Author's Note:

Don't worry, dear shippers, this is still only Rhodey's assumptions and not the actual relationship between people. The real relationships will be explored soon enough... and they will be fun to see from Rhodey's point of view. But now, with chapter three and four, the story has a short stint of more seriousness with only little to no humour. But it is only a bit of that.

As breakfast ended, and Tony and May left for work, Rhodey stayed back and did some training exercises, hoping that he would someday be able to return to the strength he was before the accident. He tried to clear his mind and focus on his work, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Which seemed to be the new normal he was getting used to. It was remarkable how fast he adapted to this new way of living. It was simple: He was constantly thinking about Tony and his new family members... Or, well, they were not new family members, were they? Tony must have known them for months if he did not hide them from Rhodey for years. It was interesting, and scary, and unbelievable. Rhodey wondered what he could do to understand this or handle this. He would handle this, and he would take care of this. There is nothing he would not do for them. But it was hard to imagine that even a day before now, all he had was a simpler life without all of this. A life consisting of Tony, Pepper, Happy, Beck, the graves of his parents and brother, and him. It was weird. He hardly met them. Yet he would never want to go back. Rhodey did not think he ever could. Even if he woke up tomorrow and it turned out all of this was a dream and Tony had no son and no girlfriend, he would search the universe for them and make sure that Peter and May would be part of Tony's life, no matter the consequences. He did not care that FRIDAY refused to answer any of Rhodey's questions. He did not care that he had no chance to talk with Peter, Tony, or May yet. He did not care that Pepper ignored all texts Rhodey send her about the boy... He had a family he will not lose. Ever. He had lost too much in his life. TONY had lost too much in his life. Rhodey would not allow it. He would not loose another sibling, so May, Pepper and Tony would stay protected through it all. He would not loose his nephew.

Later that afternoon, Tony returned to the Compound looking tired and stressed out. He sat down at the table and started poring over some papers, muttering under his breath.

Rhodey noticed Tony's distress and asked, "Hey man, everything alright?"

Tony looked up and sighed, "It's just work stuff, Rhodey. It's always one thing after another."

Rhodey gave Tony a sympathetic look and said, "Well, if you need anything, let me know. I'm here for you."

Tony nodded, "Thanks, Rhodey. I appreciate it." Tony paused for a minute, checking the clock, before saying he needs a break and took his phone. "FRIDAY, where is Peter right now?"

"Mr Parker's location can currently be found in school. The phone tracker is fully active. Do you want me to relay a message?", FRIDAY answered efficiently and with what sounded like a hint of affection in her voice. Now, this was definitely playing along. Of course, FRIDAY would enjoy this and be fond: she cared about Tony as much as Rhodey did, and she would love Tony's son just as much, even though she still did not want to tell Rhodey that he is Tony's son. And the surname being after the boy's mother fit perfectly as well: Tony would keep the boy better hidden if there is no connection to the Stark's at all, and it seems that this tactic worked perfectly. Too perfectly, if you asked Rhodey, considering he never knew about either of them. But he had to learn to accept that. The boy was someone Tony – and Rhodey - loved very much. If not knowing about him protected him, he would deal with that. He would not allow the child to suffer or be in danger in any way. He decided that already. And he would make sure of this!

Rhodey watched as Tony texted a couple of minutes with what Rhodey knew was his son, a fond and loving expression on his face. The love was palpable, and Rhodey started to feel special to be in the same room while Tony had this expression on his face. Sure, there still was insecurity because Rhodey met the boy only now and not years earlier like he should have, but he loved that he now was able to see this: If Rhodey only now saw it, there mustn't have been a lot of people to see this look before. Pepper, Happy, May and the child only, probably.

A new pang came into Rhodey's heart realizing that in all this time he though he was higher on Tony's friendship and trust list than Happy, and he was assuming wrong. Happy had known the boy. Happy drove this kid to school and knew the addresses of his friends. He was consulted in taking care of the boy while he was staying at the Compound for a while. Rhodey never knew about Tony's kid, Happy knew from the start. It should not hurt so much, but it did. Rhodey considered Tony his brother. If he kept something this big from his family, he knew they would be furious. He knew Tony would not be accepting this so easily... Rhodey at least would guess so, but he cannot imagine having a child and not immediately calling Tony, either in joy or panic. But Tony left Rhodey out. Rhodey must mean less to Tony than he ever thought. Rhodey forced himself to stop that kind of thought, knowing it would not be beneficial. Besides, Tony could have many reasons to tell Happy but not him. He will talk to his friend sooner or later...

After a while, Tony put down the phone and went back to work as if there never was any interruption, its only sign being his face looking far happier and peaceful than before, the fond look never quite leaving his eyes.

As Tony continued working, Rhodey wandered around the Compound, trying to sort out his own thoughts. He couldn't help but wonder how Tony was managing to juggle so much. Besides his work, and of course putting out the fire that the Avengers are blamed for and the war criminal friends, he had a family to take care of, a son and a girlfriend, and Rhodey knew that Tony took that responsibility seriously. The entire situation was unbelievable, and Tony had to do so many things on his own? It was hard to imagine. Rhodey only knew that he had a new agenda for his life: be there for Tony and the two people he seemed to care for more than anyone else. He would protect Peter and May with his life the same way he would protect anyone else. Because he saw them with Tony. He saw Tony with them. And he loved them already. He did not understand everything that was going on, sure, but that was irrelevant. Feelings never were controlled by logic. And his feelings were clear: Tony loved them, he loved Tony, he saw the love between them, so he loved them indiscriminately. He would protect them with his life, even if he had no idea what that entailed right now... Even if he was still learning the basics... He could not even imagine doing anything that could endanger the life or happiness of either of the three... It would complicate his life, but that did not matter - why should anything matter more than the few family members he still had and loved? His Avenger family was gone, not reachable, and he had no idea whether he would see them ever again... With his parents dead and Sammy dead, he had Pepper, Happy, Tony and Beck, and now, within less than twelve hours, Peter and May have gone from strangers to family... and this is exactly how he wants it... He wants Tony's kid and girlfriend to be his family, even if he wished he knew about them earlier. He would not change anything about his life if that meant he could see this peaceful look permanently anchored onn Tony's face. If it meant to have a nephew and sister-in-law - he guessed - to protect. He would repeat every mistake of his life to be here like that.

After a while, Rhodey heard May's voice coming from the living room. He wandered in and found May sitting on the couch, reading a book.

"Hey, May," Rhodey said, "How's it going?"

May looked up and smiled, "It's going well, thanks for asking. How are your training exercises?"

Rhodey grinned, "They're going great. I feel like I'm making some real progress."

It was true: thanks to all the adaptations Tony and SI did on his leg braces, the intense PT and the care and discipline Rhodey did, the training worked very well, and he is certain that he would be able to go full out one day again. Rhodey knew this and the importance of there being heroes around. And while there were horoes like Spider-Man and Daredevil out there fighting the street level fights, Rhodey could not wait until he saw himself back in the suit fighting the global threats the vigilantes might not be able to handle on their own. And Rhodey could never forget that his friends were out there, hiding, and might not be able to react in time to stop the next Ultron or runaway God...

May nodded, "That's great to hear. You're doing a good job, Rhodey."

Rhodey felt a sense of warmth and camaraderie with May. He knew that she was a strong woman who could hold her own in any situation. He respected her and was glad that she was part of Tony's life. He might not know much about her, but this is something he knew, and he could not wait to learn more of the resilient woman that got into Tony's heart. Twice, if Rhodey's theory was right.

As they chatted, Tony came into the living room looking frustrated. "Damn, I can't find those papers anywhere. I need them for my meeting tomorrow."

May looked up, "Which ones are you looking for? Maybe I can help."

Tony handed her a list, "These ones. They're supposed to be in this folder, but they're not."

As May started looking through the files, Rhodey watched their interaction closely. He couldn't help but notice the ease and familiarity between them. It was clear that they had worked together for a long time and knew each other well. It almost felt a bit like watching Pepper and Tony interact, only more ... adult? It was hard to describe. It had the familiarity and banter that the two always had, it had the fun and care, the love and sweetness... and Tony was doing what he was supposed to, just like Pepper always made him... only May did not seem to need to make him do anything, Tony did that on his own. And while Tony was not exactly completely irresponsible (aside from the brief stints in which he was dying), he was always a playboy and hedonistic party animal first... at least he used to. There seemed to be none of that left now. But instead of making Tony stiff, unhappy and depressed like he always claimed he would be in such a case, he was contended, happy and at peace... Rhodey enjoyed that outlook in Tony's future. And in such a case, he can live with Tony and Pepper not being together, even though he would miss it a lot.

After a while, May found the missing papers and handed them to Tony. He thanked her and they went back to their respective workstations.

Rhodey sat back and thought to himself. Maybe it wasn't his place to question Tony and May's relationship. Maybe he should just allow it to happen the way it does.

As the day went on, Rhodey felt a sense of contentment wash over him. He had trusted his instincts and tried to support his friend in the best way he knew how. And as he looked around the Compound at Tony, May, and the life they had built together, Tony checking in on Peter every few hours with the help of FRIDAY and texting, he knew that he was in good company.

--

Finally, around midday, May left for "home" and to "check on Peter, he must be home soon", and to "prepare some food" and so on, and Tony and Rhodey were alone, with Tony no longer working. Rhodey took a calculating breath, thinking about how to approach the subject...

And finally, Rhodey spoke up. "You know, Tony, I had no idea you had a son. How old is he?"

Tony looked at him, confused. "What are you talking about, Rhodey? I don't have a son."

Rhodey felt horrible. Tony was still denying it to Rhodey! How little did Tony truly care about Rhodey? How little trust, how little love was there in Tony's heart to allow Rhodey the opportunity to know his nephew, to forbid him from realizing and seeing him as just that? Was that it for Rhodey? Was he not good enough for this family? Rhodey couldn't take this, he needed to be with his best friend, his best friend's girlfriend, and his best friend's son... It was not even a question, not an option anymore, he saw too much to back down... Knowing Tony had a kid he hid, he might have been able to leave this alone, but he met the boy, he saw Tony's interaction with him, saw the love and happiness... Never could he live without that anymore!

"Tony, why didn't you tell me about Peter and May?" he blurted out, unable to leave this.

Tony looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I had no idea you had a son or ... May. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I really don't know what you mean, Rhodey.", Tony said slowly. "I don't have a son. Peter is just an intern. Nothing more. A random kid."

Rhodey send Tony a look of utter disbelieve, he wanted Tony to know this would be an acceptable way to talk his way out. He needed to know too much, too desperately... He needed to properly spend time with the boy and woman that made Tony so ... different...

"Oh, come on, Tony. That boy has been sleeping on top of you, you feed him like it's the Olympics... or a new suit feture you want to figure out! You're acting like he's your long-lost son or something. Who is he?"

Tony just chuckled. "Peter? He's just an intern. Works for me a couple of times a week."

"Tony...", Rhodey groaned exasperatedly.

"Listen, Rhodes!", Tony was grumbling with a significant hint of anger in his voice. "Peter is just my intern. I was forced to take him under my wing for the job. Nothing else." Tony shook his head, clearly getting enraged. "My son? Don't be ridiculous, Rhodey. Peter is just my intern. A smart kid with a lot of potential, sure. But nothing more than that. Got it?"

Rhodey nodded. He didn't want to push. He knew Tony would tell him when he was ready. It hurt a lot that he was not yet, but he knew to accept things with Tony, to leave things alone a little longer seemed right... It could not be that long, right? Or maybe Tony never told him about May and Peter because he was not important enough to be trusted with such information... He knew that Tony had always been secretive, but this felt different. He felt left out, almost betrayed in a way. Rhodey couldn't help but wonder if Tony had been keeping this side of his life a secret from him. He felt a pang of guilt - had he been too wrapped up in his own recovery to think about what was going on in his friend's life? Rhodey couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. He had always been so close to Tony, and now there was this whole other aspect to his life that Rhodey knew nothing about. It felt devastating no matter how he tried to not let in get to him. He was not the friend hr always thought he was, and that felt anything but good, Rhodey did not want to imagine the reality of this, truly. He knew he had to... He had years of mistakes and insufficiency to make up to Tony, as it seems... But the sadness remained. He had failed so much; Tony did not trust him with the most relevant and important things in his life...