"I really don't think that this is a good idea." Wade said. He saw two students approaching out of the corner of his eye, and ducked his head just before they came close enough to see his face. "Remind me why I couldn't wear the mask again?"

Peter actually had the audacity to chuckle , "Wade, you're in a high school. Don't you think it might cause unneeded panic for an unfamiliar man in a mask to come strolling in right before lunch?" Oh. Right. "You know that I'd do it for you, if I could. But I'm sure you'll do great."

"That kid better damn well know that I love her." Wade muttered irritably. He paused outside the principal's office. "Well, I'm here."

"Just remember to try and not kill the principal, okay, love?" Peter said. "Love you."

"Yeah. Love you, too."

He took a deep breath and steeled himself for whatever waited on the other side of the door. From the call he'd received earlier that morning, it wasn't going to be pretty. Their daughter was a fairly even-tempered teenager, but that didn't mean that she didn't still have her moments of typical teenage rebellion. It just so happened that none of those had happened at school... until now. He sighed, adjusted the hood to cover more of his scarred, bald head, and went inside.

If he'd expected the aftermath of WWIII, he certainly hadn't gotten it. For the most part, everything was eerily calm. His daughter sat in one of the plush love seats just outside of the office, skimming through the school newspaper disinterestedly. Looking closer, however, he noticed that her left eye had started to swell and turn a deep, ugly purple. Wade frowned, suddenly wishing he hadn't listened to his husband about leaving his weapons at home. Nobody put their hands on his girl.

"Hey, kid." She turned to look at him, and her grin was so large it made his heart skip a beat because really, nobody should look at him like that. And then she's up and in his arms and he's squeezing her so tight, it's any wonder she can breath.

"Thought that they called Papa." She said. He's not surprised that she didn't think he'd show.

"They did. But he had some last minute business to attend to." She nodded, understanding immediately. "So... you gonna tell me why I had to get called into the principal's office some twenty years after I graduated, or are you just gonna let me guess? Cause I gotta be honest - I've had like two hours of sleep, kiddo, and I'm not much in the mood for guessing games."

She looked a bit sheepish when she said, "Honestly? That's why I was hoping they called Papa."

"What do you -,"

He never did get to finish his sentence, however, as the principal's secretary cut him off. "Mr. Wilson, the principal will see you now."

Wade looked at his daughter one last time, more confused now than ever before, before heading into the principal's office with her in tow. The moment they laid eyes on one another, the tension was palpable. Clearly, the principal was not impressed by whatever it was that his little girl had done (which he still hadn't the slightest about). Wade did his best to hide under the safety of his hood, and it seemed to work... for the first few minutes.

"Mr. Wilson, I called you in today to discuss an altercation between your daughter and another student. During the course of this fight, Everett punched the other student in the mouth repeatedly and threatened to," here, she referred to the paperwork in front of her, "'sew it closed if he opened his fucking trap one more time'."

Wade tried to hide his smirk. She was a chip off the old block, no doubt about it. "Why'd you do it, Evvie?"

"That's what we've been trying to figure out for the better part of the morning." The principal said, agitated. "But she won't say a word."

"I don't wanna say it, Daddy. Please don't make me say it." And she was looking at him with those sad puppy dog eyes, the kind that really made it difficult to be a hardass because it looked like she'd start crying at any moment. "This is why I wanted them to call Papa." And then he knew - this fight that she'd gotten into, it was about him.

"It's okay, angel." He assured her gently, before ruffling her chocolate curls affectionately. "Tell Daddy what happened."

And she just crumbled . "The bastard asked me how it felt to have a mentally fucked-up scarface for a father. I told him that he wished he was half the man you are, and you know what he said? You're not a man at all. He said they must've cut your dick off during the experiments, because no self-respecting man would ever submit to another man and get knocked up."

Wade flinched, but remained silent. The principal looked as though someone had struck her across the face. Kids were judgmental, Wade knew that. He also knew that their comments tended to be more painful and biting, because they hadn't yet developed the same filter that their adult counterparts had (and some of them never would). But he'd hoped that his girls would never have to endure the kind of hate that he faced day-to-day just because they had the misfortune of calling themselves Wilsons.

When he realized that his baby was crying, he snapped out of it, pulling her seat a little closer so she could bury her face in the front of his hoodie. Unfortunately, the sudden movement was enough to knock the hood off his head, and the principal gasped audibly as the harsh florescent light made his scars look all the more daunting. She looked horribly disgusted, but almost like she was watching a train wreck, couldn't stop herself from staring.

"How will she be punished?" Wade asked, trying to refocus the conversation. He wanted out of that office yesterday.

The principal swallowed hard, looking a little green around the gills. "Since this is Everett's first offense, she'll only be suspended for three days. As far as the other boy, he'll be subjected to a disciplinary hearing as well as a ten day suspension." And then, a little bit softer, "I'm very sorry you had to hear that, Everett."

The look in her eye made that a little hard to believe. Wade decided not to push the issue. "C'mon, kiddo. Let's hit the road."

Once the hood is safely back in place, they left the office. Everett was silent the entire walk to the car, and said nothing when her father slipped the mask on as soon as they were inside. His little girl looked at him uncertainly, more afraid of how Wade would react to the thoughtless boy's comments than of any real punishment the Merc with a Mouth would dish out. After all, she knew that he was proud that she'd stood her own against the bully, regardless of the outcome.

"I'm not upset." Wade said finally, when they were almost home. "I know I'm not gonna win any beauty pageants with this fugly mug, and I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of. I'm nobody's hero, kiddo, and that's okay. The only people whose opinions actually matter live under my roof: your Papa, you, and your two sisters."

Everett didn't miss the way her father kept staring at her swelling eye. He might not be upset about what the kid had to say about him, but that didn't mean he was going to excuse the fact that he put his hands on his daughter and hurt her. She tried to smile at him reassuringly, but the tears still streaking down her cheeks made it less than convincing. Wade sighed, before pulling into their driveway and putting the car in park. He took hold of Evvie's chin and made her face him.

"Like I said, angel-face, I'm not upset. And you know why?" He asked.

She shook her head, "No. Why?"

"Because you loved me enough to defend me in my absence. Though I'm not really supposed to condone you resorting to violence - your Papa would have my head if he ever found out I did that - I'm damn proud of you, baby girl. And I love you so much."

And then she was smiling again, that big, million-watt smile that reminded him so much of Peter it was almost scary. "Love you too, Daddy."

When Peter returned a few hours later, sleepy-eyed twins in tow, he was surprised to find Wade and Everett sprawled out on the couch. General Hospital was on the television, two empty bowls and a beaten-up carton of ice cream on the coffee table. Everett was sleeping peacefully in Wade's arms, with a bag of frozen peas on her swollen eye and Wade's fingers carding through her hair. The scene was domestic and sweet and Peter couldn't help but smile.

"I'm home, love." He kissed Wade's cheek, smile growing wider when Wade made a lazy, sleepy pass at his thigh. "How was the meeting with Evvie's principal?"

Wade's smile faltered, and Peter frowned. "Let's not talk about it tonight, huh? Tomorrow is another day." He moved over as far as he dared with the teen still sprawled out over him. "Why don't you bring the twins over and we can all watch a movie or something?"

Peter didn't mention the fact that the twins were about two seconds away from falling asleep, nor did he bring up the fact that the only movies on at this time of day were G-rated and decidedly lacking in most things that Wade found entertaining. Instead, he slid in beside his husband and pulled the twins up onto his lap, wrapping them all in a warm, fluffy blanket. Wade finally settled on Toy Story 2 , before resting his head on Peter's shoulder and closing his eyes.

And when he saw the look of absolute serenity on Wade's face, the merc fast asleep cocooned in the bodies of his family, Peter found himself agreeing with Wade's earlier statement. What had happened that afternoon was a story for another day.