1. Wait, Another one?

(Another?)

Rhodey noticed a lot more than Tony gave him credit for, even from a hospital bed.

He noticed how Tony couldn't even look at him for more than a minute without getting angry all over again but that time-span was getting longer every day. He noticed how Tony still talked to Dum-E and his other robots instead of Pepper sometimes. And he noticed that he left on a whole lot of "business trips" to Queens.

He didn't lie about it, he didn't try to hide it, but he wasn't exactly open about it either. He said he was visiting the Spider-kid, the one who had shown up at the airport in Germany but Rhodey was somewhat suspicious. Come on, Tony was smiling a whole hell of a lot more when he came back from those trips, smiles that were normally reserved for Pepper. Which got Rhodey thinking. Perhaps it was because he couldn't do much more than think at the moment but it still struck him as odd. So, he thought about everything he knew about the kid, which wasn't much.

He thought Star Wars was really old, meaning he was young. Well, his voice and complete lack of knowledge of an actual fight could have told him that but still. He was definitely American despite being in Germany, meaning Tony probably brought him there. How did Tony get a kid into Germany without his parents or his guardians? Sure, he had private jets and boats and pretty much everything but even he had to have a passport whenever Tony's excursions took them places. And didn't parents have to consent to children crossing the border?

And now his mind was spiraling because no, he couldn't be Tony's.

Could he?

Rhodey had seen how fast Tony had ran to him when the size-changing person had knocked him into those boxes. He'd only seen the kids face once in passing but it was enough to see messy brown hair and a smile. Which wasn't much but he certainly looked like Tony, at least a little bit. And he was young, he couldn't have been more than 16. Honestly, that was probably around the age he would be if he really were…

Tony seriously needed to stop hiding kids from them. Almost as if his thoughts conjured him, the man himself stepped into the room, smiling at Rhodey the best he could.

"Hey Rhodes, you feel like trying today?"

"Were you with the kid again?" It escaped his mouth before he could think and Tony tensed.

"Why?" His friend asked cautiously. "Did someone come asking for him? I told Ross, he's not getting involved anymore than he already is." Rhodey jumped a little as Tony slammed his fist down onto his desk, several screens popping up. Damn, maybe he was right. Tony was acting really protective over this kid

"No, no one came." Rhodey struggled to sit up a little more before the bed rose for him, obviously Friday's doing. "I was just…. Curious. Never seen him before Germany."

"Ya well, he was keeping a low profile." Tony shrugged, focused on his screens once again. "I hadn't even really talked to him before that."

"Do his… guardians know about all of this? Or, anything?" Rhodey asked, gesturing lazily to the room and the compound in general.

"No, they think he's my intern. Easier that way."

"Does Pepper?"

"No, she would not be happy. Would probably chew my ear off for dragging him to Germany but it's done now. Besides, we needed help. What else could I have done?" Rhodey hummed non-commentially.

They fell into a somewhat strange silence until Rhodey gained the courage to speak once again, not looking at Tony.

"So, is it just the two or do we need to worry about more secret kids." There was a loud bang before Tony appeared in his field of vision, looked thoroughly red-faced.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The kid!" Rhodey rolled his eyes. "Please at least tell me he was before Pepper?"

"The- he's not mine!" Tony looked like he was about to have an aneurysm and Rhodey blinked in confusion.

"But, I thought-"

"Jeez Rhodes! He's just some random kid from Queens who got powers. I keep an eye on any anomaly so when we needed help, he was pretty much our only option who wasn't already on the team."

"Oh." It was Rhodey's turn to grow hot as Tony rubbed his forehead slowly.

"And here I thought you didn't have any brain damage." Rhodey huffed and Tony shot him a good natured smirk. He turned away from his friend before turning back slowly.

"Wait, did you say two?" Rhodey chuckled a little, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"That uh, that Harley kid."

Tony groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "I am far too sober for this."