"Wait – how bad is this? Where's Y/n??"
Currently, if you're being honest, you didn't want to be bothered and honestly, Steve was definitely the mom friend of the group, so everyone knew to go to him for any serious problems. Even the things that had to do directly with the house that's under your name, they still knew better than to ask you.
"Did you hear that?" Yelena asked you, furrowing her eyebrows and bouncing the ball on her foot before she kicked it off enough where it went sailing towards you.
"No," You lied, dribbling the ball down the lawn and further away from the house, "Hearing things again, Belova? Add that to the list of reasons you need to try on the straight jacket in my closet!"
She ran after you, yelling, "I'm still wondering why you even have one of those – and don't give me that magician shit you wouldn't know heads or tails on-"
"Don't try a pulling a rabbit outta hat trick pun on me!! It won't go over well with the audience."
She quickly swiped the ball from your blind spot, muttering smugly, "I might've heard a voice, but if you think there's a whole audience out here, I think we should get you on a pharmacy full of medications, Stark."
"STARK, WE NEED YOU!!"
"Fuck me," You sighed, deflating in defeat, and Yelena smirked at your dramatics before waving at someone behind you, so you spun around to see who it was, raising your eyebrows in surprise of the timing on your now very real request, "Oh, hey Nat."
"Hey, Stark, how've you been?"
"Like you don't already know," Yelena scoffed loudly, "You guys text every fucking second, even hit this one in the head a bit ago with the ball because she was practically giggling and kicking her-"
"Yelena, I will kill you." You deadpanned harshly, cutting her off.
"Then who would be Natasha's maid of honor at your guys' wedding?"
You gaped at her, and Natasha snickered behind her hand before she threw her arm around your shoulders, making your cheeks heat – possibly both sets – and then she narrowed her eyes playfully on her younger sister, "Who says you're invited?"
As the two of you strolled back to the house where it sounded like a little girl screaming and a warthog giving birth, you laughed to yourself at the sight of complete offense on Yelena's face, lacing your hand with the one hanging off your shoulder without thinking. She squeezed your hand twice and you squeezed back once, goofily smiling away from her and praying you didn't trip before you got through the front door.
"Oh, thank fuck you're here – with Romanoff," Pietro added, clearly surprised as he looked from the redhead to you to the hand you quickly let go of to avoid questions and back to your face where you could see him hiding a smirk, "How nice."
"Pietro! This is serious, focus!" Scott tried, sounding a bit desperate, and seeing Lang in this state gave you a lot of pause because the boy rarely doesn't smile like a golden retriever puppy.
"What's wrong?" You asked, but not waiting for an answer as you strolled into the kitchen, needing to reheat some leftovers if this is going to be a serious matter – ohh pizza and noodles.
Choices, choices.
"I did something bad."
"Then why's it feel so good?" You sang under your breath, making a choice for food, and then turned back around, speaking louder to address the room, "What happened? Should we call Steve?" You looked to Wanda at that who seemed just as frazzled as Scott, maybe more.
"Y/n, can I talk to you alone for a minute?" She asked, trying to sound firm, but your heart cracked a little when her voice wobbled. Wanda Maximoff's voice don't weeble wobble for no reason. Shit be serious.
You looked between them all then shrugged before following her out of the room.
"I'm really worried and scared for my brother," She admitted once out of earshot, and by that you mean upstairs in a closed-door bathroom because those fucks down there be nosey, but the concern and wavering voice had you in serious mode, paying attention, "Remember how I told you he joined that stupid frat?" She asked and you nodded, "Since he's a pledge, they've been hazing him – it's been pretty harmful, pranks, humiliations, and things, up until now."
"Wanda, what happened?"
She swallowed thickly, looking to you and seeing nothing but open sincerity and concern – something that you didn't whip out all too often, but, "He was caught stealing exam answers and now the dean is talking about suspension, but expelling is definitely an option. I don't know how to fix it – they're not looking to you for answers, I think they're all so stressed out that they need you to lighten the mood more, but I'm asking you to please do something. Your last name carries weight and usually I wouldn't do this, but he'll be sent back home and it just...I can't lose him."
You clenched your jaw, considering options – even if there was only one, and then you nodded before giving your friend a hug.
After that, you went downstairs without a word, ignoring the fact that everyone was trying to listen from the stairs besides Nat and Lena who were talking in weird hush tones in the kitchen where you led Wanda to, and the rest followed.
"Okay, so here's the plan."
You explained to them that even though it was a longshot, you knew the only way to get through to the higherups in this university was to go above their heads. They wouldn't listen to Pietro's peers begging for forgiveness and alternatives like community service or something – they're dying to set an example and they're unreasonable when it comes to the students on scholarships or from low-income households. It's a harsh reality, but universities have proven this time and time again. The Maximoffs aren't legacies and Pietro is here on a full ride sports scholarship which saved their family because they could only afford one tuition. He's vulnerable in the eyes of the university and what do rich, powerful people love more than taking advantage of the less fortune? Hookers, probably. But let's not get crass.
"I'll...go and talk to him." You managed to just barely not grimace at your own words, but nobody seemed to notice when Natasha was speaking up with something you didn't expect.
"And I'll go with you."
