“15 years ago you took them without a care,” hologram Tony tilts his head to the side, “you had to protect the people. Did I ever tell you I was counting on you to do that?”
Featherlight, Rhodey’s fingers hover over the armors. “It’s different,” he says, probably to no one. The hologram can’t respond. It’s a recording.
“No one has your skills, you ideals, your heart,” the hologram continues, “I thought no one was better than you for this. I wanted you to be Iron Man back then,” the hologram takes a deep breath, and whispers, “I still do.”
Rhodey’s fingers retract from the suits, as if he was burned, “I didn’t know you were dying back then.”
The recorded hologram smiles sadly, “good luck, Iron Man.”
The hologram sizzles until it’s gone and Rhodey stares at the suits.
15 years ago, he did take them without a care. Tony was in danger, and was putting people in danger with him. Rhodey couldn’t just stay and watch. So he took the suit. He wanted to use that amazing power for something good, for something right.
He never took it to be Iron Man. He always wanted to be different.
“No,” Rhodey says, stepping back and away, “good luck, War Machine.”
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It was the start of the school year, and Rhodey could honestly say this was the year he would help Tony blow the gym up.
“You’re the one in JROTC,” Tony waved his hand around, as if gesturing vaguely to the gymnasium proved his point. “You can’t complain.”
“I am complaining,” Rhodey said. “I am complaining so hard. They said just ‘cause I’ve been in JROTC for three years, I can’t be in tech lab this year. Something about ‘conflict of interest,’ whatever that’s supposed to mean.”
“They’re not letting you take it? Like, at all?”
“Nah,” Rhodey sighed. “They don’t have any control over what classes I take. But the instructor’s got a lot of pull, you know? And he could make my life difficult for the rest of my high school career.”
“If you don’t take tech lab with me,” Tony announced, rounding a curve and nearing their lockers, “I will throw a fit. I will turn the slushie machine in the cafeteria into a hose that will not stop. I will break into the principal’s office and play the Siberian national anthem over the intercom. I will-”
“I know,” Rhodey laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m taking the class.”
“Good,” Tony said, and Rhodey leaned against the lockers to watch Tony struggle with opening the locker. To make up for the trouble Rhodey was having, the universe had decided to give Tony a top locker, and Rhodey was enjoying this immensely.
“You need some help over there?” Rhodey asked, amused, watching as the kid genius propelled himself to his tip-toes with all the energy in his body. He still couldn’t see the locker numbers properly.
“If you’d just let me climb on your shoulders,” Tony said between labored breaths, “we wouldn’t be having this problem right now.”
“Oh no, that would take away my entertainment!”
“You’re the best, Rhodes. Quite literally the most helpful friend.”
“Glad to be of service.”
“Um...excuse me?”
Rhodey turned to see a girl standing near Tony’s locker. She was tall, looking almost shy when she tucked her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear, but there was a steel in her voice that Rhodey wasn’t used to hearing come out of the mouth of a high school kid.
“That’s my locker,” the girl said, pointing to the locker right underneath Tony’s.
“Yeah, well, I’m a little busy right now,” Tony said, tongue peeking out of his mouth. “I gotta get this open before class starts.”
“You’re not the only one with a class to get to,” she said.
“Well, I was here first.”
“Real mature,” she said, then dropped down to her knees and shoved Tony to the side. Ignoring Tony’s protested shout, she opened her locker smoothly, exchanging a couple books, then shut the door with a click, walking off without glancing back once.
After a minute of silence, Tony turned to Rhodey and said, “Did you see that? Did that just happen.”
“She had a point, y’know.”
“I know she had a point, but she shoved me to the side! I almost fell! Did you see me almost fall?”
“You didn’t, though, did you?” Rhodey said. “So it doesn’t matter.”
“Thanks for your support, Rhodey,” Tony’s tone was mocking. “I guess I’ll just have to go into battle alone?”
“Battle?”
“War.”
“War?”
“With the girl. She dishonoured me, and now I have to figure out how to open this goddamn locker so I can win my honour back over a period of time that consists of me opening this piece of junk with the best lock-opening skills since, uh, who’s that one famous locksmith?”
“There are famous locksmiths?”
Tony waved his hand. “Of course there are famous locksmiths. Otherwise the famous locks would be stuck every time they needed to be fixed.”
“Your logic astounds me.”
“This is war, Rhodey!”
---
It was midway through the school year, and Rhodey was certain that Tony was losing the war.
The girl, Pepper Potts, had proven herself a formidable component, and Tony-wrangling had turned into a much easier pastime with her around. Initially wanting nothing to do with them, Pepper soon learned the lesson that Rhodey had figured out years ago: you don’t catch the attention of Tony Stark and not end up becoming his friend. Or his enemy, but Rhodey wasn’t sure any sixteen year old should have an “enemy,” no matter what Tony said.
Now, along with their locker espionage and warfare, Rhodey got to witness the absolute delight of Tony staring at Pepper’s chest without a hint of shame, but blushing as red as the colour of their school mascot the minute Pepper smiled at him. Rhodey was seriously considering recording all of this for blackmail material.
He was leaning against the wall near Tony and Pepper’s locker, a place he honestly probably spent more time in than his room. “The bell rings in two minutes,” Rhodey said.
“Shit!” Pepper exclaimed, shoving Tony off her books, where he’d been balancing on one foot, attempting to open his locker blindfolded. “I’m going to be late.”
“Looks like someone’s admitting defeat then, right?” Tony crowed, throwing his arms up in victory.
“No, you moron,” Pepper slapped his arm lightly. “I’m not admitting defeat, but I’m about to mess up my perfect attendance record.”
She rushed through getting her belongings together while Tony rolled his eyes. “Right, I forgot you care about this stuff.”
“I do, Tony. I really do.”
“Well what do you want me to do about it?”
“Here’s a thought,” Rhodey spoke up from the corner, exasperation filling his tone. “How about the two of you, wait for it, switch lockers?”
The two of them looked as if they’d never considered the idea before.
Then, Tony said, “You’re a genius, Rhodeybear!”
“I know,” Rhodey said.
“I’ll give you my combo after school,” Pepper was walking backward, nearing the end of the hallway, “but if I don’t leave now I really will get a tardy. You two need to get to class.”
“I’ve got a free period,” Rhodey said.
“I’m making myself a free period,” Tony said.
---
“There’s no way she’ll say no!” Tony argued, and Rhodey sighed, putting his head in his hands.
“Tony, that is literally the worst line in the history of pickup lines.”
“You’re wrong, it’s beautiful.”
Sometimes, Rhodey really questioned the quality of his taste in best friends.
“If you’ve been reading the entire situation wrong,” Rhodey said, “Pepper will slap you.”
“Do you think I’ve been reading the situation wrong?”
Honestly? No. Rhodey was pretty sure organizing Tony’s locker for him and giving him a custom planner for his birthday was Pepper’s way of flirting. Tony had, unfortunately, picked up on it, and the last couple of weeks had been full of Tony raving to Rhodey about how incredible Pepper was.
Rhodey could give Tony an itemized list of reasons why Pepper was incredible, none of them including a freeverse poem about the way she looked when she nibbled on a pencil, but he had to admit, Pepper had been good for him. There had generally been less miniature controlled explosions this year, so now, in May, Rhodey was hoping Tony’s frankly awful plan to ask Pepper would be successful so she would stick around for the near future.
“Oh wait hold on, she’s coming,” Tony said, and sauntered up to the locker, aiming for cool as he always did and ending up about two feet too short (as he always did.) “Pep, I got something for ‘ya.”
“Oh really?” she raised her eyebrows.
Rhodey mentally prepared himself.
“Mhmm. I changed the combination to your locker.” Tony handed Pepper a slip of paper. “Here’s the new one.”
And here it comes, he thought.
“Tony,” Pepper said slowly. “This is your phone number.”
Tony raised his eyebrows, smirking. “Why yes. Yes it is. I’m giving you my phone number. Imagine that.”
Then, enunciating each word as if talking to a toddler, Pepper said, “Tony. I already have your phone number.”
Oh dear God, Rhodey wished he had been recording this. A tremendous oversight on his part, because he was struggling to keep it together.
Tony blinked as if processing, then apparently decided the bluntest approach was the best approach. “Pepper, I’m asking you out.”
Pepper squinted. “Like actually?”
“Yes, Virginia, I’m actually asking you out. That’s what giving people your number means.”
“If I already had your number, though, the action’s redundant.”
“That’s not the poi-Jesus. Pepper. Will you go out with me or not?”
“Yes, Tony. I’ll go out with you,” Pepper said, but before Tony could properly celebrate this moment of elation, she also said, “Now move. You’re in front of my locker.”
Oh yeah, Rhodey could tell Pepper would be staying around for a bit longer. Maybe even more than a bit. And looking at Tony’s surprised blink and offended expression, Rhodey couldn’t find it in himself to be the least bit disappointed.
