"he grows on you"
"Hey Nat, got a favor to ask," Tony said as he strolled into the Avengers Tower living room.
Natasha Romanoff looked up from her book and raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"
"I need to head out for a few hours to take care of some Stark Industries stuff. Any chance you can keep an eye on the kid for me?" Tony nodded towards the couch where Peter Parker was seated, deeply engrossed in a science textbook.
Natasha frowned slightly. She wasn't usually one for babysitting duty. "Where's his aunt?"
"Out of town for the weekend," Tony replied. "Come on, it'll be good bonding time for you two. The kid grows on you, I promise."
Peter finally glanced up from his book. "I don't need a babysitter, Mr. Stark," he said indignantly.
Tony ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "You're fifteen, kid. Can't have you burning down the Tower while I'm gone." He turned back to Natasha. "So whaddya say, Nat? Can you help me out here?"
Natasha sighed. "Fine. But you owe me one."
"Thanks!" Tony said gratefully. "Be good for Nat, Underoos. I'll be back in a few hours."
After Tony left, an awkward silence fell over the room. Natasha had interacted with Peter a few times since Tony had brought him into the fold, but they'd never really spent time alone together. She observed the lanky teenager now, hunched over his textbook, studiously taking notes. He seemed harmless enough, if a bit nerdy.
"So...homework?" she asked finally, attempting to make conversation.
Peter nodded, not looking up. "Physics."
"Ah. Not really my area of expertise."
"Don't worry, I can manage it on my own," Peter said quickly.
Natasha got the sense that her presence was making the boy uncomfortable. She supposed that was fair - the Black Widow wasn't exactly the warm and fuzzy type, not like Tony clearly was with the kid.
She tried again. "Have you eaten dinner yet? I was going to make some pasta, if you want some."
Peter perked up a bit at that. "Oh, um, sure. That'd be great, thanks!"
Natasha gave him a small smile before heading to the kitchen. Maybe food was the way to get the kid to open up. As she boiled water and chopped vegetables for a simple tomato sauce, she could hear Peter periodically flipping pages in the other room. She had to admit, it was kind of nice having a young presence around the Tower for once. The team had been through so much heavy stuff lately that it was easy to forget that life could still be light. Simple, even.
Once the pasta was cooked, Natasha dished it up and brought two heaping plates back into the living room. She set one plate on the coffee table next to Peter, startling the boy out of his studying reverie.
"Oh wow, thanks!" Peter said as he caught a whiff of the tomatoey sauce. He closed his textbook and eagerly tucked into the meal.
Natasha hid a smile and started in on her own pasta. For a few minutes there was silence except for the clinking of forks on plates.
Finally Peter looked up a bit shyly. "This is really good, Ms. Romanoff."
"Please, call me Natasha."
"Oh, uh, okay. Natasha," Peter tried out hesitantly. He paused before adding quietly, "Thanks for making dinner. You didn't have to."
Natasha gave him a wry look. "Trust me, I've had my share of fending for myself as a kid. It's nice to be able to cook for someone else for a change."
Peter ducked his head, but Natasha could tell her words had touched him. They ate for a few more minutes before Peter spoke up again.
"So, uh, you've known Mr. Stark a long time, right?"
Natasha nodded. "A few years now. Since the Battle of New York."
"That's so cool!" Peter said enthusiastically. Then he flushed. "I mean, not the battle itself obviously. That must've been scary. But just, being an Avenger and saving the world and all that. You're amazing!"
Taken aback by the genuine awe in his voice, Natasha found herself smiling. "It has its moments," she admitted. "But it can be dangerous work. Long hours. High stakes. It's not always as glamorous as it seems."
Peter looked thoughtful. "Yeah, I guess so." He fiddled with his fork. "Mr. Stark said I could be an Avenger one day. When I'm, you know, older."
"I'm sure you could," Natasha said kindly. The boy had heart, she'd give him that. "But don't be in too much of a rush to grow up. You should enjoy just being a kid while you can."
Peter met her eyes. "With great power comes great responsibility. That's what...that's what my Uncle Ben always used to say." His voice took on a sad note at the mention of his late uncle.
Impulsively, Natasha reached over and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. Peter's eyes widened in surprise at the gesture.
"Well, you've got people looking out for you now," Natasha said. "Tony clearly cares a great deal about you. And we'll make sure you have time to just be yourself, powers or not. You don't have to take on the weight of the world all alone."
Peter ducked his head again, but he seemed pleased. "Thanks, Natasha."
Over the next couple of hours, Natasha was surprised to find herself enjoying the boy's company. Peter was shy at first, but as he grew more comfortable, his sweet and thoughtful nature became more apparent. Natasha could see why Tony had such a soft spot for him. Underneath that science nerd exterior was a good heart.
As the evening wore on, Peter started yawning every few minutes. Natasha glanced at her watch. "It's getting late. You should probably start getting ready for bed soon."
Peter nodded sleepily. "Yeah, I am pretty tired." He stood up from the couch and stretched. "Thanks again for dinner. It was really nice hanging out with you."
Natasha felt a strange warmth in her chest at his words. "It was nice getting to know you too, Peter. I'll walk you down to your room."
They took the elevator down to Peter's floor. As they approached his bedroom, Peter hesitated in the doorway.
"Um, goodnight...Mom." He froze, eyes going wide as if shocked at his own words. Natasha went still as well, completely blindsided.
Peter's face turned bright red. "I - I'm so sorry," he stammered. "I didn't mean - it just came out -"
"Peter, it's okay," Natasha said gently. She tried to keep her face impassive, but inside she was reeling. Mom. This sweet, earnest boy had just called her...Mom. She had never expected to hear that word applied to her, not in a million years.
"I'm really sorry," Peter mumbled again, unable to meet her eyes. "I know you're not - I mean, I just -"
Natasha placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. "Peter, listen. It's alright." She tilted his chin up so he was looking at her again. "I know I'm not your mom. But...it's actually kind of nice to hear you say that."
Peter's shoulders sagged in relief. "Yeah?"
Natasha smiled. "Yeah." Because strangely, it did feel nice. This whole evening had awakened in her a protectiveness she hadn't known she was capable of. It caught her off guard but also made her feel oddly warm inside.
On impulse, she pulled Peter into a gentle hug. He seemed surprised for a moment but then hugged her back trustingly. They stayed like that in the doorway for several seconds before pulling apart.
"Goodnight Peter," Natasha said softly. "Sleep well."
"Night...Natasha," Peter replied with a shy smile. He disappeared into his bedroom and closed the door.
Natasha made her way back upstairs feeling contemplative. She had learned one thing for sure tonight - she wanted to make more time for that sweet kid.
When Tony returned to the Tower a while later, he found Natasha seated on the couch, lost in thought. "Hey. How'd it go with the kid?"
Natasha looked up, a new lightness in her eyes that made Tony do a double take. "It went really well actually. Your protege is a great kid."
"Yeah, he grows on you, right?" Tony chuckled.
"He does," Natasha agreed. "He...may have accidentally called me Mom at one point tonight." She fought to keep her face impassive.
"He did?" Tony blinked in surprise, then threw his head back and laughed. "Wow. The kid must have really taken to you. He's never slipped up like that with me."
"It just kind of came out," Natasha said with a shrug, trying to play it casual. "I told him it was alright."
Tony grinned knowingly. "Uh huh. Well I won't tell the team you're going soft, don't worry." His expression turned uncharacteristically tender. "But really...I'm glad Pete feels comfortable enough here to make a slip like that. Means we're doing something right."
Just then the elevator doors opened and a sleepy looking Peter stepped out, hair sticking up every which way. He was clutching a pillow under one arm, eyes half open.
Tony raised his eyebrows. "Hey Underoos. Everything okay?"
Peter blinked slowly. "Oh hey Mr. Stark. When did you get back?" Without waiting for a reply, he shuffled over to the couch and promptly curled up next to Natasha, pillowing his head on her lap.
Natasha froze for a second, then regained her composure, her expression softening. Gently she carded a hand through the boy's messy curls.
Tony crossed his arms, an amused twinkle in his eye. "Comfy there, kid?"
"Mmhmm," Peter mumbled, already halfway back to sleep.
Natasha shot Tony a meaningful look over Peter's head, as if to say, "Not a word."
Tony held his hands up innocently, though he was clearly delighted.
As Peter's breathing evened out into soft snores, Natasha found herself absently stroking his hair. She marveled again at how quickly this child had stolen his way into her heart. Who would have thought the infamous Black Widow had such a maternal side? But maybe that's what this ragtag little family needed - not just heroes, but a place where everyone could feel safe to love and be loved.
With the sweet, trusting boy curled up under her wing, Natasha felt the shadows inside her lift just a little bit more. This innocence was worth protecting, whatever it took. She would keep him safe.