happy birthday, honey bear
Rhodey had had a good birthday, really. His family had come to visit, bringing each and every one of his dearly beloved- and insanely irritating- sisters, they’d gone to his favorite Indian place for dinner, and he’d had fun.
Only, he hadn’t seen Tony all day.
Rhodey wasn’t an idiot; he knew Tony was busy with the several degrees he was taking at once. On top of that, Tony rarely remembered dates, not with all of the other genius ideas running through his brain like a hamster on an unhinged wheel. Rhodey knew all of that, but he still missed his boyfriend on his birthday.
He opened the door to his dorm quietly, in case Tony had come in at some point and passed out. For someone so sleep-deprived, Tony was an awfully light sleeper.
Tony was indeed in their room, laying in Rhodey’s bed in the MIT hoodie he’d stolen from Rhodey, tinkering with something or other. When he saw Rhodey, he sat up with a blinding smile.
“Sour Patch!” he cried happily, setting aside whatever he was playing with and making grabby hands at Rhodey. “You’re back!”
Rhodey chuckled, toeing off his shoes and squeezing into the tiny twin bed with Tony. “I do live here, you know.”
“Don’t be a shit, that’s my job,” Tony swatted his arm with a scowl. “How was dinner?”
“It was fine,” Rhodey said. “Mama says hello, by the way. And that if you don’t call her back, she’s going to come find you.”
“Your mother terrifies me,” Tony shuddered theatrically, but he was smiling shyly. “I’ll call her tomorrow.”
“How was lab time?” asked Rhodey, faux-casual. He assumed that was where Tony had been all day; locked up in that empty lab of his with only the robots for company. DUM-E was sweet, but he was no substitute for actual human interaction.
Tony flushed slightly, embarrassed. “I didn’t blow anything up,” he said.
“I just had a deadline I had to meet,” he rolled his eyes. “Hard deadline, none of my usual I’ll submit this a week late stuff.”
“And you came back?” Rhodey said, incredulous. Tony’s usual routine for hard deadlines was an all-nighter in the lab and some sort of genius, life changing invention in the morning.
“Of course I came, idiot,” Tony said, nuzzling his face into Rhodey’s neck. “It’s your birthday.”
“You remembered?” Rhodey looked at the younger boy in delighted shock. Tony was notorious for not remembering birthdays, or holidays, or basic human needs. He was smart like that. Rhodey honestly thought that Tony had forgotten what day it was.
“How could I forget?” said Tony. “It’s been in my calendar for months; that was my hard deadline. I was in the lab for so long because I was trying to finish up your present. You’ll love it; it’s-”
Rhodey knew that wasn’t it, exactly; Tony still had some apprehensions about joining in on the Rhodes clan’s family time, despite being told a hundred times he was part of the family. He often disappeared into his lab when Rhodey’s family came to visit, afraid of intruding. Still, Rhodey couldn’t help his fond smile as he pressed a kiss to Tony’s hair to cut off his rambling. “You didn’t have to make me anything,” he said. “You just being here with me is enough.”
“Love you, too, Honey Bear,” Tony tipped his face up to kiss Rhodey. He clearly didn’t believe Rhodey, but that was okay; Rhodey would just keep saying it (and meaning it every time). “I’ll show you your gift tomorrow. For now, I think birthday cuddles are in order, don’t you?”
“Sounds perfect, Tones,” Rhodey said, heart swelling with the love he felt for his best friend and lover.
Tony rested his head on Rhodey’s chest, curls tickling his nose. “Happy birthday, Rhodey.”
Rhodey snuggled closer against his boyfriend, closing his eyes contentedly. It had been a good birthday.
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