Chapter Text
When Tony called her and asked for a favour, Natasha hadn’t known what to expect.
A favour for Tony Stark could mean multiple different things, and she was just a tad concerned. Not nervous, never nervous, just concerned.
Natasha had been sat alone on the communal floor, thinking about Yelena, thinking about her real mother, thinking about Steve and the other Rogue Avengers and everything that haunted her every day. It was dangerous to be alone, because being alone meant she had nothing to distract herself with. The onslaught of memories from her stolen childhood, from the Red Room, from the fight between her friends taunted her daily.
Now that Tony had asked for a favour, her mind had something else to concentrate on. Natasha was still sat in the same spot, having been told to wait for the billionaire to arrive. With nothing better to do but wallow in the sadness that she usually kept buried down deep in her mind, she agreed. Whatever it was, it was a good distraction for now.
When the lift doors slid open behind her, Natasha didn’t expect the sight she saw when she turned around.
Firstly, she had expected Tony to be alone, which was why she felt her eyebrows raise slightly when she saw there was someone else with him.
A kid who looked no older than sixteen was stood close to Tony, his head down and shoulders hunched. What surprised her even more was that Tony had an arm wrapped around the teenager, his eyebrows furrowed in what only could be described as concern. The kid looked visibly upset.
Natasha immediately hid her surprise in order to see how Tony would react.
When Tony met her eyes, he looked sad.
Tony said nothing, so she didn’t either. Natasha simply watched the man as he led the teenager further into the floor, unable to say she wasn’t shocked by the gentleness of his actions. The only other person that Natasha had seen Tony act this soft with was Pepper, but this was far different.
He looked like a father caring for his son.
Tony. A father.
Some time ago, it would have been insane to even put the words Tony Stark and father in the same sentence. Now, however, as she looked at the sight in front of her, Natasha struggled to believe that there had been a time when she felt that way.
Despite the large amount of questions she had, she kept her expression contained as Tony stopped a few feet behind the couch.
“Guess what, kiddo.” Tony started and nudged the kid’s shoulder. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Stop, Mr. Stark.” The kid whined sadly, but made no move to pull away from the man. “I don’t want to talk about it with anyone.”
“Kid, just look up.” Tony turned to her and made a face that screamed just go along with it. “Trust me.”
With an agitated sigh that would only come from a moody teenager, the kid looked up and made direct eye contact with Natasha. She smiled, mostly because she didn’t know what else to do, as he watched the realisation dawn on the boy’s face. His jaw fell slack, eyes wide. One, which had a fading bruise on it.
It was obvious that he’d been punched.
“You’re Black Widow!” The kid exclaimed in a squeaky voice. Whatever sadness that had been there previously was gone immediately and was replaced with pure, genuine excitement. “An Avenger!”
Natasha tried not to wince. The reminder of the Avengers made her heart pang sadly, longing for the family that she’d gained.
“Hello.” Natasha replied and maintained her smile.
“This is Peter.” Tony gestured to the shocked kid. “He’s my intern.”
Natasha tilted her head in thought. She looked between the two of them and saw the similarities between them immediately. Brown hair, brown eyes, similar mannerisms. The moment they walked into the room, Natasha had assumed the kid, Peter, was Tony’s secret son.
“Is he your son?” Natasha asked, deciding to be upfront about it. Peter’s eyes became even more wide and Tony spluttered.
“No.” Tony shook his head, though when he looked at Peter, his eyes were soft. “He’s not.”
“I’m not.” Peter replied, though he looked like he felt different. Natasha could see right through both of them - whether they were blood related or not, they were a father and son. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out, if the arm still wrapped around Peter’s shoulders told her anything. “It’s super cool to meet you, Ms. Romanoff!”
Natasha’s lips quirked at the politeness.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Peter. You can call me Natasha.”
Peter’s jaw dropped again, but he recovered quicker this time.
“Okay!”
“Good luck with that one.” Tony scoffed. “I’ve been trying for months to get this kid to call me Tony, but he always insists on calling me Mr. Stark. Makes me feel old.”
“I’m going to put my backpack away.” Peter’s expression turned mischievous as he turned to Tony. “That’s because you are old, Mr. Stark.”
Tony rolled his eyes, but Natasha saw the parental love that overtook his expression as he watched Peter return to the lift.
Once the doors closed, Natasha quirked an eyebrow when Tony turned back to face her.
“So, what’s that favour you wanted from me?” She asked as she settled back into the couch. “You sure Peter’s not yours?”
“Nat, he’s not.” Tony collapsed onto the couch beside her with a heavy sigh. When Natasha looked at him disbelievingly, he sighed again and threw his head back. “You’re exactly like Rhodey, Jesus Christ. Peter’s not my biological kid, I promise.”
“But he’s still your kid, right?” Natasha asked quietly.
Tony immediately softened.
“Yeah.”
That made Natasha smile.
“So, your favour?”
“Oh, right, yes.” Tony straightened up. “You’ve actually already done it. Thanks.”
“Really?”
“Mhm. Kid’s had a rough day and I needed something to cheer him up.” Tony gestured to Natasha. “Hence, you. He adores you and the… others. I knew meeting one of his heroes would make him feel better. He’s probably on FaceTime with his best friend Ted right now, freaking out that he just met his favourite Avenger. Ted is a huge fan too, I can imagine he’d be so jealous.”
“You mean his second favourite Avenger?” Natasha smirked. “You’re telling me Peter’s not a huge Iron Man fan?”
“Oh, of course he is.” Tony puffed his chest. “I am the best.”
“You keep telling yourself that, old man.”
When silence lapsed between them after their shared laughter, Natasha saw Tony turn to her in the corner of her eye with a frown on his face. She sensed the question coming, and quietly steeled herself for the lie she was sure to tell.
“You alright?” Tony eventually asked, a lot more genuine than she’d ever seen him. There had been a few moments like this over the past few months after the fight with Steve and Bucky, where Tony would be different, and Natasha had a pretty good feeling that the kid had something to do with the change. “You seem off.”
“I’m fine.” Natasha smiled, but she knew it looked forced. Yelena’s face flashed through her mind for a moment, and for a split second, he even considered telling Tony about her. However, she quickly squashed the feeling down. Her past was something she wanted to forget. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Have you had anyone else to talk to?” Tony was still looking at her, analysing her. It wasn’t often that their roles were switched. “Or have you been sitting up here on your own all day?”
“Maybe.” Natasha shrugged. “But I’m okay.”
“Sure.” Tony finally took his gaze off her. “You’re welcome to hang out with the kid and I. He’s staying for a few hours before he goes home.”
“Who does he live with?” Natasha asked out of genuine curiosity. “How did you even meet him? I didn’t think teenagers could be interns for Stark Industries. He’s still in high school, correct?”
Tony seemed to freeze up for a moment, which Natasha found interesting.
“He lives with his Aunt in Queens. Peter’s a smart kid. Smarter than some of the people employed for SI. I saw his application, and decided he was a perfect fit for my… personal intern.”
Tony was lying, Natasha knew it, and Tony knew she knew it.
The longer she thought about it, the more things clicked into place.
The new guy that had fought with them at the airport, Spider-Man. Spider-Man, who sounded incredibly young, and a lot like Peter. Tony’s behaviour improvement over the past few months, the panic she’d seen on his face the day when Spider-Man was mentioned to be injured on a news broadcast.
Suddenly, it all made sense.
Peter was Spider-Man.
“He’s Spider-Man, isn’t he?”
Tony sighed. “Nothing gets past you, does it?”
“Of course not.” Natasha nudged Tony’s elbow. “I won’t tell anyone his secret.”
“He’ll freak out that you know.” Tony looked guilty. “But he really is a smart kid, and he does do some intern stuff around here sometimes. We just happened to meet through his… extracurricular activity.”
“I won’t tell anyone, Tony. You know I won’t.”
“Thanks. The kid would thank you too.”
Natasha nodded.
As if it was perfectly timed, the lift doors opened again, and Peter came out. When Natasha saw the look on his face, she was sure that he had heard everything they were saying. He looked worried, and Tony must’ve seen it too, given the large sigh he let out like he dealt with this every day.
He probably did, but Natasha had been none the wiser.
She was a trained spy, yet Tony had still managed to sneak this past her.
“Were you eavesdropping again?” Natasha watched as Peter walked around the couch and slumped next to Tony. The black eye had already faded in the time that he’d been here, which Natasha found fascinating. Super healing and super hearing. “How much did you hear, kiddo?”
“Only the last bit. I’m sorry, I can’t help it.”
“I meant what I said, Peter.” Natasha looked at the teen directly in the eye when he lifted his head. “I won’t tell anyone.”
“Thanks, Natasha.” Peter smiled in gratitude then quickly looked away and hid his face in Tony’s shoulder.
Natasha, even having only known this kid for a few minutes, could never imagine Peter getting in a physical fight. Whoever had given him the black eye, it had to be a bully. It was obvious Peter was shy, whether it be because of her or because he was just shy around new people, and she almost couldn’t believe the sight in front of her. Especially when Tony placed a kiss on the top of the boy’s head and wrapped his arm around his shoulders once again.
“Why don’t you ever call me Tony?” Tony snapped playfully and broke Natasha’s train of thought. “You’ll call Nat by her first name, but not me. What gives, kid?”
Peter said nothing, but he did laugh. Natasha found her heart full at the interaction.
But then, the heaviness returned when she was reminded that she’d never be able to have a child of her own.
“Do you like video games?” It was Peter who broke her train of thought this time. He looked incredibly nervous, one of his hands gripping on Tony’s sleeve. Tony looked incredibly amused by his kid’s nerves, and also turned to face Natasha. “We usually play Mariokart on Thursday’s. Do you want to play too? We have an extra controller!”
Natasha had played a few video games with Clint’s kids, but she’d never played Mariokart before, strangely enough. She’d watched, but never played.
“Sure, I’d like that.”
Peter seemed delighted by her response, and just like that, all the kid’s nerves seemed to disappear. Natasha and Tony watched as the kid raced over to the Nintendo Switch, which Natasha had noticed had appeared by the TV months ago out of nowhere, and grabbed the controllers.
It was so obvious, yet so not obvious. Natasha should’ve known when that Switch appeared, she should’ve known when she saw Tony’s reaction to the Spider-Man news. She was a little miffed that she’d missed all the signs.
Well, if she was honest, she had been far too lost in her own head lately to notice much. It was like the break up of the Avengers had triggered all her past memories, trauma and regrets.
With a short sigh, she shook her head and pushed the thoughts down to worry about later.
Natasha was skeptical about Mariokart, but it turned out to be a lot fun. The three of them were all very competitive, which ended in some pretty close finishes and a lot of yelling, mostly from Tony and Peter. Tony completely surprised her, he was good at the game.
Natasha found that she had genuine fun for the first time in years.
That night as she laid in bed, her chest felt heavy with sadness, with grief.
Grief for a life she never got to have, grief for the fact that she’d never get to have children thanks to the Red Room. Neither would Yelena, or any of the other girls who had been there with them. Grief that both of her families were no longer families.
A lone tear slipped from her eye before she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
-
Turns out, Peter’s visits to the Compound were a lot more common than Natasha had thought. It was yet another thing that Tony had snuck under her nose.
Now that she knew about the kid’s existence, Tony seemed to bring him to the communal floor more often than not. As the weeks passed, Natasha found herself growing a bond with Peter, who always seemed over the moon to see her.
They played Mariokart again many times, along with some other games. Sometimes, it reminded her of Clint when Peter mentioned a game she used to play with his kids. The thought of her best friend made her heart heavy, but each time, she forced the pain away and reminded herself that pain only made her stronger.
Having a kid like Peter around also proved to be a very good distraction from the mess that went on inside of her own head.
Tony was right. Peter was a good kid. Very smart, empathetic, and overall just innocent.
It seemed that Peter also gave Tony several heart attacks most days with his alter ego. To Natasha’s knowledge, Peter went out on what he called patrol every few days, and seemed to have no self preservation skills. From the leaps and swings he did around the city, Natasha could understand Tony’s constant fear of the kid getting hurt. Maybe she even shared the same feeling.
Yet, despite his father’s concern, Peter continued to launch himself around the city without a care in the world.
Typical teenagers.
Tony was a complete mother hen, maybe even a helicopter parent, and Natasha found it adorable.
Tony had come a long way from the man she had met while she was undercover all that time ago.
Back then, Tony hadn’t seemed to care that he was dying. Maybe that was because he didn’t have anything, or anyone, to live for.
It was good to see the man smiling so often and so genuinely, he’d never even been like this with the Avengers even when they were still on good terms. Natasha couldn’t believe how she’d missed the differences in her friend for months.
Today it was Friday, and the kid was staying the night at the Compound like he did every Friday. This time they were in the lab, Peter’s desk already set up and ready to go. Natasha sat in the corner, eyeing Tony who was stood in a precarious position as he fiddled with the Iron Man suit. Any moment, Natasha was sure that ladder would fall and the billionaire would fall with it.
Thankfully, nothing of the sort happened, and Natasha could relax when the man had his two feet back on the floor again.
“Young Peter and Mr. Hogan have arrived, sir. Peter is currently on his way up.”
“Good, good.” Tony immediately seemed to light up.
“I believe Peter is upset.” Both Natasha and Tony’s heads snapped up. “I am unsure what is the cause of his distress, but his stress levels are rising quickly.”
“Shit.” Tony was already out of his seat and heading toward the lift. “Poor kid can’t catch a break.”
When the lift doors slid open, Natasha frowned at the look on Peter’s face. He’d obviously been crying, or was close to it, and immediately accepted Tony’s comfort when it was offered. Natasha watched awkwardly from the other side of the room, worried when he heard a near-silent sob come from the teen.
Usually, Peter was fairly happy. Although Natasha was curious about how he’d gotten the black eye, she never asked. That was the only time that she’d seen Peter anything other than happy.
“What’s wrong, Bambi?” Tony asked, his voice filled with worry. He had Peter wrapped up in his arms, chin resting on the top of his head as he rubbed the boy’s back. “Did something happen at school?”
Whatever Peter’s response was, Natasha didn’t hear it. Suddenly, she felt out of place here, like she was intruding on Peter’s privacy.
He would probably be embarrassed that she was still here watching him break down.
“I’ll head back downstairs.” Natasha said as she got up and walked across the lab.
When she reached Tony and Peter, Tony was looking at her apologetically. Natasha smiled and shook her head dismissively, then glanced down at Peter.
Peter still had his head buried in Tony’s chest, face not visible, but his entire body was trembling with the effort to keep the sobs at bay. It broke her heart, and before she could think about what she was doing, she rested a hand on the boy’s back. It must’ve been her instincts from years ago, when her and Yelena were small, that made her act like this.
“I hope you feel well soon.” She said, then pulled away.
With one final glance at Tony, Natasha stepped into the lift and watched the doors close.
By the time she was back on the communal floor, Natasha felt exhausted and worried. She slumped into her usual place on the couch and pulled her knees to her chest, thankful to have dressed in something comfortable. She rested her chin on her knees and closed her eyes.
It was unusual for her to feel so vulnerable, to feel so exposed. Seeing Peter like that reminded her so much of Yelena that it hurt. The thought of a family was always a tough subject for her, even with her time spent with the Barton’s and the Avengers.
She should’ve gone back for her sister.
Worst thing was, she didn’t even know why her emotions were all over the place. Maybe it had been brewing for a long time and she just hadn’t realised, and seeing the usually bright and happy child so sad…
Or, she hadn’t seen that kind of innocence she saw in Peter since that day her and Yelena were sedated on that airport runway.
Natasha didn’t know how much time passed before she heard the lift open. Immediately, she straightened herself up and wiped the tears that had managed to fall, forcing a neutral expression onto her face as she turned to face the father and son.
Peter looked better, though his eyes were red and there was residue of tears on his cheeks. Tony frowned the moment his eyes met Natasha’s, but he said nothing as he led Peter over to the couch.
The kid sat down beside her, obviously nervous again, which hadn’t really occurred since their first meeting. When he looked at Natasha, he seemed to notice the pain that must’ve been showing on her face, because he frowned. Then, without a word, he leant his head on her shoulder like she’d seen him do with Tony many times.
Natasha froze up for a moment, before she hesitantly rested her head on top of Peter’s. Tony rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, a silent comfort, one he probably never would have done if he never met Peter.
“You guys hungry for some pizza right now?”
“Okay Mr. Stark.” Peter’s voice was small. “Nat?”
“Alright.”
“You heard them, Fri.”
With one final squeeze of Natasha’s shoulder and a ruffle of Peter’s hair, Tony made his way around the couch and sat down on the other side of Peter. The man seemed more concerned than he ever had, but still didn’t say anything as he started flicking through some movies.
“Can we watch the Lady and the Tramp, please, Mr. Stark?”
“Sure we can, kiddo.” Tony patted Peter’s knee. “We can watch whatever you want.”
It was unsurprising when they spent the rest of the afternoon and evening watching Disney movies. It seemed to lift Peter’s mood, it definitely lifted Natasha’s, and she was thankful to feel some form of content again. Peter remained cuddled up to her side for the majority of the night until he moved away to curl against Tony, clearly tired.
Natasha didn’t mind. It was pretty normal for Peter to gravitate to his father figure the moment he started feeling sleepy. She’d seen it happen a few times, and it warmed her heart every time he did it.
The next time Natasha turned to look at the kid, it was to see that he was asleep. Tony was carding a hand through the teen’s hair, his eyes fixated on the movie that continued to play. When he noticed Natasha looking, however, he seemed to take this as his chance.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She considered the question. Did she?
After she took a deep breath, she glanced back at Peter, who continued to sleep on peacefully.
“He reminds me a lot of my little sister.” Natasha reached forward to brush Peter’s fringe from his eyes. “I don’t know, it just got to me. He’s so young and naive to the horrors of the world, just like she was.”
“You have a sister?” Tony asked.
“Yes.”
“Is she…” Tony trailed, and Natasha knew the word dead was on the tip of his tongue. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know.” Natasha replied. “I haven’t seen her since I escaped the Red Room.”
“Pete felt bad, you know.” Tony laughed softly. Natasha was thankful for the sudden change in topic. “He felt bad because he thought he made you leave.”
“He’s a good kid.” Natasha stroked the boy’s cheek. “Are you sure he’s not your son? He looks exactly like you. Has your brains, too.”
“He’s not my son.” Tony seemed disappointed to say that. “Biologically. He has this way of worming into people’s hearts. Did it with me, did it with Rhodey and Pepper, even Happy fell for his charm. That man would never admit it, but he cares a lot for this kid. Looks like you do too.”
“Did you ever want kids?” Natasha asked.
Tony shrugged. “I’ve thought about it. Do you?”
“I can’t.” Natasha rested a hand on her stomach involuntarily, the phantom pain still there. “The Red Room made sure I couldn’t.”
“Oh.” Tony looked mortified by the implications. “I’m sorry. I never-”
“Don’t worry. I’m fine.” Natasha shrugged Tony’s apology away. “I made peace with it years ago.”
“Did you?” Natasha glanced at Peter again and the way the boy was cuddled close to Tony, who held him almost protectively. Slowly, the tears started to return at the thought of knowing she would never have someone be dependent on her like that. That she’d never be a mother. “If you didn’t, you know that’s okay, right? I know it would’ve been traumatic.”
“When did you become so wise?” Natasha scoffed wetly and swiped away a tear when it dripped down her cheek. “I don’t think about it anymore. I try not to.”
“Thank Pete.” Tony noticeably squeezed his kid tighter. “He made me realise how bad I was at the whole emotions thing. I’m still shit, but I do try.”
“You’ve changed a lot since I first met you.” Natasha replied honestly and wiped under her eyes again. “Even before Peter I knew you had changed. But I see you now and… I’m happy for you. Truly.”
Tony smiled in response, already looking at Peter.
“Thanks, Nat.”
The silence stretched on after that. Struggling to keep ahold of her emotions, Natasha stood.
“I think… I think I’m going to go to sleep.”
“Alright.” Tony reached out and grabbed one of her hands and squeezed. “I’m sorry all that happened to you. I mean it.”
Natasha gave him a watery smile. “I know.”
“Goodnight.” Tony let go and wrapped his arm around Peter once again.
“Goodnight, Tony.”
-
The moment Peter arrived at the Compound Natasha could tell something was off.
“Hi Nat.” The kid tried to smile, but it was wobbly and his eyes were glassy. “Where’s Mr. Stark? FRIDAY won't tell me.”
Natasha didn’t want to break the news to him, but she was the only one here.
Tony, after a pretty brutal verbal lashing from Pepper, had been forced to go to a meeting out of state. Natasha had been present for the entirety of their fight, Tony arguing that he couldn’t leave because of Peter, which Pepper had shot back that he didn’t have a choice.
Now, Natasha was no stranger to Tony and Pepper’s arguments. This time, however, the reason Tony didn’t want to go was because Peter was coming to the Compound. It was Friday, which meant Peter was staying over, and he didn’t want to leave the kid hanging.
Either way, the man had been forced onto that plane.
“He’s not here.” Natasha replied and saw the moment Peter’s face fell. “A meeting came up that he couldn’t say no to. He’ll be back tomorrow night.”
“Oh.” Peter looked down and toed the floor with his shoe.
“Are you alright?” She asked.
“I was just hoping I’d see my Dad today.” Natasha’s eyebrows shot up into her hairline. Whether Peter noticed what he said or not was unknown, but she definitely heard it right. If it had happened before, she was unsure, but she’d never heard Peter call Tony Dad. “I can’t go home, May’s working a double shift and then another tomorrow afternoon.”
If Tony had just missed out on the first time Peter called him Dad, Natasha felt awful for him.
“Come sit.” Natasha patted the space beside her.
Peter made his way over, head hung, fingers nervously twiddling with each other.
“I’m sorry Tony can’t be here.” Natasha wanted to comfort the kid, but she didn’t know how. She wasn’t Tony. “He really wanted to stay here for you. You should’ve heard how much he was arguing with Pepper, FRIDAY could probably show you the footage. You’ll see him tomorrow, though. It’ll be okay.”
Peter smirked a little when he heard about Tony’s arguing, but it faded seconds later.
“I just really hoped I’d see him today.” Peter picked at the hem of his shirt.
As Peter said this, he hunched in on himself and pulled his knees to his chest. Like this, Peter looked so small. He looked like nothing but a young child who wanted their parent, not a super-powered teenager. Well, he already looked young, but like this he looked even younger.
Natasha wished she could demand Tony come back so he could comfort his kid. He would if she called, no matter what Pepper said. But it was an important meeting, and it was better to get it over with so he didn’t have to leave again.
The longer Peter suffered in silence, the more Natasha began to worry.
“Did something happen at school?”
Natasha remembered Tony asking the same question all those weeks ago when Peter walked into the lab crying. When Peter shrugged noncommittally, she knew that meant yes.
“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked, just incase Peter might want to open up. Natasha herself wasn’t the best with emotions, and felt the furthest out of her comfort zone than she had in years. Sure, she’d cared for her little sister when they were small, but this was different. In this situation, she was the adult, not the scared little kid she had been. “If you don’t, that’s okay too.”
“Just some annoying kid from school.” Peter sniffed and wiped his eyes, which had spilled over while he spoke. Unable to just sit there and watch Peter cry, Natasha rested a hand on the boy’s back and rubbed it in the same way she would have for Yelena. “He… said some stuff.”
“Is he the one who gave you the black eye?” Peter tensed.
“Yeah.”
“So, this kid is a bully then.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
So, Natasha had been right in thinking that Peter would never voluntarily get in a fight.
She thought about asking him for names, but held back. Instead, Natasha let the anger boil in her stomach as she analysed Peter, hating how upset he looked. Peter refused to look at her, cheeks flushed red in what was probably embarrassment.
After a while of silence, Peter eventually moved. At first, Natasha thought he was going to head up to Tony’s penthouse, but instead the teen laid down and hesitantly rested his head in her lap. Natasha had seen him do this with Tony, which was why she knew to start carding her hands through his curls.
Peter’s tears continued to fall, and all Natasha could do was sit there and watch, knowing she wasn’t the person that he wanted.
He wanted his Dad.
“I have a sister.” Natasha began, her voice quiet. “Her name’s Yelena. You remind me of her.”
“Is that a good thing?”
Natasha smiled fondly.
“Yes. She was very strong, just like you.” Natasha’s smile began to fall with guilt. “I haven’t seen her for a long time, though.”
“Where is she now?”
As Peter peered up at her, eyes glassy, Natasha couldn’t help the way her own eyes burned.
“I don’t know.”
“Oh.” Peter looked away. “I don’t have any siblings. My parents died when I was five.”
“I’m sorry.” Natasha wiped a tear away from the boy’s cheek. “I never knew my mother. She abandoned me when I was a baby. I think about her every day, even though I tell myself that I don’t.”
Maybe she shouldn’t be unloading this onto a teenager, given the way Peter reacted. He looked up at her sadly, before he rolled over and hugged her. His face was hidden in her stomach, shoulders trembling, and it broke her heart. Natasha only let herself be surprised for a moment before she gently returned the hug.
Peter felt like a little brother and a son at the same time.
To Natasha, she felt the same toward Peter that she did towards Clint’s kids. Even though he was older than them, he shared the same innocence that they had. She felt protective, the same way she had over Yelena the day they were brought to the Red Room. Natasha found herself wanting to go after that bully that had hurt Peter.
“You’re strong too.” Peter muttered a little while later.
“Pain only makes us stronger.” Natasha echoed Melina’s words from all those years ago.
“Mhm.” Petter hummed in agreement. “You’ve always been my favourite Avenger. After Mr. Stark, obviously.”
Natasha let out a surprised, quiet laugh. “He’ll be so happy to hear that.”
“Why did he have to go today?” Peter muttered. “I don’t like Pepper right now.”
“He’ll be back before you know it.” Natasha rubbed the boy’s shoulder. “Want to watch a movie?”
“Okay.” Peter hugged her for a few more seconds before he sat up. “What movie do you want to watch?”
“Whatever you want.”
Peter considered the question.
“Have you ever seen Star Wars?”
She had, but from the sudden excitement that shone in the kid’s teary eyes, Natasha lied and shook her head.
“Great!” Peter smiled, his usual huge grin returning.
Natasha was content to list to Peter’s long-winded explanation of the Star Wars series, even though she’d seen them all already with Clint and his kids. A few movies in, Peter tired himself out, and fell asleep right there with his head on her shoulder.
Natasha remained there for another hour or so to watch the end of the movie, before she gently detached herself from Peter and placed one of the couch pillows under his head. She then grabbed a spare blanket from her room and draped it over the kid’s small form, smiling softly when Peter muttered something and nuzzled deeper into the pillow.
With that, she muttered a quiet goodnight to the snoozing kid and headed towards her room.
That night, despite the pain that still weighed heavy on her chest, Natasha fell asleep with a smile on her face.
-
When Tony returned the next night, Natasha was relieved to see Peter’s sprits lift. While he hadn’t been as upset as he had when he arrived, the teen had spent the day sat in his room in the penthouse, which he eventually let Natasha in asked if she wanted to play video games with him.
And of course Natasha agreed.
They were in the middle of another Mariokart game when there was a knock on the door. Peter dropped his controller like it had electrocuted him, a huge, relieved smile on his face whet he door opened to reveal Tony on the other side. The man looked exhausted, the bags under his eyes more prominent than they had been when he left, but that didn’t stop the smile.
“Dad!” Peter burst out, then immediately flushed red. “Um- I mean, Mr. Stark.”
Natasha watched Tony’s expression carefully. The man’s eyes had widened slightly, but his smile never fell. Instead, it looked like the man was about to cry. Maybe this really had been the first time that Peter had ever called Tony Dad.
It made her smile, too.
Tony then opened his arms. “Well, are you gonna give me a hug or what, Underoos?”
Peter recovered from his embarrassment enough to rush off the bed and crash into Tony. The hug looked bone-crushing, but neither father or son seemed to mind. Natasha watched on with a fond, but sad, smile.
“So, kiddo, what’ve you and Nat been getting up to while I was gone?”
“We watched Star Wars!” Peter was still glued to Natasha’s side, beaming up at his father. “We also played video games, didn’t we, Aunt Nat?”
Peter watched her nervously after he said it, eyes worried. Natasha, much like Tony had looked, froze like a deer in headlights before she too smiled. If her eyes were watery, no one mentioned it as she nodded in affirmation.
For the rest of the night, Tony joined them in Peter’s room and watched them play video games. Peter was squished between them, happily chattering away about anything and everything with his Dad. Natasha listened quietly, the soft smile never leaving her face as she aimlessly continued playing the game.
Later, after Peter had fallen asleep, Natasha and Tony sat in the living room.
“I’m going to look for her.”
“Hm?”
“Yelena. I’m going to look for her.”
Tony looked at her for a moment, before he smiled.
“Don’t get yourself killed, Peter would be devastated.” While the man’s tone was joking, there was underlying seriousness that Natasha could sense. She was very aware of how many people Peter had lost in his life and how much trauma he’d been through at such a young age. “I mean it, though. Be careful. I don’t want to lose you either.”
“I will.” Natasha elbowed Tony playfully. “Still weird to see you care so much.”
“Please, I’ve always cared.” Tony shrugged. “I guess that’s what happens when you get a kid.”
Even though Natasha still felt that hollow feeling whenever family was mentioned, it didn’t hurt as much now.
Maybe, in some far away world one day, she could have a family again.
One day.