"NO WAY, YOU HAVE A KID?"

Tony sighed as Nicky sat up in his seat, eyes wide and notepad falling to the ground in his jolt, his mouth wide open as he gawked at the older man. Tony just ran a hand through his hair and let the twenty-six year old process everything.

"Wait, okay, backtrack, you're not sure if it's your kid," Nicky said, making a quick motion with his hands, "But you're willing to try because you remember this woman from all those years ago even though you can't remember how many people you've slept with in total?"

Tony shrugged. "We didn't sleep at my penthouse, it was New Year's Eve, and I have never met another person who went by Birdie, I would have made a lot of jokes if we knew each other longer."

Nicky laughed softly, nodding. "Well, that's good, I'm glad you're doing this, you seem to be set. And you're starting to pull back to your past, which is what we did want to focus on, relieving the guilt, all that good stuff."

"I feel as though you have a schedule you want me to be set on, but we keep veering from it," Tony said, feeling a need to change the topic at the mention of guilt.

"Well...yes and no," Nicky said, tilting his head from side to side, "You're paying for these sessions, so we can talk about whatever it is you want to talk about. Us going through your childhood is mainly just for me to get a better understanding of you and your history, but this is the present, so if there are more pressing issues, I'd like for you to tell me. But if you don't want to, that's always okay."

Tony licked his lips, glancing around the room. "Are you seeing anyone, Nick?"

Nicky blinked, shifting in his seat, clearing his throat. "Um, you just told me that you're reconnecting with a woman whom you might have had a child with, and now you're asking me this—"

"I'm not—no, just shh," Tony said, making a closing motion with his hand, "I'm asking because you're young and I'm going to live vicariously through you for a bit, okay?"

Nicky sighed, his smile strained. "Peter is doing fine, Tony, he comes over sometimes with his girlfriend, he still never shuts up about you. I'm still making tools and stuff, thankfully they're cutting back on weapons designs, and I'm still getting paid. I am currently not seeing anyone. Are we done with my recap."

Tony pursed his lips to the side. "Eh, I give that an four out of ten, nothing exciting happened and it was pretty dull."

Nicky scoffed. "Gee, thanks. Sorry we can't all be rich and famous and possibly owe a shit ton of child support."

Tony groaned. "Don't be me, kid. I know you look up to me, who can blame you, but live your own life, don't make the same mistakes."

The psychologist laughed, rubbing his eyes. "I'm the Walmart to your Gucci, I don't have the kind of quality to make the same mistakes you did. Now, tell me more about your BUDDY AI's, I've never tried one out."

"It's adapted incredibly well," Tony exclaimed, throwing up an arm, "Like, unbelievably so, to the point of even being FRIDAY or JARVIS," his voice caught ever so slightly at the mention of his old AI, something Nicky decided not to point out.

The man cleared his throat and continued, "Point is, it's incredibly advanced, but there's no way I can take it seriously because he has it on the Australian setting."

Nicky choked slightly, grinning. Tony splayed out his palms as if to show his point, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. While he did enjoy his time with Nicky—the man had quickly risen on his list of favorite people—he had felt particularly drained.

"Rhodey doing alright?" Nicky asked suddenly, and Tony's eyes shot open.

"Uh, he's good, he's resting up. Yeah, he's staying with the rest of us at the facility, but right now he's with family." He nodded to himself, leaning forward with his hands clasped in front of him. "You know, Birdie mentioned Pepper."

Nicky inhaled sharply between his teeth. "Ooh. How'd that go?"

He laughed ruefully. "She congratulated me on my engagement. Yeah, that-that wasn't fun. Uh, the kid knew, though, he mentioned the press conference we had later on where we announced that the engagement was a coverup and everyone wanted to know who the Spider-Man was and whatnot."

"Have you talked to her recently?" Nicky carefully ventured, a pen already in hand, the notepad now back on the small table next to him.

He nodded. "Yeah, just before she went to that conference in Milan, she's still there, did I mention that to you?"

Nicky nodded as well, scribbling shortly on his notepad. "Yes, you did." It was clear he had something else to say, but was holding it in, glancing up at the man every few seconds, biting his lip, before finally deciding it was best he keep his comment to himself.

While curious, Tony decided not to press the issue, instead changing the subject. "So, you're a child, what do you children do for fun?"

Nicky raised an eyebrow. "I'm a twenty-six year old with three PhD's and a very tragic backstory, even if I was a child, I would have absolutely no idea what healthy fun is like."

Tony shrugged, reaching over to pat his knee. "Wow, that makes two of us, we should form a club. But I'm asking you, an actual child, don't kid yourself, what I should do with this kid. I mean, he's a very smart kid, if not a little talkative and a little everywhere in terms of emotions."

Nicky hummed. "You could bring him in, let me chat with him for a bit. I wouldn't be able to tell you anything he says, but I can give you a recap of kind of person he is. Because you mentioned that he said something about accommodations and taking pills, maybe he has ADHD. Or ADD, though that's more of a pop psychology term, there's no 'real' diagnosis for it, though it's widely recognized and accepted."

"You're rambling," Tony sang, and Nicky blushed, ducking his head.

"Sorry, I tend to do that around you. But anyways, don't mind me, just talk to him," he finally said, "Spend time with him, ask what he wants to do."

"That's the thing, what if he doesn't know? What then?" Tony demanded, slumping in his seat, "I promised Birdie that I'd watch over the kid, but I have no idea what normal father figures do with their sons, mine always just sighed and hid away or told me how great Steve Rogers was."

Nicky made a quick note in his notepad, giving him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Tony. But, hey, this is going to be a learning process. For both of you, you said that he doesn't have a good relationship with his other father, he said that the guy never cared about what he wanted to do. You can be there for him, show that his opinion is worthwhile, that his interests should be cared about."

"Such as sneaking out and stalking people?" Tony pointed out, and Nicky laughed.

"That's just him acting out as a result of his lack of attention and need for someone to fill the void that his father never did, it's nothing to be worried about, his intentions were harmless," Nicky said, waving his hand, "Seriously, Tony, I'm sure that if you get the kid talking, you can find a lot to do together."

He nodded, licking his lips. "Okay, but he and I are playing catch at some point, my deep seated daddy issues need that for closure."

Nicky's laugh was an interesting one. He was so uninhibited when he laughed, he would throw his head back and let the sound fill the room. In the off chance that he wanted to stay quiet, his body still showed his mirth, shaking as he tried to suppress the loud sound which could still be heard. There was no fear in his laugh, no concept of consequence. There was something about it that had Tony just staring in awe.

Maybe it was the idea of being free. Free from all the guilt, the fear, the pressure, everything. The idea of being so loose and comfortable that he could laugh and not have to worry about himself or others demanding to know who gave him the right to.

"Go have fun with your son," Nicky said, his words final and kind, "Or whatever he is to you. The kid. Do you think he's your son?"

Tony shrugged. "Believe it or not, someone has tried to pull this on me before, and granted I saw right through that, but...the only reason I'm doing this now is because I remember her and this kid is so sad."

"He seemed pretty happy when he came by," Nicky said, shrugging, but Tony knew he was just playing.

"He told me his only friends were his cousin who is going off to high school and the BUDDY AI system. That is the saddest thing I've ever heard," he said, falling backwards into his chair, "I just want the kid to be happy."

Nicky smiled, tilting his head. "You're a good man, Tony."

"You say that every time I'm here," Tony laughed, shifting in his seat, uncomfortable at the familiar, but slightly unwanted statement.

Nicky motioned towards his movements. "I'm gonna keep saying it until you can hear it without wanting to argue with me. You might not wanna do it verbally, but look at you, Tony. For all you say you think you're great, I don't think you believe it."

Tony clapped his hands together, pursing his lips. "Okay, uh, I think we can stop the poking and prodding there, I know you want to hear my entire life story before we get into the nitty gritty of fixing me, so, uh, let's just stop there. I have a child's life to turn around and all that, it was good to see you, Nick."

Nicky stood and followed Tony out of the building. "Tony, wait," he called out, "Yeah, it's the end of the session, but don't just walk out on me."

"You're a busy man, Green, I get it," he said, never ceasing his stride, glad that the man was just as short as he was so he still had some leverage.

"Tony," Nicky said, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around, his expression serious, "I'm sorry."

Tony reached up to tug at his collar, wishing that he wasn't so vulnerable whenever he was around the younger man. "It's fine, kid, you're doing your job."

"I shouldn't have pushed that, I knew better. I'm sorry," he said, holding out his hand in front of him in a very adult-like manner, which made Tony frown, "Are you okay?"

Tony reached out and closed the hand, making it into a fist, before reaching out with his own fist and bumping them together. "Sure, kid. Don't try to shake my hand again, that's not like you."

Nicky smiled, shaking his head. "I'm a professional, Tony. Look, I'll catch you later, text me and tell me how your little outing with Remy goes, I'm really attached to this kid."

Tony nodded, giving the man a small smile, wishing that maybe, one day, he could smile as widely as he did now, the way he himself used to. "Thanks, Nick."

º º º

Tony rang the doorbell and took a step back, adjusting his clothes as he waited for the door to open. When it finally did, he found himself looking at a teenage girl who was frowning at him suspiciously, though her expression melted into one of shock and awe.

"Tony Stark?" she breathed, stepping aside to let him in, gaping as she watched him walk towards the hall, completely at home.

He paused by the living area, pointing towards the older looking teenage boy—possibly older than eighteen—who was sprawled onto the couch, his shoes pressing into the throw pillows. Shrugging, the older man continued to walk, deciding that it wasn't his business.

He stopped in front of the familiar white door and knocked. When no one answered, he called out, "It's me, kid."

The door was practically ripped off its hinges, Remy grinning up at the man, dressed in a large sweater and sweatpants.

"Hi!" he chirped, motioning for the man to come inside, peering down the hall at Stacey who was still just staring. Sticking his tongue out, he closed the door, locking it behind him.

"How's it going, kid?" Tony asked, sitting down on the bed and looking around at the room, surprised to find it messy, "How was school?"

"I didn't go to school, I have the flu," the boy announced with a smile, sniffing to prove his point. "Mom let me stay home alone for a bit, but then Stacey showed up. How was your whatever at that building you go to? Did you see that guy again?"

Tony nodded, frowning slightly as he tried to sift through the information. "It was good. And you remember him, he remembered you, wanted to know how you were doing. Are you really sick, because you seem to be pretty happy."

"I always get like this when I'm sick," he explained, flopping down onto his covers next to Tony, "When I get sick a lot of things hurt, but only at some points, so it's okay. I like being alone and not doing anything, it makes me happy. I don't know."

Tony turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow at the boy who was rambling at that point, his eyes closed as he laid spread out, mumbling softly. It took him a minute to realize the boy was just repeating the same statement over and over again.

"Wow, you're really sick," Tony hummed, leaning back on his hands, inching a little ways away from the boy, not enough so he would notice, but enough so maybe he wouldn't get sick.

"Yeah, but I'm just bored," Remy sighed, moving to sit up, groaning at his aching joints, "What can I do for fun?"

Tony inwardly groaned. "I was gonna ask you what you wanted to do. Is there anything you want, any place you want to go, though I guess I can't take you, you're sick."

Remy groaned, falling against the man's arm at first before jolting back, as if realizing what he had done. "Sorry. Uh, I mean...there's this video game I heard about, but I don't know if they have a version for the system I have, can we go check it out? I don't play a lot of video games, but this one seems cool."

Tony hummed, tapping his fingers idly. "Would that make you happy?"

Remy shrugged. "Maybe? Mark never took me to get video games or books, said they were a waste of time, especially since I can't focus, so I don't know how happy I'll be being there, but it can't be awful. I mean, you'll be there."

Tony couldn't say no to that. He couldn't say no to anything the boy asked for, not when his father ingrained it in his mind that he would grow up to be nothing, that he wasn't smart, that all his interests were a waste of time because of something he couldn't control. And he definitely couldn't say no when the idea of him just being there made the boy happy.

"Will your mom mind?" he asked, sitting up.

Remy grinned. "She doesn't have to know."

Tony groaned as he stood up, stretching. "If she gets mad at me, I'm blaming you for coercion."

Remy shrugged. "I don't know what that means. But okay!"

Five minutes, later the two were off. After a strict instruction from Remy, Stacey agreed to not tell his mother, too awestruck by Tony to argue, as well as forcing her boyfriend to take his shoes off the couch and wash the throw pillows himself, a command also given by the young boy.

After a quick direction check on his phone, Remy was skipping along, Tony keeping an easy stride, glancing over every few moments to make sure that the boy was still in his sights, but other than that, it was just another walk down Midtown.

Remy waited for him at the crosswalk, looking around at the passing cars. Tony came to stand next to him, one hand in his pocket, the other up by his sunglasses, adjusting them idly. Remy had his hands freely swinging on his side, clasping them together every so often, wringing them together.

When the light turned, Tony immediately started to walk, leaving Remy to hurry after him, staying close and looking down at the other cars, some that were barreling down the road.

"It's okay, we have the light," Tony said idly, stepping onto the sidewalk, Remy dropping down next to him just a moment later.

"Okay," the boy mumbled, reaching out and taking the older man's hand carefully, his grip not as strong or as sure as it had been back when they first met, not letting go until they were inside the store.

The two looked around at the store around them, Tony raising an eyebrow at the people, some who were having a quiet argument, others being families looking around with their kids, a few girls looking around, looking less than comfortable being surrounded by all the men who were casting them glances whenever they thought they weren't looking.

"What's the game, kid?" Tony asked, shaking Remy's hand and shocking the boy out of his sick haze.

"Oh, yeah," he said, making his way towards one of the shelves with games that would work for his console, "Sorry, this also happens when I'm sick. A lot happens when I'm sick. I don't know what I'm saying, am I making any sense."

"Somewhat," Tony hummed, bending down and helping the boy search.

"Can-can I help you? Um, Mr. Tony Stark?"

The two looked up to find one of the workers gawking at the two of them, his eyes darting back and forth between the man, to the boy, to the room around them, repeating the cycle every few moments.

"Yeah, the kid here is looking for a game. Uh, tell him the name, Rem," Tony said, nudging the boy who apprehensively said the name, unsure if that was the true title, laughing awkwardly and shrugging.

"Oh, we do have that, but unfortunately it's only avaiable with this kind of system," he said, leading them to the area, looking at Tony almost fearfully; people were afraid of the rich, when one had money, one had power.

"That's fine. We'll just take the system and the game and I will pay you a little extra not to tell anyone about you seeing us here, I don't want the media jumping at this," Tony said, mumbling the last statement softly, glancing around, glad to find that everyone was too immersed in their own worlds to pay much attention to him.

"Can I at least get a picture?" the man tried and Tony nodded, watching as the man pulled out the phone with a neutral expression. He leaned close and grinned brightly, pulling away once it was over.

"Okay, so can you ring us up, please, this one's sick and he looks like he might pass out right here," he said, looking down at Remy who was swaying side to side, his hair plastered to his forehead, "We really shouldn't have gone out, kid. Why did we walk?"

"I like being with you," Remy mumbled, falling forward, gripping his leg, hugging it, "This was fun. And we don't have to buy another game, we can just go home, I just wanted that one but it doesn't work, so let's go."

Tony laughed softly, nudging him. "You didn't hear me, kid? I'm buying you the console?"

"What?" he practically shouted, catching everyone's attention, "You can't do that! That's a lotta money, and we don't need you to buy stuff for us, I can save money and buy it myself—"

"It's no big deal, kid, just think of it as a birthday present, I know it passed, but it wasn't that long ago. Now your mom won't have to buy this for you for Christmas or whatever you celebrate." He patted the boy on the head, his decision final, and Remy was too unfocused to do anything but agree.

Once the transaction was finished and Tony had successfully gotten every person to delete the pictures they took of him and Remy together, lightly threatening them about the consequences of leaking anything to the media, they were off and headed back to the house before Birdie could return and catch them.

"Let's tell your mom about this as soon as possible, preferably with you playing the game, okay?" Tony suggested, balancing the large bag on one arm and Remy on his other, the boy clinging onto him, too tired to walk.

"M'kay, dad," he mumbled, still asleep, and Tony nearly tripped and fell, catching himself at the last second, shouting instinctively.

"What happened?" Remy asked, jolting up and looking around.

"Nothing, go back to sleep," Tony whispered, walking up the stairs to their home, kicking at the door, unable to ring the doorbell.

The door opened and he slid inside, handing the bag over to Stacey. Motioning for her boyfriend to get up from where he was rearranging the newly washed pillows, he deposited Remy onto the couch, sighing as the weight was lifted off his shoulders, literally.

"You can go for the day, I can take it from here, I'll tell Birdie what happened, you'll still get paid," Tony said, smiling as he ushered her out of the building, tossing a few bills towards her boyfriend, "Take her somewhere nice and get yourself a haircut."

Closing the door on the shellshocked teenagers, he turned back to find Remy curled up on the couch, sleeping soundly. Sighing, he turned towards the new video game system which he would have to set up on the TV if he wanted his plan to work.

"I'm way too old for this," he sighed, grabbing the system and getting to work.

The kid would be happy, that was enough motivation for him.

º º º

Birdie sighed as she closed her car, pulling out the takeout that she had gotten on the way home. She had screwed up the order and gotten way too much, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about lunch for herself and Remy.

Her stomach plummeted as she remembered her son whom she had promised to call and check in on, but hadn't been able to, too swamped with work to even have time to drink water.

She unlocked the door, stepping in and calling out, "Hey, honey, I brought some leftovers, how are you feeling—"

Her words died on her lips as she caught sight of Remy and Tony Stark sitting on the couch in her living room, playing a new game on a system that didn't look like the one her sister had gotten for him last year, laughing and shouting as his fingers furiously clicked on the controller.

"Hi, mom!" Remy called out over his shoulder, "Look, Tony got me a new game! It's so cool, do you wanna play?"

Birdie opened and closed her mouth, setting the leftovers down on the counter, coming to stand next to the couch, watching the game play out. "Wow, I, um—Tony? Remy, you can't just—"

"I told him to call me that, don't worry," Tony said, his voice quiet, "I figured 'Mr. Stark' was kind of a mouthful. I hope I didn't overstep with the console, and he didn't ask for it, he tried to tell me no, but I figured since I missed his birthday."

Birdie pursed her lips, sighing. "It's fine. Thank you, Tony, that was very kind of you."

"It's no trouble at all," he said, standing and placing a hand on Remy's shoulder, "I should probably go, kid, but have fun and take it easy, stop when your mom tells you, you're really sick."

"Can you stay for dinner?" Remy asked, pausing the game, and grabbing his arm.

Tony glanced over at Birdie who shrugging, trying to smile, laughing. "My order was completely messed up so I have a lot of leftovers. Kind of perfect, really, and we would be happy to have you. The least we can do to repay you."

"You don't owe me," he said, moving to sit back down, "But thank you, I would love to."

Birdie smiled and glanced over at Remy who patted the seat next to him, signaling for his mother to sit. She shared a look with Tony, if only for a moment, before sitting down, asking her son what the game was about.

If someone were to look in, they would see a scene of a family spending time together and playing a game. A nice scene, overall. But if one were to look closer, they would find that the father figure was now sitting rather stiff, apart from the other two, and the mother was sitting rigid as well, close and protective to the son. The son, himself, if one were to look closer, was noticing all the tension, yet favored to play the innocent, if only to keep the facade, just for a little while.

A nice picture overall. But it would get better.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Next chapter is just Birdie and Jayne hanging out, I know I've been super focused on Remy and Tony (what can I say, I developed Remy first) but Birdie is like the main gal, so she's gonna get some love and Jayne will be there because they're a package deal.

So let me just say now, that there will be a character development on how Tony acts around the family and the house. Like you saw how he just didn't care about Stacey bringing over her boyfriend and how he just let Remy follow after him when they walked, you're gonna see some slight changes over time, so keep an eye out.

And I did some rechecking since I haven't seen the movies in a pretty long time, but Rhodey is never mentioned to have family, but I assume they're still in the picture? He's gonna show up, actually, but later on, as is Pepper.

I think that's all I have to say so...thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!