#mit!rhodey

Before you could answer, your senses were overwhelmed with the loud bass of pop music and the heavy stench of alcohol and sweat.

“Oh fuck” you mumbled, blinking heavily at the sudden sensory overload, hands tightening slightly on Tony’s arm.

“Let’s get you a drink!” Tony cheered, moving through the sea of bodies with practiced ease, “Remind me to - oh! Rhodey!”

Tony’s interest was captured by a man stood off to the side of the makeshift bar, stiff in posture and a beer in hand.

“Hey Tony”

“Wow, a beer? You’re really loosening up tonight huh?”

Rhodey pulled a face, going to retort. He stopped when his eyes fell on to me.

“You brought a friend”

“Oh - Yes. This is y/n from the lab, I finally got her out of her dorm” Tony grinned, elbowing you lightly in the side.

“I’m not that bad, I just don’t really like this kinda stuff” you scoffed, gesturing around you airily.

“I get it, I don’t come to many of these either. I mostly come here to look after his drunk ass” Rhodey smiled, offering you his hand, “I’m James, but you can call me Rhodey”

You shook his hand with a smile.

“Smooth Rhodes. Smooth”

He sent a glare at the now snickering Tony, who promptly sent a mock salute and pointed at the drinks table.

“If you don’t mind me I’ll leave you two to get to know each other”

“Oh sure, drag me out of my safe space and ditch me - love you too Stark” you called, receiving a lack-luster wave in response.

Rhodey chuckled, taking a sip of his beer.

“He means well, and hey, at least he left you in great company” he winked. 

“We’ll have to see about that” 

Rhodey’s smile widened at your tease, eyes glinting with amusement.

“y/n, I think we’re going to get along just fine”

The two of you stood on the outskirts of the party for quite a while, wrapped up in your own bubble, laughter coming easy. You were easily drawn in by Rhodey’s charm, though his slightly guarded posture made you feel safe in the boisterous environment that was so unlike the calm lab where you spent most of your time.

“ - so there we were, Tony hanging off of the Governor's daughter’s arm, piss-drunk and I - “ Rhodey cut off halfway through his sentence, eyes locking on to a scuffle occurring on the other side of the room. He fixed you with a apologetic stare, hand brushing against your arm as he rushed towards the noise, offering only the word ‘Tony’ in explanation.

You just watched him go with a small affectionate feeling bubbling in your gut. 

It was nice to see Tony with a friend who genuinely cared for his wellbeing. You had literally dragged him out of the lab multiple times already, knowing that if you didn’t he’d stay there until a professor found him the next morning. You found out very early into your friendship that he had a very strong self-destructive streak and horrible self-care skills.

For a rich popular kid on campus, hardly any his friends you had been introduced to seemed in the slightest bit genuine, mostly hanging around for free handouts or gossip about the upper rings of society. From the breif interaction you’d had with Rhodey, you could tell he was different - a true friend.

You were snapped out of your thoughts by a tall man, walking towards you with a wide smile.

“Hey, I don’t think I’ve seen you at these parties before” he said, moving slightly too close for comfort, “I’m Brad”

“Uh - yeah I don’t really go to parties like these that much. I’m y/n” 

You tried stepping back slightly, hoping he’d get the message that you weren’t exactly comfortable. When he didn’t move back into your space you relaxed slightly, offering him a small polite smile.

“Can I get you a drink? I can’t help but see you haven’t had anything yet. You should make the most out of the free booze, y’know, as you don’t come to these very often”

Not wanting to sound rude you accepted, shifting awkwardly on your feet as you waited for him to come back, eyes subconsciously searching for Tony or Rhodey amongst the crowd.

Brad came back after a few minutes, passing you a beer, the top already taken off.

“Thanks” you said, taking an obligatory sip.

Unsure of how to get out of the situation without being rude, you stuck around for a dull conversation, eyes constantly searching for anyone you recognised. After roughly 15 minutes, you started feeling woozy, your speech becoming slightly slurred, alarm bells ringing in your mind as Brad’s smile seemed to grow increasingly menacing.

“I - I’ll be right back”

“Where are you going?” he asked, head tilting to the side slightly, distantly reminding you of a lion looking at it’s prey.

“Just to the toilet?”

You didn't realise you were inching backwards until you hit the wall, trapped between the wall and Brad.

“What did you do?” you whispered, blinking hazily as you sluggishly lifted an arm to keep him away, “Did you - put something in my drink?”

He easily broke the weak hold, a small chuckle escaping him.

“Yep”

Frowning deeply, you readied all of your energy to aim a kick at his groin, trying desperately to ignore the hand that had begun to creep up your side. The nightmarish scene was broken as a hand landed on Brad’s shoulder, pulling him forcefully away from you.

“Dude what the fuck”

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly” Rhodey said, voice cold and sharp, “What the fuck did you do to her”

“Nothing!”

“Then why does she look like she’s about to collapse? Pepper can you -”

The redhead nodded, grabbing the man’s arm with a harsh grip and dragging him across the room. Rhodey rushed to your side, eyeing you as you heavily leant against the wall.

“y/n are you with me?”

You nodded distantly, placing a hand on his arm to steady yourself, “think he spiked m’ drink”

Rhodey whispered something harsh under his breath, an angry expression flashing across his face for a few seconds, before schooling his features back into the calm mask it had been earlier in the evening.

“How much did you drink?”

“Few sips”

He nodded, head tilted down to the floor as he tried to figure out what to do.

“We need to get you out of here - is it okay if I touch you?”

You nodded again, leaning into Rhodey’s body heat as he placed steadying arms around you, following his lead as he guided you out of the party. 

As the music got quieter, you started finding it easier to breathe, the cold air of the night bringing you some clarity.

“I - thank you. For helping me back there” you said, avoiding eye contact, “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t”

“You don’t need to thank me, anyone would’ve done that. Besides, I liked talking to you. I would’ve come back over sooner but Tony managed to almost start another fight - I’m sorry that I left you alone”

You waved it off, offering him a genuine smile.

“Someone’s gotta look out for Tony”

Rhodey snorted in amusement, before his face turned slightly serious again as if remembering the current predicament.

“I should probably be getting you home, do you need a cab? Or should I walk you back?”

“I’m not that far, I’m just two buildings down. Could you-“ you hesitated slightly, still feeling incredibly dizzy and unstable, “could you walk with me please? I’d feel a lot safer”

“Of course”

You carried on forwards, Rhodey’s arms still stabilising you as you walked, all the while explaining why he had run after Tony earlier that night.

By the time you reached your apartment, your stomach hurt from laughing. Still feeling the effects from the drug, Rhodey unlocked the door for you, helping you out of your heels and into your bedroom.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“I’m starting to feel less dizzy now at least” you said, melting into your mattress, “and I think my slurrs mostly gone, has it?”

“Yeah, almost all gone”

You nodded, sitting up and crossing your legs, fixing Rhodey with a smile.

“Thank you again Rhodey for tonight - I really don’t know what I would’ve done”

He smiled back, placing his hand on your shoulder in a friendly manner.

“If it’s alright with you, I’m going to sleep on your sofa for the night. I don’t know what drug he put in your drink so it might be best if someone’s here to check up on you. Or - I can wait here until someone else can get here, a friend maybe?”

You shook your head, “I trust you. Thank you again, you don’t have to do this”

“Any friend of Tony’s is a friend of mine”

You fell asleep quickly, waking up in the morning feeling only slightly worse for wear, the smell of pancakes wafting into your bedroom. 

“You shouldn’t have” you mumbled, shooting Rhodey a lazy smile as you stumbled into the kitchen, mindlessly making a pot of coffee, “You’re the guest - I should be the one cooking”

Rhodey just laughed at that, shaking his head slightly.

“I thought you deserved something nice after last night”

You brightened at the sincerity in his voice, pouring two cups and sliding one over to him. You leant against the counter as you watched him cook, eyes peaking over the top of your cup, taking in the domestic scene. 

“I know this might sound weird, but would you be open to dinner?”

Rhodey smirked, turning around to face you as he placed the last pancake on a plate, head tilted slightly to the side.

“You haven’t even had my pancakes yet and you want me to cook you dinner?”

Your cheeks went hot, shuffling slightly on the spot.

“That’s not what I-”

“I’m kidding” he laughed, moving closer to you, eyes shining, “I’d love to go on a date with you - though I wish we had gotten to this point under better circumstances”

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 Jim’s curled tail twitched belying his irritation.  He resolutely stared ahead watching the kitchen windows belching dark smoke. Around them firemen moved with purpose however the urgency had died down with the actual flames.  Tony sniffed next to him but Jim refused to look at the sixteen-year-old.

 “Listen, you and I both know you’re just crying so you don’t have to tell the firefighters that it was your fault our kitchen caught on fire.”  

 Tony let out a pitiful yowl. He may be playing up the kitten thing right now because he was still on the small side but Jim would not be taken in. His mother had warned him that looking after Tony could only be twice as aggravating considering he was a cat.

 Sighing Jim finally turned to the younger teen.  Tony looked up at him, his black ears weepy on his head and his big blue eyes large and fearful.  Jim snorted.

 “You work with highly volatile substances, use tools that could kill you, and yet you set our kitchen on fire with a bag of popcorn.”

 Tony started to pout but apparently thought better of it when he realized Jim would not be swayed. Instead the Tuxedo frowned at him and opened his mouth to undoubtedly defend himself in some way only to go quiet when a firefighter approached them.

 “Are you two alright?” The man said taking off his helmet. Jim blinked at what was the largest beagle he had ever seen.  The large floppy ears sat on the head of a man at least 6’3”.  His warm blue eyes were chalk full of concern and when he looked at Tony Jim practically watched him get smitten.

 Damn it.

 “Wow, you are hot. What’s your name?”

 Damn it.  Damn it.  Damn it.

 This giant blonde beagle blushed.  Jim rolled his eyes.

 “Uh, Steve.”

“I was asking you if you’re still coming home next week? Ma wants to be sure so she can get out the extra bed”

The floaty feeling returned to Tony as he listened to Rhodey repeat the word that prompted the epiphany in the first place: home.

He wondered when it had become that for him.

“Of course” Tony answered, a shy smile spreading across his face despite himself, “I’m just glad she still wants me over this year”

Rhodey scoffed like that was the dumbest thing he had ever heard, slouching even further back into the sofa.

“Please - she likes you better than me, I swear. Y’know last time she called me she asked about you? Not about how I was doing, just straight into ‘how’s Tony’. I think she’d have you move in if she could”

Tony’s smile grew, the teenager biting his lip as he tried to tamper down his glee, receiving a light swat from his friend.

“Oh stop, I know you love it”

The minute Tony walked into the Rhodes’ house he could tell that Roberta knew. A raised eyebrow and small smirk was enough to make Tony sweat, begging her silently with her eyes to not say anything. A small nod and an unspoken promise to talk about it later, the woman had gathered the two boys into her arms in a warm hug, fussing over them as they hauled their bags into the hallway.

As Rhodey went to greet his sisters, Tony followed Roberta to the kitchen, head hung slightly as he prepared himself for her words.

“Does he know?”

Tony just shook his head, avoiding her eyes as he stared at the kitchen counter, fiddling with his fingers nervously.

“I don't think I knew until last week” he replied honestly, “I’m sorry ma’am. I won’t act on it”

The older woman scoffed, pausing her actions as she looked at Tony, “You two are the dumbest boys I’ve ever had the pleasure to know”

“What?”

“If you cant tell that my boy’s been head over heels for you since he first met you then you’re just as blind as him”

Tony blinked hard, staring at the woman in front of him as if she had gone mad.

“Did he tell you this?”

She simply shook her head with a sly smile, returning to making the drinks.

“A mother knows”

She paused to let the new information sink in, before letting out a small chuckle at Tony’s expression - terrified but with a smidge of hope - before answering the question that shone in his eyes.

“He looks at you like you hung the stars. I saw that in you today - that’s how I know”

Tony could feel the blush rush along his neck, earning another hearty laugh from Roberta as she handed him two mugs of hot chocolate.

“Now, go talk to my son. Lord knows one of you needs to make a move one of these days”

The blush reached his ears as he squeaked out a thank you, leaving the kitchen and calling Rhodey’s name as he went, nudging the door to the balcony open with his hip. 

The quiet creak of the door alerted Tony to his presence, Rhodey sitting down next to him with a peaceful smile.

“It’s good to be back, isn’t it?” He smiled, taking his mug from Tony’s hands.

“Sure is - your ma’s the same as ever”

Rhodey let out a small groan, though his smile ruined the annoyed effect he was trying to push, and turned to face Tony.

“What did she say?”

Nibbling on his lower lip, the teenager took a shaky breath before making resolute eye contact with his best friend.

“She said that we’re both blind”

Rhodey shifted slightly, and Tony could see that he was turning the words over in his head, trying to understand why it had caused such a reaction in his friend. A slight hitch of his breath was all Tony needed to hear to know he had got it, watching as his eyes widened slightly.

“She - What?”

Tony took a sip from his drink, the hot liquid centring him as he prepared himself to confess his feelings, praying to any god that might exist that Roberta was right.

“I’m gay” Tony blurted out, eyes firmly set on the floor “well, bi maybe. I don’t know for sure - yet anyway. All I know is that the last few weeks I’ve realised how much you mean to me ... and that confirmed things I’ve thought for a while now”

Tony fidgeted as shocked silence descended over the pair, still refusing to look up. He jumped as work-calloused fingers lifted his chin up, trembling slightly with the intimacy of the gesture. The new territory was frightening, yet filled both of them with adrenaline as their eyes met.

“That was probably the most heartfelt thing you’ve ever said to me” Rhodey smirked, his amusement clearly written over his face.

Tony scoffed, moving his chin away from the warm fingers, “I’m being truthful asshole”

Rhodey’s smile softened, placing his mug down on the floor before shuffling closer to Tony until their knees were touching. The younger man’s blush came back with a vengance as his gaze became glued to Rhodey’s lips, fingers itching to reach out and connect their lips together.

“I know, I’m sorry. I just can’t believe this conversation is actually happening” Rhodey laughed, “believe it or not I’ve been hung up on you for a while now”

It was Tony’s turn to smirk now, “your ma might’ve said something about that too”

Tony laughed as the other man cursed under his breath, running a hand over his face.

“And here I was trying to be coy”

“You’re nowhere near coy, platypus”

Rhodey raised his eyebrow, leaning closer to Tony so that his breath fanned over his cheek as he spoke, “Sure about that?”

In a burst of confidence, Tony turned his head to the side, connecting their lips in an chaste kiss. After a few seconds he leaned back, eyes searching frantically for any sign of animosity from his friend.

“You didn't let me speak” Rhodey breathed, hand moving to cup Tony’s face, “the feeling’s mutual”

He pulled him back in, their lips touching with a sense of familiarity that only kissing each other could bring, the warmth of the hot chocolate playing on their tongues. Tony only pulled away when he started to feel dizzy, arms reaching out to hold the other man’s shoulders to steady himself.

“Wow” he breathed, staring into Rhodey’s eyes, finally seeing the adoration shining through.

“Wow indeed” 

Rhodey chuckled, not moving his hand from the younger man’s cheek, stroking the soft skin with his thumb. The moment was theirs - and it was perfect.

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