Tony Stark sat in his luxurious car, with Happy, His bodyguard, at the wheel, heading straight to the home of his family lawyer, Henry West. He'd just gotten an email from Pepper about a conference meeting she wanted him to attend. He would've much rather stayed in his lab, tinkering with the Iron Suit, lost in his work—but he got it. She wanted him to step out, breathe a little. Get out of the lab. Out of the country, even if that's what it took. As long as he was taking a damn breath.
Rhodey would've been proud. A woman had managed to kick the great Tony Stark out of his own home and send him across the ocean to the UK.
It was pure coincidence or maybe fate that he got a message from Henry right around the same time. The lawyer insisted on meeting him as soon as possible. In London.
After the meeting, Tony was on his way there with Happy.
Soon enough, they arrived. It was an apartment building. Tony grabbed his sunglasses, slipped them on, and opened the car door. "Okay, Happy. Stay here and—well—stay happy."
"On it, Boss. Let me know if you need backup," Happy replied. "You sure about this? Going alone?"
Tony chuckled as he stepped out. "Yup. I'm sure." He closed the door behind him and headed toward the building.
As he walked inside, he couldn't help but wonder—what was so important that Henry couldn't just tell him over the phone? What kind of issue needed this level of secrecy?
He entered the lift, pressed the button, and felt it come to life as it carried him upward. When the doors slid open, he stepped out. He'd been here before. Familiar. Still, out of habit, his hand brushed against his pocket where his gun was. Paranoia came with the job.
But he wasn't unprepared. He had his watch—one signal to JARVIS, and the Iron Suit would fly in to rescue him. He'd brought the suit, of course. It was tucked safely in the car with Happy.
Standing in front of the apartment door, Tony put on his best smile and knocked. It didn't take more than a minute before it opened, revealing Henry West.
"Mr. Stark!"
Tony removed his sunglasses with a grin. "Henry! My good man—it's been a while." He smiled widely. "Mind if I come in?"
"Of course," Henry said, stepping aside to let him in. "I'm glad you're on time… I was just about to head out for groceries."
"Oh? Then, perfect timing on my part." Tony walked in smoothly. "Did you get my gift?" He'd sent over a basket with desserts, tea bags, and chocolates—he knew Henry's sweet tooth well.
Henry chuckled as he closed the door and followed Tony inside. "Yes, I did. Thank you for the thoughtful basket—it was wonderful."
"Anytime."
"Go ahead and take a seat," Henry added. "This won't take long.. I'll grab the file."
Tony sank into the couch, making himself comfortable, one eyebrow raised. "What's this about, anyway? You sounded panicked on the phone."
Henry didn't respond. He quietly left the living room, heading toward his bedroom. From the bedside table, he retrieved a worn file, thick with age and dust, before returning. He sat down across from Tony, watching him carefully. He knew Stark hated being kept waiting. And even though Tony had softened—at least on the surface—after the whole kidnapping ordeal, Henry could tell. Something had changed. Stark was no longer entirely himself.
"Take a look at this," Henry said, sliding the file toward him. "I found it buried among a bunch of other documents. I didn't even know it existed. And thank God it was me who found it… Who knows what could've happened if someone else had seen it."
Tony raised an eyebrow, suspicion piqued. "You're making me very tense, Henry. Why? Is this some ancient recipe for a giant gingerbread man? Did you steal Santa's secret cookie formula?" He leaned back slightly. "And for the record—I don't like people handing me things."
Still, curiosity won out. He took the file and flipped it open. "Seriously, how bad is this? Did my dad give away the family fortune to some obscure llama charity?"
Henry didn't answer. Instead, he got up and slipped into the kitchen, returning moments later with a bottle of wine and a single glass. He knew Stark was going to need it. Hell, he had needed a drink after reading that file. How something so critical ended up buried in a pile of junk was beyond him.
Tony stared at the pages, his expression shifting from amused to stunned.
"What?! I have a baby half-brother?!"
There it was. He'd finally gotten to that part.
Tony stared at the words again, blinking like they'd rearrange themselves into something less insane.
A half-brother.
A baby half-brother.
What the hell, Howard?
He ran a hand through his hair and let out a sharp breath. "You've gotta be kidding me. My old man had a whole secret side quest going on?"
Henry sat back silently, pouring the wine into the glass and setting it on the table in front of Tony without a word. He wasn't going to interrupt. Not now.
Tony didn't take the wine. He just kept skimming the file. Birth certificate. Hospital records. Photos. Vague medical documents. A name. A woman's name he didn't recognize. "This… this can't be real. Howard never mentioned this. Not even once."
Immediately, He pull out his phone and called Happy to come here hurry, This cannot be real and yet he can tell the stamp and hand signature of his old man. What the heck, Howard?!
A few minutes, Just then, the door creaked open, and Happy stepped in cautiously. "Is everything okay here? You've been up here a while. I was about to call in a drone strike." It didn't surprise Tony, He knew his bodyguard would follow.
Happy enters the apartment, he nods at Herny in greetings and takes a seat beside his boss. "What's wrong, boss?"
Tony looked up, still processing. "Happy… you ever find out something that makes your whole messed-up childhood feel even messier?"
Happy raised an eyebrow. "You mean like that time I found out your AI assistant has better table manners than me?"
Tony gave a weak chuckle, tossing the file down on the table. "Turns out I've got a half-brother. A secret baby brother. Courtesy of my dear old Dad."
Happy blinked. "Wait—what? You're serious?"
"I wish I weren't," Tony muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Howard Stark's idea of fatherhood included bonus rounds."
Henry finally spoke up, his voice calm but cautious. "I didn't know either, Tony. This was buried deep. Someone went out of their way to hide it." He used his name instead of his last name.
Tony leaned back against the couch, still stunned. "So what now? He's alive? Where is he? What am I supposed to do—send him a 'Welcome to the Stark Dysfunction' gift basket?"
Happy walked over, picked up the file, and flipped through it with a mix of confusion and concern. "Well… if he's anything like you, he's probably already building a robot in his crib."
Tony cracked a tired smile. "Let's hope not. The world can barely handle one of me."
He finally reached for the wine, downing half the glass in one go.
"God help us all if he's got the same ego."