Not Another Iron Man Fanfiction *revised*

Before Rhodey could land another blow on Tony’s helmet, I raised a palm and fired at his arm. Rhodey recoiled, surprised, the metal scorched and smoking. “Ouch!”

“Will you just quit it?” I screeched.

“Isabella?!” Rhodey said in disbelief, but Tony just doubled over laughing.

“Are you serious? Oh, this is so typical. Little kid got herself a suit!” His voice dropped to an angry growl behind his visor. “You are in SO much trouble.”

“You know what? Screw you!” The sudden sharp tone of my voice surprised me. I NEVER spoke to anyone like that, and I would have taken it back if Rhodey hadn’t used the moment’s distraction to left-hook Tony square in the chest.

“Stay down, willya?” he yelled.

“STOP!” I shouted as Tony launched himself up and attacked Rhodey again. Their open fire landed on my armor with snaps and sizzles, but otherwise I was unharmed. I blinked—this was working better than I expected. They wrestled each other into the living room, and another scream from Pepper made me stop and shake down my priorities. Somebody had to keep those people safe!

I turned around. “JARVIS!”

“Reluctantly, at your service, Miss Stark,” came the computer voice in my helmet.

“Walk me through this—how do I fly the suit?”

As if in response, my boot thrusters blazed into life, launching me up clumsily. I put out both arms to steady myself. “Okay, there we go.”

I made it inelegantly into the living room, where everybody was still gathered. They were all panicking—not the least of course, Pepper. In my HUD, JARVIS gave me a helpful analysis of the situation. Pressure from the chaos on the second floor has smashed in the ceiling, which made it impossible for the front door to open since it was being weighed down by debris. The party guests couldn’t leave—and anyway, some of them were taking videos with their phones. California girls!

I lifted a hand, blasting bigger holes into the windows and shattering the glass. People screamed.

“Everybody out!” I called. “C’mon!”

“Isabella?” gasped Pepper as I made my way to her in the crowd. I bent to help up a guy who’d stumbled and pushed him toward the exit I had made.

“Pepper, are you okay?”

Another wall came crashing in as the boys barreled into the living room, and I stepped in front of Pepper to shield her from the mess. “Goldstein, RUN!” she screamed at the DJ. Rhodey grabbed Tony and bodily shoved him into the fireplace.

“Shit,” The word leapt out of my mouth before I could think. “Pepper, just go…”

Tony hauled himself out of the furnace, unharmed. It was now a stand-off between him and Rhodey.

“Put your hand down!” Rhodey commanded. I decided that no, he was not drunk. Just trying to shut his best friend down.

“You think you got what it takes to wear that suit?” retorted Tony, directing the words at me as well.

“We don't have to do this, Tony.”

“You wanna be the War Machine, take your shot.”

I didn’t need JARVIS’ mile-a-minute analysis to know that two magnet-based energy sources would repel way too strongly when directed at one another.

BOOM!

I turned around and grabbed Pepper as the force from both blasts collided, sending Tony, Rhodey and I flying in opposite directions. I angled myself so I landed on the floor, Pepper on top of me, stunned but unharmed.

My HUD was temporarily down, so I pulled off my helmet, looking at the wrecked house. It was a total ruin. Iron Man was slumped against the wall, armor wrecked...but Tony was conscious, and he stirred.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rhodey, still in the Mark 2 armor, take one last glance at Tony and take off, disappearing into the night sky.

He took the suit! He took it! And I was positive he wasn't giving it back.

Well, there goes another guy with his hands on Stark tech.

---
“This has gone too far, Tony!” Pepper shouted.

“You know it wouldn’t have gone this far if Rhodey hadn’t TRIED TO BEAT MY ASS—“ Tony stood and pulled off his helmet.

“You were out of control!” I said.

Tony rounded on me. “Oh no! Don’t you say anything. Take off my goddamn suit and go back to your room and I’ll deal with you in the morning!”

“My room is wrecked,” I snapped. “You smashed a hole in it, remember?” Pepper and Natalie—where had Natalie been?—watched this exchange with apprehension.

“Will you both just calm down?” Natalie said.

I put on my helmet and turned around. “I think I need to get outta here for a while.”

“Where are you going?” Tony said. “You’re not leaving too. Where would you go, huh?”

He was right. Where would I go? “I don’t care!” I said without breaking my stride. I stepped over broken glass and into the cool night air. “Anywhere.”

This time, when my thrusters kicked into action, I took off more smoothly. Below, Pepper and Tony yelled for me to come back. But I was simmering too much for that. Everything I was trying to keep from getting to me—moving to Malibu, worrying about our safety, my trust issues with Tony, all just tumbled in during one night, and I needed an escape, just to go away and think
about it for a while—or not think at all.

Luckily, the night sky opened up for me, my power supply was still at 88% and the possibilities were endless. I tilted my nose at the moon and rejoiced in my flight.

If I had nowhere to go, then I could go just about anywhere.

Notes