I'm out of my head - hs AU

13

« I need help. »
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On the brink of tears Tony hopped out the taxi he paid for and shakily thanked the driver, also telling him to have good evening. The driver wouldn't care but Tony knew that he'd take note of Tony's weak voice, and Tony couldn't not care about that.

He stopped momentarily outside his destination, suddenly focusing on the device stuck in his chest and slowly squeezing the life out of him. It was always painful, but drinking the chlorophyll and taking the lithium dioxide helped. It didn't slow down the killing process and the toxicity levels but the pain was all Tony feared.

Tony sobbed loudly as he approached the house, not caring about hiding anything anymore. He didn't need to, for he had been caught. He knocked weakly on the door and waited patiently, wiping away heavy tears in the meantime.

A few seconds later the door opened and the dark, murky outside was lit up. Tony had to shield his eyes for a short while.

"Tony?" Questioned Rhodey, eyeing his best friend who didn't look like he was in the best condition.

"Can I come in?" Tony sniffled and looked up at Rhodey through his lashes.

Rhodey said nothing but took a gentle hold of his friend and pulled him inside — out of the cold. For now he wanted to avoid his parents, he didn't want them to bother Tony with their questions about his well-being and why he was crying.

"What mess have you gotten into now?" Rhodey hissed. He dragged Tony into his room and closed the door firmly, watching as Tony basically collapsed onto his bed — probably out of exhaustion.

"I'm just so tired," Tony sobbed and hid his face in his hands. Rhodey fell to Tony's side and placed a reassuring hand on his thigh.

"It's okay..."

"I thought you were mad at me," said Tony hesitantly.

"So... why did you come here?" Asked Rhodey.

"Well I... you're the only one I have — it feels like," Tony admitted and dried more salty tears. Finally he could look Rhodey in the eyes without feeling like he'd go on a rampage over Tony's selfish- and stubbornness.

Tony was a physical being, he liked to be physical with people. It was kind of like his love language but Rhodey knew he wasn't much of a hugger, and neither was Rhodey who showed affection mostly from gifts and doing things from a distance. Still Rhodey hesitantly pulled Tony to him, stroking his head slowly.

The boy with the arc reactor was sat on Rhodey's bed while he himself sat on the floor, making the hug a bit awkward until Tony slid off the bed to end up on the floor with Rhodey.

"I was mad," said Rhodey, not letting go of Tony. "You really think you're a burden to me?" Rhodey said it like a question but meant it as more of a statement, answering his own question in its initial asking.

He felt Tony shaking his head against his chest, hearing him sniffle and whimper from pain distributed by the reactor.

"I don't wanna die, Rhodes," whispered Tony.

"I know," he comforted, realizing slowly that maybe hugs weren't all that bad. It was quite nice, in fact.

After a few minutes Tony whined about feeling dehydrated and as Rhodey went to get him some water he thought of where he had been before, it didn't seem like he'd been home for a while.

"Where've you been today?" Asked Rhodey and handed Tony the water bottle which had fogged up from the warm air. One glance of it and Tony knew that water was crisp.