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“Nova does not appear to have a concussion or any significant internal injuries, boss.”
“Friday says he’s okay,” Tony said. “Just a little banged up.”
“You’re sure?” Miles asked. “He fell pretty hard.”
“Fell?” Sam asked from his crater, opening his eyes at what seemed to be great personal expense. “Who fell?”
"You did. Come on, kiddo," Tony said, lifting Sam to cradle him against the chest of the armor. "Superbabies injured in the line of duty get to utilize the Stark Transportation Service, free of charge."
Sam was awkward at first, but he gradually relaxed in Tony's arms until his head was resting heavily against Tony's shoulder plate. It couldn't have been all that comfortable, but Tony guessed the kid was just that beat. It was understandable, given the night he'd had.
"If you want to doze off, doze off. Let yourself rest, Nova," Tony said, glad he’d removed his helmet--had he not, any soothing note to his voice would have been stripped out by the voice modulators. "It's well deserved. Don't worry, we'll get you home safe."
Sam sighed against Tony's neck. "Thanks, Dad."
Kamala froze. Miles froze. Thor froze.
Tony swallowed and kept his steps carefully even. "Sure thing, sweetheart."
Sam probably didn't even hear Tony's response--he was just that out of it.
Tony attempted to level a stern look at Kamala and Miles, who were now rushing to catch up. "Don't tease him about this, later," Tony said, keeping his voice low. "He's had a rough night."
Kamala bit her lip, then nodded. Then, inexplicably, stepped closer to Tony, so that her side was almost pressed against his.
Stranger still, Miles then proceeded to do the same thing.
"Are you guys all right?" Tony asked, frowning. "You didn't get hit with something, did you?"
"No, we're fine," Kamala said, and, in a shocking turn of events, pressed a kiss to Tony's cheek. "But thank you for caring."
Tony meant to say something like of course I care, but a slightly strangled noise was all that came out.
"You know, Iron Dad really does have a sort of nice ring to it," Miles said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "But so does Iron Mom. Would you say you feel more like a dad or a mom, Mr. Stark?"
"I didn't mean you should tease me instead," Tony said. "Children. Honestly. Why do I do these things to myself?"
"We're not teasing, though," Kamala said. Tony just shook his head. "We're not!"
*
Tony was wrapping up a board meeting when his phone started beeping and flashing with the word NOVA. He frowned.
“Excuse me,” he said to the group assembled around the table. “I need to take this, but, if you have any more questions, you know how to reach me.”
He ducked out of the room, making for a quiet corner as he put the speaker to his ear. “Sam?”
“Um, hi,” Sam said. “First of all, I’d like to say that it’s not a big deal.”
Tony’s frown deepened. “What’s not a big deal? What’s wrong?”
“I just, uh, I need someone to pick me up from school, and my mom’s working all day. I know it’s a stupid thing to ask you, but I didn’t know--ugh, forget it. This was stupid. I’m sorry I bothered you--”
“Don’t you dare hang up this phone,” Tony said. “I’m on my way. What happened, though? I’m fairly certain school doesn’t let out at ten in the morning. Are you sick?”
A long pause followed that question. “I’m not sick.”
“Sam.”
“It wasn’t my fault. Mostly.”
“Sam.”
“Ugh! I got suspended.”
“Sam!”
“It wasn’t my fault! Look, they just want to hand me off to an adult, and I don’t have--you don’t have to come. It’s fine.”
“What part of ‘on my way’ did you not get, kid? I’ll be there in ten. But I’m moderately disappointed in you. Like, on a scale of one to ten of disappointment levels, I am… at least a three.”
“It wasn’t my fault.”
“Tell it to the school board, Sam. I’m going to hang up now, alright? See you in nine minutes.”
“Well. Thanks,” Sam said. Then he hung up.
*
Tony accidentally poked his head into a classroom at first.
“Uh, hey,” he said, waving at the teacher and students. They were all staring at him. Some had their mouths open. “Learning, good, good stuff. Good work, everyone. Sorry to interrupt, but could someone possibly direct me to the principal’s office?”
The teacher blushed as the entire class started clamoring to offer to show him the way.
“Ha. Thanks, kids, but I wouldn’t dream of taking you from class. Contrary to popular belief, I can follow directions. Is it down this hallway, or--?”
The teacher swallowed and nodded. “You must have come in the back entrance. It’s all the way at the end of the hall, on your left.”
“Thanks,” Tony said, throwing the room a salute. “Everyone, uh, stay in school and stuff.”
In the principal’s office, Tony found Sam sitting in a very uncomfortable-looking chair, hunched and scowling. “Nice gargoyle impression there, kid.”
Sam looked up at Tony and promptly shrank into himself, not meeting Tony’s eyes. The eyes of the kid next to him turned into saucers. Also, one of them was black.
Shit. “Sam!”
“It wasn’t my fault!” Sam wailed.
“It was entirely your fault, Mr. Alexander,” said the secretary, who did not even look up from her computer when she pushed a clipboard across the desk, towards Tony. “Samuel has been suspended for two weeks for fighting. You’re his parent or guardian?”
“Uh,” Tony said. “No.”
She pulled the clipboard back. “Then we can’t let you take him.”
“I am Iron Man, though?”
“We take the safety of our students very seriously here.” She sounded bored.
“Wh--I’m a superhero.”
“He’s on the ‘approved pickup’ list,” Sam cut in. “My mom signed it and everything.”
“Hm,” the secretary said, and reached for another clipboard, which she studied for a moment. “So he is. In the future, Mr. Stark, it would be more expedient if you simply said that. Sign here.”
Flabbergasted beyond the point of speech, Tony signed.
“Now take him and get out,” she said, snatching the clipboard back. “Thank you.”
“Right,” Tony said, as Sam hurriedly gathered his things and made toward the door. “Have a nice day.”
The secretary just huffed.
“Thanks,” Sam said, once they were outside the school. “I’m good now. They just had to give me to an adult, for legal reasons or whatever. You can go.”
“Hell no,” Tony said, grabbing the books out of Sam’s arms. “I signed for you, so your ass is mine now. You’d better have a good explanation for why you were getting into fights, Sam. You know which car is mine--march.”
“But--”
“Move it, Nova.”
Sam grumbled, tugging on the straps of his backpack as he started walking toward the ferrari.
“You didn’t have to carry my books,” Sam said as Tony took his backpack from him to drop into the back, along with the books in question.
Tony slid into the driver’s seat, shaking his head. “If I’d known your backpack was a thousand pounds, I would have taken that too. Are they trying to stunt your growth or something? This is why Americans are getting shorter.”
“Well,” Sam said, fidgeting. “Thanks.”
Tony looked at Sam, the way he was carefully avoiding looking at Tony, and had a brief but heated debate with himself before caving and ruffling Sam’s hair. “Hey, Sam. It’s fine. I’m not mad, so don’t go all shrinking violet on me.”
“Not mad, just disappointed?” Sam asked, but he was looking at Tony now, so that was an improvement.
Still, Tony sighed. “Look, kiddo. I was no model citizen at your age. I get it. I’m not trying to press some impossible standard upon you, but--fighting, Sam, that’s--I get it, I do, but you’ve had training from Captain America. Nova helmet or not, you can’t go around punching out other kids because they piss you off. I mean, just look at the evidence--that kid in there was pretty roughed up, but there’s not a scratch on you, and I’m betting it wasn’t for lack of trying on his part.”
Sam nodded, once. It was a jerky, forced movement. Tony was willing to bet he was biting the inside of his cheek.
“Sam,” Tony sighed, and reached across the seat to pull the kid into the best approximation of a hug they could manage in their current positions. “I’m not upset with you.” Sam buried his face in Tony’s neck. “Just--you’re way too badass for cafeteria scuffles, alright? You gotta learn to find fulfillment in the knowledge that you could kick all their asses without actually doing it.”
“Okay,” Sam said.
Tony patted his back before pulling away to start the car. “What’d that kid do, anyway?”
“Told me my favorite superhero was a jerk.”
Tony laughed. “He called Nova a jerk? Okay, well, I kinda get it then.”
“Not Nova.”
Tony glanced over, eyebrows raised. “Not Nova? Who, then?”
Sam flushed, then punched Tony in the arm. “Keep your eyes on the road.”
“This car could drive itself if I put it on auto,” Tony said. “Come on, why won’t you tell me? Is it Ms. Marvel or something?”
“It’s not on auto right now! Eyes on the road.”