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Title: Mediacy
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Pairing: Rhodey/Tony
Rating: PG-13
Words: 497
Timeline: Pre-Iron Man 1
Notes: For [livejournal.com profile] comicdrabbles, prompt "scum".



The media goes through cycles, Rhodey’s seen it a hundred times. One week they love Tony, can’t get enough, praise everything he does, call him the loveable bad boy, and then the next week he’s garbage. Tony’s been dealing with it since he was a kid, paparazzi following him to school, the attention only getting worse when he stepped up to take over his dad’s company.

Honestly, it’s a miracle that Tony’s not even more neurotic.

So yeah, Tony can cope with it. But that doesn’t mean he’s immune. It doesn’t mean it’s not painful, seeing headlines calling him irresponsible, calling him a disgrace, calling him scum.

Rhodey’s been on the receiving end of that kind of media attention, being such a big part of Tony’s life and all. It’s never pleasant.

The media is predictably unpredictable, and so is Tony. The way he deals with it is usually one of two ways.

First involves throwing himself into his work, forgetting to eat and sleep, laser-focused on building whatever’s in his head, exorcising it into reality.

Maybe one day Tony’ll invent something that will shut the press up forever, will leave them with no choice but to admit Tony’s a good person. But Rhodey doubts that’s possible, with the way the media is.

The second way Tony copes is by not coping at all. Acting out, spiralling out of control, and he forgets to eat and sleep again, but only because he’s too busy partying, too busy getting fall-down drunk and self-destructing.

And that’s the way it’s going to be this time, Rhodey can tell. Tony’s got that glint in his eye, that set to his jaw. It’s going to be bad. Monte Carlo bad. Amsterdam bad. Sydney bad, and Pepper still flinches whenever somebody mentions the opera house.

Rhodey’s not going to let Tony do that to himself again.

Tony makes a low noise when Rhodey kisses him, something rough, impatient, hungry. Pushing into it when Rhodey bites at his lower lip, when Rhodey scratches blunt fingernails down his scalp.

“If you’re trying to be discreet about distracting me, you suck at it,” Tony grumbles when Rhodey steps back, but he’s not arguing, he’s not trying to get away.

“Want me to suck something else instead?” Rhodey grins, and that gets him a surprised bark of laughter, Tony shifting closer and settling his hands on Rhodey’s hips.

“And they say I’m the degenerate,” Tony snorts, but he’s smiling, and already his shoulders look a little looser.

“Fuck them,” Rhodey murmurs, fingers pushing up under the back of Tony’s faded t-shirt.

“How about you fuck me?” Tony smirks, and Rhodey bites at his neck, palms his ass, hiding his relief in Tony’s skin.

He’ll keep Tony in bed for the weekend, enjoy every second of it, and by the time they emerge the media will probably be back on Tony’s side.

It’s no great chore to save Tony from himself, because Rhodey is always on Tony’s side.
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