#mit rhodeytony

okay this is like a sorta nsfw hc but lately ive been kinda loving the idea that Rhodey lost his virginity to Tony. idk smth about Tony obviously being younger than Rhodey, but then more experienced than Rhodey and actually the one to take charge balances out the scales a bit for me? and also like I fully believe Rhodey was one of those people who grew up believing in the romanticism of a first time and the importance of losing your virginity to the 'right person' and as he got older and realized he leaned more towards guys, it became that much more important to be careful bc he was thinking of a career in the Air Force and everybody had heard the whispers and then -

and then he met Tony, and Rhodey would trust this stupid genius twink with his whole life, what was a little sex?

bc like, if tony stark, born may 29, 1970, was pulling up to mit at 15 years old, then james rhodes, born october 6, 1968, was pulling up at 16 years old.

i know fandom generally likes to write their first meeting with a certain dynamic, but rhodey probably didn’t see tony and feel the need to protect him because he was a little kid. he probably saw someone who wouldn't immediately peg him as a little kid, someone who would hopefully treat him as an equal. tony was probably the first person rhodey saw on that campus that was younger than he was, and i wouldn't be surprised if, once he got to know tony, rhodey felt something akin to relief, kind of like "i'm not the only one."

aka, dyslexic!rhodey and autistic!tony use their collective boy genius to design a rocket and fall in love along the way

James tried not to think about it often, but Tony Stark was cute.

Like, really cute.

He had pretty blue eyes that twinkled like stars when he was happy and a brain so brilliant that he couldn’t help but shine in every room he entered. And when Tony was really happy, when he solved a difficult equation or was rambling at two a.m. about a study he’d read on artificial intelligence, there was this… energy to him, a vitality that was unparalleled.

And then he’d flit around a room like a hyperactive little hummingbird, and honestly, James had never seen anything more serotonin-inducing in his life.

birds and the bears 🌻

aka, dyslexic!rhodey and autistic!tony tackle a group project and realize they have more in common than they originally thought

James was sitting in the library, working his way through the final edits of a very annoying essay for his comp class. It was his fifth time going through it, and he was sure there were more typos and missing words he hadn’t caught yet, but the more he stared at the screen, the less sense the words made to his brain.

He was midway through the second page when the universe gave him his daily Tony sighting.

“Rhodey, we have a problem.” James looked up in time to see Tony plop down across from him, hummingbird frequency more jittery than normal. The other boy was fiddling with an origami star, flicking at it the points in a random pattern.

James set his highlighter down, happily accepting the distraction. “What’s the problem?”

“So, I just left Stonewell’s office, and he let it slip that we’re doing group projects for the final,” Tony’s face contorted in disgust.

James mirrored his expression, drawing back in repulsion, “I thought Stonewell liked us.”

Tony gestured emphatically, eyes lighting up, “See, that’s what I said, but he just laughed.”

“Traitor,” James muttered darkly.

who sneaks a kiss when they're walking in the rain?

over the years, rhodey has perfected the art of casual kisses and displays of affection. "don't ask, don't tell" has made him so very careful with his touches, so very calculated in how he and tony are perceived because tony is his soulmate, and rhodey loves him with every fiber of his being, but they both know they're playing with fire trying to make things work in secret.

and yet, they stick to each other like moths to a flame.

in the years after, when secret boyfriends become celebrity boyfriends become fiancés become husbands, when the casual hugs and knowing smiles are joined by public kisses and gentle touches, when the fighting is done and retired air force colonel doctor james rhodes and retired stark industries ceo doctor anthony stark do an architectural digest interview, finally showing off the elusive stark-rhodes townhouse in carnegie hill, they still remember the before.

back when things were new, back when they were just awkward teenagers in love, mindful of what the world expected (demanded) of them, but stubborn enough to for what they wanted (deserved).

stolen moments behind closed doors as they willed their roommates to stay away for a few more minutes, sitting close but not close enough for rhodey's afrotc "friends" to think too much of it, and spring break getaways to the other side of the world as they escaped reality for as long as they could.

there's a moment in particular that they think back on, one that makes their faces brighten and their smiles widen as they share a glance with decades-worth of meaning.

they're walking back to rhodey's double in baker after working on a project in the library. a light rain has just started to come down, and only rhodey has an umbrella because he has sense and checked the forecast for the week.

tony just grins at him cheekily when they feel the first droplets, inching closer to rhodey because he's going to share, right, platypus?

and rhodey just deadpans at him because yes, of course, he's going to share, but if his textbooks get wet as a result, tony's going to use that millionaire inheritance of his and replace them.

and that gets tony chattering about just how many things he would buy rhodey if howard didn't have someone report his expenses on a monthly basis, and he wasn't about to out them by spending a thousand dollars on—

rhodey opens the umbrella up in one, swift motion, and when he's got them protected from the rain, tony's face is flushed and he's stunned into silence because rhodey never does this, but he did, and wow, that was kinda hot.

and rhodey looks down at him, face schooled into a neutral expression, but the tips of his ears are flushed and his eyes are emphatic.

and decades later, when tony is telling this story to anyone who will listen to him, he makes sure to include how for the next three weeks, he kept accidentally-on-purpose forgetting his umbrella, trying to make rhodey kiss him like that again. 🌸