Darkness.
Then a sound of pens scratching on paper, pages being turned and of students yawning. Tony blinks awake, having fallen asleep at his desk in the library, surrounded by books and lecture notes. He yawns, much like all the other people in the library at this godforsaken hour.
He has been sitting here for ages, swamped with projects, deadlines (and also not enough food and coffee, if he is honest with himself). He rarely is.
He knows he should take better care of himself, Rhodey tells him often enough, he thinks as he's twirling his pen around. But if he doesn't work hard enough, if he isn't the best, then he'll lose the last real connection he has to Howard. Even though his disinterest doesn't hurt as much now as it did when he was younger, he's still not ready to completely cut him out of his life. He knows it's silly, really.
But Rhodey doesn't seem to mind that much, seems to understand that this is something he needs to do until he can separate himself from his parents expectations. They are low already, not only because he won't build weapons for Howard but because he's gay, and well, that's never sat well with his parents at all.
Anyway, Rhodey doesn't care, except when he does, which is when Tony works himself to the bone like today.
He shakes his head and slaps himself lightly to wake up. Just when he wants to continue studying, he sees a shadow, tall and slim, fall over his books and notes.
"Rhodey bear! What are you doing here? I thought you were busy with that ROTC meeting today!" He can't help but smile when he sees how Rhodey looks at him, smiling that smile that seems to be reserved for Tony alone.
"Hey Tones, it's late evening already, the meeting has been over for almost an hour. And since you're apparently caught in the library's throes, I've come to rescue you like the noble knight I am." He doesn't seem to notice the blush that fills Tony's cheeks at those words, or he just ignores it. Either way, he doesn't say anything and that's all that matters to Tony.
"All jokes aside, I've come to whisk you away, Tones. You've been stuck in this stuffy library all day. Hell, your place here practically smells of you already, and I'm sure you haven't had anything to eat or drink all day, have you?"
His stern look causes Tony to grimace. "Jeez, I'm sorry, sugar bear, I promise I'll be better." Tony doesn't like it when Rhodey is disappointed in him, so while with everyone else, except Jarvis, his promise would be an empty one, with Rhodey, he'll at least try his best to stick to it. He's snaps back into the real world when he feels a hand on his shoulder, and suddenly he's standing, looking around dazedly before Rhodey grabs his oversized sweater on the shoulder and half drags, half pushes Tony out of the library.
Tony tries to protest, but Rhodey's having none of it. He walks with him to the closest bus station and even ignores Tony's valid concerns with a nonchalant shrug.
"Tones, your stuff will still be there when we get back, no student in there has anything else than their paper or studies on their mind, so calm down and don't worry."
Once they enter the bus, he tells Tony to close his eyes, and even though Tony is extremely curious where they're going, he complies because it's Rhodey, and if he tells him to close his eyes for a surprise, then it definitely will be worth it.
He feels weird, walking through the world blind, relying on Rhodey alone to guide him to their destination. His other senses aren't nearly as developed so he gives up on trying to keep up with what's happening around him. Because of that, the short time without his sight gives him more ideas for new inventions than he can possibly remember.
Finally they stop walking.
"Alright, open your eyes, Tony.", Rhodey says.
Tony does.
At first, he doesn't realise where he is, surrounded by soft lights and so many people, smiling and the sound of laughter in the air and there are stars in the night sky and then he starts grinning, because Rhodey brought him to a fair.
He turns to Rhodey and, after a short moment of uncertainty, hugs him. He almost doesn't want to let him go again.
He's still grinning from ear to ear, and once again realises how grateful he is to have Rhodey in his life.
"Thank you, Sour-patch, this is great."
Rhodey smiles at him again and ruffels through his hair, before saying, "Come on, Tones, where do you want to go first?".
Tony drags him to a shooting stall, determined to win a plushy for Rhodey. His first attempt ends horrible, and by the time he has lost his second chance, his high spirits have deflated a bit. He turns around, only to see a triumphant Rhodey standing there with a cute, fluffy bear in hand.
He gasps, but then again, Rhodey is aiming for the air force, so it'd make sense for him to be adept at shooting stuff.
The bear is cute though, and as Tony wants to try again, Rhodey tugs at his sleeve, puts his free arm around Tony's shoulder and pushes the little bear in his direction. "See Tones, now you can have your Rhodey-bear with you all the time!" Rhodey smiles at him and the look on his face, one of lingering disappointment still because he didn't even manage to hit one stupid target.
But there's also a soft smile on Tony's face, and Rhodey–who's been through thick and thin with him–can see the gratefulness and determination in his eyes and he knows in that moment, that the bear isn't going to be thrown away any time soon.
They walk on then, slow and in less of a hurry, even though Tony is still extremely excited about everything around him. He holds the little bear like a lifeline, afraid that if he'll let go it might disappear, and Rhodey leaves his hand around Tony's shoulder, protective and gentle at the same time.
After having wandered around a bit they come upon a cotton candy stand and to Tony's delight, Rhodey, like the true gentleman he is, buys two of their cotton candy on a stick, handing one to Tony with a smile.
Tony looks at him for a second, taking in how the neon lights reflect on Rhodey's dark skin and how the contrast to his white teeth when he smiles makes it seem like he's glowing, and Tony's never seen anything as beautiful as Rhodey is in this moment, cotton candy in hand and the smile he reserves for Tony alone.
To cover his staring, and because he really does think it's funny, he quips, "Now you're a real sugar bear for once!"
Rhodey slaps him on the shoulder playfully . "I'm always your sugar bear, though I wish you'd think of some better nicknames, Tones."
"Secretly you love them, I know you do!" They continue walking after that, and Tony, already looking for other attractions suddenly stops right in his tracks, gasps and grabs Rhodey by the sleeve of his shirt. He turns toward him, a silent question in his eyes when Tony, without saying a word, points at the Ferris wheel in the middle of the fair and shoots a meaningful glance at Rhodey.
Of course they need to go.
They both love heights, Tony always dreaming of building a jet pack as a kid and Rhodey's aiming for the Air Force after all, so they're content to wait in the long line for their cabin to be emptied. Tony is giddy, he already got to spend the evening with Rhodey indulging his every whims, and now they are going to be on a Ferris wheel together. The day really can't get that much better.
Rhodey lightly shakes his shoulder and Tony blinks back to the real world where, apparently, they have arrived at the counter. The bored looking boy standing there wants to know whether they want to have their picture taken at the top.
They glance at each other, and with an outward shrug of his shoulders, Tony agrees. On the inside, however, he's screaming because he'll get a picture of him and Rhodey close together and at least he'll have something to remember this night by. Hell, he might even be able to convince himself that this was a date if he daydreams a bit.
God, he is so far gone isn't he? Why can't he get over this crush and go back to being best friends with Rhodey? He knows nothing will come of it, goddamnit.
Rhodey nudges him into the cabin and must have already paid for both of them again, Tony notices, feeling guilty.
The cabin is small, with a bench on one side and a glass window that encompasses almost the whole other side so that the people inside have a good view of the skyline once the cabin moves up. The bench they sit on is a little worn and has a dark grey colour, but all in all the cabin is comfortable.
They are forced to sit close side by side because there's not a lot of space, so when they start moving skyward, Tony notices acutely how their legs and shoulders are pressed together, and how he can hear Rhodey's slow, regular breath.
Tony looks at Rhodey, grins and says, " Thank you for dragging me out of the library today, Rhodey. I really needed this today."
"I'll always be here to help you out, Tones, you know that." And with that he once again slings his arm around Tony's shoulders, and because they're sitting, it means that Tony can cuddle into Rhodey's side like he's been wanting to do for ages.
They sit in silence for a bit, both seemingly sneaking glances at each other when they think the other isn't looking.
He admires Rhodey, Tony thinks. In part because of how good, how startlingly kind he is, but also because when he sees Rhodey, his Rhodey, his heart jumps up and down like he's an expert gymnast trying to win the Olympics. Whenever he's with him, he feels safe and accepted. What's most important however, is how loved he feels when Rhodey, on the rare occasion that they have a bit of free time, spends that time with him and genuinely seems to like being around him, the scrawny young genius with a mind full of ideas and a body too small to contain them all.
He feels loved, and when he feels loved, he loves back with all his heart. Which is why, sitting in this Ferris wheel is at the same time one of the best things to happen to him, and also one of the worst, because he firmly believes that Rhodey, his beautiful star only sees him as a friend. A good friend, sure, but a friend nonetheless.
So when he sits enveloped in Rhodey's arms and grips the cotton candy in his hand tighter and his head hangs low a bit, of course Rhodey notices. He always does.
He takes his chin in his hand and lifts it upward, focusing on Tony in the way he always does, probing and gentle, and he asks him, "What's wrong Tones? Are you still worried about that physics paper you handed in yesterday? I told you, it was good, you don't need to worry about that right now. Focus on the now, on being here with me, ok?" And with that he grips Tony's shoulder a little bit tighter and looks at him so fondly that Tony can't help but imagine how it would feel to kiss him right now.
He won't do it though, because he'll never give up their friendship over a silly little infatuation that's bound to pass eventually. (It's what he tells himself, but he knows it's so much more than a crush by now. And that's what makes it hurt even more.)
So, he simply nods and looks away.
By now, they've almost arrived at the top, and Tony, content for now to look out over the fair with its twinkling neon lights and the city behind it, a sky full of man-made stars here on on earth, still feels a bit morose. He is glad though that he has Rhodey, even if it only ever will be as a friend.
A few seconds before they arrive at the top, Rhodey starts to move. He turns away from the beautiful outside to smile at Tony, and before he can even ask what's going on, Rhodey slowly leans down to kiss him.
It's a soft kiss, barely touching lip to lip, and because it's Rhodey, he waits to see how Tony reacts before he does anything else.
And in that exact moment, their eyes are blinded because they have just arrived on the top of their ride and their picture has been taken. The whole city spread out under them, thousands of lights both above and under them, and yet, nothing is as beautiful to Tony in that moment as Rhodey's face, illuminated by neon lights and full of uncertainty.
Tony looks at him in surprise and wonder, and when he starts grinning, Rhodey smiles back at him, in that way he always does, and waits for Tony to kiss him again.
If Tony had always thought Rhodey's smile meant only fondness for his antics, then he now knows it didn't. It means love and always has.
Years later, after that fateful ride, there is a flat in New York and in that flat there is a fridge, with a small stuffed bear on it.
And on this fridge there is a picture, grainy and old, of a Ferris wheel cubicle and there's cotton candy and a kiss so sweet and loving, that the relationship that followed couldn't be anything but.