Hey everyone! Hope you had a great Christmas! Or Hanukkah... Or Kwanzaa... Wait, didn't Kwanzaa start today? Anywho, off that topic, I've brought you another chapter! Yay!
The next couple chapters will be about Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy finding out about Tony's secret, along with Tony figuring out how to run his company, and the general hecticness of Tony and his family in general. I hope you enjoy.
To my reviewer about me asking for reviews: I in no way mean to become a person who doesn't update or deletes a story because there were no reviews. I didn't mean to be annoying either. I don't ask for reviews because I want to know how many people read my stories, I want to know what people think of my stories. I want your opinions from my readers. To tell me what I can improve on, or what I can do to make my story better. Thanks for your comment though, I'll stop asking if it's annoying. (starting next chapter...)
To anyone who reviewed, thanks! I decided to have Riley go to college as a lawyer, Evan to become a trama surgeon, and Jace to become a psychologist. I looked up number one schools for each in Massachusetts, and the schools mentioned in the chapter are the ones that came up.
I also decided that they wont be working for Tony for reasons I came to based on their personalities and my brain didn't want them to. The story will explain Riley's reasons in the chapter, but the other two will be in the following couple chapters.
Whew! That was a long AN. Ok, read on, sorry it's short, pleasereviewIknowit'sannoyingsorryhadtoaskbye
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Tony sighed and ran a hand over his face, yawning in exhaustion. He flopped down onto the couch of his dorm he shared with Rhodey, who he had met eight months before when he started MIT.
He began peeling the weapons from his body, followed by his coat and combat boots. Finally, he got to his shirt. Tony hissed as he peeled the blood soaked black shirt from his bullet wound. The dammned jackass had gotten in a lucky shot while Tony was busy taking care of the guards still on their feet. Tony had turned right after and put a bullet through his brain.
This kind of thing had happened often, but Tony, Evan, and Riley often refused to go to the medical ward, and prefered to treat themselves. Many a times Jace had to resort to physically dragging them to the med bay.
He had left his mask on in his haste to get to the wound, and didn't notice the other figure creeping into the room until a gun clicked as it was cocked. Tony slowly put his hands up.
"Don't move." Rhodey growled, gun unwavering in his hands.
"Rhodey-"
"How do you know my name?" He snarled, moving around the couch to see the bleeding-man-on-the-couch's face. Only to gasp when he saw the mask.
"You'r-re Tagoi Panther!" Rhodey stuttered, before holding the shaking gun as steady as he could.
"Yes, but, don't shoot while I do this, please. That's more for your sake than mine…" Rhodey was hard pressed not to shoot when Panther's hands went up to his face, but nearly gasped when the mask was pulled away.
"Tony?!" The gun fell to his side in shock. Tony was having a hard time not laughing at the bewildered look on his friend's face.
"Yeah, mind waiting until I patch this up before I explain?" Tony asked, wincing as he poked the wound again.
"Oh my god! You've been shot! You're Tagoi Panther! I… Think I need to sit down…" Rhodey gasped out, flopping down on the couch with a groan, putting his head between his knees. Tony chuckled, and pulled a bottle of whiskey open with his teeth. He took a large gulp, and handed the bottle to Rhodey, who hesitated before taking a few sips as well.
Tony then grabbed the needle and thread, and continued to sew up his wound. He sighed when he finished putting the final bandage on, stealing the whiskey from a partially drunk Rhodey.
"Well, ask away." Tony sighed, leaning back, putting the bottle down.
"I don't even know where to start." Rhodey stated flatly. Tony laughed once, and grew serious.
"Rhodey… I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't want to put you in danger. I have quite a few people after my head. They're just too afraid to come after me personally. If they managed to get their hands on someone I care about… Well…" Tony shook his head, and looked at Rhodey.
"I'm… Not really mad Tony." Rhodey managed, swallowing. Tony nearly sobbed in relief. "I am a little sad you didn't tell me, but I understand why you didn't." Tony smiled thankfully at him, and knew he was ok with Rhodey.
"Mind telling me how this happened though?" He laughed. Tony laughed too, and began his tale.
"It was September of my seventh birthday. I remember the house staff had been acting odd for a couple days, but didn't think much of it. They put me to bed, but I could hear my parents fighting, so I couldn't sleep. When they finally fell asleep, I couldn't. Then, I heard someone step on the creaky floorboard outside of my room…" Rhodey listened in fascination of the story Tony told.
When Tony finished his recounting of events a couple hours later, Rhodey's head was spinning with the information given to him. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke up.
"So, when do I get to meet your siblings?" Tony grinned.
"Tomorrow good for you?" Rhodey's brow furrowed.
"Yeah, I guess. I thought you said that den in in Paris? Wouldn't they have to leave like now?" Tony chuckled.
"I guess I forgot to mention. Riley is currently attending Harvard for law school, Jace is attending Boston University for a degree in Psychology, and Evan is also attending Harvard for medical schooling. They can be here in twenty minutes. Tops." Rhodey gaped.
"How-"
"I pulled some strings to get them fake identities, but the reason they got in is because of their own hard work on their schoolwork the past seventeen years." Tony shrugged, voice full of pride.
"Wow." Rhodey muttered. They said goodnight, and headed to bed.
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It was ten o'clock the next morning when someone knocked on the door. It was bouncy, and excited, and made Rhodey nervous to answer. When he did, he was greeted to a face full of Riley.
"HI!" She chirped, scooting past him. "TONY!" Evan strolled in calmly, patting him on the back.
"Sorry man, she had a cappuccino before we came." He smiled apologetically, before following the girl in, leaving Rhodey blinking in the hallway.
"Ok then…" He muttered, shutting the door and walking into the kitchen, stopping the doorway. Riley was sitting on the top of the fridge with a plate of nothing but bacon, laughing at Tony and Evan, who wanted some.
"No bacon for you!" Riley cackled, taking a piece and taking a bite. Laughing at the boys' complaints.
"Rhodey! She's being mean to me!" Tony whined, glaring at the girl on the fridge.
"Nah, nah, na na, nah!" She said in a sing song voice, sticking out her tongue.
"Now, now, children," Rhodey said with a smirk once he recovered from shock. "Behave." They all laughed, and got on with the introductions.
After about ten minutes, there was a calm knock on the door. Riley launched from her new place on top of the cabinets, and opened it, grabbing the man at the door in a hug.
"Jace! It's been like two days since I've seen you! I missed you!" Evan called. After they returned to their seats, and Rhodey was introduced, a conversation was struck up between Riley and Rhodey about jobs, while the boys squabbled over something.
"What are you doing after college?" Riley asked, tracing the rim of her glass with her fingers. Rhodey studied her quietly before answering.
"I'm going to join the army." Riley nodded, watching her brothers argue. "What about you?" Riley took a minute before responding.
"I'm going to start my own law firm." Rhodey was a little surprised. He figured she would work for Tony.
"I know that look," She said, giving him one of her own, causing Rhodey to look at his lap.
"I know Tony will offer me a job at SI. And I don't want it. I don't like relying on anyone for my money. I can count on my fingers the amount of people I rely on, but I will never ask them to help me in my job. If I need a place to crash, I know they'll supply it. I'll eat their food, 'borrow' their things," Rhodey chuckled a little.
"But I will never depend on anyone to supply me with the means to support myself. I never have, and I never will. In the past I lived on the streets. I didn't trust anyone for anything. I only trust now due to the den. And even then, my trust is hard earned." She shot a look at Rhodey when she said that, and he raised his hands in a 'peace' gesture.
"You can trust me. I won't hurt Tony. Or any of you." She let out a single laugh, and raised her glass to her lips.
"My brothers trust easy. As easy as you can, anyway, being an assassin. Tone gives almost everyone the benefit of the doubt. Jace and Evan as well. That's my job. I don't trust. Not even a little. At least until you prove you can be. Not since I was four years old." She gave him a wry smile, and watched her brothers scramble after each other once more.
Rhodey gulped, and turned back toward the fight at hand, laughing as Tony grabbed a pillow of the couch and whacked a surprised Jace dead center of the face.
The rest of the day as he got to know his roommate's siblings, he pretended not to notice Riley's cautious stare, that seemed to be scanning him to his very soul.
And the moment they all raced to their bikes (newest model motorcycles, Tony couldn't resist), Rhodey collapsed onto his couch, running his hands over his face. He was relieved to have one moment away from the girl's never ending stare.
They returned almost an hour later, each having their own pizza, due to the argueing. Tony wanted meatlovers, while Jace insisted that they should get hawaiian. Evan got his mind set on plain cheese, and Riley stubbornly refused to eat anything other than pepperoni.
And Rhodey realized while watching them all playfully argue, that Tony had a family. He had best friends. He had two brothers. And one sister. Tony had a family.
And Rhodey didn't know what that ache was. It was deep in his chest, throbbing. IT made him feel like he needed something. He wanted a family.
Sure, he had a loving mother and father. He had a great younger brother, despite them clashing often. He had an aunt and an uncle on each side of the family, and four grandparents. He had many cousins, first and second, that adored him. Loved his stories, and his games he played with them. But it wasn't the same.
He looked at the raw emotion he saw in Tony's eyes as he smiled at his siblings. He saw the love and devotion reflected in each of their eyes. They would die for each other in a heartbeat. And something told Rhodey that if one died, they all would. They were dependent for the others' survival. Rhodey would die for his family, in an instant. But he saw with those four...
Nothing in the world could compare. Not a single thing, no family, group of friends, no star struck couple, or devoted parents could ever match the feelings they felt for each other. Not a single thing.
And Rhodey saw Tony in a new way after that night. Because from then on out, he saw him the happiest when he was in the company of his brothers and sister.
And yes. That made him jealous. In fact, for the rest of his life, he realized it made other people jealous too.
If you want to do that thing where you type what you think into a little box then hit a little button to tell me, ok? Thanks!