The Ethics of Stealing
AN: I had tea with my demons, and they threw it back in my face. I don't know if I need to brew different tea leaves, or if it was a lesson in not giving your demons boiling hot water. Perhaps next time I should try iced tea…
WHY SPIDER-MAN: Because I wanted more Natasha (more than her reading in the library rafters anyway) and more Potterverse/MCU mesh. And yes, I have a plot, and no, I'm not going to warn you when the proverbial bombs go off.
Chapter 12 - The Ethics of Stealing
Natasha woke Peter with a pillow to his face.
Peter jolted out of bed, he tumbled to the ground, and was up on his feet in a fighting stance a moment later.
Natasha pointed a finger gun at him, and said, "Bang, bang."
He frowned at her, then rubbed his eyes, "Do you always wake your guests up like that?"
"I was testing your spidey senses. In this scenario, you would be dead, so it appears I have things to teach you."
He pulled a shirt off from the ground, "So your version of homeschooling is ninja training?"
"I read your background report, Peter. You don't need to learn algebra, and history you'll have to pick up along the way. No, what you need is a lab, tools to tinker with, and a sketchbook. You are likely the most tech-savvy person in this universe, it would be foolish not to take advantage of that."
He pulled on a pair of pants over his boxers, "You're just going to let me do whatever I want for the next two years?"
"Creatively, scientifically, and mechanically, yes, though we will be discussing the ethics and possible dangers of any and all of your inventions. I'm sure Tony, or the news, informed you of the repercussions are of doing 'whatever you want'."
"Okay, cool, and thanks for not forcing me to go to a new school, I don't know if I could-" he cut himself off and Natasha knew what he was going to say.
He didn't know if he could start over and pretend to be normal. Didn't know if he could handle being with new people, especially in a foreign country, time, and universe.
"But what does any of this have to do with waking me up before dawn? It's Saturday, surely I can sleep in on the weekends?"
"Of course," she said with a smile, "You can go back to bed if you want, but Harry and I train each morning, and I thought as an Avenger, you might like to join us."
His frown fading, he said, "Give me two minutes to use the bathroom and brush my teeth."
She nodded, but he had already bolted out of the room
Natasha sighed in relief, she had hoped that Peter would be somewhat like Harry, and that Peter's background as an Avenger would press the need in him to do something. Natasha knew a lot about soldiers, spies, and athletes. Typically, when you dumped a world-altering change on them, they wanted to act, to move their bodies in place of what their mind and words maybe weren't ready to process.
MJ was going to be harder, Natasha had a little experience with Clint's daughter Lila, but Lila was younger than MJ. Natasha was in over her head in with a teenage daughter, but she would do her best and most importantly, she would care.
And giving a shit was half the battle with being a guardian.
Natasha left a note on both the fridge and coffee table, Peter and I went for a run, will be back at 8 am.
oOo
Peter was uncharacteristically quiet on their jog over to the castle, although he seemed to snap out of it when the met Harry at the perimeter.
Harry's green eyes were and he held out his hand before Peter could so much voice a hello.
"You're Peter Parker, Spider-Man. It's really cool to meet you, sorry about your universe displacement though," Harry said with about as much excitement as Natasha was expecting. Spider-Man was one bedtime story she had to repeat many a night, and she had been able to give too many details because meeting a person and knowing their file wasn't the same thing as knowing a person.
Peter smiled warmly, and shook her son's hand, "It's cool to meet you too. You're Black Widow's son. No one else in the Avengers was my age, I was by the far the youngest."
"That's not true," Natasha said with a grin, "Vision was three years old, and Groot wasn't ten yet."
Peter rolled his eyes, "Yeah but Vision isn't a kid, he's… not human, he's not even an alien, he's just other. And Groot is a tree."
Harry laughed, "You can call me Harry, and I'm two years younger than you if it makes you feel better."
Peter grinned, and before they could get going Natasha said, "We can talk as we jog, boys, let's go the day isn't getting any younger."
"Technically," Peter quipped, "The day hasn't really started seeing as the sun isn't up yet."
Harry let out a surprised laugh.
Great, Natasha thought, now I have two smart asses. She smiled fondly and said, "We could always start earlier, fear of darkness is something we really should help you work through."
Peter grinned and he set off at a steady pace, Harry all but skipping after him.
He was meeting one of his heroes in the flesh and blood after all.
"So," Peter began, "who's your favourite Avenger?"
"You mean aside from my mom? Clint Barton, obviously."
"Obviously?" Peter exclaimed, "How is Hawkeye anyone's obvious choice?"
Harry smirked at him, "Because he's literally the only Avenger without superpowers or who doesn't hide behind a suit."
"Said the wizard."
Harry smile had an edge of venom to it, "I don't need my magic to kick butt, and neither does Clint. He's able to keep up with everyone and take out just as many foes, his aim is just that good."
Peter made a face but good naturedly ceded the point, "I guess that's true. Heck, neither does Nick Fury and he runs the Avengers. I mean, sort of runs, Tony did most of the work after everything."
"Tony does not do most of the work," Natasha interceded, "I won't say he wasn't a major contributor in those years but the Avengers existed before him, and despite what Fury would like people to believe, SHIELD existed long before him as well."
"Yeah, but without Tony everyone would be dead," Peter argued.
"It's a team, Peter, without the rest, yourself included, Tony would have died a thousand times over."
Something crossed his face but Harry asked, "So, is Iron Man your favourite, then? You know, aside from yourself."
Peter's expression went back to cheerful but Natasha noted the shadows in his eyes, which was only to be expected, he might never see Stark again, might never see home again.
"I am so not my favourite," he said, "Top ten, definitely, but… Tony is always going to be my favourite Avenger."
"My heart is broken," Natasha said, putting the back of her hand to her forehead in a dramatic gesture.
Peter laughed as Harry snorted.
"You're definitely the most beautiful," Peter said to assuage her, then immediately turned beat red.
Harry laughed, then punched the other boy's shoulder, "Come on, man, that's my mom."
Natasha flipped her hair, "He's only speaking truth, son, don't intercede on people giving me compliments."
"Who's your second favourite?" Harry asked.
"Captain American," he answered without missing a beat, though he wouldn't look at Natasha when he spoke.
"Did you really steal his shield?"
Peter smiled proudly, "I did."
"So awesome, his expression must have been priceless."
"It was a good moment. I also took out Ant-Man that day, he was giant and he went down like one of those walkers from the Empire Strikes back." Peter frowned, "You do have those movies in this universe right?"
Harry grinned, "Yep, we rented them on VCR."
"You're so old," Peter teased.
Harry stuck his tongue out, "Just wait, even as time goes on you're still going to have problems, most electronics break down around us. We've had pretty good success with TV's but other stuff goes haywire."
"Yeah, I noticed, why is that exactly?"
"We're not completely sure," Natasha said, "And this magic isn't like the magic I encountered in our universe. It doesn't follow any laws but its own and even that isn't a sure thing."
"Strange…" Peter said, and she could see the gears turning as the sun rose, "So you guys' magic doesn't work at all like wizards like Dr. Strange then?"
"No," Natasha answered, "from what I understood, Strange's magic was more a manipulation of energy, our magic is more innate."
"Is MJ going to have a hard time with it?"
"She might, she may not. Harry was born with it, and I wasn't, yet I had an easier time with it. Though that might have been because I am an adult and some control is much like another."
"It's alright, Peter, MJ will have me," Harry offered.
What Natasha was appreciating as Peter's ever ready smile brightened his face, "I don't even know you, but that does make me feel better. You're like an honorary Avenger."
Harry's answering smile warmed Natasha. Part of her mandate that they settle for three years was to get him to open up to other people, let them in. But even after a few weeks, he hadn't made much progress. Not with his classmates or his parents.
But Peter and MJ came from her world, and in some ways, they were closer to the reality that Harry had grown up trying to understand. He was probably one of the most travelled, worldly teenagers on the planet, but their bond was prinicple.
And as much as Natasha loved her son, she knew that in order for Harry to grow into a happy, healthy adult, she needed to push him out of the nest. Watching him and Peter jogging together, talk between them flowing easily, she thought he might leap out of the nest on his own.
It was both a good thing and a notion that scared her down to her core. Ironic, seeing as she's the one who had been teaching him to fly. Clint hadn't warned her about this part of parenting.
oOo
Natasha and Peter made it back to her apartment as MJ was exiting her room. She blinked at them, her bed head a mass around her face, her shoulders slumped.
"Morning," she said, and as both Natasha and Peter greeted her, MJ had already turned into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. The snick of the lock effectively cutting them both off.
"You can use the master bathroom, I'll wait," Natasha said.
And looking as worried as she felt for MJ, Peter disappeared into her room, leaving Natasha standing alone in the hallway, faced with whole infinity of new responsibilities.
After Harry, she had sort of wanted more children, she was regretting that wish and bargaining with whatever powers had dumped this on her that she had at no point asked for two more teenagers.
Albus Dumbledore was many things, but surprised wasn't often one that came to mind.
Until lately.
Of course, Albus wasn't exactly surprised. No. He was absolutely furious.
The headline of the Daily Prophet read thus: POTTERS AND MALFOY CALL FOR ALBUS DUMBLEDORE TO STEP DOWN AS HEADMASTER AT HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY!
Not only was this an unprecedented request, but to have the Potters, the Potters, ask for his dismissal was every shade of unacceptable.
The Potters were his, and this betrayal… it could not be forgiven. And their reasoning:
-Mr. Lucius Malfoy and his wife Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy have long made their views about Headmaster Dumbledore as an open disapproval, and this, of course, is not the first time Mr. Malfoy has requested his dismissal.
-However, any case against the widely popular, Greatest Wizard of Our Age, Mr. Albus Dumbledore has been tossed out before reaching serious scrutiny. As Headmaster and Professor, Mr. Dumbledore is loved by the majority of his students, and except for the squib, Argus Filch, is adored by his staff. Hogwarts has been kept in complete safety under Headmaster Dumbledore's tenure. Most notable in the war against He Who Must Not Be Named, the Hogwarts' barriers were never breached and no evil was brought in from the outside. This was a blessing for those parents who feared the sanctuaries of their homes.
-But this week, the Headmaster may be facing the dawn of his retirement. As the Aurors Mr. James Potter, Mrs. Lily Potter, and Mr. Sirius Black have all come out to speak against the current administration at Hogwarts. Ranked as listed, these three Aurors are known as the most ruthless, cleverest, and just plain powerful Aurors to serve the Ministry of Magic in the last two hundred years. Only criminals known to leave the country have ever escaped them, their case closer rates the highest to date. And most peculiarly to this report, they are known to be close associates, if not friends, of Mr. Dumbledore.
-So the question everyone is asking: why have the Potters taken such a public stand against the Headmaster? Why have the Potters aligned themselves with the Malfoys of whom no cordial relations have ever been witnessed?
-Simply, the Boy Who Lived's return to the Wizarding World.
-Harry Potter (AKA Harry Romanoff) was maliciously entered into the Triwizard Tournament. The Potters have been rightly outraged at the danger their long lost son faces, being that he is three years younger than the other champions as well as lacking a formal magical education. While the Boy Who Lived kept his title among the breathing, performing extraordinary athletics in retrieving his egg from a Hungarian Horntail, he won without casting a spell. If the boy continues competing without relying on magic, the next two tasks may prove fatal.
-Mr. and Mrs. Potter have, rightly, expressed extreme worry for their son, as well as Headmaster Dumbledore's apparent lack of investigation, or even desire to investigate the circumstances of Mr. Romanoff's entrance into the tournament.
-Additionally, into the Headmaster's lack of discipline of his staff. The ex-Auror, Alastor Moody (AKA Madeye Moody), now Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, used in his class undo magical force against Mr. Romanoff. The spell was not disclosed but the incident concluded with Mr. Romanoff striking back with enough force to knock the professor off his feet. Mr. Romanoff was not punished as it was seen as an adequate response of self defense. However, the Potters feel that Madeye should have been put under review and faced some sort of consequence for his uncalled for extremes against a new student, adding to their belief that Mr. Dumbledore be relieved of his position.
-What has us at the Daily Prophet abuzz, as well as those in the Ministry in the loop, is not just that the Potters have come against Mr. Dumbledore who they were allies with, nor just that they are publicly questioning the ex-Auror who trained them, but that they have done so with and supported by the Malfoys. Historically, these two families have never gotten along, and their agreement alone puts Headmaster Dumbledore in deep water.
-What will come of this request for the Headmaster's retirement is unclear. The public backlash though is prophesied to be interesting.
-Andy Smudgley, Daily Prophet, December 8th, 1994
Albus wanted to burst into flame, even he was going to have a hard time overcoming this. Voldemort's death had not ceased fire, the years after hadn't been as dark as wartime, but it couldn't be called a time of peace. But the Potters and Black had risen from the ashes of their broken hearts and enforced the law with a brutality that was frightening.
They had never killed anyone, hadn't even permanently injured anyone, but thanks to them, every Death Eater who remained in the country was unearthed. There investigation skills, their intuition as defining as their excellence in magic. It was the courts who let people slip or the international laws that ever slowed them down.
The Potters were basically the ones responsible for making Knockturn Alley habitable. No, it was still wasn't a good area, it remained a poor magical neighbourhood, but a child could walk down the street at night with reasonable safety. The Potters had cut the magical black market in the UK off at the knees. They were also the ones responsible for increasing rights, or at least treating magical creatures with civility while still enforcing public safety. The Potters, in many regards, were the Auror's Aurors. They were the people sought out if there was a real problem or if someone needed a sensitive type of help.
If it wasn't for their obsession with finding their son in their spare time, they would have outranked Amelia Bones and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Both of whom were powerful in their own right, and arguably better at politics. But the Potters, and even Black, were as the muggles might say, the better cops.
Never in a million years would Albus have predicted the Potters would turn on him.
But so be it, if the Potters wanted a fight, he would give them one.
No matter their track record, they had thrown in with the Malfoys, and in his assertation, that made them no better than Death Eaters.
After reading the paper, Harry understood why Mom had rushed trying to get MJ admitted. No way was Dumbledore going to be giving them any more favours in the future.
Looking up at the table head table he wasn't the least surprised to see his seat absent. Though he noticed that both Professors Snape and McGonagall looked a bit green around the edges, the rest of the professors looked either confused or angry.
Guess which emotion Madeye had landed on?
"Did you know this was coming?" Hermione asked.
"Not really," Harry said, "But my mom was definitely involved, she wouldn't have taken the headmaster's inaction mutely. Though, unlike my birth parents, she probably wouldn't have done something so public."
Padma shook her head, "Harry, this is the first time your bio-parents have done something public. They have refused every reward ever offered to them or opportunity to give public speeches. The Potters and Black are famous in the wizarding world for being badass Aurors. Sometimes, when magical people say to their kids, don't do anything bad or else, they say or else the Potters will catch you. Not Aurors, the Potters."
Neville came up behind them, Harry not surprised because he had caught the shadow in the reflection of his glasses, "My dad says they make the rest of them look lazy. To say the Potters are workaholics is probably the century's largest understatement. My mom still doesn't figure how they had time to look for you and do their jobs."
"Oh that's simple," Padma said reasonably, "they don't sleep."
"So, Harry," Neville redirected, "Did you know this was going to happen?"
"Are people going to be asking me that all day?"
Everyone within hearing distance answered, "Yes."
Padma added cheerfully, "More like until the end of the term."
Harry sighed.
"You just don't understand, Harry," Neville consoled, "This is a huge deal. The Malfoys and the Potters have never gotten along while the Potters and the Albus Dumbledore always have."
One of the older Slytherins who had been eavesdropping leaned across the divide between their tables to say, "They've broken the rules, Romanoff, the very foundation of our times. Slytherins and Gryffindors don't get along, ex-Death Eaters and Aurors don't see eye to eye, and Gryfindor Aurors don't question the rainbow shitting Dumbledore."
"Snape and Mrs. Potter get along," Neville offered.
The brown eyed Slytherin rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but Snape belongs to the Headmaster. And he isn't a pureblood."
Harry sighed again, "I hate politics."
The brown haired boy smiled at him, "Good luck with that."
Fleur who hadn't much to add, patted him on the back.
"It's like being in a movie," Peter said as looked around the store with fascination at the out of date mundane stores.
"Or a book," MJ said, looking around within an impassive expression.
Natasha hadn't yet figured the girl out, but she was happy to see how perceptive she was in every environment.
In some regards, that was almost more important than her physical strength given she was now a witch.
They were currently pursuing a store that sold chemistry sets and science equipment.
Peter kept asking for almost every single item if it was okay for him to add it to their cart with a politeness and hesitation that was enduring.
"So, are you like a super spy in this universe?" MJ asked as Peter began comparing scales. They had to go to a completely different section for scales that weren't electronic.
"I will always be who and what I am, but no, I'm not on any sort of official or active duty."
MJ nodded, her eyes doing a quick survey of the aisle they were in, they were practically alone in the store. Then she asked, "What about in the magical world? Is there, well, is there like threats? Like huge wars and stuff? Or political dangers?"
Clever girl. "Yes and no. They have their own governments, and certainly, there are political tensions. But they aren't currently at war."
"Currently," MJ repeated dryly, she looked out into the room lost in thought.
Peter came back to the oversized cart with another box, "Okay, I think that is the last of it."
"Liar," both MJ and Natasha said.
He frowned at them, "I have more than enough to make do."
"Perhaps, but Peter, I own more phone, internet, software, and hardware shares then nearly anyone on the planet. I can afford to buy this entire store if you wanted. And I would rather not have to make too many trips."
Peter put the box in the cart, said with gratitude, "Thank you," and darted off again.
"How did you get the money to invest in the first place?" MJ asked.
Natasha smiled sweetly, "I wasn't always a US employee."
MJ glared at her sternly, but her lips curved around the edges.
oOo
MJ's mood drastically improved once they went to the bookstore after shrieking Peter's two carts and one trolley of raw materials from the hardware store and science supply store.
As Natasha shadowed Peter as he seemed less averse to company here then MJ.
"MJ reads a lot."
"It's a good hobby."
"I really can't thank you enough, I-"
Natasha waved it away, "It's alright, Peter, I'm happy to have you both. Don't feel indebted to me."
He frowned, "But-"
She looked at him, "I had people help me, I would rather you pass on the favour to someone in the future than ever try to pay me back."
He nodded.
"I'm sorry you lost you universe."
He nodded again, opened his mouth, then shut it, then said softly, "What am I going to tell my Aunt May?"
Natasha didn't point out that he might never get the chance to tell her anything, instead, she said, "That you love her."
Lily was nervous walking into Hogwarts.
"Relax," James said, "Albus isn't going to jump out at us around a corner, and he can't do anything to us without hurting his case against us."
"But what of Harry disapproves?"
"Breathe, Lils, I don't think there was any love lost between Harry and the headmaster."
She tried to settle herself, knowing that it would only make things worse for Harry if she came into their study session stressed out.
Because of course, things were tense enough between them. Harry was waiting for them in the classroom they used last time, his potions supplies set up already.
"Hi, Harry," they said in unison.
Harry smiled at them tightly, "Hi."
Her chest was tight and she tried to shrug it off as she approached the table, "Do you have a potion you wanted to try."
He nodded, "We did this one in class, but I wasn't able to follow everything going on."
"We can do that. How was your week?" she asked.
He shrugged non-committedly and looked at her patiently.
He didn't answer in words nor ask how her week was in return. She thought it was less because he being impolite but because he was trying to make boundaries between them.
"Where is Natasha?" James asked.
"Busy," Harry answered, "But she will be by later."
"What does she do exactly?" Lily asked, a bit of bitterness creeping into her voice.
He smirked at her, "This and that."
Lily fought to keep a scowl off her face.
"Do either of you mind if I stay then? I'm not horrible at potions."
"He's being modest," Lily informed Harry.
James grinned, "No, Lily is, if she is comparing out skills."
"You can stay," Harry said, sounding a bit relieved.
It hurt that he didn't want to be alone with her, but she pushed that feeling aside. Harry didn't owe them anything, she wasn't going to be so emotionally needy that he pushed her further away.
"What's your favourite potion?" Harry asked his father.
"Healing potions, I suppose, Sirius and I get pretty banged up most of the time. I don't know what I would do without magical healing."
Harry turned to her and repeated the question."
"Poly-Juice, I don't enjoy drinking it, but undercover work is fun. And I like catching people off guard. Gender differences mean less here, but it still gets to a lot of wizards if the 'little red head' was the one to take them down."
He stared at her, almost crossly.
"What?" she asked.
He shook his head, "I just… you are going to get along with my mom really well once you get over yourself."
James jumped in with, "So what potion are we working on today?"
Lily was momentarily stunned. She didn't know if she was more hurt that her son thought she was self absorbed or more offended that he had compared to her to the woman who had ruined her life.
Which she realized in a sort of distant way, more or less proved his point. Which made her feel infinitely shitty about herself.
James started pointing out which ingredients to Harry would need, and came close enough to put a warm hand on her lower back, she leaned in to the support, needing that support more than she wanted.
Needed it more than her self absorbed self wanted to admit.
A part of James wanted to be angry with Harry. It was one thing to be uncertain around them, to do heart attack endorsing stunts, but quite another to be rude to his birth mother.
But then, James understood that if it was up to Harry, there would not be any time together at all. It was they who wanted him to be here and Natasha who had enforced it. Because when it came down to it, neither James nor Lily had any say in Harry's life. Harry didn't respect them, Harry didn't want to know them, or spend time with them, it was the woman who raised him, who understood that it was important that he know his family.
And Lily had yet to come to terms with that, and even in her silence, she was demanding so much of Harry that it was only natural that he would push back, want to distance himself further.
By the time Natasha joined them, the potion was finished and the conversation had boiled down to Lily in a sullen silence only speaking up to correct James's answers to Harry's very clinical questions.
Harry, for once, wasn't the only one relieved to see the other fiery haired witch.
Natasha, as what James was coming to understand was the Natasha Way, was able to ascertain the mood and happenings of the room in a momentary assessment.
Merlin, she would have made a great Auror.
"I can't leave the two of you alone for a moment, can I?"
Lily scowled at her, her lips pulling back in a near snarl.
James, however, stood and smiling a welcome he said, "Natasha, how are you?"
She smiled, laughter in her cat green eyes, "I'm well, James, how are you?"
Teasing her a bit, he brought out his truly upper crest accent he had learned from his grandmother, "Pleasantly well, it is a fine day."
To James's astonishment, it was Harry who let out a small laugh.
Accents, James would remember that. Long ago, he had been funny, a prankster, someone more prone to jokes than reality, but that had been a very long time ago indeed.
Natasha was a bit fed up with Lily Potter.
Yes, she had every right in the world to be upset, to be wrong footed, but she had to understand that it was not Harry's responsibility to make her feel better about herself.
In fact, even if Harry did open his heart up, no holds barred, Lily was still going to have to deal with the emotional fallout of the last decade. There was nothing Harry could possibly do or say to fix her heart for her.
Of course, Harry wasn't exactly helping matters. Natasha had spotted that edge of guilt in his gaze that told her he had misspoken or been rude in some way that even he thought hadn't been appropriate.
But he was still a teenager, he had every right to make mistakes, and for all her broken parts, Lily was still the adult. If she wanted to be a mother figure in any way, she was going to have to put herself together.
Because if raising Harry had taught Natasha one thing, it was that the needs of the child must always outweigh the needs of the parents. That shouldn't be taken to extremes, but that was the correct balance, the balance that allowed for kids to be kids, allowed for kids to feel confident in the knowledge that they were loved.
"What happened?" Natasha asked finally as they walked the halls together.
James and Harry had already gone out to the pitch to practice transfiguration. She wondered if James had the nerves to try flying lessons again.
"Nothing."
"Bull shit."
Lily glared at her, her magic giving her eyes the appearance of finely cut emeralds lit from behind. "Fuck off."
The corridor they were in, one that Natasha favoured because it was one of the least adorned with portraits, was empty of students. She grabbed Lily's wand arm and proceeded to pin her to the stone wall, back first.
"Get off me!" she snarled, bringing up her leg to do damage as Natasha had made it impossible for her to go for her wand.
Natasha stepped into the other woman, halting most basic-self defence manoeuvres Lily might have utilized. "What the hell did you do? Harry looked downright contrite and James looked pleased to see me."
"I didn't do anything," Lily said struggling, "Bloody-hell! How strong are you?"
She ignored that question. She was one of the Soviets' attempts to recreate Captain America. And though she wasn't quite as strong as him, not quite as invincible, she wasn't human normal either.
"Just tell me, and I'll let you go."
Emerald eyes, so like Harry's and yet so uniquely Lily. Harry had never known the type of sorrow, of self loathing, of seething anger that roiled in Lily Potter's heart. Her voice was low when she answered, each word tight, strained as if she were holding onto a great weight perilously suspended above a cavernous drop.
"Harry told me," each word became slower, a long bowstring taught and ever so deliberately pulled back further, "to grow a pair."
Natasha released her arm but kept her body pressed against the shorter woman. They weren't dramatically different in height, but there was enough of a difference that Lily had to tilt her head up to meet Natasha's gaze as she put her hands to either side of her.
"Really?" Natasha asked, lowering her own voice, "that's harsh, I would have told you to-" she lowered her face to whisper, "lighten the fuck up."
Lily brought her hands up to push her back, but she hesitated, and like the predator she had been raised to be, Natasha saw the slight shift in her expression.
She leaned closer so that her next words were spoken against Lily's lips, "I would have told you-" she pressed her body in closer, trapping Lily against the wall. Lily didn't lean into, didn't ease into the contact or move her hands where they had become stiff at Natasha's hips, but neither did she fight. "-That I am not your enemy."
And Natasha kissed the mother of her child.
AN: Reactions, thoughts, ideas, or neglected butterflies, pretty please?