I feel like a jerk for ignoring the instinct to update :( life caught up and I had to respond.
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Darcy: We have a biiiiigggg surprise for this chapter!
Disclaimer; I own nothing, only my imagination.
Chapter 19- Surprise
How could this be?
She gasped, baffled, disbelieving and in utter horror as she stared at the two lines that graced the pregnancy test. Two lines means positive, she thought over and over again. Not to mention this was the third pregnancy test she took. Shit. A thousand of curses ran through her head, each was more explicit than the last. How? They had been very careful when it came to positively-sexual physical interaction.
A little sob came out from her mouth, unwillingly. Her schoolmates won't be merciful if this news leaked. She will be the story of the year. She was so young and so was him. How will they work this out? Her hand flew over her stomach. It was still flat as usual, but in a couple of months it will show. It was weird to think there was a tiny little life growing inside her, but it was happening.
She took a deep breath. Like it or not, she had to tell him. After that, they will decide whether or not to keep 'it'.
She took another deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom.
Tomorrow, she thought bitterly, I will tell them tomorrow.
x
Tony stirred his coffee with a bored flick of his wrist. A piece of chocolate cake sat in front of him. The sun was shining in a lovely way from the wall-length windows. Mellow jazz music flowed softly from the speakers. The café was not crowded, and the chatters of other customers were mildly loud. He saw people passed by, enjoying their Sunday afternoon.
He could have gone out on a date with Pepper, or just hang out with her at his penthouse. Personally, he preferred the second choice better. Lazing around on the couch, listening to Coldplay (which Pepper absolutely loved, much to his annoyance) or ACDC (which he loved and she tolerated begrudgingly), with Jarvis constant reminder of what he supposed to do.
That was his original Sunday plan.
Too bad right now he was sitting across to a cold, calculating man who sold weapon for the country. If Tony had been any other teenager, he would have flinched and cowered under the cold and calculating man's gaze, or staring at the titan of the weapon industry with idolizing eyes. But he was Tony Stark and the aforementioned man was his father, and too bad Tony was getting older to shrivel under the old man's glare.
The morning started with Tony grumbling. Jarvis woke him up, reminding him that he was to meet Det. Gregg and Det. Reagan, as they updated him about the case. It had been half a year and the cops were probably only halfway on their way finding his almost killer. To his surprise, Howard decided to tag along, saying, "I am your father, last time I checked." After the cops left, Howard decided to take Tony to this café, for a father and son time.
So here they were, in a café on a nice Sunday morning, facing each other. Trying to pick up the pieces, in Howard's behalf and not letting anything left to be broken for Tony.
"Are we supposed to continue this 'friendly' meeting by having eye-staring contest?" Howard said, raising an eyebrow.
"God," Tony groaned, rolling his eyes. "Even when it's just the two of us you still call it a 'meeting'. I wonder when I even make the appointment to meet you and why this 'meeting' is not even in the conference room."
Howard could feel the air-quotation in his head, like a slap to the back of the head.
Howard let the corners of his mouth twitch a little. "So, what are you up to, lately?"
"Surviving life."
Howard sighed. This was not what he imagined their conversation would be. When Tony was little, he could make a story out of a bug. He laughed at the smallest things and smiled easily. As a little boy, he was eager to tell his adventures to anyone within their range of hearing. Howard didn't expect him to be sardonic and replied with one-liners. He didn't expect his son to be cold.
"So…Pepper," Howard tried to begin the conversation again.
"What about her?"
"From what I've seen, she's…been amazing."
"For a man with above average intelligence, your choice of words amuses me," Tony smirked. "Amazing is one of the things Pepper is."
Howard suppressed a smile. Tony looked so much like him, in his younger days. The days when all that mattered were Maria, Maria and Maria and the company. He wondered where the loving part of him had gone, leaving Tony with only his late wife as the parent. Howard wondered when he started abandoning the only two persons he had left. What changed?
"I would like to meet her," Howard requested.
Tony snorted. "You've met her before."
"She wasn't your girlfriend before."
"Still," he shrugged, "you've met her. Nothing changed."
"Tony," Howard's voice turned steely. "I'm trying to make it up to you. But I can't do it if you keep pushing me away."
Tony stood up, "Have a taste of what it feels like. Awful at the first bite, but it can be more bitter or tasteless if you bite into it enough. I know –I have experienced it firsthand."
Tony walked away, leaving his half-drank coffee and half-eaten chocolate cake. Howard leaned back on his chair, staring out of the window, seeing his son's figure walking out as quickly as he can.
I deserved that, Howard thought. I definitely deserved that.
Because Tony was not as cold and unapproachable as he showed. If Howard was persistent enough, Tony would finally relent.
"What have I done with our son, Maria?" Howard sighed, crossing his fingers. "How can I make it right?"
x
Monday morning, Pepper found Natasha next to her locker with a serious expression and a new haircut. Natasha had her red hair cut short; the curls sat atop her shoulders.
"Did you know, in Asia, cutting-off hair means a new start?" Natasha said before Pepper said anything.
"I wasn't going to say anything nasty," Pepper rolled her eyes. "You rock them curls."
Natasha grinned. "How was your weekend?"
Pepper shrugged. "Tony took me and Savannah out and about on Saturday. How was yours?"
"Stuck in Clint's bathroom for hours," Natasha answered. When Pepper raised an eyebrow in question, Natasha sighed indignantly, "Barney's friend threw a party. Clint and I went. I out-drank seven guys and three girls. Victory was sweet, but the hangover, not so much."
"Have you seen Jane?" Pepper asked. "I haven't heard anything from her. There's nothing new on her Facebook. Even Darcy hasn't heard anything from her."
Natasha's forehead creased with worry. "No. I called her on Sunday, to ask her if she wants to go shopping with me, but she didn't pick up any of my calls and reply to my texts."
As if she heard them, Jane walked down the hallway, her backpack on one shoulder, as if anticipating a war. She walked with her jaws set; her eyes were cold and harsh, an alien expression on her usually smiling face.
"Jane!" Natasha called, grabbing Jane by her shoulder.
Jane stopped next to them, looking only halfway presentable in Jane's look-book.
"Gosh, what happened to you?" Pepper asked. Despite the fact that Jane was older than Pepper, the younger girl towered over her, even without her high-heeled shoes and held a look like a concerned big-sister. Being Tony Stark's girlfriend/ best friend/ assistant/ nanny did force her to be mature than her age. "You've got problems with Thor?"
Jane took a deep breath. "I need to tell you guys something."
"Shoot," Natasha said, soft and somehow commanding.
"I'm pregnant," Jane said quickly that Pepper was sure if she wasn't paying attention, she won't hear what Jane just said.
Pepper's eyes widened. "WHAT?"
Jane slapped the girl's forearm. "Be quiet."
"Sorry," Pepper muttered. "What? How?"
"Well it happened when Thor and Jane loved each other…" Natasha tilted her head, shrugging.
Pepper and Jane glared at the Russian who didn't look at least a bit surprised. "Have you told Thor?" Pepper asked.
"Not yet," Jane shook her head sadly. "Only Darcy knows about this."
"When you're going to tell him?"
"Now, later," Jane shrugged, her face was total panic. "Tomorrow. Never."
Natasha rolled her eyes endearingly. "Jane, you've to tell him."
"Not at lunch," Pepper quipped. "The guys are going to be at lunch. You are going to have a lot of trouble if you're going to confront Thor in front of them."
That was probably because Pepper already thought about the reactions from the rest of them, mostly from Tony and Clint.
Natasha looked at her watch. "The class is not yet started. I guess we should look for him."
Natasha grabbed Jane's forearm. They walked; Pepper and Natasha flanking the tiny brunette senior. They found Thor on his way to his first class in the morning, with Tony, Clint and Steve. Bruce was left far behind, too preoccupied on his notes.
Pepper pushed Jane softly on the shoulder, encouraging her to talk to Thor. Natasha nodded sternly, encouraging silently. The boys saw them and Tony quickly gave Pepper a peck on her lips and slid his arm around her waist.
"Hey there, Potts," Tony greeted with a smirk on his face. "Looking for me?"
"Sorry to disappoint you, but no. Jane's looking for Thor," Pepper replied, bumping her shoulder to Tony's.
Thor noticed his name being mentioned and looked at Jane. "You wanted to see me?" He asked, blue eyes twinkling. The corners of his mouth tugged up into a sweet smile.
"Well, yeah," Jane nodded.
Thor sidled next to Jane, slipping an arm around her waist. He was a head taller than her, and the height difference between them was apparent.
"Walk you to class?" Clint murmured to Natasha after the pair left.
Natasha nodded and she went away with Clint, waving at Pepper as she went.
x
"What is it you need to tell me?" Thor asked as soon as they were at a deserted hallway.
The bell rung ten minutes ago and Jane almost gave up telling Thor. But Thor insistent to find out that he didn't mind to miss the first couple of minutes of his class.
Jane took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."
Thor's face was unreadable. It went from shock, to a frown, to a deeper frown and expressionless. Gone was his smile.
Jane's heart sank.
"Are you sure?" he asked, in a deep, quiet voice.
"Yes," she answered, feeling the tears pooling around her eyes. He doesn't want the baby. He's going to blame me.
Thor hugged her suddenly. The gesture shocked her to her nerves. "I'm sorry."
Jane was…perplexed. "But…why?"
"For everything that leads to this," he said slowly. "The people can be cruel, and it is not me they are going to blame. So, I am sorry. I am very, very sorry for everything that you have and will endure. But don't worry; I will be by your side."
"The baby?"
His large palm rested on her still flat stomach. "We'll keep the baby, only if you want to. I won't pressure you into it. I understand if you don't want to. There'll be a lot of pressure for you than it is for me."
Her tears finally fell. She dissolved into his chest, her sobs muffled on his shirt. He planted kisses on her hair, murmuring sorry and it will be okay.
"I want to keep the baby," Jane whispered, elevating her head so she could look him in the eyes. "I want to keep the baby," she repeated, louder than before.
"You will," he replied, kissing her forehead. "And you can. I will be right beside you, all the way."
"We will have to tell Erik and your parents," she flinched, thinking what his parents might inflict on them, "and our friends."
He smiled. "And we will." He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and said, "Do not think for a second that I blamed you. This," he pressed his palm on her stomach, "is our responsibility. A gift."
She hugged him, feeling relieved. "Thank you."
"I am in mutual agreement with you to keep our baby," Thor said in serious voice, "a 'thank you' is insulting."
Jane let out a small laugh. "I love you," she whispered. "I love you."
His smile was wide, showing off his white teeth. He kissed her on the nose, "And I you." He bent down and kissed her on the lips. Her lips were salty from tears. "Even more now that you are two," he said quietly, palm softly pressed on her stomach through her uniform.
Jane reminded herself why she had fallen in love with Thor in the first place. It wasn't because he was utterly handsome and talented in theatre or amazingly good in sports.
It was because he had proved himself time and time again that he was a gentleman.
x
"-yeah, and then I took Natasha to my home, because I figured Mr. and Mrs. Romanoff will be happy seeing her totally wasted," Clint finished his story with a grin.
"Wow, never thought you had it in Natasha," Darcy grinned.
Tony scrunched his eyebrows. "I am more mesmerized on the fact that Clint actually can think."
"Shut up, glow-stick," Clint kicked Tony in the shin.
It was lunch and they were in the courtyard, still waiting for the younger members of the gang to show up and Thor and Jane.
"Birdbrain," Tony drawled, "what would Natasha do to you if she finds out what you just told us?"
He waved to Pepper, who was walking toward them, Natasha by her side. Clint turned around and saw who Tony was waving.
"Don't you dare," Clint gritted her teeth.
"You won't dare to mistake my bravery."
"You dare mistake bravery for stupidity."
"You dare mistake stupidity for-"
"What are you two arguing about?" Pepper asked, plopping down next to Tony.
"Nothing," Clint answered way too quickly.
Natasha descended down next to Clint. She looked at him; her eyes were somewhere between placating and deadly. "I won't call telling Tony our misadventures as nothing."
Tony held up his hands and winked. "You're on your own."
"Where are Jane and Thor?" Darcy asked. "They are unusually late. I mean, for Thor."
"Yeah, where are they?" Steve repeated Darcy question, as if he just realized the sudden lateness of his friends.
Pepper exchanged a look with Darcy. Darcy looked at Natasha and the redhead nodded. The silent talk didn't go unnoticed.
"Hey, what is that?" Clint asked Natasha, pointing his yogurt spoon at her.
Natasha stared at him blankly. "What?"
"The 'look'," Tony seconded, frown started to form on his forehead. "You guys are keeping a secret from us!"
"Yeah!" Clint supported. "What is it you guys keeping?"
Pepper sighed and rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. Shut up."
"No uh," Tony shook his head stubbornly, "You do not tell me to shut up when you obviously keep something from me."
"It's nothing you guys need to concern yourselves with," Natasha said with a dangerous edge to her voice.
"It is," Clint shot back. "If my girlfriend and her friends are exchanging secret looks."
Tony nodded. "I second that."
It was strange how Tony and Clint could argue over the smallest things and be the most annoying double-act in the next three seconds.
"What's up?" Thor suddenly appeared, Jane by his side.
They sat down, completing the unbalanced circle. Thor let Jane lean on him.
"Nothing," Clint narrowed his eyes on Natasha, "Just trying to prying of classified information from them." He tilted his head toward Natasha.
Natasha glared at Clint, annoyed. She looked at Jane with a silent sorry. Once again, the exchange didn't go unnoticed by the boys.
"Are you involved in their secret, Janey?" Clint asked.
Thor cleared his throat. "I- We have something to tell."
"I'm pregnant," Jane said quietly.
And that is the fifth time she'd said the word.
For the first time, Tony Stark didn't have a quip at hand. He just looked at Thor and Jane, trying to comprehend what had been just said. Once he comprehended, a million other things crashed into his head.
Clint recovered quickly than Tony. "I am torn between saying congratulation and what the fuck right now."
"And I know Steve is torn between saying congratulation and fornicating is sin," Tony said.
Steve gave Thor a hard smile, proving Tony was right.
"What did Erik said?" Darcy asked.
"He let us keep the baby," Jane answered.
"You want to keep the baby?" Tony and Clint said in tandem.
Thor shrugged. "Well yeah."
"Don't get me wrong," Tony started, "but all the other kids will never let Jane live this down. Jane, not both of you."
"We know. But is it worth to kill an innocent baby just to satisfy the community's thoughts that teenagers knows nothing?" Thor replied. "And even if they talk, it won't last. Just for a while. But my baby is going to live for a long period of time."
It took all the strength in the girls not to mellow on Thor's very-well put words.
Ah, well, his parents had been feeding their children with chivalry before they could even talk.
The silence and the tension in the circle can be cut with a knife. They were deep in thought until Rhodey spoke up, "Well, you're right. And I'm in."
"We've got your backs," Darcy nodded solemnly.
"You can count me in," Steve said, surprising the rest of the group.
Tony raised his eyebrows. "Changing your mind?"
"I'm not judging, but between sex and murder, I will not let my best friends choose the latter," Steve clarified, giving a supportive clap on Thor's shoulder.
"And now I'm using the most used line," Clint interrupted. "Everyone makes mistakes!"
"Damn straight."
Natasha looked at the pair. "When you're going to tell your parents, Thor?"
Thor shrugged. "As soon as possible. Hopefully they can accept our decision."
"You know, I thought if something like this were to happen, Tony and Pepper are my first guess," Clint said, scrunching his eyebrows. "You two, uh not so much."
Tony glared at Clint. "To defend my lady's honor, I am stating that no such act as fornicating ever happens between us."
Pepper's turned red, like her hair.
"On second thought," Clint remedied, tilting his chin at Thor and Jane, "I'm not surprised. You two have been dating since sophomore year. Who's to say that you guys didn't go at it like rabbits?"
And now…the blushing competition begins.
x
"Okay. It is now or never," Thor said as he held Jane's hand tightly.
"I'm scared," Jane confessed. "What if your mom is against our decision? What if she hate me?"
"Shush now. Everything is going to be okay."
They climbed the steps to the front door of the Odinsons' mansion. Thor opened the door and took Jane straight toward a room that had carved lion on the door. In the room, Frigga sat on a plush velvet cushion, a reading glasses perched on her small nose. Bookcases covered three of four walls in the room. A novel sat on her lap and she had a pink highlighter in her hand.
"Ah, good afternoon," Frigga greeted as she acknowledged her son and his girlfriend's presence in the room, "Thor, and Jane."
"Mother," Thor replied, greeting his mother with a kiss on her cheek.
"Frigga," Jane shyly murmured as Frigga kissed both of her cheeks.
Frigga closed her novel and looked at her son. "So, what can I help you with?"
"Mother, Jane and I have a matter to be discussed with you."
Frigga's forehead creased, noting the serious underneath Thor's voice. "Thor?"
"Mother," Thor took a deep breath, "under a different circumstances, this will be a joyous news, but…under these circumstances…I regretfully tell you that…Jane is pregnant with my child."
It took Frigga a couple of seconds to process the new information. Jane. Pregnant. Thor's child. High school. Seniors. Grandchild. Baby. Thor and Jane's. Students.
"Oh my," Frigga gaped.
"I know, mother. I am sorry that I made a disgrace of the family. I truly am," Thor said. Jane was as still as stone beside him. "But Jane and I made a decision. We want to keep the baby, whether you agree or not. Jane's Uncle Selvig already gave us his consent."
"You're not going to tell father," Frigga said, her voice steely calm. "Not now. I will tell you when. But not now. Not when I have to…think over a few things."
"I am sorry, Frigga," Jane said quietly. She knelt before the older woman. "I really am, but we can't –I can't kill an innocent child."
Frigga caressed Jane's hair. "No, sweetheart, it's not your fault. Life has a dark sense of humor. I understand your concern."
"Mother…?"
"I am not against your idea, but neither am I happy with this little stumble," Frigga said. "Give me time to recover from shock, Thor. And I will tell you when you can tell your father."
Thor nodded solemnly. "Thank you, mother. I will…go out for a moment. I'll be back for dinner."
"Alright," Frigga nodded shakily. "Take care, sweetheart," she whispered toward Jane.
"Thanks Frigga."
The two teenagers left the room, shaken and still nervous. They found Loki in the living room, flicking through the channel with an unexpected company near him, doing homework.
"Darcy?" Thor and Jane said at the same time.
Darcy grinned wolfishly, waving them with a pen in hand. "LSR –Loki's Recovery Session. He's disguising it as Tutoring Darcy Time."
"Oh."
"How did mother take the news?" Loki asked. "From the look on your faces, it must not be going so smooth."
Thor sighed. "She's surprised. Understandable, really."
"You've got to give her time. If you have her calm and collected, she can convince the old man of anything as long as it does not involve incrimination."
"I know that. That's why I'm leaving her to her surprise."
"Where are you going, by the way?" Darcy asked.
Jane shrugged. "Out. There's a lot to take in now."
"Tell mother I'm going to be out. I'm taking Jane to the clinic. I'll be home for dinner," Thor said as he walked toward the door.
"Taking your job as a father far too soon?" Loki teased.
Thor grinned. "I am already one month and half late for the job, Loki."
x
Pepper fidgeted on her seat. She was wearing a white blouse and fitted black trousers with a thin red belt. Her orange hair was neatly pulled back into a high ponytail and her nails were painted in crimson. Tony sat next to her, dressed simply in a faded Adventure Time t-shirt under a black leather jacket and dark jeans. They were meeting Tony's father, who insisted on meeting Pepper for dinner, despite the fact it was, well, Monday,
"Why are we doing this again?" Pepper asked, clenching and unclenching her fingers.
Tony shrugged. "He wanted to meet you officially, his son's girlfriend."
"He met me before."
"Exactly the point I told him when he requested this dinner yesterday," Tony told her. "But I guess he realized that was when he was being a self-absorbed old man. So, technically, he doesn't really know you."
Pepper glared at him. "You're not helping."
"Pepper, relax," Tony tried to calm her down. "He's my father, not some scary dictator man."
"Well, he is to me. Except for the 'dictator' part," Pepper shot back. "What if he doesn't approve our relationship?"
Tony rolled his eyes. "You're being dramatic. If he is going to disapprove, I guess we are going to date secretly and run away to…say, Italy when you're eighteen. He might disown me, but by then I will be far more awesome and successful than he is so money is not a problem."
"Tony!"
"Jeez, woman. He is not going to disapprove. That man is trying to get back into my good graces –when he was even in my good graces, I don't know. He will 'bless' us if that means the possibility of he and I are getting closer," he explained, gesticulating with his hands as he did. "And if that doesn't convince you, well, you, Virginia 'Pepper' Potts, is the first girl I'd ever date, which I admit publicly and quite proudly. It means something to Howard. And the facts that you are the one who spend most your life taking care of me, will absolutely make him approve you."
Pepper calmed down for a second.
But when Howard's figure appeared she almost got nervous again. "Hello, Mr. Stark," she greeted, standing up to shook hands with the older man, "nice to meet you."
"Please, just call me Howard," Howard smiled, welcoming Pepper's warmth greeting. He kissed her on the cheek. "I hope I am not late."
"No, you're not," Tony rolled his eyes. He didn't make any effort to acknowledge Howard's presence.
Howard summoned the waiter and they started ordering food.
"So, Pepper is it?" Howard asked, smiling politely. When Pepper nodded, he continued, "You are a sophomore, right?"
"Yes, sir."
Howard shook his head, amused. "I told you, it's Howard."
Tony rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long an uncomfortable dinner. For him, at least.
x
"Welcome to high school," Darcy muttered sarcastically.
The girls –Darcy, Jane, Pepper and Natasha- were walking down the hallways toward their respective classes. The lingering students were staring at Jane and no doubt the words 'slut', 'bitch' and 'whore' could be heard if you focused enough.
Jane's lips were quivering, but she had the 'war-look' on her face, as Tony pointed out. With jaws squared and eyes hard like stone, Jane looked like she was shielding herself from the stares and words thrown at her.
Felicia Hardy sauntered toward the group, leaning on her side against the locker, blocking Jane from her path. "So, what does it feels like to be a teen mom?" she smirked, a smirk that a certain Russian redhead would like to wipe off with a fist. "Happy? Overjoyed? Or fucked up? Oh wait, you were already fucked. Quite excessively, I heard."
Jane blushed, embarrassed. "Shut up, Hardy." She made an attempt to continue walking and ignore the taller girl but futile.
"Who knew the nerdy, bookworm Foster got in her, eh?" Felicia taunted, turning her head toward a couple of students who were watching. They laughed. "I'd to say, it's quite hard to imagine the ex-virginal Jane Foster spreading her legs-"
A fist landed on Felicia right on the kisser, wiping off her smirk in instance –courtesy of Natasha. "I told you before, Hardy, kicking your ass is not an option is you mess with my friends."
"Romanoff," Felicia wiped the blood from her split lip, "You know I'm sick of you keep interfering with my life. It's not like I'm messing with yours."
"You mess with my friends, you mess with me," Natasha tilted her head to a side, smirking, making her look beautifully deadly. "I don't mind fighting with this skirt on." She tugged on her navy blue school skirt.
Felicia balled her fist. "Defending your friend's honor? She doesn't have one, Romanoff. She gave it away to the mighty thundering lion."
"Yeah, because you are so honorable, yourself," Natasha rolled her eyes in disgust. "If I had a dollar every time I heard a guy said he'd been between your legs, I'd be as rich as Tony Stark." Natasha then made a face, "On a second thought, nobody would have want to fuck you; you might as well have a gnome down there."
"At least I didn't get pregnant," was Felicia feeble attempt to ward off Natasha.
Natasha shrugged. "A lucky thing, too. You would have become a bad mother."
Felicia turned her attention to Jane. "You probably want to consider protection the next time."
"Your parents didn't, Hardy," Darcy spoke up, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Why don't you just shut the fuck up and go stuff your head in the toilet –where you belong."
"Oh, the Whore's Warriors," Felicia feigned mock-surprise. "Nah, I think I would stay here and torment you guys a little longer."
Natasha grew impatient and pushed Felicia out of the way and let the others pass while keeping her hand on the other's collar. When her friends had pass, she pulled the other's girl close and said, "Go fuck yourself."
Felicia tried to claw at Natasha's hand. But the redhead kneed her opponent right on the gut and walked away. "Have a nice day, Hardy Har-Har."
x
Mr. Coulson walked toward the principal's office. He saw Thor sitting outside the office. The tall, muscled boy had a split lip and a bruise forming above his eye. What surprised Mr. Coulson was -Loki was right beside Thor, also with a bruise on his forearms that looked suspiciously like hand marks and another bruise on his cheek.
Mr. Coulson shrugged, taking the sign of the boys sitting next to each other as a good sign. Lewis had done a good job taking care of Loki.
"Mr. Fury wants to see me?" Mr. Coulson asked Miss Hill, the ever present assistant to the principal.
Miss Hill nodded. "He's inside."
"Come in," Mr. Fury's gruff voice called as Mr. Coulson knocked the oaken door. "Phil," the one-eyed man greeted as Mr. Coulson seated himself on one of the guest chairs.
"What's the matter?"
Mr. Fury sighed begrudgingly. "I need you to deal with the two kids out there and Jane Foster."
"Thor and Loki? Why?"
"Have you heard the news?"
Mr. Coulson's forehead creased. "Jane…Foster is pregnant?"
"That's the one," Mr. Fury nodded. "Apparently some kids are bullying Jane for her condition. And Thor, well, the kid eats chivalry as breakfast."
Mr. Coulson grinned sardonically.
"I've got calls from a couple of parents that found out about them. They wanted Jane Foster to be expelled."
"That's not right."
"What I need you to do is talk to the kids," Mr. Fury said in commanding tone. "I will try not to expel Foster. Erik Selvig is one of most remarkable staff in this school, I owe him that much. Despite her condition, Foster isn't known to cause trouble; the last time I gave her warning was because she rallied against the astronomy club shutdown."
Mr. Coulson's grin stayed intact.
"The PTAs demanded a meeting to be held on Saturday."
"It's not going to work," Mr. Coulson replied. "Foster is friends with Stark and Rogers and Romanoff and Rhodes. They're an influential bunch. Not to mention the Odinsons' kids."
"But still, we need to give the PTAs to voice out their opinion."
x
"This is ridiculous," Tony muttered. "Remind me again why am I dragged into this cause?"
Pepper slapped him on the shoulder. "Because Thor and Jane are our friends, and we are going to give them our support. Besides, your father is going to be there."
"Howard is going to be there?" Tony rolled his eyes. "Awesome."
"He's one of those guys who fund the school."
Tony sighed in distaste. "He can't be there when I got home but he's here for the meeting? Way to go, old man."
"Apparently, the Starks have a weakness when summoned by a certain Mr. Fury."
The building of SHIELD Prep came into view. Tony parked his car next to a familiar Prius. The pair walked out of the car and headed for the hall, where the show was starting. The chairs were separated into two sides, leaving a clear spot in the middle.
Tony spotted Clint and Natasha, on the left side of the hall and dragged Pepper to sit with them. The rest of the gang, except Thor and Jane were there, plus the new addition of the gang, Loki. Tony saw his father sat at the same table as Mr. Fury and Mr. Coulson.
On the right side of the hall, a couple of 'protesters' were bringing signs with words like 'kick out the abomination' and 'expel her!' written on them. Tony felt sick.
Before any party can speak up, Mr. Fury stated the situation; "Jane Foster is a student in her senior year, and doesn't have any bad discipline record. She's an excellent student, and made exemplary since her freshman year. Teachers reported that she is a diligent student and never caused problem. Recently, we confirmed the news saying she is almost two months pregnant, a result from her relationship with her boyfriend, Thor Odinson. Since then, we received requests from parents and signed petition demanding Jane Foster to be expelled on grounds that she might influence younger students."
Then Jane was called in front of the three men and spoke her defense.
"I admit that I am pregnant from the result of my relationship with Thor Odinson," Jane said. Once again she had her war face on. "It is as unexpected, but not a mistake. I won't have an abortion, because I believe every live deserve a chance at life. And I will be graduating this year, so I don't see any problem that can stop me from going to school."
Tony whispered at Clint, "She needs something more solid than that."
Clint nodded.
After Jane, three parents from the PTA spoke up their reason to expel Jane. "She might be corrupting younger students." "She committed a huge sin." "It will shame the school." And so on.
Erik Selvig, Mrs. Odinson and surprisingly, Steve's mom came to Jane's defenses. "You can't deny her right to go to school." "If you prefer her to kill the baby than having it, just so she can continue her education, you are heartless." "She is not the first one to commit such mistake, though I admit, no such thing ever happens in SHIELD Prep, but there's always a first in everything."
Then it was thirty minutes break, so the judges can discuss the outcome.
"We are going to vote; the parents and the school's staffs," Mr. Fury announced. "This is a fair way to determine the decision. And after the voting's done, everything we discussed is going to b ended here and today."
Pepper held Tony's hand. "Jane might doesn't stand a chance," she whispered.
"Nah, they got Mr. Stark up front," Clint said nonchalantly, "and well, Tony is his son and Jane is Tony's close friend."
"Your point is?" Natasha asked.
"That man s going to do anything to win his son."
Mr. Fury cleared his throat. "Those who in favor of expelling Miss Jane Foster, please raise your hands."
One, two, three and a lot of hands went up. Miss Hill counted the hands raised up. Her eyes narrowed like an eagle's.
"And those who in favor of keeping her in SHIELD Prep?" Mr. Fury inquired.
Most of the school's staffs raised their hands, including Mr. Coulson, Miss Hill and Mr. Fury. Parents, who came earlier in support to expel Jane, changed their minds and raised their hands to defend Jane. They outnumbered the first group of voters. Howard Stark, however, didn't raise his hand, and his vote was necessary.
"Mr. Stark?" Mr. Fury turned to face Howard, who made an indifferent expression that was eerily similar to his son. "You're not going to vote?"
"I pass my freedom to vote to my son, Anthony," Howard said, his voice calm and controlled. "I haven't got the further knowledge to judge the situation, and I trust my son know the right side of this situation."
A roar of protest came from the parents.
"Silence, please," Mr. Coulson tapped his microphone. "Mr. Stark can do that, beside his son is a senior student."
"Anthony Edward Stark," Mr. Fury called, "please stand up."
"Fuck," Tony wiped his hands on his jeans. "Way to take ass-kissing to another level, old man."
He stood up anyway, heads and eyes turned to look at him.
"What is your vote?" Mr. Coulson asked.
"I vote for Jane to stay in this school," Tony said confidently.
A parent stood up, "You're friends with the girl, and of course you vote for her!"
"Please, Mrs. Hardy," Tony waved off the older woman, "even if I don't vote, Jane would have stayed in the school. And my vote just secured her victory a little better."
Mr. Fury tapped his microphone. "As the principal, I decided –by the votes we collected- Miss Jane Foster is allowed to continue her education here as she is graduating this year. Any negative actions directed toward Jane Foster will be considered as bullying and it like any other delinquency at SHIELD –will not be tolerated. Our meeting ends here; and this issue is never going to be revived again. This meeting is adjourned."
The man rose from his seat followed by Mr. Coulson, Mr. Stark and Miss Hill. The protesting parents sat dumbfounded and started to complain. Jane however, found her friends and they hugged her fiercely.
"Thank you, Tony," Jane said, hugging the boy. "Thank you very much!"
"Eh, well, Thor will kill me if I don't vote for you," Tony replied.
But none of them bought that shit. They knew Tony had a good heart.
"You!" someone shouted at Jane. Mrs. Hardy.
The group parted, and Jane stood facing the older woman. "You are carrying an abomination! You're going to bring down the school's reputation! I will make sure you will be expelled!"
"First off, I prefer my friends to be parents instead of killers," Steve said, crossing his arms.
"And my dad is the major contributor to this school and he said nothing of Jane bringing down the school's reputation," Tony shrugged.
Mrs. Hardy didn't give up. "She committed sin!"
"If you're going to blame my girlfriend," Thor stepped forward, putting an overprotective arm around Jane's shoulders, "please counts me at least half the blame. I am the one who's responsible of her condition."
Mrs. Hardy just stared at the rippling muscles of Thor's.
"And speaking of sin," Natasha spoke up, "please checks your daughter's extra-curricular activities. She's taking 'make love' as her major studies."
The group walked out of the hall, the smell of victory clinging to them.
It was sweeter than people said it was.
Tony: Pepper?
Pepper: Huh?
Tony: I want one.
Pepper: *horrified gasp*
/I am not encouraging underage pregnancy/
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