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“Tony! Tony, what the hell did you just do?”
Tony blinked at the ceiling. He had a good view of it while lying on the floor. “Uh, I’m pretty sure I just electrocuted myself. But I’m good.”
“How the hell can you be good after electrocuting yourself?” Rhodey’s face appeared over him, staring down with wide eyed alarm. “Is your arc reactor still working?”
“In response to question one, I’m good because I’m not dead. In response to question two, my arc reactor is obviously still working since I’m not dead.” Gingerly, Tony rapped his knuckles against the reactor. The area around it hurt like hell, like usual. “Wow. That was a pretty good jolt, though.”
“It threw you across your whole damn workshop.” Bending down, Rhodey took Tony’s hand and helped him sit up. Then, with a hard swallow, he pulled Tony into a hug and patted him on the back. “You scared the hell out of me. You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.” Tony winced. “Or at least, I will be fine if you stop patting me on the back. I smashed into concrete with that back.”
“Sorry.” Rhodey quit patting, but didn’t quit hugging. “Should I drive you to the hospital?”
“Absolutely not.”
“You just electrocuted yourself.”
“Only a little.”
Rhodey finally pulled back and gave him a look. “There’s no such thing as a little electrocution, Tony.”
“Well, there’s no such thing as me going willingly to the hospital. Not when I’ve got my best friend to annoy me into resting, and shit like that.” Tony winked, and Rhodey rolled his eyes. “Help me up?”
Sighing, Rhodey nodded. “You got it.”
He helped Tony up, but didn’t let him go back to the workbench to check his latest suit improvements. Something had obviously gone wrong, since normally his helmet wouldn’t electrocute him. It was the kind of puzzle that Tony loved solving.
But Rhodey was a good friend, and he took his duties seriously. That included his duty to annoy Tony into resting, and shit like that.
Soon, they were sitting on the couch together with ice for a particularly sore spot on Tony’s shoulder, and more ice for scotch on the rocks for both of them. Woozy, Tony leaned against Rhodey’s shoulder.
This could have been a pretty bad accident, but it had turned out okay. And now, he’d let Rhodey take care of him.