Nothing to Lose

By Ammie Hawk

Disclaimer: Still own nothing, unfortunately…

AN: Okay, so I know it's been awhile, but my Avengers drive has fallen greatly since Infinity War came out, though Endgame did help a bit, just not enough. Anyway, I know this chapter is on the short side, but it felt right to end it where I did instead of trying to figure something else out. That being said, let's get on with it.

Chapter 4: Rhode Blocked

Both men turned as the elevator doors slid open. From the confines of the car, a tall dark skinned man stepped out into the penthouse. Dark eyes surveyed the scene before him before landing squarely on the billionaire.

"Really, Tony?" he asked incredulously.

"Rhodey!" Tony smiled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Pepper called me a couple days ago," Rhodey answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "She seemed to be under the impression you were dying. So I rushed out here, expecting a meltdown like last time, only to find you screwing around with some…" his gaze shifted and gave the raven the once over, "guy. I thought you got married?"

"I am," the genius shrugged. "Rhodey, this is my husband Harry P…"

"Stark," the younger male cut in. "Harry Stark, it's nice to meet you."

Subtly elbowing the brunet out of his way, he quickly righted his clothes and slid off the counter. He extended his hand to the newcomer, who took it with a confused look on his face.

"Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes," he introduced himself.

"Well, as nice as this has been, I really should be going," Harry shook his head. "Anyway, Tony, you can call me later."

"Wait," the billionaire grabbed his hand and pulled him back into his arms, keeping his voice low. "You don't have to go. Rhodey won't be here long. Besides, we were just getting to know each other."

"Actually, I do," the shorter male smirked slightly, also keeping his voice down. "Unlike some people, I have a business to run. Besides, you should talk to your friend, and remember you still have to give Pepper a call. Just remember what I said, you can't tell either of them. And for the record, that," he waved toward the counter, "was not what I meant by getting to know each other better. So, call me when you decide to get your head out of your pants."

With that being said, he slipped out of his husband's arms and headed for the elevator. Once the doors had closed behind him, Tony turned his attention back to his friend.

"So?" a dark brow rose in question.

"What do you want me to say, Rhodey?" the billionaire propped himself on one of the stools, crossing his arms over his chest. "I married a hot guy while I was out in Vegas, and the more I get to know him, the more I want to make it work."

"Tony, this isn't like you," Rhodey ran his hand over his short cropped hair. "I mean, you never have a relationship that lasts more than a night, not since college, and you are always careful to avoid entrapment of any kind."

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know about myself," the brunet sighed heavily. "But, I don't know, there's just something about him. It's what drew me to him when I first saw him at that club, and yes, we suspect drugs were involved for the whole marriage thing, but even now that something is still there, drawing me in. He's like an unsolvable puzzle that I could happily spend the rest of my life trying to figure out, even if I hit a dead end every day, and even though I know I will never solve it."

"That's obsession, Tony," the lieutenant colonel gave him a level stare. "We've talked about not playing with people's lives like that. He's not one of your machines, he's a human being."

"It's actually insanity," Tony shook his head. "And I'm not toying with him, I promise. If anything, he's toying with me. He just seems to swoop in out of nowhere and then does that," he motioned to the closed elevator. "So yeah, I may be insane and obsessing, but there's nothing that you or Pepper can say that's gonna change my mind. I want to see where this relationship goes, as crazy as it sounds."

"Look, Tony," Rhodey took a deep breath, "you mentioned drugs, is it possible they're still in your system or that he redosed you? Because this doesn't really sound like you."

"No drug metabolizes that slowly," the genius scoffed. "And aside from this morning, he hasn't touched anything I've consumed. Besides, the way he reacted, the drug was meant for him. I just happened to take a drink of his drink in the course of the evening. I just remembered that actually," a contemplative look crossed his face. "So, the crazy ex-girlfriend spiked his drink, I got dosed by accident, and then she dragged us off to a wedding chapel. But then why did I end up married? I mean, I can understand her bringing me as a witness. Unless…"

Rhodey knew better than to interrupt his friend when he got like this. He just had to wait until whatever epiphany was boiling in that brain of his spilled over and enlightened the rest of the world. Though, what he was saying made him want to look into this new spouse of his.

"I have to call Harry," Tony finally said. "Damn, that means I need to call Pepper."

He fished his phone out and quickly called his CEO. It barely rang once before the frantic voice of the redhead filled his ears.

~Tony! I've been worried sick. Harry called and said you were fine now, but he didn't explain how. What happened, Tony? How are you suddenly better?~

"Pep, breathe," he held up his hand, even though she couldn't see him as it wasn't a video call. "I can't really explain what happened, exactly. Cause I'm still not really sure myself. Look, why don't you come over to the tower and we can talk."

~I'm already on my way,~ she took a deep breath. ~After Harry called I decided to give you one hour before I was coming over there to demand answers.~

"Great," he gave a pained smile. "Rhodey's already here. We can all talk and I'll answer whatever questions I can. Anyway, the reason I called is cause I need Harry's number. He just left and he kept telling me you have it."

~I-I do,~ she stuttered slightly. ~But, Tony, I don't…~

"Just text me the number," he shook his head. "The questions can wait till you get here."

~Fine,~ she huffed. ~There,~ his phone beeped, indicating he had a message. ~I'll be there in ten minutes.~

With that the line went dead. The billionaire took a deep breath as he pulled the phone away from his ear. He opened the text Pepper had sent and quickly dialed the number.

~Hello?~ it was answered on the third ring. ~Who is this?~

"Hey, gorgeous, did you miss me?" he couldn't help but grin.

~Tony. I literally just left,~ the other sighed, ~what could you possibly want?~

"Well, several things come to mind," the grin turned into a devious smirk, "but all of them involve your sexy ass…"

~Tony.~

"Tony!"

Both Harry and Rhodey said at the same time.

"Okay, all business then," he pouted. "So I just remembered, I think it was your drink that was spiked, that's why you got a large dose, I only took a small drink of yours during the course of the evening."

~That make sense,~ the other conceded. ~It would fit with her M.O. Anyway, don't worry about it too much. We'll get to the bottom of this, eventually. Just spend some time with your friends. If you remember anything else you can let me know. In the meantime, I'll look into something that could possibly get our memories back.~

"Fine," Tony let out a heavy sigh. "Are you sure you don't want to come back? We could get some lunch, kick Rhodey and Pepper out, and continue…"

~Bye, Tony,~ he cut in firmly and disconnected the call.

The genius pulled the phone away from his ear and pouted at it before slipping it into his pocket. Why was his husband being so stubborn about this? All he wanted was to get to know him…

He was brought from his musings as the elevator dinged once more. Both men watched as the doors slid open and Pepper Potts stepped into the penthouse. As soon as she spotted her former boss, the redhead practically flew over to him and began frantically checking him over.

"Pep, Pepper, I'm fine," Tony said, smacking her hands away. "Like I told you on the phone, I'm completely better now."

"What happened, Tony?" she asked, her hands still fluttering at her sides, but thankfully she kept them to herself. "Harry wouldn't tell me anything, and now you're being vague. Please, Tony, I was so worried."

"Wait, hold up," Rhodey held up his hands. "You know that guy?"

"Harry owns a shop a few streets over," she waved absently. "He sells teas and herbal type remedies. I stumbled across it a few years back, and I try and stop in every time I'm in New York. He's a really nice guy, quiet, unassuming, almost the complete opposite of Tony. It still baffles me how the two of them ended up married. But all that is ultimately beside the point. Tony, stop avoiding it and answer my question."

"Look, Pepper," the billionaire ran his hands through his hair, "as I said on the phone, I don't know. I just know I woke up this morning feeling better than I have all week. And ya know what, gift," he held up his left hand, palm up, "horse," he did the same with its twin, and juggled them slightly, "not looking in the mouth. So, let's just calm down. I'm perfectly fine. Right now, I just want to get to know the man I married. So, why don't we go get some lunch and maybe you two can help me figure out how to woo my husband."

With that, the genius turned and went down the hall, presumably to change into something more appropriate for going out. His two friends shared a look before going over to the couch to wait.

"Ya know," the lieutenant colonel shook his head, "the more I hear, the more I'm starting to like this guy. He doesn't take any of Tony's crap."

"Harry's something else," the redhead agreed. "Oh, you should've seen it after Tony's press conference. He stormed into the tower, demanding to see Tony. He was ready to punch out Happy until I intervened. Of course, that was before I knew they were married, cause I only found that out last night."

"Wait," a frown marred the other's face, "if you didn't know they were married, why was he here when I got here?"

"As I said earlier," she sighed, "he owns an herbal remedy shop. When Tony refused to see a doctor, and his symptoms weren't getting any better, I panicked and went to see Harry. To see if he had anything that might help. Because, as crazy as it sounds, his stuff works, like miracle cure works. Well, I explained what was happening, and when he found out it was Tony, he insisted on coming over. And whatever he gave him stopped the seizure Tony was having in its tracks. After that, he wanted to stay with Tony for the night, and I was hesitant, but then he explained they were married and was even willing to have Jarvis confirm it, so I let him stay."

"I see," the frown deepened. "We'll have to keep an eye on this Harry guy, but for right now, he gets a pass in my book."

Ammie: Okay, so there it is. The next chapter will have more of Harry in it. Anyway, let me know what you think.