Rivals ➢ Iron Man [ON HOLD]

1.11

"By the end of this week, fellas."

Luck let out a hearty chuckle when Riley and Sam widened their eyes at the news. It took a moment or two for it to actually sink in and when it finally did, they turned to each other and bumped their fists with a lively laugh before hugging one another. Thea was delighted by their reaction and smiled brightly. She knew it meant a lot to them. They were waiting for something like this for a long time, to get out there and change the world. And they were going to do it side by side, just like it was meant to be.

Luck extended his hand and shook theirs in congratulations. Sam stood up and made his way to Thea, who accepted his outstretched hand and got out of her seat. She then wrapped her arms around his shoulders and embraced him tightly. "You two deserve this. All the hard work and commitment I've seen from the two of you was enough to sell me. I know you'll do us all proud. Just know that we believe in you, and we're always here if you need anything."

Sam pulled back and peered down at Thea with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Thea. We won't let you down."

"I know you won't, Falcon."

CALIFORNIA

Tony was nursing a migraine.

It was just as bad as a hangover, except he didn't have a drop of alcohol in his system to feel this sick. And it was driving him insane. All he wanted was to down an entire bottle of bourbon. His mouth was running dry just thinking about it. But he couldn't. He wouldn't. Not after what he had just been through. For the first time in weeks, Tony returned to Gulmira to set the record straight. His weapons were marked, and if he caught anyone carrying one, if anybody was even thinking about putting their grabby hands on any them, the man in the red and gold armour was going to bring the fire and put an end to it all. The village he just reaped through was proof of his wrath. He made sure there was nothing left. Nothing but scrap metal and smoke. He ensured the safety of the people being forced into submission by freeing them of their captors and handing them the power.

And do you know how he felt?

Tony felt good.

That was until he was targeted by US Air Force pilots in F-22 Raptors. Seemed like he woke up the Americans scouting the no-man zone. The government was clear in their decision to hold off on invading the village because of the fact that the Ten Rings were holding civilians hostage and using them as human shields. It was too risky. Rhodey had to learn the hard way that his best friend was the reason for all the commotion. A pilot from Thea's training group had almost fallen to his death because of his chute that wouldn't deploy. Despite being saved by the man-sized aircraft, the pilot believed it would be best to return to the ground for a while.

Tony leaned back into his seat in his garage and faced the TV, smirking when Rhodey explained to the press about their training exercise and reassured the public that the US government was in no way involved with the sudden turn of events in Gulmira. He hissed when he felt the bruise on his ribs flare up with shooting pain. He switched the icepack from his head to the affected area on his chest and settled back into the cushion slowly, breathing out as the pain slowly numbed away.

Regardless of the fact that he'd have to take it easy for a few days, Tony was pretty happy with himself and his actions. The faces of the people he helped keep safe was proof that his second chance at life wasn't being wasted. He was finally doing something worth building on. Worth continuing on. He knew what he had to do.

And Tony knew in his heart that it was right.

Tony's concentration splintered when he felt buzzing against his thigh. At first he thought his nerves were going haywire. He dropped his head and looked down at the pocket of his sweat pants before digging out his phone. An embarrassing photograph of Thea was taking over the screen and he had to laugh. The paparazzi did supply Tony with some of the best candid shots of Thea Apollo money could buy. He would never let Thea know about it, of course, otherwise he'd have to move houses to avoid a napalm strike. He realised he had been staring at the photo for too long when the call dropped out. Tony went to dial her number when a message notification popped up.