Chapter Five

Mia couldn't help but smile brightly as she reached the Toretto gang's latest home. Brian was alive! Her brother in all but blood was alive and well and she had been able to actually speak to him. It had warmed his heart to hear his voice, as tired, no exhausted as he had sounded. He had promised that he was safe and that he had gone to ground for a while to recuperate and had made her promise to keep her head on straight. Relief flooded her very being and her hand drifted up to touch the pendent he'd given her years previous. It was the symbol of the brotherhood with the creed scrawled across the back elegantly in the tongue of the first Altair. She hadn't taken it off since he'd given it to her, even when she'd been angry with him after LA, and her hand always brushed it when she thought of her elder brother.

"Safety and peace, Brother." She whispered, before entering the cozy 8-bedroom home.

She found the gang piled in the living room in varying states of relaxation, Rome sitting a little way away with a worried expression. The dark skinned man had mellowed out since Brian's disappearance, only sticking with them because he felt the blond would return to them before he went back to their shared home in Miami.

"Hey, Mia. How's it hangin'?"

She smiled. "It's been a very good day." She replied and he raised his eyebrow at her.

"Oh, that where you went? Found some hottie and got you some lovin'?"

Dom snorted. "No if she like 'em living."

The woman rolled her eyes, "No. My boss gave me some great news." She paused. "And I talked to Brian."

At this everyone perked up.

"You talked to the Busta?" Dom question and Letty scowled beside him. Everyone in DT knew their leaders feeling for the blond, something they found themselves confounded about since as soon as they'd saved Letty, he'd gone back to her.

"Yes. He's gone to ground for some assignment or another," She lied. "He just called to let me know he was alive and recuperating from an assignment that required radio silence."

"He's joined the feds again?"

She shook her head. "Something like that."

Dom stared at her, still reeling from her revelation, while Rome frowned worriedly.

"Is he safe?"

"He is."

"Then that's all I care about."

The others nodded in agreement and if they noticed a slow tension trying to worm it way between Letty and Dom…well no one mentioned it.

Living with Tony, Brian realized, wasn't too different from living with the Torettos if one took away from the grandeur of the man's Malibu home. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming and Tony did his best to make him feel like it was their home. They ate together, and found that they both had the same skewed eating schedules and sleep schedules and Brian found himself working on things he'd only dreamed he'd be a part of, including helping Tony install the new and improved arc reactor. He never wanted to repeat that particular experience again.

Currently, they were down in the lab working on the Mark II, well Tony was working on the Mark II. Brian was working on one of his new brother's many cars, a sleek silver Audi that he'd fallen love with the second he'd seen it. Tension plagued the older of the two, anger clouding his features as he worked on the suit.

"The board filed an injunction, citing that I was suffering from PTSD and therefore unfit to make decisions regarding the company.

The assassin hummed. "Your Obadiah is part of the Board isn't he? Other than you he is the only one that has the power to make that call, the board can only vote on it." He said remembering what Tony had taught him about the inner working of SI and his brother nodded scowling.

"Meaning that Obie filed the injunction."

"And that he's more than likely involved in your kidnapping as well." Blue eyes met angry chocolate ones.

"What are you going to do?" He Asked and Tony thought about it for a moment, then smirked darkly.

"We'll need proof."

Brian smiled darkly. "Finish the Mark II and free Yinsen's home. Leave the proof to me."

"Be safe." Tony said as the Kid stood.

Something dark flashed in the other man's eyes but his smile was warm and teasing.

"Am I ever?"

Tony frowned deeply as he returned to the lab to find it empty of his little brother's presence. After crashing his own gala and freeing Yinsen's home from the Ten Rings, all he wanted to do was get out of the suit and relax with his brother. They'd grown close since Brian had moved in, even closer than they had been in that place, and he loved the kid. He was his brother and was slowly o becoming his closest friend. Brian was the only one left alive with the knowledge of what truly went down in that cave.

"J, has Brian checked in yet?" He asked, as he began to run the disassembly program for the armor.

"Negative, Sir."

Tony bit his lip worriedly, wincing as the bot taking his armor off jerk on the gauntlet on his right.

"Ow, Damnit J! I made this to come off perfect."

"My apologies, Sir. I'll be gentle." The A.I responded sarcastically.

"Please do, you know it's my first time."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Tony's eyes lit up as they landed on his favorite (and only) sibling, taking in the mischievous gleam in the other man's eyes and the black USB in his hand. Even the Bots froze at the blonde's sudden appearance, more so the horrified gaze of Pepper beside him.

"Oh my god!" The woman cried.

"This isn't the worst thing you've caught me doing." He told her, before smirking at Brian. "It really isn't." The blonde snickered.

"Are those bullet holes?" Pepper screeched.

Brian rolled his eyes, but Tony could see his concern plain as day. "It was a…holy experience?"

"That was terrible." The blond deadpanned, helping the bot removed the rest of the armor.

"You found it?" Tony asked and Brian hummed softly, shooting a significant look in Pepper's direction.

"Did you need something, Pep?"

"I," She paused. "I need you to sign off on the papers appointing a Brian Stark as your heir to SI."

Brian choked, his blue eyes widening before he whirled around to face his brother.

"Tony?"

The billionaire blushed at the question, signing the papers in a flourish. With a nod, Pepper left the room leaving the two alone.

"Is this why you've been teaching me all of these things?"

Tony shrugged, turning his attention to the USB in Brian's hand.

"It that the evidence?"

Brian, still reeling, nodded absently, forcing his focus back to the present. An unholy grin appeared on Tony's face.

"My brother has order a hit on him via both the SHIELD and the Brotherhood. Either way he will die and it will be entirely legal."

Tony nodded, heart racing, only for him to jerk when another voice rejoined their conversation.

"You're planning to kill someone?!"

He spun around to find Pepper standing there with a horrified expression and he swallowed thickly.

"Pep-"

"No! This is all his fault! He's talking about killing someone and you're perfectly calm about it! He's a monster and he's turning you into one."

Brian flinched at the accusation and Tony narrowed his eyes at his PA coldly.

"Is that all, Ms. Potts?"

"Tony-"

"Is. That. All?"

She straitened her spine and nodded. "You will regret this. One day, you'll see the truth." She promised before leaving and Tony sighed, turning to Brian.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"She didn't-"

"I'm fine."

The billionaire stared at him silently then smiled sadly.

"Go rest. I'll take care of Obie."

"Be careful."

"Aren't I always?"

"No."

"When I said 'be careful', I didn't mean fight him in the middle of the city in the suit! Nor did I mean blow up the damn arc reactor and nearly kill yourself." Brian deadpanned softly as he watched Pepper dab make-up on his brother's face to cover the injuries caused by his fight with Obadiah. Beside him Malik, or Agent Coulson, as he was known now, snickered at his tone, well acquainted with the asssassin's patented "You're-a-dumbass" tone. Pepper, however was not, and sent the beauty a glare.

"Don't sound so caring. Its not like he almost died or anything." She sneered sarcastically and Brian smiled sweetly.

"Yet he's alive now." He replied before turning to the billionaire.

"Since I know you're about to do something monumentally stupid and nothing I can say will deter you, I'm gonna tell you now. When we get home I'm making Happy up your training and I'll be including some of my own."

Tony groaned but nodded before flashing them his mega-watt press smile and walking out to face the press. For a moment he followed the notecards and Brian feared his warning was in vain, but the Tony paused and sighed.

"Okay all of that was utter bullshit. Truth is…I am Ironman."

Brian sighed.

Sometimes he hated being right.

TBC