lt_col_rhodes | (no subject)

Current Mood: anxious
Current Location: NYC

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(no subject)

For being prepared for damned near anything, the Air Force did not have an emergency leave for 'my best friend since college decided to ride a fucking NUKE and terrify the shit out of me'. So instead, he had had to wait until he could get leave through the normal channels. He'd taken it rather hard, the only thing keeping him sane being a set of blueprints Tony had sent him about upgrading his War Machine armor, getting rid of all the Hammer-tech finally. It felt good to only have Stark-tech in his armor.

But finally his leave had come in and the first thing he'd done was make tracks for NYC. It was nice to not have to worry about catching a flight anymore. He was his own flight. Maybe not as fast as Tony though. They'd have to work on that while he was there. He knew Tony could help him with that. He had his own ideas, but probably Tony would blow his ideas out of the water. It is what the bastard did. He landed on the roof, and looked over the damage. Pepper must be PISSED. This was her baby. He just hoped Tony was recovered. He had some words to say to him.

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JARVIS alerted her as soon as Rhodey was spotted coming in over the city. She closed out her files and took the elevator to the top. When he landed, she waved and smiled. It took her off guard how happy she was to see him again. Nice to have a familiar face around.

"Nice landing!"

"I'm working on it," Rhodey admitted. It was nowhere near as graceful as Tony's suit, but it got the job done, and that's all he needed. "You aren't locked in fifteen different disputes today?"

"I'm owed a little vacation time." She laughed, it was the understatement of the year. "And I wanted to catch up with you before Tony steals you way."

"How hard do you want me to come down on him?" Rhodey asked. There were certain things a man's best friend could say that his best girl couldn't, even when the best girl was Pepper Potts. "Or should I be bandaging wounds?"

It was a good idea to think things through with Tony, so the didn't come down hard right onto one of his vulnerable spots.

"You don't have too, actually." She pressed the heel of her hand to her chest, still feeling that scared breath caught in her throat when she'd been stuck watching. "I'm proud of him. My God, Rhodey, he saved everyone. I mean, I yelled at him anyway, but it was...unbelievable. Don't repeat that. His ego will just swell up, but I mean it."

"It can get bigger?" Rhodey teased lightly, taking off his helmet. "Tony got a place I can get rid of this tin can so I can give you a proper hug?

"You didn't take the walk way?" She gestured to the rebuilt path. "It's pretty impressive. Tony probably has a preset to adjust for your height."

"I just flew in where the window ought to be," Rhodey gestured to the open space.

He grew more serious for a moment. "How are you doing with all this, Pepper?"

"Don't remind me. I have a list of contractor's a mile long and there's a god hole in my floor and Tony's moving in all his new friends like he has to catch them all." She took shook her head. "It's...I'm going. Like always. Buckle down, get through it."

He sighed. "You've got me for two weeks. What can I do to help?"

"Why don't you get out of the suit and have some lunch with me?" She offered. "I just need to stop moving for a bit."

"I can do that," Rhodey agreed. "Are we going out, or ordering in?" He usually kept most of his civilian clothing with Tony and Pepper so he had something for any occasion so long as it hadn't gotten destroyed in the battle. They were his civilian life after all.

"I thought ordering in. Most of the places that have reopened are delivery.There's a short list of what can get to the Tower right now. Chinese, Thai or pizza."

Rhodey occupied himself for a few minutes, getting out of his hot suit, that was something else to discuss with Tony. "Ladies choice. I get to spend time with the most beautiful, competent girl I know so I win no matter what we eat."

"I'll get Thai then." She was used to compliments and mostly ignored them by now, even if they came from good sources. It was just how she got through. "Little bit of everything. God only knows we don't have to worry about leftovers these days."

"They eat a lot?" Rhodey questioned, as he moved to Tony's kitchen, getting out drinks for them both. Since neither one was Tony, he just got non-alcoholic drinks. It was barely the middle of the day after all.

"It's just a lot more people in general though they are all very physically fit and do consume a lot. It's hardly going to break us, but it's definitely different from what Tony and I tend to live off of." She would have to start ordering protein powder by the case load.

"What you and Tony live off of...is not as much as either of you ought to, although you're better than he is," Rhodey scolded softly.

"I can't gain weight." She shrugged. "You should see the things they write about me. I have to look perfect, act just right or it's slander all over again. The company can take the hits from Tony, he does the superhero thing to make up for it and people love a redemption story. But I'm a woman and involved with him to boot. I can't do anything less than be an ideal."

"Who cares what they write. Tony and I like you jsut the way you are, no matter how you are," Rhodey was grumpy at that, especially after watching the Olympics and how they were ragging on the little gymnast because of her hair.

"Appreciated, but I have to keep an international company up and running." She shrugged. "There are prices to pay for that and I agreed to pay them a long time ago."

"It's still not fair," Rhodey muttered, giving her her drink, and the earlier mentioned hug.

She hugged him back, grateful the solidarity.

"Rhodey, if fair mattered, we'd all be drinking mai tais in Hawaii right now."

"I'm surprised Tony doesn't have us doing just that," Rhodey teased. "Unless he's more into the Bahamas this year?" It was weird sometimes for this down-home kind of boy to hang out with the jetsetting crowd that Tony Stark was. A little overwhelming but in a good way.

"He's more into saving the world apparently." She slumped into a chair. "You know, I worried about him about the same amount when he was drinking himself into a coma every night as I do now."

"Either way will kill him, if he's not careful," Rhodey responded. "What's his team like? Do they respect him? his limits? Do they care about him?" That was most important to Rhodey. Tony's heart was so big, and if they didn't realise what they had...

"I honestly don't know. I haven't met most of them. Natasha, I know, but not as herself really. I'm still holding my judgement, but Tony..well you know he isn't the most trusting person and he seems to like them."

"He trusts to easily," Rhodey was still kicking himself over the Stane thing. Fat lot of good they were. All either above average in intelligence or downright genius in the case of Tony and none of them had seen that coming.

"Obidiah doesn't count." She insisted. "He was like a father to Tony. None of us could have known what he was really doing."

"We should have seen it," Rhodey grumbled. "He was a snake in our midst and none of us saw it. At least he didn't trust Hammer." Which Rhodey had and nearly killed Tony over. Or well, the US government had.

"I would argue that Tony is slower to trust than either of us, but frankly, I'm too tired to argue over something hard to prove."

"Pepper," Rhodey chided. "Sleep is important."

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