Chapter 1: Rhodes Back Home – A Surprising Discovery

Book Summary:

Months after Civil War, Rhodey comes home to Avengers Compound. Apparently, Tony hid a few things from him, like his engagement ... And a son.

IronDad SpiderSon (not bioDad) through Rhodey's eyes.

Chapter Summary:

Rhodey comes to the compound for the first time in months after his nearly fatal fall at the airport in Germany. He finds Tony asleep on the couch with a teenager. Was Tony hiding a son from him?

Author's note:

I'm sorry about the bad puns... If there are trigger warnings you feel I should mention or more areas colour coded, please tell me.

This is my first time publishing on FF, so I have literally no idea what I am doing ... Help?

Also on Wattpad, later maybe on AO3.

Chapter 1

James Rhodes, also known as War Machine, looked around the enormous complex of buildings known as Avengers Compound, which he hadn't seen in months. It felt strange to be back here again, after everything that had happened. He had missed the Compound. He had not set foot in it for months, eight excruciatingly long months. He had missed his own bed, his own space, and most of all, his best friend Tony. But it felt strange and empty. He had been away for about eight months, ever since the devastating accident at the airport in Germany. After his nearly fatal fall, he had to undergo physical therapy and extensive rehabilitation. It had been a difficult time, a long and challenging road; the physical therapy had been gruelling, and there were times when Rhodey had been unsure if he would ever be able to walk again. Tony visited him regularly, keeping him updated on the SI and Avengers' activities. But this was the first time in forever, only the second time since the fallout, Rhodey would be back at the Compound, at what could only be described as home, and he was excited to catch up with his old friend. Seeing Tony and Pepper and all his friends regularly visiting and video calling was amazing and helped Rhodey's well-being a lot. But this was nothing compared to finally being back home, to what had become his second home over the years, the place he missed more than he could describe in the last eight months. But he had persevered, and now he was finally back at the Compound.

Rhodey had always felt at home at the Stark Tower, Avengers Tower, and finally Avengers Compound, surrounded by Tony's genius and remarkable technology. He had spent countless hours tinkering (or, well, pretending to, he was an engineer who graduated from MIT, but this was way out of his league) with his War Machine suit, asking for new tech, talking ideas with Tony, giving Tony a hand, training in the gym, and attending endless board meetings with Tony and Pepper. The Avengers Compound had become his sanctuary, a place where he could let his guard down and be himself.

And though he was tired from the long trip, he wanted to see Tony. Sure, he'd been visiting Rhodey regularly during his absence, but it had been a while since Rhodey had stepped foot outside of hospitals and Physiotherapy offices, just to have a friend to be with. As he arrived at the Compound after so many months, Rhodey was filled with a sense of excitement and anticipation. He couldn't wait to see Tony and catch up on old times. He had missed his friend terribly, and he was eager to share all the stories he had accumulated over the past few months when Tony kept all his own issues quiet to concentrate on him. He had been looking forward to seeing Tony for weeks, to catching up and seeing how he was doing after everything that had happened in the past year. Rhodey could only imagine how all of this was on his friend: Tony always blamed himself, was hard on himself, and struggled with allowing everyone in... Unless he really trusted you, there would always be the narcissistic persona Tony invented to keep everyone at bay. With Pepper and him broken up and all the Avengers dispersed when he was just starting to let them in... Rhodey knew it would not be pretty but Tony is too much of a self-sacrificing idiot to allow Rhodey a glimpse of how he was struggling while Rhodey was in PT. Now, Rhodey was back here and he would be damned if he did not take care of his friend for once!

For now, though... He was sleepy and needed to rest, so he would go to his room to get some sleep after a quick hello to his friend. As he made his way to Tony's Avengers Compound, he wondered if Tony would be working on any new projects maybe Rhodey could join him on. As he walked through the doors, he was greeted by the familiar disembodied sound of the AI, FRIDAY, clinging from the ceiling.

"Good evening and welcome back, Colonel Rhodes," FRIDAY chimed softly.

"Thanks, FRIDAY. It's good to be back. Is Tony around?" Rhodey asked.

"They're currently sleeping," FRIDAY replied, quickly admonishing him. "Please lower your voice."

"They?" Rhodey wondered, raising an eyebrow, confused. "Who is 'they'?"

But there was no real answer. FRIDAY paused for only a moment before speaking again. "Boss is asleep on the couch with a guest. Please keep your voice down when entering."

"Guest? Who?" Rhodey asked, making his way towards the living room. "Is Pepper back? Are they back together?"

FRIDAY hesitated, then replied softly, "There are two guests that Boss is hosting."

Rhodey frowned, "Guests? Who could Tony possibly host at this hour?"

"Please be quiet, Colonel, they could need the sleep," FRIDAY warned, cryptically avoiding all questions. "Just go see for yourself if you must, sir. You'll understand. But stay quiet!", she finally cautioned.

Rhodey shrugged and decided to check on Tony and the mystery women Tony must have picked up at a bar or something. It was not like this was Rhodey's first Rhodey-o. He couldn't help but feel slightly worried. What was going on? Was Tony okay? He knew Tony could be unpredictable sometimes, and he didn't want to disturb whatever was going on inside but some of those women had been problematic or even dangerous. He still remembered all the times Tony had been drugged with those date-rape things. Rhodey's stomach clenched, knowing that if anyone would (have?) succeed(ed?), Tony would not tell Rhodey. As he made his way to the living room, he wondered if Tony and Pepper were back together. He knew they had always been close, despite their ups and downs. Maybe they had finally gotten back together, and that was who Tony was sleeping with. He had hoped so. Pepper seemed to be the only one somewhat able to help Tony during his dark times. Sure, he understood that strain it put on Pepper but while Rhodey loved them both, Tony was his best friend. And he was constantly suffering. Every time something was good for even a day, it was like something just had to go wrong. Rhodey himself had caused his friend so much pain. He has left his friend alone after coming home from Afghanistan, Rhodey being pissed over something stupid and small he could not even remember... But Tony would not even allow him to apologize, not that Rhodey deserved to. Rhodey just wanted some light in his best friend's life, was that too much to ask?

He had expected to find Tony in his lab or working on some new project, when he first made the trip to the Compound. Rhodey expected to find Tony working on something or watching TV. It was only one in the morning, after all. And lately, since Afghanistan, Tony preferred working to deal with his emotions. Apparently, that was not the case anymore. Rhodey silently made his way towards the living room. As he approached the door, he heard sounds coming from inside. It sounded like someone was sleeping, he peeked in, and took a double-take, his eyes were drawn to a sight that would stay with him for the rest of his life... Rhodey entered the room quietly, his curiosity piqued. What he found was completely unexpected: Walking into the living room, he found Tony Stark slumped and fast asleep on the couch with a teenage boy curled up next to him, sound asleep as well, with his head on Tony's lap, his curly hair spread over it, cuddling, both wrapped tightly in blankets. Tony had his arm wrapped around the boy, and he was softly stroking his hair in his sleep, both of them were snoring softly. Rhodey stood there, gaping, unsure if what he was seeing was real. He noticed that popcorn trays and pizza cartons sat on the table, surrounded by cola bottles scattered around the room. It looked like a typical Avengers movie night had taken place recently, even the amount of food fit perfectly. The TV was off, usually suggesting that they had all gone to bed. Just... no Avengers were supposed to be anywhere around, them being war criminals. That was unusual enough, Rhodey had not expected Tony to have movie night without the Avengers, that being one of their monthly team bonding exercises they started after SHIELD fell... But it was clear that Tony and whoever this kid was had been doing just that, a movie night. A kid, though... And Tony being this relaxed... Cuddling, of all things... Rhodey blinked in disbelief. Was that Tony's son? He couldn't believe it. Tony had never mentioned having a child. Rhodey realized that whatever was going on, it wasn't what he had expected.

Rhodey was stunned. Rhodey didn't recognize the boy, even though he felt familiar as if he had seen him before. He looked about 14 or 15. And the boy looked eerily like Tony when they first met, with the same curly brown hair and the same shape of his eyebrows, lips, and lightly browned skin. He even had a similar build to Tony at that age! Rhodey couldn't believe what he was seeing. Both asleep curled around each other, the boy looked so much like Tony that for a few seconds, Rhodey thought he himself had fallen asleep and was dreaming. It would make far more sense. He had never known Tony to be a father, and he couldn't help but wonder who the boy was.

As Tony was stroking the child's hair softly, a peaceful expression was on his face. It was almost surreal to see him like this, relaxed and content, in a way that Rhodey had never seen before. Tony always had something guarded in his eyes, even when asleep. He had a live that made it impossible to trust, betrayed by everyone at some point or another. He had been hurt more often than Rhodey could ever finish counting just in the time they knew each other, and his wish to protect seemed to only have worsened it constantly. But here he was, perfectly fine and at peace with the world, softer than anyone ever saw him, a protective arm around a small child.

Carefully, Rhodey stepped closer, stumbling over a cola bottle and gasping while trying to catch himself. The sound seemed to make Tony steer, as his forehead crumbled, before moving down on the couch, holding the child closer and kissing him on the forehead in his sleep. Rhodey grabbed his phone out of his pocket and snapped a quick picture of the scene before sending it to Pepper, his caption reading: "Tony has a son?!?"

But for now, he just stood there just a moment longer, watching Tony and the boy as they slept. It was a poignant moment, and Rhodey knew that whatever was happening, it was important.

He quietly made his way to his room and tried to sleep, but his mind was racing with questions, still trying to process what he had just witnessed. Who was the boy? Tony had a son? And he never mentioned it to Rhodey? In all those years? Why had no one told him about Tony's little boy before? Seems like something important to mention to your best friend...

No, Rhodey had to believe this was new. Tony would not keep this from him. They probably met while Rhodey was away for PT! That's it! Tony could not have known before! Yet... He could still have told him...

Rhodey couldn't sleep that night, his mind racing with questions. Who was the boy? How old was he? Why had Tony kept him hidden? Would he be Uncle Rhodey now? Rhodey always wanted a nephew or niece... What if Tony still did not want Rhodey to meet his son? God, Tony never wanted to be a father, too afraid of turning out like his own abusive and neglectful one... Tony should have come to him, should have been able to come to him with this!

As he tried to fall asleep, Rhodey couldn't help but wonder who the boy was and where he came from. He had so many questions, and he knew Tony would have some convincing answers, if he bothers to reply. Rhodey tried to push the thought out of his mind and get some rest. But as he lay in bed, he couldn't shake the curiosity and insecurities creep up at him. But for that soft look on Tony's face, the peace? He can handle that.

The text was answered in the morning with a simple laughing smiley. Rhodey was confused by Pepper's response, - Rhodey couldn't help but feel frustrated. What was going on? Why was everyone so secretive? - but he decided to wait and see what Tony had to say. What else could he do? He knew he needed to get to the bottom of this. Whatever was going on with Tony and this teenage boy, he wanted to know the truth. And he wanted to meet his nephew.

Rhodey drifted off to sleep late, twisting and turning, knowing that tomorrow had to bring some much-needed answers - some he didn't even know he was looking for.

Author's note:

I'm curious: How do you think this will continue? What do you think is going on at the Compound? Both your general guesses and ideas you would like me to add are appreciated! I have a rough outline, but I can't wait for your ideas!

The picture with FRIDAY I had was with Rhodey being too tired and emotional to notice his volume, and FRIDAY being like "Will you shut up already!?" Hope that came out, but different interpretations are fine, too. And I'd love to know them.