"don't lie to me."
Natasha knelt on the rooftop, peering through her binoculars at the scene unfolding below. She had followed a lead about the identity of the masked vigilante Spider-Man, who had popped up in Queens over the past few months. Local reports indicated he had superhuman abilities, but not much else was known about who was under the mask.
Now her investigation had led her here, to this small house in a quiet neighborhood. Spider-Man was crawling on a rooftop across the street, to the window of the house, masked head cocked, seemingly talking to whoever this person was in the house. Natasha adjusted the binoculars, zooming in on the figure in the window who appeared to be talking to the vigilante.
It was then when she realized that Spider-Man had taken off the mask, and she moves her binoculars to look at the hero.
A teenage boy, gesturing excitedly as he spoke. Natasha felt her blood run cold. It couldn't be...
But there was no mistaking him. The tousled brown hair, those doe eyes she swore to protect all those years ago.
Peter. Her Peter. The boy she had adopted and raised after his parents died when he was just 4 years old. Who had grown into a bright, earnest teenager with a heart of gold. A heart she had thought she was protecting by keeping him far away from her dangerous world of spies and heroes.
Natasha reeled back from the binoculars, pulse pounding. How was this possible? Peter was Spider-Man? He had powers? When had any of this happened?
Most importantly - why hadn't he told her?
Mind racing, she quickly packed up her surveillance gear and made her way down from the roof, not wanting Peter to spot her there and realize she had discovered his secret. She had to get to the bottom of this, but she didn't want to reveal what she knew until she understood the full story.
Peter arrived home about half an hour later, shuffling through the front door with his backpack slung over one shoulder.
"Hey Mom, I'm home," he called casually, making his way toward the kitchen.
Natasha watched him from where she sat on the living room couch, warring emotions churning inside her. Relief that he seemed unharmed from his late night activities. Hurt that he had kept something so big from her. Anger that he was putting himself in danger behind her back. Fear of who else might know what her boy could do.
"Peter," she said evenly, keeping her voice carefully neutral. "Come in here a minute, will you?"
Peter walked into the living room, brow creasing when he saw her serious expression. "What's up?"
Natasha studied him for a long moment, seeing him now with new eyes. The lean muscles that hadn't been there a year ago. The barely hidden tension, like a coiled spring ready to react. The way his fingers twitched instinctively, as if ready to shoot webs.
"I think you know what's up," she finally said quietly. "Or should I say who's up. On rooftops. Wearing masks and swinging from webs."
Peter went utterly still, face draining of color. "I-I don't know what you—"
"Don't," Natasha cut him off sharply. "Don't lie to me now, Peter. Not after everything."
Peter flinched at her tone. His shoulder slumped in defeat. "How did you find out?" he asked hollowly.
"I'm a spy. It's what I do." She leaned forward, elbows on her knees as she searched his downcast face. "But that doesn't matter now. What I need to know is why. Why didn't you tell me about any of this?"
Peter looked utterly miserable. "I'm so sorry, Mom. I wanted to tell you, I just...I didn't know how. And I didn't want you to worry. Or try to stop me." He raised pleading eyes to hers. "I have these powers now. I can help people, stop bad guys from hurting innocents. I have to do something good with what I can do."
Natasha saw the desperation in his gaze, the need to make her understand. Her anger dissipated, leaving only bone-deep weariness and sorrow. Her boy had inherited her desire to atone for past sins, to use his abilities to protect. But his soul was still so much lighter than hers, untainted by the red that soaked her own ledger. She had hoped to preserve that innocence in him a little longer.
Rising from the couch, she crossed over and pulled Peter into a fierce embrace. "Oh мой маленький паук," she murmured. "I just wanted to keep you safe."
Peter clung to her tightly. "I'm still safe, Mom. Really. I'm careful, I know what I'm doing."
Natasha cupped his face in her hands, searching his earnest eyes. Eyes that still held so much hope and optimism despite the things he had undoubtedly seen out there in the mask.
"Okay," she said finally. "I believe you. But no more secrets between us from now on, understand?"
Peter nodded hard. "I promise."
Natasha drew him close again, heart aching. Her little spider was growing up, finding his own way to walk the tightrope between darkness and light. All she could do was equip him as best she could and pray it would be enough.
Over the next few days, they talked at length about Peter's new alter ego Spider-Man. He told her about the field trip to Oscorp where he had been bitten by the genetically engineered spider that gave him his powers. About first venturing out in makeshift pajama costumes before Tony Stark had provided him with an upgraded suit and AI assistant.
That detail gave Natasha pause. Stark's involvement opened up a host of new concerns. What interest did he have in her teenage son? Knowing Stark, it was unlikely to be purely altruistic. She told Peter in no uncertain terms he was not to go on any missions for Stark without her explicit approval. Peter quickly agreed, promising he would steer clear of anything too dangerous.
Natasha wished she could believe that was the end of it. But she knew better than to think Stark would let such a unique asset go undiscovered for long.
Sure enough, a few days later she noticed Peter growing withdrawn and distracted. Gentle prodding finally got him to admit Stark had approached him about some kind of "mission", but Peter claimed to have declined. Natasha knew there was more he wasn't telling her. She resolved to get to the bottom of Stark's sudden interest in her son.
Which led her here, stealthily breaking into Stark's upstate compound. She avoided FRIDAY's sensors and surveillance cameras with ease, making her way to Stark's private office. Hacking his computer, she found the files she was looking for.
Mission assignments. Travel arrangements. Germany? What the hell was Stark planning to drag Peter into now?
"You know, they have these things called phones. Great for having conversations instead of breaking and entering."
Natasha turned calmly to see Stark himself standing in the doorway, gauntleted hand raised in warning.
"Then let's have a conversation," she said evenly. "Preferably one where you explain why you're trying to recruit my son for some unauthorized overseas mission."
Stark lowered his gauntlet, frowning. "Your son? Wait, the kid is your...?" His eyes widened in realization. "Well that explains the scary overprotective vibe."
Natasha moved around the desk, eyes hard. "Let's try this again. Why are you involving Peter in your feud with Rogers?"
Stark sighed, dropping into a chair. He steepled his fingers, suddenly looking very tired. "Look, I take no pleasure in bringing the kid into this mess. But Rogers has been compromised, he left me no choice. We need all hands on deck to bring him in before more people get hurt."
Natasha's eyes narrowed, sensing there was more going on here. "What aren't you telling me, Stark? I've known Steve a long time, he doesn't go rogue without reason."
Stark scrubbed a hand over his face. "The damn Sokovia Accords. The governments want oversight on all enhanced individuals, which we both know is a disaster waiting to happen. I tried to negotiate, buy more time, but Rogers refused to compromise. Now he's protecting that bastard Barnes and I can't let it stand."
Natasha absorbed this silently. She had heard whispers of these Accords but not the full details. If it had forced two old friends into direct opposition, she doubted the truth was as black and white as Stark made it sound.
"So where exactly does my teenage son fit into this mess between you and Rogers?" she asked evenly.
Stark threw up his hands. "I just need the kid for backup, that's all. Rogers doesn't know who he is, so he's my ace in the hole in case things go sideways."
Cold fury rose in Natasha's chest. "Absolutely not. You will not use my son as some kind of secret weapon. He is not a soldier for you to manipulate."
"Come on, Romanoff, I'm trying to protect people here!"
"Find another way," she snarled. "Peter is off-limits. Do we understand each other?"
They glared at each other, at an impasse. Finally, Stark looked away. "Fine. The kid's out. But I need your help bringing Rogers in peacefully before this gets worse. Are you with me or not?"
Natasha held his gaze evenly. Whatever the full truth was, she knew Steve. Knew he would never compromise his principles without damn good reason.
"I'll help you find Rogers," she said finally. "But I reserve judgement until I hear his side."
Stark looked angry she wouldn't unconditionally back his play, but he nodded curtly. "Wheels up in an hour. Don't be late." He brushed past her and out of the office.
Natasha stared darkly after him. She needed to talk to Peter, find out how much he knew about Stark's plans that he hadn't told her. The thought of her son anywhere near this impending clash of heroes made her blood run cold. She would lock Peter in his room herself before letting Stark use him as a pawn.
When Natasha arrived home, she found Peter sitting anxiously on the couch, leg jiggling with pent up energy. His head jerked up as she entered.
"Mom! Did you, uh, go talk to Mr. Stark?" he asked hesitantly.
So he had known she was going after Stark. Natasha repressed a frustrated sigh. "Yes, and you are absolutely not getting involved in whatever is going on between him and Rogers. Do you understand?"
Peter shot to his feet. "But Mr. Stark said he needs my help! I can't just back out now."
Natasha gripped his shoulders. "You can and you will. This fight is too dangerous, especially for someone untrained like you."
"You trained me!" Peter protested. "I know I can handle myself, and this is too important. People could get really hurt if someone doesn't stop Captain America."
Natasha studied his resolute expression and had to suppress a sad smile. Her little spider was not so little anymore. He had a hero's heart, through and through.
She pulled him into a fierce embrace. "Okay, мой храбрый паук. We'll go to Germany together. But you stick close by me, no reckless stunts. Understood?"
Peter hugged her back just as tightly. "I promise I'll be careful. And I'll have you there watching my back. We can do this, Mom."
Despite his reassurances, Natasha's own doubts plagued her as they flew to Germany. Steve was her friend, she hated the thought of fighting him. And bringing Peter into this battle, no matter how capable he was with his enhanced abilities, went against every protective instinct she had. But she could tell Peter was determined to see this through for the greater good of protecting innocents from harm. A noble impulse she was intimately familiar with. In the end, she could only resolve to stay close and shield her son from the coming storm as best she could.
The two teams faced off on the tarmac, divided by ideals, united by the desire to do what they thought was right. Natasha kept Peter close as Stark laid out his uncompromising terms. When it was clear neither side would stand down, she nodded subtly at Peter. As one, they fired taser disks at Stark and Rhodes, temporarily disabling their suits before rushing to join Steve.
"What the hell, Romanoff?" Stark roared as the suit rebooted.
"Like I said, reserving judgement," she called back evenly.
And then there was no more time for words as all hell broke loose. Natasha lost track of Peter in the melee as heroes clashed furiously. She took down opponents as non-lethally as possible, unwilling to seriously injure people she called friends. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Peter expertly web up Scott Lang after taking several painful-looking hits from him. She made her way toward her son just as Tony descended to confront him. Natasha opened her mouth to warn Tony away from the boy, secret identity be damned, but Peter's voice rang out first.
"Everybody STOP!"
To Natasha's shock, all the combatants froze at the authority and emotion in his young voice. In the lull, Peter yanked off his mask, anger and sorrow twisting his youthful features.
"Look at us!" he cried. "Mr. Stark, Captain America, we're supposed to be on the same team! Heroes shouldn't fight each other." His voice hitched on a sob. "This isn't right!"
He turned to Natasha, guilt and pain in his eyes. "I'm so sorry I lied to you again, Mom. I shouldn't be here, you were right. We should just talk this out, not hurt each other!"
Natasha's heart broke at the sight of her son so distraught. In a blink she was at his side, sweeping him into her embrace.
"Shh мой паучок, it's alright," she soothed, holding him close. Looking up she pinned Tony and Steve both with a fiery glare. "The boy is right. We settle this with words, not violence."
The fight had gone out of both men as they stared at the teen sobbing in Black Widow's arms. As one they retracted helmets and shields, once again just two friends who had lost their way.
"I'm sorry, Tony," Steve said heavily. "I should have been honest with you from the start about Barnes and the Accords."
Tony rubbed his chest where Cap's shield had struck the armor. "Yeah well, I could have handled that better too. Shouldn't have tried to bring the kid into it." He shook his head ruefully. "Let's talk this out back at the compound before we really make a mess of things."
The others began dispersing as quickly as they had attacked, all equally shamed at coming so close to tearing each other apart over politics and hurt feelings. Natasha waited with Peter until Tony sent a jet for them, then gently guided her emotionally exhausted son aboard. He was asleep against her shoulder before they finished takeoff, tear tracks still visible on his cheeks. Natasha brushed his hair back and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
"Rest мой храбрый паучок," she murmured. "You were so brave today. I'm proud of you for standing up for what's right."
Peter just nuzzled closer with a sleepy sigh. As Natasha looked out the window at the shrinking battlefield below, she sent up a silent prayer of thanks that her child's compassionate heart had prevailed when the adults lost their way. She had no delusions their troubles were over, but seeing Rogers' and Stark's reconciliation, she had hope they could work things out. Together.