I have a motto when it comes to these writing challenges. "They can't all be winners." Still, I hope this one is decently okay and that you enjoy some meandering.

Restrained

It had been a rough few months for Penny Parker, and despite Sam's efforts to get her through it, things did not seem to be improving. At least, judging by the fact that Tony Stark was calling him. Before all of this, Sam could count on one hand the number of times he'd had a real conversation with Stark. At first, when Sam had joined the Avengers, Tony had been around, sure. He financed a lot of the tech and he was a leader, along with Steve, but the two of them hadn't exactly interacted much. The day that Tony had come to his cell at the Raft, asking where Steve was…that might have been the first genuine conversation they'd ever had. And then he hadn't seen the man in almost two years while he'd been a fugitive.

But the man had saved the universe. And he'd certainly changed while Sam had been…blipped? He thought that was what they were calling it now. And he had a feeling that a big part of that was the superhero that he'd first met at an airport in Germany. Spider-Girl. He hadn't thought much of her at the time, other than the fact that she was oddly chatty and shot webbing out of his wrists that he'd only recently learned didn't come out of her. He hadn't seen her again until he'd watched her cling to the side of a spaceship on the news, Iron Man close behind her, ready to catch her.

And then, when they'd come back and had that last battle with Thanos, he'd seen Stark wrap his arms around her the moment he'd laid eyes on her. Tony loved that kid. And judging by how she'd looked when they'd all thought the man was going to die after snapping his fingers and putting an end to Thanos, Sam thought it was a pretty safe bet to say that she loved him too. She was like his kid. And after Rhodey had caught him up on everything that had happened between the two of them, and how Tony had all but shut down when she'd disappeared along with half of the universe, it made sense.

Tony had been on bedrest for months now, going through the painfully slow recovery process after losing an arm, then nearly losing his life to infection, then the after effects of being so close to those stones. He was monitored 24/7 by doctors, including Bruce, and was on at least five different kinds of medicines. Apparently in his copious amounts of free time, he'd been designing a new prosthetic, and if Sam knew anything about Tony Stark, he knew it was going to be cutting edge and, he had to admit, probably really cool looking.

The girl had spent a lot of time at his side during those early days, according to Rhodey, along with his wife and other daughter, but on one of the rare days that she wasn't at his side in the sanctum where he'd spent the first month or so of his recovery, Tony had asked him to come by via a text message, and so he had made the trip to the sanctum, feeling uncomfortable as he'd taken a seat at the man's bedside.

"Don't look so grim, Wilson. I'm not dying just yet."

He'd forced something like a smile, shaking his head. "You doing alright?"

Tony had waved a hand. "I'll be fine. Just stuck in bed for the foreseeable future."

"Yeah…could be worse."

"It could," the man had agreed easily. "And since I'll be stuck here for a while, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor."

Slowly, Sam had nodded. "Uh…yeah. Probably."

"Are you going to be hanging around New York?"

"For a while. I'll wait for things to settle down and then I'll probably go visit my sister."

"Right. So, Penny…she and her aunt got a new apartment. Still in Queens. She's going to start going out as Spider-Girl again. Her aunt is working with a nonprofit to help people who were displaced or who came back with no home. FEAST."

Sam nodded. He'd heard of them.

"And Pen…she can handle herself. But sometimes she gets in over her head. I just…can you keep an eye out? I'm not saying to babysit her or anything. But…she's only sixteen. So. she could use someone in her corner if things start to go sideways."

"Yeah. Of course. I'll let Bucky know too. He's sticking around for a while. Doing some kind of court mandated therapy or something. I'm sure he can do it here."

"I'd really appreciate it. Just until Pepper tells me where she hid my suit."

Sam had snorted. "Yeah, I don't see you winning that fight for a while."

"Probably not."

Sam had met the kid officially when she'd been patrolling, landing on the rooftop beside her in his wingsuit. She hadn't even jumped…had just stared at him from her spot on the edge of the roof, legs swinging.

"Hey, kid."

"Hi."

"Thought I'd introduce myself…officially. Sam Wilson," he'd told her, holding out a hand, and she'd taken it.

"Penny. Parker."

He'd held out the bag he'd been holding in his other hand. "Sandwich?"

She'd pulled her mask up to her nose while she'd eaten, grinning at him as they'd made banal conversation, waiting until they were finished to ask. "So…did Mr. Stark put you up to this?"

"This? No. He did ask me to keep an eye on you." Sam had shrugged. "Thought it couldn't hurt to introduce myself. Besides, we're kind of all that's left of the Avengers now. You, me, Bucky…kind of. I think Clint's retired. Pepper won't let Stark have his suit back." She'd laughed at that and he'd grinned. "And Bruce is busy babysitting him so…" He'd shrugged. "I just figured all of the remaining Avengers should know each other."

"What about Mr. Barnes?"

"He's pretty busy with the whole 'court mandated therapy' thing but he'll be around too. Just give us a call if you ever need backup."

They'd spent a little more time together when he'd come and find her during her patrols, and it had been on one of those visits that she'd mentioned her trip to Europe, assuring him over and over that she'd stay out of trouble. He hadn't believed her for a second. Still, Stark was the kid's pseudo father. Not him. So he hadn't thought too much about it…not until he'd gotten a call from a panicked Tony Stark.

When he and Bucky had found her, Penny had been standing in a field of flowers, tears running down her face as she'd backed away from them, looking wrecked. He'd half run down the ramp, Bucky right behind him, wondering when he'd started to care so much about this teenage vigilante.

"Hey…easy, kiddo. It's just me."

"No…"

She'd been bleeding, and she'd held a hand to her side like she couldn't stand upright, both of which had been equally worrying. "Penny…" Bucky had started, but she'd shaken her head.

"Tell me…tell me something…only you would know," she'd gasped out, choking on a sob.

Sam had stared at her in confusion for a long minute, but had nodded, willing to go along with it. "Okay…um…I can't even get a bank loan to help my sister fix up our family's fishing boat."

She'd gone still at that, blinking at him. "What?"

"My family owned a seafood…"

"No…why wouldn't you be able to get a loan?"

He'd scoffed. "That's not the issue right now, kid. What I want to know is, why do you look like you got hit by a truck?"

"Train."

"What?"

"He…he made me see things. Then he…he hit me with a train…"

"Jesus, kid."

She'd broken down then, a hand pressed to her mouth as she'd sobbed, and he'd practically had to catch her before she crumbled. The girl had wrapped her arms around him and he'd held her close, rubbing her back and shooting Bucky a look that the man had returned. Whoever had done this…they were going to take care of it.

They'd gotten the whole story back in the jet, Bucky letting her hold his metal hand while Sam had stitched her up, hating himself every time she tensed or let out a gasp of pain. "I know, kiddo…I'm almost done."

"I'm sorry," she'd whispered through her tears. "I…I was so stupid. I trusted him!"

"Hey, you're not stupid," Bucky had told her softly, shaking his head. "That asshole lied to you. That's not your fault."

"I just…I can't be the next Iron Man!"

"No one expects you to be Iron Man, Penny." Sam had pressed a sterile pad to the cut he'd finished sewing and had taped it in place before pulling her shirt down and moving to sit in front of her. "Tony doesn't expect that of you. That's not why he gave you those glasses. You're already a superhero. He just wanted you to have backup if you needed it. That's why he gave you the glasses and that's why he asked me and Bucky to look after you."

She'd nodded, tears still running down her cheeks as she'd leaned her head onto his shoulder.

"We're here now, okay? We're going to help you. And then we're going to kick Fury's ass."

Sam had been mid-argument with his sister on the phone when he'd seen the news not two weeks later…Quienton Beck taking one last shot at Penny from the grave and revealing her identity to everyone. Accusing her for his murder when Sam and Bucky had been there! They'd seen everything! This time, Sam had been on his way before he'd ever gotten the call from Stark, Bucky right beside him in the car. When he'd answered Stark's call, the man's voice had been soft and terse, but Sam had heard his terror. He was confined to the bed…practically tied down, and the kid he loved like a daughter was in danger. Again.

"Happy called. Damage Control has Penny in custody. Her friends too. And May. I already have a lawyer on his way…he's the best..."

"Bucky and I are on our way too. Don't worry. She knows not to talk without a lawyer?"

"I think so…"

"I'll bring her to your place as soon as I can, okay?" He'd been tempted to make a joke about Tony worrying himself into an early grave, but he'd been too worried himself and besides, it had felt too soon to joke about Tony dying.

Penny had put up a brave front when Sam had seen her at the Damage Control headquarters, holding Michelle's hand and watching the lawyer, who turned out to be a man named Matt Murdock, but he'd seen her red-rimmed eyes and the way her hands had shaken. So he'd smiled, dropping a hand on her shoulder while Bucky had eyed the agents in distaste.

"Hey, kiddo. Never thought I'd be picking you up from jail."

"Hi, Sam."

"Michelle. Ned. Good to see you again." He'd met the two kids briefly in Europe, although Happy had been the one to spend more time with them when he'd arrived, tasking himself with protecting them and trying to help Peny at the same time.

"Hi, Mr. Falcon. Sir," Ned had whispered, and Sam had resisted the urge to remind the kid to just call him Sam. It hadn't taken the first time, so he'd figured it was a lost cause.

"Does Mr. Stark know?"

"Who do you think hired the lawyer? He's about to sneak out of his own house to get down here, and you know Pepper won't be happy about that."

She'd given the barest hint of a smile at that, and he'd patted her on the back.

"As soon as you're allowed to leave and we get all this cleared up, I'm going to call Tony, okay? I can drive you down there if you want. He's dying to see you."

"What about May?"

"I'll stay with Harold," her aunt had assured her softly. "We'll all be okay. It's going to be okay, baby."

Penny had given a shaky nod, not looking like she'd believed her.

The charges hadn't stuck, thankfully, and their lawyer had agreed that she should probably try and stay out of the public eye for a while. There was still the court of public opinion after all. And as much as Sam hated it, he'd agreed. "Hey, I can give you a ride to the lakehouse, okay? You can lay low until all of this blows over."

The girl had only offered up a halfhearted argument, going into her bedroom to have some kind of lengthy phone conversation with her girlfriend before getting in the car with Sam and Bucky, leaning her head against the window and watching the scenery go by in near silence.

The moment Penny had stepped into Tony's room, the girl had thrown herself into his arms as carefully as she could, sobbing into his shoulder, and not for the first time, Sam had marveled at how different Tony was now, especially with her. The Tony that Sam had known had been practically allergic to emotions. He'd brushed off any attempts at sincerity with a joke, and had been more likely to offer a witty remark than any attempt at real comfort. And Sam had known that all of that was most likely a result of trauma…trauma from a shitty childhood and trauma from being kidnapped by literal terrorists.

But this Tony Stark held the crying teenage girl tightly in his arms, pressing a kiss to her hair and rocking her as best he could. "Hey…you're okay. It's okay, honey. You're alright."

"It's not…it's not okay!"

He'd closed his eyes, cupping the back of her head with his one good hand and shaking his head. "Yeah…I know. I'm so sorry. But I'm here, okay? We're going to fix this."

Tony had done his best. So had Sam. They'd both come out publicly in support of both Penny Parker and Spider-Girl. Tony had instructed his company to cooperate with Damage Control. Sam had given his account of what had happened during that battle and who Mysterio truly was. Tony had threatened at least one journalist with bodily harm if he ever bothered his kid again. (That last one hadn't really helped, but Sam thought that it had at least made Tony feel better.) And the girl had tried her best to go back to her normal life.

And then he got another call from Tony Stark, which almost always meant there was trouble with Penny.

"Hey, Sam."

"Tony. How's the kid?"

On the screen, Stark sighed, shaking his head. "She's, uh…not great, according to May."

"Yeah?"

"She didn't get into MIT. Neither did her friends."

"What?"

"Apparently they didn't want the notoriety of having Spider-Girl in their freshman class."

"What the fuck? She had an internship with Stark Industries! She's the valedictorian! She helped save the world for Christ's sake!"

"I know."

"Where is she?"

"No idea. May said she told her on the phone and then said something about an idea…"

"Well that's never a good sign." Tony gave a weak chuckle. "I'll find her before she gets in any more trouble, okay? I'll let you know when I have her."

He dialed Bucky next, already tuning into Stark's surveillance network which he suspected was designed mostly to locate a particular spider-themed teenage vigilante in the event of an emergency. "Hey. It's the kid. We've got to find her."

"What did she do now?"

"She didn't get into MIT?"

"What? Why not?"

"They don't want Spider-Girl. Or her friends, apparently."

Bucky sighed, immediately understanding. "Alright…I'll take the ground…"

"I'll take the sky."

When Sam spotted her, she was three blocks away from the Sanctum, and he landed a few feet behind her, startling more than one passer by. But Penny didn't so much as jump. "Hey, Sam," she greeted, sounding exhausted. It was wearing on her, he realized…people knowing her identity and the questions she must be getting and trying to go to school like everything was normal. And now…being rejected by her dream school.

"Hey, kiddo."

"Mr. Stark told you?"

"He sure did. Where are we going?"

"I have to fix this."

"Hold on," he urged, grabbing her arm and trying to restrain her. It didn't work, of course. The kid was stronger than he could ever dream of being, unless he ran into a radioactive spider himself, but she did stop, turning to look up at him with teary eyes.

"I have to fix this. I have to, Sam." She wiped impatiently at her eyes, looking around self-consciously at the handful of people who seemed to have spotted them. "It's my fault they didn't get in and…"

"Okay. Hey…how about we take this conversation somewhere a little more private, huh?"

Penny hesitated, then looked around again, nodding in agreement. "Okay…yeah."

Once they'd reached the nearest rooftop, he sat down against the concrete barrier that went around the edge, patting the ground until she reluctantly stopped pacing and joined him. "Alright, kiddo, talk to me. What's the plan here?"

"We didn't get into MIT."

"I know. I'm sorry, Pen."

"It's my fault."

"It's not…"

"Yes it is! I'm the one…I…I dragged them into this! And…I have to fix it."

"How?"

"I was going to go talk to Stephen Strange."

"The wizard guy? What do you think he can do?"

"Well…he can do magic, right? So…maybe he can make it so people don't remember that I'm Spider-Girl anymore." Her voice went soft at the end and Sam nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay…so you want everyone to forget that you're Spider-Girl?"

Penny hesitated for a second. "Well…I mean…I still want May to know."

"Right."

"And…and Happy. And Mr. Stark, of course."

"Yeah?"

"Pepper too…and Morgan. I mean…Morgan thinks it's so cool."

"I know."

"And…well…MJ. And Ned."

He felt a sad smile tug at his lips when she spoke faster and faster, tears filling her eyes as she realized the same thing he already knew.

"And you. And Doctor Strange. And Bucky."

"I don't think magic works like that, honey."

Penny pressed a hand to her mouth, tears finally escaping and running down her cheeks, and Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"This wasn't supposed to happen! No one was supposed to know!" she sobbed, sounding so young and tired that it hurt to hear. "I…all I wanted…I never meant…"

"I know," he cut in softly. "This wasn't your fault, Pen."

"I thought I could still get in."

"They're idiots if they don't want you."

That, at least, got a tiny smile out of her.

"Look…I'm not saying that Strange can't do some pretty cool shit. But I don't think he can fix this one, Penny. And I know it sucks. It's not fair. You don't deserve any of this." She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder, and he squeezed her in a half hug. "How about this? Why don't I take you to the lakehouse? You can talk this out with Tony. And if you still think it's a good idea, I'll bring you back myself, okay?"

"You should start charging me for gas."

"Oh don't worry, kiddo. I am. The bill goes straight to Stark."

She huffed out a reluctant laugh, grinning up at him a little.

"If not, we'll figure something else out. You can lay low for a while. Stay at the lakehouse. Or, hell, if you want, you can come with me to help my sister out for a few weeks. You ever been to Louisiana?"

She shook her head.

"You'd like it. My sister would love to meet the kid I'm always babysitting." He chuckled when she rolled her eyes. "Hey, you lay low, and you reapply next year. Or you apply somewhere else. I know it sucks, kiddo, but I promise, this won't be the end of the world. Tony would hire you to work at Stark Industries with a degree from a community college. Hell, he'd probably hire you right out of high school, no degree needed. Let nepotism work in your favor, okay? You deserve it."

Penny dropped her eyes, voice dropping to a near whisper. "Do you think they hate me? I'm the reason they didn't get in…"

"Do I think your scary girlfriend and the guy that calls himself your 'guy in the chair' hate you? No, I don't think anyone that knows you could ever hate you." He took her in for a second, not able to help noticing the sharpness of her cheekbones, or the dark circles under her eyes. "How are you feeling, Penny? Really?"

"I'm really tired," she admitted, trying to smile through her tears, and he squeezed her a little harder.

"I don't blame you. Come on. Let's head to Stark's and figure out what to do, okay? Between the four of us, I'm sure we can come up with some kind of plan. One that doesn't involve weird magic."

She nodded after a second, letting him pull her up. "Thanks, Sam," she whispered, and he patted her back.

"Anytime, kid. But I'm charging Stark by the hour for all this babysitting."