You Mispronounced Spider

Chapter 8

[A/N: I know I've got some explaining to do with how long it took this chapter to come out.

I was trying to finish up my other story, 'Always Silent, Peter Darling,' (which I did!) before school started and I was bombarded with the inevitable mountain of homework (which totally happened). So, chapters will have no upload consistency... sorry about that.

But good news is I got an editor!

Bad news is because I don't want to get rid of all the paragraph tagged comments I will not be posting the previous edited chapters, but from now on these chapters will have WAY less errors.

Anyways...

Enjoy!]

*Incoming Call: FRIDAY*

"Colonel Rhodes speaking."

<Colonel Rhodes, I am calling on behalf of Mr. Stark.>

"Is... everything alright?"

<I'm not sure I would describe it as such, boss has been held up in his London house lab for the past three days.>

"With Peter at boarding school it doesn't surprise me, guy's addicted to work binges... but you wouldn't be calling if that was the reason."

<Mr. Stark has been consuming a large quantity of alcohol and has not slept since Mr. Parker's departure, it has been getting difficult to explain his absence to the United Nations and he has missed several urgent meetings. The British government is sending a few representatives to his current residence if he doesn't attend a meeting this evening. I calculate that this behavior will only increase and will not be solved in time unless an outside influence is provided.>

"Shit, he's drinking again?"

<Correct.>

"What brought that on? Did something happen?"

<I am not at liberty to discuss that with you.>

"Friday, what happened?"

<I am not at liberty to discuss that with you... but if you were to appear at his residence there is a high likelihood you will find out.>

"I'll be there in five hours."

<I will send you the address.>

*Call Ended*

Being a Colonel in the US military, not many things scared James Rhodes, but getting a call from FRIDAY left him a little unnerved afterwards.

After the disastrous birthday party that Rhodey took the MkII from, Tony hasn't had a drink since, but even then Rhodey was pretty sure that Tony wasn't drunk during the fight since his movements in the fight was nothing compared to the klutz he was on stage beforehand.

Thinking back with the knowledge that Tony was probably convinced he was going to die, it made more sense that he staged it so Rhodey would be compelled to take the suit.

Tony hadn't told anyone about his decision in reducing his alcohol intake but Pepper and Rhodey noticed, they never really mentioned it since it was a positive development and didn't want to make a big deal of it, despite it being a big deal to them.

So knowing that Tony fell off the wagon now instead of during the fallout of the accords or even after the battle of New York meant that whatever it was was hitting him harder than the other events.

Hell, even Rhodey was glancing at the bottle one too many times during his treatment for his leg, if it weren't for the braces Tony designed as well as the endless moral support, Rhodey's not sure where he would be today.