#oh also by the time they rise up the ranks of stalker fame both of their eggs have cracked so yura uses he/she and the names yura and yulya

[77ngiez-archive]

stalker sanya is canon btw bcs i said so

[ironhusband]

Rhodey is better than Steve goodnight. 

~~~

Rhodey is told he wasn’t always obsessed with Captain America. His path to discovering the American hero wasn’t a short one. 

His mother claimed his obsession with the patriotic symbol begun with a movie. It was a movie about a plane crash, and the whole family went. His little sister was horrified by the disaster movie, but Rhodey’s eyes sparkled as he thought of how he would fix the plane, how he would fly the passengers to safety. Already loving machines, the crash made Rhodey even more obsessed, loving the idea of being a pilot or building a plane. His teachers encouraged his interests, indulging him with stories about the Wright brothers and plane crashes and giving him plane models and sketches that Rhodey studied lovingly. His family was not happy, since the obsession came with plane toys littering the floor and Rhodey begging them to let him get on a plane, or better yet, fly one. The only one to give in was his uncle, who promised to help him build a plane. The plane was tiny but it flew, and Rhodey was ecstatic. 

Once Rhodey grew a little bit older, he understood why he couldn’t fly a plane. At least not at that age. It didn’t mean he still didn’t want to. 

“So how can I become a pilot?” Rhodey asked stubbornly one day. 

“Well, Jimmy,” his mother begun to explain, “you could go to flight school. With your brains, you’d get right in.”

“Hmmm,” Rhodey responded, already knowing about that, but wanting a more practical solution to his career problem, “and then I can become a pilot?” 

“Sure, you could fly lots of tourists,” his mother confirmed, “but you can also go to the air force. Become a fighter jet pilot.” 

Rhodey seemed more interested in that, “air force?” 

Since learning those words, Rhodey gained a new obsession. Once he was fifteen, he had his whole career planned out for him; he would go to MIT and study rocket science (he was always good at physics and won the science fair with his inventions without fail), and then he would be drafted, quickly rise through the ranks, until he was pilot, until he could fly. 

That’s how he came to look up to Captain America as a role model. 

For his fourteenth birthday, his parents took him to DC, to see the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. He was drawn to the Captain America exhibit. Logically, he knew that Captain America wasn’t a captain or part of the Air Force (he would always complain to Tony about it), but something else drew him to the patriotic symbol. Maybe it was how fast Rogers became an esteemed solider, how fame wasn’t enough of an influence for him, how he fought for the rights of minorities and against the nazis. It was all that that appealed to Rhodey. 

When they left the museum, Rhodey’s arms were full of Captain America figurines, comics, posters and a few books with history and conspiracy theories. 

His want to be a pilot then, combined everything he ever wanted. The sense of comrade he got from the choir, his patriotism and his will to change the world, his love for planes and rocket science, and the fact that he would be a superhero. A flying one.

~~~

Contrary to popular belief Rhodey didn’t meet Tony through an engineering course or when they became roommates; he met him through a self-indulgent course Rhodey took about “Captain America: His History and His Impact”. 

Rhodey caught Tony staring at the second lecture. He smirked at him, and Tony ducked his head and wouldn’t look him in the eye. He caught Tony looking at him other times too; while he was talking with his new friends, while he was piling food on his plate at the cafeteria, while he was doing homework in the library. Rhodey didn’t mind. He knew it was a coincidence and Tony wasn’t actually following him (Tony was far too busy for that). He never did anything about the puppy crush Tony had on Rhodey, until he found his stalker at his dorm room, his second year at MIT. 

“I thought my request wouldn’t get approved,” Tony admitted, “I kind of admired you from afar. That’s creepy. Sorry. I don’t have a lot of friends.” 

“It’s ok,” Rhodey promised, “I requested you too. Wanted to meet my stalker. After all, we seem to like a lot of the same things. Captain America, engineering, me.” 

Tony laughed. 

~~~

Tony and him grew closer while being roommates. Rhodey was right, they did have a lot in common. Like a knack for getting in trouble (and in Tony’s case, for getting caught), a talent of making pretty amazing robots and being naturals at annoying nicknames. Tony opened a lot of military doors for him, and Rhodey was the one to introduce Tony to junk food. Needless to say, eventually, Rhodey begun to crush on his roommate. Never did anything about it, however, because Tony was too young for him. 

When Tony walked into his childhood bedroom, Rhodey quickly excused his obsession to his crush, "Mama left everything exactly the same. Jean had been begging her to give my room, but Mama refuses so..." 

“Shit, man, I thought I would be the nerd between us.” 

“You still are,” Rhodey teased. 

Tony shook his head, “true. However, I think I became a little less of a Captain America nerd, since meeting you. You outshine him in every way.” 

Rhodey can safely say this is when he fell in love.

~~~

Years passed, and as Rhodey became a pilot, as Rhodey got into more and more dangerous situations, Tony always told him “nothing my Captain America couldn’t do.” and then begun to sing “oh captain, my captain”.  It was sappy and ridiculous, but it encouraged Rhodey on his dark days. 

When Tony witnessed Rhodey have a panic attack for the first time, Rhodey asked him, still shaking, “am I still Captain America to you?” 

Tony kissed his forehead, hugged him tight, “you’re still even better.” 

~~~

The first time Rhodey met the infamous Captain, he wasn’t as happy as he thought he’d be. No, he was jealous. Jealous because he’d been in love with Tony for more than half of his life, and now that DADT was repealed and he could do something about it... Steve just swept in and took Tony from his grasp. 

Tony sat smiling on the chair in front of him, leaning on Rogers’ arm. “You know, I used to call Rhodey modern Captain America. I guess that mantle is taken now that you’re back though.” 

Rhodey’s heart clenched painfully. He still couldn’t believe Rogers took that from him. 

Rogers nodded politely, “yes, I read your file, Colonel. You are deserving of that title, let me tell you that.” 

“I agree,” Tony said, “I’ll just have to come up with a new nickname. After all, I did only call him that because you were such a role model to him. You guys will be friends now, so that will probably be awkward if he was still as big a fan.” Tony conspiratorially whispered to Steve, “he had a bit of a crush in you. Even more than me. I got you, though. Jealous, honeybear?” 

Yes, Rhodey thought, but not in the way you think. He plastered on a teasing smile, though, and said “a little less jealous now that I know Captain America was willing to settle for you.” 

Tony threw bread at him and Rhodey laughed. But his heart burned.

~~~

Rhodey didn’t stop admiring Steve up until the Civil War, as the media dubbed it. He knew his negative feelings towards him were only unfair jealousy, and he still appreciated him as a fellow Avenger.

Not anymore. 

They were both supposed to be separate in hospital beds, but Tony climbed into Rhodey’s bed. They were about to fall asleep when Tony whispered in the darkness, “I feel bad for ruining Captain America for you.” 

Rhodey���s eyes drifted open. Registering Tony’s words, Rhodey begun to speak. “You didn’t ruin him,” Rhodey promised, “I’m mad at Steve for betraying his team, for going against the accords, for causing the fight were I lost my legs. I’m not mad at him just because of you. And if I was, it wouldn’t have started now.” 

Tony looked at him sharply at that, “what do you mean?” 

“I mean that I was jealous of Steve's relationship with you,” Rhodey admitted, no longer willing to hide his feelings. 

“You were?” Tony whispered, “you were jealous of him?” 

“Yeah. I always wanted you.” 

Tony looked away, trying to hide his tears, “I should have waited for you.” 

“It’s ok,” Rhodey assured him, “we have all the time in the world from now on.”