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“You’re an idiot,” Rhodey nudges his best friend back into reality.
“Stop that!” Tony whines. “Now I can’t find him. Why does he have to play a position where I can’t see his name on his jersey?”
Rhodey looks out over the field at the midnight green uniforms. “Tones, I brought you here to watch the game not my boyfriend’s tight end.” He knows the words were wrong the moment they left his mouth. He facepalms as Tony snickers.
“Don’t worry honeybear, I wasn’t ogling your boyfriend. I was checking out Barnes’ tight end.”
“Tight end is the position that Barnes plays,” Rhodey groans. “Tony, why do I bring you here if you know nothing? You’re making me look bad.”
“I come to support you, Platypus, and also check out the tight end on that tight end, ya get me?” He elbows Rhodey. “But seriously though, he’s so pretty. He should model, not beat his body up playing body-slam with a oblong sphere.”
Rhodey’s eyes are drawn to the field. Sam calls an audible, calls for the snap, steps back three paces, and throws a perfect spiral into the hands of James Barnes. Barnes spins to avoid a defender, then carries two defenders on his back into the endzone. “Whoooooooooo! Touchdown!” Rhodey yells. “That’s my man!”
Tony hugs him as the crowd goes wild. Rhodey screams the Eagles song with the rest of the stadium. With less than a minute left on the clock, Rhodey knows this is a shoo-in victory over the Cowboys. As the stadium returns to its usual din, Rhodey asks Tony, “Do you want to meet Barnes? Sam gave me a pass to the locker room.”
“If you’re lying, I will murder you,” Tony looks Rhodey straight in the eye.
“I’m not – I promise. When the game is over, we will wait til most everything clears out. I’ll take you down. Harold the security guard knows me anyways.”
The Cowboys try their best, but fall short. The stadium is in uproar because the Eagles have clinched the playoffs. Once people have made their way out of the building, Rhodey leads Tony down to the ground floor. Harold winks at him and opens the door, “Go congratulate Wilson for me. He had an outstanding game.”
“Thanks Harold.”
Rhodey and Tony walk in to a party. Sam spots them immediately. He comes over and kisses Rhodey, “Hey babe. I’m glad you were at this game.”
“You played tremendously. If you don’t get MVP, the NFL is racist.” Rhodey assures him. “Hey, where’s Barnes?”
Sam nods behind him, and as he and Tony turn, they see Barnes coming out of the shower with only a towel around his waist. Barnes is holding the towel up to keep from falling, and Rhodey can see Tony’s brain short-circuting.
“Hey Bucky,” Sam speaks up. “I want you to meet my boyfriend, James Rhodes, and his best friend Tony Stark.”
Barnes greets him briefly, but once his eyes latched onto Tony, Rhodey knows he will never get Barnes’ time of day again. “Hey doll,” Barnes purrs. “Want to get out of here and celebrate this win elsewhere?”
“Only if I get to see that tight end of yours that I’ve been hearing so much about,” Tony flirts right back.
Barnes looks over at Sam and Rhodey, “Do you mind if I steal your friend?” When they tell him to go for it, Bucky grins, “If you’ll excuse us, then, we will be going.” He herds Tony towards the dressing room.
“They’re perfect for each other,” Rhodey tells Sam. “Wanna blow this popsicle stand and celebrate on our own?”