Birthday Woes
Amy sat in the back of the plane, ticking down the time to landing. The moment she touched down in LA, she was going to her hotel, repacking her shit, and getting on the first plane back to NYC and her life. She would always look after Tony, but he was too chaotic.
"It’s just believable. It proves that the genie is out of the bottle and this man has no idea what he’s doing. He thinks of the Iron Man weapon as a toy. I was at a hearing where Mr. Stark, in fact, was adamant that these suits can’t exist anywhere else, don’t exist anywhere else, never will exist anywhere else, at least for five to ten years, and here we are in Monaco realizing, 'These suits exist now'," Senator Stern reported on the TV.
"Mute. He should be giving me a medal. That’s the truth," Tony said, bringing Pepper a plate.
"What is that?" Pepper asked, looking at it.
"This is your in-flight meal."
"Did you just make that?"
"Yeah. Where do you think I’ve been for three hours? Also made one for Amy."
"Tony, what are you not telling me?:
"I don’t want to go home. At all. Let’s cancel my birthday party and...We’re in Europe. Let’s go to Venice, Cipriani. Remember?"
"Oh, yes," Pepper sighed.
"It’s a great place to be healthy."
"I don’t think this is the right time. We’re in kind of a mess. And Amy wants to go home. She's very oddly quiet since the Grand Prix."
"Yeah, but maybe that’s why it’s the best time. ‘Cause then we can..."
Pepper: Well, I think as the CEO I need to show up.
"As CEO, you are entitled to a leave."
"A leave?"
"A company retreat."
"A retreat? During a time like this?"
"Just a ride. Well, I’m just saying, to recharge our batteries and figure it all out."
"Not everybody runs on batteries, Tony."
Tony sighed, taking the extra plate to Amy, smiling. Amy glared at him, flipping him off as she turned up her music on her music player. The moment the plane touched down, Amy grabbed her stuff and instantly headed back to her hotel room.
Sighing, she slid down the door, her eyes closing. Tony Stark was volatile. But something about him seemed off. Amy figured it was a mid-life crisis. Flicking her fingers, she saw the tiny sparkles of energy. She hasn't used her powers in so long. Sighing heavily, pushed herself up and changed into sweatpants and a tank top. Crawling into bed, she cuddled her pillow. It had been a gift from Clint and Natasha for her birthday. They gifted her with a body pillow that was made with a couple of Bucky's old shirts and gifted her a lifetime of his favorite cologne that he always wore. It made her feel connected to him and close. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, imagining him wrapping an arm around her.
"What's the matter, doll?" Dream Bucky asked.
"I'm worried about Tony. Something's off about him."
"He's a grown man. You can't baby him forever."
"I promised Howard..."
"Howard probably meant when he was young. He's a grown man now who needs to make his own choices. You just need to be there to support him."
"It's just too hard."
"You spent decades pushing people away. That's not living. Go be with Tony on his birthday."
"I miss you," Amy sighed, snuggling up near Dream Bucky.
"I'll always be here with you, sweetheart."
Tony's party was raging on. Amy entered wearing a red knee-length dress, and a black sweater covering her arms. She held a small wrapped gift in silver paper and tied it with a big red bow. "Pepper," Amy greeted, waving shyly.
Pepper hurried over, smiling in relief that she wouldn't sue Tony and the company for putting her life in danger. She would've if she didn't know him. "Amy! I'm so glad you came. If Tony was sober enough, I think he would too."
"Sober enough?" Amy asked.
Pepper sighed heavily, looking over at the man. "Take a look for yourself."
"Wow." That was all Amy could say as he acted like an idiot while wearing the suit. "Going on a bender there isn't he?"
"Yeah..."
"Pep? What's happening?" Rhodey asked, coming over to see the women. Seeing her friend, in a short red dress, he plastered on his best smile. She was quite beautiful and very, very, sexy in Rhodey's eyes. "Hey. Lt. James Rhoades, but you can call me Rhodey."
"Amelia Coulson, but you can call me Amy," Amy flirted back. "You a friend of Tony's?"
"Probably his longest and best friend. How do you know him?"
"I met a week ago at a bakery when I dropped my smoothie on his feet. He invited me to his birthday, but I guess he has other things on his mind."
"I'm going to get some air," Pepper sighed.
"What’s wrong?" Rhodey asked.
Pepper pointed to Tony, who was still on his rager. "I don’t know what to do."
Rhodey scoffed at the sight before him. "You gotta be kidding me." Amy winched as Tony fell over drunk. "That’s it, I’m making..."
Pepper's eyes grew wide in fear. "No, no, no! Don't call anyone!"
"Pepper. This is ridiculous. I just stuck my neck out for this guy."
"I know. I know. I get it. I’m gonna handle it, okay Just let me handle it."
"Handle it. Or I’m gonna have to."
"You know, the question I get asked most often is, 'Tony, how do you go to the bathroom in the suit?'" Tony slurred over the microphone. He froze for a minute. "Just like that." People started to cheer, while Amy shook her head.
"This is embarrassing," she muttered.
"Tell me about it."
"Does this guy know how to throw a party or what?" Pepper asked, going over to Tony, fake smiling.
"I love you."
"Unbelievable! Thank you so much. Tony, we all thank you so much for such a wonderful night. And we’re gonna say good night now, and thank you all for coming."
"No, no, no, we can’t...Wait, wait, wait. We didn’t have cake. We didn’t blow out the candles."
"You’re out of control, okay? Trust me on this, okay?"
"You’re out of control, gorgeous."
"It’s time to go to bed. It’s time."
"Give me another smooch."
"You’re not going to be happy about this."
Tony was still grinning at Pepper, his true feelings coming out in his intoxicated state. "Come on, you know you want to."
"You just peed in the suit."
"I know. It has a filtration system."
"It’s not sexy."
"You could drink that water."
"Just send everybody home, okay? It’s time to..."
"If you say so."
"Okay. I’ll take this, you take that," Pepper said, exchanging the microphone in her hand for the bottle of liquor.
"Pepper Potts. She’s right. The party’s over. Then again, the party was over for me, like, an hour and a half ago. The after-party starts in 15 minutes. And if anybody, Pepper, doesn’t like it, there’s the door." Amy jumped in surprise as Tony accidentally shot it with the suit. Amy grabbed Rhodey's arm, as a drunk girl threw a bottle in the air. "Hit!"
"Come on," Amy told him, rushing downstairs with Rhodey following him. They went to the door but it was locked. "Turn around."
"What?"
Amy sighed. "Please? Just do it?" she begged.
Rhodey turned around. Amy's eyes glowed blue as she shorted the circuit to the door. Pushing it open, as Rhodey went to a silver unpainted suit and climbed inside.
"I’m only gonna say this once. Get out," Rhodey ordered in full Iron Man suit, the helmet slipping down over his face. Everybody left, except Pepper and Amy. "You don’t deserve to wear one of these. Shut it down!"
Tony scoffed in annoyance, turning to the DJ. "Goldstein?"
"Yes, Mr. Stark?"
"Give me a phat beat to beat my buddy’s ass to," he ordered, laughing as Another One Bites the Dust started to play.
Rhodey had enough of Tony's shit. Rushing to him, he grabbed him from behind. "I told you to shut it down." Tony took off backward.
"Now, put that thing back where you found it before someone gets hurt." Rhodey started throwing random objects at him. "Really?" Tony responded by hitting Rhodey with a set of weights. "Sorry, pal, but Iron Man doesn’t have a sidekick."
Rhodey grunted, hitting Tony with a pipe. "Sidekick this!" Tony went up threw the ceiling. "Had enough?!"
"Natalie!" Pepper shouted.
Natasha appeared. "Miss Potts."
"Don’t you 'Miss Potts' me! I’m on to you. You know what? Ever since you came here..." Tony and Rhodey came crashing back through the ceiling, interrupting her thought.
"Pepper!' Happy shouted, running to get Pepper out of harm's way.
"I think you've been made," Amy said to her friend.
"Yeah, I think so," Natasha agreed. "I gotta go report this to Fury."
"Go...I'll be okay."
"Get out of here. Get out of here now," Happy told Pepper, ushering her away.
"You want it? Take it!" Tony shouted, beating Rhodey. He turned to growl at the crowd, who ran off.
Amy gave a shot, blasting him with her powers. Tony staggered back, turning to look at her in disbelief and shock. "Tony...Stop being a child," Amy ordered, throwing another blast at him.
Amy vanished and then reappeared in the middle of the two men, who both had their hands up. "Can't we be adults and talk about this?" Amy asked, her hands up as well to separate them.
"Put your hand down," Rhodey told Tony, not wanting Amy to get hurt.
"You think you got what it takes to wear that suit?" Tony challenged.
"We don’t have to do this, Tony."
"Tony, stop," Amy pleaded.
"You wanna be the War Machine, take your shot."
"Put it down!"
"You gonna take a shot?"
"Put it down!"
"No!"
"TONY!" Amy shouted.
"Drop it, Tony!" Rhodey shouted.
Amy didn't know who fired first, but she saw two energy blasts coming towards her, she brought her arms up to her face to shield herself, a blue energy shield going around her. The blast blew warm air around her as the two men went backward through the walls. Rhodey glared at Tony, taking off through the roof in anger while Tony looked around.
Amy started at him in disappointment and teleported out of there while Natasha stood nearby in disbelief. Taking out her phone, she pressed one and pressed it to her ear. "Sir? It's Romanoff...We have a problem...Stark is out of control. Starshine's been compromised, as is my cover I think..."