Okay so I lied. I wrote a follow up fic to Closure. I'm sorry but I couldn't stop thinking about it! Nevertheless, I really don't know if I will ever write another fic in this series... Oh well, you'll know when I do I suppose.

*crossing my fingers* I really hope I got Rhodey's character right...

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own them... :(

Rhodey like the kid.

He was funny, and blunt in a way that was more refreshing than offending. It helped that he also curbed Tony's self-destructive tendencies.

Rhodey had left the compound with Tony's assurance that the genius would be fine, and the promise that Vision would be there with him. He had returned to the facility with no Vision in sight and a new addition to the compound. Rhodey nearly had a heart attack when he wheeled into the facility and bumped – literally – into the new guy. The Colonel had a gun drawn and aimed by the time the two of them separated, staring into a really sharp and really pointy weapon aimed between his eyes. The other guy relaxed first, the weapon retracting and disappearing (where the hell do these guys keep their weapons?), dropping a smile and a nod at him.

"You must be Rhodey," the guy – kid actually – greeted amicably, with none of the curious or pitiful looks that Rhodey received whenever he used the wheelchair. Before Rhodey could even get a word in edgewise, the kid turned and hollered over his shoulder, "Tony! Your best bud is here!" then nodded at him and walked away, unperturbed by the gun that Rhodey was still aiming at him.

Tony appeared around the corner almost immediately, taking one look at Rhodey's weapon and berating him for drawing a gun in the compound because was he really stupid enough to let an enemy in?

The look that Rhodey gave his friend spoke volumes.

Cautiously returning his gun to his side, Rhodey followed Tony, his friend chattering on about his latest projects and the newest prosthetic he had made that Rhodey could try out.

Frowning slightly, Rhodey interrupted, "Who was that?"

Tony faltered for a second, then continued, "He's Percy Jackson, a SHIELD agent, or well, he used to be when they were around."

Rhodey stopped his friend and looked him dead in the eye, "Didn't you say that SHIELD was actually HYDRA?"

Tony sighed, knowing where his best friend was coming from. He turned away, unable to stand the newly established height difference, "He's not HYDRA, if that's what you're asking. I trust –" Tony licked his lips, "I trust him." He said firmly.

Rhodey eyed his best friend worriedly, he knew – better than most – that Tony hadn't gotten over Steve's betrayal. It wasn't so much that they disagreed, but that Tony had too many people walk out of his life. Instead of pushing the issue further, he switched tracks, "Where's Vision?" he prompted, his good mood completely disappearing when Tony winced.

"Well about that…"

"Tony," he said sternly, "Where's Vision?"

Tony scratched the back of his head, shrugging carelessly, "Don't know," he said nonchalantly, "He disappeared off somewhere and never came back."

"Tony, are you telling me that Vision disappeared and you don't know what happened to him?"

The billionaire shrugged again, "He left Rhodey," he said sharply, missing Rhodey's wince, "He left. And I don't blame him for leaving."

Rhodey sighed, wondering why Tony seemed to always be the one who suffered for the actions of others. He nudged his friend lightly, "Come on man, I thought you wanted to show me my new legs."

Rhodey continued to hang around Tony, keeping an eye out each for his friend and the mysterious new person on the compound. It wasn't that he didn't trust Tony's judgment, it was that he didn't trust people who came close to Tony nowadays. He tried out the new prosthetics that Tony made – about a dozen or so of them – and practiced his walking with the bars, Tony hovering him all the while. Rhodey didn't know if the other guy – Percy, he reminded himself – was actively avoiding him or that they had different schedules. He still saw the ex-SHIELD sometimes, but mostly it was glimpses, or if he was leaving a room that Rhodey himself was entering.

The Colonel tried not to let that get to him, but he didn't deny that he was curious. He had never heard of Percy Jackson before, not from Tony, and that was strange. Of course, between Rhodey's duties as an Avenger and Colonel and Tony's duties to SI, they didn't have much opportunities to talk, but Tony always found a way to bug him and never once did he mention the man.

So, Rhodey kept an eye on Percy Jackson.

His distrust remained even as he ate the horrible food that Tony made – because while the man could make a revolutionary suit out of metal scraps, he couldn't make food to save his life – and even when he caught the two of them speaking in undertones while he tried out his prosthetic.

That all came to a halt when Rhodey heard the most bone-chilling scream one night, and he couldn't run to Tony.

He stumbled out of bed, thankful that he had crashed on the bed with his prosthetics on. Rhodey hobbled as quickly as he could to where Tony's room was. For the first time since his accident, he truly hated the loss of his legs. Tony's screams died down just as he made the final corner to his room, and Rhodey stopped short at the sight.

Percy Jackson flicked dark eyes up to him, acknowledging his presence before turning back to the man in question. He had his arms around Tony, the genius' eyes squeezed shut, his breathing coming in heavy pants. Rhodey watched as the SHIELD agent ran a hand up and down the man's back, muttering a string of words, trying to calm Tony down. The strange thing was – it worked. Rhodey swallowed back his shock – Tony only ever allowed a handful of people to witness his panic attacks. Rhodey was one, Pepper was another, and Steve used to help Tony through them too. For Tony to trust this person enough to let him help…

Rhodey hobbled over and sank to the floor, gently plucking his friend from Percy's arms. He gave the other man a grateful look, which Percy returned with a worried one. Rhodey tucked Tony under his chin, feeling the tremors wracking the man's body. "Come on Tones, shh, you're fine. You're safe alright? It's me, Rhodey."

Percy, apparently satisfied with Rhodey's takeover, nodded again to the colonel and slipped out the door, giving them the privacy that they needed.

Rhodey couldn't express his thanks enough, and just continued to rub comforting circles on his friend's back, staying with him through the whole night. More than ever, Rhodey cursed his injury for hampering his ability to carry Tony to bed.

The next morning, Tony acted as though nothing had happened, though he squeezed Rhodey's hand gratefully before the two of them left the room. Rhodey had hung around Tony long enough to know the man's quirks, and he cracked a smile, patting his arm. The two of them made their way to the kitchen, joking and laughing all the while.

Tony caught the scent of pancakes in the air and grinned, tugging Rhodey along excitedly, "Oh my god are you finally cooking again?"

Percy rolled his eyes and snorted, casually flipping the pancakes over, "Well considering you were nice enough to make breakfast the past few days…"

Tony plopped into the seat, a bright grin on his face, the likes of which Rhodey hadn't seen in a long time.

"You make breakfast normally?" Rhodey asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Have you tried Tony's food?"

Rhodey grimaced, which made Tony pout and Percy laugh. "I'll have you know I can make a decent breakfast." The genius grumbled.

Percy just smirked, "If by decent you mean uneatable then yeah sure, it's decent."

"Oh come on!" Tony complained, "It's not that bad right?"

The twin scowls he got in reply was answer enough.

"Besides, it's Rhodey's fault." He shot back, mock-glaring at his friend.

"Wha – How is it my fault?" Rhodey exclaimed.

Tony poked him in the chest, "You wouldn't stop eyeing Perce like he was going to stab someone – me – with a butter knife, of course he wasn't going to cook! You deprived me of his food for days!"

Rhodey gaped at him, "I – what – I've never seen him before!" the ex-Avenger protested, "And you've never mentioned him at all! How was I supposed to know if he could be trusted?"

"'He' is right here and can here every word you guys are saying." Percy cut in smoothly, sliding a plate towards each of them.

Rhodey shrugged apologetically, sorry for how he treated the other man, but not sorry that he remained wary of the agent.

Percy rolled his eyes and sat down, gesturing for them to dig in. Tony did so with much gusto, while Rhodey followed at a more sedated pace. The moment the pancake touched his tongue, he let out a loud moan, stuffing more into his mouth. Rhodey didn't even have the heart to feel embarrassed by his reaction, though – from the red tinting his cheek – Percy probably felt enough embarrassment for the two of them.

"Oh my god man, where were you when we were in college?" Rhodey said around a mouthful of pancake.

Percy shrugged and ate his own pancake, "Probably not born yet." He commented dryly, inciting a round of indignant cries from Tony at the jibe to his age.

The agent just grinned unrepentantly.

Hours later, when Tony holed himself up in his lab again, and only Rhodey and Percy were left in the common area, the colonel gathered up the courage to apologize.

Percy blinked at him and smiled, the simple expression making Rhodey realize just how young he looked. "It's fine," the kid – and he really was a kid Rhodey thought – dismissed, "You were looking out for him."

"Thanks for that by the way." Rhodey said quietly, "If I had known that Vision would leave…"

"You didn't know, that's the thing." Percy interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest, looking out over the huge field, "You needed time to collect yourself Colonel."

"Call me Rhodey," he corrected.

"If you call me Percy."

Rhodey nodded absently, "Still, thanks for being here when no one else was. He – Tony doesn't have many people left." Rhodey commented, anger and regret washing through him.

Percy nodded, his own eyes darkening in anger, "I don't pretend to know what happened between the Avengers," he began, "But I know that whatever happened, it was enough to make Tony call for help. And even if I wasn't a part of the team, I know that Tony doesn't call for help. Ever."

Rhodey sighed, "It was a major clusterfuck, that's what happened."

Percy looked at him questioningly, and Rhodey told him about everything that had happened from Ross presenting the Accords, to Rogers refuting it, all the way until the fight at the airport.

"As for what happened after that," Rhodey shrugged, "You need to ask him, I wasn't there. Obviously." He smirked humorlessly.

Percy tilted his head back thoughtfully. "I'm not planning on leaving him Rhodes, I hope you know that."

Rhodey pinned him with a look, "How can you promise that? Rogers said the same thing, and he left the first chance he got. So did Vision, and every other Avenger here save for Romanov."

Percy met his gaze calmly, determination brewing behind those volatile orbs, "I'm not leaving him." He stated evenly, "He needs what support he can get now. And if he's doing something stupid, I'll just boil him from the inside out."

Rhodey blinked at the oddly imaginative threat but nodded, narrowing his eyes slightly, giving his best glare, "I'll give you the benefit of doubt, but I'm not trusting Tony with anyone else unless they prove it."

To his credit, Percy wasn't even fazed by the deadly look the Colonel was giving him, he just nodded and smirked lazily, walking away to who knows where.

Yeah, Rhodey thought, reluctantly impressed, I like him.

So that's a wrap for this part! Ler me know if you enjoyed it as much as I did! I really like writing Percy/Toy friendship, it's a new BROTP for me I guess. XD Honestly, my protective urges are coming out ever since Civil War...

Please leave a review on your way out! :)