Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count: 1350
Of Mismatched Pyjamas And Best Friends
Tony settled down on the slightly tattered sofa, slipping his feet out of his slippers to pull them up underneath him. His cookies and milk looked pitiful on the table, but he tucked into them anyway as the movie started on the screen.
This wasn't how he'd thought he'd be spending his birthday, but…
He shook his head. Here he was, and this was what he had so he was just going to have to like it or lump it.
With a dejected sigh, Tony pulled the blanket over him and tried to pay attention to the movie.
…
Starting university had been… nerve wracking. He'd been younger than any of his peers by a decent margin, and nobody enjoyed being told they were wrong by a kid, but Tony never had learned when to hold his tongue.
The only thing that made it okay was Rhodey, his roommate.
Rhodey looked after him, kept a close eye on who he was engaging with, chased off the ones that only wanted to take advantage of Tony, be it for his genius or his overflowing back account.
But then Rhodey had to leave, and Tony thought that he'd be fine with the group of friends he'd made.
Except… Rhodey had never forgotten his birthday before.
…
Tony hated feeling lonely. It was a feeling he was, unfortunately, intimately acquainted with, but since starting university, not one he'd felt very often.
Now though… now he missed Rhodey like he'd never missed anyone before in his life, and it wasn't even about his birthday, not really.
It wasn't about going out and doing anything—Tony would have been happy to stay in his pyjamas and watch movies the whole night, so long as he wasn't on his own—it was just about companionship.
About knowing someone cared enough to say, "Happy birthday, Tony."
"I want things to go back to the way they used to be," he muttered to himself, eating his last cookie. "I want Rhodey back."
…
"I don't want you to leave," Tony muttered quietly. "I don't… I'm gonna miss you, Honeybear."
Rhodey sighed, and leant forward to grab Tony's hand, pulling the shorter man into a tight hug. "I'll call you every week, I promise. You're going to be fine, Pepper, and Steve and Bucky, and T'Challa will all look out for you. You're not going to be on your own, Tones."
"Promise?" Tony asked, hating that he sounded so young but needing the reassurance more. He'd never had to be worried about playing the 'big man' around Rhodey.
"I promise, or I'll come back and kick their asses, okay?"
"You can't kick Pepper's ass. Pepper is terrifying."
Rhodey paused. "You're right, she is. But I can kick the others' asses, okay?"
Tony nodded and pressed his face against Rhodey's jumper. "Kay."
…
A knock on the door sounded, and Tony huffed, debated on ignoring it, and then got up anyway to answer it.
Steve was waiting when he opened it, rolling his eyes when he saw Tony's pyjamas.
"What are you wearing?" Steve asked when Tony waved him in. "Go get dressed, we're going out."
Tony snorted, closing the door and following Steve into the living room. "I'm not going anywhere."
He was trying really hard to not be angry at his friend, but he couldn't help it. He was a bit angry. Just a little bit.
"We're going out," Steve repeated. "You promised to wing-man me whenever I was ready to 'get out there', so… let's go."
"I'm really not in the mood tonight," Tony said, shaking his head. "Maybe next weekend, hmm?"
"Tony—"
"Steve, no."
"Steve, yes. Go and get dressed, we're going out."
Tony stared at the stubborn man for a long moment before he huffed. "An hour. That's all you get, so if you can't pull in an hour, your blue balls is gonna have to last a little longer."
…
"You little shit," Rhodey said, shaking his head.
"You don't know what I've been through," Tony complained. "I'm not good at secret-ing these things, honeybear. And I didn't even have you to put a hand over my mouth when I said too much!"
Rhodey laughed, wrapping his arm around Tony's shoulders. "Thank you."
Tony nodded and grinned. It really had been hard work to pull the surprise party together without Rhodey knowing about it. Tony hadn't been lying about how hard it had been.
Still, his Honeybear was always worth the effort.
…
"Are we going to the student union?" Tony asked, slipping his leather jacket on, and checking his hair was just the right amount of fluffed up in the mirror.
Steve shook his head. "I thought that pub down the road. Buck always pulls in there."
"Bucky is a bigger flirt than me, he could pull in a hospital parking lot."
Snorting, Steve nodded, because it was true. "Still, I don't like it in the union, you know I don't. It'd be just our luck to run into Amora there."
Tony winced. Amora was… problematic at best, cruel at worst, and she'd driven Steve mad for almost a year, not agreeing to a date but chasing off anyone that looked even slightly interested in him.
"Yeah, fair enough. C'mon then, let's go. I wanna get out and then get home and get back into my pyjamas."
"You're like… ninety years old."
Tony just rolled his eyes and stepped out into the evening air. "Come on, Casanova, I ain't got all day."
…
"I'm sorry, Tones, I really hoped I'd be able to get home in time but I won't be able to," Rhodey said through the phone.
Tony sighed and flopped down on his bed. "It's fine, I know you'd be here if you could. Maybe the others will plan something or come round or something. You'll be home soon though, right?"
"Few weeks," Rhodey promised. "So save up the hugs for me, kay?"
"I always do, Sour Patch. This time has been the longest, so I think I might just latch on like a koala and not let go 'til you have to leave again."
"You say that like you don't do that anyway."
"I know."
"You gonna be okay, Tones?" Rhodey asked then, and his concern was clear even though Tony couldn't see his face.
"I'll be fine, Honeybear. Promise."
…
Tony barely stepped foot into the pub before cheers sounded. He blinked as he looked around to see all of his friends, a large banner on the wall that said Happy Birthday, Tones on it, and the best thing was that in the middle of the crowd—
"RHODEY!"
Tony leapt at him, everyone else forgotten for a moment as Rhodey caught him in his arms, tugging him into a tight hug. Tony buried his face against Rhodey's shoulder, smiling brightly.
"You're here," he murmured, pulling back just enough to look at him properly. Then he frowned. "You're dead as a doornail, Rhodes! You lied to me!"
Rhodey chuckled. "I did, but it was for a good cause. This is good, right?"
"You could have just come and snuggled me at home," Tony muttered, but he was smiling again, and eventually he was convinced to let go of Rhodey long enough to hug his other friends.
It didn't take long for him to be back beneath Rhodey's arm though, right where he belonged.
"You were right, by the way," Steve said, later, smirking at Rhodey. "When I went to get him, he was in mismatched pyjamas with a cute little pout on his face. He really thought we'd all forgotten."
Tony grumbled while Rhodey's arm tightened around him. "M' sorry, Tones. I shouldn't have had everyone make you think they'd forgotten. Told you I'd get you back for that leaving party though, didn't I?"
"Guess you did," Tony agreed. "How long are you staying?"
"I got a week," Rhodey replied, nudging Tony's shoulder. "Think you got room for me?"
Tony scowled. "You know I do."
"Good. I missed you, Tones."
Leaning back into his best friend, Tony replied, "Best birthday present ever."
Written for:
Record Collection: 14. Lonely
Book Club: April: concern / rolling your eyes / lying to someone
Elizabeth's Empire: 28. Lonely
Angel's Archive: 16. College!AU
Film Festival: 28. "You're dead as a doornail, [Surname]."
Marvel Appreciation: Black Widow: Leather Jacket / Loneliness
Forecast: 4. Pub
Naughty Or Nice: Naughty, 25. Dejected
Hot Chocolate Station: 10. Nutella Hot Chocolate: (plot point) a surprise party
Write Letter's To Santa: Prompt 3: 1. New School Supplies - University!au
Big Dinner Bash: Vegetable: Broccoli: "I want things to go back to the way they used to be."
Toy Making: Toy Train: University!au
Pop Figures: TV: 401. Rory Gilmore: (au) University
Hogwarts Talent Show: Beatboxing: University!AU / "You don't know what I've been through." / Anger / Slippers / Birthday
Insane: 74. Mismatched