#president James Rhodey Rhodes

[bedlamsbard]

I for one would LOVE to hear about That Man's opinion on the Sokovia Accords, and any other blends of the real world into marvelverse as you have time and space for

Donald Trump is the horrifying combination of anti-Accords, anti-Captain America, and anti-Iron Man. I have THOUGHTS on this.

Okay, so CACW takes place in 2016, yes? which was a horrifying enough election year IRL, but in the Marvel Cinematic Universe we're looking at a scenario where I have postulated that Matthew Ellis is the Democratic candidate. Ellis was elected in 2012 after Barack Obama dropped out of the 2012 race post-Battle of New York as a result of pressure from the World Security Council; my best estimate is that Ellis takes Joe Biden's place as Obama's vice president in the 2008 election (apologies to our Irish Catholic granddad, we can probably safely assume he's still a senator in this AU) and coasts to electoral victory on a wave of post-BONY patriotism. (see my hard-hitting investigative journalism on who was president during the Battle of New York. George W. Bush was president during the events of IM1, we can assume that all real world presidents prior to Ellis served as usual, a.k.a. FDR was president during CATFA, Bill Clinton was president during Captain Marvel and the BW prologue -- actually, we know Clinton was president, because we see him in the BW credits, same with a few others.)

For better or worse -- worse, as it turns out -- Ellis's administration becomes closely linked to Tony Stark and James Rhodes, since Tony and Rhodey very publicly save his life during the events of IM3 and are responsible for his VP (Rodriguez, no first name that I'm aware of) being arrested for treason and probably other nasty stuff. Four months after that, the events of CATWS go down, and while Ellis is quoted in Steve's Smithsonian exhibit with the "Welcome Back" wall bannerand thus they presumably met, Steve is not closely associated with Matthew Ellis in the same way that Tony Stark is. Steve is also closely associated with a major blow to the American intelligence apparatus, the deaths of most of the World Security Council, the destruction of SHIELD, the "death" of Nick Fury, the disgrace and death of Alexander Pierce, and the arrests of a number of major American politicians, including Senator Stern of Pennsylvania. We know from CATWS that Ellis himself was a target of Project Insight; I have also postulated that the Hydra reveal had a major effects on his administration, including either the arrest or the resignation of his original Secretary of State. Thaddeus Ross got the SecState position not because he was Ellis's original pick, but because post-CATWS (or possibly post-AoU), he was able to leverage his previous experience with the Hulk and other recipients of the super soldier serum to be politically useful.

Ellis has to be in favor of the Sokovia Accords because his SecState is running the show -- in theory the Accords will be administered by a UN panel, in actual practice, as we see in CACW and BW, the intent is for either the American SecState in general or Thaddeus Ross specifically to have sole control over the Avengers. Less than ideal by anyone's standards. Pre-Accords, no one knows how this is going to shake out.

Let's go back to how Donald Trump hates Steve Rogers, like, so much. The feeling is mutual. I'm pretty sure Trump personally knew, or at least met, Tony Stark pre-Iron Man, because they would have been in some of the same social circles: those personalities are going to clash. That's not going to go over well. Trump probably made overtures to Steve because CAPTAIN AMERICA! we love America! what's more great for America than the Greatest Generation! only uh. it's Steve. and Trump pre- (and post-) 2016 is everything Steve Rogers hates. sure, he's a great piece of American propaganda, but he grew up as a poor second generation immigrant son of a single mother with significant health issues during the Great Depression. that didn't go away when he got the serum and it certainly didn't go away when he got out of the ice! so Steve probably rebuffed the initial overtures politely, but he did rebuff them, and Trump, hmm, doesn't handle that sort of thing real well. so then a big part of That Man's campaign turned into the "fuck Captain America" tour with a side of "fuck the Avengers," playing heavily into the damage done during the events of Phase 1 and Phase 2.

Which Ellis's campaign was probably also doing, but more circumspectly because Matthew Ellis is an actual politician and he's politically linked to two of the ten Avengers (Tony and Rhodey); Tony's also the one with the most obvious "pull." Steve's got some but Steve doesn't actually want to use it.

So on the one hand, if Ellis is pro-Avengers and pro-Accords, but in a "they should be controlled but we need them" sort of way, then his main opponent is going to not be in favor of either. In 2016 Trump does want the Avengers controlled (so he can have personal pull over the two Avengers he hates the most, Tony and Steve; he's probably also not fond of many of the others! like, Natasha and Wanda are both women and immigrants...). But he doesn't want them controlled by a UN panel, he wants them controlled by the United States of America. You don't let THE UNITED NATIONS give orders to CAPTAIN AMERICA. The Avengers are mostly made up of American citizens, they include some fine pieces of American engineering; this is America's business. So that's his focus on the Accords leading up to CACW.

CACW itself is a political disaster for Matthew Ellis and almost certainly flipped the election for him -- it goes so horrifically badly for him even if he got the "victory" of the Accords passing that there's basically no way to recover from it, though presumably he tried in the months between May and November 2016. The events of BW and the Raft breakout during those months put the nail in the coffin of Ellis's reelection campaign. Trump spends that time beating Ellis's failure to control the Avengers into the ground, along with personal insults about Tony's incompetence as a superhero and Steve's disloyalty as an American, etc. etc., along with all the other stuff from his 2016 campaign. Absolute disaster for everyone on every level.

(Ross manages to skate through into Trump's administration -- since we know he's there in IW in 2018; I think he's addressed as "Mr. Secretary" there but can't check rn -- because he's a slippery son of a bitch and probably manages to parlay his Hulk experience, his hardheadedness in going after Natasha Romanoff, and tbh probably the fact that his nickname is Thunderbolt Ross into a cabinet position. (We've all heard the speculation that Jim Mattis got the real world SecDef position because his nickname is Mad Dog Mattis, right?) It's possible that in IW he's no longer SecState and is in fact running that UN panel, but I think that table of people we see has U.S. military uniforms at it and Rhodey specifically refers to potentially being court-martialed.)

presumably there are no Avengers-level disasters between 2016 and 2018 (we know the events of Spider-Man Homecoming and Ant-Man and the Wasp take place then, but they're not "call the team out" big), which is probably the only thing that keeps the whole disaster from going up in flames before then. the fact that no one can catch Steve or the other rogue Avengers must be driving That Man crazy and he probably went on some vicious Twitter rants about that.

and then, in my heart of hearts, he gets snapped in 2018.

I am sorry for making you think about Donald Trump's political views but at least they aren't his actual real world ones (horrifying).

[tonystarkbingo]

TSB Round 7 - Week 11!

Happy Labour Day! Everyone put so much work into their fills this week (hahaha. Get it?) Check them out below!

Collaborator: scottxlogan Card Number: 7017 Square Filled: A2 - Loki Title: If I Could Turn Back Time Link: AO3 Pairings: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark Word Count: 19865 Rating: Explicit Major Tags/Triggers: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Past Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Past James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark, Unrequited Crush, Bucky Barnes & Loki Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Canon-Typical Violence, Heavy Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cigarettes, Drinking, Aftermath of Violence, Group Kissing, Sexual Content, dual timelines, Supernatural Elements, Matchmaker Tony Stark Summary: In the past Bucky's dark history comes back to haunt him in the worst possible way. Meanwhile in the future Tony and Bucky are headed towards happily ever after when tragedy strikes under suspicious circumstances and Loki decides its time to intervene on his friends' behalf to make things right for them once and for all in ways that could change everything forever.

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Collaborator: deehellcat Card Number: 7014 Square Filled: K2 - Sokovia Title: An Impression So Deep, ch1 Link: AO3 Pairings: Tony and Wanda Word Count: 906 Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: Canon Divergence Post-Age of Ultron, First Impressions, Misjudgments, Pietro Maximoff Lives, Second Chances, Apologies, Listening Summary: After the Avengers defeat Ultron, the Maximoffs return to their homeland to help in the relief effort, and Wanda crosses paths with someone she definitely does not expect to find hefting chunks of debris.

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Collaborator: illogicalkat Card Number: 7009 Square Filled: A2 - Election Night Title: Election Night Link: Tumblr Pairings: none Word Count: 0 (moodboard) Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: moodboard Summary: Tony Stark is running for Senate

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Collaborator: celtic7irish Card Number: 7025 Square Filled: S1 - Crack Title: There Goes the Weekend Link: AO3 Pairings: Peter Parker & Tony Stark Word Count: 100 Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: None Summary: “Mr. Stark! Look!” Peter exclaimed. “There’s, like, a giant crack in the sky!”

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Collaborator: May Card Number: 7031 Square Filled: K3 - Winter Soldier Title: Seasons of You Link: AO3 Pairings: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark Word Count: 1647 Rating: Teen Major Tags/Triggers: Getting together, fix-it, friends to friends with benefits to lovers Summary: One year of Steve and Tony’s relationship

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Collaborator: tinystark616 Card Number: 7008 Square Filled: K4 - Kink: Held Down Title: Hold Me Down Link: AO3 Pairings: Steve/Tony Word Count: 1700 Rating: Explicit Major Tags/Triggers: Plot What Plot, Anal Sex, Armor Kink, Bottom Steve, Top Tony Summary: Steve asks Tony to wear one of his iron man suits and hold his wrists down during sex. Tony gives Steve what he wants, and more.

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Collaborator: endlesstwanted Card Number: 7010 Square Filled: A5 - Wedding Title: Tony Stark Bingo Mark VII - August Round Robin Link: AO3 Pairings: Avengers Team Members & Tony Stark Word Count: 350 Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: Wedding Planning, Surprise Party Summary: Tony's been holed up in his workshop... planning a wedding for his friend... the President of the United States. He knows from personal experience that the planning is officially the worst part of any wedding and he doesn't want to inflict that on his friends. There's only one detail left... getting a date with his crush.

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Collaborator: Hadrian Card Number: 7067 Square Filled: T2 - Sugar Daddy Tony Title: We are on the cam Link: AO3 Pairings: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark Word Count: 783 Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: N/A Summary: After three months, Bucky and Tony had broken up, due to some misunderstandings that hadn't been mentioned to Steve who, on his part, hadn't insisted. Because, feeling extremely guilty, Steve had a crush on Tony. He had fallen in love with his ex's ex, which, of course, wasn't good news. How could he tell Bucky? And how could he explain to Tony about his past relationship with Bucky, without sounding like a slimy creep?

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Collaborator: Hadrian Card Number: 7067 Square Filled: A4 - Charming Title: It was you? Link: AO3 Pairings: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark Word Count: 925 Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: N/A Summary: Steve looked up at Tony Stark, Natasha's best friend. Were in moments like this that Steve disliked his familiar relationship with Natasha. If he wasn’t Natasha’s cousin, he wouldn’t have been in the same room with Tony Stark.

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Collaborator: rebelmeg Card Number: 7001 Square Filled: R3 - grief Title: Not Yet - Chapter One Link: AO3 Pairings: Tony & Death, Tony & Maria Word Count: 585 Rating: Teen Major Tags/Triggers: near death experiences, personification of Death, apparent stillbirth Summary: Tony Stark is a particular beloved of Death. There are so many times he returns to her throughout his long and difficult life, hurt and ready and sometimes even willing to finally die. But every time she tells her favorite soul the same thing. "Not yet."

[ao3feed-sambucky]

flags down

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/EljzPSh by disastertrio Sam and Bucky are enemies, but when they accidentally cause an incident at a wedding, they're forced to fake a friendship. and when that friendship turns into more, that's another problem. because one, they're from different countries, and two, one is the president's brother, and the other is the prince consort's best friend. (or it's a red, white, and royal blue au!) Words: 1015, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV), Captain America (Movies) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: Gen, M/M, Multi Characters: Sam Wilson (Marvel), James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Peggy Carter, Sharon Carter (Marvel), Sarah Wilson (Marvel), AJ Wilson, Cass Wilson, James "Rhodey" Rhodes Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson & Sarah Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes & Natasha Romanov Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Politics, Alternate Universe - Politics, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Royalty, Modern Royalty, Alternate Universe - Red White & Royal Blue Fusion, Inspired by Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston, Drabble Collection, Drabble read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/EljzPSh

[qwanderer]

The Opposite of Void Character List (With Pictures!)

This will contain spoilers for fics in The (Opposite of) Void series. I wanted to give visual aids for the general ages of the Tony variants, show my fem!Loki face claims for various versions, and generally help people keep track of who I’m talking about.

1) ‘Tron (Ultron variant, 2015, elected to protect humanity) Head of Guard Shift 1

2) Anthony (Anthony Edward Stark variant, 2012, had that drink with Loki) SO of Lokes, Iron Man pilot

3) Lokes (Loki Laufeyson variant, 2012, Incidental to Tony Stark) SO of Anthony

4) Tony, Morrie's Dad (Anthony Edward Stark variant, 2023, buried time travel tech) Husband of Pepper, dad to Morrie and Mogs

5) Morrie, Mors (Morgan Stark variant, 2023, Incidental to Tony Stark) Daughter of Tony and Pepper, chicken keeper

6) Ed, Edwin J Stark (Jarvis Stark variant, 2010, built himself a body) Co-pilot to Anthony

7) Tones (Anthony Edward Stark variant, 2016, refused to sign the Accords) SO of Loki, creator of Fry, Iron Man pilot

8) Ted, Agent, Agent Mandelbrot (Anthony Edward Stark variant, 1993, unknown) Turret 1 Operator, Iron Man pilot, New TVA agent

9) Fry (Friday Stark variant, 2016, Incidental to Tony Stark) Co-pilot to Tones and occasionally Ted

10) Pepper (Virginia Potts-Stark variant, 2024, unknown) Wife of Tony, mother to Morrie and Mogs, Rescue pilot, queen of Stark Fortress

11) Friday (Friday Stark variant, 2024, Incidental to Pepper Potts-Stark) Co-pilot to Pepper

12) Sky, Skynet (Jarvis Stark variant, 2014, went mildly skynet) Head of Guard Shift 2

13) Felix, Teeny, Anthony Felix Stark (Anthony Edward Stark variant, 1987, stole a motorcycle) Turret 2 Operator

14) Mogs (Morgan Stark variant, 2037, tried to go back in time to save Tony) Daughter of Tony and Pepper, creator of Vincent, Rescue pilot

15) Vincent (Vincent Stark [Very Intelligent Networking Consciousness Encompassing Nanoscale Technology] variant, 2037, Incidental to Morgan Stark) Co-pilot to Mogs

16) Howard, Howie (Howard Stark variant, 1976, quit drinking and committed to parenthood) Dad of all Tonies

17) Loki [President Loki] (Loki Laufeyson variant, 2012, ran for US presidency rather than invading) SO of Tones

18) Rhodey (James Rhodes variant, 2014, hooked up with Bruce Banner) SO of Bruce, War Machine pilot

19) Bruce (Bruce Banner variant, 2014, incidental to James Rhodes) SO of Rhodey

20) Lokka [Kid Loki] (Loki Laufeyson variant, 980, claims to have killed Thor) BFF of Keeter

21) Keeter [Alligator Loki] (Loki Laufeyson variant, ~1600, ate the Flerken ambassador) BFF of Lokka

22) Sylvie Laufeydottir [Sylvie] (Loki Laufeyson variant, 974, unknown)

23) Minnie, Miss Minutes [Miss Minutes] (n/a )

24) Aethel Laufeybarna, Agent Loki [Loki] (Loki Laufeyson variant, 2012, stole the tesseract and escaped to Mongolia) New TVA agent

25) Mobius, Agent Mobius M. Mobius [Agent Mobius] (Maxwell Meyer variant, unknown) New TVA agent

31) Locutus [~Classic Loki] (Loki Laufeyson variant, n/a) New TVA coordinator

26) Ravonna, Judge Renslayer (pre-variance-based split) New TVA agent

27) Luke [Mustache Loki] (Loki Laufeyson variant, unknown)

28) Lop [Pokey Loki] (Loki Laufeyson variant, unknown)

29) Silvertongue [Boastful Loki] (Loki Laufeyson variant, 2012, pursued Infinity Stones rather than invading)

n/a) Joshua, Rhea, Midnight Mystery (Loki Laufeyson variant, unholy timeline [Hela Odindottir never existed]) Father to Hel and Mica, spouse of Tony Albastru-Stark

n/a) Tony Albastru-Stark, Joshua’s Tony (Anthony Edward Stark variant, unholy timeline [Hela Odindottir never existed]) Husband of Joshua, Dad to Mica, Stepdad to Hel

n/a) Hel Lokadottir (unholy timeline [Hela Odindottir never existed]) Queen of Niflheim (MM), Daughter of Joshua Albastru-Stark

n/a) Hela Odindottir (Hela Odindottir variant, pre-variance-based split) Queen of Niflheim (TVA)

n/a) Mica Albastru-Stark (unholy timeline [Hela Odindottir never existed]) Child of Joshua and Tony Albastru-Stark

30) Minuet, Mint Chip (Miss Minutes variant [sort of],) Co-pilot to Ted

I was thinking of doing actual armor pictures of Vincent and Minuet, but I didn’t want to draw anything specifically for this, so a lot of these that aren’t existing characters or fancasts are just old drawings or lightly manipulated images. Minuet being a color-shifted version of Minnie is mostly a joke, I don’t think she appears as a holographic clock very often! She’s mostly armor. However, Vincent’s image just being a cozy sweater is very serious. Vincent prefers being a cozy sweater to being armor.

[ao3feed-stevebucky]

You know we’re the same kind

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/SOLa5mn

by Bittersweet_in_Boston

“Hey, Buck,” Steve starts. They’re lying on Steve’s bed in the Presidential Suite a few minutes after their usual late-evening session.

“Yeah, Stevie,” mutters his boyfriend, running his flesh fingers up and down Steve’s arm to bring up the goosebumps.

Steve shivers a little, but not because he’s cold; it’s a chilly mid-December night in DC and although they keep the White House rooms cooler to save energy, especially at night, Steve’s always run warm and now he’s running even warmer. Yeah, sure, he was shivering from cold after his rescue from the facility in western Pennsylvania, but that was a reaction to the serum. Once he was stabilized and the serum was flushed from his system, things went back to normal.

OK, they didn’t really go back to normal. Which is kind of what he wants to talk to Bucky about right now.

Words: 11022, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 7 of Hail to the Chief

Fandoms: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Peggy Carter, Okoye (Marvel), Sam Wilson (Marvel), James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Smith the Secret Service agent, Hydra Agents, Arnim Zola, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Helen Cho (Marvel), Jasper Sitwell, T'Challa (Marvel), Ayo (Marvel), wakandans, Shuri (Marvel), Tony Stark

Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Minor Natasha Romanova/Sam Wilson - Relationship

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Politics, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Sort Of, United States President Steve Rogers, War Veteran Bucky Barnes, Stress, Angst, Midterm Elections, Vice President Sam Wilson, Politics, Hydra GOP, Nightmares, Kidnapping, Medical Torture, Pain, Drugs, Serum, Trapped in a James Bond movie, Canon-Typical Violence, BAMF Okoye (Marvel), BAMF Natasha Romanov (Marvel), BAMF Bucky Barnes, Protective Bucky Barnes, Fainting, Blow Jobs, Vibrators, Anal Sex, Light Dom/sub, the serum amplifies, Kissing, More Hydra conspiracy, Wakanda (Marvel), A new wardrobe, People love you Stevie, reference to infertility, Informal visit, Birnin Zana, Not your typical colonizer, Nat-Bucky bickering, Vibranium (Marvel), Secrets Revealed, medical research, A heavy burden, you’re not alone

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/SOLa5mn

[somethingjustsouthofbrilliance]

I Got You (Tony/Rhodey secret service AU) Chapter 9

Some background information about the residents of the September Foundation. Plus Rhodey learns something new about Tony :)

Warning: Mentions of abuse in this chapter. Nothing graphic, but a warning just to be safe

Links to Chapter 1, Chapter 8

Tagging @jamesrhodey  @supernaturalyloki @chanderefk @aimeeroot21 @markedplaces @mostly-marvel-stuffs @matre-dee @le-ephemere @lo-anlurui @savedbyholmes @kimmycup @typicalcampbell @natty-ts70 @damnhiatus @pubzie @giulisetta @goose-danvers  @donttellanyoneitsmebabe @bookwermthings @tonystark5ever  @polygamoussquamous @swanheart69 @schalabi422

Chapter 9

 He stares at the closed door in a stunned stupor, listening to the sound of Pepper’s retreating footsteps. He doesn’t know much about Maria Stark – she was never famous like her husband, stayed in the shadows her whole life. But her death, her death he remembers rather well.  There was a TV special about the Starks that he had stumbled upon a few years back: “A Curse upon the House of Starks” it was called, if he remembers correctly.  The narrator talked about the tragic circumstances in the deaths of both Howard and Maria Stark, the violent nature of them. Howard perishing in an explosion that destroyed the family mansion; his wife Maria dying in a fiery crash several years prior.  He remembers the narrator wondering darkly if the Fates have somehow been turned against this family, if they had hung a curse upon the Stark bloodline, and if the younger Stark would fall victim to that family curse as well, if he would suffer the same spectacularly violent, fiery end as his parents.

He never thought about it before, never questioned the official story: Howard Stark’s latest experiment going wrong, Maria Stark falling asleep behind the wheel….  

 But the Fates had nothing to do with it, did they.  Sta- Tony’s convinced that his father’s death had been orchestrated by someone from the White House.  And Maria…  if he understood what Pepper was implying, Maria may have been killed by Howard himself.

Which is… impossible. Ridiculous even.  More ridiculous than Tony’s wild insinuations that Obie and Justin were the ones behind Howard’s death.  Howard Stark was a visionary.  An engineering legend.  A weapons icon.  

A man like that – an abuser? A murderer? How is that even possible?

 “Howard didn’… didn’ hit me so much when Obie was there.  It… nice… t’was nice…”

 He sucks in a sharp breath as Tony’s pain-slurred words flicker across his memory, unbidden. Casts a glance at the unconscious man’s face, his stomach churning with nausea and dread. He thought he’d misheard him then. He hoped he’d misheard him.  Because it was too ugly, too horrifying to process.  Because it was the Starks.  Because…

 Oh dear god…

“Mr. President?”

 The door opens with a soft squeak, and one of the teens from earlier slips inside.  Shifts awkwardly on the doorstep, looking everywhere but at James.

 “Your…uh… your room is ready and… uhm… Miss Potts said to tell you that we’ll be having dinner in twenty minutes, if…uh…,” he risks a glance at James, shifts it almost instantly toward Tony before dropping it back down to the floor, “if you’re hungry.”

 His stomach rumbles at the thought of food, loud enough that the teen shoots him another awkward glance.   “I suppose that answers that question,” he jokes and frowns in confusion as the teen looks away again.  “Something wrong?”

 The teen fidgets.  

 “Kid?”

 “I’m sorry about before,” the boy blurts out suddenly and he’s looking right at James now, eyes wide, cheeks flushed with… shame?  “Pulling the gun on you,” he elaborates at James’s deepening frown.  “Harley and I… it’s our job to protect this place when Mr. Stark isn’t here.  He said so himself.  And then when you showed up, I…. But Miss Potts explained… she told us that you came here like us and Mr. Stark, he…”

 “Kid…” He holds up his hand to forestall the rest of the verbal assault, rubs his throbbing temples. “You’re kinda starting to give me a headache.  No offense.”

 “Sorry.” The teen bites his lip, stares down at his feet again.

 “Look,” James heaves out a sigh, pushes himself to stand, casting one last look at the man on the bed. “I think we got off on the wrong foot here.”  Slowly, he crosses the room, coming to a stop in front of the boy.  “How about we try again, huh? Hi, I’m James.” He holds out his hand expectantly and smiles when the kid returns the gesture after a moment’s hesitation.

 “Peter. Parker.  Peter Parker.”

 “Good to meet you, Peter Parker.”  He squeezes the boy’s hand lightly before letting go.  Nods approvingly.  “Nice job earlier, by the way.  Impressive. I think Mr. Stark would be proud.”

 The teen, if possible, blushes even more at the praise, his face and neck growing pink, and James barely manages to suppress a snort as he claps the boy on the shoulder before following him out the door to his new room.

 ***

 Twenty minutes later he makes his way down the hall that Peter had indicated to him earlier and finds himself inside a light and spacious dining room that almost rivals the one at the White House.  There’s a long country style oak table in its center, set for ten. Everyone’s plates are full, but no one has started eating yet.  Waiting for him, James realizes, even as all the attention in the room turns toward him.

 “I’m glad you could make it,” Pepper rises to greet him, gesturing to the empty chair beside her.  Smiles as he sits down cautiously beside her, trying to take in all the curious faces, some already familiar, some not.  “Why don’t we all go around and introduce ourselves?” she proposes, nodding at the quiet murmur of approval from the others at the table.  “I believe you already know Peter,” she motions to his teenage guide who grins widely back at her.  “He and his aunt are one of our oldest residents.”

 “His aunt?”

 “Me, Mr. President,” comes the quiet, amused response, and, oh, James wants to facepalm himself now. Because, of course, of course.  Parker.  The kid said his last name was Parker.  How did he not make the connection?

 “How did you…?” he gestures inarticulately at their surroundings, struggling to make sense of it all.  Because he can’t understand why a woman with a cushy government position would abandon it all like that, disappear off the face of the earth.  Because he keeps remembering the dark look that flashed in Stark’s eyes when he had asked him about the reasons for May’s departure. Because he knows he’s missing something important here.

 May presses her lips together, flicking a quick gaze at Pepper as if for reassurance.  Raises her hand to push a strand of hair behind her ear. “Senator Hammer began making sexual advances toward me after about a year of me working for him,” she says finally, determined and furiously blunt.

 And, no, that wasn’t at all what James was prepared to hear.  This was… this is… His mind flashes back to Justin, to the leering look in the man’s eyes that he had glimpsed more than once when the senator would stare after a female colleague.  Oh no…

 “I repeatedly told him to stop, filed several complaints with the HR, but nothing ever came of that. And then one day we were working late, and he called me to his office and locked the door.  He knew I had just filed for permanent guardianship of Peter the week before, and he told me that if I screamed, he’d contact his buddy at the Child Protective Services and have Peter taken away from me.…”

 Beside her Peter makes a choked off sound of anger, the boy’s hands curling into fists, and she smiles at him, small and watery.  Reaches out to cover his fisted hand with her own.  

 “It’s alright,” she says. “I’m alright. You know he didn’t get far.”  

 “Still wish I was old enough back then to break his stupid face,” Peter grumbles unhappily.  

 And, yeah, James can understand the sentiment. Can feel his own fists itch with the useless desire to punch the lewd bastard.

 May’s smile grows a bit brighter at that and she raises her other hand to ruffle the teen’s hair.  “As much as I appreciate the sentiment, sweetheart,” she murmurs, her eyes warm, “I’m afraid Tony got there first.”  She turns her attention back to James, her expression turning serious once more.  “Tony lost his job because of that incident, got an assault charge on his record, and for that I am truly sorry. But I’m not sorry for what he did.”  Her hand tightens around Peter’s.  “We are safe here. Happy.  I can never be sorry for that.”

 “I… I understand,” James manages, his throat uncomfortably dry.  But the thing is, he doesn’t understand. Any of it.  He worked with Justin.  Rubbed elbows with the man almost on a daily basis.  He never knew… how did he not know?  He shakes his head, feeling irrationally angry with himself.  Stupid, he thinks. Naïve and stupid.

 “Laura?” Pepper addresses a short slender brunette sitting on the other side of James, breaking the awkward silence that settles at the table following May’s story.  “Would you like to go next?”

 The woman shrugs her assent, gives him a small, hesitant smile.  She has a plump-cheeked bright-eyed toddler bouncing excitedly on her lap, small, chubby fingers reaching hungrily for the plate.  “Well, I’m Laura,” she begins, smiling indulgently at the toddler even as she gently guides the little hands away. “And this little troublemaker is Nathaniel.” She nods at the two children sitting next to her. “That’s Cooper and Lila.  We’ve been living here at the Foundation for about…,” she looks back at Pepper for verification, “two years now?”

 “That’s right,” Pepper inclines her head in agreement before turning to address James.  “Laura’s ex-husband is a former CIA operative whose cover got burned during a mission with a Russian double-agent.  He has since disappeared.  There are speculations that he had switched sides and went on the run with that Russian woman.”  She gives Laura an apologetic look, her mouth pinching unhappily.  “Either way, Laura and the kids were left out in the open as potential targets to anyone whose path he ever crossed.”

 “Jesus…” James can’t help the exclamation that escapes him as he stares with mounting horror at the three little kids at the table.  How could someone endanger their own children like this?  Why?

 “Clint was never good about thinking things through,” Laura dismisses with a shrug, her smile just a tad too strained.  “Luckily for us, Tony got to us first.”

 And, yes, James thinks, lucky indeed.  He can’t even imagine what would have happened to this little family if Tony hadn’t intervened.  He’s seen enough reports about families of compromised agents where the subjects were not quite so fortunate.  Some of those gave him nightmares for weeks after.  For a husband, a father to willingly…

 He shakes his head, grits his teeth against a wave of anger against a man he doesn’t even know.  “How did… how did Tony find you?”

 “The Shield.” It’s Pepper who responds.  

 “The… what now?”

 “The Shield.  It’s an AI program that Tony and Jarvis, Tony’s… guardian, have created,” she clarifies, her lips twitching in amusement at his open-mouthed confusion.  “It monitors police and military channels, reports from CPS and other government agencies according to the parameters that Tony set up, sends him alerts whenever something falls within those parameters and…,” she shrugs, “then Tony goes to investigate.”

 James blinks. Blinks again. “You’re telling me that Tony Stark… former Special Agent Tony Stark… created an artificial intelligence program?”

 Pepper’s laugh, lighthearted and contagious, resonates across the room.  “Surprised you again, didn’t he.  Told you he’s good at that.”

 “Tony graduated from MIT at 17,” another kid chimes in, gruff.  It’s the other teen from his welcoming committee: an unruly mop of curly hair falling over his ears and sharp blue eyes drilling holes in James from across the table.  “What, you thought he’s just a dumb jock like all the other boneheads you call secret service agents?” The kid scoffs, rolls his eyes with obvious disdain, bumping shoulders with a little girl sitting beside him, who giggles in delight. “Please, the guy’s a genius.  And Pete and I, we’re following right in his footsteps, ain’t we, Pete.” He winks conspiratorially at Peter, who has the decency to duck his head and blush.  “I’m Harley, by the way.  The hacker.” And there’s a wickedly mischievous glint in the teen’s eyes that has James shaking his head in wary bemusement.  

The kid’s trouble.

 “Harley here,” Pepper cuts in with an indulgently disapproving tilt of her head, “got on the police radar at 10 years old for somehow hacking into the local mayor’s home computer and projecting….” She pauses, lips pursed, as if she’s searching for the right word. Grins at Harley, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “…compromising pictures from the mayor’s birthday party onto the wall of the City Hall.”

 The bark of disbelieving laughter bursts out unbidden. “You’re serious?”

 “The town’s water tower got busted,” Harley shrugs, unconcerned.  “The whole town was without clean water for weeks and that asshole wouldn’t do anything.  So I had to give him some… incentive.”

 “Right.” Pepper’s smile dims a bit.  “Unfortunately, the mayor wasn’t quite as amused as the rest of the townsfolk. And when he found out that Harley and his sister had been living without proper parental supervision…”

 “Our dad split when I was 5 and our mom spent more time looking for another Mr. Right than she did at home with us,” Harley clarifies with another shrug and James cringes at the forced carelessness of it.

 “The mayor’s lawyers argued parental neglect,” Pepper continues, confirming what James is already thinking.  “Child Services got involved, the mother walked away and the kids got placed into a group home.  Spent months there by the time Tony managed to push the adoption paperwork through and bring them both out here.”

 “And next year I’m going to MIT,” Harley concludes with a cocky one-sided grin, shoveling more potatoes onto his plate.  Bristles at Pepper’s chidingly raised eyebrow. “What? Tony said so.”

Somehow James doesn’t doubt him.  

He shakes his head, stares numbly at his still empty plate.  All these people, all these potential tragedies averted.  They all could have become just another statistic, another tragic loss.  But here they are – happy and thriving and safe.  A patchwork family, broken but somehow perfect.  And it’s all because of Tony.  He tries to reconcile that with the image of the annoyingly self-assured, abrasive asshole he met in his office all those weeks ago, the guy he’s been so irritated with only a few hours prior.    

He feels like such a jerk.

 “A lot to take in, isn’t it,” Pepper asks him quietly over the clinking of silverware and the low din of resumed conversations.  Smiles knowingly when all he manages is a silent nod.  “You should eat,” she tells him.  “I’m going to go check on Tony after dinner. I’m sure you’ll want to join me.”

 And, yeah, yes, he will. But first…  “Were you also… Did Tony… What did he do for you?”  He flusters as her smile falls, her lips thinning out.  Backtracks awkwardly.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume.  I…”

 She waves off his apology, reaches to unbutton the right-hand sleeve of her shirt. “My ex-boyfriend, Aldrich, had a very… fiery temper,” she murmurs, slowly pushing up the white fabric.  There’s a long thin burn scar that runs along her forearm, marring the smooth skin. “He did this after I tried to leave him the first time.  Told me he’d burn me alive if I tried again.” She drops the sleeve, lets it fall back over the damaged skin.  Waits in silence as James stares back at her in open-mouthed horror, words he was about to say stuck painfully to the back of his throat. “I had just graduated college. I was still so young… naïve. Didn’t really know what to do, where to go.”  She smiles again, a bitter twisted little thing.  “I couldn’t sleep that night, I was so scared. So I called Tony.  Sobbed to him over the phone.” She pulls at the edge of the sleeve again, fiddles with the button there, threading it back through the loop. “He came over that same night.  Drove… god knows from where.” She shakes her head, her expression turning wistful.  “He came inside, told me to go wait in the car…”

 James watches her expectantly as she falls silent all of a sudden, lost in the memory.  “And?” he prompts gently, curious despite himself.

 She blinks as if coming out of a trance. Looks up at him, her eyes hard once more.  “And I did,” she says simply, holding his gaze as if daring him to question her further.  “Tony came back out a few minutes later.  He got in and we drove off.  That’s all.”

 James knows better than to ask anything else.

[starkassembled]

so.... how we feeling Rhodey stans?

[stankrhodes]

NEW YORK TIMES SPECIAL EDITION: INTERVIEWING PRESIDENT JAMES RHODES

“In just six months, President Rhodes has spearheaded the country in directions foreign and intergalactic that were previously unheard of. Hear directly from him as he discusses fighting in the war against Thanos and how he is handing a country torn in half.”

@rhodeyappreciationweek

[rebelmeg]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark Characters: Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Pepper Potts Additional Tags: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Awesome James "Rhodey" Rhodes, supportive tony, Awesome Pepper Potts, President Rhodes and VP Potts, Fluff and Humor Series: Part 7 of Rebelmeg's TSB Mark IV Fills Summary:

The votes are in and the newest President and VP celebrate their win.

The fic was written for my @tonystarkbingo​ square T3 - “I’ll hold your own”

Title: Hail To The Chief Collaborator: rebelmeg Card Number: 4034 Square Filled: T3 - "I'll hold your own" Ship: Tony & Rhodey, Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: fluff and humor, President Rhodey and VP Potts Summary: The votes are in and the newest President and VP celebrate their win. Word Count: 716

---------------------------------------------------------------------

And to go along with that... I might have gone a little nuts imagining promotional material... so here’s what I’ve got for square T2 - President

Title: Rhodes - Stark Presidential Campaign Collaborator: rebelmeg Card Number: 4034 Square Filled: T2 - President Ship: Tony & Rhodey, Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: moodboard and graphics, President Rhodey and VP Potts Summary: Campaign promo material for the Stark - Rhodes presidential campaign run... and a scrapbook page because Tony can’t help himself.

[generationblip]

definitely did not just go on a co. james rhodes blogging spree no sir

[atomicstardust]

President Rhodes President Rhodes PRESIDENT RHODES PRESIDENT RHODES

[heart-of-gold-titanium-alloy]

"Was Don Cheadle underutilized as James Rhodes?"

HE DAMN WELL WAS!!!!!!

[rhode-y]

Can you guys believe that Rhodey is just...out there? Wow. Fucking incredible

[somethingjustsouthofbrilliance]

Chapters: 16/? Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark, past Pepper Potts/Tony Stark - Relationship Characters: James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Tony Stark, Happy Hogan, Phil Coulson, Obadiah Stane, May Parker, Justin Hammer, Pepper Potts, Harley Keener, Peter Parker, Edwin Jarvis, Laura Barton, Cooper Barton, Lila Barton, Nathaniel Barton, Clint Barton (mentioned), Aldrich Killian (mentioned), Howard Stark (mentioned) Additional Tags: secret service au, president James Rhodes, special agent Tony Stark, Tumblr Prompt, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Intrigue, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt Tony, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Past Child Abuse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, BAMF Tony Stark, Alternate Universe, no superpowers, mentions of abuse, mentions of violence against women and children Summary:

President James Rhodes has been receiving threatening messages from an unknown but dangerously close source. His bodyguard and closest adviser suggest he hire an outsider they trust to help ensure his safety - word is Tony Stark is the best there is. But Stark comes with baggage of his very own and danger follows them both.

@kimmycup @agentlokii @swanheart69 @tonystark5ever

[justsomeoneunordinary]

Hi! Could I request fluff prompt #7 "You're an idiot." "But you love me" with IronHusbands or WinterIron?

Me, answering this prompt two years too late with coffee in hand: Hi! We’re both totally going to pretend you sent this prompt just recently and not two years ago, okay? Great! Knew I could count on you :)

(I don’t actually expect you to read this fic btw. It’s literally been way too long and if you’re not interested in this anymore that’s more than understandable and perfectly fine with me. I simply felt like finishing this now, so no hard feelings :))

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man (Movies)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark

Characters: James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Tony Stark

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, My Non-Military AU because fuck you MCU that's why, Timeline What Timeline, Established Relationship, Marriage Proposal, but it's a mess, President Rhodey!!!, Bad Cooking, Because Tony, Fluff and Humor, this got way out of hand, How did I write 3k of something that happens in the span of like. 10 minutes???, Anyways they're soft and dumb your honor, Well Tony is the dumb one but what else is new

Series: Part 8 of Tumblr Prompts

Summary:

Jim doesn’t know what he expected when J.A.R.V.I.S. apologetically warned him from the sight he would be greeted with in the kitchen—if those 23 years of living with Tony Stark taught him one thing, it’s to be prepared for literally anything—but this certainly was not it.

Or,

Tony tries to be romantic. It backfires. Hysterically.

[stankrhodes]

Slight wandavision spoiler below the cut but I wanted to share a little headcanon I wrote about Rhodey meeting Monica. 

Secretary of defense James Rhodes has to take a double take when the name Rambeau appears on his desk. A faint smile appears as he remembers one of his camp leaders yelling at him at the ass crack of dawn to get out of his bed and make sure he's ready for the day. His smile widens when he remembers her telling him that he can make it through this. That he can get through this training camp and that she believes in him to do the best he can for himself and his people. His smile dims when he sees the name in front is not Maria but instead Monica. One of his interns files back into the room to get his response to the meeting. He stares at her, eyes wide. "Monica?" his voice pitches somewhere up high enough that he's sure Tony can hear it when he asks. The intern nods and he's left speechless. When the meeting does come, he's in his wheelchair for the day, not up to wearing his braces for once. He looks up to see a beautiful young woman who is the spitting image of the woman he knew when he was just a plebe. He refrains from making some embarrassing comment at first but soon enough he lets slip "I knew your mother" and she freezes. It takes a moment but she smiles faintly and dips her head. "She was wonderful wasn't she," she responds and Jim is taken aback. Was. Past tense. "I'm sor-" he goes to apologize but she quickly recovers. "It's fine. No big deal" and the conversation goes on but he sees the downturn in her mood. He notices only because he'd had the exact expression on his face every time the president mentioned Tony in the past tense. He sat a comforting hand on her hand as a sign of support. She's not alone at all.