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When Steve marches into Tony’s workshop, it is with an unusual confidence born of recent events. If Tony says no to his invitation, it’s fine, but Steve doesn’t think he will. In fact, Steve thinks Tony’s enjoying this as much as Steve is, which is to say, they’re both petty people who derive pleasure at being contrarian, and how’s that for something they’ve turned out to have in common?
They have this shared secret; Tony trusts him and trusts in him. (To mess with other people, but it still counts.)
So when Rhodey says, “I didn’t even know you liked Steve all that much,” Steve is a hundred per cent unsurprised when Tony’s hackles go up.
Steve suppresses his smile, and thinks that Tony might have actually let Rhodey in on the truth if the man hadn’t jumped to that particular mine.
“Of course I like Steve,” Tony says, ever the stubborn one.
“Really? Name one thing you like about him,” Rhodey responds.
“He has very straight teeth.”
“About his personality, Tony.”
Steve could jump in at this point with an assist, but it’s more fun to hang back and watch Tony go for it. How will he spin this one, and what angle will he take? Perhaps he’ll try an overwrought comment defending Steve, by claiming that Steve’s fun to be around or easy to talk to or whatever else criteria are generally accepted to be important for dating. Or maybe he’ll just say something about Steve’s ass and claim that as personality trait.
“Well,” Tony says, “he doesn’t take any of my shit.”
Steve blinks.
“Okay, fair enough,” Rhodey says with an easy nod, because that did indeed sound not only truthful and earnest, and is a reasonable reason specific for Tony, and how he relates to Steve in the time that they’ve known each other.
Huh.
“So, Steve,” Rhodey says, “where are you going?”
“That would be telling,” Steve replies, though he’s also watching Tony closely and with new curiosity.