Chapter 8: A Convincing Argument

Peter spent practically all of his time in the lab. As exorbitant and hi-tech as the rest of Mr. Stark's mansion was, the lab put them all to shame. Besides, the lab was where Steve, Wanda, and Pietro always were, and they were some of Peter's only friends at the moment. He considered Shuri his friend too, but he never saw her outside of school.

"What's up, guys," he greeted as the elevator doors slid open. Instead of a response, he nearly got hit in the head with a TV remote. "Whoa, what was that for?"

Pietro breezed by him and snatched it up. Steve planted himself in Pietro's path, so he smashed head on into his bulky frame and dropped it again. Before Steve could grab it, a cloud of red enveloped it and sent it flying right back at Peter's head. He managed to duck just in time.

"Sorry!" Wanda shouted. "I meant to send it to me."

Peter stumbled out of the elevator strike zone as Pietro raced back in. However, Steve still had a hold of him, so they fell to the floor in a full-blown wrestling match. In such close quarters, Steve easily overpowered his brother and pried the remote from his grip.

"Doesn't FRIDAY control the TV down here?" Peter asked.

"I do," the AI offered. "Would you like to change the channel?"

"No. Why are you guys fighting over the remote if FRIDAY can do that?"

"It's the principle of the thing," Steve proclaimed.

"Also, if we use FRIDAY, we'll just end up shouting over each other. Mr. Stark programmed her to shut the TV off if more than one person changes the channel more than five times in five minutes," Wanda explained.

"Because that means we're fighting," Pietro concluded.

"The remote won't stop working because we fight over it," Steve said, brandishing his hard-won prize. Wanda flung it from his hand, and it sailed right for Peter's head yet again. This time, he didn't duck in time. At this rate, the remote very well might stop working due to their fighting over it.

"Ow," he muttered, rubbing the side of his head. "Are you doing this on purpose?"

"I swear I'm not. My powers are just…"

"Uncontrolled?" Pietro filled in.

"Difficult to master," Wanda corrected. "I try to make something go one way, and it goes another."

"She can move things with her mind, but her mind has a mind of its own."

Wanda hung her head. "Yeah."

"So you just need more practice," Peter said. "Mastering a superpower like that can't be easy." He couldn't imagine mastering any superpower, considering he still hadn't mastered many normal human abilities like walking without tripping or throwing and catching a ball. The notion that superpowers were even a real thing again—a thing that people he knew had—still boggled his mind.

"How did you guys even get powers?" he asked. The answer probably would've been classified a few weeks ago, but Peter thought he'd proved his trustworthiness. The trio definitely wasn't shy about using their abilities in front of him.

Pietro shrugged. "We were born with them."

"But that's impossible. They killed everyone with the gene in the forties."

"The gene wasn't always there," Wanda said darkly. "It arose once, and then it arose again. We'd like to not have it wiped out once more."

"Agreed." Peter shuddered, images of the Standardization that had been put in his head since elementary school merging with the faces of his siblings before him. "Were you born enhanced too, Steve?"

Steve shook his head. "Quite the opposite, actually. I was born sick. Really sick."

"How'd you get powers, then?"

"It's kind of a long story. My mom died when I was only a few months old, so I went to an orphanage in Brooklyn. They didn't think I'd live to see my first birthday, and I almost didn't. The doctor who worked at the orphanage took one look at me and said he could fix it. He'd been working on some sort of cure-all, vitality serum, whatever you call it, and it was finally ready to be tested. He gave it to me, and I was instantly better. At first, they thought it had just treated the illness, but they started to realize it had done more than just that. I was running at twelve months old and could lift things twice my size.

"Word got out," Steve continued gravely. "Mr. Stark was only one of many entities to hear about this crazy toddler. They both got to me at the same time. The orphanage was under attack. Mr. Stark tried to save everyone, but he was too late to save the doctor. He barely managed to get me out of there before the whole place went up in flames."

"That's awful," Peter said.

"The public never found out the truth. News reported it as an out-of-control dryer fire, and I was listed among the casualties. Mr. Stark went into hiding with me for a year before he thought it was safe enough to move us back here. I don't remember any of that, but that's how Mr. Stark says it happened.

"Wow." Peter never would have thought Steve's childhood was so fraught with trauma.

"That's what happens when people suspect a person has powers," Wanda said, her eyes glowing faintly red. "Our entire city was bombed because people heard rumors of two supers. They killed our parents. Mr. Stark barely got us out alive."

This was so much different than learning about supers in history class. These were real people—his siblings—whose lives had been irrevocably changed because they happened to have abilities the average human didn't. He couldn't imagine the fear they must feel every single day.

"It's a scary world for people like us," Pietro said.

"So that's why you're okay with living your whole lives down here."

"I wouldn't say I'm okay with it, but I understand why it's necessary."

"Surely it would be okay if you went out occasionally. Your powers aren't obvious just by looking at you."

"Mr. Stark doesn't think it's worth the risk," Wanda said.

"Do you?"

The three exchanged a knowing glance. "Not really," they admitted.

Suddenly, Peter had an idea. "What if we convinced Mr. Stark to let you go to school with me?"

"What?"

"You heard me."

"He'd never go for it. It's too dangerous," Steve said.

"You can easily pass for normal teenagers. You just have to not use your powers at school."

Pietro scratched the back of his neck. "That sounds hard."

"But it would be totally worth it, wouldn't it?"

"I don't know. I barely remember school."

"It's got to be better than being stuck down here for the rest of your life."

"Mr. Stark would never let it happen," Wanda said forlornly.

"Have you ever tried to convince him?" Peter asked.

They shook their heads.

"Well, not trying guarantees failure."

"That's true. But you know Mr. Stark. He's like the stubbornest man alive," Pietro said.

"Then you'll just have to be stubborner." Peter wasn't sure where this sudden passion came from, but now that the idea had planted itself in his head, he didn't want to accept any outcome except bringing these three to school with him. It wasn't fair that they spent ninety-five percent of their time in a literal dungeon. Sure, it was a nice dungeon, but a dungeon nonetheless. As long as they didn't use their powers in public, they'd be perfectly safe. Well, as safe as kids in American schools ever were.

~0~

"Absolutely not."

"Mr. Stark, please!"

"You know exactly why I can't allow that. I thought you knew better than this."

"We promise to be careful."

"If we don't use our powers, we're no more endangered than any other student there. Our names aren't in any system or anything. Just going to school isn't going to put a target on our backs."

"You can't know that."

"But it's a risk worth taking. It's our lives on the line, not yours. And I'd rather risk my life at school than waste it in a basement."

Mr. Stark rubbed at his temples in exasperation. "You kids are gonna be the death of me, you know that?"

"We know," Wanda stated, absentmindedly twirling her fingers.

"Is this really something you want?"

All three answered in perfect synchrony. "Yes."

"If you say no, I'm calling Child Protective Services," Steve added.

"If you say no, I'm filing for divorce," May cut in. "I know it's risky, but it's still borderline criminal to keep our kids locked up like this."

"Well, if you all feel strongly enough about this to threaten me, I suppose I have to say yes. But this will be on a trial basis, and at the first sign of trouble, I'm pulling you back out. Understood?"

"Yes."

"I can't believe I really agreed to this."

"You have very convincing children," Peter remarked. "And a very convincing wife."

"Won't it be suspicious if three new students suddenly show up so soon after Peter? Especially considering the school would know you live with me?"

"We're gonna need a hell of a cover story," Pietro said.

"Can we make up distant relatives who died?" Peter suggested. "Mr. Stark, how well is your extended family tree known to the general public?"

He blew a raspberry. "Let's just say it wouldn't be particularly unbelievable if I fathered a few kids I never knew about."

"Ew."

"It's not a phase of my life I'm proud of."

"So we are all bastard children of Tony Stark?" Pietro confirmed.

Mr. Stark scoffed. "I'll say."

"Hey!"

"So two of your previous…partners," Peter explained. "Died at the same time and entrusted their children to a father they've never known?"

"Sounds legit," Pietro remarked.

Wanda flexed her fingers. "I can convince anyone who doubts it."

"No," Mr. Stark immediately scolded. "Rule number one of this whole thing is that your powers have to stay a secret. That means no using them under any circumstances short of life-threatening."

"Whose life?" Steve asked. "What if we need to save someone else?"

"You're going to high school, not to fight crime on the streets."

"Crime happens in schools sometimes," Peter pointed out.

"Fine. You can use your powers to save someone's life—only if non-superpower methods aren't an option."

"Can I get that in writing?" Pietro asked.

"I'm your father, this conversation is legally binding."

"Pretty sure that's not how it works, but okay."

"Okay, my bastard children," Mr. Stark said with a smirk. All three teens rolled their eyes. "I'll talk to the school, hope they don't ask too many questions, and you can start on Monday. But don't look too excited when you get there; your moms just died, remember?"

Pietro saluted. "Aye aye, Captain."

"You guys are gonna fit right in," Peter said.

~0~

Seemingly the entirety of three closets was now scattered across every available surface in the lab. While Mr. Stark had kept them mostly locked in this lab, he'd apparently tried to make up for it by buying them whatever they wanted. Or so they'd explained it to Peter when his jaw fell open at the size of their clothes collections. He'd personally never owned more than three pairs of jeans that fit, plus an assortment of science pun T-shirts, flannels, and sweaters. Steve's pants alone spanned the entire spectrum of the color khaki.

"He could have anything he wants, and he still dresses like an old man," Pietro remarked. His own wardrobe consisted almost exclusively of joggers and zip-up jackets. On top of his first day outfit pile sat a jacket with black and white chevron down the sleeves.

"There is nothing wrong with the way I dress," Steve retorted.

"At least you don't have Halloween costumes from every decade in the past fifty years despite never going trick-or-treating." Pietro looked pointedly at Wanda's side of the room.

"High-waisted jeans with suspenders is stylish in any time period," Wanda claimed.

"No it's not. If you wear that, I will pretend I don't know you all day."

"You wouldn't survive one day without me."

"Is that a challenge?"

Peter suspected the imminent freedom of a day at school was causing six years of stir-craziness to erupt all at once.

"Here it is!" Wanda announced. She held up a necklace with a shiny red charm, which she placed on a lab bench beside a black leather jacket and a red dress with white flowers. With a precise flick of her hands, she sent everything else back to her bedroom. A few errant articles of clothing fell out of the pile as it floated away, and one changed direction entirely and landed on Peter's head, completely obscuring his vision.

"Sorry!" Wanda exclaimed.

Peter sighed and pulled it off of his head. It was a mint green dress that looked like it came straight from the nineteen fifties. Wanda successfully sent it to her bedroom this time.

Pietro finished selecting his first-day-of-school outfit and returned all his clothes in five seconds flat. Steve rolled his eyes as he began folding his flannel shirts by hand.

"Need some help there?" Pietro asked.

"Shut up."

Peter chuckled.

"Did you all pack your backpacks?" he asked. Peter had given them tips on what to bring for the first day based on the classes they'd been assigned just yesterday. They had all taken placement exams for math and chosen their preferred electives, and admin built them schedules around that. All three of them were most nervous for the few classes where they wouldn't know anybody. Hopefully, their complete lack of peer social interaction during their formative years wouldn't make them instant outcasts. Peter had neither the time nor the expertise to teach them how to navigate a high school social scene. Besides, they'd seen enough movies to understand the basics.

"Mr. Stark would like me to report that dinner is ready," FRIDAY informed them.

"We'll be right there."

"I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight," Steve said. "First day jitters and all."

"Relax, you'll be fine," Pietro assured.

"Easy for you to say. You're guaranteed to have at least one friend wherever you go."

"What do you mean? You're guaranteed to have two. Three, actually, because Peter's here too now."

Steve shrugged. "It's different. You guys have known each other your entire lives, and me only six."

"That doesn't matter," Wanda assured. "You're still our brother."

Steve's cheeks flushed pink. "Thanks."

"I love how we have one father figure yet three different last names among us," Peter remarked.

"At least yours put you in the same homeroom. I'm gonna be all by myself," Steve griped.

"It's only like ten minutes of your school day," Peter said. "It's such a small school, you'll get to know people really fast."

"Do you think they'll like us?" Wanda asked.

"I can't speak for every person in that school, but I'm sure you'll find some people who like you. If I managed to do so, you guys definitely can."

"The only thing cool about me is that I have superspeed, but I can't let anyone know that."

"That's not the only cool thing about you," Steve assured.

Wanda disagreed. "Yes it is."

"Hey!"

They reached the kitchen. May told them to get their own drinks and sit down at the table. "Okay, while I have you all here, let's go through this again. Rule number one."

"No powers unless it's a life-threatening situation that cannot be resolved without powers." The trio spoke the rule in synchronous monotone, so in rhythm that it freaked Peter out.

"Rule number two."

"Don't make it obvious that you live with Tony Stark. But if people figure it out and ask anyway, we're children he fathered during his playboy phase. Our moms just died and left us in his custody."

"Rule number three."

"No sports," Pietro sighed.

"Varsity or JV," Steve added, equally dejected.

"I don't want you getting tempted by the thrill of the spotlight," Mr. Stark warned. "Rule number four."

"Keep up with your grades and your training or back to homeschool."

"Exactly. I know exactly how well you all do in your schooling here, and I expect no less from you at Stan Lee."

"Remind me again why we train with our powers if we're never allowed to use them?" Pietro asked grumpily.

Mr. Stark said darkly, "Because there may come a day when you need them."

"Do we get a grace period for adjusting to an entirely new lifestyle?" Wanda asked.

"Yes, of course you get a grace period. I'm your father, not your drill sergeant."

"Coulda fooled me," Steve muttered under his breath. Only Peter heard it, so he repressed a chuckle. Honestly, he couldn't wait to see these people unleashed on an unsuspecting Stan Lee High. At least he wouldn't be the newest kid in school anymore.