[locked] Hockey games, medical claims, police reports, terrible grades

[symbionic]

WHO: Flash Thompson, Peter Parker, and Valeria Richards
WHERE: Residence #11
WHEN: 6/29?
WHAT: Val gets off house arrest.
WARNINGS: Discussions of responsibility, a la the Spider-Man code. Secret identities still unknown. Three year old sass.

[Grounding Valeria Richards seemed kind of inadequate, for what she'd done.

It didn't help that it was hard for Flash to really conceptualize what she'd actually done, in the sense that a three year old could actually do something like that. But she had, and he'd done the only thing he could think to do, which was tell her actual Guardian, Peter, and then team up to at least try to administer an appropriate punishment. Which mostly just meant they grounded her. What else were they going to do, really? It's not like Flash had a better idea.

Well, not right away, anyway.

But knowing Val a little bit better, it's time to let her off for...well, what counts as good behavior for Valeria Richards, tiny supergenius with a dubious conscience. With caveats attached, of course.]

I really hoped this worked. [He mutters under his breath, to Peter.] 'Cause I really don't want to have to ground her again.

Comments

[shutterbugged]

[Enforcing the grounding for an entire month had been a challenge, to say the least. Peter had a better grasp of Val's capabilities than Flash, but he'd still been in the position of maintaining authority with a child of whose intellect outstripped his own by several orders of magnitude but whose emotional maturity was -- at least relatively speaking -- age-appropriate.

Sometimes it was hard to maintain the balance between respecting Val's brains and heeding her youth. He never lost sight of the fact she was the child of dear friends and his ward for as long as they were both stranded far from home, but having Flash and his down-to-earth skepticism around was... well, grounding. (Especially as a counterbalance for Tony in the same house.

Now he bites back a smirk, with effort.] Was it her who was being punished, or us?

If it didn't take, we'll have to find something else. But don't jump the gun just yet. A month is a long time when you're three.

[He walks over and sticks his head into the next room.] Val, come out here, please. We need to have a talk.

[smarterthandad]

[Val doesn't want to have a talk. Talks are never, ever good. When people aren't mad at you they don't preface things. They just come out and say whatever they're thinking.

Only babies and Uncle Doom throw temper tantrums, though, so Val sighs deeply and puts down her tablet.]

Coming!

[She sticks her head out the door to where the tribunal is assembled.]

What is it?

[symbionic]

Hey, Val.

[Hopefully she learned the lesson. The right lesson. Much as Flash finds himself more and more fond of her every passing day, this strange little kid he doesn't quite understand, he'd really like to not have to be constantly watching her every move or deal with her chafing at the bit.

Hence, their plan.]

Pete and I've decided that you're getting out early on account of good behavior.

[shutterbugged]

As long as you're with me or a chaperone with a signed permission slip from me, like Flash or John, you can go out. But you can't wander around on your own, and if anyone older than you asks you to do anything, even if it seems okay to you, you need to run it past me or one of them first.

[He kneels down in front of her.] Do you understand why we got upset about you designing those weapons?

[smarterthandad]

["Good behavior" from Val is generally better described as "the planning phase," but she's been careful to only leave notes lying around that Peter or Tony would be able to verify as abstruse theoretical mathematics or unobjectionable humanitarian projects, like designs for Erwin's prosthetic arm (sans gun, though that will be easy enough to add later.) Anything more likely to throw up a warning flag stays safely locked inside her devious little head, behind a poker face that can fool Sue Richards.

Val finds the conditions entirely unreasonable, but her bargaining position is nil. Still 5,322 days until she turns 18. She needs to get them to move to a state where minors can file their own emancipation petitions.

A put-upon sigh is still within the realm of what she can get away with, though. Meek compliance would be suspicious in itself.]

Yes. You're mad because it was irresponsible not to check more closely into the Survey Corps' background before supplying them with weapons.

[She agrees with that, at least. She'd been sloppy. But steps are being taken to avoid any liability in the future.]

...Plus the whole forged signature thing.

[symbionic]

[Fortunately for her, Flash has no idea just what all she's capable of, or how sneaky she can be. That's all on Peter to police. All he knows is, no actual weapons have left this house, and he's seen hide nor hair of something that looks like it might become one, and under the circumstances that's about as good as they can do.]

It would have been irresponsible to do it for anybody, even if you weren't trying to hide it from us. But especially because you went behind our backs, which means you knew you were doing something you weren't supposed to, and you did it anyway.

[He's already imagining the eye roll that's going to get.]

We've also agreed you're going to spend more time outside. And I don't mean outside, doing mad science in the backyard. Outside learning how to do other things.

[And that's definitely going to get some snide commentary.]

[shutterbugged]

[Peter's well aware that Val's seeming compliance is not the same thing as acquiescence or insight, but he's willing to take the first and work towards the second two, keeping a careful eye out along the way.]

Well, maybe a little mad science in the backyard. [Catching Flash's expression, he adds hastily:] But Flash is right. I haven't been encouraging you enough to try other things besides invention and research. It's summer and we're in Florida; you should be outside playing, not staying indoors with computers and lab equipment all day long.

We could go to the beach, or you could learn how to ride a bike... play baseball... there are all kinds of possibilities.

[smarterthandad]

[Val has her mouth open to argue with Flash's version of events when he starts talking about outside, and her indignation is replaced by growing horror as Peter continues. Peter she thought you had her back on the nerd stuff.]

Why would I want to do any of that?

[symbionic]

[Aha, the worst punishment of all.

Actually not intended to be a punishment at all, at least not on Flash's part. Given the dichotomy of the early years of Flash Thompson and Peter Parker, it makes sense to gently urge her towards a slightly more happy medium. Learning to ride a bike or throw a ball can be a useful skill, and at the very least, it'll tire her out and give her something to do besides build questionable inventions.]

Because it will be good for you.

[He doesn't feel any need to offer any more explanation than that. That's explanation enough as it is.]

[shutterbugged]

[Peter, meanwhile, silently marvels that he and Flash Thompson are collaborating on a decision that involves sports and physical activity.]

Come on, Val, you're a scientist. You of all people should know you don't have grounds to say you won't like something until you've tried it.

[smarterthandad]

[Flash is obviously a lost cause, but Val is not going to forget this betrayal, Peter.]

If we had to test every inductive conclusion no one would ever get anything done.

[It might be more sophisticated than just yelling "NO!" at things she doesn't like, but the motivation is identical.]

[symbionic]

This isn't up for experiment.

[It is just going to happen, because they decided it, and it's better this way. Although it probably would be easier to take it if she did shout NO! and stomp her feet and have a temper tantrum.]

It'll be good for you.

[shutterbugged]

[Peter is making a valiant effort to hide how hilarious he finds this butting of heads -- battle of the blondes? -- with mixed success.]

It's happening, Val, whether you like it or not. Consider it a condition of your release.

[smarterthandad]

Then I'll stay grounded, thanks.

[What facade of contrition she was managing to keep in place is rapidly wearing away under this barrage of unreasonable expectations from the adults.]

[symbionic]

That's not an option.

[And it's not surprising that she tries to pull it, either. Peter had warned him this would be a tough sell. But if there's one thing that Flash Thompson is good at, it is stubbornly and pointlessly defending a position no matter how stupid it is.]

[shutterbugged]

As a matter of fact, there's no reason we can't get started right now. We don't have a bike for you yet, but how about a game of catch?

[He's only been parenting for a few months and he's already figured out that "question which is not actually a question" tone of voice.]

[smarterthandad]

I'm not clear why you decided to lead with telling me I was getting time off for good behavior.

[This is not cool.

Val is very much starting to resemble a wet cat, radiating that same air of resigned betrayal by a cruel world and the people therein.]