"she tends to have that effect on people."
Penny Parker skipped down the hallway of the Avengers Tower, humming happily to herself. She was excited to spend the weekend at the tower while Mr. Stark was away on a mission. As she entered the common room, she saw the Black Widow seated on the couch reading a book.
"Hi Miss Romanoff!" Penny said cheerfully.
Natasha glanced up, her face impassive. "Hello, Penny. Tony asked me to keep an eye on you while he's gone."
"Aww you don't have to babysit me, I'll be fine. I'm Spider-Girl, remember?" Penny replied.
Natasha's eyes narrowed. "I'm well aware of who you are. That's why Tony wants me here. He doesn't think a 14 year old should be left unsupervised in the tower."
Penny pouted. "No fair, I can take care of myself."
Natasha stood up. "Regardless, you're under my watch this weekend. Now, I want you to train with me in the gym."
Penny's eyes lit up. "Really?? You'll train me?"
"You need to work on your combat skills," Natasha said bluntly. "Being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Girl is one thing. But if you want to run with the Avengers, you need proper training."
"This is so cool!" Penny said excitedly. "I'm gonna be trained by the Black Widow herself!"
Natasha said nothing, already walking towards the gym. Penny scrambled after her, eager to begin.
They started with some basic warm up exercises before Natasha began showing Penny some fighting techniques. Penny tried her best to copy Natasha's graceful, deadly movements but she was clumsy in comparison.
After an hour of practice, Natasha told her to take a break. Penny sat against the wall, gulping down water.
"Not too bad for your first lesson," Natasha said. "But we've got a long way to go."
Penny beamed, pleased by the praise from the normally aloof spy.
Over the next few hours, Natasha ran Penny through all kinds of training exercises. Penny was exhausted but also absolutely thrilled to be learning from the legendary Black Widow.
After a particularly grueling set of sparring, Penny collapsed onto the mats, breathing hard. "Whew...I don't know...if I can go on..."
Natasha stood over her, arms crossed. "Come on, get up. We're not done."
With a groan, Penny hauled herself to her feet. Natasha immediately swept her legs out from under her and Penny crashed to the floor.
"Owww..." she whined, tears springing to her eyes.
Natasha realized she had been too harsh. "Penny? Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling down next to her.
Penny sat up, sniffling. "Y-yeah, I'm okay..." She wiped her eyes but the tears kept coming.
Natasha hesitated then gently pulled Penny into a hug. "Shh, it's alright," she said soothingly. "I think that's enough training for today."
Penny clung to her, still sniffling. Natasha was surprised to feel a surge of protectiveness for the young girl. She stroked Penny's hair until she calmed down.
"There now, no more tears," Natasha said, wiping a final tear from Penny's cheek. "Let's go get cleaned up."
After showering and changing, the two headed to the common room.
"Are you hungry?" Natasha asked. "I can make us dinner."
"You can cook?" Penny asked curiously.
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Is that so surprising?"
Penny blushed. "Well, I kinda thought super spies would just eat takeout all the time."
Natasha laughed. "Even super spies have to eat home cooked meals occasionally."
She made them chicken parmesan with garlic bread. Penny devoured the food eagerly.
"This is amazing, Miss Romanoff!"
"Please, call me Natasha."
Penny beamed. "Thanks for making dinner...Natasha," she said a little shyly.
After dinner, they settled on the couch to watch a movie. Penny started yawning halfway through. Slowly, she tilted over until her head was resting on Natasha's shoulder. Natasha glanced down in surprise but didn't push the girl away. Eventually Penny fell asleep curled up against her. Natasha found herself absentmindedly stroking the girl's hair. A strange warmth filled her chest that she hadn't felt in a very long time.
The next morning, Natasha made pancakes for breakfast.
"These are great!" Penny said through a mouthful of food.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Natasha chided gently.
Penny ducked her head. "Sorry..." she mumbled after swallowing.
Natasha hid a smile. She was growing rather fond of the endearing girl.
After breakfast, Penny convinced Natasha to watch a movie with her. They argued lightheartedly over which one to pick until Natasha finally gave in and let Penny choose a silly romantic comedy.
Penny giggled all through the movie while Natasha rolled her eyes affectionately. But truthfully, she didn't mind. It was nice to see the girl happy.
Later, while Penny entertained herself playing video games, Tony called Natasha for an update.
"How's it going with spiderling?" Tony asked.
"She's...not what I expected," Natasha admitted. "She has a good heart. You should bring her into training with us all more often."
Tony chuckled. "Told you you'd like her. But don't let her convince you to eat junk food all weekend. I want her healthy when I get back."
"Don't worry, I'm making sure she eats right," Natasha assured him.
They chatted for a few more minutes before Natasha signed off. She walked back into the living room to find Penny upside down on the couch watching TV.
"Do you always sit like that?" Natasha asked wryly.
"It helps me think better sometimes!" Penny said cheerfully.
Natasha shook her head but couldn't help smiling. The girl was growing on her whether she liked it or not.
On Sunday morning, Penny convinced Natasha to make chocolate chip pancakes. After breakfast, they headed down to the lab so Penny could show off some of her new web shooter designs. Natasha watched in amusement as the girl rambled on excitedly about angles of trajectory, tensile strength, and polymer compounds. She had to admit, the kid was smart.
After the lab, they walked through the gardens surrounding the tower. Penny scampered up a tree and sat balanced easily on a high branch.
"Penny, get down from there, it's not safe," Natasha scolded.
Penny just giggled and leapt nimbly to the next tree over. With a sigh, Natasha followed along below, keeping a watchful eye on the nimble spiderling.
After their walk, Penny convinced Natasha to watch another movie. She fell asleep a third of the way through the film. Natasha turned the TV off and tucked a blanket around the sleeping girl. Absently, she stroked Penny's hair. It was getting harder and harder to remain detached from the endearing kid.
Late in the afternoon, Penny wandered into the kitchen where Natasha was prepping dinner.
"Whatcha making?" Penny asked curiously, trying to peer into the pots on the stove.
"It's a surprise, go set the table," Natasha directed.
Penny grabbed plates and utensils and arranged them neatly.
A little while later, Natasha carried two plates of steaming food to the table. Penny's eyes went wide.
"Pierogi! I love pierogi!" she exclaimed excitedly.
Natasha smiled, pleased she had chosen something the girl would enjoy. They ate while chatting about Penny's school life and friends. Penny complimented Natasha's cooking skills repeatedly.
After dinner, Penny jumped up to help wash the dishes. As Natasha handed her a plate to dry, their hands brushed accidentally.
"Thanks, Mom," Penny said without thinking.
Natasha froze, plate still in hand. Penny's eyes went wide.
"I-I mean, Nat- Natasha!" she stammered, her face turning red. "Sorry, I didn't mean..."
Natasha was silent for a long moment, an unreadable expression on her face. Finally, she set the plate down and pulled Penny into a gentle hug.
"It's okay, little spider," she said softly.
Penny hugged her back tightly, face buried in Natasha's shoulder. They stood like that for awhile before finally separating. Natasha stroked Penny's hair gently.
"Come on, let's go watch a movie," she said.
Curled up on the couch together later, Penny fell asleep with her head in Natasha's lap. Natasha sat stroking the girl's hair, her heart filled with an emotion she couldn't quite name. But it felt right having Penny here with her.
Tony returned late that night. He entered the common room and found Penny asleep with her head resting on Natasha's lap and the spy's arms wrapped protectively around her.
Natasha put a finger to her lips. "Shh, she's sleeping."
Tony raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.
Natasha carefully shifted Penny so she could stand up without waking her.
"She's a good kid, Tony," Natasha said softly. "You should be proud."
Tony smiled. "Yeah, she's pretty amazing. But a handful at times. Was she okay this weekend?"
"We got along fine," Natasha said casually. "She called me Mom earlier, did you know?"
Tony chuckled. "Did she now? Don't think I've ever heard her mention May as anything but Aunt May."
"Hmm, well she was pretty embarrassed about it afterwards," Natasha mused. "Don't mention it to her, or anyone else for that matter."
"My lips are sealed," Tony said, still grinning.
Natasha shot him a look. "I'm serious, Stark. Not a word."
Tony held up his hands. "Okay, okay, I won't say anything." His expression turned serious. "But really...thank you for looking after her this weekend."
Natasha glanced down at the sleeping girl. "It was...nice, having her around," she admitted reluctantly.
"She tends to have that effect on people," Tony said fondly.
Later, after bidding goodnight to Tony, Natasha carried Penny to bed. The girl stirred slightly as Natasha tucked the blankets around her.
"Goodnight, little spider," Natasha whispered, kissing Penny's forehead.
As she left the room, Natasha realized she was looking forward to the next time the endearing spider girl came to stay.