Chapter Text
They met at MIT in 1985. Tony was 17 years old, already extremely bright, but absolutely terrified. He hated being away from home, specifically from his mother and Jarvis, but the realization he’d be away from the iron hand of his father… it’s like he could finally breathe. He walked into his dorm room, his shoulders back and chest stuck out, hoping, praying , that the students here wouldn't be complete assholes. He had gotten there early, not wanting to be in the halls as the other students came in. Tony planned on doing what he did throughout high school as the youngest person there; be arrogant and a douchebag, avoiding confrontation as much as possible. That’s when he saw him.
Rhodey, who was 18 years old and was about to be what felt like thousands of hours away from his parents for the first time, was pretty damn shocked when he turned around and came face to face with a child. Okay, a teenager, but practically an infant compared to him.
“Uhm… are you looking for your parents? Your brother or sister?” Rhodey questioned, his bag under his arm tightly, his face filled with concern. He watched as the kid gave him a look and rolled his eyes before sticking his hand out for a handshake. He took it hesitantly, still unsure of who let an actual fucking gremlin run around the dorm room.
“I'm Anthony Stark. I guess I’m your new roommate for this year.” Tony smiled boldly, internally laughing at how quick this guys jaw dropped. For a split second, Tony forget he was at least a foot shorter than him and also 17. He watches the guys face distort from confusion to anger back to confusion and then acceptance. He lets out a little sigh before smiling awkwardly at Tony.
“I’m James Rhodes, but everyone calls me Rhodey.”
“Well, am I calling you James or Rhodey? Or do I have creative liberty?” Tony responds, shifting his weight as his backpack grows heavy with each moment he stands. Rhodey squints his eyes at Tony, sizing him up.
“Depends; What do you wanna call me?”
“Oh, there are so many they would probably change every day. Most likely Rhodey, but I do like the ring of Jimbo. It’s spicy.” As soon as it left his mouth, Tony regretted it. Calling his new roommate, who already thought of him as a nuisance, an ironic-yet-weirdly-gross-nickname could go one of two ways. The first way is that Rhodey gets offended and asks that he be given a new roommate or worse, beats the shit out of Tony himself. The second option was a shot in the dark; that he thought it was funny.
Rhodey wanted to laugh. This kid had balls, and he had to applaud him for that, but seeing his face go red as soon as he said it made him want to hold out on the congratulations just a minute longer. Rhodey screws his face up in disgust, staring Tony down, who gulps.
“Jimbo? Are you actually serious right now, kid?” Tony goes pale and Rhodey instantly feels bad; He knew what it was like getting picked on all too well, and he didn’t want to bring that pain to the kid. He sighs, smiling awkwardly, stuffing his bag under his arm, freeing the other to lift it up in surrender.
“Woah, I was just kidding. Call me whatever you want, kid. Can I call you kid?” It had just dawned on Rhodey that he hadn’t even asked him what he wanted to be called, and ‘Anthony’ seemed like an old man name. The kid shrugs, looking around the room, figuring out his answer before looking back and Rhodey and smiling.
“You can call me Tony. Only my closest allies call me that. And my dad.”
“Allies?”
“Allies,” Tony smirks, shifting his weight once more. “Which bed are you using? This thing weighs more than I do.” Rhodey shakes his head; this kid was going to be a handful, he could already tell.
“I’m using the left bed, probably. I don’t really care though, you can pick if you’d like.” Tony nods and walks over to the right side of the room, dropping his heavy bag onto the bed. He sits down slowly, grimacing. He and his father had gotten into an argument a couple of days ago over something stupid, and it had gotten physical. It always does. Tony sees Rhodey shoot him a concerned look but he acts as though he didn't.
The first day of meeting a possible new friend in this strange place and he already had a look of pity in his pocket. Rhodey looks over his shoulder at Tony, noting his filled backpack and lack of people with him. His mom and dad (and younger sister) were out in the car, grabbing more of Rhodey’s belongings. He smiled despite himself thinking of the lecture Jeanette would receive after they meet the 17-year-old genius who got into MIT.
There was a knock at the door and he knew it wasn't his parents; even if the door was closed, which it wasn't, his parents would come right in. He turned around and saw a tall man wearing very expensive clothing, a shorter man in a tux, and a woman in equally expensive clothes. These were obviously Tony’s parents, but who was the other man? Both men were holding another suitcase, and his mother held a present. Rhodey turned towards Tony slightly, seeing him lift his head and flinch a little. He did a double take of the three adults who entered and it all kind of connected in his head. Rhodey felt angry; his hand began to shake as he clenched it. He knew that look. He had seen it at friends houses and at school. He turned towards his bed, trying to busy himself with unpacking his things so he didn't focus on the thought of decking Tony’s father in the face.
“Here you go, Tony. Jarvis has the rest of the things from the car. Do you have everything?” Tony forced down the bile that rose up his throat at the sound of Howard's voice. He carefully grabbed the bag from his father, if you could call him that, and looked him in the eye. Howard got mad when Tony would respond and not look his in the eye. Called him weak.
“Yes, sir. Thank you.” Tony said, his voice quivering slightly as Howard squinted his eyes at his son. Most fathers would be happy that their son was in MIT at 17 years old, but Howard truly didn't care. Howard nodded, turning on his heel and walking towards the door.
“Don’t take too long now, Jarvis. Maria and I have a dinner reservation at 6.” Howard disappears around the corner and Tony instantly relaxes. Jarvis and his mom were saints. His mother shakes her head quickly, smiling large at Tony. She walks over and gives him a big hug, already having tears well up in her eyes. Tony bit the inside of his lip; he really didn't want to cry right now, and if his mom started, he would. She pulls back, holding him at arm's length, studying his face if she wouldn't see him ever again. Tony was so happy that Rhodey wasn’t facing him because he would've died from embarrassment.
“Mom, it’s fine. I’m only 3 and a half hours away. An hour by plane.”
“Oh, I know, sweetie. I’m just sad I won't be able to see your little face every day.” Tony rolls his eyes, laughing a little bit. No matter how embarrassing his mother was, Tony couldn't stay mad at her. She was the light at the end of the tunnel on multiple occasions for him. He lets her ruffle his hair a little, but eventually pulls out of her grasp. She was still holding the gift in her hand, and he glanced down at it slightly, and she caught it. “Oh! Here's a little going away present. I know you like to read, and this seemed interesting!”
Tony rips open the thing brown box, his heart pumping in excitement; his mother had excellent taste when it came to books because they shared their favorites with one another. They had a small closet within their home that was filled with their books because Howard didn't want that garbage out in the open. Only his books passed the test. Tony gasped as he saw the book, putting the box down onto his bed absentmindedly. It was ‘Skeleton Crew’ by Stephen King, their favorite author. It was a collection of 19 short stories, 2 poems, and one novella.
“I have one at the house. I thought we could read the book and then talk about our favorites?” His mother looked sad and Tony had to fight the urge to tell her he had changed his mind and that he wanted to go back home with her. The thought of what his father would do to him was too much to bear.
“Yeah, and we can do it with new books all the time like we normally do.” His mother nods, biting her lip. She pulls him into another hug and he squeezes her tightly. “I love you, mom. I’ll miss you, but don’t worry about me too much, okay? I’ll be fine. Thank you for the book; I love it.” Maria pulls back, dabbing at her eyes slightly, nodding.
“I love you too. If it gets hard here, just call. I will drive here by myself if I have to.” She says, and Tony knows she’s serious. Jarvis clears his throat slightly, and Tony smiles at him.
“I’m going to miss you too, Jarvis. Who else is going to fetch me some lemonade?” Jarvis snorts, shaking his head. They both didn’t have to say a lot; they were going to miss each other. Jarvis was one of Tony’s only friends growing up, and he was practically a father. Or, a good one. Tony walks up and hugs Jarvis quickly, not wanting to get caught hugging his butler by the older kids, all of whom were starting to make their way to their dorms. It was actually quite loud out there, but the rooms themselves did well at stifling it.
“Introduce us to your roommate, please. We don’t want to look like snobs.” Jarvis mutters into Tony’s ear before pulling back. Tony had almost forgotten that Rhodey was even in the room, but when he turned towards him he was still putting things away. He smiled; Rhodey didn’t want to invade on Tony’s time with his family. That was extremely considerate of him.
“Hey, Rhodey.” Rhodey turns around, plastering a smile onto his face after a look of shock. Tony motioned to his mom and then to Jarvis as he spoke, both of whom waved and smiled at Rhodey.
“This is my mom, Maria, she’ll probably show up randomly throughout the year to make sure I’m not dead. This is Jarvis he’s our...butler. And the other man in here was Howard, my dad.” Rhodey noticed the way he introduced his mother as his mom and then her name, but his father as Howard and then as his dad. It reignited his hatred for the man even though he had never even spoken to him.
“Hi. I’m James Rhodes, everyone except my family calls me Rhodey. It’s really nice to meet you guys.” Rhodey says, coming up and shaking hands with both of them. Tony beamed; that would make a really good impression on them. Internally, he was thanking every God he could think of for not having Howard in the room. He acted nice and charming to everyone he came across, but after they left, the things he would say about anyone of a different color or gender; it was truly disgusting. Tony reckons he would've turned out the same way had it not been for his mother and Jarvis teaching him what was right. He can barely stand to hear his father's voice from all the shit that spews from it.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Rhodey. Can you promise to take care of Tony for me?”
“Mom!” Rhodey snorts, nodding his head at Maria, who winks at him before turning back to Tony, his jaw open. “Don’t be weird!” He mutters, folding his arms over his chest as Maria gives his arm a squeeze.
“I know! I'm sorry, I’m just worried!” Jarvis taps Maria on her shoulder tapping his watch with a sad smile on his face. “We have to go now. Tony, I love you and I’m going to miss you so much, okay? Call me if you need anything,” She turns towards Rhodey, smiling. “That goes for you too; you’re officially part of our family.” She hugs Tony tightly one more time before smiling at Rhodey, turning on her heel, and walking out of the room, Jarvis following behind her. He stops and waves to both boys before disappearing around the corner.
“Your mom is really cool,” Rhodey says, and Tony nods, still staring at the door. She really was. Tony goes back to the bed were three bags laid, his entire life laying in front of him. He began unpacking, the room quiet except for the sound of boxes unfolding and drawers opening.
“Are your parents still here?” Tony asks, stepping back and surveying his side of the small room. Everything was very cramped, but he had a bed, a desk, a bookshelf, and a drawer. There was a closet on the other side of the room, but he didn’t expect himself to use it. He was not used to sharing a room, let alone having one of this size, but a part of him was excited. He had been lonely as a child, having no other siblings and not many friends (though he couldn't blame any of his fellow students for not befriending him; he was always at least 5 or more years younger than everyone else.)
“Yeah, they should be back here soon. They had to go and get more of my stuff.” Rhodey says, his voice muffled. Tony glances over his shoulder and laughs as he sees Rhodey spread over the bed, struggling to put the bed sheet on it. Rhodey crawls off the bed, turning to Tony and smiling, proud of himself. Tony begins laughing even harder, much to the confusion of Rhodey, before he turns back to the bed and groans in frustration; the sheet he had tried so hard to put on had popped off all but one corner.
“What the fu-”
“James, you better not say what I think you’re about to!” The two boys turn to face the door and there stood a woman, a scowl on her face that Tony could tell was purely for show. Sure enough, the woman breaks into a smile and comes over, dropping another bag down on the floor before enveloping Rhodey into a tight hug, which he gladly takes. Tony watches as two more people, an older man and a younger girl who was about the same age as him but taller, enter, each holding a box. Rhodey’s mother pulls back and turns towards her family. “Start unpacking, please. James probably wants us out of here already.” She places a hand onto her chest, faking sadness, before snorting along with Rhodey.
“Mom, you keep acting like that and I’ll agree,” She gasps, hitting him gently on the arm. Tony smiles, sitting down on the bed; Their relationship reminded Tony of his own, and man was he missing his mom. Rhodey motions to Tony. “This is Tony, he’s my roommate. He’s seventeen .” Rhodey's mom smiles brightly at Tony, walking up to him and giving his hand a shake.
“Nice to meet you, Tony! You’re seventeen and already so accomplished! I’m James’ mom, Roberta. That’s my husband Terrance, and my daughter Jeanette.” The two of them say hello to Tony, the atmosphere bright and happy. You could tell the family loved each other a lot. Tony felt a little jealous.
Tony began placing his stuff in the drawers on his side as Rhodey’s family helped him. He wished his mother was here to help, but Howard said no, so she had to listen. Tony didn't have much for decorations. He had the things necessary for his bed, clothes and shoes, a few desk items (including a new desktop that would be getting delivered at the end of the week) and books. A lot of books, actually, and Tony was internally grateful that he had a bookshelf on his side for them. His things took less than half an hour to unpack, as he had decided he would have time (and funds) to buy more as he needed them. Rhodey, on the other hand, was nowhere near finished, even with his family. Tony put his final thing under his bed, standing up and walking over to them.
“Do you guys want any help?” Tony’s voice was timid and unsure, and he wasn't even sure that they would hear him, but thankfully Terrance’s father did.
“Yeah, as long as you don’t need any help?” Tony shook his head, and Terrance waved him over. “Rhodey brought a lot of stuff and we need to bring some back home with us. We’re trying to sort but if grabby hands over here wasn't slowing us down we could be done by now.” Tony laughs a little, helping them sort. There was a lot of laughter, jokes, and discussion on how Tony got into MIT. He loved it. For once in his life, he felt normal, as if he was simply hanging out with his family and dropping his friend off at college. An hour later, they finished, and Tony assumed Rhodey’s family would leave.
“All right, I am starving. Where do you wanna eat at?” The four of them began discussing options and Tony decided that this was where he would exit the conversation. He walked back to his bed, pulling the book his mother had given him off of his shelf, opening it, fighting the urge to cry. He hated crying, especially in front of people. Rhodey notices Tony walk off to sit on his bed and he can see the way his jaw is clenched and how fast he’s blinking, and his heart breaks. He lowers his voice.
“Tony’s parents already left, and I’m not totally sure, but I don’t think his dad’s the best, if you know what I mean,” Rhodey’s mother furrows her brows in sadness, wanting to give the kid a hug. “Can we take him out to get food? I kinda feel responsible for him, you know.” His parents agree immediately, but it’s Jeanette who walks over to Tony to ask.
“Hey, if you’re not busy, do you wanna come and get food with us? We’ll probably be gone for a few hours, and you can help us decide,” She leans in closer to Tony, noticing how large his smile was. “Plus, that means my parents won't compare me to you for another few hours.” He laughs a little, placing his book down onto his bed, standing up.
“I’d love to. Thank you."