#ironhusbandweek

[blancheludis]

@ironhusbandsweek, @rhfenovemberbash Day 3: “You know what you’re doing, right?”

Fandom: Marvel, Iron Man Characters: Tony Stark/James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Obadiah Stane Tags: Established Relationship, Misunderstanding, Love, Arguing, Fluff, Stark Industries Words: 3.675

Summary: When Rhodey comes home one night to find Tony sitting amongst moving boxes, he suspects the worst, that Tony is breaking up with him. The truth, as it turns out, does not have him any less worried. 

---

The distinct sound of the key in the lock has Tony straighten with sudden panic. He is sitting on the ground in a mess of things he thinks about throwing away, but between him and the door is an assortment of moving boxes that he would not be able to hide even if he were quick enough to get to them before the door opens.

So that is how Rhodey finds him. Arms raised like a shield in front of him, eyes blown wide, and definite panic on his face. He could not have looked guiltier if he had tried.

To give Rhodey credit, he takes in the situation before he comes to any conclusions, then takes a step farther into their apartment and closes the door with a too calm expression.

“What is going on?” he asks, very carefully holding all accusations out of his tone. In his place, Tony is certain he would not have remained this unmoved.

“Platypus,” Tony calls, voice too high to be natural. “I didn’t think you’d be home so early.” Swallowing, he closes his eyes, cursing his mouth for speaking without waiting for his head to give green light.

“What does that mean?” Rhodey asks, staying right where he is, eyeing the mess Tony has turned their hallway into. “Were you planning on moving out while I was not looking?”

The very thought has Tony feeling sick. This apartment has been his first real home. All the credit for that belongs to Rhodey.

“No,” Tony exclaims hastily and gets to his feet but stays where he is, unsure whether he will be welcome. “No, it’s just, I’m turning twenty-one next week.”

With that, Tony’s mouth clicks shut. He has tried to prepare an explanation, but he is not good with words. Somehow, he always messes it up, no matter how much he practices. He thought he would have more time, did not expect Rhodey to be home so soon, catching him red-handed. A week longer, and everything would have been done and – well, that would not have made it easier, but Tony would not have had a chance to hide anymore.

“I’m aware,” Rhodey answers dryly, not taking his eyes off Tony as if that could cause the moving boxes between them to disappear. “I’ve got a secret party planned where we lock our door and spend the day with cheeseburgers and ice cream without ever getting out of bed.”

“That’s –” Tony cuts himself off. Perfect is what that is. An entire day with Rhodey. No obligations, no projects, no training. That is all he would have wished for if asked. “That’s utterly predictable but still very sweet of you.”

Tony smiles but Rhodey does not answer in kind. Stomach roiling, Tony feels a rising nausea.

“Well, it was until you were apparently planning to break up with me by disappearing without a word,” Rhodey says, keeping his tone so flat that the words do not register with Tony for a long minute.

When they do, he winces, staring at Rhodey, aghast. How could Rhodey ever come to a conclusion like that? There is no arguing that Tony is a disaster of a human being who manages to mess up even the simplest things, but this?

“That’s not what this is,” Tony argues, feeling breathless. In all the ways he thought this could go wrong, this was not among them. “I’m not breaking up with you. Ever.”

That would mean to throw away the best thing that has ever happened to him. His best friend. The love of his life.

Crossing his arms, Rhodey finally takes a step forward, if only to nudge one of the as of yet empty boxes with his foot.

“Explain this, then,” he says, in that tone that means he is not going to take any more excuses as an answer.

“I, all right,” Tony mutters, and cautiously stays where he is. Gathering his courage, he looks at Rhodey and says, “Obie called.”

He sees Rhodey stiffen and has been waiting for it too. Rhodey has never warmed to Obadiah. The animosity goes both ways, really. Whenever Tony asked, he did not get a clear answer from either of them. Rhodey said he does not know why, that Obadiah just rubs him wrong, but Tony is sure that is just because Rhodey has a fundamental distrust of everybody who was involved in Tony’s upbringing. It is endearing right up until it is not.

“What did he want?” Rhodey asks in a flat tone, even less willing now to let the matter rest.

Judging on the way they are standing, with the entire hall between them, tiny as it is, it feels entirely too much as if they are facing off. Tony wishes nothing more than that he left the moving boxes in his lab for a week longer.

“I’m turning twenty-one,” Tony repeats himself, unable to avoided the inevitable for any longer. Again, his voice gives out, knowing how little Rhodey will like this.

“I am still aware of that,” Rhodey comments, not hiding his impatience anymore.

Taking a deep breath, Tony keeps his head up and just lets out the truth. There is no cushioning it anyway.

“I’m getting control of SI back once I turn twenty-one. I would have just let Obie stay on as CEO, but he talked to me and said how much better it would be if I came back, that the company needs a ‘Stark at the helm’ again. I –” Shrugging, Tony trails off, unable to look Rhodey in the eye.

Obadiah’s call has surprised nobody more than him. He thought Obadiah was happy with the state of things, considering that Tony does not have much patience for business and Obadiah has not much patience for him these days. As supportive as he had been after Tony’s parents’ death, he probably thought Tony would get over his grief and the subsequent acting out quicker than this.

What Obadiah calls acting out is mostly just Tony having his own ideas about what to do with his life. Namely staying in Boston, sharing his apartment and life with Rhodey, and building more exciting things than weapons.

“You want to go back to SI?” Rhodey asks and sounds taken aback about it. His posture loses some of its defensiveness.

Tony does not want to. Life is good here. Up until now, everything has worked out well enough with him sending the occasional blueprint to R&D without ever having to get directly involved in how the company is run. Obadiah just thinks that is not going to cut it anymore.

He does not know what to say, so he bites his lip and stares at the boxes at his feet.

“Tones, look at me,” Rhodey all but orders and waits with infinite patience until Tony complies. His eyes are not as cool anymore, but the matter is far from resolved. “What are you doing?”

The usual, Tony wants to say, making life more complicated. Instead, he shrugs as if he could ever appear casual in a moment like this.

“You’re shipping out next week,” Tony finally answers, ignoring how much he is dreading that moment when the war is going to steal Rhodey from him again. “I thought that would be a good time for me to move too.”

In his head, it had sounded like a good plan. In any case, it would give him something to do while Rhodey was gone.

“We’re giving up our apartment?” Rhodey questions.

If they were not almost arguing, Tony could have kissed him for the use of we. Tony is making things difficult again, but Rhodey still thinks of them as a team, is still willing to follow Tony even without quite knowing where yet. It is his right to not sound too happy about it, though.

“I can keep the lease,” Tony offers and knows it is the wrong thing to say before he watches Rhodey’s face darken.

“That’s not what I’m talking about, and you damn well know it.” Despite the swearing, Rhodey keeps his voice calm, measured. He knows how badly Tony deals with being yelled at. Countless times, Tony has wondered how he deserves Rhodey in his life, and he has not yet come any closer to an answer.

Tony takes a step closer towards Rhodey, holding his arms slightly in front of him as he thinks about reaching out but does not quite dare it.

“I’m not giving up on anything here, Rhodey,” Tony says with vehemence. He knows that, if this relationship will break apart at some point, it will most likely be on him, but Tony is not going to be the one who calls things off. “But what did you think?” he continues, at once apologetic and firm. “That I’d stay in Boston forever, waiting for you to come home to me when you’ve got leave? SI is my company. I have to take responsibility for it at some point.”

Rhodey watches him. He does not look happy, but Tony did not expect him to be. The question is whether they will turn this into an argument – although Tony will not let it come that far. If Rhodey makes him choose, the way forward is clear. Stark Industries has never been that important to Tony, and it is certainly not more important than Rhodey.

“I have never heard you say anything positive about Stark Industries and now you want to take over?” Rhodey asks. A dozen more questions are hidden in there, all of them justified. Tony could not have been happier to turn his back on Stark Industries the very moment his father died. He always knew he could not hide forever, though.

“What else am I going to do?” Tony asks and would gladly take a viable solution. “Obie has been patient enough.”

Cocking his head to the side, Rhodey says, “You could screw them and do what you want.”

It is sometimes hard to reconcile the Rhodey who went to all their classes and did all their classwork with the one who regularly tells him to go against everybody’s expectations of him and take care of his own needs first. Of course, Rhodey needed to be a model student because not everybody can expect to get away with setting fires inside college buildings or correcting their professors or ducking out of classes because they are boring without repercussion. He did not have either the right skin colour, last name, or money for that.

“What if I don’t know what that is?” Tony asks and means it with every fibre of his being.

He wants to stay here instead of moving across the country. He wants to work on his own projects instead of slaving for a company he does not really think is his. He wants to have Rhodey close at all times instead of dealing with people he does not like and who do not like him because he is not enough like his father.

“Then find out,” Rhodey says. It is a challenge. He should know that it will not work to challenge Tony to just be a better version of himself. The rot sits deep within him.

Feeling every step of distance between them like a physical weight on his shoulders, Tony shrugs helplessly. “I don’t have time.”

In response, Rhodey scoffs. “Nonsense, Tony,” he argues. “You’ve got all the time in the world.”

Theoretically, that might even be true. Tony has enough money that he would not need to work a day in his life. The company is doing well enough that it can keep running like this for a while. There is no need to rush. If not for one little thing.

“I’ve already told Obie that I’m coming,” Tony admits sheepishly. He does not look quickly enough away from Rhodey to miss the displeasure flashing over his face.

“Then tell him you’ve changed your mind.”

Perhaps Rhodey thinks it truly is that simple. Sudden irritation flares inside Tony’s chest. Not much of it because he still hates arguing with his boyfriend, but enough that he looks up with fire in his eyes.

“Why are you so against it?” he questions, wishing that the few people he trusts in his life would get along. “It’s my life and my company. I thought you were on my side.”

That is a low blow and completely unwarranted too. The words hang between them for a moment, too late for Tony to take them back.

“I am,” Rhodey says firmly, sounding hurt that Tony would suggest otherwise. “But you’ve always been miserable when you had to deal with your father or SI. I just can’t see you returning to that life turning out any better than the first time.”

It is Rhodey’s concern for Tony that causes him to keep arguing, not doubt. Still, it feels like Tony needs to defend himself.

“This time, I’m in charge,” he says but does not wholly believe himself. It might be his name on the building, but he has never led a company of that size, or any company at all. He will have to work hard to catch up, to avoid being outmanoeuvred at any time by the sharks of the industry and his own board members.

In front of him, Rhodey’s shoulders slump. Tony is not naïve enough that this is the end of it, but at least it feels like they are not on completely different sides of this anymore.

“You don’t even like New York,” Rhodey points out weakly, looking at the moving boxes as if they have personally offended them.

Bolstered by the change in mood, Tony pushes some of the boxes out of the way and walks closer towards Rhodey so they are not talking from opposite ends of the hall anymore. He still does not dare to reach out but the closeness alone soothes his nerves.

“That’s why we’re moving headquarters to California,” Tony explains quietly, unsure how Rhodey is going to take another surprise. “I’ve set my eyes on a nice strip of land in Malibu for us.”

“For us, hm?” Rhodey says. Just those two words, but they are enough to make Tony feel like his world is crumbling. Where he was at first only afraid that Rhodey would not agree with his decision, he now thinks that Rhodey might not come with him at all.

It was never supposed to be like this. He was going to hide the moving boxes until Rhodey was gone and then let him fly to Malibu when he was next on leave. He would come to the house Tony is picturing for them and it would be too late to doubt his decision because everything was already said and done then, and perhaps Tony would have already found his footing then and everything would be all right. He could have shown Rhodey that everything is all right.

“Of course, for us,” Tony says hurriedly, stumbling over the words while he tries to keep himself from pleading incoherently. “I mean, I’m not going to force you to come with me. I meant it when I said I could keep this apartment for you. It’s just – I – we –”

He is not going to have a panic attack because his own bad planning is catching up with him. There is nothing to be afraid of. They have weathered worse things than this; Howard trying to pay Rhodey off to avoid the headlines of Tony being bisexual, Tony acting like a complete maniac at college with no regard for his own safety. The examples are numerous. In a twisted sort of way, it could be amusing that their downfall is coming now, when they have finally settled down, ready to be their own people.

A hand on his arms has Tony crashing back into the present. Rhodey is there, right in front of him. His eyes are warm but worried.

“Stop that, Tones,” he says quietly, waiting patiently for Tony’s breathing to calm down and the wildness to disappear from his gaze. “I’m not going to break up with you,” he then promises with enough conviction that there is no doubting him. “I just wish you would have told me. Before.”

It was perhaps rather short-sighted of Tony to think that he could avoid arguing about this whole matter by bypassing Rhodey completely. Relocating their home without asking would have probably been even worse than that.

Tony did not know how to ask, though. He cannot yet make sense of his own feelings, so he trusts himself navigating Rhodey’s even less.

“You’re not mad?” Tony asks, cursing himself for the hope evident in his tone. Rhodey is not one to exploit such weaknesses but old habits die hard.

“A little bit,” Rhodey admits, but he has still not taken his hand from Tony’s arm. “Because I don’t think you’ll be happy with this decision.”

Tony knows he will be happy anywhere as long as Rhodey is with him. And when he is not, Tony just needs to keep himself busy. Stark Industries will work just fine.

“I couldn’t leave Obie hanging for any longer,” Tony offers, knowing it has been unfair to shirk his duties for so long. Taking over Stark Industries might not be exactly what he wants to do with his life, but it is what he was raised for.

Sighing, Rhodey pulls him close and rests their cheeks together when Tony guiltily snakes his arms around him.

“You know what you’re doing, right?” Rhodey asks quietly, his breath warm on Tony’s skin. “You know what you’re getting yourself into? This is not just because you feel guilty you ran from SI after your father died?”

As close as they are, there is no room for lies between them, so Tony says, “I think I know what I’m doing.” That is the best he has to offer.

He feels Rhodey relaxing more into their hug. With reawakened humour, Rhodey remarks, “I guess that’s better than usual.”

For a long moment, they just breathe, holding on to each other as if there was real danger of them not being able to do so again. Tony wishes he would never have to let go, but then he draws back, remaining close enough that they never lose all contact.

“You’re going to come with me, right?” he asks, still afraid of the answer.

“Of course,” Rhodey answers without the slightest reluctance. Only then does he allow himself a smile. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

As if Tony would ever want to get rid of Rhodey. It still surprises him sometimes how much he loves him, how incomplete he feels without Rhodey at his side. Growing up, he had seen both extremes of love. Howard and Maria who were at best cool with each other and at worst cursed each other’s existence. And then Jarvis and Ana, who were perfect, utterly besotted and best friends to boot. If asked, Tony would have put all his money on ending like his father, no matter how much he wished for the opposite. Rhodey is more than his love, he is proof that there is hope for Tony.

Instead of trying to fit all of that into words, Tony takes the coward’s way out and says, “You’ll love the house.”

It is not a lie. The house will be gorgeous and Tony can already imagine them walking down its halls.

“I thought you were only looking at land for now,” Rhodey asks with some suspicion. It would not be the first time that Tony has gone completely overboard.

“I’ve already designed it,” Tony corrects hastily. He has the blueprints lying around and created a 3D model. “Do you want to see or do you want it to be a surprise?”

There are still some problems with the statics and getting the house exactly where he wants it to be. But it is not like a too steep cliff that has made all kinds of architects turn away would actually frighten Tony. He has been picturing their life there, so he is going to make it happen.

“No offence, Tones,” Rhodey says but he is smiling, “but I could do with less of your surprises.”

“I love you?” It ends up sounding too much like a question, although Tony has tried to overcome his insecurity regarding Rhodey’s feelings for him. Rhodey is not the kind of person who would let himself be tied down with someone he does not love, so it is unfair to question his commitment just because Tony still cannot imagine anyone choosing him.

Rhodey’s smile widens when he answers, “And I love you.”

In response, Tony shifts closer and does not hide his relief when Rhodey moves his arm immediately around him again. This is still the safest place in the entire world.

“It’s much warmer in California too,” Tony says quietly, hell-bent on selling the advantages of moving. “And –”

“Stop talking, Tones,” Rhodey shushes him, pressing a kiss into his hair. “I’ve said yes. You should have learned by now to quit when you’re ahead.”

A short bout of laughter tumbles over Tony’s lip. “It usually doesn’t feel like I’m ahead,” he says and means it.

No matter how much he tries, it always feels like he stumbles behind everybody else, trying and failing to keep up, to live up to their expectations. With Rhodey he knows he has someone who will always wait for him instead of running ahead.

“That’s what you’ve got me for. To remind you,” Rhodey remarks good-naturedly. “Now, let’s have a look at that house of ours. And then I’ll help you pack.”

Despite that, they remain where they are for long minutes, just enjoying each other’s closeness. It does not matter what they will pack or what Rhodey will say to the house. Tony would change all of it in a heartbeat. Because this, Tony being held in Rhodey’s arms, is home.

#ironhusbandweek #RhodeyTonyNovemberBash #rhfe #rhodeytony #ironhusbands #fluff #love #fanfiction #tony stark #rhodey #mit era #stark industries #tony does not make the best decision #rhodey loves him anyway #my writing #ao3

[lesty-xx]

Touch My Hand, It's Nice to Have a Friend

This is my fic for IronHusbands Week! 

Thank you @ironhusbandsweek​ and @rhfenovemberbash​ so much for organising this, I had loads of fun!

Read it here!!

Details under the cut =D

Touch My Hand, It's Nice to Have a Friend

Rhodey eyed the pineapple sceptically. "You know what you’re doing, right?”

Tony scoffed, tinkering with the giant ray gun that would put a Doofenshmirtz 'Inator' to shame. "Of course I know what I’m doing, this is me we’re talking about here.”

Tony did not, in fact, know what he was doing.

-- Words: 9637, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen, M/M Characters: Tony Stark, James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Stephen Strange, Carol Danvers, Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Emma Frost Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark, Carol Danvers & Tony Stark Additional Tags: Fluff, Mutual Pining, Shrinking, Overzealous Shrinking Pop-Culture References, Carol Danvers is the mvp, Emma Frost deserves better Prompt(s) used:  Sep 10 - Pineapples / “You know what you’re doing, right?” / Height Difference

#ironhusbandweek #IHW2019 #RhodeyTonyNovemberBash #rhodeytony #rhfe #tonyrhodey

[ironhusbandsweek]

IronHusbands Week ~ Sept. 8th - Sept. 14th!

Welcome to Ironhusbands Week, Iron babes! 

This will run between September 8th and September 14th. Each day, three prompts will be given: one dialogue line and two word prompts. Feel free to participate on any day you like. You can choose from any three or combine all the prompts within your work. You don’t have to combine the prompts though! The level of inclusion is up to you, the creator. 

If you have an AO3 account, submit your work to the Ironhusbands Week 2019 AO3 Collection. 

The prompts are:

Sept. 8: Stranded / “You keep me going.” / Beginnings & Endings

Sept. 9: Magic / “Why are you so stubborn?” / Surprise Party

Sept. 10: Pineapples / “You know what you’re doing, right?” / Height Difference

Sept. 11: Alien warship / “I’m always going to protect you.” / Recovering Together

Sept. 12: Sabotage / “Are you jealous?” / Friends to Lovers 

Sept. 13: Laundry day / “I’m in love...holy shit.” / Proposal

Sept. 14: Steampunk / “You’re not invincible.” / Forbidden Love

Anything created for Ironhusbands Week will all be reblogged and a masterpost will be created with all creations within two weeks after the week has ended!

Make sure to tag both @ironhusbandsweek and @rhfenovemberbash on your posts and use a mix of these tags #ironhusbandweek, #IHW2019, #RhodeyTonyNovemberBash and #rhodeytony, #rhfe, or #tonyrhodey.  

We look forward to seeing all your wonderful creations! 

<3

#ironhusbandsweek #IHW2019 #RhodeyTonyNovemberBash #rhodeytony #tonyrhodey #rhfe #ironhusbands #fandom events

[blancheludis]

@ironhusbandsweek, @rhfenovemberbash Day 2: Surprise Party

Fandom: Marvel, MCU, Avengers Characters: Tony Stark/James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan Tags: post-Ultron, Family, Emotional H/C, Protective Rhodey, Love, Humor Words: 3.116

Summary: After Ultron, Tony expects to come home to an empty tower, another giant mess of his own making to fix. He is not alone, however. His family is waiting for him. They are not as fickle as the Avengers, who left at the first signs of trouble. They even brought cake. 

---

After the Ultron debacle, Tony expects to come home to a wrecked tower. In a way, he is almost looking forward to it, because it gives him something tangible to fix instead of leaving him just with the mess inside him.

Everything went to hell so quickly. One moment, they were a team, working so well together as if they have done so for years. And then. Tony is not even sure what to blame it on, at what point things started to crack.

There was the witch who had certainly played her part. The question is whether she really put ideas in Tony’s head or whether she just amplified what was already there. Not much is needed, apparently, to get him to build a murder bot bent on destroying the very world Tony is claiming to protect.

That is over now, of course. He has handed in his resignation from the Avengers, has built them a new compound so they would not have to be so close to him, so he would not get in the way. That leaves him to deal with his guilt complex and his broken tower on his own. He can handle it, though. He always has.

Tony is surprised when he steps out of the elevator into a pristine foyer. No more glass shards, no more broken furniture, no more blood and robot parts. It looks like nothing ever happened.

A shiver runs down Tony’s back as he wonders whether his mind is truly his own again or whether there is still a remnant of Wanda’s magic at work. Perhaps Ultron was a dream. Perhaps defeating him was.

Before Tony can explore that thought further, he hears a noise coming from further ahead. His hand is shooting up without him making any conscious decision to do so. The watch turns into a repulsor and it powers up before he can even make out what made that noise.

This is how he finds himself pointing an Iron Man gauntlet at his only friends in the entire world.

Rhodey stands in the hallway to the living room, Pepper and Happy at his side. They do not look surprised at his reaction, but Tony knows Pepper’s face of disapproval too well to miss it, even though it is gone as quickly as it appeared.

Sheepishly, Tony lowers his hand. This could still be an illusion, but it does not matter whether this is real or not, he will not point a weapon at his family.

“Surprise,” Rhodey says, his tone at once dry and worried.

He wears that expression that means he would like nothing more than to tuck Tony in to bed and let whatever storm is brewing pass before he lets him out again. As if not all of Tony’s life is one storm or another.

“What?” Tony asks dumbly. His mind has not yet caught up with the fact that his tower appears whole again and that he is not alone.  

“Come on, your favourite people are here,” Rhodey explains, almost too cheerful. Even more pointedly, he adds, “We’ve got cake, too. Don’t tell me you really need a banner with Surprise Party written on it to know what this is.”

Tony flinches at Rhodey’s use of banner and hates himself for it. Another thing he is not sure how to fix.

Instead of dwelling on that, on the fact that Bruce took the quinjet and disappeared, cutting off all communication, Tony walks towards his friends. Exhaustion is catching up with him, now that he has apparently been robbed of his next big task of tidying up his tower.

They should not be here. Pepper should be out saving Stark Industries from the expected stock crash that comes with Tony messing up again and almost ending the world. Happy is usually following her these days, but he too must have enough actual work. And Rhodey – Rhodey should be with the Avengers. Training with them, coordinating his future involvement with Steve. He should be taking over Tony’s job, with promises of doing it much better. That is mostly guaranteed even.

They should not bother with him, should not feel obliged to pick up another one of his messes. He has dragged them into too many of those already, and he should really make them stop piecing him back together.

“No, don’t do that,” Rhodey says. He sounds much closer now, and when Tony blinks back into reality, Rhodey is standing right in front of him. “Don’t withdraw into your head. We’re here.”

Tony’s head is not even a safe place, and yet he always gets lost in there.

“You shouldn’t be,” Tony replies tonelessly. He is not going to say how glad he is they are here. That would make it impossible for them to leave, which would be the sensible thing to do. For some reason, though, they care. About him and his well-being.

“Could we skip the part where you’re convinced you don’t deserve anything good in your life?” Rhodey asks. He is utterly serious. There is not even any exasperation to be found in his expression, although this is far from the first time Tony proves to be difficult.

“You don’t understand –” Tony tries to say, but lets himself be cut off easily.

“Tones.” His name in Rhodey’s voice is the softest thing Tony can imagine. It is a tone that promises everything will be well. After all these years, Tony still falls for that, no matter how often life proves them wrong. “I’ve been with you longer than anyone else,” Rhodey continues, “I understand. We all do.”

Tony is not convinced they do. A sickness sits inside him that he cannot get rid of, no matter how hard he tries. After Afghanistan, after becoming Iron Man, he was supposed to be better, less prone to always making things worse.

For some reason, Rhodey chooses to see Tony as someone who is good, who can do good. It has always been this way even back at MIT, no matter how many parties Tony crashed, how often he had to be carried home because he got blackout drunk, how often they argued over his stupid decisions.

“I –” Tony says but trails off. Rhodey is close enough now that Tony can pretend there is nothing in this world but the two of them. He feels immediately calmer like that.

“Come here,” Rhodey says and opens his arms.

While some part of Tony’s mind screams that he hardly deserves to be comforted, he moves immediately into the offered embrace. Rhodey’s warmth engulfs him, chasing away the lingering cold from Sokovia.

This is the one place in the world where he feels utterly safe. He has a talent for doubting everything, but Rhodey’s arms around him will always be right.

Distantly, Tony notices Pepper and Happy vanishing back down the hallway to give them some privacy, and he is glad for it. He uses the opportunity to bury himself further into Rhodey’s touch, hiding his face against Rhodey’s shoulder.

Positioned like this, he hears Rhodey’s heartbeat. Strong and calm. The most familiar sound in the world.  

When Tony finally disentangles from Rhodey, his cheeks are damp but Rhodey does not mention it. Nobody here sees any shame in crying. They are all used to having to seem strong all the time. They are at home now, however, where they can just be themselves.

Without saying anything, Rhodey guides Tony towards the living room and pushes him down on the couch before following suit. Tony has not noticed how tired his legs were until he takes his weight off them. His entire body is on the brink of utter exhaustions. It feels like he has been running on just adrenaline and spite since Ultron interrupted their party.

He leans against Rhodey’s shoulder, unwilling to leave even an inch of distance between them, and sighs happily when Rhodey intertwines their fingers. Nothing grounds him as much as this.

As if on unspoken command, Pepper and Happy come back. They are talking quietly about nothing consequential, filling the room with enough harmless background noise to help Tony calm down further.

As promised, they have brought cake. Blueberry. Tony’s favourite.

That is a silly tradition from their college days. Comfort food, Rhodey had called it when he was trying to convince Tony that he needed to do something nice for himself whenever things go wrong, whether that was an argument with his father or a botched project. Tony had naturally argued it is easier to get drunk to put his mind on other things, but Rhodey insisted that it had to be something special. Self-Care Cake became a thing after that.

It is a nice touch, even though Tony hardly thinks he deserves cake after the stunt he pulled. Still, he does not stop Pepper when she cuts it and puts a piece on each of the four plates she brought.

Then, she puts one of the plates down in his lap before she takes a seat next to him, moving close until they are touching too. They fill each other’s space with an ease borne from decades spent together.

Happy takes an armchair, delicately holding his plate. Nobody says anything for a long moment.

“Eat something,” Pepper then prompts, as if food is actually going to make anything better.

The cake will not, Tony knows, but his people will. Rhodey, who should already be back with the military or at the compound, taking over as the Avenger’s aerial support, Iron Man’s successor. Pepper, who is so used to fixing Tony’s messes that she barely blinks anymore when he shows up with another one in tow. Happy, in a way the steadiest of Tony’s friends, who is always there to catch Tony.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Tony repeats, although he sounds far less convinced this time. It is harder to reject other people’s kindness when he knows they do not have an ulterior motive. Well, other than to make him take care of himself.

“Give us one good reason why,” Pepper says, while Rhodey is still busy bristling at Tony’s other side. Happy looks decidedly unamused too.

Lowering his eyes, Tony focuses on his cake, counts the blueberries, and wonders whether it will be as good as the ones he used to make with Rhodey in their tiny dorm kitchen.

“I created Ultron,” he says, his tone flat.

They know that, of course, but they obviously need the reminder. For years, he has created weapons, destructive in their own right. This was a giant step up, farther than Tony thought he could go. Yet he did, and the Avengers and Sokovia, the entire world even, barely made it out alive.

“You tried to do something good and it misfired,” Rhodey says, squeezing Tony’s hand in what would be a show of comfort or a warning. It is probably both.

That makes it worse.

“Ultron came from my brain, from my servers,” Tony snaps. “He was supposed to protect the earth and yet the only way he thought he could do it was by destroying it.” Much quieter, he adds something he has barely dared to think up until now. “What does that say about me?”

Ultron is arguably as much Tony’s child as JARVIS or the bots, only he turned out far less willing to do his creator’s bidding than them. He grossly misinterpreted the purpose Tony gave him, at least.

“It says that you care,” Rhodey says, voice tight. “That you know there is danger coming and that we need to act. That you see your mistakes and immediately get to work to fix them.”

The ultimate goal would be to not make mistakes like this. He should know better, be better. Not just as a former Avenger, but as a self-proclaimed futurist.

“I created –”

“First off, stop with the I,” Rhodey cuts him off. He shifts just far enough to better look at Tony, his face stern. “If I recall correctly, Dr. Banner was part of the whole process. Then there was the sceptre, which messed with all of your heads once before. And that witch kid? What did she make you see?”

So much death. That army Loki brought to Earth. A reminder that Tony will never be enough. Tony has his experience with nightmares. This one felt more like a prophecy. Like something he could prevent if only he were a better person.

“What if I’m going to make a mistake I can’t fix?” Tony asks instead of answering.

He has spoken about the army coming for them before and people have put it down as tale gone wild due to the trauma he suffered. His family might listen, but how could they believe without having seen it?

“You’ve done so many miraculous things, boss,” Happy speaks up while Rhodey and Pepper share a look, silently debating whether they should pry further into the topic of Wanda Maximoff. “You wouldn’t have done even one of them if you were afraid of going wrong at some point.”

Studiously not looking at any of his friends, Tony says, “These days, my failures tend to have bigger consequences than just setting our dorm on fire.”

“They have bigger gains, too,” Happy answers without the slightest bit of hesitation.

Tony does not deserve them. Not Happy’s loyalty, not Pepper’s patience, not Rhodey’s friendship. He has never deserved them, and yet he always manages to drag them along, from one disaster into the next.

“I can’t –” Tony says but does not know how to end his sentence. There are so many things he cannot do, and more still that he should not.

“You don’t have to,” Rhodey answers nonetheless. His grip on Tony’s hand is hard enough to anchor him. “I mean it, Tones. You don’t owe anyone anything.” He pauses a minute to convey how serious he is, then his expression morphs into something softer. “Wait, that’s not true. You owe me a vacation. Caribbean if I remember correctly.”

Clenching his jaw, Tony shifts a little so he is not as pressed into Rhodey’s side anymore.

“You shouldn’t make fun of this,” he says, although part of him wants to pick up the familiar banter, to let go of the horror of the past days.

“I’m not,” Rhodey promises. “You just shouldn’t feel like the entire world rests on your shoulders.”

“Sometimes it feels like it does,” Tony says quietly.

In Sokovia it had. Literally, even, as he tried to keep the flying city from wiping out mankind. He feels like he is stuck in that moment, straining against the entirety of his bad decisions threatening to crush him.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Pepper says on his other side. “To help you carry it.”

Tony looks at them. At their determined faces, tinged with worry. At the way they are all slightly leaned towards him. At the readiness with which they are going to counter any and all arguments he can think of.

He truly does not deserve them, but he would give up anything for them. He has known that before. Every time they do not give up on him despite plenty of reasons to, he realizes that a bit more.

“Can we go right now?” Tony asks, the words tumbling out unbidden. “To the Caribbean?”

He sees the way Rhodey’s face softens, and Happy and Pepper lose some of their tension. They all know this is not over yet – Tony’s self-doubt is legendary after all – but it feels like the immediate crisis has been averted.

“You know the answer, Tones,” Rhodey says lightly. “If it were up to me, we’d have gone long ago and never come back.”

As far as fantasies go, this one has very little chance of ever becoming reality.

“You’d get bored within a week,” Tony cautions, mostly because boredom is a better alternative than Rhodey getting fed up with him and finally noticing that Tony is not worth all the work they have put into him over the years.

“Time with you is never boring,” Rhodey argues, smiling when Happy is chuckling in agreement.

As far as virtues go, there might be worse, but Rhodey could still do so much better.

“Well, you’d get bored as soon as I accidentally burn down the entire island,” Tony amends. His limbs are growing heavier by the minute, slowly giving in to the exhaustion.

Rhodey shrugs, never disputing that Tony would actually manage to do that. “We’ll have to invent fire-proof palm trees then.”

With definite fondness, Tony looks up. “Do you have an answer to everything?”

Of course, Rhodey does. He has had years of practice after all.

“With you? Definitely,” Rhodey replies as if there is nothing to it, as if he would change nothing if he had the chance, “Since you tend to ask the same questions over and over again. The answers are simple.” He focuses completely on Tony now, making it clear he means everything he says. “You’re going to fix it. You’re going to make it better. I love you. That’s all I need to know.”

Warmth spreads through Tony like it always does when Rhodey looks at him like that, when he speaks of love with that same wonder he had decades ago. It is enough to make Tony believe that he is not a complete burden, not all the time.

“I love you too, honey bear,” Tony says and puts his head down against Rhodey’s shoulder, too tired to keep himself upright and trusting Rhodey to carry him.

“Good talk,” Rhodey says, his smile audible in his voice. He nudges Tony’s plate. “Now eat your cake or you might not get any.”

The tension in the air mellows into something far more palatable as they all pick up their forks to eat their cake. This is not all they are going to talk about the matter, but it is enough for now. Like this, Tony is almost certain he can sleep tonight and meet his own eyes in the mirror in the morning.

“Thanks for being here,” Tony says in between bites of cake. He takes care to look at all of them, both so they know he means all of them, and so he can memorize them here with him, ready to catch them when he falls.

“Where else would we be?” Rhodey asks, speaking for all of them.

That is the thing about a family that is hard won as theirs. Despite the misery still sitting in the depth of his chest, Tony believes them without hesitation. Things will be better again. Until then, he has them to hold him up.

#ironhusbandweek #tonyrhodey #RhodeyTonyNovemberBash #rhfe #ironhusbands #fanfiction #post-Ultron #family #protective rhodey #tony needs a hug #self-care cake #it's a thing #my writing #ao3

[blancheludis]

A/N: @ironhusbandsweek, @rhfenovemberbash Day 1: Stranded

Fandom: Marvel, Iron Man Characters: Tony Stark/James “Rhodey” Rhodey, Terrence Rhodes/Roberta Rhodes, Jeanette Rhodes Tags: Christmas, Stranded, Only One Bed, Fluff, Family, Humor, Love Words: 4.595

Summary: Heavy snowfall makes it impossible for Tony to drive home for Christmas. Instead, he spends it with Rhodey and his family. He is far more welcome here anyway. Now, if only everybody would stop making insinuations about Rhodey and him sharing the bed.

---

By the time they turn into the Rhodes’ driveway, the world has turned into a solid wall of white around them. Halfway here from Boston, it had begun to snow and every mile that brought them closer to their destination had only made it worse.

Gripping the steering wheel, Tony wonders why they did not just take a plane. If Howard wants him home for Christmas, he could have sent one. Making a short stop to bring Rhodey home would not have made much of a difference.

Instead, they took a car. Rhodey’s rusty death-trap because he refused to take Tony’s old convertible – which was probably a sensible decision, considering the amount of snow around them. Tony is convinced that the car will be entirely covered if he gets out and has lunch with the Rhodes before getting on his way to New York.

“Stop thinking,” Rhodey exclaims from the passenger seat, looking as if he knows exactly what Tony is thinking. Well, he is staring balefully outside.

“That’s not actually possible,” Tony counters petulantly. “Also, I don’t have to think to know that I should not turn off the engine if I want to get anywhere today.”

Want has nothing to do with it, of course. Tony is excited to see Jarvis, but that is about it. His mother will probably only arrive in time for the Stark gala. He can imagine better things than to spend his holidays with a drunk Howard. Despite the big, empty mansion, they still usually manage to run into each other and ruin their day. Tony is not overly interested in talking about business either, since his ideas never seem to have any worth at all. All of that comes with being a Stark, though. He has given up on fighting about every little thing.

“We’re basically snowed in,” Rhodey says, causing Tony to roll his eyes at him stating the obvious. “You can’t drive in this weather.”

Tony could. Despite his love for breaking the speed limit, he is a safe driver. It probably helped that he spent years as a child being afraid of his drunk father behind the steering wheel.

“But I can’t stay here,” Tony says, dismayed at having to miss Rhodey’s family.

They are the best. Definitely on par with Jarvis, and that is the highest compliment Tony has to offer.

Rhodey stares at him pointedly, waiting until Tony gives up on glaring at the snow and looks up at him. “There’s worse places to be stranded at,” he says, daring Tony to argue.

“Of course,” Tony gives in easily. That small house, barely big enough for the four members of the Rhodes family and their giant hearts, might just be the most beautiful place on earth. “I just mean. Your parents are brilliant. I can’t –”

Trailing off, Tony shrugs. His protest is only perfunctory anyway. They both know he does not want to go home.

“You can’t what?” Rhodey prompts. He reaches out to take Tony’s hand, not fighting the grin pulling at his lips. “Sin under Mum’s roof? I’m certain she won’t be shocked by it.”

Tony allows Rhodey to tug him close. Their lips are soft on each other, causing the kind of warmth to spread through Tony’s chest that could melt all the snow outside. It is just a brief kiss, but it all but eradicates Tony’s resistance against staying.

“Don’t say that,” he mutters, hiding his face against Rhodey’s neck. He has learned from experience that if he hits the right angle he can hear Rhodey’s heartbeat like that, intermingling with the breath flowing into his lungs. The ultimate proof that Rhodey is there with him, that this is not just a dream.

They stay like that for several minutes, long enough that snow covers the entire windshield when Rhodey finally straightens. Before Tony can stop him, he turns the key in the ignition, killing the engine.

“Come on,” he prompts as if things are actually this easy.

Tony withdraws, his expression frozen. He can see the immediate displeasure on Rhodey’s face. “I can’t impose,” he argues. He does not think Rhodey’s parents would turn him away, but he does not exactly want to test that theory either. “It’s Christmas.”

“Yes,” Rhodey agrees without missing a beat, “and Christmas is for family. So you’re in the right place.”

Closing his eyes, Tony wishes he could just give in, could shut out the little nagging voice in the back of his head, warning him not to be a burden. “Rhodey.”

Rhodey’s hand settles on the side of Tony’s face, nudging him to open his eyes again. When he does, Rhodey meets him with a sad smile.

“I know, just trust me,” he says, gentle enough as if he is still afraid to spook Tony. “Let me deal with it.”

Tony trusts Rhodey. Apart from Jarvis, he might be the only one Tony feels comfortable with. Enough so to allow himself to be vulnerable, open. That is the reason he caves without any more protest.

The car doors open with some difficulty and they are greeted by a sharp wind pushing snowflakes through the gaps in their clothing, chilling them in a matter of seconds. Burying his hands inside his hoodie, Tony wades through the snow to the trunk, where Rhodey is already busy wiping the white mass to the ground to get their luggage out. A few minutes longer and Tony would have had to borrow clothes on top of everything else. Already, the trunk barely opens.

Their bags in hand, they go up to the door of the house. The way appears both longer and much shorter than Tony remembers while he wonders whether he should not just turn around.

The decision is taken from him when the door opens before they had a chance to ring the bell. Then he is face to face with Rhodey’s mother, who wears the same smile her son so often does, and she ushers them in without question, not minding the snow that follows after them.

“Mum,” Rhodey greets and that is as far as he comes before he is swept into a hug.

Tony watches with the same old mixture of bewilderment and jealousy that he always gets when watching Rhodey’s family and how they treat each other. No matter what they do, actually. It is just so different from what he is used to. All of Jarvis’ effort and kind-heartedness is not enough to recreate the open, happy love hanging in the air here.

“Mrs. Rhodes,” Tony says when she turns to him, an automatic smile on his face despite his worries.

“Roberta,” she corrects for the umpteenth time.

In the privacy of his mind, Tony can admit that he does it on purpose, every time, just to see whether he is still allowed to call them by their given names, whether he is still welcome in their home. He has no doubts that Roberta would throw him out without any qualms if she disapproved of him suddenly or if he hurt Rhodey, but it never hurts to check. The last thing Tony wants is to get on her bad side.

Then he has no more time for thoughts because Roberta is hugging him too. Out of all the feelings in the world, this is one of the best. A mother’s embrace. Tony might have scoffed at the concept in books, but right here, being held by someone who cares for him no matter his name or blood, makes him feel complete in a way his own parents never could. Only Rhodey’s hugs are better.

“You’ve lost weight again,” Roberta says, clicking her tongue when they separate. “It’s no wonder you’re not getting any taller.”

She musters him critically. While he is used to scrutiny, Tony still finds himself shrinking under her gaze. Her concern is a foreign thing, completely different to the uncaring stares of reporters and businessmen.

“Mum, stop teasing him,” Rhodey argues. He is smirking down at Tony without an ounce of consideration. “He’s sensitive about his height.”

The sharp protest lying on Tony’s tongue goes unsaid since that is the moment Rhodey’s father and sister arrive, and then Tony is busy being hugged by Terry too.

“Is that why you’re drawing attention to it any chance you get?” Rhodey’s sister, Jeanette, asks.

“Jean,” Rhodey cries out in mock dismay. “How is it you beat us here? Tony was driving like a maniac.”

Tony was driving very safely and slowly compared to what he is used to when he is not in Rhodey’s car. Before he can protest, Jean bumps into him in greeting while she grins.

“It’s all that stress from being barely able to look over the steering wheel.”

Jeanette is barely taller than him, so it is not fair that she would join the teasing so willingly. He is just about to join the fight, when Roberta puts a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in that familiar way that has Tony wanting to sink into her arms again.

“Children,” Roberta admonishes, never losing her smile, “play nice.”

“Yes, Mum,” they say, all three of them, in unison, without hiding their grins.

And they are. For some reason, the entire Rhodes family seems to have a soft spot for Tony, which had made him suspicious right up until it had not and he gave up the fight of looking for hidden motives and begun to enjoy their attention instead. He has so few safe places already.

While they are taking off their boots, Rhodey asks, “Is it all right if Tony crashes here? He can’t drive to New York with all that snow out there.”

His tone is better suited to enquiring about the weather, and Tony goes very still, his fingers entangled with his shoelaces. There is no reason they would say no and yet he cannot help but worry. Christmas is for family, after all, and while Rhodey and Tony might view each other as that, Rhodey’s parents might want to be left in peace for the holiday.

“Of course, dear,” Roberta says, talking right over Tony’s panicked thoughts. Once he is upright again, she adds, “You’re always welcome here, Tony, you know that.”

Knowing and believing it are two very different things, however, and Tony grew up in a world where nothing is as it seems and everybody lies. It is hard to leave that behind.

“That means that you two can use that youthful energy and get us a tree,” Terry adds, eyeing the swirling white mass outside critically and does not even attempt to hide how glad he is he does not have to go out there again.

Christmas tree shopping, Tony thinks giddily. If they had a tree at the mansion, it was delivered. Sometimes, Tony had helped Jarvis to decorate it, but he has never chosen his own tree.

Roberta tugs at Tony’s hoodie – which is actually Rhodey’s hoodie but Tony does not plan on ever giving it back. “Tell me if you need warmer clothes,” she says, getting that glint in her eyes that means Tony is going to get thoroughly mothered during his stay. “Oh, and do you need two blankets or is one enough?”

The question comes so unexpected that a short silence falls between them while they try to make sense of it. One blanket? Why would they – Tony and Rhodey share a shocked glance, wondering whether Roberta is insinuating what they think she is.

“What do you mean, Mum?” Rhodey asks cautiously.

He stands next to Tony, close enough for them to lean into each other, but they keep a careful inch between them, frozen under his parents’ smiling gaze.

“You’re going to share the bed, yes?” Roberta questions full of misguiding innocence. Behind her, Terry hides a smile behind his hand. “I don’t want either of you boys to end up sick because you steal the blanket from each other.”

Humming, Roberta leaves for the kitchen, leaving her husband and daughter to grin smugly at Rhodey and Tony, who do not dare to move lest they admit anything.

“Bring your bags upstairs,” Terry tells them once he has his face under control again. “Lunch will be ready any minute now.”

He guides Jeanette out with him, likely to give Tony and Rhodey some privacy to recover from their shock – which Rhodey at the very least is not hiding well. Although Tony would not make any bets that he is faring any better.

They take their luggage and wait until they are up the stairs until they fall into a half-whispered discussion.

“You told you parents that we’re dating?” Tony hisses more than asks. “It’s been only two months. I can barely believe it.”

Worse than them not believing it would naturally if they disapproved. There is not much to approve of, really. Tony is the typical white, rich kid who has never had to fear consequences for what he is doing, which is why he happily keeps setting their dorm room on fire with prohibited experiments outside of the lab. His parents, for one, would not approve of Rhodey, which is why Tony takes care to keep them oblivious.

It is a strange feeling that Roberta and Terry would accept this, accept Tony with their son, who they love very much. Just like that

“I didn’t tell her anything,” Rhodey protests, although he does not sound suitably upset with the situation. Almost like he planned on telling them over the holiday.

“Then why is she going to put us in the same bed?” Tony questions despite being arguably thrilled he will have Rhodey to cuddle with. It is the principle of the matter. Relationships outside the lawless grounds of college involve a lot more sneaking around than this in Tony’s experience. Not that he has had any meaningful relationships to boast of, not with people allowed to be mentioned in polite company.

“Maybe she saw us kissing in the car,” Rhodey offers, shrugging. He is glancing down the stairs whether someone is listening in on them and then pushes Tony towards his room.

“Too much snow,” Tony dismisses easily. They were barely able to see the house, so Rhodey’s family could not have seen any details of what was happening in the car.

Rhodey sighs as he opens his door and ushers Tony in. “Well, maybe she’s grown tired of you dancing around the matter too and decided to force us into little enough space to open our eyes.”

Tony would not put it beyond her. Although he was not dancing around anything. He still finds himself wondering regularly what Rhodey is thinking, entering a relationship with him. They have been close friends for forever now, after a somewhat difficult beginning. That alone has made Tony feel like the happiest person in the world. To be loved like this is almost too much to bear, and yet Tony cannot get enough of it.

Abandoning his bag on the floor, Tony holds his arms out and is relieved when Rhodey immediately pulls him in.  

“I was going to say your mum is not an evil mastermind,” Tony mutters against Rhodey’s shoulder, “but I can totally see her doing that.”

A chuckle ripples through Rhodey, warming Tony from the inside out.

“So we’re going with it?” he asks, even now considerate of Tony’s feelings, Tony’s need to hide.

Tony does not want to hide this, though. “Only if I can kiss you under the tree,” he says, reaching up to press a soft kiss on Rhodey’s lips. Practice, he tells himself, even though he does not need a reason.

Smiling, Rhodey holds onto him. “We’ll have to get the tree first,” he cautions, sounding like he knows something Tony does not. Finding a tree to put up cannot be that hard, though.

“But then?” he asks with all the impatience of someone who would rather not let go of Rhodey ever again.

“I’ll take all the kisses you’re going to offer,” Rhodey promises, almost like he is getting a gift through that instead of giving Tony one.

Sighing happily, he buries himself back against Rhodey’s chest, letting his warmth saturate him. “You’re a sap, platypus.”

Rhodey laughs and it is the most beautiful sound in the world. “I’m in love,” he replies cheerfully. “You should try it.”

“I already am.” And it is the best feeling.

---

Getting a Christmas tree involves a lot more snow and wet clothes than Tony would have thought. They take their time, too, circling the trees on offer with far more consideration than such a simple thing should warrant, but Tony does not want to do anything wrong and Rhodey indulges him easily.

It takes an eternity and several unexpected revelations – What do you mean we have to cut it ourselves? Are you telling me dozens of maniacs are running around here with saws and axes? and I know you have been taught that it’s good to be ostentatious, Tones, but we want to put the tree inside and not fill our entire yard with it. – but they finally bring a tree home. It is beautiful and Tony is prouder of it than of his last award-winning robotics project.

The work is not done with that, but with Terry’s help, they get the tree up in the living room where it proudly fills one corner with all its symmetric, green glory.

When it is done, the three of them stand around it with gleaming eyes and blinding smiles, barely interrupted in their appreciation when Jeanette comes up from behind them and offers them sarcastic applause.

“Good work, boys,” Jeanette drawls, but she is smiling too. “The tree actually fits into the living room.”

“If I had let Tony choose,” Rhodey, the snitch, counters immediately, “we’d have to make a hole in the ceiling.”

Nobody looks surprised, and Tony still thinks they could have made it work. They are engineers, after all. And what is life without a little adventure? This tree is perfect, however. Tony is not going to denounce it just for the sake of an argument.

“Well, it’s a pity you inherited your mother’s pragmatism.” Terry sighs good-naturedly. “I owe her ten bucks.”

Both Rhodes children turn towards their father, causing Tony to turn around too belatedly.

“You bet on us bringing a tree that won’t fit,” Rhodey says with warranted scepticism.

“I mean.” Terry shrugs and trails off.

“I totally get it,” Rhodey admits, laughing, “but you should know better than to bet against Mum.” Even Tony knows that.

 Together, they decorate the tree and the rest of the house. It takes them most of the rest of the day, mostly because they get distracted by the smallest things, telling stories or re-enacting previous embarrassments. Surrounded by the entire Rhodes family, Tony has never felt more at home. They include him easily.

When dinner time comes around, Tony helps set the table, proud to remembers where all the plates and glasses are, feelings for once not like he is getting in the way or like he is just endured.

Dinner, of course, is heavenly. Just as good as Jarvis’ cooking, if not better. Although that would likely be due to the atmosphere. In all his years in the mansion, he has not heard as much laughter as they have shared in one single day here.

“I think we’ll head up to bed now,” Rhodey says at one point when they are full and happy. “It was a long drive.”

Next to him, Tony can only nod, drowsy and content, his eyelids drooping despite wanting to enjoy this night while it lasts. In his world, there is always an after but he wants to keep that at bay as long as he can.

“Good night, boys,” Roberta says, using the moniker with more tenderness than Howard ever has. “You’re welcome to sleep in.”

Sleeping in sounds heavenly. Mornings have quickly become Tony’s favourite part of the day, at least when he is waking up next to Rhodey. Then again, every part of the day he spends with Rhodey is his favourite. It is as simple as that.

“As long as you remember that the walls are thin,” Jeanette speaks up, just barely keeping from laughing when Rhodey’s cheeks fill with red immediately.

“Jean,” Roberta admonishes lightly, but even she is smiling.

Jeanette straightens with sheer innocence on her face. “What?”

Before Rhodey can say anything that will make the situation worse, Tony promises, “We’ll behave.”

Staring right into his eyes, Jeanette snickers. “Nobody believes that,” she says, causing Terry to flash a grin. “Just do me a favour and keep the door closed at least.”

Rhodey’s family is polite enough to wait until they are out of the room until they start laughing, if only barely.

Closing the door behind them, Tony turns towards the stairs and says, “Your family is embarrassing.” He is mortified. At the same time, he is unbelievably glad about it, about the chance to be here.

Rhodey catches Tony’s hand as they make their way upstairs. “They love you,” he offers. The only reason he sounds even slightly apologetic is because he is embarrassed too.

“That’s –” Tony interrupts himself before he can deflect instead of just accepting that someone cares enough about him to make this kind of joke. “Well, I love them too.”

Humming, Rhodey lets that sit between them for a moment. Then, too casually, he says, “You could stay until the new year.”

It would be so easy. Roberta and Terry would not mind, Tony knows that even while he does not quite allow himself to believe it. He could spend all that time with Rhodey, uninterrupted by classes or having to act like the proper Stark heir. It would be perfect.  Still, Tony shakes his head.

“I think my parents would have something to say about me missing the annual Stark gala,” he says, noticing the bitterness in his own voice.

This immediate reaction to the mere thought of spending time with his parents shows exactly what he should do. His absence will barely cause any problems. At least he will not be able to get into a public argument with his father.

“If you’re not going to cause any bad headlines, they won’t even notice you’re not there,” Rhodey says as if he has read Tony’s mind.

As sad as that sounds, it might work out to their advantage.

“That’s probably true,” Tony mutters.

He stops on the stairs, eyes fixed on the family pictures lining the walls. There is the whole family out hiking, there is Jeanette on her first day of school, there is Rhodey, broadly grinning, with his MIT acceptance letter in hand.

When Tony first came here, he spent hours looking at these pictures while everybody else was asleep. Roberta found him in the morning, and understood the feelings radiating off Tony even though he could not name themselves. After breakfast, she told them to gear up for a nice day out. That day, she made dozens of pictures, and new ones when he came to visit every time after that. One of them is proudly presented right down in the hallway, for everyone to see.

“See?” Rhodey says, following his gaze. “So stay with us. We love you.” With a slightly dismayed grin, he adds, “And my sister just gave us permission to make out. Right in front of my parents.”

Groaning, Tony buries his face in his free hand. “Did you have to bring that up again?”

Completely unapologetic, Rhodey tugs his hand off and presses a soft kiss on Tony’s forehead. “I’m just saying. There’s no need to leave the bed.”

The thought drives heat up Tony’s neck. “You drive a hard bargain, platypus,” he says, although he wants to leave the bed and spend Christmas and New Year with Rhodey’s family. “You should know by now that I always give in to you anyway.”

Laughter tumbles from Rhodey’s lips as he shakes his head. “You have clearly never met your drunk self.”

Tony grimaces. He is too often inside his drunk self’s head. “If I remember correctly, drunk me chased you to tell you how much I am in love with you,” he argues good-naturedly, ignoring the fact that the mere mention of alcohol reminds him of Howard. “So you shouldn’t dismiss his genius completely.”

Getting back into motion, Rhodey tugs Tony after him up the stairs. “I don’t,” he promises, sounding fond. “But drunk you is either hell-bent on disproving every law of physics or is clinging to me like a touch-starved koala.”

In the safety of his mind, Tony can admit that is because alcohol staves off the worst of his fear of being rejected. Drunk, he can look at Rhodey and believe that Rhodey really wants him – and he can admit to himself that he needs Rhodey.

“You like it when we cuddle,” Tony says, brazen enough to not pose it as a question.

“I do,” Rhodey agrees without hesitation. Tony loves him all the more for it. “Now, come on. It’s a good thing you’re small. Otherwise we wouldn’t fit in my bed.”

Immediate protest rises in Tony but that is when they reach Rhodey’s room and he looks for the very first time consciously at Rhodey’s bed. It is barely wider than a single. Every time they were here before, he has not had any reason to consider whether two people could comfortably sleep in it. They had sat on it together, entangled like they have often been even before agreeing to become something more than friends. No space they have ever shared was too small.  

“I take everything back,” Tony says nonetheless, not fighting his grin. “Your mum is an evil mastermind. If we weren’t dating already, sharing that little space with you would’ve been torture.”

He imagines it. All those weeks and months he has hoped for something more but was too afraid to ruin the best – and only – friendship he has just because he is the kind of person that is never satisfied with anything.

“What can I say?” Rhodey shrugs, not at all apologetic for the scheming of his mother. “She’s got no patience for idiots.”

Laughing, Tony moves fully into the room and lets himself fall onto the bed to get a feel for the place. The world looks much brighter now that he is fully allowed in here.

“We are so going to kiss under the tree,” Tony promises, for once not caring about appearances. “Make it one of her presents.”

Frowning, Rhodey closes the door and comes towards the bed. “I – all right,” he says, likely wondering how his mother would take that. Tony would look good in a bow tie, though.

“Let’s practice,” Tony says, shifting on the bed to make room for Rhodey, what little there is available. “Right now.”

To his everlasting relief, Rhodey does not hesitate at all before he climbs onto the bed too. “You’re impossible,” he says, but his hand lands on Tony’s waist with warm certainty as he gets comfortable.

“Damn right,” Tony admits without shame. He leans forward, reaching out to cup Rhodey’s face. “That’s why you love me.” It is as daring a comment as Tony is capable of.

Leaning into the touch, Rhodey smiles. “It’s one of the reasons, yes.”

To mask the sigh of relief, Tony exclaims, “Great,” with more vigour than necessary. Then he shifts forward and kisses Rhodey. “I love you too.”

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