Tony's day was going beautifully until JARVIS told him about an incoming phone call.
"Who's it from?"
"Peter Parker's school, sir."
Tony's heart skipped a beat and he put down the soldering iron in his hand. "Put them through."
"Hello, is this Mr Stark?" a clipped voice rang through the speakers.
"Yes."
"Good afternoon, I'm ringing to inform you that all of Peter Parker's secondary legal guardians are being asked to come into the school for a meeting with the principal about a fight he was in earlier today. We were unable to get hold of his primary legal guardian as she is at work."
"He's been fighting?"
"Yes."
Tony sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Thank you Mr Stark."
Tony ended the call and groaned. "JARVIS, have the others been contacted by the school?"
"They are currently being contacted sir."
"Remind me how many secondary legal guardians Peter has."
"Nine, sir."
"I need to buy a minivan. Are they all at the Tower?"
"All but Dr Banner and Ms Potts are, but they are both in the area of the school."
"Tell everyone to get smart, take-me-serious, put-the-fear-of-God-into-Peter-because-he's-in-so-much-trouble clothes on and meet me downstairs in five minutes and also get the car with the most seats in it ready to go." Tony thought for a moment. "And get Sam to practice his 'I'm disappointed in you' face and talk because that can make Barnes feel bad. But don't tell either of them I said that."
"Yes sir."
…..
"I don't understand," Bucky grumbled from the back of the car, clearly resisting the urge to poke his slicked-back hair. He had negotiated his way out of wearing dress uniform and had persuaded Steve to let him wear skinny jeans and a jacket, because Winter Soldier clothes were not considered safe for schools. "Why are we going into the school coz Peter's been fighting? And why'd we have to change for it?"
"Because he absolutely, one hundred percent, should not have been fighting and now he's in trouble." Pepper said firmly.
"Well-" Tony began, but stopped when Pepper glared at him.
"But why can't the school just tell him off? Give 'im detention or somethin'? And also that kid wouldn't have got in a fight if the other party didn't deserve it, so really we should just be making sure that he used the right punches and won." Bucky argued.
Steve was horrified. "No, Buck, you can't just praise him for getting in a fight even if someone did deserve it-"
"Hypocrite." Bucky muttered. "Nat, tell Steve he's a hypocrite."
"Hypocrite."
Steve scowled at Nat and Bucky beamed at her. "Thank you!"
Hill looked positively murderous. "If he's got in a fight, he could have completely blown his cover. This could be disastrous for SHIELD, the school could get in trouble, he might be expelled or moved to a secure unit school, there could be a lawsuit that might go public-"
"It won't." Tony said confidently. "I have the best lawyers in the world, it won't. Bruce is meeting us at the school. Here he is."
Tony parked the car- borrowed off a man who works in reception and has seven kids- and they piled out into the car park. "This way."
"How do you know where to go?" Steve asked.
"Well, Bruce is standing over by that door looking around for someone and he seems rather worried."
Bruce caught sight of them quickly. "Thank goodness you're here."
"Is Peter okay?" Clint demanded. "Do I need to go and beat someone up or call an ambulance?"
"Black eye, might have a bruised nose, badly sprained wrist but he hasn't broken any fingers. And he walked into a locker this morning and broke a toe but he texted me to say it's healed." Bruce listed. "He says he's alright but that's what the nurse told me because I haven't been allowed to see him yet."
"Why not?" Nat asked, looking more terrifying by the second.
"He's in the nurse's office. The nurse didn't believe I was a doctor and there was something about me not being allowed in until all of you were here as well, or something."
"Does he know you're here?" Pepper asked.
"I don't know. This is reception, we should go in."
…..
The receptionist's eyebrows nearly hit her hairline when they walked in.
"We're here to meet with the principal about Peter Parker." Pepper told her.
"Please sign yourselves in." she gestured to a touch-screen facing them. "Then take a seat outside the principal's office. I'll get some more chairs."
They signed themselves in and by the time they were done, the receptionist had finished putting out extra chairs further along the corridor, next to the door to the principal's office.
"We've never had this many people get called into the school about one student before." she told them apologetically, wringing her hands. "We haven't got enough chairs for out here and in the office, so when you're called in, which won't be too long now, I'm sure, could you please take your chairs in with you?"
They nodded.
"Mr Parker should be with you shortly." she checked her watch. "It's only three minutes until the end of the current lesson."
They sat in silence, waiting for Peter to arrive.
"It's been four minutes." Tony said under his breath.
"Be patient."
"Someone's coming." Steve said suddenly. "I can hear someone coming."
No one else heard anything for another 20 seconds until footsteps could be heard by those with a normal hearing range and Peter rounded the corner, hand over a hole in his bag to keep the books from falling out, sporting a bruised face and a sling. He stopped when he saw them. "I didn't realise all of you would be called in."
"Well, you shouldn't have been fighting then, should you?" Pepper snapped. "Sit down."
Peter sat down next to Clint.
"Did you start it?" Tony asked.
Peter was silent.
"Peter." Steve growled. "Tony asked you a question. Answer him."
"What do you mean by 'start it'?" Peter asked quietly. "Start the, um, altercation, or throw the first punch, or say the first thing, or-"
"Did. You. Start. It." Sam said warningly. "You're being smart and you aren't stupid. You can't talk your way out of this one."
"I wasn't going to talk my way out of it." Peter muttered.
"You're pushing your luck around the wrong people, boy." Bucky cautioned.
Somehow, despite the fact that Peter dealt with people with scary accents all the time, Bucky's Brooklyn accent with a Russian edge still scared him. He sighed. "He started it. It was- it was Flash, he said something and I said something and then he said something and I said something and then he did something and MJ go into a fight with someone and Flash and I started fighting."
"Is MJ okay?" Pepper asked.
"She went to ER. Broken arm and minor head wound. She was still yellin' insults when the ambulance came, so she's gonna be alright."
"So Flash started it." Tony deduced.
Peter nodded.
"And will he say he started it?"
"No."
There was silence. Bucky muttered something to Natasha in Russian and she whispered something into Tony's ear.
"You alright kid?" Steve's voice was concerned and had everyone turning towards Peter.
Peter rubbed his eyes and sniffed.
Tony got up and crouched in front of him. "Why are you shaking?"
Peter looked away from him.
"Peter, why are you shaking?"
"Coz I'm scared." his voice cracked and he rubbed at his eyes some more.
"Why are you scared? They're not going to kick you out of the school, you're way too smart and you've caused hardly any trouble."
"But you might." Peter's voice shook.
"Peter, we did not come all the way here just to kick you out. We might ground you, we will probably yell at you, but I promise you will not get kicked out or disowned. Look at me. Peter, look at me."
Peter looked up slowly.
"Mr Truth and Justice over there got into more fights than you've had hot dinners when he was your age, but we still kept him."
Peter gave a small smile.
"You're in a lot of trouble, but it ain't worth cryin' over. OK?"
Peter nodded.
"Good kid." Tony returned to his chair and Clint slung an arm around Peter's shoulders.