony winced, betraying any lie he might have told. The confidence he'd had only seconds ago faltered. Rhodey continued. "I asked Pepper about you. You haven't been yourself. She said you were fine. But I know you, Tony. I know you're not fine. I know things aren't fine." It was almost a relief to be found out. It made him feel validated to be upset that Pepper hadn't noticed.

"Nothing's been the same." Tony shook his head, a chill going down his spine as he said it out loud for the first time. He'd tried to tell Pepper but she wasn't willing to listen. "Nothing's been the same since New York." He broke into goose bumps. Tony realized it was more than that as he spoke. It wasn't just Manhattan but everything that happened afterward. It'd all shaken him.

"What do you mean?" Rhodey was surprised to have gotten anything out of Tony to begin with. He was surprised to see that Tony was eager for him to understand what he was going through. He thought this was a good sign.

"Pepper's changed." Tony shrugged. It was the first time he said that out loud too. He'd never allowed the thought without getting angry at himself. Pepper Potts had been the only stable thing in his life for years. Now that he needed her to be his rock she wasn't. It was beyond denying. Their interests had never really aligned but now they were at odds. He kept putting off dealing with it until he could get himself together but he wasn't sure it could wait. Hell, he wasn't sure it wasn't part of the problem! Things were spiraling. They weren't getting better and the situation with his girlfriend was only compounding what he was going through.

Tony wasn't sure he'd ever recover. If he'd ever be the man he was before this. Tony didn't know what to do or how to be half the time. It might be beyond fixing. He might be beyond fixing.

"She hasn't changed, Tony." Rhodey began warily. "She's still the same as she ever was." Tony furrowed his brow. Was that true? Was Pepper still the same as she'd been before New York? If that was true then what did that mean? Maybe he'd never known Pepper for who she really was. He'd always been too caught up with himself to care what Pepper was like over the years. For just as long, she'd been cleaning up his messes for a paycheck. If this was who Pepper was and they didn't make each other happy then what did that mean for them?

"I think this might have been a mistake." Tony looked down at his drink. He used to drown his overly complex thoughts with alcohol but now the idea of it made his stomach turn. Where was Tony supposed to find comfort if not in the arms of a beautiful woman or at the bottom of a bottle? There was no comfort anymore and that scared the hell out of him.

"Why is that?"

"I think I was scared to be alone after Afghanistan. That I would have nothing and no one left behind if something happened." Tony tapped his knuckles against the arc reactor beneath his shirt to let Rhodey know what he meant. "Someone told me, when I was being held captive, that I was the man with everything and nothing. It scared the hell out of me. I was nothing. He was right. I wanted to be more than that. Pepper was there. I didn't realize until then what an asshole I was and how ungrateful I was to have her in my life. I mistook it for something else. I did it because I was afraid of being alone. I want her to be happy, Rhodey. I want to be happy too." It was obvious that they weren't happy. Hell, he was barely himself. This hollow man he'd become was someone he didn't like to be around. He used to have fun no matter what he was doing. Now he was barely getting by.

"I didn't realize that, Tony." Rhodey smiled sympathetically. It was hard to watch his friend unravel but he was proud of him for talking about it and for being honest with how he got there in the first place. It was oddly self-reflective for Tony Stark.

"The problem now is that I'm scared. Again. Well, not scared but…" Tony looked past Rhodey and to the television where the news was being broadcast. The afternoon stock ticker ran across the bottom. He couldn't make out the words being spoken but it gave his mind something to do besides focus on the nerves of it all. Shockingly, he didn't feel panic. Just a little sad. "I'm afraid I screwed up. Pepper's a great woman. Too good for me. But we don't seem to need the same things right now. She needs me to be someone I'm not. Someone I won't ever be." Tony grimaced. It all felt so rational when he said it out loud.

"Then let her go." Rhodey made it sound simple. Tony was appalled by the suggestion. He couldn't just end the relationship like that. Could he? Was that an option? He'd broken up with plenty of women before. More than most men dated in their lifetime. So why couldn't he do that with Pepper? Because she knew everything there was to know about him? Because she'd been his assistant for years? And his friend? He'd never dated a friend before. Tony had very few friends. He didn't want to lose them. But hadn't he already lost Pepper and Happy?

"It's not that easy." Tony wiped the condensation from his glass. Sometimes if Tony didn't keep his hands busy he became restless. Right now it was to keep from overthinking. He didn't want to melt down in public. Panic. Anxiety. He wasn't even convinced that was what it was! Maybe he was getting sick. That made more sense than panic did. Tony needed a tangible solution, something he could fix.

"Why not? You're not happy. She's not happy. Break up." Rhodey's dismissive attitude surprised Tony. It made Tony rethink the decision to break up as being rash. And he was right. Tony was making excuses because he was afraid of the fallout. Worse than that, Rhodey was right about everything. Pepper hadn't changed. No more than a normal person would after what they'd been through. She'd never liked that he was Iron Man. She'd never liked that he'd devoted so much time to violence. It was in his head that she understood it was more than a suit that made him Iron Man but maybe that was on him. Not on her.

As much as Pepper Potts wanted him to be someone else as her boyfriend, he wanted her to be someone else as his girlfriend. It was unrealistic for her to expect him to give up being Iron Man and become someone totally different. And it was ridiculous for him to think that she'd suddenly throw away her morals and beliefs to support him as his girlfriend. How could she think he'd be any different after working for him for so many years? He thought she would know who he was. But he supposed he could reverse that and wonder why he would expect her to be any different. Tony's head was spinning but thankfully in a far different way than it was earlier.

Maybe Rhodey was right.

Maybe he and Pepper simply weren't right for each other. If he broke it off now then they could both move on and find the people they were meant to be with. People better suited for them. It was unfair of him to stay in a relationship he knew was failing. But maybe this was just a rocky phase they were going through. Tony knew that was another excuse. But excuses were easier than the truth sometimes.

He'd rushed into a relationship out of fear of dying alone. He'd become a break up song.

New fear unlocked, he guessed. Tony shifted in his seat and took a sip of his drink. He couldn't think of a way to continue the conversation. He needed more of a buzz.

"Speaking of relationships." Rhodey did the work for him. Tony sighed with relief. "I've been seeing someone."

"What?" Tony perked up, looking away from his drink. The melancholy faded. Instead, Tony was insulted!

"I've been seeing someone." Rhodey sipped his drink casually, well aware he'd annoyed his friend.

"I heard you. Details. You can't say something like that and not give me details."

"Why react like that if you heard me?"

"Because why is this the first time I'm hearing about this? You can't just tell me that casually. You've been single forever."

"No, you've just never cared."

"Not true. Is she hot? Should I be stealing her from you? Who is she? How long has this been going on?" Tony was his old self again just like that. It wasn't awkward or weird and Rhodey was smiling, which was also a relief.

"You've become a gossip. Don't get your panties in a bunch." Rhodey grinned. Tony leaned his elbows against the table and batted his eyelashes comically.

"Didn't wear any today."

"Her name is Olivia. And we've been dating for a month."

"And you're just telling me? Honestly." Tony feigned offense. He wasn't entirely surprised, truly. When it came to women, Tony was a charmer. A playboy. A homewrecker. A hound dog. It really depended on who was asked. In the past he'd done wrong by Rhodey. But he'd never do that now. Tony was happy for his friend as long as he was happy.

"I wanted to know it was a sure thing before I shared it with anyone." Rhodey didn't apologize. "Besides, I haven't seen you in ages. I wasn't going to call you just to tell you I was dating. We're not teenagers bragging about conquests anymore."

"Well, isn't that sweet." Tony rolled his eyes but continued to pry. "So… again… is she hot?" Tony waited and Rhodey pretended to be offended but his smile betrayed him. "You dog." Tony grinned, proud of his friend. "You've got more game than you let on."

"I have plenty of game."

"Tell that to the weekends in Vegas where you went to bed alone."

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to get women to even talk to me when I'm standing next to the richest man alive? Any woman that comes near us has a motive."

"And you should take advantage of that instead of being a gentleman."

"They say chivalry is dead and I'm pretty sure you're the reason why."

"I'm incredibly chivalrous. Practically a knight. I already have the shining armor, as a matter of fact. And I aim to please." Tony leaned back in his chair. Rhodey nearly choked on his drink. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Sure, and I'm a descendant of Alexander the Great."

"Could be. Hard to tell."

"You're the worst."

"Those women that hang all over me… well, wherever I go, they aren't looking to win my heart or do right by me, Rhodes. They want my money. And all I wanted was something in return for that. Everyone knew what they were getting into. There's no harm in that. I always gave those women more than they bargained for, trust me. Ladies first, and all that." Tony set down his drink with a cocky grin. Rhodey stared at him in disbelief.

"Yeah. A real knight."

"Thank you."

"That was sarcasm."

"Sure, sure. So, this Olivia. When do I get to meet her?"

"I was thinking like… six months from now."

"What? That's so far away! Why so long? Are you afraid I really will steal her from you? I'm not single anymore. I'm not that guy anymore… probably." Tony laughed.

"No, I need her to be properly prepared before meeting you."

"I know I'm impressive, but surely it can be faster than six months. Like a week should do."

"Because I don't want you to chase her out of my life!" Rhodey laughed as though the answer was obvious.

"I would never…" Tony acted horrified.

"What about that girl after college. The one I really liked?"

"She was terrible for you. And to be fair, I didn't know she was squeamish." Tony had an excuse for everything. It was part of his charm.

"Five years ago. That girl I met overseas. You flew out for dinner and then explained how dangerous my job was. So much so that she never called me again. I was heartbroken for weeks!"

"Rhodey, I thought I was talking you up."

"I really liked her!" Rhodey laughed, his frustration melting away. "Then there was the woman on our trip to Mexico."

"You're an American soldier, Rhodey. I didn't chase her away, you did." Tony couldn't have been happier to make someone smile. He forgot he could for a bit there.

"She was on vacation. She was from California!"

"Seems like her fault for not making that clear." Tony argued.

"Then what about…"

"Okay, okay, I got your point, Rhodey. I'll wait as long as you need me to." He turned his attention to the television behind his friend again where the news story changed from the stock market. Every so often the newscaster would come on screen and announce something Tony couldn't make out. His eyes flitted to the ticker at the bottom and he watched for anything interesting. Habit. He hoped he didn't see anything interesting. He didn't want to be Iron Man right now. "So… you two…?" He made an obscene hand gesture.

"Come on, Tony. We're not kids." Rhodey chuckled. Tony scrutinized him for a long time then leaned back with a cheshire grin.

"Interesting."

"What?"

"You're avoiding the question."

"It's a ridiculous question."

"Since when? What are you waiting for? A handwritten letter offering permission to enter the gates? Are you like a vampire? Need an invitation? Or is that not how vampires work anymore? Very confusing with all the movies these days." Tony drifted off but his brain continued on the tangent.

"I'm waiting for the right moment."

"If I've learned anything these last few years it's that the right moment never comes. Every moment is the right moment… especially when it means you'll get laid."

"And if I've learned anything from watching you it's that sometimes if you move too fast you're a slut and sometimes you wake up without your wallet."

"That happened one time, Rhodey."

"I want it to mean something. We talked about it and decided that we wanted it to be special." Rhodey sat proudly.

"Ah, she won't let you, huh?" Tony looked back to the television behind Rhodey again. Rhodey sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Waiting for marriage or something? Yikes."

"We're not all like you. Some of us don't mind waiting. Some of us have to work for what we want instead of it being served up for us."

"I've worked very hard for everything I have. You just can't tell by looking at me." Tony comically batted his eyelashes again. "I don't suppose I worked very hard for all those calendar models though." Rhodey laughed this time. It felt great to joke around. It felt great to be normal. They dug at each other. It was what they'd always done. Neither one of them was very sensitive.

"I missed you, man. We should do this more often." Rhodey spoke after his laughter subsided. Tony was staring past him. "Does this time work for you? Next month?" He tapped the table. "And don't tell me that making plans is for little kids. It is, in fact, a very adult thing to do. Especially two adults with busy schedules." Tony was still transfixed by the screen behind Rhodey. "I like it here. We could do this again. No one treats you like a celebrity." Rhodey sat back in his chair, still ignored. "What is it that's distracted you? You're like a damn toddler, I swear." Rhodey finally turned to where Tony was looking. The television was showing a story but Rhodey didn't understand why it had stolen Tony's undivided attention. "Sometimes I swear you have ADHD."

But Tony paid the insult no mind, transfixed by the television.