Chapter Text
“Rhodey?” Tony slurs. He half cracks his eyelids, and closes them again. The lights are blinding. Everything hurts, his chest, his hands, his head, his very soul aches.
“Tony? Oh thank god Tony.” It’s Pepper who replies. Tony forces his eyes open and turns his head towards her voice, squinting against the bright hospital lights
“Tears for your long lost boss?” He croaks out, voice hoarse and cracked. Pepper manages a teary smile. “Tears of joy, I hate job hunting.” she replies past the lump in her throat.
Tony turns his head slowly to the other side, and his heart sinks at the sight of Rhodey, his sugarplum, looking battered in his wheelchair, bruises stark along his cheek. “You look like crap, Rhodes”
“I look better than you, Tones” He replies, reaching over to lay his hand on Tony’s arm.
“What’s the damage? Tony asks hesitantly. He knows it’s not good by how numb his chest feels.
“We can talk about this later,” Pepper starts. “Just try and get some rest Honey.”
“No, Pep, I need to know. What did they do to me?”
“Broken ribs, frostbite in your fingers and toes, internal bleeding, your artificial sternum is shattered - no Pepper, he deserves to know - severe concussion, fractured skull, left tibia and fibula cracked.” Rhodey rattles off. “You flatlined three times on the table before Helen got you stabilised.” He finishes quietly. “We nearly lost you Tones.”
Tony takes a moment to absorb it all, watching the pain flicker across Rhodey’s face before he lays back and closes his eyes for a second. “Shit.” he exhales
“Shit.” Rhodey agrees.
“I’m tired.” Tony says after a minute.
“That’s okay honey, you sleep for it bit, we’ll be here when you wake up” Pepper says as she adjusts his blankets, tucking them up around his chest a little more securely.
“No, Pep, I’m tired,” He stresses. “I’m tired of putting in all the work to have it spat back in my face. I’m tired of being the bad guy, of having my past thrown back at me. I’m tired of the lies, the deceit, the manipulation. I’m tired of fighting.”
“What do you mean, Tones?” Rhodes' voice is full of worry.
“I mean it’s time for Project Blackout. I’m done with the fight. I’ve been fighting for so long, and every time I break just a little bit more. It’ll take me, what, a year to fully recover from this? I’m 46, and I feel every single one of those years. Between the palladium poisoning, the arc reactor and Iron Man, I was never going to see 60. This last fight has taken even more off that.”
Tony pushes himself up on the bed, looking Rhodey and Pepper in the eyes. “It’s time. I can’t keep doing this. Even if I recover from this, there’s always the next fight. The next injury. The next defeat. So I’m done. Over. Finito. It’s the end of Tony Stark.”