Chapter 31
"And how come you didn't go with Tony and Pepper? If I remember correctly, you recently complained that you weren't there yet," Natasha asked as they finished eating. Not that she didn't mind having him here, not at all, it just seemed strange to her that he would miss the opportunity to visit Blue Hill.
"I originally wanted to, but then dad told me it was just an information meeting. The thought of just sitting there listening to boring details for an hour? No thanks. I'll probably just keep it as a surprise, but I can't wait to see it there. I wonder if it's as beautiful there as in the photos," Peter replied as he stuffed himself with the last slice of pizza. "Do you miss the workshop?" he asked Bruce. After dinner, Dad and he often went to the workshop, where Peter would quite like to go now, but Bruce didn't have one.
"A little," he admitted, a little amused. He was used to it now, but the first few days were difficult. He worked best at night, and most of the time, when he visited the workshop, Peter and Tony were finished. Well, especially Peter, who had to go sleep in a reasonable time.
Natasha snorted. "I definitely don't miss it. If we had a workshop here, I wouldn't see you ever again. It's enough for you to be stuck at Tony's or SI. "
"Women," Peter muttered, and Bruce laughed as Natasha gave him a warning look. "What! Mom is exactly the same," he defended himself.
"You have to find a scientist who won't mind," the redhead teased.
"No problem. Have you forgotten where I go to school? Michelle is an inventor just like me," he said proudly with a smile on his face that lasted only a few seconds. "But we're not really together now," he whispered dejectedly.
The couple panicked slightly at his words. They exchanged glances, but neither said anything. Neither knew what to say. They were not trained for this situation.
"Um, I don't have a workshop here, but I want to discuss with you one project that I just started working on," Bruce was the first to speak, thinking he would successfully change the subject. But Peter somehow didn't react. Instead, he looked at them thoughtfully, and they both sensed that something they would not like would follow.
"I need to ask something," he told them uncertainly. He didn't know if it was a good idea, but when he thought about it, it could really help him. On the other hand, he did not want to evoke unpleasant memories. God forbid to disperse them. He wouldn't forgive himself.
"Let me guess, it won't be pleasant," Natasha grinned. She had no idea what Peter wanted to ask, but he looked a little too serious. "Go ahead," she urged, nodding wordlessly.
"How did you overcome it? How come you live here together now and you're happy? Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy for you, but there was a problem between me and Michelle and I don't know how to fix it," he confided to them. It seemed easier to him than to talk to his parents about it. Having an aunt and uncle was really nice.
"What problem? You know there is not the right solution, right? Every couple has to solve it in their own way," said Natasha, who was a little hoping that it would be enough for him. He really didn't choose the topic she wanted to talk about. In addition, they were still children. It was clear that they would not last for too long.
"Well yes, but it's a similar situation. I found out she was lying to me," he sighed. "I really like her. I just need a little help."
"Don't get mad, Peter, but I don't want to talk about it. You have to deal with it yourself," she concluded their conversation abruptly and got up from the table to take the dirty dishes into the kitchen. Sure, her heart was pounding to see him like that, and even if she did anything for him, this was a situation she couldn't help him with.
"I didn't mean to upset her," Peter whispered apologetically as he and Bruce were alone.
The brown-haired scientist took one look toward the kitchen to make sure they stayed alone for a while before paying full attention to him. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, it's more me who you should ask. Nat is right, you can't compare yourself to us. Everyone must find their own solution. It was much more complicated between us, but the main thing was that Natasha was very important to me than giving up on her. I'm ashamed that that's exactly what I had planned, but I didn't see any other solution at the time. I think this was the last chance for us. And I'm really glad it worked out. This is your first problem, it can be solved. You just have to want to fight for it," he explained softly. He didn't want Peter to worry either. But before Peter could say anything, Natasha returned.
"Tony called to say they were waiting for you downstairs," the redhead told them, listening to Bruce's entire speech, of course. After all, their apartment was quite small, so you could hear basically everything. And as they escorted Peter to the door, where they said goodbye to him, she remembered how he had disappeared, and Michelle stood by Pepper's side the whole time. It made a real impression on her back then. Bruce was right, they probably still had a chance together, but they probably would really need advice from the elders. Peter has already got his, but what about Michelle?
"I don't like your expression right now, you know," Bruce said as she closed the door behind Peter and turned to face him.
"I need to get something done," she said, giving him a quick kiss before disappearing outside the door.
•••
Michelle was doing her physics homework when she heard a faint knock on the window. Her heart began to beat faster, and her first thought belonged to Peter. Almost joyfully, she ran to the window, where someone else was waiting for her. She opened the window with a shaking hand and quickly took a few steps back. She would lie if she said she wasn't afraid. She knew how close these two were. And she hurt Peter. Did the woman in front of her now want to hurt her?
"It's good to know I can still scare others," the redhead grinned. "At the moment, however, it does not make me happy. You can calm down, I didn't come to kill you."
"That doesn't calm me," Michelle muttered, keeping her eyes on her. She knew that if Natasha tried anything, she would have no chance against her.
"You may not believe it, but I actually came to give you friendly advice," she said, sitting down casually in the chair Michelle had just sat on. "Peter is a good kid. You could say that one of the best I've ever met in my life. You'd be stupid to let him go."
"Yeah, but he broke up with me!" The brown girl snapped, surprising herself. She probably shouldn't shout at her, but she couldn't help herself after her words.
"But it's about what you did, isn't it? Peter got his advice today, now you get yours. I know better than anyone that it's better not to talk about some things, but you have to decide what those things are. For example, such a murder could shed a bad light on you, but parents who don't care don't," she told her, then stood up. "You must want to fight for it," she added Bruce's words. She gave her one last look and disappeared into the dark night.
And Michelle was just standing there trying to understand what had happened. She knew she would not finish her physics assignment today because she would think about what she should do. Will she do nothing and naively hope it will work out on its own? Or will she fight for it?