***TIME SKIP TO AFTER THE MEETING***
A little while later the group came out of the conference room and they made their way to the kitchen/living room area to get lunch. Steve looked over at Peter, and decided to ask the question that was bothering him.
"So Queens?" he asked.
The teenager looked up at him, "Yes, Captain Rogers?"
"How old is your sister?" the man asked.
Peter gave him a confused look since Tony had announced it earlier, "Oh, she's thirteen." he replied.
The man shook his head a little, "She's a little young to be a recruit." he replied softly, more to himself than anyone else.
"What?!" the brunet asked him, his eyes wide.
"Well she's a recruit right?" The man asked.
Peter started shaking his head, "N-no...absolutely not." he replied.
"Then why is she here?"
Peter looked confused.
Tony rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, "Haven't you been listening? The kid's aunt died...." he hissed.
The man gave the teenager a sympathetic look, "Oh. I'm sorry Peter."
"It's okay Captain Rogers." he replied quietly.
Tony sighed again, "So for your information Captain. Pete and Penny are now mine and Pep's personal responsibility. They lived here with us permanently." he repeated, "Did you hear me this time?" he asked sarcastically.
The man cut him a half-hearted glare at his tone but nodded, "Oh." was all he replied.
Peter ducked away when the billionaire started talking to the blond soldier, he felt slightly sorry for him, sometimes Mister Stark could be a little harsh with people. He saw Penny sitting on the couch; her head tucked down as she was reading, he could hear her whispering the words to herself as she read. He heard her sometimes in her room reading like that, reading out loud instead of to herself. He had a feeling that it was probably a way to get her mind off of things, Wanda did the same thing when she wanted to destress. He quietly tiptoed up behind her and sneakily grabbed her shoulders, making her jump a little before she broke out in a fit of giggles when she realized it was him. He jumped over the back of the couch, knowing Pepper or Nat would definitely fuss at him for it if they'd seen him.
"Are you hungry princess?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, a stray curl falling into his eyes.
"Hmmm?" she asked.
He grinned, "Are you hungry? Mister Stark had JARVIS order Chinese food for lunch." he announced, his stomach rumbling.
She shrugged, "Oh...I guess so." she replied.
He stood up and grabbed her hands, making her close her book, "Then come on then," he teased slightly, guiding her to the kitchen.
Before they even reached the kitchen, the smell of kung pao chicken and the different types of dumplings reached their noses. They smiled a little at each other; Penny realized she was hungrier than she thought. Peter laughed a little when her stomach grumbled, causing the younger teen to lightly elbow him in his side. He dodged her next attempt to elbow him when he snickered a few moments later when it happened again; he ran into the kitchen and ducked behind Tony making the younger girl glare at him. The billionaire laughed a little at the fifteen year old using him as a human shield.
"Hey kiddo," he greeted .
She looked up at him, "Hello Mister Stark." she greeted back.
"You hungry?" he asked, motioning towards the food that was behind him.
She nodded a little, "Y-yes sir." she replied.
He gave her a small smile, "Good, there's plenty. Eat all ya want." he replied.
Penny gave him a small smile, "Thank you sir."
He laughed a little, "Just call me Tony kiddo."
Everyone started to gather around the island counter as they started to pile food from various cartons onto their plates. Pietro leaned over his sister, grabbing a box of lemon and black pepper sauce, dumping the entire thing on his plate. He reached over again to grab a different container and the redhead made it appear in her hand so she could manage to get some of the food before her twin took it all. Steve chuckled at his two kids as the older of the pair pouted a little behind the redhead. Slowly, but surely, they all gathered in the dining room and took their seats. They sat in silence for a few minutes, the sounds of utensils scraping plates and the chewing of food filled the room.
Clint looked up at the teens, "You kids ready for school next week?" he asked.
A series of groans and grunts of displeasure rippled through the room from the teenagers.
He chuckled as Lila glared at him, "I'll take that as a no." he announced.
"Exactly birdman," Pietro replied.
Peter grinned, "I'm excited Mister Barton." he announced.
The man looked at him, "Really?" he asked, finding it a little odd that the teen was looking forward to it.
The brunet teenager nodded, "Yeah. Lena's going to school with us this year, she's not staying at the compound because of..." he paused for a second, "um stuff...and Penny's going to be there too. We might even have classes together," he replied grinning, "I also get to see Liz." he softly finished, a slight lovestruck expression when he mentioned the dark-haired girl.
The man raised an eyebrow at him, "Liz?" he asked.
Peter turned red, making Pietro snicker.
Tony chuckled at the teenager's reddened face, "Liz is the kid's girlfriend," he explained.
The teen's face lit up, "She's amazing and pretty, she's really smart and...and kind. She was at the funeral yesterday." he replied.
The man nodded, "Was she the curly-haired girl you were talking to in the combat boots?" he asked.
Peter shook his head, "No, that's MJ." he replied.
"Oh..." the man replied.
"It's okay, Liz was the other one with the brown hair and curls; she was in the black and white dress."
Clint paused, slightly remembering the girl, then remembered what Kate told him about the girl, "Oh, her...she uh she seemed nice."
Peter grinned, "Thanks." he replied before turning his attention back to his plate that was now empty.
Silence fell upon the table as the teenger pushed himself up from the table to get seconds; Pietro followed him soon after causing Tony to mutter under his breath about teenage boys and their appetites.
Wanda noticed that Penny was quiet again and she leaned over to the teen, "You're awfully quiet peanut." she whispered.
The girl shrugged a little, "Oh...yeah." she replied.
Wanda pursed her lips slightly, "Something on your mind?" she asked.
Penny shook her head softly, "N-no...there's just a lot of people..." she replied quietly, "It's...it's um overwhelming sometimes." she replied, looking down at her plate as she pushed leftover noodles around with her fork.
Wanda nodded and placed her hand on the younger girl's knee in an attempt to help her calm her nerves, she gave her a small smile, "It's okay peanut." she assured.
The younger girl gave her a small smile.
Twenty minutes later, everyone had finished their meals and went their separate ways. Sam and Bucky disappeared somewhere together, the two of them often did that. They'd vanish for a couple hours before coming back like nothing happened, Tony had his suspicions about what the two were doing but he had no proof; considering they seemed to hate each other at times. Steve went with Wanda to the living room, the pair of them each reading a book, enjoying the quiet time they had with each other. Pietro had drug Peter off to train and Clint had done the same thing with Kate, letting Lila tag along as she followed her father and older sister to shoot arrows. Nathaniel was down for a nap in one of the guest rooms, leaving Tony by himself while Penny was upstairs in her room. A few moments later, he was upstairs knocking on Penny's door, he still wanted to apologze for the previous night. He waited for a response before opening the door.
"Come in," a soft voice called.
He opened the door slowly, "Hey kiddo."
Penny looked up at the man in her doorway, "Oh..H-hi Mister Stark," she greeted softly, "Did you need anything?" she asked.
He shook his head, "Just wanted to talk," he replied, running a nervous hand through his hair.
Penny smiled a little, the action reminding her of Peter, who did it often, "If...if it's about the lawsuit...I-I told Peter I'd do it." she whispered.
He gave her a soft smile that slightly eased her worries, "I know kiddo, Peter told me..." he replied.
She nodded, her thoughts starting to consume her, "Oh, are...are you sending me back?" she asked, her voice cracking, "A-Am I in trouble?"
He quickly shook his head, "What? No!" he replied loudly; he was shocked she thought he'd do that, "No...nothing like that. You're not in any trouble kiddo. I'd never send you back there; I'd fight like hell before I let that happen." he swore.
She nodded, "Oh...is Peter okay?" she asked.
He released a soft chuckle, "Yeah he's fine. I just need to say something okay?" he announced, pausing for a few seconds, "I promise you've done nothing wrong kiddo."
She nodded, "O-o-okay," she replied, stuttering slightly over her words.
He sighed a little and ran his hand through his hair again, "I wanted to say I'm sorry." he announced.
She gave him a puzzled look why was he apologizing? "W-why?" she asked.
"For last night." he replied.
Oh.... "Oh," she replied softly, pausing for a few moments, "It's okay Mister Stark." she replied, giving him a soft smile.
He shook his head, disagreeing with her, "No it's not; you don't have to accept it kid. You don't have to do anything you don't want to here hun. It's just something I need to do. I was wrong yesterday, really wrong. Yelling and showing my ass with you arround; I should have handled it privately and differently, not like how I did. I feel guilty for what happened and I'm truly sorry kiddo..."
She gave him a puzzled lok, "W-w-why?" she asked.
He gave her a slightly off-put expression, "You had a panic attack kiddo and I caused it. You were crying, hyperventilating and were on the verge of a serious asthma attack. I-i-" he paused, sucking in a deep breath, "I scared you and I will never forgive myself for that kiddo. I was wrong and I'm sorry."
She gave him a small smile, "I accept your a-apology Mister Stark...You shouldn't be apologizing anyway." she whispered, "I shouldn't have reacted to it that way...it's not like you were going to hurt me." she replied, even though at that moment she'd been terrified that that was exactly what he was going to do."
He frowned, "True, I'd never hurt you kiddo, but you didn't know that. You can react anyway you want, to anything....How you reacted kiddo, it was a normal response after what you've been through," he replied.
She shook her head, frowning, "No it's not...it's not normal to act that way..." she replied.
He walked closer to her, closing the door slightly behind himself, "What makes you say that kiddo?" he asked.
She looked up at him, her eyes growing watery, "Can I tell you something Mister Stark?" she paused for a few seconds, "A-and promise you won't tell Peter?" she asked.
He nodded, giving her a small smile, "Sure kiddo, anything you want." he replied.
She took a deep, shaky breath, "There's something wrong with me." she replied, her voice cracking.
His gaze softened, "There's nothing wrong with you hun."
She shook her head at his words, "Yes...yes there is...it comes out of nowhere sometimes....I'm back an-and I can't leave and I feel like it...like it'll happen again. I-I can't get rid of the feeling. I-I-I get shaky and it feels like something sq-squeezing me and everything gets blurry...I can't breathe...and it feels like-like..." her breaths started to quicken as she started to throw herself into another panic attack as she described what she felt.
"Like you're dying?" he asked.
She looked up at him, "Yes..." she whispered breathlessly.
He noticed her behavior and her breathing, JARVIS was sending him warnings of her heart and breathing rates, "Breathe okay Penny?" he called, "Just breathe, you're alright." he soothed.
She gave him a small nod and took a deep breath.
He sighed and sat on the edge of her bed, "There's nothing wrong with you kiddo." he announced softly.
"B-but.."
He cut her off, "Tut tut tut," he replied, waving his hand at her, "Listen to me kiddo, what happens is called a panic attack." he replied.
"What's that?" she asked, "I-I've heard of it...but I don't really know what it is....some genius right?"
He shook his head at her, "You're still a genius even if you don't know what a panic attack is hun. A panic attack is a feeling of sudden and intense anxiety. It comes from different types of anxiety or PTSD."
She pursed her lips slightly, "What's PTSD?" she asked.
"Post Truamatic Stress Disorder." he replied, "It happens after you go through serious trauma kiddo. The times you feel like you're back there is called a flashback, happens with PTSD."
She looked at him, tilting her head to the side slightly "H-how do you uh how you y-you know about th-them?"
Tony found she looked a lot like Peter at the moment, "Because I used to do the same thing." he replied.
"R-really?" she asked.
He nodded, "Yep. Started after New York and when my house in LA was blown up...well that's when it got really bad, it first started out when I was in Afghanistan. The PTSD, that is, anxiety started in college, I was fifteen when I started, a bit like you." he replied, remembering that the girl would be sixteen when she started college unless she skipped another grade.
She picked at her fingers, "How can I stop it?" she asked.
He put his hand over her's, stopping her from picking her fingers raw, "You can't really...But, you can do things to prevent one or to calm youself down when you feel one coming on. It doesn't work everytime, but they're pretty effective."
"Like what Mister Stark?" she asked.
"Well, when you feel it coming, you go somewhere quiet. At least I do, I find the noise makes it worse. Then you close your eyes for a few seconds and when you open them you count."
She gave him a puzzled look, "C-count?" she whispered.
He chuckled at her confusion, "Yes. See I'll show you." he replied, turning himself to where he was facing her.
She nodded, "Okay..."
"Name five things you can see." he announced.
She nodded looking around the room a little, "Umm I see you, my shoes, a-a lamp...Peter's picture and...and my bed." she replied.
He nodded, "Good." he replied, giving her a soft smile, "Okay, now tell me four things you can hear..."
"Ummm....I can hear y-you talking, the shower, someone's door closing, and I can hear..." she paused listening for a few more seconds, "I can hear Peter singing in the shower,." she replied giggling.
He laughed, amused at her and at the teenager who was singing off-key to Frank Sinatra, "Okay, now tell me three things you can feel."
"Feel?"
He nodded, "Yep, three things you can feel."
"Um...I can feel my blanket and the carpet...and your hand touching my hand." she replied.
"Good..." he replied, nodding his head a little, "now tell me two things you can smell."
"I can smell the flowers that Mister Barton gave me," she replied, poinging at the small bouquet of roses on her dresser, "and I can smell your cologne."
He looked at the roses, remembering that her file mentioned seasonal allergies, "Are they bothering you kiddo?"
"A little, but they're pretty." she replied, shrugging.
He gave her a small smile "Okay. Lastly, name one thing you can taste."
"O-okay... I-I can taste my toothpaste?" she replied, her response sounding more like a question than a statement."
He chuckled, "Good, did it help?" he asked.
She blinked her eyes slowly at him, "I-I don't know..." she replied softly.
"I think it did..." he replied.
"R-really?" she asked, tilting her head to the side again.
He nodded, "Of course kiddo. Listen to your breathing and look at your hands."
She looked down at her hands, "What about them?" she asked.
He grinned at her, "Well, you're not breathing fast anymore and you're not picking at your fingers or the hem of your skirt or your fingers."
She broke out in a small smile, "Oh...you're right." she replied, looking up at him.
He returned her smile, "So, when you're feeling an attack coming on, just start taking deep breaths, get somewhere quiet and count like I told you."
She nodded, "But what if I can't go anywhere quiet?" she asked.
"Try listening to music...but if you can't....then just take deep breaths and count; try to push away everything that's bothering you, including outside noise.
She hugged him.
"What's this for kiddo?" he asked, gently hugging the thirteen year old back.
"Thank you." she replied softly.
He smiled, "You're welcome," he replied, gently patting her back.
After their conversation, Tony left Penny alone in her room when Peter came in after getting his shower. Tony saw the damp ringlets in front of his eyes and reached out to tossle them. The teenager laughed and quickly ducked away from him.
"Mister Stark," he groaned.
The billionaire laughed, "It's about time for another haircut underoos." he teased.
The teenager rolled his eyes at the man, but nodded after a few moments, he really did need a haircut, "I guess you're right." he replied.
The billionaire laughed, "I'll get you an appointment." he replied.
The teenager nodded his head, giving the billionaire a thumbs up. The man chuckled a little to himself and decided to leave the pair to themselves to spend time together. Peter and Penny ended up going to the game foom for a for a few games of pool. Peter watched as Penny pocketed a couple pool balls, he gave her a small smile.
"When did you get so good at pool?" he asked.
She giggled, "I dunno." she replied.
He laughed, "You've beaten me three times already princess." he announced.
She giggled and pocketed the eight, "Four." she corrected.
He groaned a little, "Rematch!" he announced.
Morgan ran into the room and collided with Peter's legs, "Peter!" she announced.
The teenager laughed and picked her up, tossing her up in the air, "Hey Morguna" he greeted.
The little girl giggled and waved at Penny, "Hi!" she announced.
Penny grinned at her, "Hey Morgan." she greeted.
The younger girl smiled at her, "Whatcha doin'?" she asked.
"We're playing pool Morgie," Peter announced, "Wanna join?"
She nodded, "Can I?" she asked.
The older two teens nodded, "Sure Morgs, you know how to play?"
She shook her head, "Uh uh."
Peter grinned at her, "Then we'll teach you right Bri?" he asked.
Penny nodded, "Totally." she announced, "You'll be just as good I am and we'll beat Peter."
The younger girl giggled when Peter gave her an offended look.
Almost two hours later, Tony had JARVIS gather everyone in the living room so he could make an announcement.
"Alright seniors, kiddos, and everyone in between we're going out for dinner tonight, my treat." he announced, clapping his hands.
"What for?" Peter asked, knowing they usually didn't eat out in public unless it was something big.
The billionaire laughed, "We're going out to celebraate Cap's mission, it was a big success."
Peter nodded.
Pietro plopped himself down on the couch lazily, "Where are we going tincan?" he asked.
Tony rolled his eyes at the ash-blond's nickname, "We are going to Daniel NYC, so dress nice blondie." he shot back.
The teenager grinned at him.
Everyone split up and went to their rooms to get ready and get showers. Pietro was in desperate need of a shower according to his twin who teleported herself from his grasp when he tried to hug her. In her room, Penny went over to her closet and pulled out a lacy pink skirt that was covered in flowers and paired it with a white satin blouse and a pink sweater. She slipped on a pair of silver flats and a necklace with a small light pink flower before twisting up a section of her hair. She grabbed a pink hair ribbon and turned her light off before walking down the hall to Wand's room and knocked on the door.
Kate opened it, "Hey little P." she greeted.
"Wow, you look pretty Kate," she announced.
And she did, the purple and black sparkly dress complimented her skin tone; her hair fell neatly in loose curls down her shoulders. Penny had never seen the brunette in anything that was a dress.
"Thanks Little P," she responded, "you look pretty too."
"Who's at the door Kate?" Wanda called from her bathroom.
Kate looked over her shoulder towards the redhead, "Little P!" she called back.
Wanda stepped out tying her wavy hair up in a high ponytail, "Come no in peanut." she announced.
Penny stepped into the redhead's room and looked around the space in slight shock. It was messy for the first time she'd been at the compound; the usually neat space was slightly messy. As always, the redhead's bed was neatly made; however, the hamper in the corner of the room was full of neatly folded clothes. There were school supplies laid throught the room, where the redhead was organizing her things. The most surprising thing was the little holes and blackish blemishes that were on the walls.
"Excuse the mess Peanut," the seventeen year old announcced, "tomorrow is cleaning day...this is driving me crazy." she announced, motioning at the mess
Penny nodded, "Okay...what happened?" she asked.
Wanda picked up a pillow that had fallen off of her bed and placed it back in its place, "Oh. My powers were a little stronger last night and this morning; sometimes they sort of mess up and I end up throwing energy blasts wherever I move my hands." she replied.
The younger girl nodded, "Okay...does it hurt?" she asked, worrired that the younger girl would be in pain.
The redhead gave her a soft small and shook her head, "No it doesn't hurt me any." she replied.
"Is Mister Stark going to be mad at you for it?" she asked.
The redhead shook her head, this happened about once or twice a month and the billionaire had never gotten mad at her, "Of course not peanut, I can fix this easily. Choas magic." she replied, wiggling her fingers slightly.
Penny laughed a little, "Okay."
The redhead looked over at her, "Did you need anything?" she asked.
Penny lifted the ribbon in her hand, "Can you tie it please?" she paused for a second, "I don't know how to tie it and get it to stay."
Wanda nodded and took a step towards her, "Of course, turn around okay?"
Penny nodded and turned around, handing the thick Pink ribbon to Wanda who quickly and neatly tied it in her hair, looping it through her hair tie.
"There you go, all finished." the redhead announced.
"Thank you Wanda." she the brunette replied.
"No problem peanut. If you want, you can stay in here with me and Kate, while I finish getting ready."
Penny nodded her head "O-okay" she replied, sitting on the red cushion beside Wanda's vanity
The redhead disappeared into her bathroom again, the two girls in the connecting room could hear her moving around while she changed, "Alright, I'm almost finished," Wanda announced, walking out in a lacy red butterfly top paired with a black skirt with a red rose and butterfly decals on it.
"Wanda!" Kate exclaimed, grinning at her.
"What?" the redhead asked, turnign her attention to the younger teenager.
The blue-eyed girl laughed, "You look hot, that's what!"
Wanda blushed, "Hush Kate." she replied, waving her hand at the girl.
"You do!" the brunette defended.
"You look really pretty Wanda," Penny commented, speaking up after watching the interaction between the two.
"Well thank you Peanut." the redhead announced.
The redhead put on some red lipstick before grabbing a pair of red heels, "Now let me put my heels on then we can go downstairs. You know how Tony hates to wait," Wanda told them as she slid on the pair of red sandals. She looked up at Kate who was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed, "I never thought I'd see you in a dress Kate,'' Wanda chided as they walked out of her room and headed downstairs.
The blue-eyed girl stuck her tongue out at the seventeen year old, "Well I only have three." she replied.
"We should really get you more, you look really good in that one." the older girl replied
Kate scrunched up her nose, she hated wearing dresses, "Lies." she replied, shaking her head.
Wanda laughed a little, "No you do."
The brunette stood up from the bed, adjusting the skirt of her dress, "You stick to the dresses and the skirts Wands, and I will stick to the comfortable things." she announced.
Wanda grinned a little at her, "Deal."
A few moments later, the three girls came back downstairs. Lila was already waiting on them along with Morgan who was playing with Nate on the couch. The eight year old kept trying to pick him up like he was a baby, making the younger boy try to run away from her; he wasn't a fan of being the slightly older girl's baby. Lila picked up the younger boy and placed him on her hip as she walked over to the three of them.
"You take Nate." she replied, handing her baby brother off to Kate.
Kate laughed a little and balanced the four year old on her hip, "Hey bud."
"Katie!" he replied, hugging her; the sixteen year old grinned at her younger sister, "Is that mine?" she asked.
The brunette shrugged, "It was, but you never wore it so I stole it." she replied.
The blue-eyed girl laughed a little, "Well, jokes on you, it's too small for me."
The fourteen year old grinned at her, "I know." she replied, dusting the cookie crumbs off of her top.
Pietro looked over at the group, "Finally!" he announced dramatically, "I'm starving."
Wanda rolled her eyes, "You're fine P," she chided at her brother.
"Speak for yourself." he groaned, rubbing his stomach.
Tony seemed to notice that everyone was ready now, ""Great everyone is dressed and ready, now get in the car." he announced, pushing everyone towards the stairwell.
"Where's Happy Mister Stark?" Peter asked, noticinng that the burly man wasn't with them.
"He decided to stay here and work on some things." the man replied.
"Oh," Peter replied.
Tony patted his arm,"Don't worry kid, we'll bring him back something." he assured.
In the garage, everyone climbed into the large limo that was waiting on them yet again. Morgan climed into Penny's lap when everyone got situated and started talking to her about how she was now all ready for the third grade. The thirteen year old nodded along to the younger girl's chatter, adding bits of conversation to their interaction. Half an hour later, the car pulled up at Daniel NYC; the driver quickly hopped out of the front seat of the car and walked around to the side and opened the door for everyone to get out.
"Thank you Michael," Tony remarked as he got out of the car, "We will be finished at about ten, if you don't mind coming back."
The man nodded, "You're welcome Mister Stark. I will be outside at nine thirty." he replied.
"Very good," Tony replied, slipping him a tip as he grabbed onto Pepepr's hand.
The man gave him a small smile, "Thank you Mister Stark." he replied, giving the man a slight nod of his head.
Tony only nodded his head in response and turned to everyone else, "Good, now let's eat." he announced, knowing that the two super soldiers and the two teenage boys were probably starving by now.
The group were led by Tony and the strawberry-blone into the restraunt where they were greated by the seater, who took them to a nice area that secluded from everyone else. Tony orered wine for the adults and sparkling cider for the kids. Morgan had climbed into the seat in between Peter and Penny, her short legs swinging back and forth as they dangled from her seat. She announced she wanted a hambugrer to which Pepper laughed and replied that she was definitely her fathers daughter before telling her that the resturaunt didn't offer hamburgers. The little girl nodded before turning her attention to Nathaniel who was playing with a toy car in his seat. After looking over the menus, everyone ordered their meals. A half hour later, the kitchen staff arrived with everyone's food as well as more bottles of wine and sparkling grape and apple cider for the kids. A semblance of silence fell upon the group and the meal seemed to drag on.
"Clint?" Kate asked. The man didn't respond so she called him again, "Dad?" she called again.
The man looked at her, "Yes Bugs?"
Kate grimaced at her adoptive fathers nickname, "When is Nat coming back?" she asked expectantly.
He grinned at her, "She is coming back tomorrow and she is bringing a surprise with her, but your mother and I are leaving in the morning too."
"Oh..." she frowned, not really wanting her family to leave.
"What is it?" Pietro asked, he'd perked up when he heard the mention of Nat bring a surprise with her.
"Wouldn't be a surprise if I told you kids, now would it?" the sandy-haired man replied, smirking at him.
The teenager huffed and rolled his eyes.
"I guess not," Kate mumbled to herself.
"Good now finish your food," Clint told her, noticing that she had barely eatem half of it.
"Do you guys have to go?"
He nodded, "'Fraid so kiddo, your brother's camp ends in the afternoon and we have to go pick him up. Also gotta get Nate ready for pre-K."
She nodded, frowning, not wanting them to leave, "Right..."
He patted her arm, "Don't worry kiddo, we'll be back for Pete's party."
She nodded, still pushing her food around with her fork.
At about nine forty-five the group decided to leave after the kitchen server brought out Happy's food. Tony paid the bill and ushered everyone back to the limo. He ended up picking Morgan up, noticing that she was starting to fall asleep while she stood; Nate was already asleep and was being carried by Clint to the car. When they were almost home, the billionaire mentioned that he had a surprise planned at home for the teenagers.
"Did Nat come back early?" Kate asked eagerly, her deep blue eyes twinkling.
He laughed a little, "No, but this is a close second little bird," he replied.
The teenager rolled her eyes at him.
***TEN MINUTES LATER***
"Alright kid's change out of your nice clothes and then come back down here for the surprise," Tony announced when they got home.
"Yes sir!" they all replied, as they ran towards the stairs.
"I expect to see pajamas!" the billionaire called after them.
The teenagers gave him a series of yesses as they ran up the stairs.
"Wait for me!" Penny called loudly as she tried to keep up.
"I got you princessa," Pietro replied, turning back around to grab the younger girl. He picked her up and whisked her away upstairs, making her laugh.
"They all seem to get along great with Queen's sister." Steve observed, "Even Pietro, he doesn't tease her that much."
"Who wouldn't? Little Parker is a great kid." Tony replied, "Everyone loves her."
"I guess."
"Don't guess Cap," Sam told him, "do."
"Yeah Steve, the kid's great." Bucky replied, clapping the man on his shoulder.
"Stark, what did you get the kids?" Clint asked, wondering what the surprise for the teens was.
"I asked Happy to stay back and set up an ice cream bar for everyone, but mainly the kids." He looked at Morgan who was sleeping in his arms, "But I guess Morgana and Nate here aren't getting any. I'll have the kids save some for them."
The man nodded, rubbing the back of Nathniel's head softly.
"They won't sleep tonight Tony," Steve responded, pinching the bridge of his nose; he didn't want to experience Pietro on a sugar high or Peter on a sugar high, especially the younger of the two.
"Relax, they're teenagers." the billionaire replied, shrugging,
"Kids are kids Stark," Clint reminded him, "Kate still forgets to do basic stuff."
The billionaire shrugged again at the man who reminded him of the teen's absentminded behaviors, "Well her mom wasn't around much, she basically raised herself." Tony reminded him, "Besides she's doing better now. The little witch is rubbing off on her."
"That's good." the man replied nodding, he'd been worried about the teenager being away from him for such long periods of time.
"How were they?" Steve asked.
"Who?" the billionaire replied.
The man sighed a little, "The twins, this was the first time I've been on a mission this long. Was Pietro behaved? Did he bug Wanda too much, you know how he can be. Did he start another prank war? Did-"
Tony groaned and cut him off, "Yes, as much as usual, and no." he replied, "They were fine, I sent the little bird and the twins on a mission about two weeks ago. They did great." he assured.
"Peter didn't go?" the soldier asked.
The billionaire shook his head, "No, he was helping May prepare their apartment for his sister to get here. Then the poor woman died two days after they left and Pete went mute for a few days. Little Parker got here a few days later and the two spent a good bit of time together, getting reacquainted and all that jazz; poor kid hadn't seen her since she was five."
Steve frowned, "Who kept them apart?" he asked.
"The aunt and uncle. They were awful to the poor kid, didn't really do anything for her other than making her life a living hell." he replied, muttering under his breath.
Sam spoke up, "Are you going to do anything about that Stark or are we going to do something?"
"Didn't have to." the billionaire replied, "The bastards are suing for custody again, but I have Layne already on top of it. I'm countersuing for compensation for years of physical, mental, and emotional suffering along and I'm pressing charges for child abuse. We have an assload of evidense for my claims including medical files, pictures, old reports that were filed against them for abuse and four testemonies."
"Four?" the blue-eyed man asked.
"Little Parker herself, it took a little while to get her to talk about it all; poor kid's terrified of them and their son. Then Peter; she told him what happened and he saw her cousin treated her at the skating rink plus when they were kids he remembered seeing him bully her a bit. Nat, she saw brusies the first few days she was here and she's analyzed behavior so she knows the signs, and she saw the cousin practically try to drag the poor kid out of the store."
"Who's the fourth?" the man asked.
"Pietro." the man replied.
"He doesn't know anything Stark," the man announced, "he barely knows her."
"On the contrary capscicle, while he doesn't know her that well, he does know things. He was training with her one day and saw the bruises. When he asked about it, she told him what happened and told him some stuff she didn't tell Peter."
"Why didn't you ask me if it was okay for him to do it?" the man asked, "He's my son."
"The twins are seventeen, almost eighteen. He said he'd do it, I didn't even ask him and Layne said he was old enough to choose for himself. Now let's change the subject, it's happy time night, not bring up bullshit night."
The man rolled his eyes and muttered a soft "Language." under his breath. Tony grabbed a bottle of whiskey and a glass after Pepper had decided to take Morgan to bed.
Happy walked in and saw the action, "Don't drink to heavy Tony." he warned.
The billionaire nodded, "I know, I know." he replied, waving the man off.
The man narrowed his eyes at him, "You say that then you get drunk."
"I haven't been drunk since Morgan was born and I haven't been buzzed or anything like that for almost two years. It's one drink and then no more, I'm thinking about quitting drinking unless I'm somewhere social." he replied.
The man nodded, proud of the man; Tony had come a long way since his party days.
Kate was the first one to appear down the stairs, her long dark brown hair was pulled up in a bun on her head, "Alright we're done!" she semi-yelled as they came downstairs.
"Okay... one, two, three, four, five...and...six." the billionaire counted, moving his fingers over the six teenagers making sure he had them all, "Great," he announced. "Your surprise is in the kitchen, enjoy." he announced, ushering them into the kitchen."
Peter turned around and grinned at him, "Awesome!" he announced.
Penny jumped up on her toes, "What is it?" she asked, "I can't see!"
Peter moved to the side so she could get in front of him, "Come her princess," he called.
She looked around, "Cool!" she announced.
Tony grinned, "Glad ya like it. Good night, dig in and don't destroy my kitchen." the billionaire announced, leaving the kitchen.
He turned around and walked out of the room, leaving the group of five to themselves. Two hours later, all the teengers finished the ice cream they wanted and they started to clean up. Wanda took charge of the situation, since she was the one who was the cleanest. She put Peter and her brother in charge of rinsing the dishes out and putting them in the dishwasher. Kate had volunteered to wipe off the counter, forcing Lila to join her as well. Penny and Wanda started putting away the leftover deserts along with the sprinkles and toppings that Tony had bought for them. When they finished, they all went their separate ways deciding to go to bed.