Work Text:
December 23, 1987
Music wrecks the crowd. Bodies colliding in crescendos as hips swing back and forth with the rhythm of each song. The house trembles in its foundation as the sea of people rock, limbs waving in the air and by sides. Dilated pupils and running noses move throughout the room. Extended arms, reaching, offering out endless accelerants to every willing body.
Instead of joining the crowd of cigarette smoke and wet kisses up every bare neck in sight, Pepper stands by the back of the bar. Her trained eyes look for only one brunette in bobbing mess of addicts. The cocaine only lasts them so long before the fevered, giggling messes make their way to her. When the tide shifts and the addicts come to even their highs with alcohol she’ll have missed her shot. She won’t be able to find him.
It takes five minutes for that shift to happen. She knows it’s beginning when a man with pupils blown wide comes up and trails the shape of her ass with his hand. He winks at her, an uncoordinated, frantic motion that sends him stumbling into the bar hard. There’s no need to push him away, he’s already moving on to the next woman down the bar.
“Pepper!”
The parties seem to never stop for Tony. He comes home high and he sleeps but, sooner rather than later, he’s already back out on the streets. It takes her days to catch up with him, sometimes too late, but she always brings him back home. The fight keeps getting harder and that’s why she had to go pick up Rhodey alone today.
She hadn’t spared Rhodey a moment's peace before she began to fill him in on the events that have occurred while he was away. He’d extended her a hand, his skin darker now because of the Iraq sun that has beat down on him for the better part of a year. She took it with an exasperated sigh, allowing him this one whim in the hopes to gain his attention. Her grip is laden with guilt with her inability to keep Tony clean and away from the parties as she’d promised.
“He thinks everyone is out to get him.” She wasted no time with small talk as she pulled away from the airport parking lot. She turns the radio off, sparing him a glance. “He’s moody and he’s getting those nose bleeds that he can’t explain, again.” They both know well enough what the nose bleeds stem from.
Rhodey hadn’t been able to look at her as she delivered the news. He hadn’t seen Tony lately but he knows all too well of the ways that his best friend spirals out of control. He tried to push the thought out of his mind. His finger ran across the hot metal of the red Corvette his mind racing to a time when Tony was the skinny fifteen-year-old with daddy issues. To the times that Rhodey would sneak him on to the roof of the old bar across the street from their dorm. Back in the days when too many gummy bears gave Tony his first high and he’d drink coffee until he was sick.
It’s his fault, for leaving, for not protecting Tony better.
“Pepper!”
Rhodey works through the crowd easily, his body forcing others out of the way. Each body he collides with sends him a little farther out of his way until he’s walking in a staggering zig-zag parallel to that of a drunk straggler. It gives him an armor as he crosses the bar, blends him in enough that he isn’t stopped by stray hand that offers cocaine or heroin, whatever might be their next victim’s poison.
“Pepper!” This time Rhodey is close enough that the strawberry blonde’s head snaps to attention. Her eyes scanning now for him and when their eyes lock she pushes herself from the bar and fights to get to him as quickly as she can. The crowd pushes back but she gets there. “Pepper, I found him.”
The rush of accomplishment tangles in the pit of her stomach turning sour like acid. Rhodey’s eyes reflect his accomplishment but so much more, things that mean that their night has only begun. So she tightens her ponytail and gives Rhodey a curt nod, a go-ahead so that he can lead her to Tony.
It takes them precious time to get back to the alley where Rhodey had found him. Tony was spread out on the cold ground, someone taking time out of their day to kick the shit out of him, and bleeding from too many wounds for Rhodey to deal with quickly. Rhodey picked his friend up, leaning him against a wall so that he could get Pepper.
By the time they find him, he’s on his feet and he’s being pressed into the dirty wall. There’s a man, twice his size, with his hand down Tony’s pants. He’s working Tony’s belt down, no doubt about to let Tony pay for drugs for use of his body. Pepper looks away, tears burning her eyes. Tony moans, lifting his leg and giving the man better access. Rhodey starts a fight.
“Get off him!” Rhodey shoves the man, in the face of it Rhodey’s been off fighting for a year but the man’s obviously high out of his mind. It’s quick, violent, and dirty but Rhodey walks away with a steadily swelling eye while the other man stumbles away with a split lip and a bleeding nose. “Dammit, Tony!” Rhodey looks away from the fingers he’d dragged across his face to check for blood to see Tony crumbled over himself.
Tony heaves, vomiting down the front of his shirt. He chokes, a frightening moment where he stares in shock as he stops breathing, before producing more sleek vomit to stain his shirt. His head lolls forward, eyes falling shut.
“Hey.” Rhodey smacks at his cheek,” hey!” Tony remains unresponsive. “Fuck,” Rhodey pulls Tony’s shirt open, feeling roughly around until he gets a finger under Tony’s chin. “Fuck!” Tony’s rapid heart rate beats against Rhodey’s hand but his breathing sounds shallower with each breath. “He’s overdosed,” he turns to look at Pepper, watching him with wide-eyes as she talks to an emergency operator. He wonders how many times Tony’s done this while he’s been away.
Pepper covers one of her ears with her hand, pinching her eyes shut and squeezing tears from between her eyelashes. She confirms some of Tony’s symptoms, explaining the exact situation they are in. The need they have for confidentiality in every way. Tony’s drug abuse can not get out to the public or to Stark Industries. Just because Tony’s last name is on the company name doesn’t mean those pig-head directors can’t find a way to screw Tony over. And they will too. They hate him.
“He’s fucking burning up,” Rhodey pulls the buttons of Tony’s shirt open sending several spinning in the alleyways grime. He tilts Tony’s head back, listening to the whistle of air as Tony breathes shallowly.
Pepper crouches down beside him. She presses the back of her hand to his head, bringing it down to his chest where she presses her palm against his racing heart. “It’s cocaine.” Her certainty is frightening. “I need you to watch his heart, keep your fingers on his wrist. If he starts slipping you won’t feel it in his hands because of the heroin. His neck is where I find it’s best to monitor.”
She moves around Rhodey, standing back up and pulling her phone out. He can’t tell directly who she’s talking to but he knows it someone on the board at SI. Her fake voice comes on and she’s lying straight through her teeth about her mother getting sick. That Tony’s with her being an absolute doll about the whole thing, he wanted to drive her home himself and check in on Pepper’s mom. He’s sure the board doesn’t buy it but Pepper leaves no room for shit. The call ends with a heavy sigh on Pepper’s end.
“He had a heart attack last time,” her tone is so matter-of-fact that he becomes distracted, moves his hand off of Tony’s arm to look at her. “Dumbass, he mixed heroin and cocaine. I don’t know how he made it out. I-I…” Pepper clears her throat. She looks away from Rhodey,” he got so bad when you left.”
Rhodey looks away from Tony, from Pepper. He knows she’s right because he’d seen the beginnings of Tony’s addiction spiral in college. It started with weed, he’d skip class to get high with the kids down the hall. There’s not a clear moment Rhodey can point out as to why Tony started dabbling into harder stuff or even when he started. He just stopped coming home smelling like weed and instead came home in manic fits.
Except, Rhodey never did anything about it. He left.
“James-”
Rhodey stands, rubbing his hand under his nose and dusting the grim from his knees. “No, you’re right. It’s fine.” He doesn’t look at her once,” I’m gonna- go,” he motions to the alley’s mouth. “Wait for the ambulance, make sure they get here.”
c[]xxx[]::::::::::::::::>
Rhodey stands exactly where he tells Pepper he’s going to. When the ambulance arrives he stands to the side, watching but removed from it all. Numb.
The hospital workers recognize Tony, they offer Pepper help, but she shies away from their hands and papers. They give Tony the ‘run-down’ doing what they can for the overdose he’s worked himself into but also checking for diseases and then double-checking when Pepper reminds them that Tony doesn’t particularly care if his partners are male or female.
Pepper tries to offer support by telling Rhodey that Tony hasn’t actually gotten any sexually transmitted diseases yet. That he always uses protection. It doesn’t help.
Tony’s awake when they finally let them back.
“Oh, God.” His cheeks burn crimson, tears swelling in his eyes at the sight of Rhodey. A broken sob tears from his lips and he hides his face in his hands. He’s gotten thin, Rhodey can see his rib cage and the track marks on his arms. He’s nothing but the broken ghost of the boy from MIT. It breaks Rhodey’s heart.
He steps farther into the room, yearning to gather Tony up in his arms and just fix it all. “Oh Tony,” he seats on the edge of the bed, reaching out and frowning when Tony pulls himself away. “Tony, please. Look at me.” He leans over and pulls Tony’s hands from his face, smiling sadly when those soft, broken brown eyes meet his. He cups his friend’s cheek,” how are you doing, kiddo?”
The familiarity of their pet names eases the tension from Tony’s shoulders. The tears still pour down his face as he mumbles,” I feel like shit, platypus.”
Rhodey clicks his tongue,” I’m sorry about that, kid.” He wraps an arm around Tony, gently bringing them closer until Tony just melts into his side. It’s like old times. “We’re gonna get you better but first, I bet you’re hungry? When was the last time you ate?”
Rhodey doesn't let the guilt in Tony’s eyes eat him alive, so he squeezes him,” no sweat. I bet Pepper could get you something? Still, like jello? There’s a hot nurse at the station, I’d be more than willing to go-”
Tony grips his hand, finally moving on his accord to reach out and bring Rhodey closer. He buries his head in Rhodey’s chest,” please don’t. Don’t leave me. Not again. I can’t- Don’t.”
Rhodey blinks his own tears away, looking at the wall to the side,” okay.” He buries his hand in Tony’s thick hair,” okay. I won’t leave. I’m not going anywhere, Tony. I’m right here, kid. I’m not going anywhere.”
"James?" Tony's voice is hoarse, cracking as he lifts his head just enough to sound coherent. "I'm sorry. I-I know I shouldn't have... It's so hard, you know? I just feel everything and the drugs... I don't feel everything, not the things that hurt." He glances at Rhodey," I'll quit. Cold turkey. I'm-I'm gonna try because..." It's not the right reason, he's supposed to stop doing drugs for himself for his future. Rhodey doesn't argue, just wraps his arms tighter around his friend.
"I believe in you, Tony. You know that." He presses a kiss to his mess of hair," you're like my kid brother but... I know that anything you set your mind to you can do. Just be careful, okay. I love you and I..." his voice breaks, his own hot tears running down his face.
"I love you too, Platypus."
Rhodey smiles through the tears," thanks, kid."