Superfamily One Shots

When To Step In

**It was a close race, y'all, but I have the line up for the next few chapters! Enjoy!!**

Harley loved winter time. Call him a sap, but there was something about holiday music and the bright lights all over the city and cocoa that made him melt inside. The scent of homemade cookies made his heart ache for home, and each year since he moved for college, he would count down the hours until he got to fly home for Christmas.

Which is why when he stepped off the plane in New York, he nearly took Peter off his feet with a hug.

"Peter!"

Harley saw Tony, Pepper, and Morgan peeking out from behind Peter's shoulder. "Mom, dad! Morgs!"

The young man gave each of his family members a hug, ending with Morgan, who he spun around wildly. "I missed you guys so much!"

It was no secret that college had been hard for Harley. He was so close to Peter and Tony, and he hated missing everything from the weekly Saturday dinners to Morgan's first science fair. Pepper and Tony had to talk him out of flying home every weekend, let alone every time he found himself with a long weekend on his hands.

"Ahhh," Harley let out a sigh as they walked through the airport. "It's good to be home."

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"Hey, Tones, the snow is getting pretty bad," Pepper said from the window. The Tower was warm and the windows were fogged up pretty badly, but she could make out the storm outside pretty well. "Maybe we should go get Peter from school instead of him taking the bus?"

Harley was on the carpet with Morgan, who was home from school with a cold, and looked up excitedly. "I'll go!"

"Really? You'll have to go downtown during rush hour." Tony looked away from his newspaper and over at his oldest son. "It's kind of a shitty drive."

"Language!" Pepper and Harley said at the same time. Tony just rolled his eyes.

Harley got up and handed Morgan the action figure he'd been using while playing with her. "It'll be fine. I want to go." The 22 year old grabbed his keys off the hooks by the elevator and headed down to the garage, giving his family a little wave as he headed out.

The drive to Midtown School of Science and Tech was, as Tony had put it, shitty. Rush-hour drives through the downtown were already difficult as is, but the winter weather made things all the worse.

Harley wouldn't let it dampen his good mood, though, and he just kept thinking about surprising his brother.

Harley pulled into the line of cars waiting at the front of the school to pick students up and got out, bundling up his coat as he did so to keep out the cold.

Harley heard the bell go off. He saw the first wave of kids flood down the stairs. He spotted Peter, walking with Ned, and then...

"What the fuck?" Harley muttered to himself as he watched another kid come up behind Peter and shove him. Peter fell onto the stairs roughly, barely catching himself with his hands. The kid who had pushed him laughed. Ned said something, the bully pushed him backwards. Peter put his hands up, probably to defend Ned, and the bully laughed again before punching Peter square in the jaw. He walked away as Ned helped Peter up and gave him a tissue from his backpack to clean up his face a little.

"Peter!" Harley called to his brother. 

Peter turned, his face pale and stark against the little smear of blood along his nose. "Harley?"

"What the hell was that? Who was that kid? Are you okay?" Harley fussed over Peter's face, helping him wipe away some of the blood. "Have you told the principal about this?"