rhodeytony seasons of love | spring, day three 🌸
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. 🌸