Work Text:
James wasn’t mad, per se.
No, he was past that, the anger simmering beneath his skin.
His best friend had brought a teenaged boy to a battleground in a foreign country to fight super soldiers decades older and more experienced. And then dropped the kid back off in Queens like nothing had happened.
That didn’t sit right with James.
But he didn’t know where that left him.
~
(Two Unread Messages)
9:32
Peter Parker: uh
Peter Parker: hey
war machine: Hey. How are you doing?
Peter Parker: oh
Peter Parker: pretty good
Peter Parker: theyre letting me go soon
war machine: I heard. Heading back to Queens after that?
Peter Parker: yea
Peter Parker: mr stark wanted me to stay here but may said no
war machine: Your aunt?
Peter Parker: yea
war machine: Probably for the best.
Peter Parker: ig so
Peter Parker: are you mad at mr stark
war machine: I wouldn’t say mad.
war machine: Just mildly disappointed.
Peter Parker: ooooooo noooooooo you hit him with the not mad just disappointed
Peter Parker: mr colonal war machine rhodes sir thats w o r s e
war machine: It is?
Peter Parker: yea
Peter Parker: wait hold on I got a meme for this
war machine: Of course.
Peter Parker: Image
war machine: Ah.
Peter Parker: mhm
Peter Parker: w o r se
war machine: Well. I’m still disappointed in him.
Peter Parker: dang
Peter Parker: …are you disapointed in me?
war machine: No.
Peter Parker: oh
Peter Parker: are you mad then
Peter Parker: ?
war machine: Nope.
Peter Parker: oh
Peter Parker: so youre not anything?
war machine: I’m sad.
Peter Parker: really?
war machine: Yes.
Peter Parker: why
Peter Parker: ?
war machine: Because you’re a kid, Peter. Not a soldier. I’m sad that you didn’t get to be a kid.
Peter Parker: oh
war machine: Yeah.
war machine: I’m sorry you were in Germany. You shouldn’t have been there.
Peter Parker: but if I wasnt there then things could have been worse
war machine: But you were there and they were anyways.
war machine: A fifteen year old child should not be in a battle zone with super soldiers.
war machine: This is not up for debate.
Peter Parker: k
Peter Parker: im sorry
war machine: Don’t be sorry. You listened to the adult in the situation. The adult just happened to be in the wrong.
war machine: Hence my disappointment in Tony.
Peter Parker: yea
Peter Parker: you sure youre not mad
war machine: Positive.
Peter Parker: k
Peter Parker: cool cool cool
Peter Parker: i think theyre letting me go now
Peter Parker: so
Peter Parker: i gotta go
Peter Parker: talk to you later
Peter Parker: ?
war machine: See you, kid.
war machine: Stay safe. We’ll talk later.
Peter Parker: k
Peter Parker: bye
war machine: Goodbye, Peter.
~
10:03
Honey Bear: I’m not mad at you.
Honey Bear: I’m just disappointed.
Tones: Oh my god
~
New Groupchat
Tones, Happy Hogan, & One Unknown Number
(One Unread Message)
10:07
Tones: Welcome to the club, Rhodes
Honey Bear: The club?
Tones: The
Tones: Let’s Not Get The Kid Killed Before He’s Thirty Club
Tones: Or as I like to call it
Tones: The LNGTKKBHT club
Tones: We’re working on the acronym
Honey Bear: Right.
Honey Bear: Well.
Honey Bear: Thank you.
Honey Bear: It’s an honor.
~
James Rhodes wasn’t mad.
He was past that.
And yes, he was disappointed. In a lot of things, really.
But they were working on that.