Author's Notes: As a token of my gratitude for the incredible response to the last chapter - and because I'll be traveling tomorrow - here is the next chapter a day early! Thank you all so much for the feedback!
Canon Note/Plug: My take on Charles Xavier and his relationship with the X-Men and Scott Summers/Cyclops is heavily influenced by the great Minisinoo, whose magnificent work in multiple fandoms can be found on ff dot net.
Chapter Fourteen
Tony didn't make it to Charles Xavier's office before he got distracted and stopped in his tracks. One of the hallway windows overlooked the school grounds near the basketball court. When Tony saw Peter and Barnes standing there together, alone, he just stopped and went blind and deaf to everything else around him.
When Barnes put his hand on Peter's shoulder, it was all Tony could do not to punch out the window.
Get the fuck over it, Stark, he thought. You blew the kid off, used him in Germany, then tossed him aside. Made him a suit, threw him in over his head, then fobbed him off on Happy, only popped back in long enough to lecture him or yell at him. You didn't even find him when he needed you the most – Barnes and Rogers are the ones who found him. You've got no claim to him. You never did.
Even so, he kept watching. He fought the urge to have Friday read their lips. Peter spoke, and Barnes answered. One looked away, then the other did, but they both always looked back at each other again. Barnes stepped closer, and Tony's fists clenched.
As if Tony needed more reasons to hate that bastard. First he'd taken Tony's parents, now he'd taken Peter.
As if you've got any business resenting anyone taking Peter, Stark, he told himself. Do one generous thing that doesn't involve throwing money around and walk away. Rogers goes wherever Barnes leads; at least he'll be a decent role model for the kid.
A soft sound finally caught Tony's attention, and he found that May Parker also hadn't gone on to Xavier's office. She was at the next window, also watching Peter and Barnes, but the look she gave Tony was pure malice.
Well, why shouldn't she feel smug? Tony'd taken her boy away from her, encouraged him and helped him sneak around behind her back, leaving her to be terrorized for ten days when she finally did find out. It stood to reason she'd be glad to see Tony drop-kicked by karma.
Really, Tony, May, you two are quite the matched pair when it comes to melodrama! said a voice in Tony's head.
Tony and May jumped a mile and collided with each other. Xavier was at the end of the hallway, with a trademarkable enigmatic smile. He said aloud, "You're also giving all the telepaths and empaths in the building headaches. Come to my office, and let's all make an effort to stop brooding."
Tony's consolation over the heat in his face was that May was also bright red. Xavier looked like he was politely fighting the urge to laugh at them both when they got into his office. "I am sorry for invading your privacy, but visitors to this school often don't know how to modulate their mental voices. You're both broadcasting your thoughts and emotions at full volume."
Tony couldn't help exchanging a baffled look with May. "Uh…sorry?" he said.
"For what it's worth, anger and frustration after seeing a child you care for go through such trauma is entirely normal. However, Peter's a perceptive young man, and he is well aware of both of your feelings, which isn't at all helpful for his recovery."
Damn it. Tony ignored the chairs while May sat down heavily in one. "I know," she croaked, her elbows on Xavier's desk with her forehead in her hands. "Peter knows, and I need to stop hating you."
Xavier held out his hands until she took them. "I didn't say you're not allowed to be angry; of course, you are. But there's a broad spectrum between justifiable anger and hatred."
Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose. "This is all very touching, but it's kind of a moot point now." He's out there getting hugs from the Winter Soldier; May doesn't have to worry about me anymore.
Xavier shot him a droll look. "I did mention you're both prone to melodramatics. Tony, the fact that Peter feels a connection to the man who saved his life doesn't mean there's no room in his life for you. On the contrary. You mean a great deal to him, and if you withdraw again, he'll be deeply hurt."
"What…Xavier, c'mon, you're in my head, you know how clueless I am when it comes to kids!" Tony pressed a hand against the window and stared out at the dozens of kids romping around outside. This was the opposite side of the building from Peter and Barnes, but Tony could see Sam Wilson below, doing "airplane run" with a whole stream of little ducklings behind him – there must've been fifty of them. "I've already done him more harm than good."
"Even if that were true, to simply abandon him now would solidify it." Was Xavier seriously suggesting Tony hadn't done Peter more harm than good? Tony turned around, and Xavier just nodded. "Peter has a lifetime ahead of him for you to correct mistakes you've made."
His chest embarrassingly tight, Tony asked, "You speaking from experience?"
"Yes. I haven't always been successful as a teacher or mentor. Far from it. But you'd be amazed at the capacity children have to forgive even when they understand our failings." Xavier's gaze slipped to May. "And their capacity to love and need love, even in different ways."
May sobbed once and started wiping her face. "Here I wanted to ask you about scholarships."
Xavier chuckled. "They're available, I promise. The better term is sanctuary, because I don't make the protection of this school contingent on a student's assets, or their family's. As you know, we're primarily for mutants, but Peter wouldn't be the first non-mutant child here, and he won't be the last."
"And it's…safe?"
Xavier sighed and admitted, "I can't promise that this school is impregnable, I'm afraid. Our whereabouts are known, and the fact that most of our students and teachers are mutants is also known. One day the bad press of an all-out assault on a school will be outweighed by the anti-mutant agenda or the desire to apprehend my team."
"So you're the leader of these…X-Men?" May asked.
"Oh no, I can't claim that. On the contrary: as a pacifist, I was highly against their formation. The credit for their heroism goes to Scott Summers, who I believe you've seen in action. He's my son in neither name nor blood, but in every other way that matters." Xavier smiled first at May, then at Tony. "He does still have blood family, and his relationship with them has been, let's say, varied. So believe me when I say that I understand what you're going through. There've been many times that I've been bitterly jealous of them, and felt they and others were unworthy of his loyalty – or that I myself was."
"Why're you telling us this?" asked Tony. The thing was, he had no doubt that it was true. So the only real question was why. Apart from the fact that May Parker and I are ten feet away from settling our issues over Peter through trial by combat, and I'd challenge Barnes in a heartbeat if I thought I could win it.
"For the same reason I want to help Peter and other children caught up in this latest hateful agenda, whether they're mutants or not, and the same reason I want peace between the X-Men and the Avengers. I hope that by making all this available to everyone, it will spread, because I believe everyone is deserving."
Tony laughed quietly. "Anyone ever tell you that you've got a messiah complex?"
"Quite a few, actually, but it never hurts to remind me." Xavier said that in a cheerful voice, and May burst into hysterical giggles.
"How long are Cap and his team staying here?" Tony asked. Meaning how long is Barnes here?
Tony had no doubt Xavier got the message. "After what they've done to help us, we'll gladly have them here as long as they wish, and they'll always be welcome in the future." But he was polite enough to only answer the second question inside Tony's head. As for James, he's welcome also, though he's reluctant to accept out of concern that he'll put the school and students in greater danger.
I suppose you agree with everyone else who thinks he's not responsible for what he did as the Winter Soldier, Tony thought at him.
We both know that what I think of that is irrelevant to you at this point, Tony. But for all the reasons I've just explained, even if James had acted of his own free will in service of Hydra, I would still offer him the chance to find a new path here.
Tony closed his eyes, remembering another man's voice in a cave in Afghanistan: "Don't waste your life, Stark."
Why had Barnes protected Peter? The only motive Tony had thought might drive the bastard to do anything before was protection of Steve Rogers.
The cameras in the Raft were not disabled, you know. My team has the footage.
Tony didn't open his eyes. And?
And James Barnes, with his skills, could certainly have escaped the prison guards without injury if he hadn't been shielding Peter. Instead, he put Peter's life above his own, to the point that when his weapons ran out of ammunition, he turned his back on their attackers and used his own body. Even as badly injured and exhausted as Peter was, he recognized that.
So I don't have the right to want justice for my parents anymore?
Of course, you do.
May had picked up that something was going on, and stammered, "W-what are you…?"
"My apologies, just a brief private conversation," said Xavier. "As I was saying earlier, there's a place here for both Peter and you."
"What?!" May blurted. Tony opened his eyes and saw shock in her face, but also delight, like she hadn't dared to hope for it. "Me? How – what could I - ?
"As you can see, we're a large campus with a large student body. We've grown considerably in the past year. There are dozens of children for every adult, and you wouldn't be the first parent or guardian to bring your child here and join our faculty. It's a great relief for those children without families, to see that there are families who don't desert each other during difficult times. But," Xavier raised a hand. "You must include Peter in that decision. He's old enough to have his desires taken into account."
May sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'll talk to him."
"Why don't I have Scott give you a tour, May? You can learn more about day-to-day life from him and rejoin Peter."
Tony waited until May had gone, thinking that maybe, just maybe, the look she cast back at Tony from the doorway was a little less baleful. Then Tony met Xavier's eyes for only a second before shutting his own again. "I know. As long as I blame Barnes for my parents, Peter'll blame himself for whatever happened in the Raft."
Xavier didn't answer. That was answer enough.
So there's nothing to do but move on. "What can I do? For you? For these kids?"
"You already know that as well," said Xavier. "Advocate for us. Oppose internment and suspicion based on nothing but abilities, rather than actions. You have tremendous power that has nothing to do with Iron Man, but even for you, it's not always easy to wield it against the force of human hate."
"Okay, Yoda."
"I've been called that many times as well," said Xavier. Tony had to grin. "Like you, I accept the stereotypes, because they can yield a result that's important to me. Tony," Xavier leaned forward. "You made many mistakes with Peter, just as I've done with many children I taught. Realizing that is hard, as is seeing his realization. Even May Parker knows that to lose you now would devastate Peter, and he's already been devastated more than once. You've let fear of failure drive you to many tragic choices. Don't let this become another."
The school was beautiful. By the end of her walking tour, May liked Scott Summers and just about every teacher she met. (Well, Logan/Wolverine seemed a little…not-teacher-material, but the kids clearly adored him.) The place was like an American Hogwarts, except without dementors, and she actually wouldn't have to consign her child to months away from her.
They met Peter on his return from the basement infirmary, the one place May hadn't been shown. "It's pretty crowded down there right now, after all the rescues," Mr. Summers explained. "The four other kids we took out of the Raft's 'special program' wanted to meet Peter, and he wanted to meet them, but otherwise, we're trying to keep traffic down."
Peter looked relieved to see May, and let her hug him without even a cringe. "How are they?" she asked.
"Everyone down there's…I guess they're okay," said Peter. He didn't let go of May right away, and that told her how unsettled he was. "It's taking most of them longer to heal than it did me. One of them, Hisako, she was a student here. The Sentinels grabbed her at the airport when she was leaving for her grandmother's funeral. She'd been in there six days, but the other three from the Raft, they'd been there for over a month." May tightened her grip on him convulsively.
"We're still working on finding their families," said Mr. Summers. "At least one of them was a runaway, but we may have some luck as they recover enough to tell us a little more about where they came from. We're still strangers to most of them, and they're afraid for their families."
That was an unsettling thought. But now that Peter'd gotten to know these people, maybe the place wouldn't be so alien to him. "Can Peter and I talk outside?" May asked.
"Certainly."
Once they were back under the spring sun, May wandered with Peter over the grass. "This is a beautiful campus."
"Yeah."
Damn. He sounded less than enthusiastic. She came right out with it. "Peter…what would you think about transferring here from MSST?" As she feared, he looked absolutely stricken. She put a hand on his shoulder. "It's just – they'd take me too, as faculty, even without experience." Peter faltered. "And…it just seems so much safer, away from the city, protected by the X-Men team." With all these trained people around, you wouldn't have to be Spider-Man, patrolling the neighborhood anymore. She held that back. Peter wouldn't consider that a plus.
To her dismay, he looked at his feet and murmured, "'s your decision, May - "
" – no." She tugged at his chin, trying to get him to look at her. "Don't say that. You're allowed to have an opinion and I want – I need to know what you want. This isn't just about me, it'll never just be about me. Baby, look at me. Talk to me. It's okay."
He did look at her, but his eyes were red-rimmed, and his lips trembled. She put her hand on his shoulder and didn't let go. "I…May, I…this place is great, I just…I want to go home. I'm Spider-Man. I want to keep being Spider-Man. Where I can help people." He trembled, and she brushed away the few tears that escaped. "Please don't hate me for it."
"Oh, for God's sake." She pulled him into a hug and kissed him on the forehead. "Please tell me you don't actually think that's a possibility."
He let out a shaky laugh. "Nuh, I really don't. Just sometimes, y'know, it's like monsters under the bed. I get scared of stuff even when I know it's not real."
May tugged his chin again to make him look at her. "A monster is more likely to come slithering out from under your bed than me ever hating you for anything, Peter Benjamin Parker. Never, ever forget that." He let out a long sigh and leaned his head against her shoulder. Still not quite back to his old boundless energy, though today had certainly put them both through the emotional wringer. Speaking of which, she kept her voice light. "I'll talk to Mr. Stark about what to do then, to make sure the Sentinels and the government will leave you alone. He had a plan before. We'll work something out."
Wanda was waiting at the bottom of the outside steps when Stark came down. "You didn't bring Vision with you?" she asked him.
Stark stopped, genuinely surprised. "Er – no, I figured the number of visitors should be a minimum. That's why I drove."
"Oh." She looked out over the grounds for a moment, then made up her mind and said, "Tell him…tell him I said hello."
She didn't have to look at him to sense the emotions that ran through Tony. "Will do." She could feel him smile.
A few minutes later, Peter and his aunt reappeared, talking to Steve and Bucky. May was profusely expressing her gratitude for what Bucky'd done in the Raft, to Steve's joy and Bucky's sheepish pleasure. The two Avengers faltered when they spotted Tony next to Wanda, and Bucky took a step back, not wanting to put Peter under pressure by escorting the boy any closer.
To the shock of all concerned who weren't telepaths or empaths, Tony met Bucky's eyes and nodded. Few were more shocked than Bucky. So he and Steve stayed with Peter and May, escorting them back to Tony. The two men said nothing to each other, but the fact that they were willing to stand within a few feet spoke volumes.
"We're not going to stay here," May told Tony. "If you think we can make it safe for Peter at home, he'll stay at MSST."
"I'll make it safe," said Tony. It was more than a reassurance. It was a vow, a blood oath. "You ready to go, kid?"
Peter nodded, brightening as Tony clapped him on the shoulder. Peter detoured on the walk down to the car to catch Scott Summers, Logan, and Kitty Pryde, and thank them again for their part in his rescue, and tell them he was going back to his old school. "I just want to stay where I am, but this school…it's amazing, don't get me wrong."
"No offense taken, we promise," said Kitty, and kissed him on the cheek. She whispered in his ear, "Good luck, Spider-Man."
Peter blushed furiously, and they all grinned. "Hey...have you got cards for this school or anything? I was thinking...I've seen people a couple of times who I thought maybe were mutants. It's hard to tell, y'know, whether it's a trick or they're just hiding their powers. Maybe if they knew somewhere was safe, they'd feel better."
"Sure." Scott Summers fished in his pocket for a pack of business cards.
"Thanks. I'll keep 'em in my suit when I'm on patrol."
May Parker was working admirably hard on restraining her reactions. Only Wanda and the other telepaths and empaths sensed her internal wince at the mention of Peter patrolling again. Outwardly, she smiled.
Stark finished a call to someone and came back around the car to tell Steve and Scott Summers, "Lie low if you can for a few days. Rhodey's making our announcement of withdrawal from the Sokovia Accords today. I'm gonna start leaking footage of what was going on inside those detention centers in the next few hours, so all hell's gonna break loose in the media."
"What does that mean for our kids?" asked Logan.
"The victims' faces will be blurred, don't worry. No names. It'll just be very obvious that this was happening to children. Then I'm gonna storm into the public and rip the Sentinel Program a new one for kidnapping my intern, who is absolutely not Spider-Man." Several of them chuckled, but Peter couldn't quite hide his flinch. Stark, to Wanda's surprise, patted the boy sympathetically. "Hey, plausible deniability, kid. It'll protect you and your aunt."
"I know," Peter murmured.
"T'Challa's planning to raise hell that the vibranium he sold to the U.S. for 'medical research' wound up being used to shackle some of those kids, and that they kidnapped some Wakandan citizens," said Steve. "This Sentinel Program is going to wind up costing the American government a lot of money and even more bad press."
"It damn well should," muttered May. "How long will it be before the rest of the Avengers are back again? I'd feel better knowing Peter has some backup."
Everyone looked at Stark. He only faltered for a second before answering. "Not long, if I have my way," he said, and affected his usual cocky smile for Peter's benefit. "And I usually have my way."
It was Peter who actually succeeded in cutting through the remaining tension. "I guess that means they're never going to stop with those Captain America pep talk videos in school, are they?"
Reactions varied, but all were priceless. Steve buried his face in his hands and groaned. Bucky exclaimed, "Wait, what?" and Sam just doubled over laughing.
Natasha actually clapped her hands and squealed, "You've seen those?!" as all the onlookers either burst into laughter or started googling on their phones.
"See, you shoulda picked XSGY after all, kid," said Logan. "We don't show 'em!"
"Why not?" asked May.
"Probably because they're lame!" Peter laughed.
Ignoring Bucky's demands for an explanation, Steve just groaned, "Nine hours of my life I'll never get back, filming those things. It was agony."
Peter retorted, "Hey, we're the ones who have to watch them!"
Sam pushed past the others and clapped Peter on the shoulders. "You think those are bad, you oughtta see the outtakes!"
"There's outtakes, seriously?!" Kitty grabbed her phone, with Bucky leaning eagerly over her shoulder.
Steve pointed at Tony. "I am never forgiving you or Pepper for talking me into that."
"I'll send her your love, Cap." Tony kissed the tips of his fingers. "You kids have fun - and remember, they filmed eighteen of those; three just never got released. The whole set and the outtakes are on YouTube."
"Oooh!"
"Dammit, Stark!" Steve made to retreat, but Bucky hauled him back as the group waved farewell to Peter and May and Stark. Wanda giggled and whooped along with the rest over the videos, and Steve resigned himself to being the butt of many jokes for the near-future. But Wanda knew Steve didn't really mind, not if it had Peter Parker laughing on the way home.
AVENGERS END COMPLIANCE WITH SOKOVIA ACCORDS!
Stark, Rhodes, and Vision: Either end internment of enhanced children or no more Avengers!
The Justice Department is denying the Avengers' allegations that the Sokovia Accords have been used to implement the Sentinel Program, which in turn resulted in the arrest and internment, and even torture of people suspected of being mutants or enhanced. This powerful statement adds to complaints by human rights advocates that the Sentinel Program is holding thousands of detainees in prisons throughout the US and abroad, without access to counsel or contact with their families.
Members of Congress and local government officials, including many former SHIELD personnel, have demanded an investigation into the Sentinel Program. "These complaints of human rights violations should be reason enough, and America cannot afford to lose the Avengers!"
ROSS THREATENS LEGAL ACTION AGAINST AVENGERS!
The Secretary of State said publicly that the Avengers are bound by the Sokovia Accords, and failure to abide by them may result in prosecution.
While Tony Stark is generally considered the "loose cannon" of the Avengers, it was Colonel James Rhodes, aka War Machine/Iron Patriot, who responded to Ross's threat by leaning towards cameras outside the Pentagon and said, "You do that, Mr. Secretary. You do that."
LEAKS FROM HELL: HORROR INSIDE SENTINEL DETENTION CENTERS!
Over 700 video clips were leaked from Sentinel Program detention centers showing inhumane conditions and rampant abuse of detainees, most of whom were children!
PRESIDENT BUNT MAINTAINS SENTINEL PROGRAM IS NECESSARY!
"Mutant and enhanced terrorism is a huge threat"!
KING OF WAKANDA LASHES OUT AT BUNT ADMINISTRATION!
King T'Challa withdraws all support for Sokovia Accords and ends all sales contracts for vibranium to the United States due to "unforgivable human rights abuses".
T'Challa alleges vibranium sold to the U.S. for medical research was instead used for shackles and restraint devices in detention centers, which held seven Wakandan citizens including two teenaged girls.
This breakdown of US/Wakanda relations is being deemed "catastrophic" by technology and medical research and development organizations, and analysts fear America's ability to compete in international science and technology markets has suffered a devastating blow!
BUNT BACKTRACKS ON SENTINEL PROGRAM AND SOKOVIA ACCORDS, ACCUSES ROSS OF OVERSTEPPING!
President Bunt tweeted early this morning that "Thunderbolt is a Dunderhed [sic]!
To Be Continued...
Coming Soon:Ned, MJ, and the other students of Midtown School of Science and Technology learn the fate of Peter Parker at the hands of the Sentinel Program! After the cover story takes hold, May and Tony reach a private accord of their own.
PLEASE don't forget to review!