Radioactive | Bucky Barnes

IRON MAN: CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Fresh out of the shower, Rhiley was dressed in her usual work attire: all black. It was easy to move in, easy to fight in. Tony had been pestering her for weeks to add some flair, but she wasn't having it. Her response was a simple middle finger whenever he mentioned fashion.

She wasn't trying to impress anyone, anyway.

Standing in front of the fridge, she muttered, "I forgot to go grocery shopping last night."

Pepper, who was already in the kitchen, shot her a teasing smile. "You sound like a housewife."

Rhiley slammed the fridge door shut. "The official title is assistant to Tony Stark for personal matters," she corrected. She then pointed at Pepper, warning, "Don't say anything."

Pepper raised an eyebrow. "Glorified babysitter," she quipped, barely hiding her smirk.

Rhiley crossed her arms. "I'm keeping Tony alive. Just not fed."

The doorbell rang, cutting off their banter. "I'll grab it," Pepper said, already heading to the door. Rhiley grabbed the crumpled grocery list she had shoved into one of the kitchen drawers.

"I'll grab Tony," she heard Pepper say as she let someone in.

Rhiley closed the drawer and moved toward the living room but stopped short when she saw who had entered.

"Obadiah," she muttered under her breath.

"Jones," Obadiah greeted her with a smirk, holding a large pizza in his hands. "Do you mind taking that to the kitchen?" 

"I'm not your assistant," Rhiley shot back, "so you can take it yourself."

Obadiah smirked but didn't argue, instead opting to set the pizza on the table. "I'll let your boss know how you speak to his friends."

Rhiley snorted. "Friends, sure." She maneuvered around him to head toward the hallway. She'd never liked Obadiah. From the moment they met, he gave off a bad vibe. Tony found their friction entertaining, but Rhiley could see right through him.

Obadiah's voice rang out just before she left the room. "Glorified babysitter to glorified bodyguard," he muttered, his eyes scanning her like he was trying to size her up.

"I can kick your ass, Obadiah."

"Obadiah!" Tony's voice cut through, rushing down the stairs in that familiar manic way. "I do hope Rhiley gave you a warm welcome."

"As always," Obadiah replied, clearly unfazed as he turned to face Tony and set the pizza down.

Tony's energy was infectious as he started pacing. "This is big, Obie. Really big. It's going to take the company in a whole new direction." His hands were already gesturing wildly as he talked. "I'm not just building an idea—I'm building something right, something I can be proud of."

"That's great, Tony," Obadiah said flatly, not looking all that impressed. "But get me the design ASAP. We've got a hungry production line waiting to knock out a prototype in no time."

Tony waved his hand dismissively, still charged with excitement. "I had my doubts, you know? But I've never felt more sure about something in my life. Finally, I'm doing something right."

Rhiley stood quietly, watching him. Something in his words pulled at her—she hadn't felt like she was doing anything right in years.

"Thank you for supporting me on this," Tony said earnestly, his eyes briefly meeting Obadiah's.

Obadiah nodded, a brief flicker of emotion passing across his face before it was quickly replaced by something more calculating. "Listen, Tony, I need to talk to you about something. I wish you had been at the last board meeting like I asked."