nat goes to europe
"I can't believe we're going to Europe!" Ned exclaimed as he and Peter dragged their suitcases through the airport. "This is gonna be the best trip ever!"
Peter grinned, excitement thrumming through him. "I know, I still can't believe the school is sending us all the way to Italy and London. It's pretty awesome."
As they joined the chattering group of students near the gate, Peter scanned the crowd. He spotted MJ sitting apart, nose buried in a book as usual. Before he could work up the nerve to go talk to her, his enhanced hearing picked up a familiar voice.
"Okay kids, listen up!"
Peter whirled around. No way, it couldn't be...
But there she was - Natasha Romanoff, THE Black Widow, standing at the front of the group wearing a Midtown High faculty jacket and holding a clipboard. She clapped her hands for attention.
"My name is Ms. Rushman and I'll be one of your chaperones for this trip. Let's get checked in so we can start this adventure!"
As the students surged toward the gate, Peter hung back, mind whirling. What was Natasha doing here? His spider sense wasn't picking up any danger, so this didn't seem to be an Avengers mission. Curiosity won out and he made his way over to her as the other teens filed past.
"Uh, Ms. Rushman?" he began tentatively.
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Mr. Parker?"
Peter shifted his feet, lowering his voice. "Um, not that I'm not happy to see you, but why are you here?"
Natasha gave him a conspiratorial little smirk. "Let's just say Nick Fury wanted an extra set of eyes on this trip." At Peter's wide-eyed look, she added, "Don't worry, this is supposed to be a vacation for you. Consider me your friendly neighborhood undercover chaperone." She winked.
Peter huffed a laugh, shaking his head. Leave it to Fury to send Black Widow herself to babysit him. But a part of him was relieved to have Natasha there, just in case.
"Well, I guess we better get on the plane then...Ms. Rushman," he said with a grin.
Natasha smiled fondly. "After you, Mr. Parker."
As they flew over the Atlantic, Peter kept sneaking glances at Natasha a few rows up. To the rest of the students and faculty, she seemed to blend right in, chatting and laughing with the other teachers. But Peter could detect the subtle wariness in her eyes as she scanned their surroundings, always on alert. It made him feel better knowing she had his back.
The first part of the trip passed in a blur of museums, restaurants and selfies in front of famous monuments. Natasha effortlessly kept up her undercover persona, though Peter noticed she often conveniently ended up alongside him, Ned and MJ as they toured each city.
One night after dinner, as the students roamed the streets enjoying gelato and live music, Peter worked up the courage to approach MJ where she was leaning against a stone wall, watching the crowds.
"Hey, MJ," he started, trying and failing to sound casual. "It's a really nice night, huh?"
MJ gave him a knowing look. "You know, you don't have to make small talk, Peter. If you have something to say, just say it."
Peter rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "Oh, uh, okay. Well, I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to...hang out together some? Like maybe get gelato, or..."
He trailed off, cheeks burning as MJ continued to watch him steadily. Before she could respond, a familiar voice spoke up behind him.
"Wow, gelato under the stars in Venice? That sounds lovely."
Peter whirled to find Natasha standing there, eyes dancing with amusement. He groaned under his breath. So much for privacy.
But MJ was looking at Natasha consideringly. "You're Black Widow, aren't you? I recognize you from the news coverage after the Blip."
Natasha blinked in surprise before giving MJ an approving smile. "Observant as always. But let's keep the superhero talk on the down low, okay?" She held a finger to her lips conspiratorially.
MJ nodded, seeming intrigued. Natasha turned her attention back to Peter.
"Don't let me interrupt. Just wanted to say you kids should enjoy the night, but be back at the hotel by 11." With a wink at Peter, she strolled off into the crowd.
MJ watched her go, then turned to Peter with a hint of a smile. "She seems cool. We should get that gelato."
Peter grinned, making a mental note to thank Natasha later. The rest of the evening passed enjoyably, talking and laughing with MJ under the lights strung over the small shops and cafes. For once, his Parker luck seemed to be holding.
The next day, they headed to Prague. Peter soaked up the architecture and culture, content to explore the city with his friends and his covert super spy chaperone.
He was waiting in the hotel lobby for Ned and MJ when the hairs on his neck suddenly prickled. Before he could react, a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder, spinning him around.
Peter found himself face to face with his long-time bully Flash Thompson. "Hey Penis Parker, where are your nerd friends?" Flash taunted. "Oh wait, I forgot - you don't have any!"
Flash guffawed loudly. Peter sighed, too accustomed to the bullying to muster much reaction. "Just leave me alone, Flash."
"Or what?" Flash challenged, shoving Peter hard.
Peter had to force himself not to use his super strength to shove back. But before he could respond, a stern voice cut in.
"What's going on here?"
They both turned to see Natasha standing there, wearing her best intimidating teacher expression. Flash's cocky air instantly evaporated.
"Oh! Uh, nothing Ms. Rushman! We were just messing around," Flash claimed unconvincingly.
Natasha narrowed her eyes, clearly not buying it. "It looked to me like you were bullying another student. That kind of behavior won't be tolerated on this trip."
Flash paled under her fierce glare. "No, I swear I wasn't..."
"I think you should go to your room for the night," Natasha interrupted coolly. "Don't make me send you home early."
Flash's shoulders slumped. "Yes ma'am," he mumbled. With a last sullen look at Peter, he slunk off toward the elevators.
Natasha watched him go, then turned to Peter with a sympathetic smile. "You okay, маленький паук?"
Peter exhaled in relief. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for stepping in."
"Anytime." She gave his shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "I've got your back."
Peter smiled gratefully. For the first time in a long while, he felt like he really did have someone watching out for him.
Over the next few days, Natasha covertly intervened two more times when Flash started targeting Peter or Ned. Her pointed looks were enough to send Flash scurrying away to brood. Peter almost felt bad for the guy - almost. The relief of having Natasha run interference was just too sweet.
When they reached London, Peter was looking forward to their final leg of cultural sightseeing. But it seemed Nick Fury had other plans. Before Peter knew what was happening, he found himself reluctantly recruited into investigating giant elemental creatures threatening Europe.
He wanted to turn to Natasha for guidance, but she was oddly scarce ever since they arrived in London. Peter got the sense Fury was keeping her busy with her own assignments regarding the elemental attacks. Still, knowing she was out there made facing down monsters and teaming up with the mysterious Mysterio a little less daunting.
After the final battle against the elementals, Peter sank down on the edge of a fountain, exhausted. He pulled out the high-tech EDITH glasses entrusted to him by Mr. Stark and turned them over in his hands. Such an awesome responsibility - was he really ready?
He looked up as Natasha suddenly appeared, sitting gracefully beside him. "Hey, Spiderling. How you holding up?"
Peter gave her a wan smile. "Hey, Nat. I'm okay, just...tired." He held up the glasses. "Mr. Stark left these for me. Called them EDITH - stands for Even Dead, I'm The Hero." He huffed a sad laugh. "I don't know if I'm ready for something like this."
Natasha bumped his shoulder companionably. "You're more ready than you think. But it's okay to have doubts - that's what makes you one of the good ones." She looked at him intently. "Trust your instincts, Peter. Don't let anyone push you into decisions you're not comfortable with."
Peter nodded slowly. As usual, Natasha's advice hit the nail on the head. He had been feeling pressured by Mysterio to just hand over control of EDITH, but his gut was telling him to wait. He slipped the glasses back into his pocket.
"Thanks, Nat. I think I know what I need to do."
She smiled approvingly. "Anytime, маленький паук." She rose gracefully to her feet. "Get some rest. I have a feeling our vacation isn't over quite yet." With a final wink, she disappeared into the crowds.
Peter made his way back to the hotel, lost in thought. He was so preoccupied, he didn't notice the shadowy figure slip into his room behind him. Suddenly his spider sense flared, but too late - a cloth covered his nose and mouth and the world went dark.
When Peter came to, the first thing he noticed was that EDITH was gone. Heart pounding, he jumped up to see Mysterio across the room, triumphantly sliding the glasses into his pocket. Behind him, illusory green smoke swirled, coalescing into images of violence and destruction. Peter's stomach dropped.
"Nice tech," Mysterio purred, leveling Peter with a menacing look. "Don't worry, I'll put it to much better use than you ever could."
Peter clenched his fists, cursing himself for not trusting his instincts sooner. But before either could make another move, the hotel room door burst open. Natasha stalked in, cold fury etched on her face at the scene before her.
"I knew you were a fraud," she bit out at Mysterio. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a disc-shaped device flying from her gauntlet to affix itself to Mysterio's chest.
The illusion tech sparked and fizzled out as Natasha pressed a button, leaving Mysterio exposed. With an enraged yell, he ripped off the disabled device, reaching for a gun. But Natasha was faster, delivering a spinning kick to knock the weapon from his grasp.
As Peter looked on in awe, Natasha proceeded to efficiently wipe the floor with Mysterio, countering his every move despite the illusory fog filling the room. A final ruthless blow left Mysterio crumbled groaning at her feet.
Stepping over him disdainfully, Natasha plucked the EDITH glasses from his pocket and crossed to Peter.
"You okay, маленький паук?" she asked gently.
"Yeah." Peter let out a shaky laugh. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."
Natasha smirked. "Noted." She held out the glasses. "I think these belong to you. And only you."
Peter took them gratefully. He knew now he was ready for the responsibility. "Thank you. For everything."
Natasha ruffled his hair fondly. "Couldn't let my little spider get tangled in this web of lies. I've got your back, remember?"
Peter ducked his head, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Before he could second guess himself, he stepped forward and wrapped Natasha in a quick, fierce hug. After a beat, he felt her arms come up to return the embrace.
"I know," he murmured into her shoulder. "You're the best mentor...and mom...I could ask for."
He pulled back to see Natasha watching him with that rare, gentle smile she seemed to save just for him. "Well I couldn't ask for a better kid," she said, voice a little rough with suppressed emotion. She cleared her throat. "Now let's get out of here and enjoy our last day abroad."
As they left the trussed up Mysterio for Fury's men to deal with, Peter knew this was a trip he would never forget. Who needed superpowers when you had a badass super spy mom watching your back? With Natasha Romanoff on his side, he could handle anything the world threw his way.