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The Devil's Apprentice

Summary:

The paths we follow hide demons under them.

They stood up to the Devil himself, and in the end, they managed to win. Their lives have returned to normal, but you know what they say: The greatest peace is before the storm. A hurricane was literally waiting for them.

After all, every ruler has a successor...

Notes:

Surprise! I know I said I would be back in late December or early January, but we have a lockdown again, which gave me a lot of time for the things I needed to do and now I can slowly start translating! <3

For those of you who are new here, this is the second part and you definitely have to read the first part in the series, otherwise, you won't know what's going on. We write this on Wattpad with my friend in our native language and I translate it into English. So please note that English is not my native language, I do what I can.

I hope you are all well in these difficult times and look forward to the sequel as much as we do! So far we have written a beautiful 74 chapters. You can look forward to more Natasha and a little of her past. This time we will treat ourselves to more scenes with princes of Asgard, especially the dark-haired one. Of course, the familiar faces of the villains must not be missing, but new ones will join us as well so that it is not boring.

Let us know, how much are you excited about it! <3

Chapter 1: Prologue

Chapter Text

"Pep, Peter! I'm home!" Tony exclaimed cheerfully as he finally unlocked the door and stepped into their house. He was gone for a while and couldn't wait to see the two of them again and hug them properly. He missed them. He stepped into the living room with a wide smile on his face. He knew he would find them here waiting for him. But the smile suddenly froze on his face, and his whole body froze as he stared at the tied Pepper, who lay motionless at the tall woman's feet, and Peter with a gag in his mouth, a knife attached to his neck. His sharp blade shone in the light. Tony looked up a little higher and met the triumphant look of a brown-haired woman who was scary but still beautiful.

"Tony, dear, that's enough that you showed up too! I'm very glad you decided to join us," she snarled contentedly, and as if she was bored, she ran with a knife lightly along Peter's neck, leaving a not so deep scar. A few drops of the boy's blood clung to the blade of the knife, and Tony felt sick to see the helplessness clearly written on Peter's face.

"What are you doing here? Leave them alone. Leave us finally alone," he hissed, walking toward them, but spider webs shot out from somewhere and bound him tightly as if his legs had grown into the ground. The brunette smiled smugly and clenched Peter's hair in her fist. He muttered something to the gag.

"But honey, you won't run away from the past. I have a right to you. And you know very well that I do not have the nature to give up. Or have you forgotten? Did you forget about me and how good we were together? Tell me... what I don't have, but Pepper does? What led you to get together with someone like her?” she snorted mockingly, slipping disgustedly at Pepper, who was as pale as a wall.

Tony groaned inwardly, trying to figure out how to get out of this mess. "Tell me what you want. I'll do it, just leave them alone. Don't hurt them," he begged her.

She laughed out loud, the sound bouncing off the walls, and Tony's hair on the back of his neck bristled. As if the air in the room had cooled. "How humiliating it must be for you. Humiliate yourself like this. Beg me. Do you know what I want, Tony? I want you. I want Pepper's death. I want you to watch her die. I want you to help me with my research. Created a new army with me. I want to use Peter for my experiments. At least he would be useful," she said mockingly, and Tony saw the red. He clenched the handcuffs, wanted to pounce on her and strangle her himself. But he couldn't. The spider webs did not break.

"You're a monster. You'll burn in Hell for this."

A devilish smile appeared on her face. "Are you sure, Anthony?"

And then he fell. He found himself in the parking lot. Some cars were on fire. People were horrified, screaming, and running away in panic. Tony struggled to his feet and saw a man with long, dark hair walking down to him like a veil along his half-covered face. He fixed his murderous, cold-blooded eyes on him, then aimed his pistol at him. He started firing and Tony just dodged.

"He's my friend..."

"Anthony Stark," the dark-haired man growled as he got close enough to him. He drew his knife and attacked Tony in a few precise movements. But it didn't surprise him this time.

"You don't deserve that shield..."

"I'll kill you," Bucky Barnes promised, stabbing him in the stomach with one quick motion. Tony gasped and dropped to his knees. Bucky scanned him at the last glance, then turned on his heel and strode away.

"Tony..."

Tony was bleeding. He was lying on the ground, his hands pressed to the wound on his stomach. He was alone. And he was dying.

"None of this would have happened if you came back to me. And you know it very well," a familiar voice came to his ears. He closed his eyes. Maybe he had lost so much blood that he was going crazy.

"Get out... from here," he hissed as hard as he could while she placed his head on her lap. She smiled at him and stroked his hair as if he were a small child.

"But Tony," she told him gently, running a long fingernail along his face. Satisfaction flashed in her eyes, a devilish glint... "You know very well that you will never get rid of me..."

He gasped loudly and sat up quickly. His heart was pounding, his blood was pounding in his temples, and his clothes were sweaty. It was dark in the room, and as he wandered to the clock with a shaky look, he found it was half-past two in the morning. He exhaled, trying to calm down. He ran his hands through his hair, and then the mattress beside him arched, and he felt a tender hand on his shoulder. He looked back. Pepper watched him intently.

"Tony? Is everything all right?” she asked quietly, still a little sleepy.

He tried to smile, which she couldn't even see in the darkness. "It's okay, honey," he tried to reassure her. His voice shook a little. The dream was too vivid. "It was just a dream." It was as if he reassured not only her but also himself. He lay down next to her again and she kissed him briefly. He closed his eyes. But he knew he wouldn't fall asleep again. It was just a dream...

Chapter 2: Chapter 1

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was exactly as he thought. He didn't fall asleep again that night. And because they were still on vacation in a beautiful villa right on the beach, he had to stay in the embrace of his love. Not that it bothered him much. He enjoyed himself in Pepper's arms, but he would lie if he said he didn't miss his escape to the workshop at that moment.

With sunrise, he decided it was time to get up and go prepare for his, hopefully, future wife, breakfast in bed. Their stay on a quiet island was rapidly coming to an end, and he still hadn't spoken. However, he was convinced that today the marriage proposal would come at all costs. Bruce and Natasha took Peter on the all-day trip, so he had the perfect opportunity to do so. And with his thoughts on these two, he had to admit he was very surprised at how the two people, who always said the family was something they would never have, had been relaxed in recent days, as Tony had never experienced them. Personally, he could imagine that they would sometimes start their own family together, although they would certainly protest against the idea.

Tony looked at his masterpiece and with a sigh lifted the tray from the table. The pancakes were slightly burnt on one side, but he knew Pepper wouldn't mind. She was used to his culinary skills, and she knew very well that he had not prospered much in them. He carefully opened the door to their temporary bedroom and wasn't surprised to find Pepper awake writing something on the tablet. She just could never fully rest. She spent at least an hour every day handling work emails.

"What did we say about that, love?" he asked a rhetorical question.

"And what was I supposed to do when I woke up and you weren't lying next to me?" she asked with a smile on her face and glanced at him before setting the tablet on the bedside table. Tony placed the breakfast tray in the middle of the bed and sat on the edge next to Pepper with a cup of black coffee in his hand. His stomach was too tight with nervousness, so he didn't even try to eat something.

"It's quiet, maybe we should look around for something like that in New York," Tony remarked after a moment of silence as Pepper ate breakfast and he looked out the large window. There was nature all around them, and he didn't want to go back to the bustling center of New York. After everything they have experienced in the last six months, a peaceful holiday has greatly benefited them.

"We will not find anything like that at home. After all, we're talking about New York here," she pointed out and drank her coffee.

"We can always move out of the city," he said, watching her reaction closely. The last few months had taken its toll, and he caught his dear half, how her smile always fades when he talks about their future. As if she was still afraid that Mary would reappear, which he couldn't blame her for. He had nightmares about it himself. “If we’re gonna make this work, you also have to come to me when something is going wrong in your life. You need to trust me.”

“You’re right,” she sighed and leaned over to kiss him. Tony was about to deepen the kiss, but at the same moment, she pulled away. “Wait a second. What do you mean “if this gonna work”?” she asked, taken aback, and he swallowed hard. It was here. There was no going back.

“Pepper, you know we’re gonna be together forever right?”

“Not if that’s how you’re gonna ask me,” she muttered, looking away. She was surprised that he had started talking about it at all, but she would have lied if she had said that her heart was not stabbed slightly in the way he had chosen.

“It doesn’t matter how I ask you.”

“Why not?” Doesn't every girl dream of a beautiful wedding, which is preceded by a romantic proposal?

“Because we both know however I ask, it won’t be exactly the way you would’ve instructed me to ask. So might as well ask you any way I want. I thought that it mattered what I said or where I said it. But when you left me, then I realized the only thing that matters is that you- you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. And if you let me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way. To be the happiest woman in the galaxy. And I know I should have had the courage to do that a few years ago, but I was too afraid of rejection. But life without you is something I don't want. Neither does Peter. That's why I'm asking you, will you do me the honor of marrying me?” He finally finished his monologue, hoping he said everything he wanted. With a trembling hand, he took the ring from his pocket and waited patiently for Pepper's answer.

Pepper was completely shocked. And she was immediately ashamed of her previous feelings because Tony was right. None of that mattered. All that mattered was that they would spend the rest of their lives together. The two of them and Peter. Like a real family.

"Yes!" She finally exclaimed with a huge smile on her face and tears in her eyes. She always thought Tony wouldn't want a wedding, but here she was. The man who had owned her heart for so long asked her to marry him.

And when Tony put on her engagement ring with great relief and indescribable happiness, she finally realized that she was the only one for him. That he loves her as much as she loves him.

Notes:

There is a new oneshot about Pepper and Loki and I would be more than happy if you give it a chance <3

Chapter 3: Chapter 2

Chapter Text

"Today was great," Peter said suddenly as he sat on the beach, Natasha on his left and Bruce on his right. They squinted against the setting sun, which reflected on the shimmering sea surface, sending dazzling golden flashes toward them. Their feet were buried in soft sand that was pleasantly cool. In short, they were just good.

“I'm happy to hear that. God knows you needed some real distraction," Natasha said with a smile and exchanged a happy look with Bruce. Peter didn't miss it, he had to smile himself. He was glad Aunt Nat and Bruce got together because the two of them just mean to be together. Like his mom and dad.

Somehow he couldn't believe that several weeks had passed since he shot his biological mother. Everything came together, and at first — it was the worst thing for him then because it was still too fresh — he could barely make out what was real and what he thought had happened. The first days of that incident, he practically just slept. He was gaining energy. Life before was not easy for him. Pepper was gone. He spent some time in Mary's lab. He faced her lies, which she pretended to be true. And then it happened. When Pepper was finally home and it looked like everything would be the same as before, it wasn't. Peter was burdened with a conscience. And now that he could finally sleep in peace, he actually couldn't. He saw Mary regularly in dreams... in nightmares. And he couldn't get rid of it. It was ironic.

He hoped to regenerate on vacation. That his mind would calm down here. That he will get over it. After all, he spent that time with the people who were his dearest. He was away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, the slimy eyes, and the ubiquitous glances that followed his every step. Or so it seemed to him.

"Don't you miss school?" Bruce teased him kindly.

"Not really, actually. I'm fine here. I could imagine living here my whole life," Peter breathed, wrapping his arms around his knees. Bruce suddenly stood up.

"Well, I'll probably slowly go home. I will make some dinner. And I'll check if Pepper and Tony are okay," he winked at them, dusting the sand off his pants. "It's nice today. We could eat outside."

"That would be nice," Natasha agreed, and Bruce gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before turning and heading to the big white house. "Shall we go on walk?" she suggested, standing up and reaching out to him. Peter grabbed her hand and they walked hand in hand on the beach for a moment. The sand swirled in all directions, and seagulls shouted overhead. The sea rippled the shore and rustled softly. It was a pleasant harmony.

"Do you know I like you better with red hair?" Peter said suddenly, and she laughed. Her curls now reached under her shoulders, and Natasha had recently dyed them to their original color.

“Yes, I know. Actually, everyone told me that," she said, adding after a moment, "I'm sorry I'm pulling it out again, but I think it's time to talk about Mary and what happened." The atmosphere thickened. Even though it was hot, Peter could feel him freezing, drenched in an icy sweat. He swallowed and stared blankly in front of him.

"Mom and Dad told you everything," he reminded her quietly. "What more can I tell you? That I am sorry? That I didn't want to cause anyone's death? That I didn't know I was aiming that gun at her? That nightmares haunt me every night and I can't stop them? Have you ever killed anyone, Nat?"

Natasha didn't answer him. "I know you're blaming yourself. But maybe it was for the best. Who knows what that woman would be able to do to you. She could have killed Pepper and you without blinking. It was self-defense. Tense situation. They can't do anything to you, Tony will take care of it, but they're still investigating - "

"Wait, is Dad doing anything about it? Like - it's like bribing them to leave me alone?" Peter snapped in disbelief. "He can't do that! And why didn't he tell me anything?"

"You have to deal with a lot of things already, he didn't want to burden you with more worries," Natasha explained patiently. "You won't have to go to any trial or be in custody or anything. They would have done it a long time ago if they could. The investigation has been going on for quite some time, but it's not easy. They must consider all the circumstances. They're looking for other people Mary has worked with. And finding them isn’t a piece of cake," she added grimly. She didn't say she had the urge to get involved on her own. She could find them, she was convinced. It wouldn't be the first time she's done something like that. However, neither Tony nor Pepper approved of it, and she admitted that it was probably not the best option. It would not be best to draw even more attention to herself. Although Ross pardoned her, she was sure he had done so very reluctantly. Any overstep and it will be used against her. Everyone had to be careful now. It's not over.

"Wouldn't it be better if I told them about it myself?" Peter muttered.

"Definitely not. Pepper and Tony talked to them and they told them everything you told them. It is no longer necessary, they have something to work with. And you have to be safe and not let it grow over your head. It's not easy. You're still a child. Extremely intelligent and improved, but still a child. You have to learn to work with those feelings and thoughts, to filter them out. "Don't let them control you," Natasha advised, then frowned a little. "They already know everything from you, but they still have a lack of witnesses. You testified, Mary is dead. And the last witnesses who see it with his own eyes was Beck."

"And only God knows where is he right now," Peter sighed.

"Well, not quite," Natasha corrected him, and Peter looked up hopefully. "Quentin Beck was found last night. Dead."

Chapter 4: Chapter 3

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Pepper stood leaning against the balcony railing, staring at the calm sea surface. In her eyes tears, which she could no longer hold. After the family dinner, she excuses herself and went here. She knew she should be happy. Quentin Beck was dead. Mary was dead. She was finally engaged to the love of her life. But despite all of that, happiness was very volatile for her. Everyone was trying to absorb the events that had happened in recent months. Everyone had their nightmares. But she was the only one who had to wonder why her child had died. Exactly as Mary told her back then. Her thoughts kept going in that direction, though she tried so hard to avoid them. Why did her unborn child have to die? And how did Mary know about it? Didn't she really have a shred of emotion in her? Why was her innocent baby a threat to her? Wasn't it enough that she had already deprived her of one child at that time?!

"Here you are! I was beginning to worry that you were wandering somewhere. Bruce and Nat went for an evening walk on the beach and Peter is preparing our family evening full of Star Wars," Tony said suddenly behind her, and she wiped away her tears with a quick movement of her hand. Tony had enough on his plate already. He didn't need to worry about her problems too.

"I just wanted to enjoy the view on the sea," she said in a hoarse voice, then moaned inwardly. Now Tony will know for sure that something is wrong.

"Are you all right?" he asked carefully, hugging her.

"Sure," she replied, trying to smile, though it was unnecessarily. Firstly, he couldn't see her face because he hugged her from behind, and secondly, he must have known from her tone of voice that she was lying.

"I thought we weren't lying anymore to each other," he said, but he didn't get an answer. He stopped hugging her and leaned against the railing next to her so he could see her face. Her eyes were slightly red, and he could notice wet tears on her cheeks. This sight completely destroyed him. "Why don't you tell me what's bothering you? Pep, love, in the morning you agreed to make me the happiest man in the galaxy. Talk to me. Please."

"I have to think about the little one," she whispered, and more tears found their way out.

Tony paused for a moment. It took him a few seconds to realize what Pepper was talking about. They talked about their unborn child only once, at Pepper's home. He thought about it for a few hours after that day. What would it be like if they had another child together. But to tell the truth, then there were so many problems that he completely dropped Pepper's - their - loss out of his head. And now he was really ashamed of it.

"It still doesn't occur to me, how Mary found out. Only Natasha knew about it. I don't know how she could have known about it, and I don't understand that her first thought was that our child was a threat to her. She took Peter from us and took our baby from us too. Why, Tony? Why was she so cruel?!” she sobbed and threw herself around his neck. Now she needed his hug more than ever before.

"Pepper, I understand you want to know the answers to these questions, but the truth is, I can't give them to you. Natasha certainly didn't tell her, and Mary is no longer here to answer. I'm so sorry about what you had to go through," he said heavily and kissed her in the hair. Blood was boiling inside him, and he wished Mary was still alive. So he could cause her the same pain she caused his family. He wished so much that she would suffer. To ask him for mercy that he would never give her. He was sure Nat would be happy to join him. And he did not doubt that she knew many methods of torture.

"Don't we deserve to be happy?" She asked in a whisper. Tony didn't answer her and just tightened his grip on her.

 

Peter wasn't okay. And who would be. But he had to admit that after today he was happy again after a long time. He spent the day with Nat and Bruce, Quentin Beck was found dead, and as the icing on the cake, their parents told them at dinner that they are going to married. And that's what Peter always wanted. He was so glad Pepper came back to them. And finally, she will become one of them. At least officially, otherwise, she was one of them for several years.

Peter was really happy that night. But he had no idea how quickly this situation could change. When he had everything ready for the movie night, he decided to go find his parents, which he currently considered a big mistake. Because now he was standing in the doorway of their bedroom, accidentally listening to their conversation. He has experienced so much in recent months that this fact completely fell out of his head. But now it all came back, and he was fully aware of what he had done.

Oh yeah, if you could evoke memories or something... I just wander from conjecture to conjecture like this and I'm very exhausted. I would like to be wrong. Then I could forget about everything and finally go to my mom. Go to Pepper… Everything would be easier then. And especially now when she's pregnant. And that's another problem."

That's exactly what he said to Beck when he considered him a friend.

It was his fault.

He killed her baby.

Notes:

It's funny that before we started writing this, we thought we would start with a little comfort, give them a break for a little bit. But obviously we can't. But don't worry, there will be plenty of fluffy moments. But also be prepared that there will be enough angst.

I know there isn't much yet, but what do you think about it? Comments and kudos are welcome <3 So far, it's slower, but don't worry, we've prepared a few situations that will make life difficult for them all.

Chapter 5: Chapter 4

Chapter Text

"So Beck is dead," Tony said as he heard the balcony door open and Natasha comes in. They heard the murmur of the sea, which had calming effects. He could get used to such a life. Far from people, in some beautiful place, with those he loves. What kept him in New York? The Avengers did fall apart. And if there are any new superheroes, there will be a new generation. Tony is practically retired. And Pepper and Peter finally deserve some peace.

"Looks like it," Natasha agreed, leaning against the railing. Their family movie night ended about half an hour ago, Peter was already in his room, Bruce was asleep, and Pepper excused herself a little before the movie ended. She claimed she was tired. No one persuaded her to stay, she was still working on the fact that she had lost her baby. Before that, she had been busy fighting Mary, which was forcing her not to think about miscarriage and to focus fully on defending her place in the Starks' lives. But now the danger was gone, and everyday worries were coming to the top again.

"At least we're less worried," Tony growled. If Beck were alive, he'd find him and deal with him on his own. He deserved to suffer for hurting his family. "It's weird anyway. there is no threat on the horizon. Maybe Vision was right about his equation. We withdrew, and the villains withdrew too. Well, that will be boring."

Natasha smiled and shook her head. "It's a little liberation. You will miss it at first, but then you get used to it and suddenly you realize that you don't really miss it anymore. You won't even enter the workshop in a moment and forget your suits. It's time to get rid of it and move on. Bruce and I also want to draw a line behind the past and start really living. Maybe I'll finally get used to looking at everyone and not wondering if it's the future villains who're up to something."

"There will probably be more to it than just a grain of truth."

Nat looked at Tony and squeezed his arm. He looked back at her. "Tony, don't you think it's time to forget the old wrongs? You and Steve have suffered enough. Can't you just forgive and forget about it? It would finally be some positive distraction for both you and Peter."

Tony sighed in frustration. "I should have thought you'd pull it out again. I don't know, Natasha. I'm not going to beg him. The team broke up because of him, he kept it from me that he knew my parent's killer, Rhodey was almost killed because of him-"

"You both have a share of the blame," Nat interrupted sharply. "It's like having children in the sandbox. Stop being so childish, Tony. I know you like Bruce, but you miss Steve and how you could tease him constantly. So damn it, take that phone and call him."

Tony looked at her hard. "Are you in contact with anyone else on the team?" Natasha shook her head. She wanted to contact Clint at least, but she didn't want to risk it. And then she was so busy that even though she was pardoned, it wasn't the time. "Okay. I'm going to think about it," Tony promised her gruffly, and she winked at him. They said good night and they both went to their bedrooms.

Peter, meanwhile, was rolling in bed in his room. He couldn't sleep. He had too many things to think about. Parents' wedding. Death of Quentin Beck. That Pepper had a miscarriage.

He rolled onto his side. He hoped it would be quiet now, and instead, his head was full of unwelcome thoughts again. Those weekdays, the commonness of life, a peaceful stereotype, it was perhaps worse than saving the world. Until now, Peter had enjoyed his vacation, but now he longed to return home. He was a little sorry that it was summer because if he went to school, he could at least focus on tests and learning rather than his thoughts and family worries.

Peter yawned and reached for the phone. He unlocked it and clicked the messages. Ned was still online. Peter hesitated whether or not to write to him. But Ned is his best friend and he tells him everything. He and Dad discussed whether he could tell Ned occasionally what had happened, and Tony agreed. Ned proved that Peter could trust him already before when he knew that his best friend was a Spider-man.

I have something to tell you, he wrote to Ned and sent the message quickly before he could change his mind. In a few seconds, he turned out to read the message, and then three dots appeared.

Tell me, I'm listening, he wrote him back.

Peter bit his lip, wondering how best to formulate the message. It will probably be best if he submits it simply, simply as it is. No long and unnecessary chit-chat.

Beck is dead. Aunt Nat told me today.

Holy crap. But that's probably good, isn't it? He looked like a nice guy, but he actually wanted to kill you the whole time. Horror. One cannot trust almost anyone.

Peter sighed. You are right.

It's actually a bit of a shame. He could have been a really good teacher.

Peter did not answer. He really liked Beck and still didn't get over his betrayal. He trusted him so much, and in the end, he turned out to be... someone like that. He wondered if it was all his fault. That if he hadn't been so trusting and had exposed Beck in time, he might have been able to reverse all the events that had taken place.

Well, man, I'm going to bed, I'm tired. Be strong, and if anything, let me know. Enjoy your vacation, but I'm looking forward to you coming back and meeting again!

That lifted Peter's spirits. He wrote off quickly. I'm also looking forward to that. Tomorrow we'll write. So good night, Ned.

He turned off the phone and set it down on the bedside table. Maybe he was a little relieved when he told Ned. Now maybe he'll fall asleep.

Why are they still so worried when everything bad is behind them?

Chapter 6: Chapter 5

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was foolish of him to think that he would be able to fall asleep. After all, he has experienced several of these nights before, especially recently. Therefore, he knew very well that if sleep did not come at a time when the hands on the wall clock showed four o'clock in the morning, it would not come at all.

Angrily, he kicked off the duvet like a small child and stood up with a low sigh so he could change into something warmer than his pajamas. He was terribly tired, but he still decided on a morning run on the beach. He had so many negative emotions in him that he had to get them out somehow. And the best way was physical activity.

He quietly left their holiday home, and as soon as the sea wind cooled his skin, he ran. He didn't care too much about where he was running, he couldn't get lost here. It was not his first run during the holidays. Sometimes they went for a run with Nat. To the cliff and back again. But now he was alone, and at first, he felt it served its purpose. As he ran, all thoughts that weighed on him disappeared. His head was completely empty and he felt so free. He would almost say that if he went back to bed now, he would fall asleep in an instant. The problem was that when he ran to the cliff after forty minutes and stopped, all thoughts came back with the snap of a finger and had a tsunami effect. It all hit him again, perhaps even more than before.

He screamed in frustration. He was glad there were no other holiday homes, so no one could hear him. Tears welled in his eyes and he didn't even try to stop them. He didn't have the strength to do it. He was so tired, both physically and mentally. Especially the second. He received so much good news yesterday. Beck was dead. The parents finally got engaged. It was all about getting better. So why was it exactly the opposite? Why did it have to go wrong again? Why couldn't they be a normal family? Why didn't he look through Beck's mask? It was his fault. It was all his fault.

He just stood there for a moment, watching the calm sea surface with a misty look. He wished he had the same peace in his head, but there was another big storm in his head again. He wiped away tears with the sleeve of his sweatshirt and ran back to be close to their house when the others woke up.

Tony, who had never spent too much time with sleep, had been awake long ago. He was currently standing on the terrace, a cup of black coffee in his hand, of course, looking out for his son with a little worry on his face. As he went to check on him on the way to the kitchen, his heart stopped for a moment after he found only an empty bed. It took him a few seconds to calm down and realize that nothing could happen to him. After a minute, he realized that Peter was probably going for the morning run, so he decided to sit on the terrace and wait for him there. After all, he could fully calm down when he saw his son. When he sees that he's really fine.

It had been twenty minutes since he had stepped onto the terrace, and still no Peter. Tony was getting a little cold because he was only wearing a t-shirt and mornings were colder here. But by no means did he want to go inside and get warmer. No. First, he had to make sure Peter was okay. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait too long. As soon as he saw the familiar brown curls, he set the now empty mug on the table and walked slowly to the beach.

He stopped a short distance from the house and waited for Peter to reach him. He was free from worries for a few seconds, but the closer Peter was to him, the more worries returned to him. He noticed that his eyes were red and he looked like he didn’t sleep at all at night. Tony didn't like to see that.

"Good morning," Tony greeted him, when Peter finally ran up to him, and studied him closely.

Peter nodded but didn't make a sound. He knew that if he tried even a simple "hi", he would break. And he didn't want that. Not again.

"You know we have to talk about it," Tony said softly as they stood there in silence.

"She'll hate me," Peter breathed, staring at the sea. It was clear to him that he was not hiding this, but he did not want to go out with it so soon. But the truth was, it was too much of a burden for him. He couldn't hold it in him and pretend nothing had happened. That he did nothing.

Who?”

"Pepper," Peter replied simply, and there would be no blood in Tony at that moment.

"Hey, little bat, focus on my voice, okay? It's just you and me. We are on holiday. It's all right," Tony began, thinking Peter had one of his seizures when he didn't know what was going on around him. When he doesn't know what's real and what's not. Otherwise, he would not call Pepper by her own name.

Peter fixed his brown eyes on him, tears welling up, and gave him a sad smile. "I know, Dad," he assured him.

"You have to tell me what's going on in that clever head of yours. What's bothering you?”

"I can't tell you, then you'll hate me too," he snorted, wiping away his tears, which was a little unnecessary, as new ones immediately ran down his cheeks.

"Little bat, that's not true. You know neither Pepper nor I could ever hate you. You're our son," Tony said softly, trying to pull him into his arms, but Peter took a few steps back. A wrinkle appeared on the forehead of older of the Starks. He longed so much to fix it all.

"I'm a killer," he said, and Tony's heart fell to a million tiny pieces that fell apart into millions more.

"We've talked about that before, Pete. It was an accident. You're not to blame," he tried to explain.

"But I'm not talking about Mary."

Notes:

Poor Peter :(

Chapter 7: Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Tony frowned in confusion. He didn't understand. If he's not talking about Mary, then about whom?

"Peter, I think we really need to talk. And also to clarify a few things. You're not a little boy anymore, you're smart and I know I can be completely honest with you. Please sit down," he asked, a little tired. Peter obeyed him without a word and quickly wiped his eyes. Tony sat across from him and exhaled heavily. He looked away, the terrace giving them a beautiful view. The words he was about to say were heavy, but they finally had to be spoken aloud.

"I don't talk about it easily, and it's not because Mary was my ex-girlfriend," he began, rubbing his hands. He spoke slowly, thoughtfully so that Peter could really understand him and he said everything he had to. "Every life is very valuable. I understood that when I found out that my weapons actually kill someone every day. And that although we are Avengers and we have to protect the people, we also threaten them. Innocent people who have done nothing wrong. Every life has some value, so did Mary's. After all, she was a great scientist who did groundbreaking research," he smirked. It really wasn't easy for him to talk about it. "But it's about perspective. For me, Mary was a great risk, a danger that threatened not only me but you. Recalculating how much she did just to achieve her goal, I don't think you'll be surprised to say that I would be able to kill her, because she lost my admiration and recognition, and her life was not valuable to me. I know it sounds awful, but it's true. Maybe we really got along. We both have so much blood on our hands that it can never be washed away."

Peter folded his hands uncertainly in his lap and kept his eyes on his father. "Dad," he said cautiously. "I wanted to tell you -"

"Wait, don't interrupt me. I have to finish," Tony asked, raising his hand to stop him. "The woman hurt not only our family but the other people who had nothing to do with her at all. She was a bloodthirsty beast that literally went over corpses, just for her to be happy. She had no conscience. And the lives of people like that, in my opinion, have no value. I don't mean to say she deserved it. She only deserved to suffer a lot. When I think about everything she's done, I feel like..." Tony clenched his jaw and clenched his fists tightly. Peter watched him softly and waited. "You're not a killer, Peter. You never think that. You defended yourself. Yourself, your mom. If you spared her or just shot her, it wouldn't stop her. She would finish what she started. She would kill Pepper and use you for her research. Gradually, she would get rid of us all. Me, Nat, Bruce. And she wouldn't care."

"I know Mary was a terrible woman," Peter agreed in a low voice. "I found out firsthand. But despite what she did to me, I still feel bad for killing her. And somehow I don't know how to deal with it," he admitted to his father.

Tony smiled tenderly at him and reached out to pat him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, it will be fine. It just takes some time. I know how you feel. You'll only be fifteen soon, and you've had so much behind you. I know it's not easy. But whenever you feel like you can't handle it, or that you need support, reassurance, don't be afraid to come to us. Mom and I are here for you and always will be. And the fact that you feel remorse," he breathed, smiling encouragingly at him, "means you're a really good person. And that if it went differently, you wouldn't do it."

"Thanks, Dad," Peter whispered, feeling his father's hand on his shoulder. They both smiled at each other. "But, you know... I have something else to tell you."

Hm? I am listening.”

"I... When Pepper left us and didn't live with us for a while, I once heard Aunt Nat talk to Bruce about Pepper expecting a baby." Tony froze at that moment. He didn't expect that. Pepper hoped that Peter knew nothing and would not even know that she had had an abortion, they did not want to give him any more worries and there were enough tears, but thanks to his improved senses, he probably had to hear everything…

"I was excited to have siblings, even though I was afraid that the baby - well, you know - would really be yours. In retrospect, I am ashamed of my thinking. Until a few days ago, I thought everything was fine, and I was looking forward to my brother or sister. God knows it would be a wonderful distraction and it would help us all - well, forget." Peter paused for a moment, and Tony didn't look away. Everyone carried it very bravely. "But then I heard you. That mom lost the baby. Because of Mary. Because of me. Because I brought Mary back into our lives, I gave her a chance, I had contact with her, I talked to Beck about my life, it was because of me that mom lost her baby... I practically put a weapon in Mary’s hands..." Now Peter's eyes were red again, tears glistening in them. And Tony suddenly didn't know what to say to comfort him.

"It's not your fault, Peter, you're not the one to blame." Pepper joined them, and they both froze. "It's not your fault that Mary was spoiled to the bone. It's not your fault, that she was crazy and didn't care what she was doing. It would happen anyway; sooner or later."

"But I'm so sorry, Mom," Peter breathed, getting up from his chair and hugging her tightly. She held him in her arms and closed her eyes as she stroked his hair.

"It's nothing, baby, it's nothing. It happens. We will not fix such things, we will not change the past. We have to learn to live with it and it will be good again. I want my baby boy to laugh again," she whispered, stroking his cheek. "Don't blame yourself anymore, honey. Life is not a feather."

"Didn't we suffer enough?" he sobbed. Pepper and Tony looked at each other and smiled.

"The main thing is that we are all together and fine. Come for breakfast," Pepper urged them both. "But I think it's best to leave soon and return home. The atmosphere here is starting to thicken."

Chapter 8: Chapter 7

Chapter Text

They enjoyed the beach and sea view for another three days before deciding to return to New York. After all, Peter's birthday was approaching and they wanted to celebrate it at home. Plus, it was really great timing, because something as joyful as their son's fifteenth birthday pushed everything negative out of their lives. Well, at least for a while.

"Do you need help with anything?" Tony asked as he entered the kitchen and found there his future wife, who was finishing the final adjustments on Peter's cake.

Pepper shook her head and gave him a small smile. "I know you're a great mechanic, but baking is not your advantage and we don't have time to start baking a new cake."

"That wasn't nice of you, but it's true, so I can't be angry," Tony sighed, but he had a bright smile on his face. He left Bruce and Nat to finish decorating so he could spend some time with Pepper. During the holidays, he got so used to their home life that he couldn't imagine what it would be like when Pepper got back to work. Don't get him wrong, Tony supported Pepper in everything and was proud of how she ran his company, but he preferred to see her in comfortable home clothes and a messy bun. In short, exactly as he was seeing her right now. Finally happy and relaxed. It's been a nice change in recent months.

"Tommy and Brian aren't here yet, are they? I have to go change into something fancier than sweatpants,” she laughed, as if she was reading his mind, and hid the cake in the fridge.

"Not yet," Tony replied, checking the watch on his hand. "Which is good, because Peter wrote to me that he would be late. Would you believe that? He will be late for his own party! ”

"Um, you know what they say, the apple does not fall far from the tree," she teased, "besides, Ned and he haven't seen each other so long. They have to make up for a lot and it's his birthday. I still don't believe he's fifteen! Our little boy."

"You forget he's not just with Ned. What about the Jones girl? Do we know anything about her? Because I heard about her for the first time today. Wait, I've figured it out… They have something together! For Christ's sake, do you think they have anything together? Should I talk to him about bees? I-"

"Tony!" Pepper shouted with a laugh. Like father, like son. Sometimes she forgot that Tony could be as talkative as Peter. "I think if they had anything together, we would know about it. And how do you think you heard about Michelle for the first time today? She is Peter's classmate, he has mentioned her a few times."

"Well, when I was fifteen, I didn't confide with this to parents," Tony grinned, earning a slap in the shoulder.

"I don't want to know about it and don't take it personally, but I hope Peter won't follow you in this, because if he did, we would have to end it quickly. We will not tolerate it," she said quietly. She knew what Tony had been like, and yet she loved him, but she didn't want their son to be like that.

Tony hugged her and kissed her hair. "Don't worry, I would never allow anything like that. And I don't think we have anything to worry about. Peter is a sweetheart, mainly thanks to you."

"We both have the credit," she corrected him. She certainly wasn't going to take credit for Peter's upbringing. After all, Tony did excellently on his own.

They stood there in silence for a moment, in each other's arms, enjoying the moment very much. However, Tony had thoughts that he wanted to tell Pepper. The problem was that he didn't know how to express himself and was afraid it would upset his beloved. And he didn't want that, because she was in a really good mood today.

"Pep, love," he said hoarsely, swallowing hard. He knew that sooner or later she would know that something was going through his head, so it was better if he confided in her right now.

Pepper pulled away slightly from him to see into his eyes, indicating that she was listening.

"Peter is celebrating his fifteenth birthday, so I have to think about one thing. What if we, when things got back to normal when we were all really okay and in the right place, especially mentally - what if we had another child?” he said heavily, and immediately regretted it because he felt Pepper tensed in his arms and slowly pulled away from him. The room suddenly cooled and all the positive energy was gone.

"I have to go get ready for the party," Pepper muttered, turning to leave, but Tony grabbed her hand gently to stop her.

"Don't leave, Pep, not like that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I… I just have to think about what it would be like, you know? And especially after Peter admitted how much he was looking forward to his younger sibling. I am sorry-"

"Please don't apologize," she sighed, her eyes closed. "I still have a picture of Peter and his younger sibling in front of my eyes, but at the moment it is not possible, Tony. It's still too fresh and I don't know if I could lose another child."

"Of course I understand that and I'm not pushing you with anything. Let's enjoy today's party and then start planning the wedding, what do you say? We will not deal whit what happens next."

"Sounds great," she agreed with a smile that was still a little sad, but Tony took it as a victory. Pepper kissed him lightly on the cheek before heading to the bedroom so she could finally change and adjust. She was sure Tommy and Brian would be here any minute, and she overheard Rhodey from the living room, which meant they only missed their kid and they would be complete.

Tony wrote a quick message to Peter stating that the stylish late arrival had its time limit and whether he moved his ass or he ate his cake before he went to the living room to join the others. But before he could greet Rhodey, the whole house shook with thunder.

"Pointbreak makes it after all," he muttered under his nose and went to greet the guest.

So, more precisely the guests.

Chapter 9: Chapter 8

Chapter Text

"Well look at that, Rock of Ages is here. That's a real surprise," Tony said when he realized that Thor wasn't alone. Next to him stood his brother Loki, looking extremely bored. "And next time, Thor, please choose a door and not a balcony. Hey, you're missing an eye!" He suddenly noticed a dark tape.

"The balcony is safer, if I wanted to get through the door, I'd have to break through your roof," Thor replied in his deep voice, patting him on the shoulder until Tony, who wasn't expecting it, almost dropped to his knees. "Yeah, I lost my eye," he said in a tone as if he was talking to him about the weather.

"And he destroyed the whole Asgard," Loki teased, earning a frown from his brother. He threw up his hands innocently. "What? I'm telling the truth."

Don’t say, you can do something like that?" Tony said, looking back at him. Loki rolled his eyes.

"He's right," Thor agreed grimly. "A lot of things happened. Ragnarok was inevitable. Asgard is destroyed."

Stark frowned. "Wait, you'll have to explain it to me better."

"Our sister Hela - whom we had no idea until recently, by the way - destroyed his hammer, and he has been a little depressed since then," Loki told Tony. "Her arrival is related to Ragnarok. She occupied Asgard while we were on Sakaar, trying to get out of that place. When we did, we had to deal with Hela, and she was responsible for Thor losing his eye. And Asgard is on fire.” Loki clasped his hands and then rested them on his chest, glaring at Thor angrily.

God of thunder sighed. "You know very well that Ragnarok was inevitable. In short, we will both have to stay on Earth for a while now."

"That's really a win," Loki said dryly.

Tony pointed at him. "Look, you asshole. No one's forcing you to stay here, so if it's not classy enough for you here, Rock of Ages, you can disappear again. I didn't take you down just because the kid likes you for some incomprehensible reason."

Loki's face twisted, but he said nothing. Tony turned to Thor again, who looked exhausted. "So you have a sister who deprived you of an eye and a hammer? Damn, and we thought it was indestructible."

"Well, that's right," Thor said, trying to make a cheerful tone, which he didn't do very well. So he'd better turn his attention to the guests in the next room. "Aren't we late? Is everyone here already?"

"Well, yeah, we're just waiting for the birthday boy. Just come in, and your brother is welcome, too, if he's not going to turn it upside down here," Tony said, giving Loki a stern look. Thor nodded at his brother, and he rolled his eyes. You could see how he didn't like the idea of being at a family party, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"So let's join, I can't wait to see everyone again. By the way, Tony, would you mind if we stayed at the Avengers headquarters for a while? You know, before the situation calms down a bit," he asked.

Tony shrugged and motioned for them to move on. "Yeah, sure. Like home." Thor squeezed his hand gratefully, then went to greet others gracefully. He and Bruce hugged tightly, and Thor began to ask what the news was.

"Like at home? You shouldn't have said that. So that your noble mansion would not be reduced to ashes," Loki grinned before he, too reluctantly, went to join the guests, but sat as far away from them as possible so that he would not have to communicate with anyone. Tony didn't even tell him anything but he sighed and waved, and went to Pepper, who was checking if everything was ready.

"It's perfect, love. Peter will be happy," he told her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Pepper smiled broadly.

"I'm glad. So Thor and his brother? I had no idea they were coming," she said in astonishment, looking at him questioningly. Tony glanced at Loki, who was sitting in a chair with his feet over his feet, looking up at everyone.

"Neither do I. I wasn't sure if Thor would show up, but I never dreamed he would take him with him. Probably nobody introduced you yet, did they? Dear Pepper, this is Loki, the one who tried to kill me while sending creatures from space to us. And now I'm not exceptionally joking," he added quite seriously, and Pepper chuckled. "When Peter was little, he met him, and he must have somehow messed up his head. He's been a little crazy about him ever since, and whenever he meets Loki, he's on a branch."

"Well, you know, having superheroes in your family is a bit boring. He has to spice up his life and have a supervillain as a friend," Pepper said with a gentle smile and looked at Loki. "He's not really evil, or Thor wouldn't have taken him here."

Tony looked at her in disbelief. "Am I hearing right? Are you defending him right now? That guy tried to kill me, and if I didn't have a new improved suit, he would be successful!"

"I'm not defending him. I just trust Peter's judgment, and besides - Loki is Thor's brother," Pepper shrugged, then smiled. "That one day we're going to argue about something like that, I wouldn't have thought of that."

Tony grinned and raised his hands. "Okay. Thor may be nice, but that doesn't mean Loki is like that. Nor are they blood relatives. They adopted him! From what I've heard, he's a descendant of the Frost Giants. And they certainly won't be good."

"You don't choose a family, Tony. And given your complicated relationship with your father, you know that very well. I'll go get a cake, so get the candles," she asked, giving him a quick kiss before disappearing into the kitchen.

Thor was already opening a beer. "Hey, Tony! Where are Barton and Steve?" he asked. Bruce and Natasha exchanged a careful look.

Tony put his hands in his pockets and went for the candles on the table. "Oh yeah. I have no idea about Steve, I'm not in contact with him. I don't even know where he is. And Barton is enjoying a well-deserved rest with his family," he explained evasively.

"I'd like to see them again," Thor said, sipping his beer. And they'd heard two boyish voices discussing something in the hall. Pepper quickly brought the cake, and with Tony, they put candles on it and lit them. Just in time when Peter and Ned came in.

"Surprise!" They all shouted and began to sing happy birthday to him. Peter looked touched and exchanged a sly smile with Ned, who winked at him and then noticed Loki sitting with his hands on his chest and briefly nodded at Peter. That was already a gift for Peter.

"Happy Birthday, honey! Blow out the candles and make a wish!” Pepper urged with a wide smile and came to him with the cake in her hands.

Peter didn't have to think long. He took a breath and when he blew out all fifteen candles at once, they all started clapping.

I wish everything was back to normal.

Chapter 10: Chapter 9

Chapter Text

Loki didn't want to be here and didn't understand his brother's sudden obsession with dragging him everywhere with him. Yes, Loki didn't want to be here, but the fact that his presence bothered Stark improved the whole situation a lot. He could feel his gaze on him all the time, but he never turned to let him know he knew about him. He pretended to listen carefully to everything that was Peter telling him, when in fact he paid no attention to him at all. Young Stark probably decided to be stuck by his side the whole time and tell him every little detail of his life.

And as Peter spoke and spoke, Loki wondered how to have at least some fun. And as he thought about it, he got a really great idea. He took out one of his favorite knives and handed it to Peter, who paused for a moment, watching in amazement the ornaments on the handle. Stark would be furious, that was for sure.

"Wow, it's beautiful. It must be so old, huh?” he guessed, but kept his eyes on the knife. He had never seen anything like it. Nat had a few knives, but not even one was decorated that way.

"It really is and now it's yours," he grinned. He would miss the knife, but he had so many that he could mourn one.

What?”

Loki had to chuckle at his incomprehension before carefully pushing the knife into his hand. After all, he wanted to have fun and not put on himself target for Hulk if he accidentally injured young Stark. "It's your birthday, isn't it?" he reminded him why he was here in the first place. He certainly wouldn't stop for a courtesy visit.

But before Peter could say anything, the knife was taken from him by Tony, who was really upset. "Are you crazy? Why are you giving it to him?!” he shouted at Loki, who was very pleased with his reaction. Exactly as he wanted.

"Just a little birthday present, Stark," Loki explained with a smug smile on his face.

Tony glared at him. He seemed to be ready to say him a few nasty words, but in the end, he just sighed in frustration and walked back to Thor and Rhodey. The Asgardian was slightly disappointed. It was less fun than he had hoped for.

"I'll get the knife back later. Thank you!” Peter blurted out with a smile before getting up and finally leaving him alone.

Peter went to see Tommy and Brian. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen them with all the madness that had been around them all the time. He liked the couple, mainly because they were the only people who were friends with his parents, without belonging to a secret corporation or one of the most powerful heroes in the world. They were just normal, and Peter liked that he could discuss things with them that had nothing to do with saving the world. Sometimes it was a nice change.

"Have you heard the news?" he practically yelled at them as he approached.

"Our birthday boy has finally made time for us ordinary people," Brian teased, giving him a hug, to which, of course, Tommy joined. They always hugged him together. It was nice.

"What news do you have in mind? Have you finally outgrown Tony?” Tommy asked as they stopped hugging. Tommy was always over the gossip and had to know everything first.

"No, but I'm close. Plus, we all know that outgrowing Dad isn't hard," he grinned and glanced around the room to make sure his father hadn't heard him. Everyone also knew that he was quite sensitive about his height - or rather not height. "Dad finally asked Mom to marry him, and she agreed!" he informed them with a huge smile on his face.

Brian stared at him in surprise, as if he couldn't believe his ears, and Tommy let out a scream that the room fell silent and everyone present looked at them.

"I'm sorry, but this little bat just told me Tony and Pepper are getting married! Congratulations, guys!” Tommy shouted apologetically, wiping away the tears that had found their way out. He had been working for Tony since Peter was born. They weren't friends then. But Tommy was the only one who could work with Tony and meet all his requirements. They became closer only when Peter was supposed to start school. At the time, he and little Stark ran a small fan club, speculating about how long it would take for Tony and Pepper to become a couple. It took them longer than they thought, but when it finally happened, Tommy took Peter for a celebratory cake.

"Maybe we should have a whole cake now," Peter laughed as if he was thinking the same thing as Tommy.

"It was about time," Brian said with a smile. He had known the Starks for a shorter time, but he too waited impatiently for the moment.

"I know, I know," Pepper sighed, suddenly appearing next to them. "I didn't want to tell you until after the party. After all, we are here today to celebrate Peter's birthday and not our engagement.”

"Are you crazy, Mom? We can celebrate it all together. We have been waiting for this for so long!”

"Your son is right," Tommy chuckled.

"I am always right! And now excuse me, I have to go save Bruce from Ned's questions," he said, giving Pepper a quick kiss on the cheek before walking to the pair. Today was absolutely amazing and he was finally starting to feel that it was all on the right way.

Chapter 11: Chapter 10

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The residence of the Stark family was very large, spacious, and luxurious. The house had a lot of unused rooms and rooms, which served mainly as storage for unnecessary things, with which Pepper, who paid great attention to order and cleanliness, fundamentally disagreed, but could not do anything about it. Stark's mansion had never been very lively, as it had been in the Avengers tower, for example, when the team was still together, not disputed, and regularly fulfilling the missions assigned to them by Fury.

Pepper, Tony, and Peter often spent time together and loved their peace. They didn't need to be more lively here, but the three of them were quite looking forward to the idea when another member of their family would be with them, who would definitely make sure that there was a rather lively excitement at home. But it shouldn't be Mary who completely thwarted their plans and even forced Pepper to leave, and she almost didn't come back. When Miss Potts was not here, there was a terrible silence and emptiness, and the inaction and the everyday stereotype was killing Peter and Tony. Pepper was part of them. The two themselves were not enough.

But with the sudden arrival of Loki and Thor, Stark's residence acquired two more renters for some time. No one now used the Avengers' headquarters when the team disbanded and Bruce and Natasha lived with the Starks. And Thor didn't want to live there alone. He longed for company, he missed the team. And when he lost part of his family, Asgard, he needed the Avengers' presence more than ever. Pepper generously offered to both brothers that they could live with them for a while, and Thor accepted her offer very enthusiastically. Loki wasn't so happy about it, and neither was Tony. He still hadn't forgotten the old wrongs and how he had attacked New York and nearly torn him to pieces.

"We haven't heard from Ross suspiciously in a long time. On the one hand, that's good, but I don't like his sudden silence. It's a bit like the silence before the storm. I don't like it," Natasha confided in Tony as they met one morning in the dining room for a delicious breakfast and a good cup of coffee. Tony pretended to read the newspaper, but in fact, he checked Loki, who was sitting on the other side of the table, and he, too, sipped his hot drink calmly and tossed his knife bored. And Tony didn't like it very much. He always tried to keep Loki under control, because he just didn't believe the man at all.

"Hm? You're right, I didn't even think to worry about it. I was probably so relieved that the guy stopped bothering me that I didn't even think about whether it was actually bad," Tony agreed, who just reluctantly shifted his attention to her. Pepper did some things to work, Thor went for a run, and Peter and Bruce were still asleep. Natasha and Tony always talked about things like that related to the team or their superpowers separately from each other. Tony has promised Pepper many times to try to limit his work as an Iron Man, and this time he intended to keep it. And Natasha didn't want to stress Bruce too much. But worries did not disappear even after Mary Fitzpatrick's death.

"As I say, I don't like it. Remember what Peter told us back then? How did Mary talk to him about doing some deal with Ross?” Natasha continued in a low voice. Tony frowned.

"The Secretary of the Interior wants to have everything under control," he growled unhappily, a wrinkle appearing between his eyebrows. "I'm sure the research she did that made Peter a boy with superpowers wasn't the only one. She wanted to give Ross people who are as capable as we are. Maybe even more capable."

"A new team. One who would listen to him perfectly and would not defy his orders," Natasha agreed grimly, drumming her fingers on the mug. Tony slammed his fist into the table, and Loki on the other side smiled scornfully.

"Damn Ross!" Tony snapped, then pointed to Loki as he noticed him grinning. "And you! Stop laughing!”

"I'm not doing anything," Loki said innocently. "Act like I'm not here."

Natasha watched him thoughtfully. "We need to find out if Mary forgot to hide or destroy any other data. Maybe we'll be lucky and find the answers."

Tony grinned. "Neither you nor I believe in such a thing. Mary was consistent."

"Yes, but you can see for yourself that she made a mistake in the end. At least we have to try. Better to get a job than to grope blindly in uncertainty. And Loki could also be useful to us."

Tony looked at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I'd rather call Rogers than work with this psychopath!”

"Believe me, I'm not happy to work with you either, Stark," Loki said venomously. "But I'm at your disposal." Natasha nodded, acknowledging. "Unfortunately."

"I don't trust him," Tony shook his head unhappily and frowned.

"Yeah, but we all in this room know you're going to work with Loki eventually because you don't call Steve," Natasha grinned, and Tony had to agree reluctantly.

•••

It was a beautiful sunny day. Natasha and Tony were dealing with some things, so Bruce decided to go for a walk, breathe in the fresh air, and clean his head thoroughly. Peter had a meeting with Ned, so Bruce offered to accompany him for a short time. Plus, he didn't want to stay with Loki in Stark's mansion. The two had mutual respect for each other.

Bruce felt really good after a long time. He has not turned into a Hulk for some time, mainly thanks to Natasha. He was so grateful to have her by his side. He was always afraid she'd put it together with Steve. He was so masculine, strong, courageous, a mountain of muscle, he had a sense of justice, he was faithful and he had a good heart. And then there he was. Just Bruce. He tried to maintain his figure and condition, but he was rather thin, very careful when it came to establishing relationships, quiet, rather rational. He wasn't sure if Natasha longed for someone like him. After someone who simply has only seven doctorates, but hides a huge green monster inside of himself.

Natasha could choose any of them. Steve could be hers. But she chose Bruce, and there were still times when Banner couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe she could love such a monster.

Everything was beautiful. They painted a wonderful future together, even though life had put so many obstacles in their way. But Bruce was slowly beginning to believe that there was such a thing as fate. That he and Nat may have been predestined.

He thought so much about his girlfriend that he forgot to watch the way. Suddenly he crashed into a dark-haired woman who screamed and almost fell. But frightened Bruce managed to catch her in time, and when he looked into her face, he asked himself if it just seemed to him, or if it really was her. The woman stared at him in surprise, but then her lips widened into a wide smile.

Bruce, is that really you?”

Notes:

Okay... What just happened?

Chapter 12: Chapter 11

Chapter Text

Bruce looked silently into her beautiful blue eyes and vividly remembered the moment they had last seen each other. It's been so many years, and to be honest, he hasn't thought about a brunette for a long time. But now she was standing in front of him, and it felt like yesterday when they met in high school and immediately became friends.

"Um," he said vaguely when he realized she had asked him a question and he didn't answer it. "Yes, it's really me. But is it really you, Betty?” he asked quietly. They did not break up completely in good conditions. He was aware of that.

"Still the same Elizabeth Ross," she agreed with a smile and fixed her eyes on him, in which sparks of happiness shone at the moment. "When we came across each other, don't you have time? I'm just leaving work and I wouldn't refuse a big cup of coffee."

Bruce must have laughed reluctantly. It used to be their little tradition. Whenever they ended up in the lab, they found a nice cafe place and allowed themselves to relax for a while and not think about the research they were working hard on. "I guess I'd find some time," he muttered, and together they headed in the direction Bruce was heading before he bumped into his ex-girlfriend.

"What are you doing in New York? I thought you'd be lost somewhere in the jungle," she said after a moment of silence as they just walked side by side and looked around for the nice cafeteria. Bruce wanted to object immediately, how could she know before he realized he had planned to travel to third world countries even back then.

"I've been for many years," he said nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "I was in Calcutta for the last time, but then…" Then an angel appeared, he wanted to say but decided not to. He didn't confide to Nat, but too often he remembered their first meeting. Something about her fascinated him right away when he saw her. She was so fearless. Needless to say, she was beautiful, Bruce wasn't blind…

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. We see each other after so many years, I understand you don't want to confide. Plus, you've never been an open book, so no change here. Anyway, I'm glad you're in town and we met!” she blurted out.

Bruce smiled slightly but paused for a moment. He was glad to see Betty again, but he would be lying if he said he shared the same enthusiasm as she did. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't feel completely comfortable in her presence. There were too many factors that could affect his feelings. It could be that she was the daughter of a man Bruce was supposed to avoid at all costs. At least he promised Natasha and he also wanted to keep that promise. He himself didn't want to be back in Ross's labs. Or it could be that the girl next to him was his ex-girlfriend. An ex-girlfriend he hadn't thought about for many years, but some of the feelings that were deeply buried were surfacing. And he didn't like it at all.

"This one doesn't look bad," he suggested as they walked past the cafe, which seemed calm and cozy, so they would have space to chat in private.

"I want the biggest coffee they have here. I'm completely tired from work. What about you? Are you working on anything right now?” she asked with a smile that adorned her face the whole time. Bruce didn't remember that she was ever smiling so much.

"I've had a slightly busier time now, so nothing interesting," he replied, glancing at the drink menu. He was trying to reduce his caffeine intake now because living with Tony was one giant coffee intake, and he felt he wasn't doing well. He was supposed to ease Tony's consumption, too, but he hadn't been able to figure out how to do that yet. "What are you working on?"

"Honestly, it's not fun. I focus on organic chemistry, but it's so boring! I'll probably start with biochemistry. I am now under the auspices of the US military, thanks to my father, so I can do what I want," she informed him.

Bruce glanced at her, wondering for a moment if he could hear well. This wasn't his Betty. "Are you working for Ross?" he asked a rather useless question. But part of him hoped it was just a misunderstanding.

"I gave it a chance. He's all I have, Bruce," she said sadly.

"I-I don't understand. You hated him!”

"We haven't seen each other in almost ten years, Bruce. Times are changing. You should understand me, you didn't have a good relationship with your father yourself," she breathed softly, staring at the drink menu.

It was a seemingly harmless remark. Harmless if you didn't suppress a furious green monster inside you. Bruce felt the Hulk try to surface, and he had to work really hard to keep him inside. "My father was a terrible man who killed my mother!" he said through gritted teeth. This was not a topic he enjoyed discussing. And Betty knew that very well. At least she knew before.

Betty looked up at him and noticed that his skin was beginning to turn green. She quickly reached across the table and carefully grabbed his hand. "Breath, Bruce, nothing's happening," she tried to comfort him.

They both remembered that it had been she who had managed to keep the Hulk under wraps. But that was no longer the case. Bruce closed his eyes and focused only on his girlfriend. And when he thought of moving to their own apartment at the end of the holidays and finally starting to live a normal life, all the anger evaporated like steam over a pot. Because how could he be angry when something so beautiful was waiting for him?

"I am sorry. It will not happen again. You'd better tell me about your adventure with the Avengers," she urged, and Bruce was happy to start telling. The Avengers were gone, but he had at least good memories of them.

•••

Natasha struck the punching bag for the last time before tossing her gloves away angrily and frustratingly stabbing the knife into the bag, from which sand immediately began to pour. The redhead watched the falling sand idly for a moment, but then walked to the refrigerator, where cooled water was waiting for her.

She was done. She no longer enjoyed the life of a soldier and a spy, but unfortunately for her, that exactly she was. Well, a spy, she wasn't a soldier, and she never will be, even if some people (idiot Ross) think that's exactly what she is. When Tony and she returned home, they were no wiser. They found nothing new at all, and it put her in a bad mood. But the crown of it all came from the fact that Bruce wasn't home when they returned, and Peter told her that he was with him for a while when he went to see Ned after lunch. Natasha was not pleased with this finding, as they returned late in the afternoon and she began to worry about Bruce. He turned out to be useless when Bruce showed up before dinner. Natasha noticed the change almost immediately. He was in a strangely good mood, and when he hugged her, her stomach clenched anxiously.

She was struck in the nose by a sweet scent, which was typical of sweeter women's perfumes. And she knew it wasn't her perfume, because she used rather heavier scents, and she also knew it wasn't Pepper perfume. She used a sweet scent, but she could never smell from her what she smelled when Bruce hugged her.

So, whose damn perfume did she smell from him?

Chapter 13: Chapter 12

Chapter Text

Pepper? Would you find a moment for me?” Natasha asked as she stepped into the living room and found Pepper on the couch looking at something on her tablet. A woman with strawberry-blond hair immediately looked up and rested her eyes on her best friend, who did not appear to be in her skin. That alone gave her wrinkles. Because Natasha was the type of person that didn't break easily. And if so, she carefully hides it inside of herself. Probably something really serious happened when it took someone like Nat. Pepper was a little worried about what was going on this time.

"Of course, sit down. Tony and Bruce are in the workshop, so at least they won't disturb us. Don't you want anything? Tea, coffee?” she offered her kindly, examining her carefully. Natasha just shook her head and sat down next to her, intertwining her fingers. She looked at the screen of the turned-off television and probably wondered how to get started.

Pepper moved closer to her and placed her palm on her knee. "Nat, I'm here for you, you know that. And whatever happens, we'll work it out together. We always solved everything, no matter how awful it was .” Natasha turned to her and smiled slightly, which lifted Pepper’ s mood a little. For several months, Natasha had been her tremendous support, and Pepper was glad she could repay her now, though she didn't want Nat to be sad and suffering. She knew she had an unpleasant past behind her that she had never talked about. But whatever happened, she deserved to be happy, and Bruce was the one who would make her happy. Pepper would never have thought that Natasha would want to talk about him right now.

"Thank you, Pepper. You know very well that I am not the type of person to confide in anyone. But I have to deal with this, and I know that you will keep it to yourself and that you will understand me," Natasha began hesitantly, she did not talk about it easily. She didn't like to open up to people, she couldn't talk much about her feelings. After all, she was trained in something like this in the Red Room. Never make friends. Never fall in love. Never let yourself be too attached to someone because otherwise, you will never be an elite killer. Never bind yourself to anyone, there is no family here. Here you play for yourself. This is exactly what they kept instilling in their heads, and Natasha holds to it for many years.

Until she met Bruce. Until she found Tony, Peter, and Pepper. Until she joined the Avengers. Until she knew what it was like to have a family. When you love someone so much that you would be willing to lay down your life for them, and who would do the same for you.

"I appreciate that, and I promise I won't let you down," Pepper told her, smiling encouragingly at her. "So, tell me. I'm listening."

Natasha thought for a long time about saying something like that to Pepper. After all, it was still just her assumptions. But it had been bothering her for days, and she realized she couldn't bear it alone. That she needs someone to hold her. Just realizing this was a huge step forward for her.

" Okay . Well, it's been a few days since I smelled an unknown women's perfume on Bruce's sweatshirt," she told her straight, and when she said the fact aloud , she was almost embarrassed. Pepper's eyes widened. "It can't be yours, and another woman doesn't live here with us. And Bruce… he's not seeing anyone but us, I don't get it! You probably understand that I've started to get a little worried about him having someone else. "

Pepper hesitated in response to this. "What, Bruce? Are you sure? I don't think he is that type of guy …"

"Right!" Nat exploded, looking anxiously at the door to see if anyone was coming. "It doesn't seem to me either. He is not like that. At least I think so. But after this, I'm afraid I'll lose him. What if you really found another woman ? Back then he came back so cheerful… and since then he's in a really good mood. And I just don't know what to do, Pepper. I can't keep track of where he's going and who he's seeing. Or look at his phone, his emails. But what if it's really true and I…” Natash a was almost crying. And she never cried too much. But just the thought of losing Bruce was awful.

"Wasn't he just in a meeting? With old friends? When did he work in a lab?” Pepper tried, but she knew Natasha didn't believe it. She didn't believe it either. But what could they do? "You're right, Bruce is not like that. He is a cool man, calm, faithful, rather family type. But unfortunately, one never knows."

"Then tell me what to do," Nat whispered, almost desperately.

"We will wait. We will watch him. And then we'll see. You'll see it's a big misunderstanding," Pepper tried to encourage her, and Natasha nodded.

Hopefully…

"If you don't want to watch him yourself, I can do it," both of them suddenly heard a captivating male voice with an almost contemptuous undertone. It was immediately clear to both of them who it was. Loki. He stood in the doorway, looking at them with his typical grin on his face, and was eating a cookie.

"You listened to us," Natasha scolded him, and Pepper frowned slightly.

"It's not my fault, I didn't know you were here. And how do I know that what you were talking about is top secret? So what, Romanov? Are you taking my offer? I have a feeling that if I don't do something, I will soon go crazy here," he sighed theatrically.

Natasha didn't think for too long. "I'll think about it," she told him, though she didn't like it. Does that mean s he doesn't trust Bruce enough? If s he can't trust him, how long will such a relationship last? Probably not for too long. But she was so afraid, and his good mood and that foreign perfume… God, why does s he have to make such decisions? She didn't want to deal with anything like that. She and Bruce wanted to move into their own apartment and live a peaceful life together without such worries.

"And please keep it to yourself," she asked.

Loki paused for a moment, as if still thinking about her words, but finally nodded. "Well, as you think. I will wait for your answer. But, if I may express my opinion, Bruce is, in my opinion, the type of person who is almost afraid to look in the mirror. And to lie to his girlfriend in the eye and cheat on her? It doesn't suit him, he would blame himself and you would know it for sure. And playing with a woman like you? He could dig his own grave right away," he grinned.

He has a point,” Pepper said softly.

Natasha frowned. "You don't know him at all, you can't have an opinion on this!" And she stood up angrily. Loki grabbed her wrist.

"And you know him? Probably not much, if you have doubts about him," he said quietly. Natasha pulled away from him.

"You can't understand this!" And she walked away quickly.

Loki looked at Pepper and shrugged. "Well, at least I tried."

"Mr. Loki, will you play Uno with me?" Peter's excited voice echoed down the hall, and Loki paled slightly. Pepper had to laugh.

U-no? What’s that?”

That just a game. You-”

"Peter, what I told you! That you should avoid that Rock of Ages with a big arc!” That was Tony. As if he, too, had a sixth sense for Peter to appear too close to Loki.

"But Tony, Loki doesn't do anything to him," Pepper reassured him as Tony joined them.

"Yeah? That's what you think! Do you know what he gave him for his birthday? Knife! KNIFE!” he repeated emphatically, and Loki grinned.

"It was in case of if he ever felt un safe," he defended himself.

"Yeah ?!" Tony turned to him. "But now I'm the one who feels un safe!"

Would you like a knife?” Loki suggested generously, and Peter laughed.

"Nothing's happening, Dad, I can handle it, you don't have to worry about me," Peter reassured him. Tony put his hand protectively on his shoulder and frowned Loki with a warning look.

Tony pointed at him. "Do you know what Thor told me? That you're actually about sixteen years old on Earth, so you're still a child." He smiled sweetly at him when he saw that he didn't please Loki too much. "So I'd rather keep you under surveillance, Prince, because you're still little and defenseless because you don't have a knife."

 

Chapter 14: Chapter 13

Chapter Text

Pepper sat on Peter's bed, going through weekly reports from employees while young Stark was preparing for school. The holidays passed too quickly and his school started tomorrow, which didn't bother him so much. The holidays were fine, but the school never bothered him. As one of the few, he looked forward to it.

"You'd better check everything twice, I don't want you to come up with a note the first day," Pepper said as she paused the tablet screen and turned her attention to her son. She didn't confide in anyone, but she was a little nervous that Peter was starting school again. In those two months, she had grown accustomed to seeing him almost all the time. She didn't know how she was going to handle it when she will not have an overview of him practically all day.

"I'm not a little kid anymore, Mom, you don't have to check on me," he said, but Pepper knew he wasn't upset.

"We'll talk about it after you come, you've lost your backpack. Again," she smirked as Peter's cheeks flushed slightly at her words. He couldn't say anything to that because it was true. But he really tried not to lose them!

Peter checked for the last time that he had everything he needed before closing the backpack he'd left lying on a chair and going to sit next to Pepper. "So, Natasha and Bruce are really moving next weekend?" he asked quietly. Of course, he knew they wouldn't live with them forever, but he didn't expect their move to come so soon. He got used to them. He liked seeing them every day.

"I don't know, honey," Pepper sighed. A few days ago, she would have been sure that their moving was still on the plan, but after what Natasha told her, she wasn't sure at all.

"What does that mean?" Peter blurted out, confused by her answer.

"They have to work out something between themselves, and I don't know if they'll want to move on their own until they're clear," she said. "But you shouldn't bother with that, should you? And please don't ask them about it. This is their matter and they have to deal with it themselves."

A wrinkle appeared on Peter's forehead, but he nodded. "I promise, Mom," he said, but immediately gasped. "But they won't break up, will they?!"

"I don't think so," she tried to reassure him. But the truth was, she didn't know that either. She didn't think Bruce was cheating on Natasha, because he would hold her in his hands if he could. She hoped the redhead would keep her head calm and make no hasty decision.

"They are so happy together. When they first found their way to us, neither one of them was happy. Remember how Bruce didn't want to be near me, God forbid to be alone in the room with me? He was so afraid he would hurt me and I didn't understand. I was a child and I wanted to spend time with him. I wanted to show him that he didn't have to be afraid. But only Aunt Nat could show him that," he said absently, scratching the back of his neck. "Do you know what he once told me? That they became friends with Dad so quickly, not only because of their work but mainly because Dad was able to make him laugh. He never walked around him on tiptoe, he always made fun of him, like of everyone else. He was never afraid of him and from the first moment, he wanted to be his friend… I know this phrase sounds often here lately, but why can't we just be happy?”

"Everything will get only better from now on," she whispered, pulling him into her arms. She kissed his hair, and then there was silence between them. Pepper thought about what Peter had just told her. Bruce's words made sense. She remembered Bruce spending some time with them after the Battle of New York. At the time, she heard nothing from Tony but Bruce did that and Bruce did this. She wondered for a moment if Tony was in love with a scientist, but she quickly understood how things were. These two were brothers. She was never afraid of Bruce either, and with a calm heart, she would entrust Peter to him at any time. They trusted him. Always. But she guessed that Tony was the only one who really let him know that.

•••

Richard sat in an empty room. As he waited for the older man to join him, he wondered again how he had gotten into this situation. He didn't like it. He didn't want to do it. But he let himself be persuaded by the idiot, and now it was all up to him. It all fell on his head and he couldn't handle it. He was a scientist, damn it.

The door slammed open, slamming into the wall, and a very angry Thaddeus Ross marched into the room. He didn't even bother to close the door again and he started yelling at him, which Richard was used to. Ross didn't do anything else.

"I'm running out of patience! You told me you could give me what I wanted!” he shouted at him. The dark-haired man was not afraid. After all, he worked for Mary. There was only one person who he was more scared of, and it certainly wasn't Thaddeus Ross.

"And I can," he assured him in a calm voice. He didn't tell him anything, that was all Beck, but he wasn't going to correct him.

"I want the name, Parker," Ross spat.

"I already told you, I don't know the name."

Ross stared at him for a moment before leaving angrily. Richard wondered if it wouldn't be better if he annoyed the old man enough to get his nerves up so he would kill him. He was getting to a stage where he really didn't know what to do and was going crazy. He looked back at everything Mary had done for her research. How far she went. He wasn't like that. Peter Stark was still a boy and he did not want to give him to Ross. But here was the apple of discort. He wasn't going to give him to Ross just because it wasn’t right He couldn't give him to Ross because he knew something else was waiting for young Stark. Something that will probably be far worse than Ross's labs. And so he wished someone would finally kill him because otherwise, he knew he would do whatever she wanted. All. It was his curse that came with love for Mary.

Chapter 15: Chapter 14

Chapter Text

"You're kind of early today."

Pepper raised her head as a man's voice reached her. Loki came into the kitchen and looked at her questioningly with eyebrows raised. The woman sighed softly and tapped her fingers on the coffee mug she was heating her hands on.

"Peter went to school, so I wanted to make sure he had everything," she explained. Loki seemed to be listening in half, as he looked uninterestedly at the contents of the refrigerator, then closed it and sat across from Pepper.

"Really?" His face brightened. "So there will be finally some peace!"

"Stop it," Pepper muttered, frowning a little. "I'm worried about him. It's the first time since... what happened that, that goes back to school. I'm worried about him."

"It will probably be a natural maternal instinct. "You feel your son is in danger," Loki remarked, folding his arms across his chest. Pepper was a little uncertain. Thor, and especially Tony, kept saying that Loki couldn't be trusted. But no one saw into his head and knew if there was anything he is going to do or has already decided not to make trouble. From all the conversations Pepper had with him, she decided he probably wouldn't be so bad. Strange, sarcastic, and poisonous, but he didn't make fun of them or endanger them in any way. Well, for now. In Thor's opinion, he's unpredictable in this, but he's getting a little predictable. At least to her.

"But Peter is in no danger," she countered, but she didn't sound too sure. Loki noticed and grinned.

"Are you really so sure?" he teased her a little. "If you're worried about him, then - with a lot of persuasions, of course - I can watch over him. And when he's in danger, I'll step in," he told her, pulling out a knife that he glanced on lovingly.

"You're really bored here," she said.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Of course, I am. What am I supposed to do here? Bake cookies?"

"And why not?" Pepper shrugged, and he stared at her. "Well... maybe I'll be calmer to know that someone will take care of him. At least now, from the beginning... just to calm my feelings."

•••

"Today wasn't so bad. It ran away pretty quickly, don't you think?" Ned asked as they walked to the lockers. "And the new chemistry teacher? That's a piece, isn't she?"

"Well, she may be pretty, but I won't get along with her," Peter grinned and began unlocking his locker. "God knows how it would turn out. At best, she'd like to kill me anyway, just like Beck did." He lowered his voice a little when he mentioned Beck. He didn't need his classmates to know the real reason he hadn't been to school in the last weeks before the end of the school year.

"Well, yeah, but it's still unfortunate, isn't it? He seemed so cool, and he helped you so much... You wouldn't think he was really evil," Ned said, and Peter closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't even talk to his best friend about it. “Luckily he was found dead. At least he won't endanger you in any way."

"Unless someone else shows up," Peter muttered, but Ned didn't hear him.

"And you didn't feel he was evil with your Peter-tingle?" he continued.

"I already told you that not. I'm not even sure if it still works. I haven't been using my skills at all lately and I don't even know if I still have them. I want to be normal..." Peter confided in him, a little in a weak moment, but then fell silent quickly. Ned looked at him inquisitively.

"Well, don't worry about it now," he reassured him. "We'll talk about the new teacher."

"A new teacher? Do you like her, Leeds? Or maybe you, Penis? She would really win with you two," Flash began to laugh out loud as he walked past them and heard what they were talking about. Peter looked at him hostilely, but suddenly MJ joined them and intervened.

"What, do you want her for yourself? If I was in her place, I wouldn’t even lean the bike on you," she grinned.

"And a girl has to stand up for you! " he chuckled, but then walked away. Peter clenched his fists in frustration.

"Hello, losers," Michelle greeted them.

"Hi, MJ," the two boys muttered in unison. MJ then went to her locker, and Peter and Ned grabbed their backpacks and went outside.

"MJ is so cool," Ned said, and Peter had to agree.

•••

"I'm starting to get tired! He bothers me all the time, not only because of the project but also because he wants to know the name! Couldn't you just explain it to him? Or tell him to leave me alone that I'm just a scientist and I concentrate on my work? I really don't know how to answer him and how many times should I let him know that I have no idea! He doesn't like it and every visit is more upset. So you should kindly do something about it, you're the main spokesperson for the whole project," Richard said angrily when he was visited in the lab by a man he would definitely not call his friend. They only knew each other very briefly and not in-depth. Richard realized that he didn't really have any other friends, but he didn't regret it, it was safer and he was less worried.

"Calm down, Ross is just trying and he thinks we're stupid and we'll give him everything for free. No way. He can't get us out of here, because we're the only ones who can really tune his ideas to perfection. Without us, there would be nothing and he would have to return to those of his Avengers. Although, wait... they don't really exist anymore," the man chuckled. Richard sat in a chair, glared at him. "Calm down, Richie. Ross is no threat to us. He thinks we are his puppets, but in fact, it is exactly the opposite. We have him in our hands and we are not idiots like most of his subordinates. He has to treat us politely and not like some stray dogs. Because if he continues with this approach, we will turn it against him. And if he doesn't, we'll turn it against him anyway."

Richard sometimes regretted agreeing to it all. But what could he do? He was just like that. He'll just do his job and not get involved. Remorse? They must not exist. He is a scientist and he is needed. And some consequences must no longer be his concern.

 

Chapter 16: Chapter 15

Chapter Text

For a long time, Natasha hadn't felt as miserable as she had these days. It cost her all her strength not to get into Bruce's cell phone and see who she was writing to. She knew that if she did, it would be the end of them. And she wasn't ready for it. She probably never will. She still didn't fully understand where all her affection for a somewhat clumsy scientist had come from, but she had experienced what it was like to lose him, and she certainly didn't want to experience it again. Not after finding out what it's to really have him. She spent a lot of time in the gym, trying to calm all her thoughts, but this time nothing helped. Her head didn't give her a second of silence, and she was already exhausted. She knew she wasn't the perfect partner for life, but she thought it worked for them. Didn't Bruce think that? Or was he just trying to back away from living together? She wouldn't have the answers to her questions until she talked to him, but she didn't feel like it. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was afraid. She was so afraid of what was behind his behavior.

"Here you are! Pepper gave us the boxes she had left after moving, so I started packing. The truth is, we don't have that much, so we don't have to hurry. There are a few days left until the weekend. But I thought it would be nice to have something packed to make sure it's really happening. That is not just a beautiful dream," he blurted out at her as she entered their room, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

Natasha examined him carefully. Bruce seemed, even more, looking forward to living together than she was. So what did he keep from her? What happened that he couldn't tell her about?

"I adore you," she breathed with a small smile on her face. Maybe it was all a figment of her programmed brain. Working deformation. She was trained not to trust anyone. Maybe her brain was trying to find a problem at all costs when everything seemed to be too beautiful.

"I adore you too," he said with a smile and walked over to her so he could give her a quick kiss. Then they sat on the bed, and one look in Bruce's eyes was enough for her to realize that it wasn't just her brain. She recognized it in him. This was the moment when he finally told her what was different. What has changed. And she wanted to get up and run somewhere far away.

"Just say it, Doc. I know when something is on your mind," she said in a firm voice. She and Bruce worked on revealing their feelings to each other, but she certainly wasn't going to show weakness in front of him.

"I was wondering what I was going to do when we moved into our own apartment when you are Pepper's assistant aka bodyguard and I thought I could talk to her about me working at Stark Industries, but before I could do that, I met my old colleague and she offered me a job on her project. And I think I should accept it. It's exactly my field," he introduced her to his plans.

The redhead stared at him in silence for a moment, trying to absorb his words. She didn't like a few things, but she knew she had to proceed with caution. "I thought you were working alone. The only one you can bear by your side is Tony, who by the way has the same feeling."

"It wasn’t always been so. Betty and I worked together on a gamma-ray experiment," he explained, and Natasha's heart stopped beating for a moment.

Betty.

Gamma-ray experiment.

"Is that a good idea?" she asked, almost in a whisper. "What if something happens and you don't keep the Hulk under wraps?"

"Betty has already dealt with the Hulk. Plus, all I have to do is start thinking about you and the Hulk will calm down,” he said with a small smile, but Nat didn't register his last sentence at all, because she had too much work to analyze the first one. What was it supposed to mean that Betty had already dealt with the Hulk? Only she could do it with the Hulk, which led her to thoughts she didn't like at all. Who was this mysterious Betty?

"If that's really what you want," she smiled and stood up, "I still have to go talk to Tony about something." And before he could say anything, she left him alone in the room. Natasha knew that Bruce had no idea how she was feeling, but how could he if she hadn't told him. But it was okay not to tell him, it was her decision and the consequences go on her. Before she confides in anyone, she has to find out who Betty is and how big a role she plays in Bruce's past.

•••

Peter finished his homework and decided on a small snack. Well, in his case it was a small snack for other regular meals, but with his fast metabolism, he was so used to it that he didn't even notice how much he was eating.

When he entered the kitchen, he found Loki standing by the coffee machine, smiling suspiciously. It didn't take him long to realize that he had done something with his father's most valuable household appliance.

"You could be friends if you still didn't provoke him with something," he said with an omniscient smile and walked to the refrigerator.

"Hardly," Loki snorted, leaning his back against the table. He was a little upset that he had been caught in the act, but he knew that young Stark would not tell his father anything.

"Where is Thor? He always just flashes by here and disappears again," Peter asked. He ran into the black-haired Asgardman almost all the time, but he had not seen the god of thunder for several days.

"He's looking for a new place to live for us," he replied disinterestedly.

Peter was anxious for a few seconds at the thought of them leaving them too. Not that living with parents isn't great, it is. It's just that there was more fun when there were more people. Peter liked it.

"And he didn't take you with him, so you decided to follow me?" he asked as if he was asking him if he wanted to eat with him. Peter stuck his head out of the refrigerator and gave him a look, while Loki just stared blankly at him. His question startled him so much that he didn't know how to answer.

How was possible that he knew about him?

 

Chapter 17: Chapter 16

Chapter Text

"I beg you pardon?" Loki tried to play it in such a way that he didn't really know anything and that it was Peter's imagination. But Stark's son grinned.

"You don't have to do this, I saw you. Sometimes you wait in front of the school or elsewhere. Why are you doing this?" he wondered, but he didn't seem angry.

Loki scratched the back of his neck. "I was disguised," he said. Peter laughed.

"Yeah, but you don't just disguise your gestures, facial expressions. And you are very specific in this."

"I see you are very observant. Do you really know me that well?" In this, Loki finally showed his interest and talked to Peter without chopping or grimacing. Peter sat down at the table and Loki soon imitated him.

"Well, I wouldn't dare say that," Peter replied, intertwining his fingers. "So? Why are you watching me?"

Loki sighed. "Because of your mother. I promised her that I will take care of you and see that you will be safe. And at least I finally have something to do," he grinned and shrugged.

"Is Mom worried about me?" Peter said softly, but Loki heard him anyway. He nodded.

"Of course she is. She's your mother," he said, remembering Frigga involuntarily. He always admired her and wanted to be like her. She was a role model for him. Even after the truth about his true origins and the family came to light, he loved her the most. She loved him as much as Thor and often paid more attention to him than her own son. And even after all he had done on Midgard, she had not given up on him. She sent him food, visited him in prison. Then anger controlled him so much that he didn't even want to see her. He had to deal with the fact that he had failed.

He regretted his last words, which he shouted at her in anger. Malekith killed her a few hours after that. And he yelled at her. He hurt her. And he didn't apologize for it. He didn't have time to tell her how grateful he was. How much he likes her.

This was the thing he regretted the most in his life.

"You don't have to do this," Peter said, his voice tearing the Asgardian out of his thoughts. He nodded.

"I know, but I promised your mother."

"Since when do you submit to others and keep your promises?" Peter asked.

Loki laughed. "Good question. I'm just bored here. I notice and I listen."

"So you're actually such an empathetic listener?" Peter teased him kindly and laughed when he noticed how the god of mischief tense looked. "Will you take action where it is needed? Like a superhero?"

"Absolutely not," Loki said, brushing an invisible speck from his black suit. "It is perhaps clear that in time I will benefit from this for my own benefit. Don't you want me to watch someone for you too?"

Peter scowled. "Probably not. But thanks for asking, I'll think about it when something comes."

Loki nodded and motioned for him to get up. "Hurry, we have to hide, your father will be here any minute."

"Ah, the coffee machine trick," Peter recalled, engulfed in conversation with Loki that he had completely forgotten about the coffee machine. One part of him wanted to warn his father, but on the other hand, he said it would be fun. And Tony can laugh to himself.

The two were hidden behind a sliding door and peered inside through a small crack. Peter wondered what Loki had done to the coffee machine but soon found out for himself. Tony did arrive shortly after, and he was still whistling cheerfully. Apparently, he was in a good mood.

He took his phone and unlocked it. "Friday, make me a tentative wedding guest list, be so kind," he asked for artificial intelligence, and he put the phone on the table.

"I'm preparing," Friday replied, and Tony opened the locker to take out his coffee mug. Peter remembered how his father had a mug with the Captain of America's shield as a child. He was a little sad that they still hadn't reconciled with Steve, and Rogers couldn't be here with them.

"It's coming now," Loki whispered, grinning. Tony chose what kind of coffee he wanted, but instead of making coffee, the machine snorted and growled and looked like it was stuck. Tony frowned and pressed the button one more time, and the next moment he tried to figure out what was causing the coffee maker to not work, he got a good coffee spray.

"Look how he stands there," Loki giggled. "But don't worry, it was cold water, not hot. I'm a good man."

"Are he fucking kidding me?" They heard the stunned Tony, with the coffee dripping all of him. He reached for a towel and at least wiped his face. Loki indicated to Peter that it was the right time to run, as the next moment Tony started yelling irritably: “LOKI! "

•••

Natasha went for a run. For the last few days, she had been so tense and now angry that she had to filter it through proper movement. When she is exhausted, she will be calmer. She didn't need her to yell at Bruce and say something to him in anger that she would later regret. And especially now that he should obviously have a place to go back. To his Betty.

She exhaled in frustration. Now she was a little sorry she didn't want to box because instead of a punching bag, she could imagine Betty's face.

"Perhaps you aren't jealous, Agent Romanov?" She heard Tony's voice tingling in her head. But there was nothing funny about this. And Natasha promised herself that no one should know that she was really jealous of Betty. And that she's afraid she'll lose Bruce. That would destroy her.

She was used to hiding her emotions under a stone mask of indifference. But now it was so hard. Whenever she was alone with Bruce now, she had to hold on so hard she didn't show anything. To smile and pretend nothing was happening. And Bruce was obviously fine with everything! Natasha wasn't even sure now if she wanted to move at all. She had to find that Betty and find out something about her. How big of a threat will she be? What opponent will she be honored with?

She wiped away the tears that suddenly began to run down her cheeks. Build the wall. Build the wall. Lock your feelings. Don't be swallowed by them.

At the other end of town, the now-smiling Bruce wrote to Betty that he would like to go out to dinner with her.

Chapter 18: Chapter 17

Chapter Text

Pepper hung up, and the office fell silent for a moment as she tried to sort out her thoughts. Her beautiful apartment with an even more beautiful view of the city was apparently hit by a flood. Her penthouse . There was no rainy season in New York right now, which meant that someone had done it on purpose. And Pepper didn't have to think too long about who it was.

"If you didn't want to move, you could have said so. The apartment didn't have to suffer," she said casually, giving the redhead a look.

Natasha raised her head from the papers she was sorting for Pepper. There was only confusion on her face. "What do you mean?" she finally asked, very convincing, but Miss Potts had known the spy for a few years. And she didn't like what she'd witnessed in recent days. Bruce and Nat were due to move in tomorrow, and the redhead began to be withdrawn two days ago. To them all.

"It's not so long ago that you told me not to make a fool of you, and I'm asking you to do the same now," she said slightly sharper. She was worried about her friend. Natasha was a very intelligent woman, but Pepper was still afraid of her decisions. She wouldn't like to lose her.

"I don't do that," she replied in a firm voice.

"Do you think I can't see it?" she hissed, "Nat, please don't do this." Her anger mingled with despair. She didn't care about that stupid apartment. All she cared about was the woman who had become their family.

"Shouldn't I do what?" she asked, her voice still solid as a rock. That was exactly what terrified Pepper so much. All emotions were gone.

"Don't be the way you see yourself. Be the way we see you. I know it's hard for you, but there's no reason for you to hide your feelings. There is no reason not to have a family. And I know you're aware of that because otherwise, you wouldn't be here with us for the last few months. Otherwise, you would continue to travel the world and hide. Nat, don't give up, no matter what happens, we can work it out," Pepper insisted, but she knew she had lost this fight when Natasha stood up blankly.

"I need to get something done," she informed her and disappeared from her office before Pepper could try to stop her. She knew she was right, but on the other hand, she never suffered when she hid her feelings deeply buried. But now she was no longer alone and did not want to lose the family she had built with her coldness. That's why she had to visit an old friend. She felt he was hiding something from her when he sent her to Calcutta. There was no mention of any Betty in the file…

•••

The dark-haired man was sitting on a park bench, too preoccupied with his own thoughts to perceive the world around him. It bothered him how far he still had to go. And he wondered what end was in store for him. Quentin Beck had it clear, the death awaited him anyway. He wasn't so sure about young Peter. He knew that death would be considered noble by his enemy, so he was afraid of anything the young boy might encounter. And what was waiting for him? Will, he also be killed, or will he finally be freed from that labyrinth of suffering? But could he then even live with himself?

With a sigh, he stood up and walked slowly to the old newspaper box, which had not been used for many years. He looked around to see if he could see her somewhere. He wasn't surprised to not see her anywhere. She hadn't wanted to talk to him in months. And he wasn't even surprised by it.

He tossed a larger envelope into the box and, with one last look around, walked back to the labs. He suspected that Ross would soon honor him with his kind visit, and he must have given him some results. Whether he wanted to or not.

•••

"I'll miss this, you have to promise to stop by as often as you can," Tony said as Bruce and he took a short break from work. The mechanic immediately headed for the coffee machine, while Bruce took only water. He really should force Tony to cut down on caffeine.

"It's a matter of course, but since you started - I met Betty about two weeks ago and she offered me to work on her project," he informed him.

Tony froze and there was darkness around him for a moment . "Wait, wait, wait," he began, leaving his beloved coffee abandoned. “Betty? Like that Betty? Like Elizabeth Ross? As the only daughter of that idiot Ross? Like that Betty?” he blurted out in disbelief. He knew who Betty was. He was probably the only one who knew everything about Bruce. After throwing his dark past at him, Bruce in turn entrusted him with his much darker past.

"Exactly that one," Bruce muttered, knowing that Tony didn't like it. "It's the only thing that connects me to my life before the Hulk," he explained defeated. They were well on their way with the greenie, but it was nice to feel like none of this had happened for a while. It was nice to feel like you weren't threatening anyone. And he had that feeling with her. She was his link to his old life. To the life of a promising scientist.

"What does Natasha say?" Tony asked curiously. He didn't like Bruce's idea at all, so he somehow hoped Natasha would forbid him to do it.

"She doesn't mind," he replied simply.

Tony glared at him. "You didn't tell her!"

"I told her!" Bruce defended. "I just might have missed the fact that Betty is Ross's daughter. Can you imagine that? I can't even almost go out anymore! And I get it, really, but I can't be locked up here from morning till night.”

"You have to tell her. Do you think she won't figure it out? We're talking about Natasha, for God's sake! Listen to me, it's a bad idea, but I get it. I'm just asking you to be careful and really make sure it's worth the risk,” he sighed and patted Bruce on the back. He knew how important laboratory work was to him.

"Thank you, Tony," he muttered with a smile.

Tony waved and walked back to the coffee machine. It wasn't until he indulged in the first sip of freshly brewed coffee that he realized another little thing . "Perhaps you should omit the fact that you dated her. We know what ex-girlfriends can do," Tony advised. Lying was also a bad idea, especially lying to Natasha, but he remembered what it was like when Pepper left him because of Mary and didn't want Bruce to have to experience anything like that.

Chapter 19: Chapter 18

Chapter Text

"Tony can't wait to help us get the boxes away. He even suggested that he take his Iron Man suit to make it faster. But it is clear to me what is really behind it, he has not worn a suit since the incident and he is missing it. So, are you ready?” Bruce had been excited from the first sentence as he stepped into the bedroom he shared with Natasha. He found his girlfriend standing in the middle of the room, and at first, he thought she only had a nostalgic moment and needed to say goodbye to it all so she could take another step forward, but then he noticed the open boxes, the contents of which were almost unpacked. He widened his eyes and stared at her blankly. He had an unpleasant premonition and began to fear the worst.

She doesn't want him anymore. And right now she's about to break up with him.

Nat? What the hell is going on?"

"I'm sorry, Bruce, but we can't move today. The apartment is not ready and it is not possible to live in it. It's flooded," Natasha growled, still turning her back on him.

"Oh no, that's a shame. I was looking forward to finally being on our own and just the two of us," Bruce sighed, but actually was relieved . She still wants him! He came closer to her. She seemed a little upset. But it would probably be because she had just learned that they had flooded the apartment.

He put his hand on her back. "Well, we'll still have to wait. But you know what they say, it's worth the wait for the best things. What if we went to dinner tonight when we are off?" he suggested, though an unpleasant thought still raced through his mind. The one about Betty. He should tell Natasha about it. But probably not today. She's probably not in the best of moods, he doesn't have to worry her more. But what worries! he shouted in his mind at himself immediately. Nat doesn't have to worry about something like that. He and Betty are just friends and nothing more, he assured himself vigorously.

"I'm sorry, Bruce, but probably not today. I'm tired, "she explained, and when she finally looked at him, he noticed that she did look a little torn. He nodded sympathetically. "What about tomorrow? Would it work?" she suggested.

Bruce was a little uncertain. He began fiddling with the strap of his watch, then walked slowly toward the window. He wondered what he would answer.

What should he say? Of course, the truth. He won't lie to Natasha. She would know it anyway, and then she would never have to trust him again. And he didn't want that.

"I'll be honest with you." He took a deep breath to pluck up his courage. Natasha's worries gripped her and she began to feel uncomfortable that she knew what it was all about.

"I appreciate that. There should be honesty and trust in the relationship," she replied dryly, her tone uncertain Bruce even more.

"Of course," he agreed, swallowing blankly. "You know, it probably won't work tomorrow. I've got something on my agenda. Remember... remember Betty?" As I might forget, Natasha thought ironically, but just nodded. "Well, she suggested to me the collaboration on one project and we want to meet to discuss it a little more in-depth. A working meeting. You understand me, don't you? Nat, I can't be locked here all the time , I need to do something too, or I'm going crazy," he tried to explain to her, gesturing wildly.

Natasha looked at him and suddenly realized she had no words. She would lie if she said it didn't hurt. But what could she do about it? She has to trust Bruce. It's definitely just a purely business meeting. She won't let her blow out her thing with Bruce. She has more aces up his sleeve. And she's also slowly scattering nets. No, if something breaks, she will prevent it from happening in time. Must. So mainly calm.

"Sure, Bruce. It is clear to me that this must be crazy. But please be careful. If Ross found out something or something happened and I wasn't..." Bruce began to regret not telling Natasha the truth about Betty being Ross's daughter from the beginning. When the truth comes out, it'll get worse... Damn, Tony was right. But he doesn't want to argue with Natasha…

She came to him and smiled at him. That reassured him not to tell her the truth for now. The smile returned, and she grabbed his shoulder and kissed him. He immediately wiped all thoughts from his head.

"I love you, you know that?" she whispered, and Bruce's heart sank. Damn, relationships weren't really easy. Natasha didn't say those two words often. Exceptionally, and it always meant so much.

"I love you too," he replied.

"I'm going to check out Peter. Will you unpack the rest of the boxes, please?" she asked him, and he agreed. She left the bedroom and exhaled for a long time. She had as much contradiction in her as she had ever been. Did love really confuse her so much? Is it simply a fluctuation between pain, fear, happiness, merriment, insecurity, and joy? Crazy roller coaster ride. It was definitely not cool. Natasha had the feeling that she wouldn't be riding, but that she was rather following the monstrous thing with all the people.

Peter was in his room tapping something on the computer. Even though the door was open, Natasha knocked lightly. He looked up at the screen and beamed. "Aunt Nat!"

"Can I come in, bat?" she addressed him by the nickname Tony had given him as a child. Peter was probably too big for something like that, but all the adults had a time when they addressed their small — actually big — branches with diminutives and nicknames.

"You don't have to ask about that!" And he moved away and made room for her on the bed. Natasha smiled and went to sit next to him. "I'm just wondering if I can watch a movie. What would you like to see?"

"Something to distract me."

"Is something wrong?" He studied her. But she just smiled and ruffled his hair. "If so, you'll have to tell me. I'm not sure I can read people lately."

"You've always read better in me than everyone else," she told him, wrapping her arms around him. He snuggled up to her and a wave of love and tenderness swept over her. Damn, that relationship with Bruce changed her completely. She is absolutely soft! It would take some more action with the Avengers to get together. But Avengers didn't exist anymore.

"You know I'm always here for you. But don't worry, Nat. Everything will definitely be fine now," he assured her.

She sighed inwardly. I wish you were right.

Chapter 20: Chapter 19

Chapter Text

Tony handed Pepper a glass of red wine and joined her on the couch with a cup of freshly brewed coffee in his hand. She had just told him the news about their friends' relocations, and he decided she had a long day and a glass of her favorite wine would benefit her.

"Why would she do that?" he asked confusedly, though he already knew the answer to his question. It certainly wasn't just a coincidence. He was beginning to wonder if Natasha didn't know anything more than Bruce had told her. After all, she was a spy, and if she suspected, she must have found everything. And that wasn't good for any of them.

"Bruce and she have some inconsistencies between them," she sighed, drinking wine. "I kind of thought they would want to postpone the move, but I didn't expect this. I'm not talking about that stupid apartment, Tony. I just want it to be good between them again," she muttered, then snuggled up to him. She was beginning to understand what Natasha was going through when she moved from Tony.

Tony was silent for a moment, thinking very well about his next words. It was not up to him to tell his fiancé what was probably going on among their friends, but somehow he felt he had no choice. He would be relieved to share it with someone, and he knew Pepper wouldn't tell anyone.

"Bruce got a job offer."

What?”

"He happened to come across his old girlfriend and she offered him a collaboration on a project. He didn't tell me much about it, but I could see how much he was looking forward to it. But the problem is who offered him the job. Betty is his first love and on top of she is Ross's daughter," he confided quietly. He wouldn't want anyone to hear him.

"I'm getting lost, some Betty is Bruce's ex-girlfriend and just offered him a job? After all these years? Doesn't that sound weird to you?”

"I know what you're thinking, but Betty never got along very well with her father, so there's no danger of it being a trap," Tony explained. "I think he really needs it, Pep. It's all he has left of his past. The only good thing.”

Pepper said nothing. She liked Bruce, but she didn't know much about him. He was never very shared about his life. Well, obviously except for Tony. Her future husband seemed to know a lot about the scientist. She didn't feel good about it, but she decided to trust Tony. She decided to trust Bruce. She had no choice. She just had to hope that it would settle between him and the redhead. They have never seen them happier. If she was to believe that some people really belonged together, it was the two of them.

"By the way, Friday asked me in the morning about my guest list preferences," she informed him with a smile on her face. With all the work she had and the unexpected situation of their friends, she almost completely forgot about the fact that she was getting married.

"I thought it wouldn't hurt to start planning. You're not angry, are you?” he asked, and Pepper looked at him in disbelief.

"Why should I be angry?" she asked a rhetorical question, giving him a loving kiss before he could tell her all the ideas why he thought she might be angry. "I would like a wedding in the spring and, if that is possible, only surrounded by our closest friends. What do you think?"

"You know I will do whatever you want," he reminded her with a smile. Mary was his first love, but he had never felt the same way about her as he had about Pepper. Little did he know that he was able to feel something so strong. There was nothing in the whole universe that he would not do for the woman by his side.

"I want that day to be just for us. I would like to keep it a secret from the whole world," she told him her wish. She knew it wasn't quite possible, but it was nice to imagine for a moment that their big day was really just for them. For them and their family.

"It's not exactly a simple wish given who we are and who our friends are, but I promise you, love, that I will do everything so that everyone else can find out about our wedding only when we want it. Therefore, after," he promised her. Anything for her.

•••

On Monday, Natasha took Peter to school and then settled into a small cafe in a quieter neighborhood of New York City. In the morning, she told Pepper she couldn't go to work with her today, and she didn't ask anything, which the redhead was glad for, even though she was a little afraid that Friday's incident tarnished their friendship.

Natasha was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the man coming. He tossed the yellow envelope on the table and sat across from her.

"I hope you're going to burn the file to ashes, Romanov," he said, giving her a significant look to tell her what he thought of it.

"It's none of your business," she said, her voice almost cold, and quickly took the envelope with her before the man could take it back. "You already knew then that I didn't work for someone who kept information from me. We both have problems with trust. Despite that, it wasn't the first or last time you didn't tell me the whole truth."

"It's not something you need to know. And I especially don't think you need to know now. You think emotions are your weakness, but they have never been. Do you know what your weakness is, Romanov?”

"Share with me," she said, not very friendly.

"You still live in the past. You can't let it go, no matter how hard you try. You are still a little girl who is in Russia and is trained to become an elite killer. The truth is, you never left the Red Room. Burn that folder and start living. It's time for you to live your life the way you want it, not the way others want it.”

Natasha rose quickly after his words. "Goodbye, Fury," she muttered, taking a quick step away. She was incredibly annoyed that the old bastard was right again. Why did he always have to know everything better than others? His words rang in her head all the way home. Y ou never know. You hope for the best, then make do with what you get.

But if he didn't want her to look at the file she'd asked him to give her, he had to know. He must have known, and the information inside was likely to shatter her image of a normal life alongside the man she loved.

Chapter 21: Chapter 20

Chapter Text

Bruce hadn't seen Natasha since morning, and it made him quite nervous. He didn't want the tension between them, but he hoped he'd explained his reasons enough to her. She couldn't think he'd be locked up here for days! If there was at least something to do, eternal work in a workshop will get tired of time, unless you are Anthony Stark…

As he chose his clothes for dinner with Betty tonight, he wondered how he should convince Natasha that he had nothing to do with Ross's daughter and would have nothing. Should he have introduced them so she could see that Betty was really no threat to her? But he couldn't rule out the possibility that Natasha couldn't handle this situation in her own way. She could also pounce on Elizabeth and hurt her badly if she lost control. Natasha had never been so scattered before, and he had no idea what to do with it. And yet he promised Betty to work with her on that project of hers. She'll tell him the details tonight, so he can back off at the last minute if he doesn't like it. But the truth was that he was actually looking forward to embarking on something new again, in which he would be able to apply his scientific knowledge.

It's a pity they didn't get the moving done. Bruce was convinced that such a life event would help them get closer. Ever since they returned from vacation, it was far from as ideal as before. Before, Natasha was all smile, a good mood, tender touches... and now, as if she had returned to when the Avengers were a team and she, as Agent Romanov, was again a cold and withdrawn piece of impregnable rock. The sequence of events, though not nearly as threatening as they did a few months ago, did not help their relationship much. These were obstacles they had not yet been able to overcome. Now it was the struggles in their personal lives. And it was often harder than saving the world. For both of them, the relationship was still quite new and they both tried to learn to walk in it.

Their relationship was initially rock solid. After all, they didn't need to get to know each other anymore, during the time they worked together in a team, they learned to know each other and anticipate their next steps. This was necessary for their cooperation on various missions to be able to cover their backs. But now, with the advent of new, as yet unknown problems, the rock began to crumble stone by stone. The atmosphere between them was a little tense, the relationship more fragile. Bruce told himself to do something to strengthen them again. He doesn't want their relationship to be just ruins and dust. It was unpleasant that fate had not played the best cards in their hands now.

The first big test awaited them.

•••

"Are you sure you didn't confuse the wardrobe?" Peter didn't forgive asking as he stepped into the living room and saw Loki lounging on the couch. The god of mischief was clothed in clothes in which Peter could never have imagined him. Worn old sweatpants on his legs, a washed sweatshirt, a cap on his head and- his hair were tucked into a bun! Peter really had to hold on so he wouldn't laugh.

"I call it to camouflage," he replied in an absent tone, staring somewhere in front of him. He seemed to be absent-minded to Peter. And then young Stark cried out in horror as he felt someone's hand on his shoulder and Loki on the sofa disappeared. He looked back - the real Loki was standing behind him, grinning.

"Well, that was really good. But why on earth are you disguised? Is it supposed to be a joke which you will pull out on my Dad again, and you wanted to try it on me first?" he asked suspiciously. Loki adjusted his tailor-made black suit, which he wore practically every day, and then put his sunglasses on his nose.

Peter frowned. "Are you going to do security for Dad instead of Happy?"

"You ask a lot, kid. Whoever asks too much, learns a lot, and it will be better for your own good if you don't know anything," Loki instructed mysteriously, looking at his watch. "I'll have to go."

"Where? You're never going anywhere." It was all weird to Peter. But of course, Loki didn't answer. He just raised the left corner of his lip into a smile and then walked away.

The last few days the atmosphere in the house was different. Strange. Peter felt as if everyone had a secret, wondering if he should try to figure it out.

•••

"I'm so glad you came. If you take the project, you will make me very happy! Your brain is amazing and I know you have very brilliant ideas. You'd help us all a lot, and you'd certainly bring something new to it that would push us in another direction and help fine-tune imperfections," Betty said enthusiastically as she and Bruce sat down at a table in a restaurant. Bruce looked around a little cautiously.

"Thank you," he said, a little embarrassed, as he couldn't receive much praise and flattery. But he was always fine with Betty. "I must say I'm incredibly curious about the project. Do you have any details? You haven't told me almost anything yet," he reminded her.

Betty smiled mysteriously. "Well, I don't have too many details for you. But don't worry, it's not illegal. A lot of people from different fields work on it, and everyone knows only a handful of information, mostly from the part in which they participate. It's for security reasons; so that someone does not deceive us and attribute the project to themselves, and also so that there is no leakage of very important information. Even though you're signing a non-disclosure agreement, it's still not enough insurance, you know."

"That sounds reasonable," Bruce nodded, fascinated by it. He was looking forward to his task, and it would be such a personal challenge. It seemed like a very important project of enormous proportions, and he had never worked on something like that.

"I have prepared a list of what your task will be, and I also have a contract and enough information for you to work with. We study some things purely for academic purposes, which we do not intend to use, but rather avoid. You can come to my lab or work from home, but please always let me know in advance. You have as much time as you want, but again, don't take too much time. We'll want to see some results soon." She smiled encouragingly at him and brought a folder of papers to him. "And please don't talk to people about it too much."

"Sure, confidentiality. That won't make me a problem," he assured her.

She gave him a benevolent smile. "I knew you'd be perfect for this," she whispered. Bruce was embarrassed, so he quickly opened the file and began to read about his work.

Chapter 22: Chapter 21

Chapter Text

The dark-haired man stood leaning against an old peeling pillar, watching with interest a bunch of people who decided to take revenge against Anthony Stark. He had been fascinated by technology since he was a child, and as a proud MIT former student, he had to admit that he was really excited about what they were doing here. He was just a little worried about how easily he had gotten here and that no one had noticed him yet. That wasn't very clever of them.

He walked slowly toward them, holding his hands over his head as a precaution. He didn't come here as their enemy, and he wouldn't want them firing at him with one of those alien weapons. He was sure that would be the end of him. He was halfway there when they finally noticed him and immediately aimed their weapons at him. He stopped immediately and waited for what would happen next.

"I'm giving you five seconds to turn around and walk away," Adrian Toomes said in a hoarse voice. According to his research, he was the leader of the whole matter and he needed to talk to him.

"I am not your enemy. On the contrary, I dare say that I am your fan," he said with a smirk on his face.

"Then I'm giving you five seconds to tell me what you're doing here," he told him with the same grin.

"I need a little favor from you. If you prove it to me, Secretary Ross may not even know what you're doing here. And believe me, he would be thrilled with your work. It's almost a shame you don't connect with him, but I understand. He's not my favorite either," he told them nonchalantly. He always was a bit of suicide. He has always been excellent at teasing a snake with his bare feet.

Toomes laughed in his face and his grip on the trigger tightened. "Why should we do that? I'll simply shoot you right here. Solved."

"Do you think I'm so stupid to just come here? Without fuse? It hurts, guys, it really hurts. However, if I don't leave safely, Thaddeus Ross will find out about you, so I would recommend you to accommodate me," he told them the facts. Nobody said anything about it, so he took it as their consent. "I'm sure you've heard of Spider-Man…"

"A little bit. Another idiot who thinks he's a hero," Toomes said dryly. They had not yet had the "honor" of meeting him.

"Sure, sure. The problem is, our spider has disappeared from the radar and I need him to get out of his hiding place. I knew him personally and believe me, the alien technology that threatens his city will not let him sleep at night."

"If you know him, what's the problem? Just find him, huh?” he remarked. To be honest, he didn't want to do it too much. Why should he draw unnecessary attention to them? But if the man in front of them did not lie and seriously secured his arrival here, he had no choice. After all, he had a family.

"It wouldn't work, no, no. I need you to do it and I need you to do it fast. Just lure him, that's all. And most importantly, try not to hurt him too much, I need him alive and capable of action," he told them the last instructions and turned to leave. "I believe we have an agreement, gentlemen," he added before leaving the old building completely.

•••

Natasha sat down carefully next to Pepper. She gave her a look and poured her a cup of green tea, but said nothing. The redhead knew it was up to her now. She thought about her old friend's words all night. Of course, he was right! But she has ended things in Russia once and for all. Right after she left Steve, she made sure the Red Room would never exist again. She ended it but didn't move on. She didn't do it because it was too real and she was scared. She was not trained for real life. What if it goes wrong? What if she does something unforgivable? What if she loses her family?

"I'm sorry about the apartment," she whispered, staring at the surface of the tea. She held the mug tightly in her hands as if her life depended on it.

"It's not about the apartment. It can be replaced, you can't," she said in a firm voice, keeping her eyes on her.

"Do you think I could go to work today? Officially this time? No more side doors.”

"Of course you can," she replied in a softer voice. Pepper wouldn't say it to the redhead’s eyes, but her friend looked awful. She had never seen Natasha like this, and to this day she would not believe that she would see her in such a state at all. Her skin was whiter than usual, and giant black circles loomed beneath her eyes. She was afraid to ask what had happened. And that's why she didn't ask. She knew that when Natasha wanted to tell her, she would tell her.

"I was thinking I could go visit Clint. I miss him," she confided to him.

Pepper didn't know exactly what had happened between them back then, but she knew from Tony's story that Clint's family was also Natasha's family. His children regarded her as their aunt, as did Peter.

"Sounds like a great idea," she agreed with a smile. She wanted to see her happy again. "Why don't you go see him today and you can officially start work next week," she suggested, and Natasha finally looked at her. And it was a really frightening sight.

"I can't just show up there! Not after everything that happened," she muttered, then took a sip of green tea.

"I don't know Clint so well, so I can't predict his reaction, but if we were in his place, we would be so happy to find you on our doorstep after such a long time. Maybe it will help you with Bruce. I also sometimes need to take a break from Tony for a few days, you know what he can be like," she laughed.

"I love him, Pepper," she whispered as if it were a big secret. "He considers himself a monster, but he is the exact opposite. He is so kind and always tries to help others! I don't deserve him.” Natasha didn't burn Fury's file, but she didn't open it either. It was in the past. And she really has to learn to live in the present. She has to draw a thick line behind the past.

"It's not like that, Nat. Bruce has eyes just for you, even a blind man would notice. You deserve each other and you will definitely have a beautiful life side by side. He'll understand if you want to go. He knows Clint is important to you."

"I don't want to lose him. I don't want to lose any of you."

Pepper got up from her chair and hugged the redhead as she always hugged Peter when he was sad. She let her feel safe. Feeling of love. "You won't lose anyone, Nat. We are a family and it will stay in that way."

 

 

Chapter 23: Chapter 22

Chapter Text

Are you going somewhere?”

Natasha turned to the voice, which she certainly didn't want to listen to now. She turned in frustration to see Loki staring at her with a raised eyebrow. She put her hands on her hips and looked at him questioningly.

"I thought you might want to hear the news," he said first when she obviously didn't want to talk. "At your request, I followed Bruce and found him in a meeting with a very pretty woman," he grinned.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "This isn't helping me, you know that, right?"

He shrugged indifferently. "I'm just telling you what I saw. They were talking about a project. No spark to see. At least for now."

"Stop it, or I'll punch you ," she said in a sweet voice, and Loki smiled contentedly. He adored being able to provoke the other. "I'm going to see Barton. Don't you want to join?” she teased him.

"I enchanted him once, I enchant him again," he replied stutteringly.

Natasha laughed and shook her head. "Really? And with what? With your charm?"

"I'm god. Who would resist me?" he said cocky, but Natasha grounded him immediately.

"A mortal who uses his head at least a little," she said, then grabbed her backpack. "Thanks for the help, but I have to go."

"Where do you have to go?" Bruce suddenly appeared in the hall, looking at his girlfriend incomprehensibly. He pushed his glasses closer to the bridge of his nose and there was confusion in his eyes. "Are you going somewhere? Why didn't you tell me anything?"

"I'm going to see Clint, to find out how he is. And his children are definitely asking about Aunt Nat. I haven't been with them for a long time, so I have to make up for them. You wouldn't go anyway, you definitely have a lot of work to do. And at least you'll be calm like this and you'll really concentrate," she replied calmly, even giving him a small smile. She had rehearsed this before.

"I guess you're right," Bruce sighed, taking off his glasses to rub his sleepy eyes. He'd been completely engrossed in Betty's project for the last few days and almost hadn't slept. "But call me, okay? As soon as you get there. And we can call in the evening. And come home soon. We have to really make up for those failed evenings," he reminded her, and only the thought conjured a smile on their faces. Natasha leaned over and kissed him. This was the Bruce she fell in love with. Such was the beginning of their relationship. Now she felt as if she was really just going to see Clint, and she wasn't taking a short break with Bruce. There was no Betty at the moment.

Why did she show up right now? She hadn't made herself known for so many years, and suddenly she's back and she wants to see Bruce. As if the past really lurked on every corner.

And Natasha was terrified when her past would catch up with her again. And what life prepared for her again for the test.

•••

"Shall we invite Steve to the wedding, or not?" Peter asked, sitting with Pepper on the couch in the living room and wrapped in a blanket was peeking over her shoulder. She had an open notebook on her tablet and they put together a guest list while Tony made hot chocolate for them in the kitchen. Peter sincerely hoped that Loki had done nothing in the kitchen this time.

"I don't know, honey," Pepper replied with a sigh, muffling her voice a little. "I know Tony pretends he never wants to see him again, but he really misses him."

"The worst is when people don't communicate with each other," Peter agreed. "Sometimes the biggest problems arise when we don't talk and just make things up," he said and Pepper inadvertently returned a few months back in her thoughts. Peter was right. It is best to always solve problems right away before you lay down and start thinking and closing in on yourself.

"Well, the wedding won't be until spring, so they'll be able to reconcile by then," Pepper said hopefully, and Peter agreed. Maybe they will. And if he tried to help.

"And what if we sent Steve an invitation anyway? When he got there, maybe Dad would be able to talk to him," he suggested.

"Or he could leave too and leave me alone at the altar," Pepper laughed. Tony was a hot head at times and often acted impulsively. This was one of the options that could happen in this case.

"Who will stand alone at the altar? Perhaps not you? Who wouldn't want to marry such a beautiful bride? If I were a random passerby, I'd say yes right away. But luckily I'm your fiancé," Tony grinned, carrying two cups of hot chocolate. He set them on the coffee table and then sat down next to Pepper, looking at her tablet. "So what did you research?"

"We've investigated that we don't really know who to invite," Peter replied, then began counting on his fingers. "I'll be there, Nat and Bruce, Thor, and Loki—"

"No Loki!" Tony said sharply, and Peter began to roll dog eyes at him.

"But Dad! After all, he almost belongs to the family too! He lives here with us, he is practically an Avenger -"

"Avenger? He's more of an anti-avenger! And who brought him to the group?" Tony growled.

"Who said he was one of the old Avengers? What if there are new Avengers?" Peter replied mysteriously.

Tony paused for a moment, then raised his index finger. "Let me guess. You just made up for the new Avengers, because only you and Loki would be there." Peter just sighed and pursed his lower lip. Tony chuckled triumphantly. "You better not have any Avengers."

"And then who will save the world?"

"So we're dealing with our wedding, or do you want to talk about banalities?" Pepper asked with icy patience, and Peter and Tony turned to her and began to name people.

•••

"We have a new ally, so our project is finally starting to take off a little bit, you don't have to worry," said the tall man, who was making the usual visit to his superior, in a mocking voice. The slimy eyes he stared at him froze uncomfortably on the back of his neck, but the best defense is an attack. He won't let himself be driven into a corner to make the man feel like another of his cheap prey. He threw his feet on his desk and, bored, folded his arms across his chest to let him know he didn't care.

Are you kidding me?”

"Do I look like that?" he replied calmly. Normally he wouldn't allow such a thing, but the man in front of him annoyed him. Besides, he knew he wouldn't do anything to him. After all, without his people, Ross would not have had his plan at all. "We should redefine the rules. I don't want you to shout and constantly annoy my subordinates who are leading and working on your whole project. I know they may be little idiots, but show them a little respect. Only I can yell at them."

"You're always gone. Plus, you use my labs and play with my equipment," he reminded him dryly.

"If you have a problem, we can pack up and go," he smiled devilishly. Ross gritted his teeth. Their roles were reversed and he didn't like it at all.

Chapter 24: Chapter 23

Chapter Text

Peter slammed the locker door and cheerfully walked with Ned out of school. He was in a suspiciously good mood today. He was a little afraid of what would go wrong again, but he tried to push those thoughts out of his head.

"We haven't sleepover with Star Wars and Lego in a long time," Ned informed him as they left the building.

"That's a fact, but we'll have to do it at yours, it's weird at home right now. Your mom won't mind, will she? She surely misses me," he said with a laugh, after which his friend had to laugh too.

"No problem," Ned agreed, but stopped immediately. "I thought you were fine…"

Peter sighed. He scratched the back of his neck nervously as he wondered what to answer. "More or less, only sometimes there is a rather strange atmosphere. Nat left yesterday. She didn't even say goodbye!"

"What? But she always says goodbye," Ned remarked incomprehensibly. Peter once told him that his Aunt Nat (Ned was still amazed that Black Widow herself was his best friend's aunt) often disappeared, but that she always said goodbye. Always. "Wait, so is Dr. Banner has gone, too? Didn't you say they were moving?”

"No, Bruce stayed. They were supposed to move, but there was a problem with the apartment. Mom said they had problems with each other, but I didn't ask them. Nat went to see Clint, but she's coming back next week. I hope that then everything will return to normal. It would be about the time, don't you think?” he asked a rhetorical question, but Ned nodded anyway.

"So you're inviting MJ to the homecoming?" Ned asked with an omniscient expression, changing the subject completely. He was sure it would benefit Peter.

Peter felt his cheeks blush. "What do you mean?" he blurted out, looking around discreetly to see if the mentioned girl wasn’t nearby.

"Come on, man, do you think I don't see it? You like her!"

"That's not true. How did you come up with something like that?" he really tried to get out of it, but he knew in advance that it was in vain. Ned knew him very well. However, he did not intend to admit anything to him. He liked Michelle, so what! Everyone likes someone. It's just a silly crush that will soon disappear. Except it wasn't quite like that, but he could tell himself.

"Are we really doing this? Really? I know it anyway, you don't have to deny anything. When we met for your birthday, you shone like the sun when she appeared," he teased him, and Peter's ears were red.

"I think it's time for me to go. I'll see you tomorrow," he blurted out, waving goodbye before moving quickly home. There was not even time for their legendary handshake.

As soon as he turned the corner of the school, his sixth sense returned, which he had been trying to suppress for the last few months, like everything else related to his abilities. He lowered his head and continued on his way, but the tingling did not stop and began to change into a form in which it became almost unbearable.

So he reluctantly raised his head and began to look for something unusual around him that could awaken his sixth sense. And he didn't have to look long. The strange van, which was parked nearby, could not be overlooked. But it was still just a van, and Peter didn't even have his suit with him. Therefore, he decided to continue on his way home.

He wasn't ready to be Spider-man again.

•••

Tony was surprised when he entered the empty workshop. His best friend had barely pulled his heels out of the room in recent days, so he was sure he would find him here. But the workshop was empty and looked abandoned for many years. Tony decided to give Bruce space to do his research and disappeared from the workshop for a few days. He missed work in the workshop but at least managed to spend more time with Peter and Pepper.

He decided to make coffee and go looking for the scientist, but as it turned out, he didn't have to worry too much about the search, as Bruce was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of herbal tea in his hands and headphones playing classical music on his ears. Tony didn't know what to make of it, so he let the coffee wait for a little longer and carefully sat down next to Bruce.

"Aren't you working?" he asked curiously as Bruce took off his headphones.

"I'm not in the mood," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. He really should have slept for a few hours, but that wasn't possible now that he was alone in bed. He missed his redhead.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Probably not, but thank you," he said with a small smile.

"I originally wanted to ask if you would watch my son tonight, but now I see it probably won't be the best idea. You should sleep.” It was strange. This was what everyone usually told him, and now it was he who encouraged others to rest.

"Why? You know I always like to look after Peter. Plus, I didn't do anything with him for a long time," said Bruce, whose mood immediately improved. Peter still insisted on watching his favorite movie series, and this would finally be a great opportunity. And a peaceful evening will certainly benefit Bruce’s family spirit. 

"I'd like to take Pep for dinner. But it's not in a hurry, you really should rest," Tony sighed. Plus, Peter was no longer a small child. He could have stayed home alone, but Tony didn't like the idea very much. Not after what happened with Mary.

"You should go. We will be fine," he assured him.

"I'll think about it," Tony said at last. He wasn't entirely convinced, but he knew he could trust Bruce. And if he told him they would be fine, they would be just fine.

Tony got up and walked out of the kitchen to leave his friend alone for the time he needed. But before walking through the door, he allowed himself another look at the man, who looked like a pile of misfortune and inadvertently remembered himself and how he felt when Pepper left him. "She's coming back, Bruce, it's just a friendly visit," he tried to reassure him.

It took him a few seconds to realize that he was trying to reassure himself too. After all, Clint was her best friend and was the first to give her family. What if she doesn't come back to them?

Chapter 25: Chapter 24

Chapter Text

The red-haired woman stood vaguely in front of the door of the family house, suddenly hesitant to knock. Of course, she missed Clint, she hadn't seen him in a long time. The last time they had to fight together. But suddenly she had doubts about whether she should return. Her place was with Bruce. After all, she always solved her problems as soon as possible before they could grow. So why is she suddenly running from them? Is it because she doesn't yet know how to deal with things like this, and she's acting like a toddler trying to take her first steps?

Before she could decide whether to return or stay, the front door suddenly opened. Clint stood in the doorway, wincing as he found out who was standing in front of him. And then his typical smirk appeared on his face.

"Let's see. That's enough for you to show up," he teased her kindly, and when he saw that his longtime friend was about to fence, he quickly raised his hand to stop her and added the suffix: "I'm kidding. I'm glad to see you again, Nat," he told her honestly, and it warmed her heart. Clint was one of her closest friends. She remembered the fear she had when they found out that Loki had enchanted him. Tony once confided to Natasha that part of their team thought he and Clint had something between them. No wonder, they were an inseparable couple until she met Bruce. And until they had to deal with Ultron, no one even knew that Clint had a wife and children.

"Me too, Clint. I'm sorry I didn't show up before, but there was a lot of it," she apologized. But he just waved his hand over it, and then he did something that neither of them was too used to - he hugged her tightly. And Natasha suddenly felt safe again. Clint was her confidence. A man who's been through a lot with her. Her partner who won't betray her. Friends are what you have left when you lose love. And Natasha was conscious and moved at the same time. When she gets back to Bruce, they'll fix it. A break will only benefit them.

"Laura will be glad to see you again. I'm not even talking about children," he grinned as they let go. He stepped away from the door. "Come in. How long will you stay?"

"I do not know. It depends... on the circumstances," she replied vaguely. Clint raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any more questions. He knew that if she wanted to, she would confide in him on her own, or go to Laura for advice.

"Okay. I'd better make the bed for you," he winked at her, and she smiled gratefully. She heard a childish laugh from the living room warming her heart. She thought she was reconciled to never having her own children. She always made up for these missing feelings with Cooper, Lily, and now little Nathaniel.

She was their aunt Nat, and that meant a lot to her. They hugged her, they trusted her, they laughed with her. Natasha always watched her feelings carefully, pretending not to be shaken by anything. But they and Peter always found her tender, almost motherly side.

She knew that even Bruce couldn't have children. Still, she couldn't shake the thought that Betty actually had something extra and she didn't.

•••

Pepper stepped into her office, and at first, didn't even notice that something was different. She frowned at the papers she held in her hand, and when she reached her desk, suddenly someone turned to her in a swivel chair, she almost had a heart attack.

"Miss Potts, where are you wandering during working hours?" Tony asked in his captivating voice, giving her a staring look that made her nape tickle.

"You don't have anything to do again, you have to keep an eye on me, Mr. Stark?" she, too, asked him in a honeyed voice. Tony smiled broadly at her, then pointed to the vase on her desk, where a bouquet of brightly colored tulips stood out. This gesture, though not his first, still impressed Pepper a lot.

"I came to ask you out if you don't have anything tonight. But you don't, because I peeked into your diary," he replied himself, getting up so he could kiss his fiancée. Pepper sometimes felt like she was in a dream. The last few days, whenever she spent her time with Tony, she felt like she was living on a fluffy pink cloud, where everything was perfect. They say that falling in love lasts only a few months, but with Tony, she still felt like a teenager in love with her first love. Of course, they also had some crises, but they did not stop loving each other. On the contrary, their relationship was deeper and the bond stronger.

"I'd love to go out with you," she agreed with a smile, and Tony kissed her again.

"I can't wait for you to be Mrs. Stark," he whispered, wrapping her in his arms. He took her left hand in his and looked proudly at the ring she wore on her finger. When the wedding ring replaces the engagement one, it will be beautiful…

"I hope you don't suggest we get married right here and right now," she said with a laugh, but there was a grain of truth to what she said. Tony would be able to do that.

"That would be funny. But don't worry, I won't do it. Our wedding must be perfect. And we can't deprive others of it. They've been waiting so long..." he laughed, and Pepper wrapped his arms around his neck. He wiped his nose against hers and then leaned their foreheads together. "I love you, Pepper. I should tell you more often, I know. But you're the only woman I've ever felt anything so strong about. I want nothing more than to stay and live with you until death."

"Stop it or you'll make me cry. And keep something for the wedding vow," she whispered, but she felt tears in her eyes. "Give me a second, I'll go through these papers, and then I'll just focus on you. We'll go to a nice restaurant and have a nice evening."

"Let's not think about anything and not worry about anything," he suggested softly, and she agreed. They would set their own evening just for themselves . "We're finally happy, so let's enjoy happiness when we fought for it so hard."

Pepper agreed. Luck doesn't just fall into your lap, you have to go to meet it. And when the moments come when you have to fight for happiness, don't give up, on the contrary. You can deal with such moments, especially when you have someone by your side who will not leave you alone.

Chapter 26: Chapter 25

Chapter Text

Peter tried his best. This was a big moment for him. He could finally show Bruce what he is capable of. And he really wanted to show him that he was more than just an ordinary 15-year-old. The problem was that Bruce's field was chemistry and partly biology. And Peter could handle the formula for his webs, but that was the pinnacle of his knowledge of chemistry. He always aimed more at physics and mechanics. Just like his dad. And after learning about Mary's work, he knew he didn't want anything to do with biochemistry. No. He will continue in the footsteps of his parents. He will one day lead Stark Industries and give the world great inventions.

"I don't know," he sighed defeated, curled up in a ball on the couch. He felt disappointed.

Bruce gave him a small smile and patted him on the back encouragingly. "It doesn't matter at all. This was already very advanced chemistry. You did a great job. I honestly didn't expect you to know the answers to so many questions," he complimented him, after which Peter sat up straight and gave him a look of hope.

Really?”

"Sure, you know I wouldn't lie to you," he assured him. Peter suggested that they test his knowledge, so Bruce asked him various questions. Question by question was, of course, harder and harder. They lasted an hour before Peter crashed.

"And what was the answer to the last question?" he asked with interest.

Bruce was opening his mouth with the answer , but then he changed his mind and paused for a moment. "I won't tell you. You just need more time to figure it out, and when you know the answer, come see me and we can talk about it. And now Star Wars awaits us if I'm not mistaken."

Peter was looking forward to Bruce seeing his favorite movies. He couldn't wait to say what he would say about it, but when he looked at the man sitting next to him, the mood for his favorite movie series completely disappeared. When Bruce returned from Sakaar and got together with Nat, he became a completely different person. He was happier. More optimistic. And it made Peter very happy. Watching his uncle and aunt happy together brought a smile to his face every day. This was no longer the case, and his heart was pounding. He couldn't understand how the world around them worked. Were they each on the opposite polarity of the magnets? Was it that when his parents were finally back together, Bruce and Nat couldn't be?

"I know I shouldn't ask, but you know me. What happened between you and Nat?" he whispered uncertainly. He just needed to know. The truth was, he knew virtually nothing about their past. All he knew was that it was nothing happy. And they both deserved happiness. Why was it so hard to get it? Why was the feeling of happiness so fleeting?

"Nothing happened between us," Bruce replied incomprehensibly. He was very surprised by his question, but he understood where this feeling came from. He noticed that his redhead had been different in recent days. And he was probably the one to blame, but he honestly didn't know how to fix it. And now she wasn't here. He blamed himself for getting a new project, but he needed it. He welcomed the change.

"But Mom said you have some problems ," he said, keeping his eyes on him.

"Did Pepper tell you that?"

Peter just nodded. Bruce fell silent. It may not have been completely rosy between them, but he wouldn't say they had problems. How did Pepper find out? Would Natasha tell her? But she wasn't the type to confide in others. But she wasn't a relationship type either, and they were here. Together. Did she think they were in trouble? But why didn't she tell him anything? Was her departure just a friendly visit?

"We should watch a movie. I'm sorry I asked," he snorted and hugged him almost immediately and curled up beside him. Friday, meanwhile, turned on the television and launched The Phantom Menace.

But Bruce didn't focus on the film at all. His head was now full of questions he didn't know the answers to. Was Natasha going to leave him? Did she finally realize that life with him wasn't the one she wanted to live?

The thoughts weren't nice at all. And that's why Bruce was glad when sleep finally took over. He vaguely remembered wrapping his arm protectively around Peter and then drifting into the realm of dreams, where perhaps something better was waiting for him. Peter followed him after a moment.

And when Pepper and Tony returned from dinner, that's exactly how they found them. Sleeping in the other's arms. Pepper had a small smile on her face as Tony sighed. He was worried about his friend.

"I'm going to bed, I'm tired, and I'm having a hard day tomorrow," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek.

"I'll be right with you," Tony promised. He wasn't tired yet, and he would gladly welcome some time in the workshop, but after such a beautiful evening with Pepper, he looked forward to snuggling up to her in bed.

When Pepper disappeared down the hall, Tony quietly walked over to the sleeping boys. He took a shaggy blanket from the backrest, which everyone considered their comfort blanket, and carefully covered them.

He just hoped Bruce wouldn't have too much back pain from the night on the couch. And also that he will feel better tomorrow morning.

•••

Richard often wondered if they could be a happy family in another life. With Mary, whom he knew, this idea was absurd. But if there was a multiverse, maybe they were happy together somewhere. He could vividly imagine it and envied them very much. Family house in a quiet neighborhood. He and Mary are married and raise a daughter together who communicated the beauty of her mother and the intelligence of both. They have a dog running in the garden, which their daughter begged for. Every Sunday they hold a barbecue garden meeting, which is attended by their neighbors, their friends.

It was a beautiful life. But it wasn't his. He was a second-rate scientist who fell in love. In the end, Mary was right. Love was a weakness. Definitely for him. Because if he didn't love the brunette so much, he would never do any of that. Never.

Chapter 27: Chapter 26

Chapter Text

"So how satisfied are you with the new one?" Betty, who cared a lot about her friend's opinion, asked curiously. She was actually her superior, but they soon became close friends, as on their project worked mostly men. But she was one of those who had the main say.

"What I'm going to tell you is no miracle, but he really has a lot of knowledge in his head and he's obviously hot to work, which is really commendable. It would be more beneficial for us if it weren't so narrow-minded. He closes his eyes to certain things, and that's a shame, because he has the head for it, and we would need someone like that. Good job, Lizzie, it just wants to push him a little differently," the blond-haired, pale-faced woman told her.

Push him in another direction? Liv, you just said Bruce isn't stupid. If I suggested other options, he'd definitely put two and two together-"

"I thought you told him at the beginning that we were exploring other nooks and crannies for purely academic purposes," Liv interrupted, suddenly no longer a friend, a confidante, but rather Betty's superior, which, of course, paused Elizabeth. Liv didn't like it when something went wrong, when someone didn't work according to their plan, or when someone made excuses that it didn't work. She always answered with the same sentence that they apparently had not exhausted all possibilities, had not reached the end of their physical strength, so they could not claim that something was not working. Liv did not look like an authoritative person. But when she spoke, you knew that it was not advisable to play with her.

"I'll try to work it out," Betty said, lowering her eyes to her plate. Liv smiled almost motherly, then reached for her so she could grab her arm.

"It seems to me, Lizzie, or do you like the guy, don't you?" she teased her, and Betty's redness spoke for itself. Liv laughed. "I thought so. You know I don't want any relationships in the workplace between employees, but since he works from home most of the time and you're a charming woman in her best-"

"Don't bother, Liv, he already has a girlfriend," she told her unhappily.

"And you don't have any news on whether it works for them or not? Apparently, it's eating you out that you can't have him for yourself," she read her as if she was an open book. "Maybe there's something you can do about it. But think about our task, Lizzie, we need that Bruce, he will still be very beneficial to us. And now excuse me, I have another appointment that won't wait," she told her, getting up from her chair. She put on an autumn light coat and kissed Betty on the cheek. She left the lunch money on the table and then left the restaurant. A black car was waiting for her nearby. She climbed into the passenger seat and lit a cigarette. The interior of the car immediately filled with cigarette smoke.

"So, what news are you bringing me?" she asked her companion, who was sitting behind the wheel, clutching tightly, staring through the black sunglasses at the road and sidewalk in front of them. "I hope we will not have a friendly chat like last time," she said sarcastically.

"I talked to that Toomes," he told her, mapping the events in front of them with his eyes. "He didn't look very excited about it, and I'm convinced I'll have to meet him again. Apparently, he doesn't want to drill into anything, but he's exactly the type of guy who fits this job perfectly. I promised him some necessary materials that could help him catch our spider."

"Well, well. We need to track down the boy to make it easier for Toomes. I don't want any more complications, and without young Stark, we won't move much with the project. Richard found woefully little material from the past," she complained, but she still had the necessary perseverance and determination. She had to finish the project. It was her life's mission, and she didn't want to disappoint. "By the way, I hope you didn't talk to Toomes about me. I don't need to deal with another idiot, it takes my precious time and my brain cells die from it."

He laughed. "Don't worry, I know how much you hate this. What am I here from, right? You couldn't have chosen a better mediator."

She sighed. "You're right. I couldn't have anyone better," she repeated sarcastically.

•••

Bruce paced around the bedroom with the phone in his hand, wondering if he should call Natasha. In the end, he decided to  go for it , why not, and dialed her number with a pounding heart. He looked forward to hearing her voice again. But there was disappointment instead. Natasha did not answer the call.

The red-haired woman was sitting in the Bartons' kitchen, holding little Nathaniel in her arms, who rolled his big eyes at her. Laura watched her with a wide smile. "You'd make a good mom," she said after a moment.

Natasha looked up at her and stared at her for a long time. "I would be... what? Please, which child would want a female like me for a mother? Killer mom . Agent mom."

"Don't judge yourself so harshly, you're not a killer. Agent, maybe, but isn't that great? What child could brag about his parent being an agent and a superhero?" She tried to encourage her. Natasha chuckled, then stroked Nathaniel's chubby face. "Tasha, I know something's bothering you, Clint can see it, too. You don't have to hide behind your stone mask all the time. We are a family. It's normal for something to bother you. You don't have to be afraid to show your emotions. It's not always a weakness."

"I guess I don't want to talk about it, don't be mad. I've dealt with this all too often in recent days. Do you know what I need now? Some real action. I don't want to summon anything terrible, but I know it would distract me. I would feel like I used to. I miss the Avengers, and even that moron Fury," she confided.

Laura looked at her. "Then why don't you call Fury if he doesn't have a job for you? I know that S.H.I.E.L.D. fell apart, but that doesn't mean there's no need to intervene. You won't pay anything if you try, and if you feel like it…"

"I don't know if I should play with my luck," she hesitated.

Laura smiled at her and stood up. She put her hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to decide now. Nat, whatever you're going through, I know you can do it. I don't know a bolder and stronger woman than you are. Even an impregnable rock can turn into brittle porcelain. You don't have to be ashamed of what you feel.”

Chapter 28: Chapter 27

Chapter Text

Pepper was so accustomed to Natasha's presence in the office that she almost began to regret sending her to see Clint. But she knew it would benefit her friend, and she could do her job without her. It was just more lonely now, that was all.

"It's nice here," came a suddenly male voice, and Pepper jumped slightly. She wasn't expecting anyone here. "Within limits," he grinned, and Pepper didn't forgive the annoying roll of her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, standing on her feet in a second. "Nothing happened to Peter, right?"

"Young Stark is fine, you can sit down again," he reassured her. Pepper saw in his eyes a glimpse of something she had never seen before, but she still couldn't identify what it was. She couldn't tell Tony, but to tell the truth, she quite liked the god of mischief. Well, if she misses the fact that he tried to occupy the Earth a few years ago.

"So you're bored at home and decided to pay me a visit?" Pepper teased. She was used to his unusual behavior. In part, she was still wary of him, but she personally didn't think he would hurt them. But Thor and Tony kept saying she couldn't trust him. And inside her was a fight, because she wanted to trust him so much.

Loki paused for a moment. What he was about to say was not easy for him. But he has thought a lot about it in recent days and made his decision. He couldn't protect his own mother, but he would do anything to protect Miss Potts. "Thor has found a new place for us. New Asgard. Would you believe that? Midgard's place and it will bear such a name!"

"Oh, so you're leaving us too?" she asked a rhetorical question. It will take her a while to get used to the fact that only the three of them live again after such a long time.

"Perhaps you will not miss me? Don't worry, I'll show up here and there and play with Anthony a little," he told her almost mischievously.

Pepper shook her head in disbelief. Peter was right, if he still didn't do something to Tony on purpose, they could be good friends. "Did you come to say goodbye? I thought it wasn't you something you would do," she wondered.

"Not normally," he sighed. He had to come out with the truth. "You're an interesting woman, Pepper. I've only met one person in my life who was like you."

The redhead didn't know what to say, so she decided to be quiet. She knew that the dark-haired man – God - had much more on his heart. And she also thought that entrustment would not be his forte, so she had to give him space. She already knew that from Tony and Natasha. You could say that she was an expert at working with people who had trouble expressing their feelings.

"You remind me so much of her. My mother. I wasn't her biological son like Thor, but she still loved me. Your love for Stark's son is incredible. I just wanted you to know that if you ever need me, I'm at your disposal. I'm a god, as you know. Just pray and I'll be right with you," he finally said everything he had on his icy heart. Then he cleared his throat and his face took on sharper features again. All signs of emotion were gone. "If you tell anyone about it, I'll deny it."

"And I already thought you'd have to kill me," Pepper joked, not knowing how to handle the information he'd told her. Where did this sudden affection come from?

"Normally, yes, but as I said, you remind me of my mother."

Pepper wanted to say something about it. She wanted him to know how much this meant to her. To let him know that she had no bad opinion of him and that she would miss the treacherous bastard. But before she could open her mouth, Loki was gone.

•••

Peter had no idea how he got into this situation. At one point, he was on his way home, and for a few minutes, he found himself in this filthy alley. He really wanted to ignore his sixth sense, but this time it didn't work. Loki was no longer guarding him, and he didn't want to end up in the lab again like an experimental rat. He had to take care of himself and he had to do it now. And so, when he saw the strange van again, he decided to go find out if it was anything more or not. Delete the original sentence, Peter knew exactly how he found himself in this situation.

To his surprise, the car was empty, but his sensitive ears heard strange sounds coming from a side alley. He still didn't carry the suit with him, so he had to proceed very carefully. He looked around, and when he realized that no one was nearby, he jumped up on the fire escape and hurried to the roof, where he could move closer to the three unknown men, as he recognized from the beating hearts. The building was not very tall, so he had a good view of them.

The first surprise for him was that he did not recognize any of the three men. He partly rested, for now, there was a possibility that these strangers were not interested in him. This assumption was confirmed when one of the men began to show the other a weapon that Peter had never seen in his life. And that was something to say, considering that he was often in the presence of the Avengers, who had all sorts of weapons. It didn't take him long to put two and two together. These men were arms dealers. Peter was very sorry now that he didn't have a suit with him. Maybe he should call the police and the problem will be solved. After all, it was their job, not his. He was almost dialing the police number when an unusual blow came and Peter's phone almost fell out of his hand. He leaned across the ledge and was very surprised to see what happened. Where the garbage can have stood before, now there was only molten plastic, and the weapon the man held gave a strange purple glow.

Peter changed his mind quickly and took a picture of the three guys before getting up and carefully walking back to the fire escape. He wasn't ready for Spider-man, but once he started, he couldn't stop now. This was the neighborhood where he had school. What if something happened to someone? No, he couldn't let that happened.

 

Chapter 29: Chapter 28

Chapter Text

Peter was returning home with conflicting feelings. One part of him wanted to figure it out and solve it, but the zeal to save and risk his life left him as soon as he returned from Mary's lab. As cliché as it sounded, then he really realized that life was a fragile thing. Then it was as if he had entered the world of adults. He was no longer as frivolous as before, and he didn't want to do anything without thinking. Maybe it was fear. As if there had been a block in him ever since. He last wore a Spider-Man suit a few months ago and hardly thought of it.

"Hello, kid, how was school today?" Tony asked him as he walked with a cup of coffee to the workshop.

"Yeah, it was fine," Peter replied, then added, as if incidentally, "Did my suit stay in the workshop?"

This was a sentence Tony didn't expect from him at all. He and Pepper learned that Peter avoided any superhero's action and didn't want to talk about them much. They understood him, and Pepper was really relieved. Since the team split-up, Tony has only used the suit in the most urgent cases, so it meant for her loved ones to be fine and not to pursue their lives all the time. She was always incredibly scared of them and sometimes a little mad about it. That's why Tony was suddenly surprised that Peter was asking something like that.

"Well, of course. I didn't even touch it. Why do you ask?" he asked a little suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing specific. I want to check to see if the piers have happened to be in it," he joked. "I haven't used it in a long time. Maybe I'll take a look at it, to remember nostalgically, and maybe I can think of some new adjustments, even though they would probably be useless to me now..."

Tony felt a little relieved. He, too, was worried about his son, especially when he didn't have him under surveillance and Peter wandered around New York on his own. After all, he was still a boy. "Sure. We can take a look at it together if you want," he suggested, and Peter agreed. They hadn't been together in the workshop for a long time, and Tony would have lied if he had said he didn't miss it. At least Bruce used to be there now when Peter had school and had to study.

"So is everything okay?" he dared to ask him as Peter pulled out his suit and piously stroked the spider in front of his chest. He gave himself time to answer Tony. Not because he remembered nostalgically for so long what he'd been through with the suit, but because he wondered if he should tell him about the three unknown men he'd thought about all the way home. And who were the only reason he pulled out his suit again after months.

"Yeah, everything is okay," he finally replied, gently placing the suit on the table. Tony had to smile. Peter liked his suit as much as he liked the Iron Man suit. Superhero identities were simply part of them and part of their lives. It couldn't be crossed out, forgotten, Tony knew about it, he tried many times, he swore to Pepper, but he missed Iron Man.

"Friday, scan him. And open the program and notes for me, please," Peter asked artificial intelligence and sat down at the table. Tony smiled broadly and his chest swelled with pride. Peter had a creative moment after a long time. "I want to check if there's anything damaged. And if anything comes to mind, we'll add it to our suits as additional equipment."

"Mom will be so happy," Tony chuckled but sat down next to him. "I don't know if anyone has already told you, but Thor and his brother are already moving."

"So there will be silence again. And when Bruce and Nat leave, it'll be dead here. Where is Bruce, anyway? He had barely peeked out of the workshop for the last few days," he said curiously, looking around as if he could see Dr. Banner at a computer studying a new project.

"He had a meeting about the project. So after a long time, he slept well again and got back together, a little," Tony grinned. When Natasha was there, she always kept an eye on him. Now Bruce was completely neglecting his daily needs. He'd slept for about five hours in the last five days, and he hadn't eaten properly. Tony understood him, he'd been through that once before. But then he suffered from nightmares and was afraid to fall asleep, so he always had to work somehow. Bruce was just obsessed.

"Ah, um... and you don't know anything more about his project?" he asked discreetly. Not that it occurred to him that Bruce might have his fingers in the unknown weapon he witnessed today, no, that would be nonsense… but one never knows. And Bruce was mysterious about the project and defended it by saying it's super-secret.

"That’s the thing, I don't know. I won't lie, it worries me a little. But Bruce wouldn't do anything illegal, he wouldn't do anything stupid. He's too smart for that," he assured himself and Peter. He trusted Bruce, he was his closest friend. But he was still worried about getting involved in something he wouldn't have enough strength for.

••• 

"I'm glad you're happy with me, I've put everything into it, and now maybe I'll get some rest again," Bruce remarked with a smile as he met Betty again after a while, who had only praise for him. She noticed how tired he was, he was pale and had dark circles under his eyes. Betty smiled. Bruce was so cute.

"You're crazy, it wasn't in such a hurry. On the other hand, my superiors are really excited about you. Looks like we gained a lot when we brought you on the team," Betty praised and leaned back in her chair. "Now rest and gain strength so that you can then show some breathtaking result again. I'll get back to you when I have a task for you again. So how else are you, what about your personal life, any girlfriend?” she asked him a seemingly innocent question.

"You know how it is, nothing special... just my girlfriend and I are a little rocky right now, and I don't know what to do with it," he sighed, then looked at her hopefully. "Couldn't you advise me? I don't understand women at all, and you are a woman..."

"Yes, but I've never had a girlfriend," she joked, and the two laughed. Then they were embarrassed and looked at each other. At the same moment, they remembered the time they were in love. Bruce looked away first. And Betty had the uneasy feeling that he really loved Natasha Romanov, and it probably wouldn't be easy to get her away from him, and Betty was beginning to worry that it wouldn't be as simple as she thought it would be.

 

Chapter 30: Chapter 29

Chapter Text

Tony was furious. He stood on the shore of the lake, watching the calm water surface, hoping it would calm him down a little. Peter and he enjoyed it in the workshop yesterday, and it never occurred to Tony that his son would take his suit to school and then even go to town in it. Without him knowing about it! And he lied to him! After school, he sent him a message that he was going to Ned's house and would probably not return until after dinner, and Tony didn't find anything strange about it. In the past, Peter was at Leeds practically all the time . But then Friday alerted him that Spider-Man's suit was active. And Tony immediately wanted to get up and go find his son, but he quickly changed his mind and decided to reprimand him when he got home. But before Peter could get home, the hologram, which showed his current state of health, flashed red. Tony swore that his heart stopped for a second at that moment.

And then he just, he just, like, swooped down like a monster and he picked me up and, uh, he took me up, like, a thousand feet and just dropped me. How’d you find me? Did you put a tracker in my suit or something?” muttered Peter, who obviously didn't know at all how bad this situation was.

I put everything in your suit,” Tony snapped. He really needed to calm down before he could talk to Peter. “Including the heater, so please use it so you don't become an ice cube,” he sighed and finally turned to face him. His son didn't even realize he could die today.

Whew, that’s better. Thanks,” Peter agreed as the heating started. The feeling of warmth that suddenly surrounded him almost matched his mother's warm embrace. But only almost.

What were you thinking?” Tony asked grumpily. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't calm down. He was angry with himself. He should have known. He knew his son better than anyone. He should have known he hadn't asked about the suit yesterday just for nothing. He should have known, but he didn't know, and Peter could be dead now. He didn't have to get home today, and Tony had already experienced that feeling. And he definitely didn't want to do it again. Never.

The guy with the wings is obviously the source of the weapons. I gotta take him down.”

Take him down now, huh?” Tony snorted, he could be no more surprised. He had no idea what Peter was talking about, and he wasn't even sure he wanted to know. “Steady, little bat, there are people who handle this sort of thing.”

You and aunt Nat?” he asked almost enthusiastically. Tony will have to put him back on the ground. He was also wondering if he should tell Pepper about today's incident. They promised to tell each other the truth, but he didn't want to worry her. She was already worried about their son so much.

This is a little below our pay grade,” he informed him. “Look, forget the flying vulture guy, please.”

Why?”

Why? Because I said so! Stay close to the ground. Build up your game helping little people, like that lady that bought you the churro. Can’t you just be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? Do you even realize what happened today? You walked behind my back and lied to me. And it's not even the worst. The worst part is that you could have ended up at the bottom of that stupid lake while Mom and I waited at home for you to come back!” Tony was already yelling. He always tried not to yell at his son, but now it was just too much. He thought Peter had ceased to be so frivolous, but apparently, it was only a temporary situation.

But I’m ready for more than that now,” protested Peter, who obviously didn't hear a word of what his father had told him.

No, you are not,” he said sharply. He had to cool him down. He didn't want to take his suit because he knew what it was like to be without it. He understood that Spider-man was part of Peter and he did not want to take it from him. Not unless it’s necessary.

That is not what you thought when I took on Steve,” snapped Peter, who was also beginning to get upset.

For Christ's sake! If Steve wanted to lay you out, he would’ve. And believe me, I regret every day that I took you to Germany at all.” Tony rubbed his eyes wearily and took a deep breath. Things were much simpler when Peter was little. “Why not start focusing on things that concern normal people your age? You know, it’s never too early to start thinking about college. I got some pull at MIT. Or at any other university, you would like to go.”

Peter paused for a moment to reconcile his thoughts. He was upset that Dad wasn't listening to him properly, but he knew that at this point he could only make it only worse if he continued to do so. And he didn't want to argue with him. He hated it. "I chose the school a long time ago. MIT, engineering and management," he muttered defeated.

"These are two different faculties," Tony said in surprise. He knew that Peter would follow in his footsteps, but he had no idea that he would pounce on management. Although, he shouldn't be surprised, should he? Pepper was quite an inspiring woman.

"I want you and mom to be proud of me," he admitted. They did so much for him.

"Bat, we're already proud of you. We always have been. We're also proud you are a Spider-Man, but it has its rules. We set them right at the beginning. Stick to them, please. We don't want to lose you."

"I'm sorry," he said with tears in his eyes. Finally, all the adrenaline had subsided, and he was beginning to realize how catastrophic it could be today. That didn't change the fact that he would get the Vulture. He just has to be more careful.

"It’s okay. Not a word to mom yet. I have to think about how I tell her this information. Maybe I'll connect it to you wanting to follow in her footsteps, it could soften her, don't you think?” he asked with a small grin on his face.

"Let's just go home," he said instead of answering, hoping his father had time to call Happy. He was too tired to walk.

•••

"I think we already have the spider's attention," Toomes informed the stranger.

"Great job," the bearded man praised him.

"Perhaps he survived the fall, I flew with him a little," he grinned.

Fear flickered on the stranger's face before his features petrified, and Adrian knew he had managed to upset him. "I said I needed him alive!"

"Don't worry, I let him into the water. If he can swim, he's fine," he assured him with a smug expression on his face. He hated being in this situation, and the only thing he could do to make it better was to get the stranger angry for his own amusement.

 

Chapter 31: Chapter 30

Chapter Text

The next day at school Ned soon realized that his best friend was not his usual self. In addition, he seemed to have thoughts somewhere else entirely, answering his questions concisely and without emotion, which was certainly not his habit. No wonder it started to bother Ned, and it made him suspect that something was happening at the Starks again. Whether it was in personal or superhero life.

"We haven't done anything in a long time, aren't we going to have a sleepover with the Star Wars marathon?" Ned suggested as they headed for the lockers after class. Tony was supposed to pick up Peter today, so they didn't have much time to talk properly. But Ned told himself that he would still try to use the short time and find out something. His friend was sometimes so stubborn and closed in himself.

Peter looked at him and the idea flashed in his head. "You're right, we haven't had a marathon in a long time. Listen, I don't want to sound like I'm using you or anything, but your offer is playing into my cards right now."

"That's why you're so stunned all day! Is something going on again, is there any action?" he asked, all excited. The fact that Peter was Spider-man always overshadowed all fears. Ned admired him so much and was eager to help.

"Something like that," Peter agreed, then lowered his voice a little, though there was a noise, screaming, and laughter in the hallway, and he almost couldn't hear his own thoughts. Ned leaned forward curiously. "I recently took a little action again that my dad shouldn't have learned about. But he put a tracker in my suit, so he soon found out that I wasn't with you as I was originally supposed to be, but that I was doing something on my own. And of course, he didn't like it."

"Are you surprised? He's your dad, and you've both been through a lot. But that doesn't mean what you're telling me isn't amazing. Go on!” he urged eagerly, and Peter had to laugh.

"My dad doesn't believe I can do such a thing. Not that I want to convince him of the opposite, and I don't want to get completely involved in something dangerous, but it doesn't let me sleep! It makes me do something and try to work it out. I'm a Spider-man, and it's my duty to help people around me," he said as if he wanted to defend it in front of himself, to gain some courage. Ned nodded in agreement. "I'll need help removing the tracker. Friday won't cover me, and it's clear to me that Dad will be watching over me now to make sure I don't really do anything. But I have to because otherwise no one will stop these guys and it will be a mess."

"And what are these guys? Any serial killers, criminals, to which an arrest warrant has been issued in 48 states?" Peter paused and looked at him with wide eyes. Ned grinned and shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry, it's just fantastic. So.. tell me."

"They seemed quite ordinary to me, but with extraordinary weapons. It was like alien technology or something. And one of them, probably their boss, I met him and tried to get him. He has vulture wings, almost like a Falcon, but it's also much more dangerous," he told him. "I'm going to need you to cover for me and be with me at the line."

"But how do you want to find the guy? New York is terribly big."

Peter smiled mysteriously. "I have a tracking device. Thanks to that, we're tracking him down."

"Wow. So will I really be able to help you? And won't it be too dangerous? I wouldn't want to answer to your dad and mom... "

Peter patted him on the back. "Don't worry, we can do it together. Nothing will happen to me because I will have you, and you will help me."

"Hi, losers," Michelle greeted them in a typically bored voice as she walked past them to her locker. Ned grinned at Peter and poked him with his elbow under his ribs, whereupon Peter blushed, trying not to stare at MJ.

Why not start focusing on things that concern normal people your age?  he heard Tony's voice in his head. Dad only talked about choosing a college, but-

"MJ, would you go on a date with me?" Peter blurted out, almost yelling, and then stammered. Michelle turned at him in surprise, Ned gasped and covered his mouth with his hand, looking alternately at Peter and MJ. Peter began to regret saying anything at all, because MJ just stared at him and didn't say a word, and he was already starting to think that it would be best if he just left and pretended that nothing had happened when she suddenly spoke.

"Okay," she said as if nothing had happened, and then she continued on her way to her locker. When Peter realized what that meant, he glowed like a moon.

"Peter! You invited MJ on a date!" Ned shouted in disbelief, placing his hands on his shoulders.

"I know," Peter whispered, full of euphoria and indescribable joy. But then he realized what that meant... and joy was replaced by anxiety.

God, he invited Michelle on a date.

•••

Pepper paced in the living room impatiently, glancing constantly at the wall clock. She knew Peter was picked up by Tony at school today, but she was still a little worried. What if their boy disappeared again? When Tony told her what Peter had done on his own, it threw her off. She didn't expect him to want to return to his superhero life so soon. She had to live with everyday fear again. No matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't get used to it.

"We're home!" Tony's voice said, and Pepper breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment, Peter stepped into the living room with a new backpack and looked at her guiltily. It almost softened her.

"Hi, Mom," he muttered in greeting.

"I'm glad to see you, Peter. Sit down, we need to talk about something," she said seriously, pointing to the couch. But Peter shook his head and said he'd rather stand up. Pepper started pacing around again. "Peter, you know very well that neither I nor Dad wants to restrict you in any way. But we promised ourselves that we would tell each other the truth, and if you lie to us about where you are and go alone, on your own, without anyone's knowledge, right into the clutches of some lunatics—"

Peter couldn't take it anymore. He was thinking of only one thing at a time, and he was really scared of it. He interrupted her and blurted out, "Mom, I invited Michelle on a date."

Chapter 32: Chapter 31

Chapter Text

The room suddenly fell silent. Pepper stared in shock at her son, trying to process the information he had just spewed at her. At first, she thought he was just trying to divert attention from what he had done yesterday. That it's just his foolish attempt to avoid reprimand. But Peter wasn't like that, and when Pepper looked at him closely, she could notice how nervous Peter was.

"That's…" she began, but somehow she couldn't find any more words. "Unexpected," she finally breathed. She knew Michelle. She was Peter's friend, but she had not yet had the honor of meeting her in person. And their son never mentioned seeing anything more than a friend in her.

"I know, I know," he said, taking a deep breath. "I really like her, Mom! It's been so long and I still think it's just a silly crush, but she's so amazing. And yesterday Dad said that I should do things that other kids my age do, and she walked around today and I suddenly blurted out. I almost shouted at her! God, that's such a shame," he muttered in one breath and then fell on the couch. It was Dad's fault anyway. Until yesterday, it would never have occurred to him to asked Michelle out.

Pepper couldn't help but smile. The original conversation completely fell out of her head. And how not when her little boy fell in love for the first time. "I'm interested in a lot of things, but most of all, I'd like to know what she told you."

"She agreed! This is a bad idea, Mom. I should cancel it. I'll pretend I didn't say anything at all. I can't go on a date with her! MJ doesn't even date. She is an independent woman who needs no man," he muttered. She loved when he had no filter in front of her and told her completely about everything that was close to his heart.

"Please don't do any of this. You've already invited her and she agreed, so you'll take her on that date," she said almost sternly. They were already discussing it with Tony, knowing that their son was not the same as his father, but one never knew. "Besides, you like her, so what's the problem?"

"Did you listen to me? Michelle Jones doesn't need a boyfriend!” he exclaimed, frightened. Pepper had to hold back a laugh. She couldn't help but find it very cute.

"Um, it reminds me of someone," she whispered as if it were a secret.

At first, Peter didn't know what she was talking about, or rather about who she was talking about, but he didn't have to think too long to realize it. What he will tell you. His dad was Iron Man. He owned one of the largest companies in the world. He saved the world. He was a genius. But his mom? At times he thought that his mother was a goddess. When he was little, he wondered if she was not from Asgard like Thor and Loki. Dad always talked about being very lucky to have Pepper with him, which Peter didn't understand much as a child. He thought dad was amazing, so why wouldn't Pepper want to be with him? But the older he got, the more he realized it wasn't that simple. And that it's quite difficult with them. But Pepper? She loved them unconditionally.

"How did you know you loved Dad?" he asked curiously. He realized they had never talked about it. It just happened. They kissed on some foreign roof and suddenly they were together.

"The great thing about women who don't need men to live is that you know they love you. They chose you. I'm not saying I never dreamed of having a family, but I was more of a career woman. But that changed when Tony thrust you into my arms. He quickly became my best friend. I don't know if you remember, but we spent a lot of time together. One quickly forgets where their place is. That's when you kept talking about being a family. These were innocent remarks about me and Tony. And I liked the idea, but I knew Tony didn't want a relationship. Then he appointed me as chief executive officer of his company and I was happy about it. I really was. But that was the moment I realized that I didn't want to do the job if it meant wasting time with you. Time with my family," she finished, and she had to blink a few times to dispel the tears that began to press in her eyes. Even after all these years, she was again surprised by the wave of emotions that struck her during the story. She never thought it was possible to love someone so much. "I can't tell you exactly how you know you love someone, but trust me, you will know it."

"Are you looking forward to marrying Dad?" he asked with a smile on his face. To be honest, he forgot about Michelle for a moment. He was the greatest supporter of his parents and loved to listen to stories from his childhood. Stories of how much his parents love each other. He remembered how soon after he started call Pepper his mother, he came to see Dad and asked if he could have her last name. He wanted everyone to know she was his mom. At the time, it bothered him a little that they didn't all have the same last name.

"I've never looked forward to anything so much, but don't tell him that, or it will increase his ego," she laughed, reaching for him so she could ruffle his hair. Just like she did when he was little. He was a superhero, but she still couldn't believe he was old enough to start dating. Why do children have to grow up so fast?

"Are you all right?" Tony asked, walking slowly into the living room. He was afraid the two would argue, so he stood nearby the whole time, but not too close to give them privacy. He said his yesterday.

"Of course, Peter has learned his lesson and promised to never do anything like that again," Pepper said almost immediately, throwing a professional smile, giving Peter a significant look. She had completely forgotten what their whole conversation had begun, and she had to make sure that their son didn't think of such a thing again.

"Exactly," Peter agreed. It wasn't entirely true, but he was sure that his next possible escapades would not come out. He will be very careful.

"But I think he needs to spend more time with his mommy," she said, pulling him into her arms. "Would you be from that love and make us your delicious hot chocolate?"

"What would I not do for you two," Tony snorted, but a smile gripped his face.

"And don't forget the marshmallows!" Peter shouted at him as he snuggled up to Pepper. He was grateful she hadn't told Dad about Michelle, because Tony would just tease him.

 

Chapter 33: Chapter 32

Chapter Text

The week she had spent with the Bartons was slowly coming to an end. And to be honest, Natasha was actually quite happy about that. Not that she didn't like it at their home. Laura helped her a lot and it was amazing to see Clint again and talk to him properly. And the children made her very happy. They missed Aunt Nat.

Natasha would lie if she said she didn't miss Starks and Bruce. She did miss them. Although she was in daily contact with Pepper and Peter, and she spoke to Bruce here and there, she realized that a simple telephone conversation was not enough for her. She was so accustomed to their presence that she now lacked them essentially. Years ago, when she did not yet know the Starks, she would have dealt with something very easily. At that time, she had no problem establishing a short bond with someone and then, even without saying goodbye, disappearing, drawing a thick line behind everything, and never coming back, not answering. But, as Pepper once said, she only knew what a real family was when she met them.

"So moron Stark still hasn't called the Captain," Clint said casually as he entered the guest room which was occupied by Natasha that week. He was the closest of the entire Avengers team to her and Wanda, not because they were women. But because they experienced certain things together that brought them closer.

"Don't just throw it at Stark, Steve didn't call him either. I understand both of them, I really do. But they could stop and finally reconcile. It's been too long. I miss some action and our team," she told him and sat down on the bed.

Clint grinned. "Except for Steve and me, you have everyone from the team in one house, if I count our original six. If you miss any action, let Fury know. He will definitely be excited."

"You and Laura really get along. I'll consider it again. Maybe I should stay at home. I already know where my place is."

"Did Natasha Romanov decide to settle down?" he teased her and went to sit next to her. She slapped him on the shoulder. "It's weird anyway. The last time we were here was when we had to fight Ultron."

"As if it had just started all the problems," Natasha sighed. Loki's invasion of New York was their first real mission, and then they all looked at them as heroes at the fact that the city had been destroyed. "So many things have happened here..." And she remembered how she had shown her feelings to Bruce here. It seemed so long ago. And where were they now…

"You're right. Well, I understand you need to go back to your family. After all, I'm no different. It's weird anyway, isn't it? Where we all got to. Stark has an almost grown son and is getting married. Thor has short hair and one eye and wants to settle on Earth. I have a family that I kept secret from you for as long as I could. And you and Bruce got together. The only one we don't know anything about right now is Steve. Maybe he settled down too, although he told us all that his values were somewhere else than before. But that's what we all were saying. That we don't want to be tied down and that we're not family types. And look where we are now."

Clint summed it up perfectly. Suddenly Natasha couldn't wait to be back home.

•••

"So how much longer do you think I should wait?" Thaddeus Ross was already considerably impatient. A new obedient team with superpowers to replace the Avengers and obey his orders was promised to him at the time before Mary Fitzpatrick, who sponsored the project, died. However, several months had passed since then, and it seemed that the workers had practically not moved and got stuck in a stalemate.

"You have to be patient, after all, there is only one of Miss Fitzpatrick's original staff left who cared only about the most primitive things... the new ones have to learn, delve deeper into those notes, and you must not forget that a lot of important research has been lost forever. And they are very difficult to replace. Even with what they had, they started from practically zero, and that's why it cost them a lot of trouble," he explained, almost bored, looking out the window at the busy street.

"Yes, but you are still not one step closer to the final result. By this time, I was supposed to have my promised invincible team," snarled the ambitious Ross. A wandering smile ran across the face of the man with the long brown hair. He had nothing to do with the project being challenging and apparently unmanaged. However, he now took it to his advantage.

"I do not refute your claim, but you are certainly forgiving and you will understand. Miss Fitzpatrick's death is not our fault. She led the whole project and worked on it practically alone, she knew what situations could slow her down, so she had an advantage over us-"

Yes, and she was practically alone in the whole project! And she went further and faster than the famous team you promised me wouldn't disappoint me!" Ross thundered and almost jumped out of his chair. His companion didn't even raise an eyebrow. He was more amused by the whole situation.

"They don't have the experience of her. And as I said, we lack a lot of materials and notes. You have to fill in the blanks first so that it all goes according to plan and you don't have to wait any longer," he said mischievously. "I'm sure they're doing what they can. You have to understand that this is a very challenging project." Ross grunted and waved toward the door, signaling the man to leave. He ironically wished him a nice day and disappeared. He took a deep breath in the hall and rolled his eyes.

"How I hate this guy," he growled in frustration as he joined his companion, who was already waiting for him, searching for something on her phone.

"I hate him more. That's exactly why you're dealing with him and not me. Plus, you'll get from anything with that big mouth of yours," she grinned at him.  "What about Toomes? Any news?"

"Nothing to please you. Apparently, he's an idiot who completely ignores orders, but we need him. He has to bring us Stark. Without him, the project will not work."

"Sure, we need him for the project. But I need him, too, for my personal reasons," she growled, clenching her fists. "Peter Stark isn't very different from Tony and Pepper. He robbed me of everything. And he'll pay for it."

 

Chapter 34: Chapter 33

Chapter Text

Peter, why are we removing the tracker from your suit,” Ned asked, slightly nervous. He was excited to be able to help his friend, but he was also quite scared of what awaited him when his dad found out. Both boys believed Tony wouldn't know, but they both subconsciously knew it wasn't quite possible.

Uh, I already told you, Ned. I gotta follow these guys to their boss before they move again and I don’t really want Dad to know about it. Although it may not be needed at all. I've been watching them for the last few days, don't be afraid, from a reasonable distance, and yesterday I heard him talk about being in Washington next week," he informed him. He couldn't believe his luck. The following week, their team headed to Washington for a knowledge decathlon. It was his unique chance.

Ned said nothing. He knew Peter well enough to know that he was determined to intervene and would not change his mind. But he really didn't like it at all. What if something goes wrong and their classmates find out the truth about him?

There’s a ton of other subsystems in here but something is blocking them,” he muttered absently as he ran through the coding of Peter's suit. This was a complete Christmas for him. He could learn so much from reading codes not written by anyone other than Anthony Stark himself.

"Can you find out what?"

“It’s already happened,” Ned laughed, “Training Wheels Protocol.”

Peter frowned while Ned still laughed. "That's all my dad. Turn it off," he said thoughtlessly.

I don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean, they’re probably blocked for a reason,” he said, and he certainly wasn't laughing anymore. Peter said he wanted to do better. Safer. But this didn't seem safe to him, and it seemed to him that his best friend was beginning to act headlong again.

Come on, man. I don’t need training wheels,” Peter groaned and jumped angrily on the bed. He was frustrated that Dad had done this to him. But he understood. He really did. The problem was that if he was to stand up to Vulture, he had to have all the means to do so. Plus, he wasn't a baby anymore. He needed his parents to trust him more. “I’m sick of him treating me like a kid all the time. It’s not cool.”

But you are a kid. You were kidnapped by your biological mom who wanted to experiment with you! What do you expect him to do? If it were me, my parents would never let me out of the house again.”

Peter sat on the bed. Ned's remark about Mary was not very tactful, and he didn't want to let anything show, so he decided to ignore it. “Yeah, a kid who can stop a bus with his bare hands.”

Peter, I just don’t think this is a great idea,” he insisted.

Look, please. This is my chance to prove myself. I can handle it. Ned, come on,” Peter pleaded. "Most importantly, make sure Karen doesn't report Friday that the suit is active."

"You owe me a lot for this," Ned sighed and started working. However, an unpleasant feeling settled in him. That's why he worked faster than usual to get it done soon and they could start their film marathon. "Have you thought about your date? Where you're going to take MJ?" he asked with a small grin on his face. He needed a little distraction. And he wanted to ask about it anyway.

Peter's cheeks immediately turned red. He didn't want to discuss it at all, but he knew that after Ned had just done it for him, he should tell him. He would be lying if he said he wasn't curious what his friend would think. "Um, we haven't talked about when we're going yet, but I thought we could go to the American Museum of Natural History."

"Museum? Do you want her to fall asleep?”

"It's Michelle! Where else should I take her?” Peter defended. He was quite satisfied with his choice of place and even his mom liked his idea. Plus, maybe it'll expire and they won't even go on a date.

"That is actually true. When I think about it now, she'll be thrilled. That is if MJ can show any enthusiasm at all. I don't think I've ever seen her smile. If we don't count those ironic smiles," Ned muttered as Peter began to panic again. Maybe he should reconsider.

•••

A young dark-haired woman, a girl, if you prefer, was sitting in the comfort of her cozy home, writing something furiously on paper. She had a half-empty cup of coffee on the table, which was completely icy anyway. To her left lay a computer with other notes and calculations. She was close. She felt it.

She was interrupted by a faint bing announcing her new mail. So she quickly opened her e-mail box, and her heart skipped a few beats as she read the sender's name.

"Mary Fitzpatrick," she said in a low voice as if to make sure she read correctly. She took a few seconds to calm down before clicking on the message.

"What a disappointment, isn't it? I thought you'd have the project ready by now,"  Mary said in the video, her typical grin on her face. "Well, we must not be shaken by failure. In the folder, you have everything you need to make it even. Deal with it wisely, it's my precious child. I believe you're not going to give it to Ross. That has never been our goal. Finish it and finally make the Starks life Hell."

And then she was gone again. The girl had to snort. Even though Mary was dead, everything had to go the way she wanted. She still had their lives in her hands. A few months had passed since her death, and it was still she who was pulling the strings. She shouldn't even be surprised. She always made sure she got what she wanted. And if you are the Devil himself, even death cannot stop you.

She got up angrily from the table and went to the kitchen to make fresh coffee. On that occasion, she lit a cigarette and tried to think about her new plan. She had more time for that now when she didn't have to do that much research. Maybe she should disappear for a while. But it was out of the question. She had a job and had to finish it. She had to hold to it so that no one would suspect. When the time comes, she gets rid of the idiot and finally begins her grand plan. Maybe they were still puppets in Mary's hands, but not for long. This was the last time she dictated to her what to do.

Then she will have everything in her own hands. And everyone will jump the way she whistles.

Chapter 35: Chapter 34

Chapter Text

It was late afternoon when Peter and MJ went out after a long tour of the museum. Originally, Peter intended that they could walk or sit somewhere, but he did not want to come home late and also thought that it would be decent to accompany MJ. And that will take some time as well. He didn't expect their visit to the museum to drag on, but he feared that Michelle would get bored and want to go home as soon as possible. But she seemed really interested.

"So what are you saying?" he dared to ask her and looked at her eagerly. MJ's hair was tied in a sloppy ponytail, from which the thick strands of hair that lined her face came loose so that Peter could barely see her face and could not read her feelings.

Michelle tightened her backpack straps and smiled. "It was great and informative. I haven't had a date like this before. That's good," she added quickly, glancing at Peter as she noticed him inhaling to ask her another question. "Thank you very much. I really enjoyed it. You surprised me," she told him, poking him in the arm. Peter didn't know what to do, so he poked her too. When he realized what he had done, he blushed. Why are you acting like an idiot? he cursed inwardly. Because you're an idiot in love, he replied right away, and almost didn’t avoid a frustrated sigh.

He had never been on a date, so he didn't even know what to do. Plus, this was MJ. Completely different from the other girls he went to school with. When is the right time to take a girl's hand? Or rather, when is the right time to take MJ's hand? She didn't seem to want it. Or she just knew how to hide it ingeniously. Why don't we learn at school about how to know girls? Who should understand that? he groaned in his mind, wondering if Michelle would be frightened if he took her hand. Because she was probably having a really good time and he didn't want to ruin it with her. Maybe she will be interested in another meeting, he must be careful…

"Would you like to go to the coffee shop, or are you in a hurry to get home?" Michelle asked, cutting off all his thoughts that were flying through his head. Peter looked at his watch. Well, he still has time.

"We can do that, but I don't drink coffee," he snapped, then bit his lip. Why is he still so nervous? He relaxed and even joked in the museum. So what's going on with him again now?

Michelle laughed, and when dimples appeared on her face, Peter felt like he was in love. By force of will, he looked away from her and kept smiling. Damn, he was too deep. "I know it's called a cafe, but you don't just have to go for coffee. I don't drink coffee either. Come on," MJ said, taking his hand. Peter didn't notice it until a few seconds later when they were crossing the roadside by side. Michelle took my hand! he thought dazedly and inwardly like a freshman who was experiencing his first love, which would last a maximum of a week. Peter didn't know if he was scared or happy. Probably both. But he couldn't get the dumb smile from his face.

"Look, I thought... will you ever want to do it again?" Peter asked her before he lost his courage. She looked at him and his heart pounded.

"Why not?" She shrugged and pulled him into the corner cafe. They sat down in the chairs next to each other and smiled awkwardly at each other. Maybe MJ was nervous too, Peter's head flashed as he looked at her and intertwined his fingers. Michelle was an interesting girl, and that fascinated and attracted Peter, and he liked how confident, independent, she was that she could go after what she wanted.

He was about to tell her something when a tingle ran through his body. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and froze a little. His sixth sense, or as Mom said "Peter-tingle" was back. Something was going on.

Peter's senses were alert and functioning one hundred and twenty percent. He scanned the area quickly to see if there was any danger. But everything looked normal. People who came for coffee and chat with friends.

But then he saw him.

The man was familiar to him. When he rested his gaze on him, he was sure that he has tingling because of him. But Peter had no idea why. The guy was completely ordinary. But maybe there was the catch. Ordinary on the outside, yet hiding a great secret. Where did he see him...?

"Is everything all right?" MJ asked curiously as she noticed him stunned and staring at the man, who was walking out happily with a cup of coffee. Peter just very reluctantly tore his gaze away and moved it back to Michelle, who was watching him. with a raised eyebrow, Peter was convinced he had seen the man before, he just couldn't remember where and who he was.

"Yeah, sure, I was just thinking, I'm sorry... The guy who passed by now was familiar to me from somewhere, but I can't remember how I know him. Don't you happen to know who it might be?" he asked her hopefully.

Michelle shrugged, apparently not bothered so much. Why should be? "I'm not sure, he seemed a bit like Liz's dad. Sometimes he goes to pick her up in front of the school. Maybe you saw him there. But I'm not sure if it's really him, I've always seen him from a distance. Why are you so interested? Is it important?" she asked him incomprehensibly, narrowing her eyes a little. Peter tried to look indifferent, but he didn't do very well. He was never a good actor. But Michelle didn't understand why he cared so much and why he was upset.

"Ah, sure - maybe you're right. It'll probably be him, he looked so familiar, and that it's Liz's dad, it probably makes sense..." he said casually to assure her that everything was fine, but he didn't believe it. He had never seen Liz's father, so he couldn't judge. But Peter-tingle was not just here for nothing. It was a warning. But Peter didn't know what to prepare for.

But now he was on a date with MJ, he should be focused on her. By force of will, he forced himself to suppress all fears and began to talk about what had just occurred to him. When he's home, he'll have more than enough time to think. He still has a lot of work to do.

Chapter 36: Chapter 35

Chapter Text

Peter slammed the door and kicked his sneakers from his feet. But before he could announce he was home, Pepper appeared in front of him with a huge smile on her face. Peter was surprised, but immediately realized where he had returned from.

"Mom..." he groaned. Slowly he began to wonder if this wasn’t worse than if Dad knew.

"I'd like to hear everything, but we don't have time, so just an abridged version," she said curiously.

"Why don't we have time?" he asked incomprehensibly. He kind of hoped it would distract, but he also wanted to know what Pepper was talking about.

"Don't think you're distracting," she muttered, "so come on, you'll tell me along the way," she sighed and walked toward his room. Peter stood there for a moment like a stake in a fence, but then followed her. "You came quite late, I postponed dinner. However, I'd like you to have your things packed before we eat. You're leaving for Washington early tomorrow morning. I hope you didn't forget," she explained a little scoldingly.

He forgot. Of course, he forgot! All he thought about was an unnamed brown-haired girl. Damn, he wasn't ready at all. And he couldn't pack his suit while Mom was in his room.

"It was great, Mom! I acted like a jerk, but I don't think it was that bad, because Michelle agreed to my suggestion to do it again," he spat at her. He didn't want to tell her, but for now, it was the only way out for him. His cheeks flushed slightly as he remembered their awkward goodbye. He accompanied MJ home as a true gentleman. But when they reached the building where Michelle lives, they just stood there waiting for the other to do something. Peter finally decided to go for a hug and then quickly evaporated. Sometimes he wished he was more like his father. He certainly never felt embarrassed when it came to women.

"I'm glad to hear that, especially that you had a good time. I can't wait to meet Michelle."

"Mom, we had a date, we are not getting married," he groaned.

"I'm not saying that, but we know Ned personally, why not Michelle? You'll tell me more after Washington, now I'll let you pack. Dinner will be in an hour," she told him in a firm voice, always making it clear that there was no room for protest. She turned to leave but stopped at the door. "By the way, Natasha is back. You're going to welcome her at dinner, okay? We have to give them some space,” she said softly, and Peter nodded. He'd rather go to Natasha right away, but he knew they needed time alone with Bruce. He really wanted it to be resolved between them. Whatever it was.

Peter set about packing and devising a plan, while one floor below Natasha gathered the courage to enter her and Bruce's room. She was glad she left. She really missed them, but only now did she realize how she had left. She did it all wrongly, but that was the just way how she has always done it. She always acted from hour to hour, from minute to minute.

She knocked lightly on the door, waiting for a response. But she didn't hear one and she was unsure. Tony told her Bruce was in their room. So she carefully opened the door and peered inside. Her heart sank when she saw the scientist breathing peacefully in their bed. He looked so calm. A smile crept across Nat's face, and she didn't hesitate for a second. She closed the door quietly behind her before sitting down next to him. Bruce felt as if he sensed it and immediately snuggled up to her.

"Nat?" he snorted but didn't open his eyes. He was probably still asleep.

"Just rest, Doc, you need it," she whispered. She hugged him with one hand and gently rummaged through his hair with the other. She knew how reassuring he was.

"I missed you," he muttered.

"I missed you too," she said honestly.

She was home.

•••

"I just don't understand why you would help him! You have drawn attention to us unnecessarily!” the man snapped at his companion. He was out of the States for a while and Toomes managed to screw everything up in the meantime.

"I had no choice and you weren't here to help me, so please be quiet. Plus, nothing happened. Spider-man is overrated, and the guy has a big mouth just like you. You will definitely get along. I think he knows who is hiding behind the mask," he informed him. He knew his companion would be interested. The fact that the suit he uses is a Stark technology he knew from almost the first videos that appeared. Adrian didn't know how he could tell, but he didn't argue with him. After all, nothing unites two people more than a common enemy. 

"If that's true, we could use it to our advantage," he said thoughtfully. It could benefit them.

"You can ask him, he should be here in a moment."

"What is it? Did you bring a friend for me?” the incoming man snapped.

"Speak of Devil..." Toomes laughed. The two present men got on his nerves, but he had to work with them. His companion didn't bother him that much, even though it was sometimes hell with him. But the other man crawled up his throat. He hoped he wouldn't have to deal with him from now on. "Have fun, gentlemen, our beloved capital awaits me," he said, and before anyone could breathe a reply, he took off and was gone.

The two remaining men stared at each other in silence for a moment, trying to assess the situation. Toomes' companion remained calm. That could not be said of the other man.

"So, I heard you threatened my companion. Do you know who I am?” he asked, putting his hands in his trouser pockets lazily.

The brown-haired man nodded. He knew him. And so he was sure they would make a deal. It was just another complication for him. Not for him personally, but he didn't know how the other participants in their project would react. He had to come up with a plan. He had to come to an agreement with him, and he had to make it look like part of his plan. Otherwise, he could go dig his own grave.

"Shall we make a deal? I think we care about the same thing."

"Do you have time? We could have a drink. I would like to know your exact intentions before we agree on something. I made mistake once and paid for it. I will not make the same mistake again," he told him diplomatically. He was an idiot back then, but he learned.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," he agreed. In the end, he had no choice.

Chapter 37: Chapter 36

Chapter Text

"That's... brilliant," the admirably spectacled man breathed, still scrolling through the coded notes his new companion had given him. One glass quickly became two, and before the two men continued, they soon found common ground. "Really! I'm angry with myself for not thinking of anything like that."

The other man grinned and kicked the rest of the whiskey into his mouth. "In time, it might occur to you, but you wouldn't be the first holt. I've been watching your work and if you're really as good as everyone claims, it will be a pleasure to work with you. We will move it up on some level with you. And since you know brilliantly suits from Stark's workshop..." He nodded contentedly and picked up the glass the bartender had placed in front of him to indicate a toast.  "When I tell her about you, she'll be thrilled. The cards will start playing in our favor again."

He seemed to get his attention. He pushed his glasses to the root of his nose and licked his lips. "Her?" he said in a somewhat surprised voice. "So your superior is a woman?"

"Well, she's not quite my boss, I'm not so involved in the project... she's in charge and I'm kind of her spokesperson. And, of course, I do a lot of menial work, such as finding new recruits to get dissatisfied with after a while, so she'll kick them out at best," he replied indifferently.

"At best?" he repeated after him, raising an eyebrow.

"It depends on what they work with," he explained calmly. "If they get the important notes they need to solve the problem, which they have to use in the next phase of the project, and then she will no longer be satisfied with them... Well, it probably won't surprise you that they'll pay for it with their life. We can't risk someone telling our secret to a friend over a glass at a bar. Unfortunately, that's the way it is, and it's no different. The secret must be kept."

"It may sound strange, but I'm starting to be even more tempted," the brown-haired man remarked amusedly. "Should I be worried about my life?"

"You're really going to be useful to us, so if you don't do something stupid, you'll be fine," he waved calmly as if talking about what they were going to cook for lunch tomorrow. "Yeah, we really won this. So please, if you fall in love with her, don't try anything on her and don't even tell her."

His companion couldn't help but laughed. "You don't have to be afraid of this. There will be no such threat," he assured him cheerfully, pulling the left corner of his lips into a fox's smile.

The dark-haired man rubbed his hands contentedly. "Well, everything works like clockwork. That would like to celebrate, right? This shot will go after me. I will drink to a new alliance."

•••

"Look, you really don't have to accompany me to the bus," Peter said a little nervously as they got out of the car. He thought he'd say goodbye to his parents and run after his classmates. After all, Ned was already waiting for him there. And Michelle was there, too. And unfortunately, also Flash...

"I know, but I thought we might meet Michelle right away, it's a great opportunity," Pepper suggested innocently, placing a hand on her son's shoulder. He looked at both his parents in disbelief and Tony just shrugged, as if he had nothing to do with it, but in secret, he was curious about a girl which their son liked.

"Mom! That's really embarrassing," Peter muttered, feeling his cheeks turn red. He hoped MJ wasn't looking. He already knew for sure that Flash would be making fun of him.

"Don't tease him so much, Pep," Tony said amusedly. So Pepper resigned, but she kept peeking at the bus, trying to figure out which of the girls was going to be Michelle. "So, do you have everything? Did you forget anything?” He turned to Peter and scanned him.

Peter nodded. "Hopefully, yes. If so, I will have to do without it if I miss something. Say hello to Nat and Bruce from me. And when we get there, I'll call you," he promised, briefly hugging Dad and then Mom. She kissed his forehead.

"Take care, honey. We will think of you and keep our fingers crossed. And don't look for trouble unnecessarily," Pepper told him, placing her hands on his shoulders. She watched him carefully as his mothers were doing. Peter felt a stinging thorn of remorse because neither parent knew he was carrying his suit with him. He actually went to Washington only because of Toomes.

"I don't look for problems, problems usually look for me. You know, I'm the whole dad," he winked at her, and the three of them laughed. "Don't worry, Mom. I can handle it."

"I know you can. And if your team happens to lose, we'll be proud of you anyway. And now please tell me - which one is Michelle?" She couldn't help but wonder. Peter felt himself blush again.

"The tall one with brown curly hair," he muttered, embarrassed. Pepper exhaled and smiled broadly.

"You made a good choice," Tony agreed, and Pepper slammed his arm lightly. "What! You don't agree, Pep?"

"She is beautiful. But the main thing is for you to be happy," she said, and then they really said goodbye. Peter came to the bus just in time - their teacher was counting them and of course Flash had to say something to him. But Peter felt mischievous when Flash found out he was just a substitute and began to protest.

"Hi. Were those your parents?" Michelle appeared beside him and looked at him curiously. Peter began to blush again. Damn it! What's wrong with him today?

"H-Hi. Yeah, they were. Sorry if they were staring, it's embarrassing, but they just... well, I was... I told them about you, so they wanted to see you," he told her embarrassedly, looking down at the ground. But MJ smiled. and poked him in the side.

"Sweet," she said, then casually added, "Shall we sit down together?" Peter almost felt dizzy. Maybe Ned won't mind…

"Yeah, why not?" he replied as evenly as he could, and they smiled at each other. Everyone got on the bus and set off for Washington in a moment. Of course, Liz used the road to warm up and prepare for the competition.

 

Chapter 38: Chapter 37

Chapter Text

Tony tossed the tablet angrily on the table, whereupon he could hear a faint crunch, indicating a broken display, but it didn't bother him too much. They had some problems cooperating with China, and today he did nothing but handle emails and phone calls. Neither he nor Pepper wanted to fly to China, not at a time when they were more fixated on the other's presence. None of them were mentally fine yet. It was getting better, but not enough for one of them to fly to the other side of the world, God forbid, they both had to fly and leave Peter alone. Well, not quite alone, but even that didn't leave them calm. After all, only now were they nervous that he had gone to Washington.

"You're in no better mood than Pepper," a woman's voice said suddenly. Natasha stood leaning against the doorframe, watching Tony a little carefully. Today, she dealt with a lot at SI, while Pepper worked on the problem with China as well as Tony.

The mechanic looked up at her and looked a little hopefully behind her back, but he didn't see his fiancée, which meant she was still at SI and working hard. He rubbed his eyes wearily and sighed. "I thought it would be a little free today. I wanted to do a nice program for Pepper when Peter left for Washington in the morning, but obviously, we're not meant to spend a nice moment together," he told her of his earlier intentions. They wouldn't do anything about it today, so he was determined to take Pepper at least for dinner, though it was clear to him that she would object. She hated it so much when she had to leave undone work.

"It never goes according to plan, we know that very well," she said with a small smile.

"What about you? Aren't you going to dinner with Bruce? You should have seen him when you weren't here. He was like a lost puppy. I was worried about him," he said almost inaudibly. He thought Nat needed to hear that. He himself was upset about all his collaboration with Betty, so he understood how Natasha must have felt. He also hoped she didn't know the whole truth.

"It doesn't sound like a bad idea," she said neutrally. "What happened to Peter? Pepper only managed to tell me today that you had a problem with Spider-man," she asked, deliberately changing the subject. She didn't want to talk about her relationship with Bruce. She hasn't done anything else lately. The only one she'll talk to about it from now on is Bruce himself.

"Don't even ask, my weak heart almost didn't last that day," he muttered.

"And you let her go to Washington, huh?"

"It's a school event. Academic decathlon. He needs to be more involved in normal things. He used to do so much. Do you remember ha was going to a school band? And now the only thing he cares about is Spider-man," Tony complained. At least he started dating now. He didn't understand how Pep had managed to hide it from him.

"Colonel Rhodes on the phone, sir," Friday interrupted.

"Great, I completely forgot I called him this morning," Tony almost shouted. Natasha took it as the end of their conversation and went to see her scientist.

"Hi, Tony, I've had meetings all day, is something wrong?" Rhodey's voice came from the ceiling.

"Not much, you know, my life is boring," Tony grinned, though his best friend couldn't see it.

"Of course," the older man snorted. "So what do I owe your attention to? You haven't been in touch a long time."

"Peter left with school to Washington today, I need you to keep an eye on him. He's starting to do shit again," he told him.

"Don't tell, I wonder after whom he has it."

"It's not funny, Rhodey, we almost lost him. Again," he said through his teeth.

There was a moment of silence on the other side of the conversation. Tony was beginning to worry that he was speaking so quietly that his friend didn't hear him when he finally spoke, "Send me where he will be and I'll take care of him. I promise."

•••

"Did you want to see me?" Betty asked cautiously as she entered Liv's office. The blonde had her called, and Betty was a little nervous, to tell the truth.

"Lizzie, here you are! What took you so long?” she greeted her cheerfully, which was not a custom with her. On the contrary, she may have never seen her smile. She was always professional and a little measured.

"I had to finish work," she muttered, sitting down at the table. Liv studied her with dancing sparks in her eyes.

"I understand that, of course. I have something for you, you can take it as an extra reward for your work," she told her, overjoyed, and Betty was really beginning to worry about what it would be.

"You didn't have to worry." She swallowed hard.

"Nonsense." She waved her hand and took a thick folder from the drawer, which she handed to the brown-haired woman.

Betty looked at the folder in confusion. The only inscription written on it was in Russian. The brunette did not speak Russian but recognized the Cyrillic alphabet. Наталья Алиановна Романова.

"What is it?"

"Something to help keep your rival out of the game. You will learn a lot of interesting things from there. Natalia Alianovna Romanova is a mystery. I did not collect information about her, but my predecessor did. Watch your back, Lizzie, she's a former KGB agent. That doesn't stop you from taking back what belongs to you, does it?” she asked innocently. Playing with people was not difficult. She did this as a child.

"I don't know," she said hesitantly. Of course, she wanted Bruce just for herself, but was it a good idea to play with Black Widow? Did she have a chance at all?

"Think about it, Elizabeth. She doesn't deserve him. They have nothing in common, they have no future together. She's a killer! Is that what you want? So that someone as horrible as her could be near your Bruce? ”

Betty said nothing. Of course, she didn't want that. But how could she stand up to her when she was so dangerous? She glanced at the folder she was holding. It was really fat. Maybe she could find a way to get rid of the Russian in it.

"Can I go now?" she blurted out suddenly. Apparently, she had a long night ahead of her.

"Sure, feel free to take a few days off." A satisfied smile appeared on the blonde's face, knowing she had achieved what she wanted. She knew she had gotten into Ross's daughter's head. Betty was smart, but it was almost too easy for Liv. Considering, that she was so many years younger than everyone else she worked with, she had them all pretty much in hand.

 

Chapter 39: Chapter 38

Chapter Text

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Peter cursed as he ran as fast as he could toward the Washington Monument. This didn't work out very well. Not only did he miss the decathlon, for which Liz would probably tear him apart, but he also figured out too late what the glowing ball was. And now Ned was, and who knows who else, in danger.

"Don't worry, Peter, you're almost there," Karen replied in her robotic voice, but Peter barely noticed her. His heartbeat quickened, and he could muster, though he could barely catch his breath, sensing something was happening.

No, no, no, no, no, no. Karen, what’s going on up there?” Peter shouted, looking at the massive building. He was in such a hurry, he didn't even notice that he had passed Michelle.

"I'm analyzing." Karen penetrated inside, and Peter immediately saw that the elevator was stuck and there were several people inside trying to get out. “The Chitauri core has detonated and caused severe structural damage to the elevator.”

"Crap, I didn't make it in time." But now wasn't the time to complain.

My friends are up there!” Michelle said. Peter in his Spider-man suit turned behind her voice and almost breathed a sigh of relief. MJ was here! All right and safe. He was sorry he didn't have time to speak to her. Was she worried about him when he didn't show up?

What? Uh... Don’t worry, ma’am. Everything’s gonna be okay,” he reassured her and ran toward the monument, though he wanted to hug her tightly at first, take off his mask, and tell her he was here and that he would take care of it.

Oh, my god, that’s tall,” Peter muttered to himself as he began to climb up the monument quickly. He didn't have many superheroes like that, and Dad was with him most of the time, so when it got tough, he was sure that someone was covering his back. But now he was alone and he had a pretty serious problem. And he also had to throw away all the uncertainties of the last few months. This was a real mission. He no longer watched the bad guys here. He was already saving people here. And he had to hurry, because not only were the innocent lives at stake, but they were also the lives of his friends.

Estimating 10 minutes before catastrophic failure,” Karen told him, and Peter gritted his teeth. “The safety systems are completely failing.”

"Thanks, Karen, I really wouldn't know without you!" he snapped ironically. He would lie if he said he wasn't afraid. Now it really all mattered to him. He's a superhero. It's his duty to save lives.

You now have 125 seconds until catastrophic failure,” Karen informed him and made further calculations.

Peter was horrified. The adrenaline was running at full speed and spilling over his body. “What? Why?”

Unexpected motion has caused the deterioration to escalate.”

How do I get in there?”

Activating reconnaissance drone,” Karen announced calmly, and if Peter didn't have to hold on, he would slap his forehead. Of course! That it didn't occur to him. He forgot how important it was to keep a clear mind in critical situations. “Locating optimal entry point.” Peter watched the little spider circle around the monument. “Proceed to the southwest window.”

I’m on my way,” Peter said in a determined voice, climbing up quickly and firing nets to get to the window faster. He folded his arms and legs and suddenly had a palm-like view in front of him. And then he realized how high he was. He felt a little panicked inside.

What's wrong? You've reached the southwest window.” As if Karen could feel his mood. “Why are you hesitating?”

It’s fine. It’s just, I've just never been this high before,” Peter admitted, swallowing empty.

You have also not reinstalled your parachute, so a fall from this height would most likely be lethal. It's a four-inch ballistic glass. You'll have to create more momentum.”

Perfect. Oh, my god. If mom saw me now... She would probably kill me. And Dad, too," Peter whimpered, hoping his parents would never figure it out. He shot the web, swayed, and tried to break the window. Nothing. He did it again, and this time a small crack appeared.

And with it, a police helicopter with an armed crew behind him.

This is D.C. Metro police. Identify yourself. Return to the ground immediately. Return to the ground or we will open fire!”

Peter's last sentence made him look back. And indeed. They were aiming at him, and they probably wouldn't be afraid to shoot him. "Shit," Peter said, relieved, but he had to get inside. He swayed, circled the helicopter, and slammed the window as hard as he could. He flew in, almost gasping for breath.

He got in just in time as the elevator with his classmates and teacher began to fall. He fired webs and managed to catch them. He pushed his legs together and began to pull with all his might. But before he could continue, he was flying down. The elevator was too heavy. He landed on his classmates and fired his nets again, this time at the wall. They stopped falling.

“Uhm. Hey, how you doing? Don't worry about it. I got you. Hey, hey, big guy, quit moving around,” he shouted at Ned as he hung his head down, facing the disbelieving glances of his comrades.

Sorry, sir. So sorry,” Ned exclaimed, but a frightened expression on his face was replaced by the excitement that Peter had made it and came to their rescue.

Peter breathed a sigh of relief and began to pull himself up. He made it! He saved his friends. His chest swelled with pride, and a happy smile adorned his face. Upstairs, they helped everyone out, and Peter slipped between them so that almost no one noticed.

"Thanks, Karen," he thanked his companion, without whom he probably wouldn't have made it. He walked quickly away from the monument before the police or cameras could find him. Then he hid not far from there and changed as soon as he could.

He returned in a good mood and texted Ned and Michelle, who apologized for not contacting her. He couldn't wait to see her again.

The winged man robs the Damage Control, he wrote to Ned what he had been able to find out because he was locked up in the warehouse. And from what he steals, he creates weapons. I have to catch him.

He still managed to send the message when someone grabbed his shoulder. Peter was startled and looked back anxiously. He found himself looking into a familiar face.

"Oh. Am I in trouble?"

Rhodey frowned. "Big-time, kid."

 

Chapter 40: Chapter 39

Chapter Text

Silence. Peter's gaze burned a hole in the ground as Rhodey watched him with a raised eyebrow. For a second, it felt like he was in MIT college again with young Tony. But this was a much more serious situation, and his nephew obviously had nothing to say. Sometimes he wished he hadn't looked so much like his father, God knew that one Stark was more than enough.

"Well, your choice, you don't have to tell me what the hell happened, keep it for your parents," he said in a firm voice. "Tones called me and asked me to watch out for you. So I'll quit my job and go see my favorite nephew competing in the academic decathlon. Imagine the surprise when your team got on stage and you weren't there. I couldn't find you. Nowhere. You disappeared from the radar, and when you reappear, you're climbing the Washington Monument. Do you know how scared I was?!”

Peter finally gave him a look. Rhodey saw no sign of guilt in his eyes over what he had done. He knew the look. He saw him at Tony's too often. "There's probably no way you're not telling to mom and dad, is there?" he asked quietly. He knew it was a useless question, but maybe he had at least a small chance.

"Oh, you know I'll tell them, and even if I don't tell them, it'll appear in the media by evening. I'm surprised they haven't called yet," he informed him, tossing a bag on the floor that Peter hadn't noticed before. But now he paid all his attention to it. A wrinkle appeared on his forehead as he identified the bag as his own.

What is it?”

"I'm taking you home. Immediately," he still replied in his colonel's voice. In the fifteen years, he had known Peter, he had known that milk and honey did not apply to him. He also expected him to be upset. He didn't want to be the one to piss him off, but he also didn't intend to calm him down. This was trouble of enormous proportions, and Peter would suffer the consequences. He only hoped that Tony would keep his head cool.

"I can't just disappear! I'm here with the school," he began to protest.

Rhodey's face settled - you mean it - expression. "It wasn't a problem for you today. However, everything is furnished. I'm listed in school as one of your legal representatives, so I can take you away without any problems," he reminded him of a fact that was easy to forget, as Rhodey picked him up at school about three times.

"That's really unbelievable," he muttered under his nose, lifting his bag off the ground.

"Of course," Rhodey snorted, walking to the car. Along the way, he wrote a quick message to Tony. He didn't tell him anything details, only that Peter had disappeared, but he had already found him and was taking him home. They will have to solve the rest themselves. He was definitely not going to get involved. He was already threatening his status as the best uncle.

Peter grunted, sat back, and immediately turned his head to look out from the window. Rhodey watched him in the rearview mirror for a few seconds before sighing with his eyes on the road and heading for New York.

•••

In the end, Tony didn't get his fiancée for dinner. Instead, he stayed with her in the office late into the night, trying to find a solution. They didn't make it until this morning, after which Pepper agreed to lunch, but at this stage, it was something between a late lunch and an early dinner. Well, seriously, Pepper keeps claiming he's a terrible workaholic, buts he's not any better herself.

"I'm really sorry, but I had to do another meeting," Peper apologized for the fifth time as they entered the restaurant where Tony had made a reservation for them.

"Pep, love, please don't apologize again. Let's just enjoy our lunch slash dinner, shall we?” he suggested, pushing her chair back so she could sit down.

"I'm only in," she said with a smile.

"Great," Tony almost yelled. Sometimes it was really hard to convince Pepper to turn off completely for a while and just enjoy what was going on.

Tony's cell phone on the table beeped, announcing a new message, which Tony would normally have left because he was on a date with his beloved, but he saw Rhodey's name on the screen, so he didn't hesitate for a second and picked up the phone, so he could read what his friend was writing to him.

Pepper, meanwhile, started on the menu, because she was quite hungry, to tell the truth. However, she managed to read only a few appetizers before she noticed a blue-red smudge out of the corner of her eye.

At the moment, they were in a restaurant where were mostly influential people, who like to be in the picture all the time, so they have several TV screens on which the latest news runs all the time. She looked up at the nearest of them and watched with utter surprise at what had happened today.

On TV, the news shows Spider-man at the Washington Monument. The headline says “Spider-man Climbs Washington Monument. ” Pepper swallowed hard and looked at Tony, who was frowning at the phone.

"Tony," she said almost inaudibly. Her future husband immediately paid attention to her, knowing the tone of her voice all too well. Helplessness, fear, and hopelessness.

"I can't breathe," she hissed, glancing back at the screen. Tony followed her, changing every possible emotion in a second when he saw their son in the news. He remained calm only because he knew that Rhodey was on his way home with Peter, and also because Pepper needed him more now than ever.

He didn't hesitate for a moment, grabbed Pep's hand, and led her out. He knows a panic attack when he sees one. He just never thought he could witness it at Pepper.

"Pep, love, I'm here with you. We'll sit on the ground now, okay?" he informed her of his intentions before sitting down carefully with her. Neither was dressed to sit on the dirty sidewalk, but that didn't matter now. "You have to breathe deeply."

I can’t.”

"Yes, you can. Pep, you just have to concentrate. I know you can do it," he tried to reassure her. He had to bring her to other thoughts. To some that didn't involve their son, because he was part of what caused the attack at all. "Do you remember the first time we danced together? You were wearing the beautiful blue dress you got from me for your birthday. I swear to you, it was just the two of us at the time. At that moment, no one around me existed. And to this day, I blame myself for letting you stand on that balcony alone. I should have come back with your extra dry martini with extra olives. I should have kissed you that night. But I didn't do any of that. I didn't have the courage to do so for almost a year when you said you were leaving us," he said, watching his fiancée intently. She seemed to be listening to him as her breathing returned to normal. "I love you," he breathed, kissing her forehead.

"Why are we sitting on the ground?" she asked confused.

"You just had a panic attack, Pepper," he told her tenderly, helping her to her feet.

"Oh," she whispered shakily, and it was clear to Tony that she remembered why the seizure had occurred in the first place.

"Everything is alright. Rhodey is already taking Peter home," he blurted out before she collapsed again.

"What was he thinking?" she gasped and hugged him tightly.

"I don't know, but when he returns, we'll work it out," he assured her. There was waiting a very long time for Peter when he is not going to wear a Spider-Man suit.

 

Chapter 41: Chapter 40

Chapter Text

Spider-Man swooped in, heroically saving an Academic Decathlon team from Queens. The identity of the masked hero is still unknown.”

Ross growled in frustration and turned off the television. He turned on the news every day, it was his ritual. Although he was often irritated by what pettiness was being dealt with there, he never once missed an opportunity to get new information from the world. For example, the Avengers. On the return of the superheroes, the media would feel pretty good and would not leave it unanswered. In this, he was sure that he would never miss the news about the former team. And let's see. There was a new hero on the scene who didn't belong to the Avengers at the time.

Spider-man. Blood boiled inside him just when he heard his name. He wasn't the only one who didn't like the spider hero at all, many of his co-workers he dealt with were riding the same wave. They had no information at all about the stranger. And that made him nervous and frightened him at the same time. Thaddeus Ross was a man who needed order and control in everything. And when he didn't have it, he was scared. And fear aroused anger and aggression in him.

Ross got up from his chair, folded his arms behind his back, and began pacing around his office to calm himself down a little. He, too, had scouts in many places, but they had never been able to track down Spider-Man. He wasn't like the Avengers. He worked alone, he was more secluded, and whenever something happened, he was probably right there, and then he disappeared again before anyone noticed. As if he had left no traces behind. But clues always exist, they must. Maybe they were just looking in the wrong places. Maybe it's a lot easier than it seems. Maybe they were just blind all the time, with the answers at their fingertips.

Someone knocked hard on the door. Ross looked at the wall clock, then instructed, with a grumpy voice, the stranger to come in. The spokesman for the project, which he had been funding for many months and whose heads promised him results with which he would be satisfied, took an energetic step in. But said nothing.

"You've probably heard the news, too, haven't you? The spider hero appeared to the public after a long time. What do you say?” he growled at the man, who, meanwhile, sat comfortably in a chair and smoothed his pants.

"What do I say? Rather nothing. It's good that he showed up again, at least we have a fresh clue from which we can go on. But I won't lie, I was overwhelmed by the fury of looking at him. I'd rather twist his fragile neck," he smiled sweetly and gritted his teeth.

"Hmm," Ross muttered, sitting down in the swivel chair across from him. "But you know who's hiding under a mask," he struck him again. "I want to know."

The brown-haired man with the shaved face smiled lazily and joined his fingers in his lap. "Well, I don't know for sure. I only have assumptions, and in my opinion, they will not be very correct. But I also have good contacts in influential places. You understand that very well, don't you, Ross?” Then he sighed briefly as if he was tired of their conversation. "But don't worry, we're really moving forward now. Not only do we have someone on the team who is very close to Stark, but we also have someone who is really thoroughly familiar with how his suit works, which gives us a certain advantage."

"You have been promising me the results for several months now. I'm getting impatient, especially when another masked superhero shows up again!” Ross slammed his fist on the table until the empty mug rattled.

"Believe me, I'm not excited about it either, I was hoping to get this over with soon. You know how those little snags can complicate the whole project... But don't worry. We're also working to catch Spider-man. If possible, alive, of course," he grinned.

"At least something," Ross growled.

The tall brown hair rose and grinned. "Well, neither of us are completely satisfied. We each had a completely different idea of things. But you know, when it's necessary, the drowning man is catching the stem..." he muttered mysteriously, and Ross frowned incomprehensibly. He had no idea what the guy was talking about. "Well, I won't bother you anymore. Have a nice day. And if you feel really frustrated, you can think of ways to torture or kill Spider-man. Believe me, it helps," he winked at him and then disappeared from his office.

Ross stared at the closed door, then rolled his eyes. "Idiot," he muttered to himself, pulling up a stack of papers to go through.

•••

"Have mercy on me, and don't send me to the old grumpy old man again next time," the brown-haired man exclaimed theatrically as he joined his companion, who was watching the work of her employees closely from the balcony. Mostly their new additions - a promising man who had considerable experience with Stark's suits. She had to smile; if only the Starks knew how far their enemies had come. She didn't believe they were really that naive, and she thought that after one defeat, they got rid of them for good. No way. She clenched her fists. It's similar to Hydra. You cut off one head and then the other two grow.

"I probably won't comply you in this, and I've told you several times. Do not worry. I believe it won't be long and Ross will get what he deserves," the blonde replied in a firm voice as he stood beside her.

The man grinned. "Keep reassuring him, smiling at him, and reassuring him that everything is going according to plan and will be done soon... pff, I feel like a jammed gramophone record. And I haven't dropped steam in a long time, I'm getting frustrated. Don't you have a little murder on the program?” He rubbed his hands.

"No, not yet. But we'll see how things work out and whether it will still be necessary to remove some people. Look at him," she pointed to their new employee, "he's in his element, and I can't complain yet. If you want to drop a little steam, darling, he'd love to help you if you know what I mean," she teased him with a smirk. "Well, you're not the first person to throw an eye at. But you would be a perfectly suitable adept for him, given your position—"

"Haha, that's enough," the brown-haired man growled, leaning against the railing.

"Now things are finally moving in the right direction. I feel it. He was sent to us by the Devil himself. It will work now. As the two of us, he knows very well what he wants, and he will go over the corpses."

Chapter 42: Chapter 41

Chapter Text

"I'm sorry?" Peter muttered softly after an endless moment of silence. When he returned home, he was seated in the living room on the couch, while Pepper sat in an armchair, Tony was angrily pacing from one end of the room to the other, and his uncles and aunt stood nearby.

After his words, Tony stopped abruptly and gave him a disbelieving look. "Are you asking me that, or are you telling me?" he asked coldly, and Peter began to open his mouth with an answer, but he didn't have time to make a sound before he was grossly silenced. "Please be silent! Do you think I don't know that you're not sorry? Do you think Rhodey didn't tell me how you reacted when he confronted you?” he snapped.

Peter frowned at Rhodey, who obviously didn't miss that. "So maybe we should leave them alone," he said to Bruce and Nat. They nodded in agreement and the three left the room.

"How could something like that have occurred to you at all? Spider-man in Washington! Do you think none of your classmates will connect anything?” Tony continued. Pepper was still sitting there in silence, and Peter knew she was really upset. He had only experienced it with her once, after Germany. And he hated it. He hated it so much, but he still couldn't force himself to regret his actions.

"I don't know what you want me to say. I'm glad I was there because if I wasn't there, they're dead! So Ned is dead!” he shouted a little shakily. He barely made it, and the thought of losing his best friend was awful.

"No, if you weren't there, nothing would happen in the first place," Tony corrected him sharply.

"Tony!" Pepper warned him. She knew their son needed an ice shower, but this wasn't very tactful of her future husband.

"It worked out well," Peter said, staring at his hands in his lap. He didn't want his dad to see how much his words hurt him. It was like a well-aimed blow.

"For this time. You were lucky, but it didn't have to go well for anyone. Not for you, let alone for your classmates. "

"Sir, Secretary Ross wants to contact you," Friday interrupted.

"He has great timing as always. I'm out of reach," Tony said through gritted teeth. He could no longer be in a worse mood than he was.

"You'll only leave the house until further notice if you go to school and come back straight from school, is that clear?" Pepper asked in her director's voice, and Peter would normally consider it a rhetorical question, but he knew that he was now required to answer. He nodded in agreement and even dared to look at his mother. Not a single emotion reflected in her face. Not a single one. And it broke Peter's heart to know that late at night when she thought he was asleep, her stone mask would break. And he would hear all her true feelings, and a small sense of guilt would finally come. But only because of her. Always because of her. She was his weakness. He and Dad were too alike for blame to come because of him. He knew he would behave the same. Apparently, they had it in blood.

"Can I go to my room now?" he muttered.

"Sure, get something to eat along the way," Tony reminded him because it was clear to him that his son hadn't eaten.

Peter just nodded and then left the living room as quickly as possible. It wasn't pleasant, but he believed it would be better soon. Dad will get over it soon, his mother will soften up somehow, he has important information he needed, and in the end, it all turned out well, didn't it? He hadn't wanted to be a Spider-Man for the last few months. He didn't want the skills he had. But now that he was putting on his suit again and was about to stop the dangerous people, he remembered what it was like to be a masked hero. He remembered why he was doing it. He reminded himself that he could not live without it - that it was part of him.

"Sir, you have Minister Ross on the line, he says it's urgent," Friday said again as Peter left the room.

"I don't want to talk to him," he told her, hoping that was the last time he'd heard of Ross for tonight.

"I hate it," Pepper said, glancing at him. "I hate it so much," she said so sadly that Tony's heart pounded. He knew what it was all about. Years ago, she confided to him that sometimes she was saddened by the life she lived with, or with whom. It was so hard for her. Tony thought for a moment that he would end with all that superheroism. But it was hard for him to do that.

"I know," he sighed, sitting on the armrest so he could pull her into his arms. "We love you. Me and Peter."

"I love you too," she whispered, "just wish we'd live a normal life sometimes."

Tony said nothing. He had nothing to say. He sometimes wished they could live normal lives too, especially in situations like this.

"Well, I'll go get some more emails done and then I'll go to bed. It was a difficult day," she said suddenly in a firm voice and with an unreadable expression. She broke free of Tony's grip so she could stand up and give him a small kiss before breaking away. She passed the doorway with Rhodey, the newcomer, holding the phone in his hand.

"Ross called," he informed his friend on the doorstep. He didn't know what his mood was, so he kept his distance.

"I know, I ghosted him, I wasn't in the mood to talk to him. I had a more important thing to do," Tony said, a little resignedly. He was also tired from today.

"Yeah, you didn't answer the call, so he called me," Rhodey corrected. The timing was suspicious and he didn't like it very much.

"And what did the old moron want?"

"We have a meeting in Washington tomorrow morning. Which reminds me that we don't know where Vision is," he replied uncertainly.

"We'll have to go without him. I'm more interested in why we have to go all the way to Washington when we're all here?”

"I don't know, he probably wants to be theatrical. Listen, I'm not happy about that either, but we should listen to him. Doesn't it seem strange to you that he wants to talk to us suddenly? It will be better if we know what he is up to."

"You're right," he sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily. "Does Natasha already know?"

"She was there when I talked to him. She doesn't like it either."

"When it comes to Ross, it's never a good sign. We'll take a Quinjet in the morning to save time. I'll take Peter to school, I want to have him under control now before he settles down," he informed him, and then he also left.

Chapter 43: Chapter 42

Chapter Text

"So how was it? How did it turn out? Do you have a problem?" Ned asked immediately when Peter came to school and greeted him at the lockers.

Young Stark smirked and took a textbook. "Yeah, I have a problem. I'm grounded, mom and dad will probably take me to and out of school... That reminds me, I'll have to find MJ and explain it to her. But no excuse has yet occurred to me why I can't take a step out of the house."

"Too bad you're smart. You could say it´s about grades," Ned remarked, and they walked slowly toward the classroom. "Look, what if you invited MJ to your home? Then your mom would allow you to take her somewhere..."

Peter thought. "It didn't occur to me. Well, I can try, it seems stupid to use Michelle like this... But what, it still won't work. Mom is completely on the branch, so she will probably steal her for herself for the whole afternoon. But maybe she wouldn't even notice I disappeared because of it. Yeah, it reminds me they also confiscated my suit."

"That's unfortunate," Ned regretted him. "But it was to be expected. What are you going to do about it?"

"Well, I will definitely not just leave it like that. Not when I'm so close and I have those bastards at my reach! I can make new webs, maybe I'll have an old suit somewhere without all the conveniences my dad and I added to the new one. But who needs heating and a spider drone and..." Peter swallowed. Damn it, when he talked about it, he was actually starting to miss his suit a little bit. Well, he's used to Karen's comfort, too, but he'll have to do without it.

"That'll be fine, bro. We'll figure it out somehow."

"Maybe I could turn to Loki..." A new, insane idea flashed through Peter's head. Loki was working with illusions. Maybe it would work somehow. His new obsession was stronger than a bad conscience for not listening to his parents like that. But it was necessary, those criminals belong behind bars, and if Dad doesn't listen to him…

He sighed. No, the life of a superhero was definitely not a feather.

•••

"You must have been surprised that I called you so quickly and asked for an urgent meeting," Ross began to talk in his authoritative and cold voice, then gave a stern look to each of them. Natasha Romanov, who looked a little disinterested. Tony Stark, who looked bored. And James Rhodes, the only one listening. Of the original Avengers, there were woefully few, but Ross didn't let that upset him. He will only work with them until he gets his new obedient team. 

No one responded, so he continued his monologue. "It's simple. You three have signed the Sokovia Accords and our cooperation continues. Neither of you has done anything to force me to take any action and punishment against you, for which I commend you." He even nodded at Natasha, although he was not twice as enthusiastic about her return and the pardon he had been forced to do. But on the other hand, she was an excellent spy and easily and quickly got to where his trained men did not. "That's why I'm turning to you now for help. It may not be new to you, you may not have heard of him yet - but a new superhero, who calls himself Spider-man and is practically impossible to catch him, he is starting to run through New York." As proof of his words on the screen in front of them projected video, in which the mainframe being Spider-Man. They were short excerpts of videos as he roams the streets of New York and finally Washington, which was also in the news.

Tony winced when he saw his son. His blood froze in his veins. He had to hold on very tightly so as not to show any emotion. Ross couldn't tell that Tony knew who was hiding under a Spider-Man's mask. He was terrified by the idea of what Ross might want from them. He had an obsession with obedient superheroes. He also had to control Spider-man, whom he apparently knew woefully little about, and even humiliated himself to ask the rest of the Avengers for help. Tony held on so he wouldn't sneer. That must be really humiliating for him. He felt proud of Peter that he didn't get caught and always escaped scoundrels like Ross, but at the same time, he was terrified that the Home Secretary had managed to sniff out the boy.

"We heard about him. After all, we have time to watch the news, too," Natasha said venomously, folding her arms across her chest. Tony knew how much she hated Ross, and he understood her completely. Still, he was afraid she would do something stupid. Lately, it wasn't even Natasha he knew. Was possible that her love for Bruce would change her so much?

Ross preferred not to react to her - probably in the context of maintaining good relations. He glared at the three superheroes again and explained his request. "I need your help in the sense that we can't find Spider-Man anywhere. It is not in our power to stop him and acquaint him with the terms of the Sokovia Accords. That will be your job. Find Spider-man and bring him to me. If he is obedient and signs, he can become a new addition to your team. By the way, where is Vision?”

"Unfortunately, we do not know, sir. We haven't been in contact with him since the incident in Germany," Rhodey told him. Tony wondered if there was a way to get out of it all. But he was afraid it wasn't. But he was not going to bring Peter to Ross, definitely not. He couldn't threaten him. But maybe it won't be a problem. Peter has his suit confiscated, and if he doesn't use it now, maybe Ross will forget about it and let it be... He already knew he was lying to himself.

"Okay, okay... Well, I guess that's how it's supposed to be. You three are the best people on the original team to stay here. And also the most sensible, because you correctly evaluated what is best for you and you signed," Ross said contentedly. Tony grinned. Just keep the honey around our mouths... Suddenly he became very angry and felt that if he hit Ross, it would be the best way to vent the frustration that had accumulated in him in recent days.

Maybe Natasha sensed his inner mood as she said, "Well if that's all, let's go. We'll do our best, sir," she assured him with a serious face and stood up. Ross nodded, and when she left the room, he looked at her suspiciously. Tony and Rhodey joined her in a moment.

"Anyone has any idea what the hell we're going to do with this?" she hissed at them as they headed for Quinjet together.

"No," Tony admitted wearily. As if he had gone back sometime when the Sokovia Accords was the order of the day on their team. And it was also the cause of their disintegration and subsequent alienation.

"Looks like we're pretty fucked up," Rhodey commented directly, summing up feelings of all of them in one sentence.

Chapter 44: Chapter 43

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"So, does anyone have a plan?" Rhodey asked as they took off. Tony switched Quinjet to autopilot mode and sat down next to Rhodey while Natasha was standing opposite them. Tony knew that the meeting with Ross must have really taken her off, for otherwise she would have sat still and told them coldly what would follow. Just like she did when Mary kidnapped Peter. Another thing he knew was that Natasha was here with them now, not Black Widow.

"Maybe an accident could happen to Ross," she suggested reluctantly. She hated her past so much and definitely didn't want to go back to it. But her family was in danger here. "The guy's a pain in my ass anyway."

"It would solve a lot of our problems, but unfortunately it's not the solution for us," Tony sighed. "Besides, Peter doesn't even have a suit now. Spider-man won't be anywhere for a long time now. We can't find someone who practically doesn't exist. "

"It will give us time, but then what? He won't stop and you definitely can't let him sign it-"

"Damn it, Rhodey, do you think I don't know that?!" he snapped nervously and jumped to his feet. He couldn't just sit still and discuss such a serious topic. "In the end, we should have known, shouldn't we? If the Avengers cannot exist without control, why could anyone else act on their own? We were just the beginning…"

"Will you tell him?" Natasha asked curiously. It could be one of the possible solutions. They could let him decide for himself. He could be smart enough to know he should stop. But it was only their pious wish. They didn't stop on their own, so why should he?

"Definitely not. At least not yet. As I said, he won't be wearing the suit for some amount of time from now on," Tony replied in a firm voice. He couldn't anticipate Peter's reaction when he found out Ross was after him, but he was sure he was going to have some nonsense.

The plane fell silent for a moment. All three thought hard to solve this new problem. Each of them went through it. And it was even harder because they knew the possibilities. Sign and get rid of free choice. Don't sign and end your superhero career. In the worst case, don't sign and become a "criminal" like the rest of their team.

"What about Pepper?" Rhodey asked another question. Everyone knew how hard it was for her that Peter followed in Tony's footsteps. How would she react when she found out that Ross was stepping on his heels?

"Normally I'd say she can't know anything, but we're telling ourselves the truth and I can't keep it from her."

"Well, everything bad is good for something, isn't it? You've finally grown up," Rhodes said proudly.

"So what? Shall we do nothing?” Nat wanted to know.

"Not yet," Tony replied, sitting down again. He remembered Bruce involuntarily. Maybe he should talk to him at home. He stopped liking all his cooperation with Betty more and more. Especially now that Ross was breathing down their necks again.

•••

Peter experienced one of the worst moments of his life. He never thought driving home from school could be so torturous, but it happened. Pepper didn't say a word to him all the time, not counting the typical questions about his school day. Now they were home, and the woman he considered his mother went to the kitchen without a word, while he stood in the hallway, as if his legs had grown to the ground. At least Dad spoke to him normally in the morning. He told him about how he had to go to Washington and how much he hated Ross. He even exchanged some jokes. But Pepper was persistent. It was perhaps even worse than when they returned from Germany.

Peter walked slowly behind her. However, he remained standing in the kitchen doorway, watching her in silence for a moment.

"I've been thinking... I know I can't go anywhere, but couldn't there be an exception for Michelle? She doesn't know I'm Spider-man and I don't have a way to justify my grounding," he muttered in a low voice. He was afraid that when he spoke out loud, something terrible would happen. Although he did not know what. It was just how Pepper looked at him right now. "Mom?" he addressed her when she didn't respond to his presence or perhaps a request.

Pepper gave him a look. "I'll let it go through my head and discuss it with Tony, okay?"

"Will you be mad at me forever?" he blurted out. He thought he could handle it. That it's nothing. But he is not used to having a bad relationship with his parents. He doesn't like it.

"That's a bit of a useless question, don't you think? You know I will not," she replied defeated. She didn't even like the way they were with each other now, but she wasn't ready to throw it out of her head yet. He had to understand that what he had done was wrong.

"I.." he began in a hoarse voice but said nothing more. He had no words. He knew that an apology would not be enough, and he was not sorry. He hurried to the table and placed a small box on the table, which he pulled from his pocket. "I made this for you in the workshops."

"Is that a bribe?"

"I started working on it a few months ago, so no. Just look, please,” he pleaded, and Pepper had no choice but to open the box. After all, how could she turn him down? It didn't matter that she was mad at him at the moment. He was her son and made her a present at school. It reminded her of the days when he carried drawings at home, and he always had one for her for taking care of him and Tony.

"Peter," she breathed in astonishment as she peered into the box where she had found a tulip brooch.

"We were given the task last year, but since I was missing a lot, I only managed to finish it now. The task was: If you create a link that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more to become something more, then you are an extraordinary leader. You know I don't regret what happened. The only thing I regret is that my actions hurt you and Dad. But I can't stop it. And it's clear to me that you know that, because if one could stop, Dad wouldn't be an Iron Man a long time ago," he said, taking a breath.

"It’s so beautiful, thank you," she said with a small smile on her face, which was a great success for Peter. "Dinner will be at seven," she informed him, then went to her office with her brooch. She still had a lot of work to do today, but she decided to take care of everything from home. Bruce was there, but Pepper was calmer when she had her son under the same roof as she was.

Notes:

We're halfway through the story. What do you think so far? Did you like the first part more, or do you prefer the second part? ❤️

Chapter 45: Chapter 44

Chapter Text

"So where's my favorite nephew?" Natasha asked jokingly as she peered into Peter's room and knocked briefly on the door. She raised an eyebrow when she saw the young man lying on the bed, smirking at his phone display. "Can I come in or are you working on something important?"

Peter immediately raised his eyes and beamed when he saw Natasha. When she returned from Clint, she was in a much better mood than before, so it seemed that everything was fine between her and Bruce again. The only thing Peter was afraid of and immediately ashamed of, was that there was again a high probability that they would move away from them.

Aunt Nat! You are always welcome here," Peter replied, sitting up. He took one last longing look at his phone and then placed it next to him. Nat had to laugh softly. "Am I your favorite nephew? Do you prefer me over Nathaniel?" he asked, grinning. Natasha sat down on the bed next to him and ruffled his hair.

"Look, I can't answer that question. It's like asking a mother which of her children she likes best," she told him, then tilted her head to the side. "What did you smile like that? Did someone send you a joke? Or is there something else behind it, huh?" she teased him, and Peter blushed, revealing a little.

"Since when are you interested in the gossip?" He tried to delay the moment of truth even further.

"Look, just because I'm cynical sometimes, I look like an ice queen and I'm an agent doesn't mean I'm still not a woman. All females are gossip girls, some more and some less. I spent most of my life on a completely different level than the rest of the women. But now I want to hear what's new in your life unless we count the huge bomb from Washington that orbited the world," she urged him with a small smile and Peter ran his hand through his hair in frustration. They'll be throwing this at him for a long time, but at least Aunt Nat looked at it with humor. He hadn't even asked her what he thought of it yet.

"I was talking to Michelle," he muttered, a little embarrassed, afraid she'd tease him. "Mom told you something about her already, didn't she?"

Natasha looked almost mysterious. "Maybe. But I'd much rather hear it from you. So?"

"I have liked her for some time, but only recently I have decided to invite her on a date. She's really amazing, Nat. You would like her."

"Is she an agent or a superhero?" she laughed. "No, I'm sorry. Go on."

"In a way, she's a superhero," he replied in a dreamy voice. "You know, I'd love to take her out again. But mom and dad grounded me after Washington. I asked my mom if they would at least allow me to go on a date with MJ, but she told me she would talk to dad about it. Couldn't you have a good word with them for me?" He turned to her with puppy eyes. Natasha had to turn away in a hurry because his cuteness would be hard to resist. Funny how she, a trained killer and a fearless agent, has already lost a fight with a cute teenager.

"Well, we'll see," she said vaguely.

"Now, let's talk about you," he said cheerfully. "What about you and Bruce? What about Washington, how did it go?"

"Well, it certainly wasn't such an adventure as yours," she teased him, laughing benevolently. "You know, it's Ross. He sanded us again, but at the same time he smeared the honey around our mouths so that we would feel that we were obeying his order voluntarily." Natasha rolled her eyes and shook her head when she saw Peter's eager expression. "But what he wanted from us is top secret, and if there's anyone who can tell you, it's Tony alone. Plus, I heard they confiscated your suit anyway."

While Peter was whining, defending his innocence, throwing one argument after another, discussing his incident in Washington with Natasha, Pepper and Tony met in the kitchen. Pepper rested her hips on the line and warmed her hands against a cup of tea. Tony, meanwhile, was making coffee and telling his future wife about what Ross had told them to do.

"Do you understand how crazy that is? I can't give him my own son. Then he would have complete control over our family. And I can't put Peter in front of such a decision, because he's still too young, with no experience, who knows which side he would take, you know his impulsive behavior. I can't risk refusing to sign it, Ross would make him forget about superheroism, and of course, Peter wouldn't like that. After all, he bypassed us as well, he won't have a problem bypassing a stranger," Tony sighed, running a hand over his face wearily.

Pepper had to agree with him. "I know he quietly blames us for confiscating his suit, but we did well. Especially when we consider what action Ross wants to take against him. Catch him and bring him to him... is he some dangerous beast?!" A sleeping lioness wakes up in Pepper, fighting for her cub. Tony smiled at her and gently pulled her into his arms.

"I know. And yet it's just a small, harmless spider. Well, all we have left is to hope that if Peter doesn't show up in public for a long time now as Spider-man, Ross will let it be. But as far as I know, it's clear to me that it probably won't be that simple. When he comes up with something, he has to make it to the end. And I would be very reluctant if our son ran away and went into exile.” Like Steve, he added bitterly.

"Let's look at it positively, at least we only face Ross and not any other Mary. I probably wouldn't be able to do that again," Pepper said, and Tony agreed. He can handle Ross. They've always dealt with him somehow, they've tried to negotiate compromises. After all, he himself could get around him when his task was to find Steve and bring him to Ross. They did it once, they will do it again. This is about their son.

Chapter 46: Chapter 45

Chapter Text

"Wait, wait, wait," Tony mumbled, grabbing Peter's arm to keep him from getting out of the car.

"Dad, we don't have time to talk, I have to go to school," Peter moaned angrily. He probably had another sermon waiting for him, and he really didn't want to listen.

"I think you might be interested in this," Tony grinned. He took off his glasses so he could look deep into his son's soul. "I talked to Pepper, and after due consideration, we decided you could take Michelle on a date-"

"Really?!" Peter interrupted in surprise.

"Yes, but as you probably already know, it will have some rules, and this time, please follow them. Now go or you'll be late," he urged him, putting his glasses back on, usually indicating that the conversation was over.

"I'll see you in the afternoon," Peter said goodbye before running excitedly out of the car. He couldn't believe that his parents had really allowed him to take Michelle out.

"Hello, loser." MJ appeared beside him as soon as he entered the school. Red immediately fell on Young Stark's face.

"MJ!" he yelled, then his face twitched for a second. What was going on with him? Couldn't he have behaved normally in her presence? "So, won't we finally repeat our date?" he muttered, slightly shyly. He was still afraid she would reject him. Why would she even want to go anywhere with him?

"Sure why not? Is it good for you on Friday?” she asked, interrupting his negative thoughts.

It suits me all the time now , Peter thought, but fortunately, he didn't say it out loud. "Yeah, I'm free."

"Do you have anything planned yet? You really succeeded with the museum last time," she praised him and Peter was now red behind his ears.

"Actually, I haven't had a chance to think about it yet-"

Michelle saw Peter's expression sadden, so she decided to save him exceptionally. "You know what? Why don't you leave it to me this time?” she interrupted with a small smile. She noticed that she did it quite often in his presence. It ruined her reputation, but she couldn't help herself.

She gave him one last look before walking to her locker. She had to erase the stupid smile from her face. She'd heard a few people talk about them like that before. It was just as strange that no one was interested in them most of the time, and then they got a little closer and they were starting to be the center of attention. Michelle never understood why that was, and she hoped she wouldn't get too much attention. She enjoyed the inconspicuousness and was sure that Peter appreciated it as well. Due to his secret.

•••

Natasha was sitting at a small table in one of the cafes, which focused on quality rather than quantity, while Bruce had a business meeting that should end soon, and he should join her right away. It was still quite nice when it was autumn and the redhead decided that they should take advantage of it and go for a walk around the city.

And as she waited for Bruce, she read the newspaper and enjoyed a moment of peace. Sometimes she did it as a cover, but today it was the first time she'd really read what was written on paper. It was her quest for a normal life. She reached for a half-empty mug of filtered coffee when she saw an unknown object out of the corner of her eye in an unoccupied chair that stood at her desk. She set down the newspaper carefully and took a closer look at the object lying suspiciously close. Now she knew they were ballet shoes, and she didn't have to look too long to know they were the type she danced in. Well, at least they told her that, now she knew she had never done ballet. That her life as a successful Russian ballerina was a fabrication.

She tried not to seem discouraged by the finding, as she had such an unfortunate suspicion that she was currently being watched. The truth was that there was no cut blood in her. It was here again. The past caught up with her. Exactly as Fury said. The past was her weakness. With a completely blank expression, she looked around but saw nothing suspicious. And that worried her even more than those stupid ballet shoes.

Suddenly, a stranger's hand appeared on her shoulder, and she immediately found herself in her spy regime, but before she could attack, an unknown person said, "I hope I'm on time!" And immediately the brown-haired man kissed her.

"It was a close call," she teased him, smiling at him. But Bruce noticed that something was wrong with his redhead.

"Did something happen?" he asked, frowning. He was in a good mood. The meeting with Betty turned out well and the afternoon spent with Nat was waiting for him, so why wouldn't he? But now his mood had worsened rapidly.

"Of course not, I'm just bored of sitting here alone. Shall we go?” She gave him an answer he didn't quite believe, but he knew he wouldn't get any more out of it.

"Of course," he agreed, offering her his arm which she warmly accepted.

Natasha's instinct was correct, though she saw nothing suspicious, as a brown-haired woman was watching them from across the street. She didn't want to miss the moment when she got in the head of the famous Black Widow. She was no expert in that. She had never been interested in these things, but after carefully studying the file Liv had given her, she knew it wouldn't be that hard to get into Natasha Romanov's head. The former Russian spy was careful, but they dug into her head long enough, and you just can't get rid of it.

"Just enjoy it while you can. The game’s on, Miss Romanov," Betty grinned, and as soon as the pair was out of sight, she walked back to the labs. She was sure that if her father knew about her act today, he would be very proud of her. She finally followed in his footsteps, but unlike him, she even gets her job done. And then Bruce will be just hers.

Chapter 47: Chapter 46

Chapter Text

"Peter! Hey, Peter, wait!" The confused brown-haired young man turned behind the girl's voice, which called to him across half of the corridor full of students. Ned had to go to the dentist today, and Michelle wasn't well, so Peter pounded through the school like a soulless body and he couldn't wait to be home again. He immediately realized how much he cared about Ned and MJ, and that he was really bored at school without them. After all, they made the place more bearable, though Peter didn't mind studying. He more minded his classmates. For example, Flash was annoying him all day when he noticed that there was no one to stand up for him.

Liz tried to reach him through the crowd of students, and Peter waited patiently for her at the lockers. They smiled at each other. He used to like her, but that was before he began to pay special attention to MJ. Other times he would have barely exchanged a few words with Liz on how nervous he would have been, now it left him completely calm.

"Hi, Liz. What do you need?" he asked with interest, putting his hands in his pockets as they began to move east. Liz slung her backpack over her shoulder and gave him an embarrassed half-smile.

"Well, I haven't even apologized to you for being so annoying about you in Washington and yelling at you on the phone. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean it badly, I just - it's the stress and you weren't anywhere-" Liz tried to apologize for her behavior. 

"No, no, Liz, I get it and you don't have to apologize to me at all. You reacted perfectly adequately, given the situation. I should apologize for not letting you know in time and making you worry. But what to forget about it and let it be? After all - you won, guys," he grinned at her.

Liz brightly agreed with him, but then she asked him something he didn't expect at all: "I'd really like to... Listen, do you want to go somewhere? Just to relax, you understand. Sit down for coffee, talk... Just for a moment," Liz persuaded, looking at him questioningly. Peter was a little embarrassed and had no idea what to say. He was dating MJ, but he didn't want to refuse Liz, she was... his friend…

"I don't want you to think there's anything more behind it, no! I know you're dating Michelle, and I definitely don't want to put a wedge between you, no... Take it as a purely friendly date," she explained quickly, as she correctly interpreted his hesitation.

In the end, Peter just shrugged. "After all, why not? At least we'll finally have a good chat outside of school, too." Actually, they never really had a good chat at school either. "Just... will you wait a minute? I just have to do something fast, my mom is waiting for me there, I was supposed to go shopping with her..." he explained quickly when he recognized Pepper's car. Of course, she had to pick it up again. Liz nodded and waited for him in front of the school, while he ran to the car.

Pepper was already pulling down the passenger window, and she smiled broadly at her son. "Hi, honey! Can we go?" she asked him as he peered in. Peter glanced at Liz.

"Hi, Mom. Sorry, I- I know I'm under house arrest, but I wanted to do something with Liz today. So what if I at least accompanied her home? You know, there are too short breaks at school and you don't have time to talk... Please, Mom." He made dog eyes on her.

Pepper froze a smile on her lips and she looked at Liz, who was staying on the spot. "Ah, um... and where is Michelle?" she had to ask.

"Michelle wasn't feeling well today. And I'll just accompany Liz. She's a friend," he said emphatically. Still, Pepper didn't like it very much. She knew Peter was a complete copy of Tony, and she was afraid he'd inherited this bad trait that Tony was famous for when he was young. She didn't want to hurt Peter, but still... maybe there were concerns.

"Go ahead, but be home soon! As soon as I call you, you'll go. And I don't want to hear any excuses. Don't forget you are supposed to be grounded," Pepper threatened. Peter sent her a quick air kiss and then headed back for Liz.

"Well, we can go," he told her cheerfully, and together they walked away from the school. Pepper passed them in the car on her way home. Peter waved at her, and Liz raised her hand a little embarrassed.

At first, there was a slightly awkward silence between them, because neither of them knew what to start talking about. After all, it was different than at school. There were a lot of people everywhere and it was such a familiar and safe environment for them. Now it was just the two of them and they had to get used to it.

But then they talked because Peter could be very talkative and Liz had always been very energetic. In the end, they talked about everything. About the family, about relationships, about the school, about favorite things and food and places…

"Look, we're here!" Liz laughed as they reached the house she lived in. "Aren't you coming in? At least for a moment."

Pepper hasn't called yet. Maybe he could stay for a while. He was fine with Liz. "Why not," he shrugged and followed Liz to the door. She unlocked and they came in. He looked at the luxuriously furnished large rooms, and he realized that Liz was definitely living quite a good life.

"I'm getting things in my room, you can go sit in the living room for now," she suggested, then noticed her father peering down the hall. "Hi, Dad! It is fine that I invited Peter in for a moment, right?"

"Hi, darling. Of course, it is," her father replied. Peter greeted him - and then stuttered. He recognized him. It was Vulture. Toomes. He was - he was Liz’s-

"Kid, are you all right?" His voice distracted him from his thoughts. Peter's heart was pounding loudly. Toomes! He had him within reach! He could have gotten him, right here and now! For God's sake, what was he supposed to do? He was - he was Liz’s-

"Yeah," he managed a brief answer.

"You will come pale to me. Won't you have a drink? Maybe bourbon? Scottish or something?" he offered generously as if they were old friends. Blood was boiling in Peter.

“I’m not old enough to drink,” he replied, measuring him suspiciously.

"That’s the right answer. So come on," he urged, as before, and Peter had no choice but to obey him. He wondered what the hell to do now.

Chapter 48: Chapter 47

Chapter Text

Pepper knew she shouldn't think about it. After all, it was none of her business, though she tried to convince herself the opposite. But the truth was, if Peter decided to follow in his father's footsteps in this as well, they would do nothing about it. And Pepper knew their son wasn't like that, but there was a small voice settled inside her head, whispering to her that the possibility was there. It was just that Peter never talked about his classmates. All of his stories have always involved Ned, rarely Michelle. And suddenly Michelle is his girlfriend and right there is some Liz.

She was interrupted by the click of a kettle, which announced that the water had been boiled. With a sigh, she poured herself green tea. She should be distracted by work. That will always help her get rid of unwanted thoughts.

"I'm amazed, I've probably never experienced such silence here," a man's voice said suddenly behind her, and Pepper winced and spilled some tea.

"We have a door, you know? Is it some habit of yours not to use them?” she asked teasingly, but she hadn't turned to face him yet. Instead, she tore off paper towels and wiped the spilled tea.

The man ignored her question. He just waited in silence for her to pay attention to him. And it only took a few seconds for the redhead to turn to him. As soon as she saw him, a wrinkle appeared on her forehead.

"Oh no, what did you do?"

"What?" he blurted out, and for a moment his typical grin disappeared from his face.

"You said you'd stop by to do something to Tony, and now you're standing here with an expression I know very well," she explained.

"It's a secret," he grinned again. He really didn't do anything, but the woman in front of him didn't have to know. No one needed to know he was here just because he missed her. It was enough that he knew it himself.

"Can I get you something?" she asked with a small smile. She was glad he showed up.

"I'm not really here, so no," he replied, and Pepper frowned again for a moment, but quickly gave up. She just waved her hand, she didn't have the strength to think about what he meant by it.

"And how are you?" she asked.

"I am fine. I think Thor has a problem. He is drinking too much beer," he told her almost casually. He wasn't much for the small talk. He knew she was really interested, but he still didn't want to talk about it much.

"Listen, about our last conversation-" she began but was interrupted very quickly.

"We don't have to talk about it. In fact, I don't even remember what we were talking about," he said sharper than he had originally intended.

Pepper sighed. He was even more stubborn than Tony and Nat. But she knew that one day she would make him talk about his feelings. In the end, she always succeeded, she just needed time and a lot of patience.

"Just remember it, please," he whispered as quietly as he could, and before she could say anything, he was gone again. And she was sitting there, shocked that he had asked her. Another thing she had to think about. He insisted so much that she was beginning to worry he knew something more. Would it be possible for him to know that something was going to happen to her, and that's why he insisted on it so much? She would have to ask Tony if he knew Loki could do that.

"Who did you talk to?" Tony asked curiously.

"Only with Friday," she replied with a smile, waiting a little impatiently for her welcome kiss. Sometimes, she really felt like a teenager.

"Anything about the wedding?" he asked as he pulled away from her, but did not leave her personal space. In recent days, it seemed him too, as if they were at the beginning of their relationship again. And they were only at the beginning of their journey to marriage.

"No, but once you've started, maybe it would be good for us to set a date," she suggested. The smile did not leave her face, and all worries suddenly vanished.

"Probably yes," Tony agreed, "you talked about the spring wedding, so sometime in the second half of April?"

"It's not a bad idea, we'll look around and decide accordingly."

Tony gave her a loving look. Sometimes he felt that Pepper had forgotten who he was marrying. "You know we can have a wedding anywhere."

"Yes, but I don't want to, Tony. We don't take someone's place on their wedding day, just because we can. We'll just adjust the wedding date, okay? It occurred to me that we could look around a resort outside of New York. So if you agree to a wedding in nature," she said breathlessly at him.

"I've already told you whatever you want," he reminded her, kissing her forehead.

"But it's your wedding, too," Pepper objected.

"And I want it to be the way you want it, okay? The only thing I care about is that I will marry you."

After his words, Pepper had no idea how she could ever question his feelings for her.

•••

Peter did try to push Liz's dad out of his head, but he totally failed. The situation suddenly changed and he didn't know what to do. He couldn't take down his friend's dad after all. That was utter madness. On the other hand, her dad was a pretty dangerous criminal. And Liz will never know it was him. Damn, why did he have to be in this situation?!

"Are you OK? You probably don't enjoy it so much, do you?" Michelle asked him a little sadly when she noticed that Peter was mentally completely elsewhere and didn't listen to her.

Peter was immediately ashamed. "No!" he snapped quickly. "I'm sorry, Michelle, I just got a little carried away by my thoughts," he muttered.

The girl looked at him for a few seconds. Maybe it was because of who he was in his spare time, but Michelle wasn't entirely sure, so she couldn't say anything. "Are you sure you're not bored? I appreciate the sincerity, Stark."

"I swear, MJ! After all, it's Fort Wadsworth, I didn't expect you to choose Staten Island, but it's great," he said with a smile. "Plus, I have the best guide," he added, causing MJ's cheek to go red. So she turned quickly so he wouldn't see it.

"But you'd have to listen to her in the first place," she teased.

"Not far from here is the Alice Austen Museum, if you'd like to see it," he suggested, undoing what he had done. He knew it would work because Michelle hadn't missed an opportunity to talk to someone about important women, especially when she could visit a museum dedicated to one of them.

"Well played," she informed him, then grabbed his hand and they headed for the park where the museum was located.

It was about a twenty-minute walk. MJ was just buying tickets because, in her words, this date was on her. Peter, of course, tried to protest, but it was in vain. That's why he was out alone when his cell phone beeped with a warning from Karen. He quickly pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and checked what was going on. And he couldn't believe his eyes when he found out that Toomes was here on Staten Island. It was his chance. The ferry station wasn't that far from here. If he puts on his suit now, he'll be there in a few minutes.

He gave a desperate look at Alice Austen's house as if he should have thought at the last minute how to handle the situation. But it didn't occur to him, and when he ran away, he knew he would regret it.

Chapter 49: Chapter 48

Chapter Text

"Karen? Call MJ," Peter gasped, finally asking his artificial intelligence when his bad conscience was gnawing at him so uninterruptedly that he couldn't stand it any longer. As soon as he could, he ran into a side alley, where he quickly changed into his old suit, which didn't have many great conveniences like the latest one, but the important thing was that he still fulfilled all the functions Peter needed for today, and this time he had to catch the Vulture.

"As you wish," Karen told him, and the next moment she started the call. It only took a moment for Michelle to pick it up, and Peter didn't even have time to prepare what he would tell her.

"Peter? Where are you?” she snapped at him immediately before he could defend himself.

"Michelle, I'm so sorry, really! Something urgent got in my way, and if I didn't do it today, it might be too late and something terrible would happen. I promise I'll make it up to you, I'll pay for the whole date!" he promised her and fired another web.

"This isn't about a date, Peter, this is about you not being here—"

"I know, Michelle, I know! But really, please, believe me, I had no choice!" Peter was desperate. He was looking forward to a date with MJ and didn't want to ruin her day.

He heard a sigh into the phone. "Well, fine. But take care of yourself, okay?" Peter was stunned for a moment. Did Michelle really suspect anything? That's not possible... But her care, which was reflected in her voice and she couldn't disguise, warmed his heart and a new determination flowed into his veins. And he quickly said goodbye to her and ended the conversation before saying something insanely embarrassing to her that he would later regret.

"All right, Karen, let's go! We'll get him this time!" Peter decided when he saw his target: the ship that Toomes was supposed to be on, and maybe his companions as well. He made it just in time, the ship was already sailing, so he rocked and jumped with all his strength. He managed to grab something on the ship and after a while, he climbed to the window.

"That color is pretty disgusting and it looks weird on the ship, don't you think, Karen?" he muttered to the artificial intelligence as he peered out the window. He knew he was dealing with banalities and talking nonsense. He did this sometimes when he was nervous and something big was going on.

"I thought we were here to catch Vulture and not deal with the color of the ship," Karen replied. "Should I turn on enhanced reconnaissance mode?"

"Can we do that?" Peter replied in surprise and was very pleased. This suit will probably be able to continue to be used as temporary and will really be useful to him.

"Sure," she said in an almost concerned voice, zooming the two men closer to him.

"Oh, that's the guy under the bridge. But who is the other one?"

"I don't have a record of him in the police databases," Karen said promptly. A few days ago, she was given the task of examining the identities of the men he was chasing at the time. But they were careful and swept the tracks, so there was absolutely nothing to find.

Suddenly the phone rang until Peter almost fell from the boat into the water, frightened. Pepper's laughing face appeared in front of him. "A call from Pepper Potts. Should I accept it?"

Damn, he didn't like this at all. After all, mom knew he was on a date with MJ, so why did she call him? Maybe it was something urgent that wouldn't wait - Peter gritted his teeth. "I can't talk now, I'll call her later. Look, Karen, how functional is this drone?"

"It's decent, but it's not the quality you're used to. But he can handle the survey without any problems."

"Hey, dronie, keep an eye on that guy. We can’t let anybody get away this time," Peter said. The drone detached himself from his suit, flew around his head with a low growl, and flew to map the ship and watch the man. Peter climbed up the side of the ship, trying not to draw attention to himself.

He didn't need people to notice him. They would deprive him of a moment of surprise when he pounced on Toomes.

Peter bowed his head. Three men stood on the deck below him. He narrowed his eyes. "Karen, who's the guy on the left?"

"Mac Gargan. Extensive criminal record, including homicide. Would you like me to activate Instant Kill?"

Peter was beginning to have a serious suspicion that Karen was really enjoying herself in this. Whenever they were on a mission together, she mostly offered him the activation of Instant Kill. He never forgot the first time he tried on a suit and naively allowed her to turn this mode on. He hasn't preferred to do that ever since.

"No, Karen, stop it with the Instant Kill already." He fell silent as he recorded the men's conversation. "Dronie, scan the ship for a white pickup truck." Peter began to smile under his mask. So far, everything was running like clockwork. He was finally lucky. "Oh, this is too perfect. I got the weapons, buyers, and sellers all in one place.”

But it couldn't be him if something didn't go wrong.

"An incoming call from Tony Stark," Karen said, and this time a photo of her father appeared. Peter began to panic.

“No, no. No, no, don’t answer,” he still managed to blur, but it was too late. To his relief, it was just a conversation on his part, while Tony also was on a video. He was driving in a car, looking a little upset.

“Peter, got a sec?” he asked him, but it was more of a rhetorical question. Peter knew Dad would talk to him even if he didn't have a moment.

"Um, well, I don't, I'm on a date with MJ, didn't mom tell you?" he replied innocently, keeping his fingers crossed for his dad to believe it and let it go.

"No, you are not. Pepper told me you'd be with Michelle today, but you're not with her right now. Before you make any more excuses, Pepper saw her, when she drove in the car, going somewhere alone. Probably home, right? So please tell me where the hell you are now?" Tony sounded really upset. Peter didn't understand that he must be so unlucky. This is really a law of discretion.

"Well, I'm, uhm-"

There was a ferry horn blares.

Tony frowned. "What it was? Peter, tell me immediately where you are! What is happening there?!"

Peter knew it was a matter of seconds now. He had to act before it was too late. "I'm sorry, Dad, I have to go. Then I'll explain, I promise! Karen, end the call!" he blurted out before Tony could protest. He knew he was going to be in trouble. But now, now he had to focus on something else.

He took a deep breath. And he fired the webs.

Chapter 50: Chapter 49

Chapter Text

Peter knew it was going to hell when Karen told him he was only ninety-eight percent successful. He knew he was in really big trouble when his father showed up on the ferry. He should know it wouldn't go well, because when had something ever worked out the way he wanted? Even so, he couldn't understand when it all went so wrong. He had them all on reach on his hand!

Previously on Peter Screws the Pooch: I tell you to stay away from this. Instead, you took a suit which isn’t safe so you could sneak around behind my back doing the one thing I told you not to do.”

Is everyone okay?” he asked in a heavy voice. He had no idea what awaited him, but he knew it wouldn't be nice. Although his father didn't sound too upset yet.

No thanks to you,” he informed her. Ignore what Peter said, his dad was pretty upset. And when Peter thought about it like that, he himself was upset too.

No thanks to me? Those weapons were out there, and I tried to tell you about it. But you didn’t listen. None of this would’ve happened if you had just listened to me,” he shouted and walked over to him to be closer to him. He wanted to show him that he was not the only one who had the right to feel angry.

There was a moment of silence between them, but only for a minute. Tony no longer knew what to do with his son to start listening. Whenever he thought it couldn't get any worse, Peter went and proved the exact opposite. He proved to him that it could be worse. As if he knew no boundaries.

I did listen,” he said, almost disappointed as he left his suit to talk face to face. “Who do you think called the FBI, huh? I believed in you. I've always believed in you, so never tell me I'm not listening to you again!"

"And why didn't you tell me. I could-"

No, this is where you zip it, all right? The adult is talking,” Tony snapped. “What if somebody had died tonight? Different story, right? Cause that’s on you. And if you died, I feel like that’s on me. I don’t want to have you on my conscience. Christ, you are my son! Why do you still have to threaten yourself and your surroundings?!”

I am sorry,” Peter muttered. This time he really meant it. At least a little. It occurred to him that his dad was a hypocrite. He preached water and drank wine himself.

Sorry doesn’t cut it,” Tony said in a firm voice. How many excuses have you heard from your son? He didn't even count it anymore. He knew that at this stage it was just empty words.

I understand. I just wanted to be like you,” he said defeated.

And I wanted you to be better,” sighed older Stark, who knew what he had to do now. “Okay, it’s not working out. I’m gonna need the suit back.”

For how long?” Peter asked desperately. It wasn't hard to guess it was coming, he just hoped the seizure of the suit wouldn't take too long. Toomes had already been captured, but many more villains were waiting outside.

Forever,” Tony replied so coldly that the hairs on Peter's neck stood out.

He must have heard wrong, didn't he? His dad certainly wouldn't forbid him to be a Spider-Man. Sure, he made a few mistakes, but confiscating his suit forever? He wouldn't do that. "No Please. I'm sorry. How can you? You know very well what Spider-man means to me. I’m nothing without this suit.”

"That's not true," Tony protested, not thrilled by what he heard. "But if you really think so... If you’re nothing without this suit, then you shouldn’t have it. Do you understand? You will give it back to me, Peter. And it's not a request.” He wasn't proud of his words, but they may have dragged it out for too long. If Peter really thinks he is no one without a suit, then he needed to spend time outside of it. After all, his son was so talented and smart.

"You can not. You're just one big hypocrite," Peter snapped.

"Please don't make it worse than it is! You knew very well that you were not allowed to take the suit, and you did it anyway. Do you know what happens now? Ross is breathing down on your neck. To all of us. He wants you to sign the Sokovia Accords, or end up with Spider-Man forever. I didn't want to deal with it now, but you didn't give me a choice. I just decided for you. You're done!” he snapped at him, still quite angry.

"It's not your decision," Peter said, startled by the information he had just learned. Of course, he didn't want to sign the contract, but end up with Spider-man? Two months ago, it would have seemed real to him, but not now. Not when he remembered why he was doing it.

"Wrong. You're fifteen and I'm your dad, so that's my decision. Happy is waiting for you, he will take you home. You will apologize to your mom and then you do your homework, okay? Dinner will be at six as always. Things have to change," Tony told him, giving him one last look before stepping into his suit and flying away.

"Sir, Secretary Ross wants to contact you," Friday informed him after a few seconds of flight. Tony wasn't in the mood as always, but he knew he had to take the call this time. He had a bad feeling that it would be about his son, so he needed to keep the situation under control.

"Tell me one thing, Stark. Why don't I have a Spider-Man in my office yet, when you met him a while ago?” Ross asked uncomfortably as Tony answered the call.

Tony had to take a deep breath so as not to accidentally send one of his rockets to his office. "Hello, to you too, Ross. You are asking about something that you obviously do not have all the information about, so please put your kind tone somewhere. I didn't have a chance to come in contact with him. He disappeared before I finished my work."

"Your job was to bring him to me!" he snapped at him.

"My job was to save civilians if I'm not mistaken. That was the whole reason for the Sokovia Accords. Protect innocent people," he reminded him, then he ended the call before he would actually send a rocket at him.

He should fly home. Calm down Pepper and keep an eye on Peter. But somehow he couldn't bring himself to do so. He did not want to return to the tense atmosphere, which only remotely resembled home. He didn't want to go back to what he had to grow up in. After an argument with Peter, he felt he had failed. That he wasn't a good dad, as everyone told him. And so he flew over New York for a while trying to clear his head.

Chapter 51: Chapter 50

Chapter Text

"Did the news of the last few hours reach you?" Energetic footsteps echoed down the hall, and at other times a perhaps a little euphoric voice was suddenly full of coldness and aloofness. The man to whom the question was directed sighed loudly. "Of course they did. Surely you were one of the first to know, weren't you? So why the hell didn't you do anything about it?" he asked angrily, and as he stood at the railing beside him, he looked at him a little disappointed through his glasses.

"And what do you think I should have done with it? I'm not his nanny, Toomes can take care of himself. Plus, he had the best people with him. If you didn't realize it yet, I don't have an amazing suit neither a Vulture Exoskeleton," he snapped angrily, and the last reproach was half-directed at him because he constantly boasted of knowing all of Stark's technology in detail. "It's not my fault that Toomes can't deal with some little sucker. Phew, Spider-man." He gripped the cool metal railing tightly between his fingers, cracking in his joints.

"He would have managed Spider-man if the FBI hadn't appeared there, as well as the amazing and beloved Iron Man! Woohoo, our savior!" he shouted ironically and applauded three times. The brown-haired man rolled his eyes above him.

"I understand you're upset, but there's nothing I can do about it. Yes, I recruited him, but in this project, I work on a different level than him. He's in the field-"

"- to do all the dirty work for you," he interrupted with a growl. "He was one of the best people we had on our team! The alien technology—"

"Apparently he wasn't that good," he couldn't help but make another teasing remark. He looked him deep in the eye. "The stronger survive at the expense of the weaker, who try, but that's not enough. Toomes had a Vulture exoskeleton, so he should theoretically be a predator, but unfortunately, this only served as prey. And he should have been more careful when he knew Spider-man was sniffing around him. Yes, you're right, he did the dirty work for us. Yes, for us, you hear me right. You are one of us. I thought you knew how much it mattered what kind of player you were in life. Years ago, you managed your role brilliantly. So what has changed? I advise you to come to terms with this very quickly and get back on track, otherwise, we will probably have to say goodbye. Do you understand it?"

"Are you threatening me?" he grinned.

"It's just friendly advice."

"You are wrong about one thing. Toomes was no prey until you made him prey."

"Oh, stop feeling sorry for him! It just didn't work out, so what. We will find someone else, better, more experienced, and more murderous. The weaker must always serve as a victim so that the stronger can survive. Is this what it is about? Is something like a conscience awakening in you, eh?” He shifted to a more teasing tone and began to tease him a little to improve his mood. But he probably didn't do very well.

"It's not about that at all. I'm just pissed," he said, leaning his back against the railing so he wouldn't have to look at the other man this time. And that was really something to say because other times he didn't miss a single opportunity when he was near him and tried to make the most of it. "What's next?"

"We'll send someone else against the spider, and this time we'll finally get him. But yeah, I actually agree with you. Toomes was really quite good. Too bad it didn't work out, we could have been less worried," he sighed seemingly theatrically and drummed his fingers on the metal railing until it rang. He glanced at several workers, hunched over a large piece of paper and writing down on it.

"It was suffering to listen to you, you argued like an old couple. I almost felt sorry for you, even though I had a royal time. When all this is over, you could shoot something like a Turkish soap opera," said an amused female voice from the shadows, and the spectacled man winced in surprise. He had no idea she was here with them all the time and heard everything. He was a little ashamed of it. 

He noticed that she was sharpening her knife with a richly decorated handle with slow and almost loving movements. He swallowed emptyly, not feeling well. He heard from the staff, that it wasn't good to stand in her way, even though no one really knew her. And after all, he could see it for himself.

Liv peered out of the shadows, a veil of short blond hair running down her face. She smiled sweetly at him and shot him a look that pinned him in place. "I hope you're not going to leave us now, Mr. Hammer?" she addressed the man innocently, and he winced when she first addressed him in his name. "Because it wouldn't really please me. We have already done so much! I would not like to say goodbye to a man like you, especially when you have so much rich experience and you are now almost indispensable to us. Plus, you already know too much, so unfortunately I'd be forced to get rid of you for good. And neither of us want that, do you?” She continued calmly as if talking about the weather. She rolled the knife between her fingers and stood up. With the slow, almost creeping steps of the beast, about to jump on its prey, she headed for Hammer. He needed to retreat but had nowhere to go. There was only a railing behind him.

"Well? So what can you tell me about it? Are you giving up on us?" she asked in a cold voice again, placing a sharp knife blade around his neck. Hammer could barely breathe.

"Please, this may not be necessary—" The brown-haired man tried to strike, but she hissed at him to be quiet.

"Don't get involved and go write down your poetic crap about predators and prey," she growled at him.

"Of course, I will stay here and continue the project. I'm not going anywhere," Hammer assured her quickly, feeling that the blonde had pressed the knife a little more. Then she smiled contentedly and put her hand with the knife back down.

"Very well, I knew you were reasonable. I hope you don't do anything you might regret. You have chosen the right side. So, go back to work now," Liv shouted at them both and took a quick step away.

"Are you okay?" The brown-haired man asked as she disappeared. His companion could only nod and run his hand over his neck.

Justin Hammer longed for revenge, power, and recognition. But now he had to admit that he was getting a little scared of it.

 

Chapter 52: Chapter 51

Chapter Text

After all, Tony's absence was good for something. She was so mad at him that she didn't have to think too much about how uncomfortable the dinner she just had with Peter was. When Happy brought him home, he apologized to her for his actions and then went to his room, for which Pepper was quite grateful, for she did not know how to react to his behavior. He's always been such a good kid, so what got out of hand? Her fiancé probably won't tell her when he's not even dared to come home yet.

Peter tried to eat as fast as he could, but also so that his mother wouldn't know that he was trying to get out of her presence as quickly as possible. He didn't know where his father was, but he knew it probably wasn't a good idea to ask. When he got home, he did exactly what Dad told him to do. He didn't have that much homework, so he had too much time to think. And he really thought about his actions. He was glad Toomes was in jail, but over time he finally began to realize what he had done wrong. Now that Liz's dad was locked up and Peter wasn't driven by the desire to get him, he realized how much worry he had given his parents. And if Thadeuss Ross was really after him, maybe it was better that Spider-man wouldn't show up again.

With his improved senses, he was the first to hear the sound of the repulsors, but it didn't take long for Pepper to hear them too. Without a word or a look at him, she got up and walked angrily to the workshop.

Tony hadn't even gotten out of the suit when she came in. She wasn't even sure if he'd managed to register her presence when she started yelling at him. "Can you please explain to me where you have been?!"

The mechanic did not let himself be distracted by this, first, he finally took off his suit, and only then he gave her a vague look. His aimless flying over New York stretched a little. He didn't plan it that way, but he was so immersed in his thoughts that he lost track of time. "I needed to clear my head a little," he sighed at last and sat down in one of the chairs in the workshop.

"That's really great, Tony! Didn't you think I needed you here?” she asked irritably. She was very frustrated. She didn't know what to do with all the feelings she was just feeling. She was disappointed, and she didn't like it. No parent should be disappointed with their child unless a child becomes a criminal. In a way, Peter tried to do good. She shouldn't be disappointed in that. But she felt that way and hated herself for it.

"I know it wasn't ideal, but it happened. I'm sorry, okay? But I really needed to clear my thoughts. Get rid of unwanted memories."

After his words, the redhead softened a little, but not too much. She didn't have to think about it for too long. It was immediately clear to her that he was thinking of his father with those unwanted thoughts. She paused for a moment so she could choose her next words well. "Tony," she said, but there was still anger in her voice.  "We messed up. Let's face it, we messed up, and that's just the fact, whether we like it or not. But you can't think you're like Howard. You're not, okay? You're not Howard, so come home next time because you need to be here. Only when you do not return will you be like your father."

"Jesus, Pepper, you really know how to encourage one," Tony snorted. He didn't expect this at all, but maybe he deserved it for all the ugly things he'd said to his son that day.

"I don't know what you want from me, Tony," she said again in a slightly raised voice.

"Don't fight, please." Peter appeared in the workshop, unable to overhear their quarrel. His eyes were red and he tried his best to keep from crying in front of them.

"That's easier said than done, little bat," muttered Tony, who stopped liking it more and more. This situation reminded him so much of his childhood.

"I know and I have something to tell you. I'm sorry and this time I really mean it. I realize that what I did was irresponsible and that I betrayed your trust by my actions. I fully accept the consequences. Maybe Dad's right. Maybe I really need to spend some of that time out of the suit. And who knows? Maybe when I'm an adult, things will change and Spider-man will be able to return. Until then, however, I will be fully focused on my life. For Peter Stark's life," he told them in a hoarse voice about what he had been thinking all afternoon. He acted a bit like a brat. He was the reason his parents were arguing if he wasn't arguing with them himself. And he hated arguing with them. But he'd done it so often lately that he'd probably forgotten that fact.

"I think I'm speaking for both of us when I say we like to hear that, but I'm sure you understand that it will take some time to believe it," Pepper was the first to speak. She was pleasantly surprised, but the trust between them had too many scars to believe without proof.

"Pepper is right, kiddo. It will take time for us to know that these are not just words. And yes, it sucks, but unfortunately, is it what is it," Tony added. Pepper, of course, had to glare at him at his choice of words.

Peter had to look away for a moment to calm down. It was bad. It was really bad, but it had to be that way to make it better again. And it will be better. No more trampling. No more lying to his parents. "I get it. I just wanted you to know,” he muttered, turning to leave. "And don't argue," he told them once again before walking into his room.

There was a moment of silence between them again. Neither knew what to say. Tony wanted desperately to fix it, while Pepper continued to have mixed feelings.

"I'm going to see Nat," she informed him. She didn't wait for an answer and immediately walked to the door. In fact, she wished Tony hadn't said anything about it, but it was just a wish.

"He's right, Pep, we should talk," he said, a little surrendered, hoping it would stop her. And also that it stopped. But only for a few seconds.

"Before you needed to clear your head, and now I need the same thing," she told him, leaving him alone in the workshop.

Chapter 53: Chapter 52

Chapter Text

"Well, I'm here and I'm one big ear. What happened this time?" Natasha asked, not avoiding a small smile, though she saw Pepper devastated and tired. Nat had a hunch it would be related to Peter again. Tony had time to call her and tell her briefly what had happened, and also that Ross called him, who of course didn't miss the fact that he was talking to Spider-man.

Pepper sighed and ran her hand wearily over her face. It's been a lot for her lately. She had become so accustomed to the peace and quiet that began to prevail in their lives that solving new problems was a superhuman task for her at the moment. Plus, she didn't even know how to solve them.

They sat with Natasha in the spacious living room, drinking red wine, Pepper's favorite. Nat always joked that wine kicked the mind best and sparked conversation.

Pepper was sure they would have peace and privacy. She knew that Tony would be in the workshop for a while so that he too could clear his head and vent his frustration. To be honest, his actions today disappointed her somewhat. She understood that it was a difficult situation for him as well, but wouldn't it be better if they solved it together? Like a couple? And he instead-

"Despite the ban, Peter used his older suit and headed for a ship on his own to catch that Toomes, or whatever his name was," Pepper began to tell slowly, sipping her glass for the courage.

"The one with the alien weapons, right? He's already been taken to jail," Natasha told her.

Pepper nodded. She wasn't sure if it calmed her or upset her. At least Peter doesn't have to deal with it anymore and will keep his word and behave. But she was afraid that another villain would come after Toomes and Peter would just not be able to sit on his ass at home. He was not of that nature. That was the curse of the superheroes. In most cases, they began to like the feeling that they were helping and saving the world so much that they couldn't get enough of it.

"He almost lost his life doing it, and if Tony didn't intervene, I wouldn't even want to guess what would happen. Well, that's not the worst. He lied to us again. And I really don't want our son to become a liar and his sincerity at the time became a habit of lying. He went around us and it wasn't the first time. He promised us after Washington that he would never do anything like that again, but let's see! Today he told me that he regretted his actions and that he was willing to say goodbye to the suit indefinitely and start living normally. But after that, I just don't know if I can trust him," Pepper told her unhappily, and Natasha saw that it was really bothering her. "Tony... instead of supporting me and dealing it with me, he didn't show up all afternoon!"

Natasha cleared her throat and circled the contents of the glass in slow motion. "Pep, we're back where we were. If you don't want to fall back to where you were a few months ago, you need to talk straight, solve those problems as soon as possible and prevent them from occurring. And also be honest with each other."

"Which makes it quite complicated when only one of the two parties present is honest," Pepper sighed. "I don't want to solve it through you, or somehow avoid those problems, I don't. I just wanted to talk about it like a friend with a friend."

Natasha smiled. "I appreciate that. I'll try to talk to Peter if you want. I wasn't there, but what he said today... he could really mean it. After all, he must realize that he has gone far enough. You had shown him that with Tony and suffocated him long enough for him to come to you on his own and apologize. As I know him, he will definitely close the suit in the closet for a while. You could say he fulfilled his mission here, right? Toomes is behind bars. Cheers," she said, lifting her glass to indicate a toast.

Pepper nodded slowly and rested her hand on her head. "I guess you're right. I will have to hope for that. Well, we're going to have to keep it short. No date with Michelle, no Ned. I'll talk to him about it again. He must understand that this time he has exceeded all limits."

"You certainly won't make anything worse, just don't talk to him like a child. Sit down with him and discuss it. After all, he is a teenager, has his own head, and is at the worst age. Take it positively, at least he does good and doesn't do drugs instead of school," Nat tried to encourage her. Pepper agreed, and then they spoke on another topic.

Peter, meanwhile, lay on the bed in his room, staring at the wall. He really regretted a little what happened. But only a little. At least his mission was a success!

"As if I saw myself when I was wrongly imprisoned in one of the Asgard prisons," a familiar voice said in his room, and Peter turned his head toward the door. Loki stood there, leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest, watching Peter sharply.

"Wrongly? You invaded our planet and almost destroyed New York," Peter reminded him and began tossing his ball against the ceiling because now he really didn't know what to do.

"It's just a matter of perspective, young man. It was for the greater good. I wanted to make it easier for you," Loki said in a sublime voice, and began to search his room. "Um. It's cozier than in the Asgard cell. What did you do?"

"I helped catch one villain, but I lied to my mom and dad," he told him in a repentant voice, though he knew Loki wouldn't blame him for that.

"See? And it was a matter of perspective, wasn't it? You see that you did the right thing, but your parents don't approve of your actions, am I right? You know, I wouldn't normally say that, but I owe it to your mother; maybe you should limit your superhero activity a little. Too bad you're not a villain. It's more fun and at least I wouldn't have to pretend," he sighed seemingly theatrically.

"You owe it to my mom? What are you talking about?" Peter wanted to know, frowning. But Loki didn't answer him and instead pretended to be fascinated by the imperfections on the painted wall. "I'm sorry I worried them, but I had to do something because who knows what else would Toomes do!"

"You did well. But talk to your mother," he advised, then headed for the door. But he stopped there and turned to him with a mysterious grin on his face. "And by the way; I advise you not to use the shower in the bathroom on the left."

Chapter 54: Chapter 53

Chapter Text

Richard sat in an abandoned laboratory, as was his custom. He always stayed last and came first. It didn't matter that he didn't even have work to do. In short, he liked to stay in a research environment. He didn't like it at home. He was caught up in too many memories that would probably be better forgotten.

"I remember times when you didn't work so hard," the incoming blonde remarked.

The brown-haired man was taken aback by her presence. She never talked to him here. "Priorities changed," he snorted, moving his glasses closer to the bridge of his nose. Her presence meant nothing good. On the contrary, he was sure he would have to do something he didn't like.

"Could you look at this for me?" she asked, handing him the flash drive.

Richard nodded, then set to work without a word. He thought it would be all on her part and would leave him alone again, but Liv was still standing at his desk, and she didn't seem to be about to leave any time soon.

"I persuaded Betty to go after Romanov. It's quite fun, you should see it. It would definitely amuse you too," she laughed. It wasn't exactly an icy laugh, but Richard's hair was still bristling. But he said nothing and continued his work.

"I'm pretty sure Hammer likes that idiot. You should see Quentin's expression when I start talking about it. At that moment, he would rather move a few hundred kilometers away," she continued as if they were long-term friends and were discussing the latest gossip together.

"Why are you telling me this?" snapped the spectacled man, a little nervous.

Liv gave him an amused look. "Jesus, Richard, relax a little."

He was about to say something when he realized why the patterns on the screen were so familiar to him. These were his formulas! "Why do you need it?" he said in surprise. By no means could she think that they would succeed again. The boy may have felled for it for the first time, but the second time he won't fall for it.

"Keep going, I took the liberty of modifying your formula a little."

Richard continued to look at the calculations without another word. It wasn't long before he noticed Liv's adjustments. It wasn't bad, he could imagine it could work. The question was what would happen if it didn't work. They have no guinea pig, so they will have to bet for sure.

"What are your plans?" he asked. Somehow he couldn't figure out her intention. She didn't want Peter to be caught.

"Things were fun here, but it's time to move on," she replied vaguely.

"And that means what?" Richard insisted.

"We'll get Stark here and move on to our next workplace."

"I don't understand," he muttered, confused. It didn't make sense at all.

The blonde sighed. "I have the research. All I have to focus on now is revenge on the Starks. We'll get Peter here and go to plan a grand final, while our famous Avengers will try to free Stark Junior," she expanded her answer, slightly annoyed. They were here alone, but it was still too public a place to plan her dream revenge.

What about Quentin?”

"The others will take care of him. Of course, I would like to kill him, but so far it doesn't fit into my plans," she said almost indifferently. Every time she talked to that idiot, she imagined in her head all the possible ways she could kill him. Maybe she'll make time for him and drive a bullet through his head. And maybe she'll leave it to Stark. The result is the same.

•••

Natasha was returning home in a relatively good mood. She was looking at the apartment, which was now like new, so that Bruce and she could finally move into their own. No more doubts. Just the two of them and the gorgeous life they had in front of them.

The redhead always chose less busy roads, and that was why she was on a deserted street. In addition, it was lunchtime, so most people were stuck somewhere in restaurants. When she first heard it, it sounded like ordinary noise. She didn't pay much attention to it, she was in New York after all, and it was full of strange things. But the vague noise soon subsided and was replaced by clear words.

"Natalia," came a slimy voice down the aisle.

Natasha stopped in place, her legs growing to the ground. Her whole body froze. Her own name had such an impact on her. The name by which she was called mainly in Russia.

"Боже мой," she exhaled in a shaky voice when she finally recognized the voice.

"Natalia," the man repeated in a strong Russian accent.

The redhead forced her body to cooperate and turned to face him. "You're dead," she said, almost frightened. She saw him die! She made sure the bastard died.

"Would you literally want to be a widow?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"We weren't married, Alexi, it wasn't real," she snapped. The initial fear began to leave her body, and instead, she became upset.

The redhead man laughed sinisterly. "That's a lie, Natalia! They programmed the life of a successful Russian ballerina, but if you remember, we only met later. Our wedding was real-"

"Тишина!" she shouted. Then everything happened too fast. Black Widow finally woke up. With one quick movement of her hand, she threw the knife at him, which she carried with her for essentially twenty-four hours a day. The surprise was when the knife flew through him and stabbed into the opposite wall.

"You missed," he grinned before he disappeared.

Natasha was standing there in utter shock. The good news was that Alexi Shostakov was really dead. The bad news was that someone was after her. Even worse, she had no idea who. She thought she had buried all this information in Russia with the Red Room. No one could know. And yet…

She felt cursed. Whatever she did, it was impossible to get rid of the past. She caught up with her again, and this time in her worst form. Once upon a time, she thought she loved Alexi. Then she found out that their acquaintance was staged by the Soviet government. It was just another fiction. They told her he was dead. And she mourned like a real widow. At that time, she was recruited to the KGB to honor the memory of her dead husband, who was not really dead at all.

Natasha snatched the knife from the wall and continued on her way home. Someone obviously started playing with her. And she'll find out who. And when she finds out, she'll make sure they are sorry. She'll make sure they burn down in Hell.

Chapter 55: Chapter 54

Chapter Text

"Thanks for renting me the equipment, it was an even better spectacle than I had imagined," Betty said with a smirk as she entered the brown-haired man's office and returned the borrowed equipment, which he used for his illusions when Peter had no idea he is actually his enemy.

Quentin chuckled contentedly and took his feet off the table. He sprawled on his swivel chair and looked at his employee. "See, I told you. And you were reluctant at first. Will you ever want to borrow it again?"

She nodded. "I don't like to leave my work divided, and here I step on a clear win. Natasha Romanov is weak. Honestly, she let me down a little. I expected it to be a bigger challenge," Betty snorted, sitting down in the chair across from him. "But I'm looking forward to finally getting rid of her. When Bruce finds out what his girlfriend is, he turns his back on her and falls on me. And she will go far away because she cannot bear the thought of him seeing her as a monster."

"Aren't you just lying to yourself?" Quentin asked with a smirk, but Betty just waved at him. "As I see it, you're the whole father." Although he felt that she was actually winning a bit wrongly during her speech, because Natasha Romanov has a significant disadvantage compared to her, of course, he did not say anything out loud. By no means did he want to defend Romanov, and besides, he actually did the same as Betty. Because why do it complicated when it's much easier and you don't have to do the hard work?

"You should have seen her. She almost cried there like a child. Strange as we sometimes have an idea of certain people, and when we get closer to them, we find that it's actually someone completely different from what we've always thought. Romanov looks like an ice queen who will kill you with one wave of her hand and that nothing will shake her. And yet she is exactly the same as the others. Same weakling. She is just clever and doesn't show it to surroundings. But apparently, she can't be on guard forever either."

"They are used to the peace of their lives again. Toomes was just a small tasting. We lull them back to a sense of security, and then, when they are most weak, we strike again. And I swear I'll enjoy Potts this time," Beck growled darkly, crunching his fingers.

Betty chuckled like a little girl. "We will destroy their successful family once and for all, and then nothing will really stand in our way. I'll take care of Romanov first, she could be trouble. Then Bruce will turn to my side until in the end the Starks are left alone. When we take the boy from them, they'll go looking for him, and it never occurs to them that they're actually going straight to the Devil's Maw, to the death trap they won't get out of."

"To the Devil's Maw, I like that," Quentin remarked, rubbing his hands contentedly. He had never had much fun with Betty, their first conversation had taken place only a few days ago when she came to him asking if he would help her with one small illusion. At the time, he still naively thought of Betty Ross that she was such a little cripple that Liv left her here out of pity because she was her friend. But only now did he really realize that Elizabeth was actually such a devil. He had no idea that she was so corrupt that she harbored so much hatred, and she would go over the corpses for what she longed for. Now he really saw in her the true reflection of her father Thaddeus. "I had no idea you could be so mean and vindictive. Forgive me, but I actually thought you would be the one to ruin it all when it got tough. It occurred to me that you were balancing between two paths and walking in the middle of it. But you're probably the same as the rest of us."

"I wouldn't be here otherwise, would I?" she smirked. "Life has taught me a lot. Above all, if you want to survive, be well and get what you want, you have to be a hidden manipulator and also a bit of an actor. There's still a lot you don't know about me, Quentin Beck."

•••

Peter took Loki's advice and the next day he went to talk to his mother. He wanted to talk to her that evening, but when he peeked into the living room and found her there with Aunt Nat, he didn't want to disturb them and somehow intrude on their privacy. But he couldn't stand it the next day.

He followed her into the kitchen, where she was preparing lunch for them. He cleared his throat so she knew he was here. "Mom," he addressed her, and only then did she turn around. "I, well... I wanted to apologize to you again. I know you think I'm lying again and I don't really feel remorse and that I would do it again, but... that's not true. I'm really sorry that I lied to you, that I didn't listen to you and that I gave you other worries. But I had to do it, Mom. I had to because Toomes was dangerous and Dad didn't do anything about it, or rather... he probably couldn't do anything about it. So yeah, I feel remorse, but I'd do it again. You see, honesty," he grinned, but he knew Pepper wouldn't find it very funny.

Pepper cleared her throat. "All right, Peter, I appreciate your sincerity. But as I told you yesterday, and as you probably expected, we can't trust you 100 percent now. And I'm so sorry because you're our good, clever and brave little boy," she told him lovingly, ruffling his hair. "But I'm still mad at you and I'm disappointed. You really scared us, you could have lost your life! You should have talked to us. Warn us. After all, you know that our door is always open to you, even though we don't all always agree on things. But Peter... I never want to experience what I felt yesterday again. Never. I don't want to be angry with you and come up with all sorts of punishments, although I know you will most likely be able to get around them, as you have already done."

"I will try to give you as little worry as possible. Plus, Toomes is behind bars and it's quiet for now. And when someone else shows up again, I'll tell Dad and Aunt Nat right away," he promised her and smiled.

Pepper blinked. "What do you think when someone shows up again?"

He grinned. "Mom, perhaps you don't think Toomes was the last villain in the world?"

Chapter 56: Chapter 55

Chapter Text

"I have to admit, it's a little suspicious," the man said with a firm voice. He didn't like what he heard, but during his career, he had dealt with much bigger problems - threats, this was disturbing, but it was nothing that they would not deal with.

The agent waited in silence for his suggestions. She didn't have much, and he was the only one who could help her. "Won't you tell me more about it?" she asked irritably when he was silent for a suspiciously long time.

"What do you want to hear, Romanov? You have nothing. You literally have no idea who it could be. I'm not a magician," he growled at her just as she growled at him.

"You're the only one who knows," she said defeated.

"Don't lead me by the nose. Do you really want to tell me that even Barton doesn't know about it? Stark? Banner? Rogers?-"

"You're the only one because you had to know," she interrupted sharply. He knew how much she hated talking about her past. And he named people here as if she were telling everyone about it at the first meeting. This was ridiculous. It was a stupid hologram. It shouldn't bother her that much. It certainly shouldn't endanger her that much. Was it the tax she had to pay after so many months with Tony? After the months she spent with Bruce? She wasn't paying attention. She was too carried away by a life she should never have known in the first place. She was losing caution and she didn't like it, being honest. One part of her was not proud of what she was. But the other one loved it. Under Fury's command, she did at least some good. She was good at it. And now she was lost. She was losing part of herself. The part she always wanted to get rid of so much. But now? Now that it was happening, she found she didn't really want it that way. She still wanted a simple life alongside Bruce, but now she knew she didn't want to lose the part of her that had saved her life so many times.

"If you didn't know it was a hologram, it must have been very advanced technology," he shared with her, an idea that had been bothering him since she'd told him the story. Nick Fury was a man who liked overview completely, of course. Even about things that didn't concern him directly. When he gathered the information, how many times he never seemed to use it for anything, and let's see how useful information was now about who owns this advanced technology…

The redhead measured him with a suspicious look. "You say that as if you knew the answer."

"How long have you known me? I have the answer to everything, but I'm afraid you won't like this one."

Natasha rolled her eyes in annoyance. For someone who liked to know everything immediately, he gave himself enough time to reveal something to others. "Just say it, Fury."

Stark Industries. That's the answer," he said simply.

"Then give me a better answer, because it obviously wasn't Tony," Nat snapped. They spun in a circle, while the one who had fallen on it was outside, calmly planning his next steps.

"I didn't say Stark did it. It's just that the technology was developed in his company. Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing. In short, B.A.R.F., we know how much Stark likes to come up with acronyms,” he expanded his previous answer and handed her a tablet. "But Tony wasn’t the lead developer of the project."

Natasha studied the tablet in confusion. It was all the important writings on the project Fury was talking about. Including a list of names of people who worked on it. She noticed him almost immediately. The name hit her right away. "This is not a ghost week. Quentin Beck is as dead as Alexi Shostakov."

The older man sighed. "Are you sure? It wouldn't be the first and certainly not the last time someone pretended to be dead. It's just a theory, Romanov, the only one we have at the moment."

"Even if he was alive, he couldn't know about my past. And why would he go after me at all? It does not make sense!"

"I gave you the answer. I told you, you wouldn't like it. There is nothing more I can do for you at the moment," he said slightly guilty. "You listened to me when I gave you the file, didn't you?"

"I didn't have time to look at it," the redhead immediately lied. She certainly wasn't going to give him the pleasure of taking his advice to heart.

Fury could not help but grin. "Looks like you've finally let the past go. Don't let her come back."

"Do you always have a motivational speech ready?" she grinned for a change, then stood to leave. "I will take your theory into account. But try to think of something else. Because of the good old days."

"I don't work for you, Romanov!" he shouted after her when she was halfway out.

•••

Peter smiled when he found Michelle sitting at their table at lunch with a book like every other day. The difference was that this book was an excuse from him for leaving her on a date alone. He spent the whole weekend on the Internet trying to find the right book. In the end, he opted for Poe's collection The Pit and the Pendulum and other stories. The whole mystery and sometimes the morbidity fit perfectly for MJ.

"Don't you ever want to stop after school? I have a new lego and it's just waiting for us," Ned asked about halfway through the lunch break.

"I'd love to, but I can't, I am grounded, remember?" he sighed and began digging in his food. It wasn't the most delicious he'd ever eaten. Fortunately, he had his own supplies in the locker.

"Oh no, that means no date you could run away from," MJ muttered, but she didn't take her eyes off the book, which was nothing new, so it didn't surprise anyone.

Peter said nothing, just looked like a hurt puppy. He knew he had screwed up, but he had apologized so many times and given her the book. There was nothing more he could do.

Michelle, who looked at him when there was silence after her remark, regretted a little what she had said, but really only a little. He kind of deserved it. "I'm just messing with you. Why are you grounded?" she asked.

"Well, I-I broke something. I was in the workshop and I broke dad's current project for SI," he lied and MJ had to try really hard not to snort. He was such a lousy liar. She couldn't understand that no one knew he was Spider-man. Her thoughts were confirmed on Friday when he ran away from her and suddenly Spider-man appeared on the ferry from Staten Island. That would be a very big coincidence, and Michelle didn't believe in such a thing . Now she just had to decide whether to wait for him to tell her the truth or to tell him that she had known for a long time.

Chapter 57: Chapter 56

Chapter Text

"You don't even know how sorry I am that I can't be with you. A sleepover would be needed."

Peter sighed aloud and slapped himself on the bed, holding the phone over himself. He and Ned had been calling through FaceTime for about half an hour, talking about everything from school, through MJ to his new lego, which Ned was now composing. He was sick and bored at home, too, so he was excited to see Peter at least that way.

"Let's leave it for another time, man. Keep in mind that at least you managed to catch that Vulture," Ned said, carefully selecting the pieces to add to the model next. Peter sighed again.

"Well, I know, but it still occurs to me that I got it a little messy with MJ and I would like to fix it somehow. I know I'm to blame, but hell, I didn't know I was going to have a girlfriend!" he said, ruffling his brown hair.

Ned looked at him curiously. "So it's officially official? You are a cute school couple who will walk around the corridors with their hands and eat from a common plate and maybe pass the food from mouth to mouth-"

"For God's sake, Ned! You know MJ would never do that. And neither do I. Which suits me best."

"Sure, I'm sorry. I thought so... were you kissing? Did you confess your love?"

"Well, we're-"

"Hi, loser."

Peter winced, turned pale, and looked at the door as if he saw a ghost. Ned was yelling, but he didn't notice him at all. Because Michelle stood in the doorway of his room, staring at him with raised eyebrows. Michelle Jones was in his room. Michelle Jones - Peter started to panic. This was not planned. This hasn't happened yet. Michelle was in his room. After all, they were not agreed on something like that! If he knew, he would at least clean up all the embarrassing things in time and - how on earth did she get here?

"Is that Ned?" she asked, while he was still not answering her and just staring at her in disbelief. As soon as she crossed the threshold, Peter's all the cells in his body were frightened.

"I have to quit," he blurted out, hurryingly so that Ned didn't mention MJ and make this situation even more embarrassing. "Uhm, a-hello? What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you here," he explained quickly, straightening the blanket on the bed. Michelle held the straps of her backpack and looked around his room shamelessly. Peter felt himself blush.

"Nice," she said then, as if to evaluate the whole thing, and then pointed to his bed. “Can I?” Peter nodded. And he screamed inwardly. MICHELLE IN HIS BED. She sat on the edge and took off her backpack. "Well, I came to see you when you are grounded. When a mountain cannot reach Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain. You know that, don't you? But if you had a different plan for today, I can go."

"No, I don't! I mean - don't go. I was just calling with Ned, but - I'm really glad to see you," he told her honestly and smiled. Michelle returned the smile and opened her backpack. "So how do you like the book?"

"I've already read it. And I have it with me if you want to borrow it and read it too. We could talk about it together. It's really great, you hit my taste," she told him and gave him a satisfied look. Peter smiled contently. He must have scored this with MJ!

"Sure, I'd love to read it! Um, how did you get here?" He had to ask.

"I met your mom a short distance away. I originally wanted to ask her if they would let you out, but she immediately suggested that I can go inside. She looked really disappointed that she couldn't talk to me, but she said she had to make an important call. So, I'm here now," MJ replied, placing the book from him on the bed between them.

"She was probably dealing with something at work. Or something with a wedding. Well, if you really don't mind being here... No one will bother us. There's only Mom and Bruce - Dr. Banner if you remember - and he's definitely in the workshop," he told her, not knowing if he'd reassured her or not Having such privacy here, and it was much more intimate than their trip to the museum, slightly worried Peter. There was a variety of options... and when he looked at Michelle, it occurred to him that now was the right time. Take a moment to say the two words that will change everything…

"Listen, Michelle... there's something I've wanted to tell you for a while," Peter began, feeling that his loud heartbeat must have been heard by MJ. Michelle looked at him and nodded, "Okay, I don't have it planned at all, but I've decided to tell you. Fine. So... I'll just say it... MJ, I-"

I am Spider-man,” she finished instead of him in a calm voice, taking his breath away. He opened his mouth slightly and stared at her. "I figured you'd admit you're a Spider-man."

"I'm not a Spider-man," he blurted out, but he already knew that whatever he said in his defense would be in vain. MJ knows that.

"Peter, I've been watching you for some time. It's quite obvious," she said confidently.

"I'm not a Spider-Man. I mean... why would you think I was?" he wanted to know.

"Peter... how about Washington?"

"What about it?"

"How did you disappear? Out of nowhere. Without reason."

"No, that... I was sick, remember? I had a stomachache."

Michelle smirked. "According to Suzan Yang, you live like a gigolo."

Peter threw up his hands. "What? Of course, I'm not a gigolo. "

"Well, you're Spider-man."

"I'm not. I'm not a spider-man. Not at all."

"No? And what about our date? You pack up in the middle of a trip and disappear without a word. And that it won't wait. And it happens that a Spider-man appears nearby on a ship and fights a criminal."

Peter had a threatening thought. But he had to ask MJ. Because otherwise... "Are you with me just because you think I'm Spider-Man?" he asked in a completely strange voice.

Michelle looked at him in disbelief. "What? Do you really think that? No, Peter, of course not."

How relieved he was! He didn't have to deny now. Not if she knew. "Okay. I'm Spider-man."

This time she opened her mouth. "Wait, are you serious? Aren't you kidding? Is it like a stop sign? That's really not funny," she blurted out.

"I am not kidding."

"I was about sixty-seven percent sure."

Peter couldn't hold it and smile. Watching Michelle scattered was new to him. Suddenly he reached for her hand and squeezed it. She looked at him.

"You know, this wasn't what I originally wanted to tell you. I - Michelle..." He swallowed and looked into her eyes. He leaned in slowly. He raised a hand and stroked her cheek gently. A flock of butterflies flew in his stomach and his heart pounded terribly fast and terribly loud. "I'm one hundred percent sure I love you."

Michelle said nothing. Instead, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him. The whole world was spinning with Peter and a dumb smile played on his lips.

Chapter 58: Chapter 57

Chapter Text

"I'm just saying it looked like it was somewhere on a farm," Tony said about one hundred times in the afternoon when he finally parked in front of their house after a long journey. Back in civilization.

"Um, why could bi that? Would it be that it was literally a farm?” Pepper asked in a teasing voice. Yes, it was a farm, but everything was modern. And what she liked most about it was that it was far from the hustle and bustle of the big city. So calm! She couldn't imagine a better place for the wedding, but her fiancé apparently didn't share that view with her.

"We'll talk about that in a moment," he blurted out before getting out of the car quickly and entering the house even faster. Pepper had to laugh at that. When she told him in Blue Hill that Peter was home with Michelle, Tony almost got back in the car. Fortunately, she stopped him. She thought he could take it better than she did, but instead, he began to moan at being too young to be a grandfather.

"Just in time for dinner." She heard Peter from the kitchen as she finally walked in.

"Where's Michelle?" Tony asked as she joined them in the kitchen and began preparing plates. She glanced at where Peter was ordering and had to smile when she realized he had taken their favorites.

"She's long gone," Peter replied, catching nothing more than a common question. "Where have you been for such a long time? I was getting worried."

"On the farm," Tony snorted, finally sitting down at the table.

Peter gave him a confused look. The idea of his dad on the farm was kind of funny. In fact, he couldn't even imagine him on a farm. "We went to see a possible place for the wedding, but given your father's speech, we can strike it out immediately," Pepper explained, then placed plates of food in front of them and sat down in her usual place. "Friday, could you please remove Blue Hill Farm from the list?"

"No!" Peter yelled before Friday could say anything. "What do you mean by that? This was the top place," he said incomprehensibly.

"Are you sure we're talking about the same place?" Tony asked with a raised eyebrow.

His son gave him a look that even Natasha would not be ashamed of. Maybe he spent too much time with her. "I am more than sure. When I did the research and came across it, I knew right away that it was the perfect location. I had Tommy approve it before I showed it to mom. She fell in love with it immediately," he grinned at him.

When he was not a Spider-Man now, he had a lot of free time and decided to use it to help plan their wedding. After all, he was looking forward to this day just as much as the future husband and wife.

"As I said, it's your wedding, too, Tony. And if you don't like the place, we can take it out," Pepper assured him with a smile. She really fell in love with Blue Hill, but they had a few other beautiful places on the list.

Tony paused for a moment. He, too, meant his words. The place didn't matter, especially if everything was according to Pepper's ideas. Plus, the farm wasn't that bad. It wasn't his style, but he could imagine having a wedding there. "I was just teasing you, you know that, don't you? I have nothing against having a wedding there if you wish. It's quiet there and it's quite far from the city, so it might be easier to keep it a secret," he said at last. Plus, he liked the idea that their son had chosen their place for the wedding, but no one else needed to know.

•••

Bruce had been working on research for a few hours when Natasha honored him with her presence. She had to smile at the fact that he didn't notice her at first. He was always like that sometimes and she found it cute, which you wouldn't hear her say out loud.

"You should take a break, Doc," she grinned after watching him working. She just liked to watch him quietly do his job. There was something reassuring about it. In his life, Bruce was quite chaotic, often clumsy, but when he worked, it looked like he had become a completely different person. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was so focused and everything had its order. And Natasha really liked that. She loved both versions of Bruce, but this side of him often aroused something more in her.

"I need to finish this, it'll only be a moment," he informed her, but he didn't lift his head from the papers he was calculating.

The redhead said nothing and just continued to watch him in silence. Inadvertently, with thoughts, she moved back to Russia. She lied in the alley that day. The meeting with Alexi Shostakov was staged, but her feelings were not. She loved him at the time. But it never matched what she felt for Bruce. It never could, because even though she loved Alexi crazy at the time, it wasn't true love. It was mostly just a desire. What she had with Bruce was completely different and it was real.

And when she looked again at the scientist who owned her heart, she had a great urge to prove it. Show him that his place is by her side. And prove to herself that Betty was just his past. That she was his present and future.

She took a few steps over the distance between them, grabbed him by the cheeks, and joined their lips. This time it wasn't a small kiss, not a kiss to show him how she felt about him without having to say it out loud. This was pure desire. Mixed with a drop of despair. He must have known how much she needed him. How much she wanted him. How much she loved him.

"Did something happen?" he exhaled, a little startled as they had to break away due to lack of oxygen. He knew something was going on, he knew her too well for it, but she didn't tell him anything and he didn't want to ask questions.

"Nothing to worry about. I promise," she said with a small smile. "Don't keep me waiting, Doc," she added affectionately, walking away from the lab.

Bruce watched her with a dreamy expression until she disappeared outside the door. Then he turned back to his work. He had great motivation to finish it as soon as possible.

"Friday, what am I looking at?" he asked, confused as he looked at the DNA sample on the hologram.

"At research from Miss Ross."

"Maybe the break would benefit me for a while," he muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes before getting up and following his redhead. For a second he thought he had Peter's DNA on the hologram, and it was a clear sign that he had been overworked.

 

Chapter 59: Chapter 58

Chapter Text

Liz Toomes did not experience the rosiest time of her life. Not only was she unhappily in love with Peter Stark, but she also lost her father, who was sent to prison. Her mother, Doris, walked around the house like a soulless body and still crying. In the end, she decided to move from here to a more distant and quiet city, where they would not be so visible to the public. Liz knew she would only be attending school for a few weeks before she had to move. And that didn't please her too much.

She was returning home from school, wondering if she should write to Peter or not. From the day she invited him to their house, they'd had a minimal conversation during school's breaks, but now that her father was behind bars, she realized that he was deliberately avoiding her so he wouldn't have to talk to her. And Liz didn't understand that at all. She would be lying if she claimed that she naively did not hope that Peter would be more interested in her now. He did meet her father. And a few days had passed since his imprisonment, and he hadn't even written her a stupid message about how she was doing and if she could handle it. And Liz was sad. She thought that at least this shocking tragedy would arouse a little interest in him, he was always so empathetic and kind. But no, he only noticed Michelle. Liz was actually quite envious of her.

She pulled out her phone halfway to the house. She unlocked it and clicked on the message icon. She went down to Peter's name and clicked on it. They didn't write often. Liz took a deep breath and began typing a message as she walked. But whatever she wrote came to her incredibly stupid, childish, and whimpering. She didn't want to beg Peter and act as a fighter. She wanted him to be interested in her himself. She wouldn't mind reuniting. But how do you make it happen so that he eventually proposes the meeting?

Unfortunately, nothing occurred to her at all. She sighed and, to her disappointment, began writing a simple message. Hi, Peter. It occurred to me that we could repeat our meeting, and this time finally with everything and go sit down somewhere. When would you have time? Write me a

This is where the message ended. Without knowing it, Liz had just been shot in the back with a dart soaked in the same serum they had used on Spider-Man a few months ago for limitations of his abilities. Liz collapsed unconscious.

Quentin Beck came out from behind the alley, looked around cautiously, then ran to the other side to the motionless Liz. Everything had to go as quickly as possible and also without the pairs of prying eyes of curious neighbors.

A white van parked by the sidewalk. Richard sat behind the wheel, waving impatiently at Beck, and stepped out so he could open the back door for him.

Quentin laid Liz on a makeshift bed and strapped her in. Liv appealed to them to bring the girl unbroken and in the least damaged condition. Beck grinned before slamming the van door. It was finally starting to take on the right grades.

•••

"Didn't anyone see you?" Liv asked with a growl when they arrived with the helpless Lizzie at the lab and tied her to the table while she was still stunned. Otherwise, she could cause trouble, and of course, none of them wanted to.

Beck snorted and rolled his eyes. "Please, who do you think I am? Of course, no one saw us, I'm thorough and I can sweep the tracks. Just look, so far none of our enemies have figured out that I'm not actually dead," he chuckled amusedly, but at that moment Liv raised her hand to silence him. The girl began to wake up and look around in disorientation. She didn't recognize it here.

"Mom?" she said in a sleepy, slightly dazed voice. Liv smirked and walked confidently closer to her.

"Mommy's not here, girl, and she won't be for a while, so work it out quickly," she told her instead of greeting, and Beck just muffled his laughter. Liz, who was not yet half-conscious, just stared at her blankly. "You'll stay here for a while now, honey, before we decide otherwise. We have a lot of questions for you and we want to know the answers to them. Surely you will soon find out for yourself what is more advantageous for you - whether to try to sabotage everything, or rather not resist and cooperate, so that we can all have it quickly and without worries, and you could go home soon. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"I... I don't know anything. I have no idea what Dad was doing, I can't answer that," Liz told her. And she panicked. She didn't like the woman at all and she had goosebumps. This wasn't good at all. Did they kidnap her? Where? And why?! She folded her arms helplessly and found that she was strapped so tightly that she could barely move. "You can't do this! Let me out of here!" she screamed.

The blonde woman rolled her eyes angrily at her, then gave her a poisonous smile. "I told you something, little girl. Either you work with us or you can say goodbye to your life. It is simple."

"But I don't know anything about Dad's work," she moaned helplessly, tears rolling down her cheeks. Liv looked disgusted and looked away from her.

"We don't need to know anything about your father, we have more than enough information about him and his alien technology," the blond-haired woman grinned. "We're interested in something else. Someone else, respectively. Do you remember Peter Stark's name?"

Liz froze and stared at the woman. "I-I - what do you want to know about him? And why are you interested in him?"

Liv began to walk slowly back and forth along her makeshift bed. "Let's just say we have some reason why we're interested in this guy. Reasons that don't have to bother you at all. So? Will you tell me about him?"

The brunette shook her head helplessly. "I don't know. He's just my classmate. We're not that close-" A sharp slap came in the middle of the word, turning her head to the other side. Lizzie gasped and felt tears sting her eyes. A red handprint shone on her face.

"Don't lie to me," Liv hissed at her and picked up her phone. "What about your messages, eh? A date? He was even at your house! And you want to tell me you're not close?!"

"But we really - how did you get on my phone?" Liz sobbed, beginning to get really scared.

"Please, such simplicity. A child could do that," she snorted and leaned over her, frowning, grabbing her jaw. "I'm listening, Liz Toomes. What can you tell me about Peter Stark? And I advise you; hurry up. I will not be patient forever. And you certainly don't want anything ugly to happen to you and your loved ones."

Chapter 60: Chapter 59

Chapter Text

Peter was sitting with MJ on a bench in front of the school, while he was watching the students cheerfully leave the school grounds while the girl next to him read a book. Ned had to go home, and she offered to keep him company before anyone came for him.

"Don't you find it weird that Liz isn't at school the second day?" he muttered suddenly, still staring at their classmates.

Michelle was a little taken aback by his question, well enough to even tore her eyes away from the book and giving him an inquisitive look. Of course, she noticed that Liz wasn't at school, but she wouldn't have thought Peter would notice. She was observant by nature, so she didn't miss the fact that she wasn't the only one paying attention to Peter. "Maybe she's already moved out," she replied simply.

"Without saying goodbye?" he asked again, this time turning to her. Michelle almost looked away as their eyes met, but she persevered.

"I don't know, I don't know her that well. I had no idea you were such good friends," she said curiously.

"She's my classmate," Peter defended, feeling slightly attacked. "Besides, I feel pretty guilty when it was me who got her dad behind bars."

"You don't have to feel guilty for her dad being a criminal," she explained. She had no idea how it affected Peter. As so, the situation was not ideal, but he could not blame himself because of her father for choosing to go the wrong way.

Peter said nothing after her words. Michelle knew he was carried away by his own thoughts, and there was no point in trying to get his attention. She, therefore, returned to reading. But she didn't even make it to the bottom of the page when Peter spoke again.

"I'm helping parents with wedding preparations, and well, Mom wants to take care of it herself, and I may have mentioned to her how nicely you draw. She wonders if you would like to try to design their wedding invitation. She would like something natural," he said nervously.

MJ stared at him for a moment without blinking. Did Pepper Potts want her to design a wedding invitation? It must have been a wonderful dream and a nightmare together. "I could try, but there are far more professional people," she said neutrally as if it wasn't much. Whatever. Such a normal Tuesday.

"Seriously? That is great! I'll tell her," Peter grinned, but his smile didn't last too long. His sixth sense awoke. So he looked around quickly and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a red-haired woman a short distance away. He had no idea why his sixth sense was trying to warn him of Nat, but he was glad it was no danger.

"Do you want to meet Nat?" he asked Michelle, who now looked quite not herself.

"I'd love to, but we'd better leave it for another day," she muttered as she put the book in her backpack. She hasn't even absorbed the fact that Pepper Potts wants her wedding announcement to be designed by her yet, and now she should talk to one of the most amazing women in the world? That would definitely not work, she would embarrass herself.

"Okay," Peter laughed, finding it cute that for once MJ was a nerd and not him. He gave her a quick kiss before jumping to her feet. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said goodbye to her and ran after Natasha so she wouldn't have to wait long.

"Is everything all right?" he asked as soon as he stopped by her. He noticed that she was tense, and his sixth sense didn't want to shut up. It didn't seem like a coincidence.

"Of course," she smiled. "Let's go home," she urged.

He soon realized that something was really wrong. His senses warned him more and more than to weaken, and Natasha didn't say a word all the time. Which was weird, because they always talked, even if they had to talk about the slightest nonsense.

"Someone's watching us, aren't they?" he whispered almost inaudibly if there was a chance that someone was eavesdropping on them, which was unlikely, but one never knew.

"I am not sure. I thought I was just paranoid, but if you think so, my guess was obviously correct," she informed him in a firm voice.

But she didn't tell him more. And Peter didn't tell her they might be in bigger danger than they might think. And then when the tingling on his body was almost unbearable, he knew he had to do something. That she must protect Nat because the warning didn't appear until she appeared. He grabbed her arm and quickly pulled her to the side, then managed to take her place when he felt a sharp sting on his neck.

"What the hell was that?" she exclaimed in surprise. "Peter?"

He thought for a second that he would lie, but Natasha would still have looked at his lie. And he promised his parents that he would get better. "Before you start panicking, I'm fine," he croaked, making it only more confused. But before she could say anything else, he pulled a dart from his neck.

"Okay, I won't panic, but we need to go home now and find out what it was," she said rather calmly, taking the arrow from him.

"I think my metabolism absorbed, whatever it was. We both know it wasn't meant for me," he pointed out as they got into the cab. Nat didn't say anything to him, and although he was used to it, he had such a hunch that it was different this time.

Natasha said nothing again. She prayed that Peter would be really fine. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him because of her. Fortunately, it only took a moment home, thanks to the fact that they had already walked some distance before.

"We'll keep it to ourselves, for now, okay?" she told him more than she had asked as they entered.

"So should I lie?"

"You act like it's a problem," Natasha snorted, following him into the workshop. Unfortunately, he had more experience in this than she did.

"We'll let Friday analyze it. It should be a moment," he informed her. "In the meantime, maybe you could tell me what's going on."

She must have smirked at his words. "You know I won't tell you. It's none of your business."

"I could help!"

"It's clear to me that you want to, but I have everything under control. Plus, no Spider-man, remember?” she reminded him. She certainly didn't want to support him. She thought it was a good thing he was done with it, at least indefinitely.

"There are other ways to help. For example here in the workshop," he muttered under his nose.

"I have results, Peter," Friday said, freeing Natasha a little. Peter was already involved in this more than she would have liked.

"Great, so share with us."

"According to my tests, it's a serum of truth," she told them information that neither of them knew what to do at first.

"What is this nonsense? Why would anyone give you a serum of truth?” Peter didn't understand, but it was starting all to come together for the redhead. She still didn't know who it might be, but she already understood what the goal was.

"Someone who wants my past to the surface," she replied, almost without emotion, and left without another word.

•••

Betty attached a card that did not belong to her to the reader and then typed in an eight-digit code, which of course was her date of birth. Her father made it all too easy for her. A green light came on so she could slip inside. Nothing complicated, after all, she did the same yesterday, but she took one small bottle from here. She was convinced that would be enough for her. Unfortunately, she was wrong, so today she preferred to take the whole briefcase of those bottles.

She'll get the truth out of her eventually. She makes sure it's Natasha herself, who shows her surroundings who she really is.

Chapter 61: Chapter 60

Chapter Text

It was already evening and all the inhabitants of the Stark mansion were already at home. Natasha snuck out of her and Bruce's bedroom as a real spy while the scientist took a shower. She had to go inconspicuously check Peter to see if he was okay, though she watched him closely at dinner and didn't find that he had any side effects. Still, her conscience bothered her a little. They could be glad it was just a serum of truth, not anything worse. For example, a deadly poison that Peter would get instead of her. You would never forgive yourself. She would never be able to look Pepper and Tony in the face if Peter died because of her. She couldn't even look at her reflection in the mirror. That would be her biggest failure.

She heard some voices from Peter's room. She frowned. It wasn't Pepper, the voice was too deep for that. Bruce was in the shower, so only Tony remained. But he was in the workshop, and she would recognize his voice anywhere. So it had to be-

"We meet again, Agent Romanov." Of course, it was Loki, and his typical mocking grin was on his face. Natasha wasn't sure if she was glad to see him or not. She didn't want to get more people involved in this situation. It was enough that Peter knew about it. She didn't need it to spread. She has to solve this on her own. On the other hand, Loki might seem like a good ally. And one look at Peter was enough to convict her that he already told him what had happened this afternoon.

"You probably already know, am I right?" she asked him directly, closing the door carefully behind her. With the closed doors, there was less risk of anyone hearing them. Three people were too many. As they say, secrets will only be kept by two if one of them was dead. Natasha must have smirked. That was accurate.

"Yes, I know. I've offered you my services once before. Sure, I wouldn't normally do that, but I'm really bored here," Loki snorted, folding his arms across his chest.

"I wonder what you did on Asgard. Dating girls? Hardly. Thor once told me that you were stuck in your room most of the time, reading and improving your magic to impress your mother," Natasha told him, studying his face carefully. It was clear to her that she had struck Loki's sensitive spot, but he didn't move a single facial muscle.

"You don't have to hide what you really feel from us," Peter told him softly, and Loki slowly shifted his gaze to him.

And then he smiled.

"You're really the same as your mother," he replied in a voice full of emotions they had never heard before. He himself was probably embarrassed. Natasha knew how uncomfortable it was for one to speak about their emotions, so she decided not to bother him anymore and turned her attention to Peter.

"So how do you feel? Are you all right?” she asked him carefully, examining him.

"I'm fine," Peter replied truthfully. "I'm more bothered by the idea of who might be behind this. Don't you have any idea?"

Natasha shook her head, though she had some tips. But these were mere assumptions. Plus, as she told him, she wanted to work it out on her own. Or maybe with Loki's help. He certainly wouldn't mind playing with his beloved knives after a long time.

Suddenly she felt a chill. As if Black Widow had woken up in her again. A ruthless, murderous monster. She wanted to protect her loved ones, but did that apologize her for the murder? Nat was afraid that not.

"You know, something occurred to me. All of this may have something common. Toomes' imprisonment. Liz may have disappeared. Someone goes after you. And if anyone follows you, they'll come after us, too," Peter said, glancing between Natasha and Loki. The two listened intently. "It must be revenge. Which may be related to your past. I wouldn't be surprised if Toomes had other allies we deprived of their business."

Natasha was actually a little surprised at how clever Peter was. This sounded believable. Like something that could really happen. Nat was convinced that Betty would be more involved than Toomes in this. She wants to settle accounts with her. She wants Bruce for herself, and she's her obstacle. But she couldn't tell if Betty was alone or if she had other people around her. Of course, it was also possible that she could also work with Vulture. Damn it, there were so many options, and Nat was blind. And she hated it.

"Okay, I really don't like this. You're right, Peter, and I don't like it at all. Someone is after us. And I'm afraid this was just a weak start. That the next step will be worse," she added grimly. "I don't want to threaten you. I know they want to settle accounts with me, and you're just in their view-finder. And one of my weaknesses."

"What do you want to do?" Peter asked cautiously.

"I'll get rid of them as soon as possible. The problem is I'm not sure where to start. Where to throw the nets. There may only be one person in it, but I'm starting to doubt a little. I'll need your help," she turned to Loki, who nodded immediately. "We'll do it together, and no one needs to know about it. I know you will be thorough, and you will not hesitate for a moment. And don't want to hear any objections, Peter," she turned to him when she saw him inhale. "We've already talked about it. First, you've got your suit confiscated. Second, I'm not going to do anything with you behind your parent's back. Third, this is damn dangerous and I'm not going to risk your life. You're still too young."

"And you will risk your life?! Nat, this is crazy, you can't do it alone," Peter snapped.

Natasha shook her head. "It's my life, I can do whatever I want with it. Trust me, it'll be better if only two of us go. At least we won't get so many people involved and we won't be so conspicuous."

Peter looked at her with fear in his eyes. "Nat, I feel bad about it. This can't turn out well, especially when we even don't know who are we facing. We have to tell someone. Bruce, Dad. They will help us."

"No, Peter," she said a little harder than she intended. "You won't say a word to anyone. And certainly not Tony or Bruce. This is my struggle, Pete, I have to deal with it myself. I'm not worried about Loki, I know he can handle it. But this is up to me, you understand? I have to do it myself and I don't care what it costs me. Whatever it takes."

She had no idea that at that moment her beloved Bruce was standing outside the door, hearing all her words.

Chapter 62: Chapter 61

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Bruce wasn't thrilled with what he heard. He was far from it. Actually, it was quite the opposite. He couldn't tell what exactly he was going through, but it must have been sadness and frustration. And probably a little disappointment. They promised to communicate with each other. That this is the only way their relationship will be able to work.

He hadn't stood in that hallway for too long. He didn't want to risk his luck. He didn't want to be exposed. He knew he would definitely not fall asleep now, so he went straight to the workshop, where he could dive into work. After all, he should finish work for Betty and what to waste time trying to fall asleep when he can do research. Plus, he felt he was close.

"Friday, please show me my research," he muttered as he sat down. At first, he was surprised when his things remained exactly as he had left them before the whole Ultron fiasco. Peter told him that Tony had been quite picky about his stuff during his absence. He did not allow anyone to work at his desk or move with anything. He believed that he would return one day and appealed that no one would forget that he liked his things as he left them. And Bruce's was touched by that. They were always close with Tony. He was like a brother to him.

His thoughts have returned to the present, apparently, his thoughts are more volatile than usual. He moved his glasses closer to the root of his nose and looked at the hologram in front of him. Now, at first glance, he could tell almost every difference between Peter's DNA and the sample he had in front of his eyes. Which stopped him a little. He shouldn't recognize it so quickly. So if someone didn't try to do the same… But that wasn't possible. He was sure of that. He knew Betty. And yes, she worked for her father now, but that didn't mean anything yet. On the other hand, he thought he knew Natasha too, and she kept hiding a lot from him.

And as soon as he thought of the redhead, she appeared at the door of the workshop. Natasha was surprised when she returned to their room and did not find Bruce in bed with a book in his hand, like any other day. It was clear to her that he was working, but before she went to see Peter, he could barely keep his eyes open, so why would he decide to go to the workshop? Something didn't seem right.

"I thought you were going to bed today," she said quietly. In fact, she, too, was looking forward to sleep today, but she wanted to snuggle up to her boyfriend and not lie in bed alone. It felt cold and brought the memories she hated.

Bruce didn't answer for a moment. He had to control himself enough not to snapped at her something he didn't want. "I have a work," he muttered under his nose. He wished she had left him alone. He wasn't in the mood to discuss it with her now, but he knew that if she stayed, it would turn out that way.

"That would probably wait until morning. I know you don't like to leave things unfinished, and I understand that. Seriously, I do, but let's go to sleep, Doctor," she said, trying not to sound too desperate. Today, his company would really suit her. It was a difficult day.

"You'd better go without me." Natasha's heart pounded a little when he didn't look at her. Something was wrong. And she'll get out of him.

"What happened? You know you can tell me anything,” she asked, moving closer to him.

But for Bruce, it was the last straw. He tossed his glasses angrily on the table and finally gave her a look. "That coming rich from you," he snorted. He was so upset.

"What does that mean?" she asked incomprehensibly, feeling her begin to withdraw into a defensive position. She didn't like the look he was giving her.

"You know very well what that means, Natasha," he snapped, then looked away. "Will you ever start telling me the truth, or will you just lie to me?"

The redhead blinked a few times so she could absorb his words. This wasn't her Bruce. Maybe Betty gave him something too. "I don't know what you're talking about, but what if we calmed down a little, okay?"

"You don't have to worry about the Hulk, I have it under control. Is it really that hard for you to tell the truth?”

"I am not talking about my past. With no one," she said emphatically, automatically assuming it was about that. After all, in recent days, it was just her past and nothing else.

"This is not about your past! I don't care. We all have one. But what about our future? Do we have one at all, or was it just a stupid dream?” he breathed defeated. He was still angry, but he didn't enjoy arguing. It reminded him too much of home. And that wasn't something he wanted to remember. In addition, he had to start taming if he wanted to mean seriously that he had the greenie in control.

"Why do you say that?" she blurted out a little coldly, though her body was completely engulfed in panic and fear. But her defenses were immediately alert, and instead of expressing her true feelings, she turned into the coldest piece of ice.

"Because someone is after you and you keep it to yourself. The question is why? We have to be together for everything, don't we?”

Natasha would never have thought of how mere words would affect her. He knew it. He knew it. That was the only thing running through her head. What if he knew about her past, too? He was about to leave her. It was clear. He must have wanted to trade her for the amazing Betty. The murder didn't sound so bad after all. It won't be hard to find her. Oh, so many ways she could kill her. So many ways of torture. Maybe she could pay her a visit today. She sneaks quietly into her house while she sleeps. She stuns her with one blow to the head and takes her to a place where no one can find them. And then she'll finally be able to get into the game. How she loved those games! All those pleas to let them go were delicious music for her ears. She played so much with some that they even begged her to kill them.

The redhead took a deep breath and blinked a few times to orient herself. And she was extremely relieved to find that she was still in the workshop and not somewhere in an abandoned barracks with the dead Betty. She couldn't do that. It wasn't her. Not really.

"I think I'll sleep in another guest room today," he informed her when she didn't answer his question and left before it could turn into an even bigger quarrel.

And Natasha was still standing in the workshop for a long time, in exactly the same place. She was horrified at what she thought for a second. It would be so easy. Get rid of her. Get rid of everyone who made a problem for her and her family. But she couldn't. Not anymore. She buried all this in Russia together with Alexi. And that's where it must remain buried. Forever.

Notes:

We had a little preview of Black Widow and I promise you that you will get more of her in the next chapters. Can Natasha control herself, or will something happen to Betty? What do you think and what would you like to see? Let us know. 🔥

Chapter 63: Chapter 62

Chapter Text

Liz Toomes had no idea how long she had been trapped in that crazy woman's lab. She felt like a guinea pig. Every day, they injected various substances into her muscles and veins, after which she felt incredibly weak and sleepy. They probably wanted to make sure she didn't run away. But how could she, a weak girl like her? When she thought about it, when she felt the awful helplessness pass through her, she wasn't far from crying.

"You poor thing, you wouldn't cry, would you?" came the hated voice that always, when she heard it - and that it had haunted her in her dreams for all the time she had spent here - aroused an unpleasant tingling along the spine. Liz tensed, her sweat dripping and her heartbeat quickening.

"Let me out of here. Please. I don't know anything," she whispered helplessly, feeling tears streaming down her cheeks. She suddenly felt a hot burning everywhere a blonde woman touched or hit her. As if even her injured body had reacted in advance to her presence and aroused pain in her, even though she had not yet touched her. Not yet. Oh, God.

"No, darling. No, I'm afraid that would not work," the woman shook her head and sighed seemingly sadly. She stepped to her head and scanned her tired face. She had a few scars on her face, an ugly bruise, and dark circles under her eyes. They did not allow her to sleep for long. Several volunteers remained in the laboratory overnight, or some took night shifts, Liv gave them complete freedom in this. She herself was more of a night owl. Thanks to that, at least she was sure that Liz would be supervised even during her absence. Yes, sometimes they let her fall asleep - Liv knew very well that the girl would feel much worse and much more tired when she woke her up brutally after that poor and short sleep. She was even weaker hour by hour, partly because they introduced various substances into her body. That didn't do much well to her either, and the fact that she had to lie still for days must have been incredibly beating. Well, Liv didn't envy her.

"What can you say to me today?" she asked her after checking her computer for her current physical condition and body function. Then she sat down in a chair next to her, crossed her legs, and put on a curious expression. "Lizzie," she patted a little unhappily as the girl was still silent, her teary eyes fixed on the white ceiling, where the bright light shone. "If it goes on like this... I don't know. You've been here for a few days, I'm giving you one more chance, otherwise, I'll finally make you talk in a way you don't like. And neither of us want that, do we? Come on, Lizzie, be a good girl," she licked at her like a cat. "If you're good, maybe I'll let you out. For a moment. And I'll take you on the tour. Do you know that your dad used to work here sometimes? Come on, you want him to be proud of you. But you have to work with me. You know, girl, you have a role to play in this story, maybe a key one, and you don't even know it," Liv said contentedly, leaning back in her chair.  "We're both connected by our dear friend Peter Stark. Will you tell me about him?"

"I want to go. Take me to my dad," Liz whispered, already preparing for the worst. She knew how cruel Liv could be. After all, she had experienced it firsthand.

"Don't worry, you'll definitely meet Dad soon. But as I said, you have a role to play in this story. And we still have to wait until we get to it. Be a little patient, Lizzie. And then freedom may come."

•••

Even though it was a deep night and darkness had fallen on New York, Natasha was standing on the balcony, leaning against the railing, squinting at the sky. She held a lighted cigarette in her hand, thin spirals of smoke rising from the end. She held a glass of vodka in her other hand. Real Russian vodka. Return to the roots. Natasha smirked and drank. A bitter and slightly burning taste filled her mouth. And the feeling of bitter reality.

"Bad dreams?"

Natasha closed her eyes and drank once more. Then she turned to the man, who was standing a few steps away from her, looking down at her with a sly smile. For a moment she was afraid she might see Alexi again. To her relief, however, it was only Loki who had appeared suspiciously often lately. Maybe he wanted to keep an eye on them. Nat grinned at that. Loki- hardly. Rather, he came to make fun of them as they lost their petty fights in which they were fighting at the mainline in their daily lives.

"Maybe," Natasha said vaguely, sniffing her cigarette. "Bruce avoids me, and it's my fault. Because I can't function normally. Because I'm a monster."

"You're not a monster."

"Please don't comfort me. I know who I am. There were never any monsters under my bed because they were inside my head. Yeah, they're there and eat me from the inside until I turn into one." She drank again and grinned bitterly. "And they are doing great. I'm Black Widow, and that will never change. I thought so. That it would be different with Bruce, that I would just be able to separate the two lives and not allow one to interfere with the other. But I can't. All I can do is kill, and Black Widow has been longing for it in recent days."

Loki watched her, somehow not knowing what to say. Because he knew so intimately the feelings that weighed on Natasha. He experienced them himself as he fought with himself. Between those two faces - between Loki, the Prince of Asgard, and Loki, the son of the Frost Giants. He fought them until he realized it was in vain. Because he was both.

"You know, all you have to learn is to accept it. Realize that both are part of you. That you won't get rid of it, that it won't change. That this is you. Just as Stark is Stark and Iron Man, you Romanov, are Black Widow and Natasha. You just have to find the balance. Arrange it so that you can reincarnate in Black Widow at any time, but at the same time not allow it to interfere with your everyday life. You have to learn to live in harmony with both faces."

Natasha watched him silently. And then she gave him a small, a little sad smile. "You're right. I just... I don't know how if I can. How I suppress Black Widow. I suffocate such anger..."

Loki looked into her eyes. "Then let it out."

She turned pale. "I can't. You don't know - you don't know what's on my mind. What I wish to do. If I let it out, if I just relaxed a little bit of that vigilance... something terrible would happen. I... have such a... desire... to kill..." she whispered barely audibly, bowing her gaze to the trembling hands. The cigarette burned slowly, and the teary Natasha drank the rest of the ugly slurry, which tasted as bitter as life itself.

 

Chapter 64: Chapter 63

Chapter Text

Natasha was on the edge. Bruce was still sleeping in another guest room, avoiding her. And she was lost. It was getting harder and harder for her to keep Black Widow where she was supposed to be hidden. Especially now when she was standing in one of the streets of New York, watching her beloved Bruce and the woman who must have been the famous Betty sitting in a cafe across the street. A smile adorned their faces all the time, and the redhead felt heavy on her chest. She wanted to stop this feeling. Destroy it along with the brown-haired girl. Then she could pretend none of it happened. That Bruce and she were still doing just great.

For the last few days, she had been locked in a room most of the time. She was too busy fighting with herself. Too busy to think about life. About what she should do. About what she did. In the end, she concluded that Fury wasn't quite right. She was surprised that Loki did. Just as she had to learn to accept her other self, she had to accept her past. Because she could try to heal the wounds of the past, but the truth was that she would never be able to get rid of some of the scars. She would have to learn to live with them. Accept them. But she didn't know if she was capable of such a thing. In fact, she had been consciously looking for someone to forgive her. She was looking for someone to wash away her past and allow her to start over. Maybe that's why she became Fury's agent. That's probably why she joined the Avengers. That's why she became part of the Stark family. It was a beautiful dream that never lasted too long. She suppressed a blood-drawing monster for too long. At the moment, she was a ticking bomb. Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Tick Tock.

Bruce was the first to leave the cafe, which suited her. It would be better if he was far from here if a countdown happened and she did something ugly. She already had to fix it with him, but she could only do it after having a little chat with the woman who had ruined her chance at a normal life. Elizabeth left after a while, and Natasha didn't hesitate for a second before she went after her. She didn't try to hide her attempt at following. It didn't matter that Betty was winning so far, because Natasha always won in the end. The brunette didn't think so at the moment, so Russian knew she would make the mistake and lead them to a deserted alley, where she would want to laugh in her face. She's too confident, which is her biggest weakness right now. Confidence never saved anyone. Not from Natasha.

The redhead did not suppress a triumphant smirk when her rival really turned into a doubtfully-looking alley and was still so stupid that she stopped at another corner where she could easily kill her and no one would notice. But she didn't plan that. It was too easy and she wouldn't enjoy it.

"You're a lousy spy for someone who's supposed to be so dangerous," Elizabeth chuckled as she finally stopped and turned to face her.

Natasha's face didn't change, but she must have smirked internally. Certainty was so obvious on her face that even a person who had never learned to read in people would probably see it. She had seen a few such expressions. Mostly just before she erased the certainty from their faces and trapped them. "I think you've been testing me for the last month. But do you know with who you started it?” she asked coldly. As cold as it used to be in the winter in her homeland.

"I admit that I had doubts at first, but then I found out who you really are. You look like an ice queen, even right now. You get the impression that you're going to kill me with just a wave of your hand, but you're like everyone else. You are weak, you can only hide it better from your surroundings," she replied contemptuously.

Her words did nothing to the former Soviet agent. She heard much worse. "You're right about one thing," she said calmly, raising her right hand and rolled up her sleeve. "Do you see this? When I was still in Russia, it was my favorite toy. When this hits you, it can stun you. If I change the settings, you can become paralyzed temporarily or even permanently after electric shocks. If I am not careful and I set the highest current there, you will die immediately. So yes, I can kill you with just a wave of my hand," she told her. She used the last option only in an emergency because Widow was never a fan of easy killing. That in itself was very boring. The funniest part has always been the process.

"But you won't do any of that, because then Bruce would find out who you really are. He'd find out you are just an ordinary killer," she said quite confidently, but the redhead felt a small fear in her voice. However, she managed to hit her sensitive spot. And when she was shaken again for a second by the fear that Bruce would find out what she had done in the past, Black Widow slipped out for a moment.

The first option; she could have killed her with the electric shock, but where was the fun? The woman in front of her did not threaten her. She could still have a lot of time with her.

Second option; she simply stuns her and hides her in one of the abandoned houses far away. At first, she doesn't tie her up so she would have little hope of escaping when she wakes up. And when she's at the door, happy to have escaped, she shoots a dart soaked in flunitrazepan in her neck. Then the real fun will begin.

"Are you listening to me? You're nothing more than an ordinary killer!” Betty shouted, a little frightened by Natasha saying nothing. She was inventing option number three, but due to the brown hair's piping voice, she hadn't gotten to it. And she was actually happy for that because she could push Widow back into the corner. Back to where she belongs.

"Listen to me very well, because this is the only time you will hear it. Leave Bruce alone, you understand? Because if you don't stop getting in my way, you'll find out who I really am. And then you'll wish I was just an ordinary killer. You'll be begging me to kill you,” she muttered menacingly before she turned on her heel and was gone before Betty could say anything.

Natasha wanted to do it right, but she didn't know what that meant. She was in a hopeless situation because, unlike Tony, Bruce didn't know what his ex-girlfriend was capable of. Which meant he wouldn't believe her, and she couldn't get her out of the way, because when Bruce found out, it would be the end of them. And she couldn't allow that. She had to do it so that her clumsy scientist would remain hers.

 

Chapter 65: Chapter 64

Chapter Text

Quentin Beck stood in the hallway in front of the wide glass, staring at the lab, hastily adapted to the purpose it was intended to serve. In the center of the room was a table with a dark-haired girl strapped to it. She was in a terrible state. Even in the distance, he could see she was trembling. How her eyelids were falling exhausted. She was thin and impoverished, and it was their fault.

"I hope you don't feel sorry for her, Quentin," a cold female voice came from behind him, followed by a clatter of heels from the walls. Beck frowned slightly, a deep wrinkle between his eyebrows, and folded his hands across his chest. He didn't answer her until she appeared at his side and looked in the same direction as him.

"I'm just wondering how huge a deliverance it would be for her if her body just gives up. And it would all be over," he replied, cleverly avoiding her question. Liv smirked and scanned their captive.

"You're right, for her, it would certainly be liberation. But for us, that would mean the loss of one of our important aces in our sleeve. And I must admit that I would be very sorry for her loss. It's not time to say goodbye to her, not yet. But I feel it will be soon," Liv replied in a firm voice, turning to Quentin, who didn't raise an eyebrow. "Time is running out and our moment is coming. It's really only a matter of days. We have to be careful. I believe that we are now as well prepared as we can be."

"It's weird to know our time is coming, isn't it? That the triumph, the victory, is finally within reach. After such a long time. After months of planning and various concessions in Ross's favor, just to keep the suspicion low. Finally, after that first fiasco, it's going to change now." Beck clenched his fists and imagined Peter's expression when he realized he had survived. That it was all a lie. And he would bring his revenge to an end.

Nightmares come to life.

"Keep calm. This time it has to work. We will not allow us to be tricked again. So far, they had been lucky. So far, they have always escaped. But that will change now because we have a lot, a lot more on our side. In fact, they have no chance," Liv said confidently, glancing at her wristwatch. "Time's up, I don't have to stand here all day talking to you. I have to talk to our little Lizzie again. What about Hammer, how is he?"

"There were minor complications, he lacked certain components and he also had outdated equipment. But it has already been resolved and it is said that it is approaching the finals with it," he informed her in a growling voice.

Liv nodded contentedly and tucked her blond hair behind her ears. "Good. If he gets close to the finals, he'll probably make it just like that. But it doesn't matter, he has enough experience and I believe that everything will work like clockwork. Now things are turning in our favor, and it will stay that way."

Beck grinned. "Enjoy the torture," he said sourly, and she snorted.

"That goes without the question," she replied darkly, slipping into the lab. Beck watched as she came to the chained and frightened Liz, and watched her for a moment with some sick fascination before turning away.

•••

"I'm looking forward to not being grounded and being able to function normally. And we'll go out together again," Peter said as MJ accompanied him home from school. This afternoon they planned to go to Stark's house, do homework together and then watch a movie. In recent days, it has been almost a routine for them

"Hmm, I'll hope you don't disappear like a Spider-man again," MJ teased him kindly, poking him with her elbow between his ribs. Peter sighed, knowing that this would never be forgotten and he would have it on his plate for a long time. But now he laughed at that too.

"I promise not to," he replied with a serious face, taking her hand somewhat uncertainly. After all, none of them were built on any major expressions of love, and certainly not in public, especially when they were practically at the beginning of the relationship.

But Michelle smiled and squeezed his hand. "You can't promise something like that. What if the world needs you?"

Just at that moment, as if calculated for exactly a second, Peter froze at the nape of his neck and his hair stood in an alert. He knew something was up. He sensed it. He squeezed MJ's hand a little tighter and the girl knew something was wrong. She looked around, a little startled, though she knew she wouldn't come up with anything, she wouldn't see anything.

"Something's going on," Peter breathed. "MJ, we have to go," he said in a determined voice, wanting to go in a different direction. But Michelle stood still, staring ahead. "Michelle, we have to--"

"Peter, look. That's - that's Liz's mom," MJ muttered, her narrowed eyes looking at the dark-haired woman who was staggering a few steps in front of them. Her shoulders were shaking and a pitiful howl was coming from her mouth. "Mrs. Toomes!" Michelle called to her. She often saw Liz's mother in front of the school as she picked up her daughter.

"Who-are you-you?" she asked between sobs, staring at them in a frightened and distrustful look as they approached. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes red and her mascara smeared on her cheeks. "Le-let me b-be…"

"Mrs. Toomes, we are classmates of your daughter Liz. We know her, we go to class with her. I'm Peter Stark, do you remember me?" Peter asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She winced. "Mrs. Toomes, what happened?"

But instead of answering, Liz's mother cried even louder. Michelle pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to her. She had no idea how to comfort her. "Don't you want to go sit somewhere? Do we have to accompany you?"

Mrs. Toomes shook her head and gave them a desperate look. "Liz... m-my girl... my beloved little girl... she... she... is gone," she said with difficulty between sobs and put her face in her hands. Peter and Michelle froze and exchanged a frightened look.

"Mrs. Toomes, did you report it to the police?" Peter asked in a completely strange voice, and she nodded. He had to hope she did, and that they were looking for Liz.

"She must be all right, Mrs. Toomes..."

"I-I don't-I don't know what I-should-do. She- she just-disappeared-disappeared..."

Peter felt an unpleasant premonition.

Chapter 66: Chapter 65

Chapter Text

Bruce was standing in front of the door of their room, now more of hers. He was beginning to feel like it was getting out of hand. He would rather pack and go somewhere in Africa. He believed that only then did he really help people. He believed there was his place. But he had certain commitments that kept him here. He couldn't just disappear again.

He knocked quickly on the door and entered without prompting. He had to act from second to second before he lost the courage he needed. He didn't really want to talk to the redhead because he didn't know what they were at the moment. And the truth really terrified him. It terrified him that it could be their end. But after talking to Betty, he had to talk to her.

"Did you talk to Betty?" he blurted out his question as soon as he saw her.

Natasha sat on the floor with papers about Mary and Quentin spread out around her. She didn't know what to do with Betty yet, so she had to focus on their next problem. She had to see if it was possible for Beck to still be alive. But when Bruce burst in and asked her the question that she was probably supposed to expect, she had to turn aside for a moment and grin. It was a good move, she had to let that to her. "Yes," she replied simply when she finally looked at him. There was no point in denying it. Betty had already told him anyway. Natasha was sure she had pictured her in the worst light. Maybe she should have done her at least one tiny little injury.

Brown-haired scientist paused. He hopefully expected she would deny it. That she would tell him that nothing like that happened. "Did you really tell her all those terrible things?" he breathed in surprise. He knew her. He knew how sharp she could be, but he wouldn't have thought she was threatening Betty. Why would she do that? Did he ever give her a reason to do so? He loved her so much that he felt as if it wasn't too much. But when he listened to Tony talk about Pepper, he found out that love was like that. He hadn't known what to think for the past few days. There was an increasing feeling that Natasha didn't really love him, and she finally found out she had made a mistake. And she doesn't want to tell him in the eye, so she does everything to create a gap between them that will never be filled again.

"I don't know what lies she told you. I talked to her just the same way she talked to me. She wants to break us, but you don't see it," she said honestly. After all, there was nothing left now.

Bruce was about to oppose but remembered how he had found a similarity between her project and Peter's DNA. Betty, whom he knew, wouldn't do that. He probably didn't know the brunette anymore, and if she really worked on modified DNA to create an army for her father, maybe Natasha was right about that, too. But there were too many uncertainties, and Bruce didn't like them as a scientist.

"Be honest with me at least once, do you want to be with me?" he said. He'll find out what's going on with Betty later. In the end, she wasn't as important as the woman standing in front of him.

The redhead gave him a surprised look. "Of course I want!"

"We said we needed to talk more if we wanted it to work," he reminded her, "Nat, please talk to me."

"This is not your fight, Bruce. Someone started pulling my past on me, okay? It's just me. I'll take care of it," she told him a little more about what was happening. The only thing she could share with him without leaving even bigger scars on their relationship. Well, at least that's what she thought.

"I get it, you're not talking about your past. None of us is,  am I right? Maybe we should start with that," he snorted. He was willing to talk about his own. He was willing to do anything if it saved their common future.

"It won't happen," she said in a firm voice. "I already told you you're not the only monster on the team. You won't know what happened before Fury took me on. No one will know. Bruce, let me take care of this, and then we'll talk, okay? We will solve it," she begged him. She needed to deal with it to keep her head clear.

Bruce suddenly had an unpleasant feeling of déjà-vu. "It never ends, does it? Once you deal with one problem, another comes. It's like you said in Sokovia. It wasn't after the fight then, so instead of running away with me the way you wanted, you pushed me off a cliff!”

"That's not fair," she said heavily. She was surprised that Bruce raised his voice and even more that he had started talking about Sokovia. They never talked about it. She didn't think that was one of the skeletons that hung in their closet.

"You know what's not fair? That you're asking me for a life you're not ready for. For life, you probably even don't want to! I won't be sitting at home waiting for you to return from the mission. So yeah, finish what you have to do, but keep in mind that when you finally want to talk, it might be too late," he yelled at her. He was getting angry and scared at the same time. His fears were beginning to materialize. He knew that not everything he told her was fair, but he could not help it. He felt hurt.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, slightly shaken.

"What I'm saying," he snorted, turning to leave. "I have to go. You're not the only one who has work to do," he muttered, leaving her alone in the room. He had to take a good look at the research and find out what Betty was up to. Then he will have no obligations to stay here and will be able to go somewhere very far. For example, in Fiji, he has not been there yet, and the health care system there will certainly be as bad as in the other countries he visited before the red-haired angel appeared to him in Calcutta.

•••

"So, what do you have for me?" The blonde demanded as she sat down next to the brown-haired man on the bench. She pulled a cigarette from her pocket, placed it between her lips, and lit it.

"She picks him up from school every Tuesday and Thursday," the man said a little reluctantly. For the past two weeks, he had been watching who was picking up Peter at school. He was a little annoyed to find a system in it. He had a weak moment yesterday when he wanted to jump under one of the moving cars, but in the end, he gave up and obediently returned to the blonde. He was so pathetic.

"Very well," she said with a smile as she took a sip from her cigarette, inhaling a dose of nicotine that was beginning to spread throughout her body. She loved it. "Ross is starting to annoy me, we should get rid of him. I'll probably tell Quentin and Hammer," she told him.

"Don't you need him?"

"Not anymore, I'm getting bored. Next Tuesday, I'll let Quentin take care of Potts, and I'll pick up Peter from school. I want to be one step closer to the real fun," she shared her plans.

"Why do you think it should work out when it doesn't work out for her?" Richard asked.

"Do I have to explain everything to you as to a little kid? This all is just a cover. Ross will never get the research, and when Stark breaks into his building with his team, he could talk, so we'll get rid of him. I don't want them to know about me. Not yet. They will think that Ross has been standing behind it, and when they get Peter back, they will not wait any more threats," she laughed venomously. "Slowly start packing labs. I don't want any traces left after us. We will be out at the end of next week."

Chapter 67: Chapter 66

Chapter Text

"So where is our little bat? Didn't he lose a little?" Tony asked as he stepped into the kitchen where Pepper was making coffee and looked at his watch as he wiped his dirty hands on a towel." Shouldn't he be here already?"

"Michelle is invited to us today, so I let them come together. I believe she's watching over him," Pepper replied, but he could still hear that she was a little nervous. It was the first time since the ban that Peter had been let out again, and they were not sure what he would do with the newfound freedom. They both hoped he wouldn't take an advantage of it. Their trust has already suffered a lot, and it is very difficult to get it back.

"Hmm, she's here often, I don't even remember what my son looks anymore," Tony joked, reaching for a glass he'd put water in. "I thought I'd take him to the workshop."

"Aren't you there often in the last few days?" Pepper asked suspiciously, and he hugged her around the waist in a reconciled way. He kissed her on the cheek and smiled at her.

"I guess I'm neglecting you again, aren't I? I'm sorry, darling, I'll fix it, and I won't even go there until the wedding," he swore and pulled her close. Pepper couldn't help but smile amused and put her hands on his chest.

"What about after the wedding?" she teased.

His eyes twinkled mischievously. "Well, I can't promise you that. After all, as the right couple, we will still argue, maybe we will experience the Italian household when we love Italian kitchen so much... I'll have to hide somewhere."

Pepper laughed. "You are incredible. Listening to you like that, it's probably better if I don't marry you."

"You'll break my heart." He smiled and looked at her lovingly as if seeing her for the first time in his life. He stroked her cheeks gently with his knuckles. "It's really like a dream. Despite all this - despite what I used to be and what I am like - you want to marry me and make me the happiest man in the world," he breathed, leaning his forehead against hers. Pepper wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. "I had no one but you. I've been afraid of losing you so many times. That you would leave, like everyone else. But you stayed. And whenever something happened, you came back."

"Tony," she whispered softly, giving him a brief kiss, "I told you then, and I insist on it now. You were and you are all I have. You and Peter are my whole world."

"I'm grateful, Pepper. So much," he told her, then kissed her. She pressed against him, and he stroked her cheeks with his thumbs as he kissed her urgently. Neither of them was for an exaggerated outpouring of emotion, and they both felt such deep love for the other that it was impossible to express in words. Still, Tony thought to himself that he had to say Pepper more often how much he loved her. Without her... oh God. If it weren't for her, who knew how it would turn out. How it would turn out with him and Peter.

"Mom, we're home—" Peter's voice sounded, and the young man immediately peered into the kitchen. When he saw his parents in a close embrace, despite the gloomy mood, he beamed and then turned to MJ.

She gave him a look. "I hope you don't want us to do the same?"

Peter blushed and Tony and Pepper pulled away. Stark nodded at Michelle, and Pepper couldn't hide a wide smile.

"Hi, how have you been? Is everything okay at school? Aren't you hungry?" Pepper began to ask them immediately.

Peter shook his head and squeezed Michelle's hand tightly to pluck up the courage, to remember she was here with him. "Mom, Dad... please sit down. We have to tell you something."

Tony stopped with his glass halfway to his lips, a look of horror on his face. "Is Michelle pregnant? Damn it, Peter, I knew I should have given you a lecture on-"

"For God's sake, no!" Peter shouted quickly, and he and MJ began to blush. Tony breathed aloud and slid back in his chair.

"Don't shock me like that, kiddo," he warned him.

"It's worse," Peter muttered grimly.

"What could be worse than a child when you are only fifteen?"

"Tony!"

"On the way home, we met Liz Toomes' mom. You know. Liz's dad is in jail now. Well... we thought Liz and her mom had moved out. Or at least they planned it. Liz wasn't in school for the last few days, so we thought they were gone. But today we met Liz's mom and she- she told us-"

"She told us Liz was gone," Michelle finished for him. Pepper flashed fear in her face, and Tony looked at her. It was as if there was wordless communication between them.

"I don't like that," Tony muttered. "But unfortunately there's nothing we can do about it. Reporting the disappearance to the police is all we can do in this situation. It's up to them."

"I know, I just... we thought it might be related. With what was happening now—"

"Yes, Peter, but these are only our assumptions. We don't even know where we could start. No, we're not going to get involved in this. I know she's your friend, but it'll be safer if we don't interfere in this and leave it to the police. They'll handle it," Tony reassured them, but he wasn't too sure himself. It would be better if they were on the lookout now...

•••

"Next week, Quentin. You can deal with Potts next week as you want," Liv said as she walked into Beck's office and found him doing nothing. Of course.

"Until next week? That's too long. Can't we hurry it up? I'm bored," he complained.

"I see that," Liv smirked and sat down on the table. "We'll watch them and evaluate the situation carefully. It's just my guess. Maybe the moment will really come sooner. Just be ready. No mistakes this time."

"There will be no Stark to stop me this time," Quentin growled. "And don't worry, I'm always ready. My fingers itch already. Even my dagger almost moves by itself, as long as it has been idle. It reminds me I should clean my gun. I haven't decided yet how I will do it..."

"Then think quickly, you eager, or you will miss your chance."

"Don't worry," he assured her with a smirk, "I wouldn't miss something like that."

Chapter 68: Chapter 67

Chapter Text

The week eventually passed faster than Quentin would have expected. He was now sitting in a stolen Toyota, waiting for a white Audi, which he had made a few adjustments to that day, to come out of Stark Industries' underground garages. It was ridiculously easy to get inside the building. But maybe it was because he used to work there. He admitted that it gave him a certain advantage. He knew exactly how security worked, making it easier for him to slip past cameras and guards.

Potts worked as a watch again, leaving the building at exactly three o'clock so she could pick up Peter at school. Quentin knew that wouldn't happen. At a safe distance, he joined the lane. He just needed to keep an eye on her. He had everything ready, and even though he had chosen one specific place where he wanted to do it, he could do it wherever the situation was good for it. While he waited for Pepper to finish her work, he hacked into the traffic light's server, which meant he had all the traffic lights in New York under his thumb. However, the numbers are so high that he had to narrow the search to their planned route. When that happens, he won't have time to look for one particular traffic light. Switching traffic lights in his favor was only one part of his brilliant plan. During a short visit to the SI, he lightly froze the brake hoses to which he attached a tiny device. He turns it on remotely when the right time comes and the brake hoses at the freezing point burst under the onslaught of the pressure wave caused by the device. He originally wanted to use an electric shock, but Hammer aptly remarked that the brake fluid was oil, so Potts could fly into the air with the car. Quentin didn't like that very much. In this way, there was a small chance that she would survive the accident and he would then be able to finish her in person.

They were approaching his preferred location, so he sped up and parked a little crookedly on the top of the hill, from where he had a good view. With one press of a button, he disarmed the brakes in her car, and with another press, he switched the traffic lights at the intersection below the hill to the green. Then it was just a matter of seconds. A white Audi with Potts inside rushed down to a busy intersection.

Crash.

It was a nasty accident that Beck was almost unhappy about because it was too easy. But it fulfilled its task, so little satisfaction was found. He wrote a quick message to his companion and drove back to the labs. He couldn't wait to meet Peter again and tell him that this time he had let his mother down. That he couldn't save her this time.

•••

Pepper was never a person who would see everything in black right away. After all, she lived with Tony. The love of her life plunged into danger almost daily. Her best friend was in danger almost daily. Eventually, her son began to be in danger almost daily too. Everyone around her was doing it. So she couldn't be a pessimist, because if she were, she could never handle all those lonely nights when she didn't know if Tony would return home.

When the whole fiasco with Killian happened, she was sure this time she would be the one not to return home. When she was in Mary's hands, she also doubted her return. But then it didn't matter if she came home. No, then all that mattered was for Peter to return home, even if that meant she didn't. But in both cases, she had Stark on her side. The two men she loved so much, though they were the love of a different kind. One loving, the other maternal.

At the moment, her car was crashing into a busy intersection at a very high speed, and Pepper knew she would not return home today. It would have to be a miracle to survive this.

So she closed her eyes and thought of the only one who could save her.

In the last seconds of her life, she turned to God.

•••

Loki stood in the dewy grass, enjoying the view of the mountains that surrounded him on all sides. He didn't like it here. It was too cold, and it reminded him of his true origins every day. His last words he so recklessly shouted at his mother. And with the memories of his mother came thoughts of a single person who could awaken in him what until recently only Frigg could.

"Are you here again?" Thor asked a rhetorical question as he joined his brother with a beer in his hand.

Loki gave him an unreadable look. "And where else should I be. It's the only place I like here," he said angrily. He hated how Thor was still watching over him.

"You should be more involved. It's not easy for any of us."

The dark-haired Asgardian was suddenly overcome by an unpleasant feeling that he did not like at all. "Let's face it, nobody really wants me here. It will be better if I spend a minimum of time near them," he muttered almost absently. He wasn't feeling well. It made him a little nervous, to be honest.

Loki.

Suddenly there was a woman's voice in his head. A voice he knew very well. Without hesitation, he left Thor alone in the meadow. All he had to do was focus fully on the woman with the strawberry-blond hair, which didn't bother him because he thought of her more often than he would ever admit to anyone, and he was already sitting next to her in the car, which was relatively fast even for his taste. Pepper sat beside him in the driver's seat, clutching the steering wheel in her hands and her eyelids pressed tightly together. Loki didn't have to think about what to do. He grabbed her arms tightly and disappeared from the car with her just before another fast-moving car crashed into it.

He teleported them to a back alley so that they would not be in front of the curious crowd that had begun to gather at the scene of the accident. But before he could ask what the hell happened, Pepper hugged him tightly. That surprised him. Like yes, he was terribly worried about her, but would they have to hug? He stood motionless for a moment, but when she still wouldn't let him go, he placed his hands uncertainly on her back and patted her soothingly. That's what everyone did, right?

"You saved me," she whispered, calming down a little and finally stopping to hug him. She was beginning to think clearly and realized that Loki would not be the hugging type.

"You don't have to sound so surprised, I told you I'd protect you," Loki snorted. He was in a bit of a bad mood at the moment. He didn't like how many emotions he was feeling. He didn't like emotions. But they always showed up with the woman standing in front of him. As was the case with Frigga. Loki hated this resemblance. On the other hand, he was happy for her. In fact, he couldn't decide if he hated her more or if he had been longing for her all along.

"Thank you," she thanked, about to hug him again, but stopped in time. "I thought I was going to die in that car," she shared her dark thoughts instead.

Thoughts the god of mischief did not want to hear. He'd rather agree with the hug. "I'll take you home to Stark," he said in a firm voice, waiting for her nod of approval before teleporting them out of the dirty alley.

Chapter 69: Chapter 68

Chapter Text

Tony was sitting in the living room, going through the news on the phone, with the TV on, which he didn't pay much attention to. Pepper, who was picking up their son from school today, was supposed to show up with Peter at any moment. The three of them planned to spend the afternoon together, and Tony was already thinking about what they could do today.

"Sir, you should take a look at this," Friday's robotic voice said, making the TV louder without his permission. Tony frowned from the phone display, wondering what might be so important that he should know. At first, he wondered if Peter would reappear in the news as Spider-man. But what he saw was many times worse than anything he could have imagined.

He would recognize Pepper's white Audi anywhere, anytime. His blood froze over and turned to ice in his veins at that moment. He looked at her wrecked car, at the broken glass, the driver's door slammed, from a car coming from the left crashed into it. An ambulance was already on the scene and rescuers were taking care of all the wounded.

Tony's head rumbled. No. No, no, no, this couldn't have happened. He didn't notice the voice of the reporter who informed the audience about the car accident at all, and he was just trying to find the familiar faces of Pepper and Peter among all those people. He didn't see them anywhere. Panic ran through his body like a cold blade of a sharp knife, and he felt how he was slowly losing his breath. No. Pepper and Peter. No. He couldn't lose them. God, this couldn't have happened... it was... it was so absurd…

"Sir, shouldn't I call Dr. Banner?" Friday asked, already scanning all his vital signs.

"No. No, don't call anyone," Tony breathed heavily, placing his hand on his pounding heart. He closed his eyes and focused on breathing regularly. But all he could think about at the moment was Pepper and Peter. If they're fine. How serious their injuries can be. And if they're still- he refused to say it even in his mind. "Friday, can you tell if they've been taken to hospital? And where?"

"I don't know, sir."

"I have to go to them. I have to find them. I need to see them and make sure they're okay..." Tony muttered, clinging to the point like if it was a lighthouse in the dark because he would otherwise collapse. And he couldn't do that now. Not until he had accurate reports of their condition. He had to endure it, he had to be strong, for them, now he couldn't allow anxiety and panic. He had to concentrate. "I'm going to the hospital," he said blankly, to himself rather than to Friday, and struggled to get up from the couch. His legs seemed to be made of jelly, he was shaking and fear was throbbing in his temples. Pepper and Peter. They have to- they have to be okay. Because if not- he will never forgive himself.

"Sir, you can't go anywhere in this state," Friday said. And he knew she was right. How could he drive in such a state? But he needed to go. He had to see them. He started pacing the living room, and he tried to calm down, but paradoxically it was even worse. It was as if the initial shock had passed, and he really began to realize that his loved ones were probably fighting for their lives. He ran his hands over his face and the first desperate sob came from his lips. Not that. That couldn't have happened. Not them. He ran his hands through his hair and pulled in frustration as he barked and moaned loudly, crushing curses between his teeth and wanting to break everything. There was such a huge, horrible pain in his chest. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks, and he kept saying that it couldn't be possible. That it didn't happen.

"Someone has to take me there. I'll tell Bruce or Nat. But- for God's sake, I've lost so much time. I have to- we have to go," he breathed as he calmed down a little, rubbing his reddened eyes, though tears were still streaming from them. But just at that moment, disheveled, untidy, broken as he was about to go in the direction of the guest room, he heard a familiar and beloved voice.

"Tony?! Tony! Are you here?" At first, he thought he was going crazy. That fear had blinded his mind, that he could hear Pepper's voice because that was exactly what he needed to hear now. And when she, pale, stepped into the living room, he froze in place, staring at her like she was a ghost.

"Oh, Tony! God, Tony!" she exhaled, and immediately threw herself tightly around his neck. She, too, cried, and Tony wasn't far from that. It wasn't until he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her against him as if he should never let her go again that he realized it wasn't just a dream. That Pepper is here, alive and well. He squeezed his eyelids together, tears welling in his eyes again, and he thanked God in his mind that Pepper was all right. 

"Where is Peter?" he asked her immediately, realizing that he hadn't even heard his son yet.

"He is still at school. I was just on my way when- when it happened. I do not know why. But suddenly the brakes stopped working and if it weren't for Loki, I might not be here anymore," she whispered in his ear in a shaky voice. Tony opened his eyes and found Loki standing in the doorway, watching them with a strange gleam in his eye.

"For God's sake. I was so worried about you, Pepper. I thought- I was scared- I'm so grateful you're okay," he replied, kissing her hair. Then he released her carefully, as if still afraid it was just a dream he imagined- but when Pepper didn't disappear, he took an uncertain step toward Loki.

The two men looked into each other's faces, and neither could be read. Then Tony held out his hand to Loki. And he accepted her and squeezed her tightly. "You saved my Pepper. And I- I'm sorry, I hurt you. Thank you. I can't tell you how grateful I am. Thank you," he repeated, squeezing his hand. Loki nodded and then smiled slightly. Tony nodded, then turned to Pepper. "We have to go for Peter."

•••

Liv was already waiting in front of the school when her phone beeped and announced that she had received a text message. She clicked on it a little annoyed. I'm going to see Potts, she'll have a little accident in a minute. The blonde woman grinned contentedly. Great. So far, everything is going according to plan. She was ready, in a few minutes Peter would be done and ran out of school. Poor boy. It never occurred to him that this morning was the last time he  had seen Pepper.

Another beep. There was a problem. Potts wasn't there when I got to the car. I go to the lab before the ambulance and the cops show up. It created Liv wrinkles on her face. How could Potts disappear? From the car, she drove herself? That didn't make sense…

But now was not the time to think about how such a thing was possible, because Peter had already left school accompanied by his friends. Liv decided to wait for the students to leave in all directions. She doesn't have to hurry now, Potts won't get here. Although her mysterious disappearance is a bit of a complication... One minute. Three. His girlfriend kissed him goodbye and Liv had to smirk. The poor little boy.

Peter checked the phone several times. He stomped a little impatiently and looked around. Then he tried to call someone, probably Pepper. Nothing. It must have been weird for him, the next moment he slowly walked away.

That was a chance for Liv. She aimed steadfastly, then watched with satisfaction as the dart with the adjusted serum found its target, and Peter fell to the ground the next moment.

 

Chapter 70: Chapter 69

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Honestly, Tony saw it as an unfortunate accident that could happen to anyone at any time. The fact that their cars went through regular inspections meant nothing. They were still mere machines that could break down sometimes. As a mechanic, Tony knew his stuff. So yes, he thought it was an unfortunate accident, but that has changed now. Today was one big nightmare, and right now he was glad that Pepper was shaken by the accident so badly that the idea of her in the car upset her so much that she stayed home. Under Loki's supervision, of course. Tony didn't start believing him by waving a magic wand, but he saved Pepper. And that meant something. However, he was on his way home now, completely refusing to think about what he saw from the school camera footage when he hacked into their network. He refused to admit that someone had kidnapped his son again. First Pepper and now Peter. It looked like a personal vendetta, and he didn't like it at all. Does everyone really hate him that they are not being able to give his family peace for a moment?

He drove very quietly into the garage, from where he entered the workshop, where he found Bruce working on something. He didn't even notice him, and that was a great fit for Tony. He needed to get to Natasha's room unnoticed. He wasn't ready to stand in front of Pepper and tell her that their son was gone. He tried to tell himself that it was really just a nightmare and that he would wake up soon.

"Someone tried to kill Pepper by cutting the brake hoses on her car and Peter's gone," he said to the redhead as he entered her room. He was under a lot of pressure and needed Natasha with him. He needed to know that everything would turn out well. That she already has a miraculous plan. He needed her to take matters into her own hands, as she did when Mary kidnapped Pepper and Peter. He couldn't do it. He couldn't turn off the feeling of fear and helplessness. He tried, but it didn't work.

Natasha looked at him in shock. It took her a few seconds to fully understand the meaning of Tony's words. She jumped to her feet and, frightened, moved closer to him. "Is Pepper okay?" she asked the first question she needed to know the answer to. Feelings of guilt began to appear. Maybe Peter was right. Maybe she really should have told Tony.

"Thank God yes, in this case literally. Loki saved her. Someone must have known she was going for Peter and made sure she didn't get there. They had a clear path to him, Nat. Someone kidnapped my son," he sighed and hung his head down. He wanted to cry. His little boy was gone again. How does he announce this to Pepper who was waiting for him? She hadn't recovered from what had happened to her yet, and he should tell her that their son would not return home today? How could he?

Natasha said nothing. She wondered if it was because of her. If Betty was behind it and this was just her very stupid move. She couldn't know now, but what she knew was that whoever was behind it would suffer. They will beg her for mercy. They will beg her for death. "You should know that Bruce's ex-girlfriend is after me. And there's a chance she's working with Beck, who may not be as dead as we thought," she told him in a firm voice. She hated when she must have been Black Widow, but there were times when her feelings didn't matter. There were times when she had to cut herself off from all those feelings and do her job. Track. Find. And kill.

"What? Are you telling me that until now?” Tony shouted angrily. God, he should have paid more attention to her. But he wanted to give her space. She and Bruce could solve anything that happened between them in peace. He should have known it was a mistake.

"Until now, it did not concern you. Plus, I have no evidence that Beck is alive, it's just Fury's assumption, but if someone kidnaps Peter, the assumption is closer to reality."

"So that's Fury's guess? You're kidding me, right? You went to see Fury, but didn't say anything to me? Does Bruce know about this?” he shouted at her. And he didn't care that his screams would be heard in the living room, where Pepper and Loki were.

"Yeah, I went to see Fury because he has more information than you have. It is a problem? Bruce only knows what he needs to know. Stop pouring your frustration on me here, or I'll punch you and I won't be sorry for it at all," she snapped venomously. She didn't understand why the two of them always had to quarrel when things got tough. "Do you think I wanted any of that? Of course not! I'll find the bastards and have fun with them like they never dreamed of. They will only regret giving them a mere sight, let alone trying to kill them."

Tony paused. Those were strong words, and he had an unpleasant suspicion that she was serious. Sure, he'd like to twist someone's neck himself, but that was never the solution. Not even with Mary, and he thought about it for a really long time. "We have to tell the others. Bruce, Pepper, and Loki. He could help us while he's here," he sighed. The quarrel won't really help them now, though her decision bothered him. He believed that everyone had learned from the past, but still made the same mistakes.

"She can't make it," she whispered. If she didn't have Black Widow, she would have trouble handling it herself. Peter can be anywhere and they don't even know where to start. It would be overwhelming for her too.

"And what do you think I should do?" he growled. She didn't have to remind him, because he had no choice. It wasn't that he could lie in this, Christ!

"Connect with Rhodey. Each pair of extra hands and eyes will come in handy. We're at zero, Tones. We have nothing at all."

"I'm counting on you, Nat. I can't do it alone and you're the only one who can," he muttered brokenly. He didn't like her words, but she was right, and he needed to hear it. He must have known what they were up to, even though they weren't really on anything.

"Then call him , Tony. Because if you're expecting me to do it alone, you're wrong. I can't afford to make a mistake. You probably don't think so, but I'm dangerous. As long as I'm on my own, I'm fine. But I can't work for the team. Not if I'm supposed to be what you need most now. Not if I'm going to let her out," she told him in her typical firm voice.

"Someone almost killed my wife today and kidnapped my son! I just have one nerve and they're pretty bruised right now. I'm not in the mood to deal with the Captain and his star team!” he said abruptly, then left her room. He had so much more worries than was Rogers. He had to go to Pepper and announce the situation they were in.

Notes:

Would you like to have Rogues back?

Chapter 71: Chapter 70

Chapter Text

Something sharp and white was burning him behind closed lids. He opened his eyes, and after a moment of blind groping, as tears welled up in his eyes, he managed to focus on the fluorescent lights.

In the first place, he looked around slowly and disoriented. Where was he? He didn't recognize it here. His head was shaking, his temples were throbbing furiously, and the pain was spilling all over his body. His muscles were strangely weak and he felt weak as he had not experienced in a long time. Every movement hurt, and then he tried to roll on his side with a loud hiss. But at that moment, he realized that handcuffs were preventing him from doing so.

Panic swept through his body, which didn't help his condition much. The urge to fight for a bare life awoke in him, so in the first few minutes, he fought unsuccessfully with handcuffs and tried to free himself from them. He tore the skin around his wrist, and then blood began to flow. Those few minutes completely exhausted him, so in a moment he could only lie down and breathe loudly. His head was buzzing, and the same sounds were made by the machines around him.

Wait. Machines?

At that moment, he began to realize where he must have gone. It must have been a laboratory. But whose? And what is he doing here? Stunned and confused, he looked around, trying to find anything that might help him. His concentration ached from the concentration.

I won't let you out of here, honey.

Peter winced as he felt a déjà vu. The image of Mary, his biological mother, grinning triumphantly, flashed in front of his eyes. At that moment, he was drenched in icy sweat. It had only been a few months since he had been in a similar situation... but that was not possible... after all, Mary was dead... he had seen and convinced himself that she had died... so who else could it be?

It all started with you, my dear.

At that moment, Peter wasn't sure if he was awake or just on the brink of consciousness, and if he didn't happen to be crazy about it all. He was sick, his stomach was like water, his whole body was like one fire, but at the same time, he was incredibly cold. And the fact that unpleasant memories began to hit him didn't help him twice either.

Now it will be played according to my rules.

"Let me... be..." Peter muttered, frightened, half caught in his memories and half conscious. Those cruel eyes, the seemingly kind face of a loving mother who had disappeared the moment she reached her goal, the hateful grin that had spread in her face whenever she saw Pepper.

"But darling," she clapped unhappily, so alive, frightening, and real, standing by his makeshift bed and looking down at him with satisfaction. "You know very well that you will never get rid of me. We are bound together forever. And I'll never leave," she assured him in a cold voice, and Peter wasn't sure if he was really going crazy or that his nightmares were coming to life.

He winced and opened his eyes. Mary disappeared. She was gone. Who knows if she really was here. A chill ran down Peter's back and he shuddered. The uncertainty was beating. Every shadow terrified him. He was not ready to face what was to come. He no longer knew what was a dream and what was a reality. He had no idea what to expect. Every look cost him a lot of energy, he was so afraid that he would see the face that haunted him in his dreams every night a few months ago.

The click of a doorknob came to his ears. The door creaked. Peter tensed, but didn't dare look back in the direction the sounds were coming from. He could feel the intensity with which his heart was pounding in his chest, and he longed to delay the moment as much as he could. But there were only a few seconds left.

There were footsteps. Quiet but precise and confident, as if they belonged to a beast that hunts in a place that is well known to it, where it knows every nook and cranny. The sound intensified. And then it fell silent.

Hello, Peter.”

•••

Tony knew he couldn't wait any longer, he couldn't take it any longer. The moment he had to tell her the truth would come anyway. And it would be better to tell her sooner than later. He had already lost a few precious minutes in an argument with Natasha.

With a pounding heart, he entered the living room, where Pepper was talking quietly with Loki. As soon as they heard footsteps, they looked up, and Pepper had a loving smile on her face, assuming that Tony was accompanied by his son.

A smile froze on her lips, and confusion appeared in her eyes when she realized that Peter was not with him.

"Pep, I have something to tell you. I know it's hard, and I'm not far from... but please try to stay calm," Tony breathed heavily and sat down on the edge of the couch. He rubbed his hands and then he gave a sullen glance to Pepper. "Peter was kidnapped."

Pepper gasped and put her hands in front of her mouth. "No," she whispered in a trembling voice, tears welling in her eyes. "That can't be true. Peter can't be - gone. No!" And she cried heartbreakingly. Their son was who knows where. She wanted to scream. This- this was not possible.

Not even Tony was far from breaking down from all the events. But he couldn't. He had to be there for Pepper, they had to be supportive of each other. And he had to find Peter, too.

"We'll find him, Pepper," he swore to her. "We have to."

•••

Peter had felt that it had to be just a bad dream. Yes, he must have gone crazy. He looked into Quentin Beck's amused face, who was looking at him how weak and defenseless he was. Peter was so angry but the ensuing pain that began to spread through his body quickly suppressed it.

"Isn't it funny that we're meeting again? You probably wouldn't have thought of seeing me in your life ever again, would you? The world is really small. I thought I would get out of here and take refuge somewhere where I wouldn't draw so much attention to myself, but as it turned out, it's nothing for me. As the saying goes: Man plans and God laughs. No wonder our paths are reunited," he said with a smirk and folded his arms across his chest. "Poor thing, you must be very confused. It was said I was dead, wasn't it? And suddenly I'm standing here, alive, of flesh and blood. Am I just an illusion? Or is it a reality? Who knows?" he added mysteriously, then pulled up a chair to his bed and sat down.

Peter seemed to lose his ability to speak. He hoped so much that it was all just a dream. No Mary, no Beck…

"Well, you're not getting out of here so easily this time. In fact, you won't get out of here at all. Do you want to know why? I'm sure you want to," he chuckled, reaching for his tablet and clicking through today's news. He immediately saw a video report from the scene of the accident, which he himself had caused. "Just take a good look. Do you recognize the car? Take your time," he told him, holding the tablet in front of his face. He laughed when he noticed Peter turn pale and then turn green. He played the video. "Yeah, yeah, that's right, kid. Pepper Potts's white Audi. Look how demolished it is... it's horrible... By the time the reporters arrived, she was on her way to the hospital. A terrible, horrible accident..." Quentin sighed, seemingly regretful, and then set down the tablet.

Peter mixed up with different feelings. But fear, anxiety, and panic prevailed. Worried about Mom, her condition... it couldn't have happened... How is it possible that she had an accident? He was terribly sick.

Beck had a lot of fun with Peter's expression. And then he decided not to torment him anymore with mere conjectures. "Peter," he whispered, leaning in to let the boy hear him clearly, and his ear was blown by the man's warm breath. "Pepper Potts is dead."

Chapter 72: Chapter 71

Chapter Text

Bruce stood quietly in the corner of the living room, only marginally aware of what the others were talking about. Rhodey took his suit as soon as Tony called, so he was already with them, and he and Tony and Natasha were trying to agree on what to do. Pepper was sitting on the couch, her eyes flushed from the crying that had only stopped a few minutes ago, and Loki was sitting next to her and kept his eyes on her. And Bruce stood in the corner, trying not to panic too much. But that was a very difficult task for him at the moment, as he finally took a closer look at all of Elizabeth's research and found that she was really trying to create the same DNA as Peter had. She found him. She used him. And now Peter was gone because of him. This was far worse than dealing with the aftermath of Hulk's rage. This hurt his family and it was his fault. Maybe he'll go to Fiji sooner than he thought.

"Um, I…" he muttered nervously, taking off his glasses so he could rub his eyes. The others, meanwhile, fell silent, anxiously awaiting what would he say. "In recent days, I've been connecting all parts of the research I'm working on for Betty. Well, and I… I've found that she's probably trying to make modified DNA for Ross to create new heroes. She could create people like Peter with that," he told them resignedly, as he had no choice.

"That confirms Natasha's assumption," Tony muttered with a sigh. It was still not enough, but it was a beginning from which they could move on. Plus, finding Betty won't be a problem. Tony was pretty sure he was hiding under Dad's wings. "Now we just have to find out if she's really working with Beck. If that bastard is alive, I'll make sure he's rotting in Raft."

"Okay, but we can't just attack Ross's headquarters. It's like going to our own funeral," Rhodey remarked thoughtfully, knowing, of course, that Betty was his daughter. As a colonel, he met Ross more often than he would have liked. And he often appeared at the benefits balls with his daughter Elizabeth.

"Why should we attack Ross?" Natasha asked, confused, beginning to feel that she must have missed some essential information. It wasn't written anywhere that she was doing the research for Ross, or that she was in his buildings right now.

"Because-" Rhodey began his answer, but Tony quickly cut him off.

"Because we know that's where Betty is," he replied in a firm voice, clearing his throat a little before looking at the man he saw as his brother. He thought Natasha would know by now who Betty's daughter was, but she obviously didn't know, and he didn't want to get involved in that.

Bruce looked away. Tony himself advised him not to tell Natasha about her last name, and he followed that advice. But a big stone definitely fell from his heart when no one started blaming him for what had happened. He still had that awkward feeling in him, but a drop of hope appeared. Therefore, he became more involved in planning the strategy, while Pepper went unnoticed to the balcony. Accompanied by Loki, who currently looked like her bodyguard.

"You don't have to follow me," she said softly as the autumn wind stroked her cheek and she could finally breathe. "You must be somewhere else. I don't want to keep you here. I know you hate it here," she said without a hint of emotion. He saved her life today and she was grateful for that. She wouldn't like it if he would stay here when he didn't like it. She didn't want him to feel uncomfortable.

The dark-haired man was a little taken aback by her words. "I hate it almost everywhere. You are no exception," he remarked sarcastically and stood beside her. He didn't like this sight of her, but he still couldn't stop looking at her. It was as if, in the secret of his soul, he hoped that if he looked at her long enough, he would see her smile again. He longed for it. When she was sad, he was sad too. And he didn't like it. He hated emotions.

"I wish I was more like you. So that I don't collapse after every time life puts an obstacle in my way. With each new obstacle, I feel like this is the last one. That I can't do another one. I don't know how long my body can take it."

Loki wanted to keep his mask on the Prince of Asgard, who didn't care. But he couldn't, not with her. In a way, she had power over him. "I see in your eyes the strength and pride you have gained from breakdowns and grief after the lost battles, every single fall is behind what I call victory. Trust me, Pepper, you don't want to be like me. You have so much love in you that you give to others. Of course, you will not stand with your head held high when your loved ones are in danger. Nobody expects that from you. Everyone inside understands what you're going through. You are stronger than you think."

"I'd like to see yourself with your eyes," she said with a sad smile and gave him a look. "Can I hug you? Please?” she almost cried.

The god of mischief could only nod. When she first hugged him today, he didn't focus too much on it. But now that he held her in his arms, a strange feeling of warmth spread throughout his body. If he only knew what he was going to get into when he returned to the ship to Thor, he would never do it. Now he was forever tied to a woman in his arms. He had to make sure she was safe and happy for the rest of her life. Maybe Stark was right. Maybe he was really just a seventeen-year-old boy longing for his mother's love.

•••

At first, Peter still had too many drugs in his bloodstream, which made him a little numb, so the news of Pepper's death didn't hit him much. He even thought for a moment that he might be lucky and his body couldn't make it. He didn't want to die, but at least he could be with his mommy. But over time, the drugs began to disappear from circulation, and he finally began to fully understand the meaning of Beck's words. His first thought was that he was lying. That was what he was. A rotten liar. But then a white Audi appeared in front of his eyes, ready to be scrapped. He would know the car anywhere. It was his mom's car.

Peter lay still on the uncomfortable bed, staring absently at the fluorescent lights that hung over his head. The feeling he was just feeling was perhaps not descriptive. So much pain. So much sadness. He was done. He didn't care what they did to him. He didn't want to go home. Was it even still home when Pepper wasn't there? Neither he nor his father can handle this loss. Peter had a fairly clear idea of what would happen. Tony starts drinking and drives away anyone who could help him. Peter didn't want to see it. He didn't want his last memories of Dad to be that way. He'd better never get out of here and keep a picture of how happy they were together.

Chapter 73: Chapter 72

Chapter Text

Tony knew they couldn't do anything on their own this time. This time they had to think carefully about each step, evaluate the best solution and choose how to proceed if something went wrong. He knew it was necessary. But a clock ticked in his head, seeming to count down their time. Time while Peter was still okay. Because if he didn't hurry, it might be too late to save him, and he couldn't accept something like that. He knew he had to be patient. But this was about his son, damn it.

Rhodey seemed to sense his concern and squeezed his shoulder soothingly. Tony turned to his best friend and he gave him an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. We'll be there in time."

"We must. Because if don't, I don't know what I'm going to do," Tony muttered. They all agreed that it would be best to wait. They'll be watching them as they've probably been watching for months. Before he attacks them and frees Peter, he tries to find out as much as he can about them. Bruce said they needed Peter alive for the research, so they wouldn't hurt him in any way, which reassured Tony a little. Even so, he did not like the idea that his son was locked up somewhere and experiencing torturous torment. He's waiting for his dad to come to his rescue, and he's still nowhere to see…

"I'll take the first patrol with Natasha. You should rest."

"No way," Tony replied firmly, frowning a little. "I don't need to rest, and I can't stay still. Rhodey, I need to do something."

Rhodey sighed. "I understand you, Tony, but really. You should stay here and leave it to us. There are four of us, maybe five, if Thor joined us. We can't all go there at once, we have to interlace."

Tony now barely heard him. He looked for Pepper, who had previously gone to the balcony to breathe fresh air. Something tightened in him when he noticed that she was not alone. That Loki is with her. That he hugs her. She presses against him and he reassures her. Tony didn't know how to respond to something like that. After all, he should stand in his place and comfort her!

"I want to go on the first patrol. With Natasha. Please," he asked at that moment. Yes, he was grateful to Loki for rescuing Pepper, and he might even be willing to forgive him in some time for everything they had suffered because of him... but now it was as if the hostility had returned. No, he certainly couldn't go there with him. There was a risk that he would want to hurt him, and that bastard would just laugh at him.

"What should I do with you, fine. Go tell Pepper before Natasha comes back," Rhodey finally agreed, sitting back on the couch, where he sank back into his plans.

So Tony headed to Pepper on the balcony with a heavy heart. He stepped in and a cold breeze caressed his face. He had to clear his throat to be noticed. A shadow flew across Loki's face, releasing the grip around Pepper's body. Pep raised her head and stared at Tony's weeping eyes. But she wouldn't let Loki go.

"I just... I just wanted to tell you that I'm going with Natasha now and... I'm not sure when I'll be back," he said to Pepper in a rather empty voice, and she reached for him. He squeezed her hand. She was cold as ice.

"Be careful," she whispered. "And if you can, get in touch."

Tony nodded. "I'll try," he promised her, and he stood still for a moment. Pepper gave him a sad smile. He looked at Loki. He looked at him. Tony inhaled that he would add something, but he changed his mind. He wanted to ask him to make sure Pepper was safe in his absence, but something in him convinced him that he would have done it without his request.

He turned and walked away with a strange mixture of worries and unpleasant thoughts.

•••

There were times when Peter was better. His eyes weren't so out of focus, he wasn't so tired, and the scattered thoughts calmed down. But then came the moments when he could not maintain a single coherent thought. When all sorts of images flickered before his eyes, most notably the devilishly smiling Mary and Pepper, wounded, motionless, lifeless. In moments like this, he didn't even know the difference between a dream and a reality, how everything came together and how much it was real. The worst part was that he witnessed a car accident over and over again. He was there and had to watch.

"Hi, Peter. I'm leading someone to you. You must remember her, don't you?" Peter opened his eyes, which were immediately struck by the strong glow of the light bulbs, and turned his head in the direction of the unknown female voice. It took him a moment to put what he saw in his head to make sense of it. There was a blonde woman standing there, who immediately aroused fear in him when he saw the hateful glint in her eyes. He saw so much hatred only in his biological mother's face... And the woman held the dark brown head girl as old as him with one hand and pressed a knife to her neck. Horror appeared on Peter's face. The girl... he knew the girl…

"Liz," he breathed in a hoarse voice, coughing. Liz Toomes's tears were streaming down her face and fear shone in her eyes. She trembled like the last leaf caught in the autumn breeze, staring desperately at Peter.

The blonde woman smiled contentedly. "Very well, Peter. Yes, you're right, Lizzie Toomes is standing in front of you. What an unexpected reunion, right? A friend came to comfort you after your mother's death..." she said, seemingly regretful. Peter's head ached from trying to assign the woman somewhere. But he began to realize that he had no idea who she was. He had never seen her in his life.

"Please," Liz couldn't stand it, sobbing. Liv pressed the blade of her knife a little tighter against her neck, and drops of blood stuck to her gleaming blade.

"Tell us, Lizzie... Are you afraid of death?" she asked her, but she didn't wait for an answer. "It's unfortunate, Lizzie. You weren't very useful to us, but at least there is something to your advantage. Anything else to tell your friend, Peter?"

Peter didn't know. His head was completely empty. If he hadn't been drugged, if his senses had worked the way they should, he would already understand what he was up to. He couldn't prepare for something like that.

"No? Well, alright then. I hope you changed your mind well because then there will be no going back. You're useless to us, Lizzie. So I'll let you go now," she whispered in her ear and the girl shuddered. Liv looked into Peter's face. He was watching them. Now was the right time.

In one smooth motion, she slit her throat. She released her and the girl fell to the ground. She had the last seconds left. She shook her trembling hands desperately against her neck, which sprayed blood from her, forming a large red pool under her head. Peter looked at the girl in shock. Liz snored, twitching, but in a moment her body slackened and she didn't move.

Liv looked at the result contentedly and wiped the bloody knife on a piece of cloth. "That's it. You're free, just as I promised you." Then she looked at pale Peter. He watched his friend lying in a pool of her own blood. He looked up and met Liv's gaze. And she smiled.

Peter started screaming.

 

Chapter 74: Chapter 73

Chapter Text

It's been two days. Forty-eight hours during which none of the inhabitants of the Stark mansion slept properly. They kept changing on patrol in front of Ross's base, trying to gather as much information as possible. They had to have everything planned down to the last detail before they decided to free Peter. This wasn't Mary. No one believed it would go as smoothly as then.

"I don't know what you want from me," Pepper groaned a little angrily. Everyone now had trouble controlling their emotions.

"I'm just saying he's hanging around you too much," Tony said, who would probably need a few hours of sleep. But he couldn't afford that. In order not to have much to worry about his son, he had to keep thinking that Loki was hanging around Pepper too much. He didn't like it. His head didn't give him peace, and he wondered what the bastard wanted. In a moment, he will have a migraine from all those worries.

And while the couple was arguing about pettiness, a brown-haired girl stepped nervously in front of their door. She was very hesitant about coming here. But she was scared, even though she didn't want to admit it. She was worried about her boyfriend and needed to know what was going on. Ned didn't know anything either, and that scared her. He always knew everything that was going on in Peter's life. And suddenly Peter doesn't show up for two days at school and nobody knows anything. Michelle was aware that he had put down his superhero suit for a while, but what if he didn't listen to his parents again and did something stupid? What if he's hurt? She should know, right? She should know if her boyfriend is okay.

She took a deep breath and rang the bell with renewed courage. It's definitely just a misunderstanding. Peter was fine. He had to be.

"Friday?" Tony asked as the doorbell rang.

"Miss Jones is here, sir," Friday replied immediately.

The couple exchanged a frightened look. It didn't occur to anyone to tell Michelle what had happened. Pepper walked slowly to the door, wondering what she would tell her. She was still a child. She had to consider her choice of words carefully. She couldn't just blabber it on her.

But when she opened the door and Michelle looked into her tired face, into her red eyes, she didn't have to say anything. The girl's face changed from nervous to worried at milliseconds. "You want to come in?" she asked quietly after standing there.

Michelle nodded. Without a word, she went inside and let Pepper take her to the living room, where she sat on the couch with her. She poured her a cup of green tea, which they had consumed in the last two days a lot. Loki, standing in the corner, frowned at the arrival of the unknown girl. He saw that Pepper was comfortable with her, and that was enough for him to have peace of mind.

"What happened? That bad?” The brown hair girl muttered when she finally found her voice. Of course, it must have been bad, otherwise, the woman next to her wouldn't look so torn. Michelle had never seen her like that before, and the sight startled her.

"They kidnapped him. Because of what he can do," she said softly. It was like with Peter. She felt the same bond with her as she did with her son. Now more than ever when she didn't have her boy here.

"Do you know who did it?" she snorted, staring at the calm surface of the tea. She couldn't believe what Pepper had just told her. They kidnapped Peter. They kidnapped her Peter.

"I don't get too involved, I wouldn't help them right now, but we know. Not everyone here has slept much in the last three nights. They do what they can. And we have no choice but to sit and wait for him to be brought back home," she introduced her to the situation. She felt sick to her stomach that Michelle had to go through it at such a young age. She shouldn't have to worry about this. She should have annoyedly waited for Peter to show up at a date, for which he would be late because he was staying with Ned, with whom he was building lego. That's what it should have looked like. But she shouldn't wait for Peter, who won't show up because someone kidnapped him. That was cruel.

"Can I stay? Please?” she blurted out suddenly.

It broke Pepper's heart. "It probably won't be a good idea. They would miss you at home."

"They wouldn't. They won't mind. Please, Pepper, let me stay," she begged. She knew no one would solve it at home.

"I guess I could talk to your parents and see what can be done," Pepper sighed defeatedly. She didn't have the heart to say no to her.

•••

Bruce ran around the workshop in confusion, trying to find the lab access card Betty had given him. But he couldn't find it anywhere, and he was sure he knew exactly where it was. But it wasn't there, and now he was searching every corner of the workshop. He was so scattered that he accidentally dropped a pile of papers lying on a table that no one was using. With a sigh, he squatted so he could put the papers back in place. However, something else caught his eye. No, it wasn't the card he was looking so hard for. It was a yellow envelope with the SHIELD logo. He just stared at it blankly for a moment before taking it in his hand and taking out its contents without thinking.

He now held a folder in his hands. That in itself was not so interesting. But the name on it was. He never thought that reading his own name would sting him in the eye so much. He opened it and was very surprised to find only a limited period of his life in the papers.

"Listen, I know we don't get along right now, but I wanted you to know you don't have to. We can think of another way," said the incoming redhead. She wasn't too thrilled with the plan they had devised. She didn't like Bruce going there alone and then helping them get inside. This was Bruce, Christ! He was neither an agent nor a soldier. He was her clumsy scientist. He wasn't suitable for working in fieldwork, for that they had the Hulk.

Bruce said nothing. In fact, he didn't even turn to her because he had too much work to look at his younger self. She didn't trust him. She never believed him. She probably already knew everything about his past. Every miserable detail of his life. He was just a task for her. It was as if he was in Calcutta again, where she interrupted his peaceful life. And for what? Because Fury sent her after him.

"Bruce, are you okay?" she asked with a small amount of concern. She couldn't fluctuate too much between Natasha and Black Widow. She knew which of them would be needed, and she had to stay closer.

"Did you spy on me?" he snorted in disbelief. Finally, he turned to face her and tossed the found folder on the table in front of her.

The redhead stared at the papers with fear in her eyes. With one she could afford to feel at that moment. "I didn't read it," she said quickly.

"You protect your past so much, but you got mine on a silver platter without my permission! What do I mean to you? Am I your boyfriend, or just another of many tasks?” he shouted. This was the last straw. One last thing to prove is that the two of them had no future. They both dreamed foolishly. He shouldn't have returned. He should have stayed with Thor.

"This is not fair, and you know it! Fury sent me after you and he had to give me your file. I had to know what I was getting into. One word was enough and you could turn into a Hulk, what did you expect? That she will send me there unprepared?” Natasha defended herself. Of course, she understood why it was unfair to him, but he couldn't blame her. It wasn't fair to her.

"I see," he muttered, giving her an intense look. Natasha felt he had to see into her soul. "Did you start something with me because that's what Fury wanted? Because you were the only one in control of the Hulk?”

"What?! Of course not! Don't talk nonsense. I love you, Bruce, why don't you see it,” she sighed with a little despair in her voice. She didn't know how else to prove it to him. She loved him so much that she felt her heart would jump out of her chest. Whenever she hadn't seen him for a longer time, she was afraid he would disappear again.

"Because all I see is that you don't believe me," he replied brokenly, "you should have come to me, Nat. If you had any doubts about Betty, you should have told me! We agreed to communicate. That we will be better. But when the problem arose, you bypassed me. What should I think about that?”

"And if I came to you in September and told you I didn't like it, what would you do? You wouldn't start work for her?”

Bruce rubbed his eyes wearily. "We probably won't know now, will we?" he snorted, focusing behind her back, where the white card he'd been looking for hung on his chair. He came for it without another word. And without another glance toward the redhead, who had once been his guardian angel, he left.

And maybe if he didn't think his heart had broken into a million pieces after their quarrel, he wouldn't have done something stupid enough even for Tony's dimensions.

Chapter 75: Chapter 74

Chapter Text

Michelle eventually stayed with the Starks, and although Pepper initially disagreed, because she didn't want MJ to have all the heavy atmosphere, to hear all sorts of conjectures and theories, she was still happy she was here. Pepper was feeling better when she could supervise her and was able to keep an eye on her. Plus, it helped her a little. Michelle and she both had the same loss, and Pepper knew the girl understood her. She didn't have the opportunity to talk or share her pain and worries with Tony, but she could do that with her. But none of them talked about it. Not that it was because they didn't want to; they wanted, they wanted to hear the assurance from the other that they understood each other, but in the final it was enough for them to be together and feel the other's presence. The knowledge that they are not alone.

"I'll set up everything for you in Peter's room," Pepper told her, glancing a little reproachfully at the kitchen, where Tony and Natasha were hunched over the plans. They didn't make it too easy for her, and she didn't like Michelle having to witness it all. That's how it occurred to her that it made the situation even more serious, even though it was serious and terrible in itself.

"No, you don't have to. I'll just sleep on the couch, it's enough, really, I don't want to be a nuisance for you," she began to reassure her quickly, conjuring a small but tired smile on Pepper's face. "Please, it's really enough for me like that. I don't want to worry you," she repeated.

"I don't want you to be uncomfortable," Pepper said softly.

"I'm used to discomfort," Michelle said, then paused a little. She glanced abruptly as she felt Pepper's inquisitive gaze on herself. "Please, I insist on sleeping on the couch. It's enough for me."

"What shall I do with you. But I don't like it," Pepper said, going to at least cover her pillow and duvet. Meanwhile, MJ sat down on the sofa in the living room and looked around as if she were here for the first time. She glanced into the next room, where Tony and Natasha were discussing something quietly. She wanted to know what they were talking about, to see if they knew anything more about Peter. She was afraid that with the fear she wouldn't fall asleep tonight.

Pepper returned to her in a few minutes and asked her again if she wanted to change her mind, which of course Michelle refused again. She was sitting there, not knowing what to do with her hands. Pepper sat down next to her and then wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "I know it's a difficult time, but we all have to make it. Peter is a clever boy and will get away with a little luck." He has to. "He'll definitely be home soon." Pepper never wanted anything more.

"I'm worried about him," MJ admitted, and Pepper hugged her even tighter. "I don't even want to guess what they can do to him there..."

"You can't think about it, Michelle. None of us should think about it, or we'd collapse," she exhaled and stroked her arm soothingly. Michelle curled up next to her. She felt safe with her.

•••

"Nice cut," Quentin Beck complimented as he leaned over Liz Toomes' dead body, which they had pulled out of the lab a few minutes ago, where they held the imprisoned Peter. "Accurate, just as deep, symmetrical—"

"Stop talking nonsense," Liv shouted angrily, not in the mood for him and his wannabe jokes. She paced like a furious beast around the cage, and Beck and Hammer looked at her.

"Was it necessary? Couldn't she have been used to us in any other way?” Justin asked cautiously. He certainly didn't want to argue with his superior.

Liv glared at him. "Yes, it was, and stop feeling sorry for the girl. There will always be some victims on the road to victory. I needed to inflict another blow on him. I need him to collapse completely. He hasn't recovered from Potts' death yet, and we can't give him time to lick his wounds and have them healed. No, we need to inflame the wounds, even more, when it decomposes him from the inside. I will not make the same mistake, I will not underestimate him or the Avengers."

"I like it," Beck said, sensing that it was going hard, and lowered his eyes to their victim again so that he could continue to admire the violent death. The only thing that still worried him was the disappearance of Potts. But it reassured him that she had not seen him, and he had not exposed himself.

"What I am a little worried about are the Avengers, and especially Stark. How is it possible that they are not here yet? I expected that by this time they would try to break in and try to save Peter. So what the hell is going on?” she muttered to herself rather than to her companions. These weren't the Avengers she knew. Stark would have been here a long time ago. It was his son. Black Widow would be in tow. Why aren't they here yet? It was still running through her head, which made her a little uneasy. Not a little. But a lot. She was still alert and ready for a possible attack. She knew they would come. But she won't let them pass. She will get rid of them once and for all and then nothing will stand in her way.

Hammer and Beck exchanged glances, which made it clear that they were both thinking the same thing. Liv was not in her element today. And she was scared.

Peter, meanwhile, was lying on a makeshift and very uncomfortable bed in the lab, his teary eyes fixed on the white fluorescent lights on the ceiling. It had been several hours since Liz's death. Peter didn't remember exactly what he was doing as he watched her die and then stared at her dead body. He remembered yelling. Everything seemed to explode in him at that moment, and his brain terminated his service. He didn't remember anything. All he could see was Liz's dead body and Pepper's ubiquitous death.

He felt an incredible emptiness that consumed him from within and obscured his ability to think rationally. Pepper was gone. Liz was gone. And only because he wasn't good and capable enough, just because obviously someone had outstanding accounts with them and he couldn't stop them in time. They just died because of that.

Tears flickered on his cheeks, and he closed her eyes with an exhalation. He tried to think about who the unknown blonde woman might be. But he couldn't think of anyone. He had no idea where he was. He knew it must be incredibly difficult for Dad and the others to try to find him, because where were they supposed to start looking? They knew nothing. And that was the worst thing about it. They had nothing to start from. They had no information. They didn't know who they were facing, and they could not prepare sufficiently for them. This wasn't Mary. This was perhaps much worse. Peter was scared.

But fear awakens courage in us.

Chapter 76: Chapter 75

Chapter Text

The brown-haired woman, who had previously been involved with Liv's research with great want, was now unaware that such a thing even existed. You could say that her work ended here after she received a very detailed file about her rival's life. At that moment, her only task was to get Bruce back to herself. Looking now at the unconscious man lying locked in a makeshift prison, she didn't think this would be how she got him to her. But he didn't give her a choice when he rushed in half an hour ago and accused her of creating a new army for her father. Betty knew he could figure it out eventually. After all, it was Bruce. He always figured out everything. And because she was counting on this situation, she also prepared for it. After all, they had worked together on a serum that would temporarily suppress the Hulk. But they were not successful back then. It took her many more years to find the right formula. And as she watched sleeping Bruce, she had to smile. It worked.

"You really know how to keep a man with you," the incoming blonde smirked. She wasn't too thrilled with their new guest. Now the arrival of the Avengers was a matter of hours, if not minutes. But Liv expected them to arrive, so she was prepared for her escape. It was clear that she would take Richard with her, but she had not yet decided on the others. She toyed with the idea of taking Hammer. He could still be useful to her in the future. She didn't count on Quentin too much. She will either kill him or leave his fate in Stark's hands. At first, she thought she would keep Betty, but now that she was watching her, she doubted it. Love tangled her head and Liv didn't need someone like that on her team. In addition, Lizzie pitted a powerful enemy against her. The blonde woman was not sure that her subordinate would survive Miss Romanov's visit.

"I had no choice," she replied simply, but didn't look at her. She was still staring at the sleeping man. He was asleep now, but Betty had to watch his every move for peace of mind. She wouldn't like to have a raging Hulk here.

"Oh, Lizzie, you always have a choice," she laughed ugly. She couldn't stay here for too long. She had to prepare to leave the premises soon and still wanted to visit Ross.

"You pretend you know so much about life, but how old are you? Barely twenty,” she snorted from the brunette. In a way, she considered Liv her friend, but she often dialed her immensely. She acts as if she knows everything best. It's like she's been fifty years old. But the truth was, Liv was still a little girl. And yes, she was very mature, sometimes too much, but she was still a child. Betty didn't understand how she could lead such a big project, but she never asked.

"Age is just a number. It's about how many lessons you manage to get in your life and trust me, I've got countless. I got one lesson after another every day," she said strangely emotionally but recovered quickly. "It's clear she'll come for him."

"Just let her come. When it comes down to it, she's just an ordinary human being like the rest of us,” she remarked firmly.

The blonde was quite impressed. Too bad she was so blinded by her love for the man. Betty would have come in handy, but Liv had already used her to occupy Black Widow, and she couldn't back down. If she had any emotions, she'd say she'd miss Lizzie, but she didn't. So, without another word, she turned on her heel and went to inspect the lab. She had to make sure there wouldn't be one little trace of her in case she had to leave sooner than she had planned.

•••

Tony sat in his workshop, glancing at the very old phone that lay on the table in front of him. That was all Steve, he had to give him a phone that was almost as old as the soldier himself. He thought about it. Really. But in the end, he always made the same decision. This was his son, and he didn't split up with Steve in good terms. He couldn't risk anything going wrong during the rescue mission. Both have changed. They could no longer work together. He was convinced that calling him would be more to the detriment than the benefit.

"Miss Romanov is coming, sir," Friday informed him, as he asked her as he went to the workshop so that he could spend a few minutes alone and organize his thoughts. He quickly hid the phone under papers full of notes. He didn't need Natasha to tell him again to call him. He won't do it. He was determined.

"Haven't you seen Bruce?" she asked as soon as she stepped inside. In a moment, they had to replace Rhodey and Loki on patrol, so she wanted to make sure Bruce was fine. He was not in the room he temporarily occupied, and she could not find him anywhere. It made her nervous. It was another pressure on her feelings. And she couldn't afford it now. She couldn't be Natasha. But not to be her was getting harder and harder and normally she would be glad for it. Especially in the last days, when Black Widow woke up more and more in her. But now there was no place for Natasha. She had to stay on the border, and it was much harder than having to completely silence one part of her. She balanced. It threatened that she loses control at any time. At that moment, it didn't matter if she had lost it as Natasha under a great surge of emotion. When she lost control, Widow appeared because the redhead had been trained to do so. She didn't feel any emotions, and if she had too many in her, there was the other half of her, making sure there were no emotions. It was much easier to cut someone's neck.

"I didn't see him, but I wouldn't worry about it, he probably went for a walk. It must be very stressful for him here,” he muttered, turning to face her. It was true that he had last seen Bruce before Michelle showed up, but he didn't think to bother about it.

"It's late," the redhead pointed out.

"And? Bruce likes to walk at night. A quiet night calms him down," he said as if it were a public fact.

Natasha gave him a surprised look. "How can you know that?"

"Listen, I don't know what's going on between you, but I sincerely hope you work it out when we get Peter back," Tony sighed. "You probably don't talk much to each other, do you?"

Natasha was suddenly looking with interest on the floor in the workshop. They talked together. A lot. But not about the things that mattered most. She was embarrassed, but she still knew she couldn't tell him about her past. It was a vicious circle from which there was no way out. When she tells him what she did, he won't want to be with her anymore. And if she doesn't tell him, they have no future. But Natasha knew she would not give up this fight. She never gave up anything. They bring Peter back home and then she begins to focus on the most important mission in her life. For a normal life with Bruce.

Chapter 77: Chapter 76

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Natasha was sitting in the dining room, squinting at the wall clock and frowning at the hands, which were ticking softly. She's been sitting here since she left Tony's workshop. And Bruce still didn't come back. Natasha was worried. It was three in the morning. And she would hear if he came. Bruce simply sank to the ground.

Frustrated and tired, she ran her hand through her red hair and closed her eyes for a moment. She was so sorry that she and Bruce had an argument and that they hadn't had time. Everything was getting worse. Why couldn't she be normal? Why was she paralyzed at such an important moment? She was so angry with herself that she would rather - that she would like to…

The phone beeped. She looked at it eagerly and saw the incoming message, hoping it would be from Bruce, that he would apologize to her for being late, but that he was already rushing home to her.

But it wasn't a message from Bruce. An unknown number is written to her.

It's crazy, isn't it? To be in such uncertainty. Deal with it. Bruce is with me and he doesn't want to see you anymore.

A wave of hatred rose in Natasha. It was immediately clear to her from whom the message came. From Betty. That bitch! She has her Bruce. So not this. She won't leave it like this. She may tell her that Bruce doesn't want to see her anymore, but she won't give up. She won't leave until she hears the words directly from him. Only then would she leave Bruce alone, even if it would break her heart. But she won't back now, as Betty assumes. She will not be intimidated by her.

She will come for him.

She finished the rest of her coffee, which may have been the third cup that tonight. Although she was tired a moment ago and longed for a soft bed, she was now ready to go. She was full of energy, anger, and hatred. Black Widow gritted her teeth and was ready to fight.

She got up and took a decisive step to the workshop, where she could change into her suit and take the necessary things. And also to ask Tony, if he was still there and not sleeping, to call Steve. She has to take care of Betty. But Tony needs a partner and he can't go looking for Peter alone. Loki and Rhodey return from patrol tired, and she simply won't leave him alone.

"Tones?" she called into the silence of the workshop as she went down the stairs. No one answered. Maybe he fell asleep. She walked around to get to his desk and found him sleeping in an awkward position on a chair. She wasn't surprised. It wasn't easy for any of them. "Tones, wake up," she said, shaking his shoulder gently.

Tony muttered something and shook unhappily. Natasha shook with him again until he lifted his head sleepily and gave her a look. "What is? Is Peter home?” he asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

She sighed. "Unfortunately not, but I have some news. Tones, now it's really time to throw away the old quarrels. Call Steve, damn it," she said commandingly, handing him the phone from Steve lying on Tony's desk. "We need every helping hand, and Steve can help us. You know very well we miss him. Call him."

"I won't," Tony said calmly, snatching the phone from her hand.

"You will. Because I'm going out. I'm going for my Bruce. I already know where he is. Betty has him. And while I'm going to deal with her, I'm definitely not leaving you alone on patrol -"

"Does Betty have Bruce? Like that Betty, from Ross? Elizabeth Ross?" Tony breathed as he jumped in. He had no idea that Bruce hadn't told his girlfriend yet about who Betty really was.

Natasha froze, repeating her name in her mind. Betty. Elizabeth Ross. Daughter of Thaddeus Ross. Is that - Oh, Bruce, are you crazy?!

She clenched her fists. No, she won't deal with Tony now. Although she was angry and longed to break something, she had to calm down. The action is yet to come.

"Yes, Elizabeth Ross," she replied calmly as if she had known the truth for some time and had not yet learned it. "Call Steve."

"I won't do it, Nat," he repeated in a completely calm, even, firm voice. "I won't call him. I'm not going to beg. I'm sorry, but we have to do it without him. Last time we made it -"

"But last time we stood against Mary, whom we knew and about whom we had a lot of information! But now we're blind and we don't know who we're up to!" she said to him, regretting that she didn't have a knife with her that could stick into his desk in anger. "Why can't you just call him?!"

"You don't understand!" he snapped at her and folded his arms across his chest.

Natasha glared at him, fire burning in her eyes. "So you're not going to help me?" she asked calmly, though she was mad.

"I'm sorry," Tony said, turning away from her.

"Fine," Natasha muttered. In fact, she already knew what she would do if Tony didn't work with her. She wasn't proud of herself. Quietly, creeping like a cat, she walked over to Bruce's desk and pulled out a syringe filled with a sleeping pill from one of the drawers. She went back to Tony, grabbed him by the shoulder, and before he could protest, mercilessly stabbed the tip of the syringe into his muscle and squeezed out all of its contents. She could still see the shock in Tony's eyes before he collapsed in his chair and fell asleep. Natasha tried to move him to the most comfortable position possible.

"I'm sorry, Tones, but you didn't give me a choice," she told him in a firm voice, though he couldn't hear her, and she reached for the phone. She dialed Steve's number and put the cell phone to her ear. It took an incredibly long time to pick up the call.

"Tony?" came a sleepy, surprised male voice.

Natasha pressed her eyelids together and exhaled. "Hello, Cap. This is Nat. I think it's time for you to come home."

•••

"Did you wish to speak with us, sir?" Liv asked in a calm voice as soon as they and Quentin came to Ross's office, where he called them urgently. He walked thoughtfully back and forth along the large window and frowned.

"Yes, I wouldn't have called you otherwise," he said under his breath, and Liv got a great desire to snap something poisonous, or better, to punch him in the head with something. But not yet. "Tell me how many months it is, what did you promise me that I would have an army of pliable and invincible superheroes ready?" he asked them directly and finally stopped on the spot. Neither of them answered him. "You don't know. Well, I thought so. We probably forgot to set a specific deadline, didn't we?"

"Sir, considering how time-consuming this project is, unpredictable, how to think about each step and deal with sudden complications, I'm afraid that a certain deadline cannot be set," Beck said, crossing his leg. Liv knew why she had appointed him a chief spokesperson for the project. "Science and technology, as well as the project itself, are constantly growing. And I suppose you want the best possible army and without unnecessary mistakes that we could avoid if we had enough time and space?"

Ross growled and folded his arms over his back. "I could wait for that forever. No, I don't want that. You've been feeding me this nonsense for a long time, and I haven't seen any results. Not a single, and even not a crappy prototype. I told you I needed the army as soon as possible, which you promised me it would be. I didn't want the first model to be perfect right away, even if it would make things quite easy... Look at Stark's suits. The first prototype was lousy and without any conveniences, but saved his neck and eliminated a lot of enemies from the game! And he was able to create it in a cave. In the cave!" he barked. "You have the best available technologies, resources, and spaces that make your work much easier. Plus, I thought you had the best scientists on the team. So where the hell is the problem?!" he demanded an answer. Liv decided to give it to him this time. But probably not the one he had hoped for.

"Explain it to me," he told them, then turned to face the window for a view of the city to calm him down. It was an ideal opportunity for Liv and Quentin. The blonde nodded at her companion. It was a signal for Beck. He jumped out of his chair with a knife in his hand, walked quickly to Ross, grabbed him tightly by the neck with one hand, then placed the knife blade against his artery.

"One bad move and you bleed out to death in two minutes," he whispered darkly in his ear, gripping him tighter as Ross, initially startled, was about to resist.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he managed to hiss. He didn't expect anything like that. He was slowly turning red, but neither Liv nor Quentin was too worried.

"Do you want to know where the problem is, Minister? It is simple. We stopped enjoying this stupid cat and mouse game," Liv replied as she got up from her chair and slowly walked over to Ross, and smiled sweetly at him. "Actually, we've been pulling your nose from the beginning, and your labs you've so willingly provided, we used it for our purposes. Indeed, there is some truth to the saying that patience brings roses. Your army should never have been created. And I should actually thank you now for your help and pleasant cooperation," she grinned gloomily. Ross was all red and gasping for breath. "You probably can't tell much about people, can you? What a shame. But that's life. Sometimes things don't turn out the way we imagine. This consciousness must torture you so terribly. Enjoy your last moments," she laughed devilishly and began to search his desk to see if she could find anything useful to take with her.

"You're... crazy..." Ross hissed with all his strength, slowly beginning to lose consciousness. Beck held him too tight, but Liv didn't care. Whatever he wanted to do. She no longer needs Ross for anything, and then he would just threaten her unnecessarily.

"I think all of us are a little crazy, Minister. Every desire has to do with madness. And there is only a thin line between madness and genius. No big mind existed without a touch of madness," she said perfectly calmly, looking at Quentin. She looked almost bored. "Make it over, Q, this charade is no longer amusing me."

Beck grinned. She didn't have to repeat it twice. The next moment, Thaddeus Ross fell to the ground.

 

Notes:

What do you think about the course of events?

Also, there are only ten chapters and an epilogue left, so it's time to tell you that there will be the third part. And is the best one!

Chapter 78: Chapter 77

Chapter Text

Pepper stared at sleeping Michelle with a wrinkle on her forehead. She didn't like the fact that the girl still refused to sleep in Peter's room. She even offered her a guest room, but she settled on their couch and only got up when she had to go to the bathroom. She tried to look brave, but Pepper knew she was really worried. And that worried her. She'd rather send her home, but she knew it was a losing fight, so she didn't even talk about it.

She heard the faint slamming of the front door, so she turned her gaze to the door that led to the living room and wasn't at all surprised to find Loki standing there dressed in a black suit. She didn't say anything. She just made sure Michelle was still asleep, and then quietly went to the kitchen, where the dark-haired man followed her. Pepper put water on to boil and took one of her stronger green teas out of the cupboard. She didn't get much sleep tonight either, and she needed more caffeine. But she didn't want to start drinking coffee in liters like the other residents of Stark's mansion did.

Neither of them spoke. The redhead didn't want to ask because she knew that if he had the news, he would tell her. And Loki didn't want to mention that neither Stark nor Romanov had shown up to replace them. He didn't want to be the one to worry her.

She placed a cup of tea in front of him, which he was not interested in. Of course, he didn't tell her that either. Instead, he decided to make her at least a little happy and drink it without speaking.

"How was the night? Wasn't you cold?” she asked carefully as the silence was killing her.

"I don't know about Rhodes, but I welcomed the cold," he replied his expression hard. He assumed she didn't know who his real father was. And to be honest, he didn't want her to know. "You know that if you left it to me, you'd have him back at home a long time ago," he changed the subject. It wasn't any nicer, but it was one of their options. It would take him barely five minutes. He was sure of that.

Pepper sighed. "It's too dangerous, Loki. You know I trust you, but this is my son. And no one knows what's waiting for you there. You have to watch your back, okay? Promise me, please. Promise me that you will look after each other's backs," she begged him desperately, but at the same time very authoritatively. Loki was impressed once again. Although she looked like a walking corpse in recent days, she could assert herself.

"I promise," he said heavily, for this time it wasn't just empty words. This time he intended to keep his promise.

"I'll make you some food, I'm sure you're hungry. And Michelle will wake up soon, and I have to make sure she eats,” she said slightly absently, walking to the refrigerator. She had to have something to do, and cooking always calmed her down.

The god of mischief watched her in silence. Even when he was here with Thor on vacation, he found that this woman was a great cook. And it didn't surprise him either. There didn't seem to be anything she couldn't do. But now that he was replaying the last days in his mind, he realized one thing he didn't like at all.

"Pepper?" he addressed her with a drop of tenderness in his voice.

"Hm?"

"And did anyone make sure you ate?" he asked, rather worried. After all, there were only two of them here now, and he had given up with hiding his emotions when she was with him.

"Nobody has to look after me, that's my job. At least I'm contributing a little," she said convincingly, but she couldn't fool Loki. After all, he was a god of mischief.

He was about to tell her it definitely wouldn't work that way, but before he could make a sound, Rhodey appeared in the kitchen.

"We have a bit of a problem here," he said impatiently, and Loki gave him a rude look, knowing that he had caused more concern to Pepper.

"What's going on?" she asked before he did.

"Didn't Loki tell you? Neither Tony nor Nat have arrived," he told her confusedly. Loki just shrugged and motioned for Rhodes to continue. "Natasha is gone. I found Tony in the workshop. Asleep. This is not surprising given that we all currently have a lack of sleep. What struck me was that I couldn't wake him. Natasha managed to play with Friday, so I don't know exactly what happened between them, but she had to stab him with a sleeping serum," he told them everything he knew.

"You must find her," she said immediately to Loki. This was extremely bad. She had no idea what her friend was about to do, but she knew it would be unreasonable.

"There's one more thing," Rhodey interrupted, "Bruce's gone, too."

•••

Natasha knocked on the familiar door and waited patiently for someone to open it. She gave them a maximum of a minute, then she would have to open it herself. She didn't have that much time. She just had to take what belonged to her and immediately continue on her way. According to her calculations, Tony would wake up soon, and by then she wanted to be with Bruce. By then, she wanted Elizabeth to confess to her actions.

"I know the look," her former colleague said as he opened the door with a tired look on his face. The redhead didn't have time to feel guilty about being here so early in the morning.

"I need my things," she said in a firm voice.

"What happened? You know I can't give them to you. You shouldn't even know they're here. When Fury gave them to me, he believed I wouldn't give them to you. Under no circumstances," Clint replied in an equally firm voice, suddenly no longer tired. He recognized the seriousness of the situation and did not like what he saw.

"In that case, he should have given them to someone else, because if he thinks I won't hurt you, he's wrong. Give me those things, Clint. They're mine.” There was a warning in her tone of voice now, but it didn't bother the archer. He knew this side of Natasha. After all, that's exactly what she was when he first met her. It was one of the last moments she was still in her senses. He knew he could still stop her from doing what she was going to do.

"I will not give them to you. If you want them, you have to go through me."

"With pleasure. Listen to me, they have Peter and Bruce, and now give up on me before I really hurt you. I don't want to explain it to Laura, let alone to the children."

Clint hesitated. "I'm coming with you," he told her, letting her into the house.

"Definitely not. This is personal and you're retired. It doesn't have to disrupt the family life of us all. Just give me those things," she repeated again. She was really running out of time. She could have done it without them, but she knew Widow would be happy for them. It was her original KGB armament. More murderous, less intimidating. As she told Clint - this was personal. And she won't let anyone go away with it.

"You need someone to watch over you-"

"What I need, is exactly the opposite. I need to be alone because I need to be her and I don't care if you like it or not. These aren't Avengers. We don't play heroes here," she said coldly. "It's in that barn, isn't it?"

Barton nodded with a sigh. He was wrong. There was nothing more he could do to stop her. "You will regret it, Natasha. And I tell you that as a friend."

The redhead was already out the door. "I will not bury the past. She is me. We cover our backs. You know, when it comes down to it, it's either them or us. It will be them, not my family," she said but did not turn to him and continued towards the barn.

Clint sighed again. He didn't know if he should contact anyone. He didn't know the real Black Widow, but he was sure Natasha was right that she had to be alone. Because people like Black Widow can't work in teams.

 

Chapter 79: Chapter 78

Chapter Text

Richard knocked on his superior's door with a somewhat nervous feeling. She sent for him, and it seemed to sound quite urgent. And he didn't want to leave it for later. Not with what was happening now, and what the atmosphere was like in the laboratories.  The storm was approaching.

"Come in," Liv said, suspecting it would be him. Richard had no idea what she might want, and he stepped inside quickly. "It's nice of you to be here so soon. That’s better.”

"Did you want to talk to me?" he asked her. She nodded and motioned for him to sit down. He'd rather stand. She must have smirked. They had this in common. "Is something wrong?"

She sensed that he was nervous. A similar mood prevailed in most of her subordinates. The atmosphere thickened as Liv's escape approached. It was time to inform everyone she was taking with her. 

"Actually, yes, but it's nothing new to you. Do you know how I told you to be ready for a possible escape?" He nodded. "Very well. During today, tomorrow at the latest, we will get out of here and erase all traces. The most important thing is already done. Plus, I feel like the Avengers can attack at any time. It's been a long time, and especially for them. Be prepared."

"It won't be a problem, I don't have many things here," he assured her, giving her an inquisitive look. "What about young Stark? What are we going to do with him? I thought he was indispensable for you and the project, and you barely care about him," he had to ask.

Liv smirked and joined her hands behind her back. "Let's leave the baby alone now. I don't have to be with him all the time for him to suffer. We prepared a lot for him, one thing worse than another. He is still a child and such trauma can harm a person badly. Especially if he's alone. Without his loved ones who would get him out of here. Alone where he has to face his thoughts, which can be pretty dangerous. Imagine being alone with yourself for an eternity, and especially at a time like this. This is what can do more damage than any of my open attempts to tear up his soul even more. I think it's even better this way."

Richard was not completely fine with what she said. He had known before that Liv was capable of really anything. But now, for the first time in all that time, he really saw her, as she had always been. He was afraid of her. He himself avoided violence and cruelty, after all, he was mainly concerned with science and fulfilling his tasks. He knew her, or so he thought. Yet he was constantly amazed at how cruel she could be.

"Won't you kill him?" he asked her quietly. "As you did kill Ross?"

A shadow flew across her face, and her thin lips curled into a smile. "I still can change my mind... maybe I'll go say goodbye to him before we leave. But Richard, you're not right about one thing: I didn't kill Ross."

But you planned his murder, and it's almost the same, Richard thought, but he didn't say anything out loud.

"Didn't it spread all over the lab? I don't want to deal with any unnecessary complications."

"Quentin mentioned it," he said rather grumpily. He didn't want to talk about killing, even though their job was killing. "He said he created the illusion of Ross so that no one would suspect him."

Liv nodded contentedly. "That's good, as I say, I would not like any complications. And now let's go, we still have to see the rest of the people we take with us."

"Teresa," he addressed her quite unexpectedly, emphasizing her name. He looked deeply into her eyes. She gave him a shocked look. They stood looking at each other for a moment. Richard had a lot of things on his tongue that he wanted to say to her. But in the end, he didn't say anything out loud.

The blonde woman took a step back. For the first time, fear flashed in her eyes. "Never again..." she exhaled in a shaky voice and backed toward the door. It was unbelievable what one word could do to her. It was as if it had torn down an entire carefully constructed dam that had ruptured and a wave of emotion poured out, all the while carefully suppressing inside herself and hiding it behind a mask of cruelty and indifference. "Never call me that again," she hissed at him, slamming the door open. She straightened in surprise to find Quentin Beck standing on the doorstep, stiff and suddenly distrustful.

"Well, well, well," she groaned annoyed, glancing at Richard. "See? This is exactly the kind of complication I didn't want to."

"Wait, wait," Quentin interjected quickly, raising his hands. "I need to clarify something."

"You don't need to clarify anything," she barked at him in an uncomfortable voice, slipped past him, and hurried down the hall. But Beck was relentless and followed her.

"Who is Teresa? Why did he speak of you as Teresa?" he demanded, frowning incomprehensibly. "Explain it to me! Did I miss something? You - all - you made it up? So who the hell are you?!"

The blonde stopped, and Quentin took a few steps ahead of her. He looked back and slowed his pace. He didn't like the look she gave him. Cold in his eyes, a cruel grin on her face. She looked like an icy, ruthless queen. Which she probably was.

"Your biggest problem, Q," she said in a perfectly calm and confident voice, "is that you're involved in things you don't know anything about. What a pity you didn't realize it before. Your speaking skills may get you out of most problems, but your curiosity hurts you. Whoever asks too much will know too much. But I don't want you to learn anything new. You already know more than I need you to know."

It happened too fast, though Quentin saw it as if in slow motion. Liv pulled out her pistol, shoved the magazine into it, aimed it steadfastly at Beck, and then pulled the trigger.

The sound of a shot echoed down the hall and bounced off the walls. Beck gasped and bowed his head. Blood began to seep through his shirt. He fell to the ground and shakenly put his hands on the bleeding wound on his chest. Liv almost hit his heart. And Beck knew she had missed it on purpose. Because she wanted him to suffer in the last moments of his life.

He gasped and tried to stop the bleeding. In vain. He shivered all over, his color slowly fading from his face as his hands turned red. The pain flowed through his body.

"See, Richard," the woman said regretfully, shaking her head and shoving her weapon back into its holster, as if nothing had happened, "if you were careful with your tongue, none of this would have happened. It's your fault. It's your fault that Q is dying. And I want you to look at it."

But Richard was already in a hurry. He was sick and knew he couldn't stand it.

"It’s a pity," she muttered, giving Beck one last look. "You served me well, Q. But it's probably a good thing it turned out that way. I didn't plan on taking you with me anyway. It'll be safer this way."

"You're... a monster…"

"I've known that for a long time," she grinned coldly and walked away with a confident step.

Quentin didn't know how long he had been lying there, trapped in a whirlwind of excruciating agony. He focused only on breathing, sensing the warm sticky fluid in his hands and trying not to lose consciousness. He had to get out of here.

"Quentin? For God's sake, Quentin!" A man's voice seemed to reach him from a distance. He struggled to turn his head in that direction and saw a frightened Hammer running towards him. "For God's sake, what happened to you?" he exhaled in disbelief and knelt beside his body. He ran his eyes over his wound, where he pressed both hands together, trying to assess how deep it might be and how big the injury it was.

"Look at me, will you?" he whispered softly and took his face in his hands. Quentin looked at him and Justin's heart sank as he saw tears in his eyes. He bit his lip. "I have to look at that. I need you to work with me. Then we'll get you out of here," he promised, stroking his cheek with his thumb. Then he gritted his teeth and carefully took his bloodied hands, which he placed on his stomach to get a better view of the wound. He ripped his shirt carelessly, and a deep, bloody wound peeked out at him. "Did they stab you? Or did they shoot? Q, please stay with me."

"Pistol," Quentin snorted, his eyelids quivering. Hammer realized they didn't have much time. God knows how long Beck had been lying like this.

"You have a bullet there. We need to get it out and stop the bleeding. I'll take you to the lab, I can't do this myself," he said desperately, wondering how to get him there when Quentin grabbed his hand very gently. Hammer looked up at him and found a strange calm in his brown eyes. "No," Hammer breathed, shaking his head in disapproval.

"It's okay," Quentin whispered, and Justin stroked his clean-shaven face with his other hand. Beck was breathing hard. "It's okay."

"Q, you can't... you can't die. We will save you. You have to... you just have to hold on a little longer. Fight. Please. For of me," he said in a shaky voice and a sob escaped his throat. Quentin leaned into his palm and looked at the spectacled man devoutly. "I love you," he said at the last moment.

"Justin..." Quentin breathed, and Hammer waited for nothing. He leaned over and pressed his lips gently to his. He felt Beck kiss him back. He wished this moment would last forever. But in a moment Beck's whole body relaxed, his hand squeezed and slackened, and Justin sobbed softly and pulled him to his chest, stroking his brown hair and pressing his weeping face into it.

Quentin Beck was dead.

 

Chapter 80: Chapter 79

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Pepper gently stroked Tony's cheek. She didn't think her despair could increase, but it obviously could. She had no idea what had happened here. What made Natasha do something so drastic. Or where Bruce disappeared. Their lives were crumbling like a house of cards. It was one of those moments when she wished her family wasn't full of superheroes. She wished to be just ordinary people.

"Pep…" Tony snorted sleepily, trying to find a more comfortable position.

"You have to wake up, Tony," she whispered heavily. It was as if someone was clutching her throat tightly, and she was fighting to breathe. The only reason she hadn't passed yet was that she had Michelle upstairs to take care of. That gave her the strength to move on at the moment.

"Um, a moment," he muttered, "is Peter up yet?"

His words stick in her heart as smoothly as a dagger. She closed her eyes for a second. She wished to know how their boy was doing now. If it is okay…

"Tony, you really have to wake up," she repeated, kissing him lightly on the forehead.

The mechanic reluctantly opened his eyes and a wrinkle appeared on his forehead as he looked at the woman he loved unconditionally. He felt like he had a hangover, but he didn't remember drinking anything. He tried to remember what had happened. And why Pepper looks so upset.

"What's going on?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"We were hoping you could tell us more. Bruce and Nat are gone. Rhodey said she gave you something for sleep,” she told him the little she knew.

"Peter," he breathed, broken as he began to realize what was happening. But he still didn't quite remember what had happened between him and Natasha. He remembered arguing about something, but it was all foggy.

"Let's go upstairs. I'll make some breakfast and we can all talk about it," she decided for him and helped him to his feet. It wasn't hard to tell that he still had the rest of the substance Natasha had injected him in his blood.

And while they were having a somewhat forced breakfast inside the mansion, three men stood outside the door, deciding if it was a really good idea to return here. But even after what they did, they were still family. And they have to help each other. Always.

"I wish Wanda and Vision were here, he could calm things down," Sam muttered, not enthusiastic about being here. But they couldn't help but show up. Especially when it came to Peter.

"I still insist I shouldn't have come," Bucky replied. He agreed to let Steve go with Sam. Then they could meet again. If someone kidnaps Stark's son, he probably won't be in the mood to meet his parents' killer. Especially after it turned out last time.

"You unnecessarily exaggerate it. We're adults, aren't we? We can close our eyes for a moment at what has happened and help each other. This is Peter. We can't let them do it alone," Steve finally spoke in a determined voice. He himself was worried about that, but if Natasha called, the situation must have been really serious.

"Are you sure of that, Captain?" Loki asked in a calm voice that appeared beside them in his full armor. He had been wandering around in black suits all along, but now he saw a great opportunity to put on his beloved armament. He now had his typical smirk on his face when he saw the shocked expressions of the three men.

Loki?! What are you doing here?” Steve yelled, ready to attack every second. Is the god of mischief behind Peter's disappearance? He thought Thor was watching over him.

"The better question is, what are you doing here? I don't think you would be welcome here," he grinned.

"Definitely more than you," snapped Sam, who hadn't taken part in the Battle of New York but knew very well who was facing them. Only Bucky didn't orient himself much, but he was ready to attack just like his two companions.

"I doubt it," he said, pausing for a second. "One single mistake and you'll wish you hadn't come back here," he growled at them. He didn't care what he did to Stark. It was purely a woman with strawberry-blond hair. As always. He suspected that if this visit upset Anthony, it would upset her too. And even though he knew she was strong, he wasn't sure how much more she could take. He still didn't understand why they just didn't let him deal with it. This could save everyone the unnecessary hassle. And he could go back to Norway and pretend for a moment that he wasn't interested in Stark's future wife.

"Are you kidding me! All right, listen to me-” Steve began, a little upset, but he didn't say much, because the door opened and another man joined them.

"What's going on here?" Rhodey asked, but as soon as he asked, he knew the answer when he noticed who was standing on the doorstep of his best friend's house. And even though part of himself was glad to see them, the other was worried about how this might turn out.

•••

A young brown-haired woman stood in an empty hallway, watching a sleeping boy through a glass section of the wall. Richard startled her, which she didn't like, but on the other hand, he unknowingly reminded her that she hadn't been herself for too long. And she will not be anyone else when she finally gets her revenge. That would definitely not work. She didn't feel sorry for Beck, at least she could have killed him herself. After all, she had longed for it since she'd learned that he was the one behind Mary's murder. Or if he's one of the culprits.

"What happened to Liv?" Richard asked cautiously, joining her. He was pleased to see the old familiar face again. Her gorgeous brown curls and even nicer brown eyes. Even in what she was dressed changed. Now she no longer acted as a superior but as one of them. But he knew it really only worked that way. She was perhaps even more vicious.

"She followed Quentin," she replied simply. Killing her temporary lives was not much fun. She removes the wig, removes the contact lenses and the work is done. She didn't give Liv much personal life, so there was no need to erase other traces of her existence.

"Who will you be now?"

"I'll just be me now," she said, almost absently. "Wait for me in the car," she told him in her authoritative voice, and before he could add anything, she disappeared inside the room.

Peter was not very deep in his sleep. You could say that he only had his eyes closed and tried not to concentrate on the number of drugs in his body, so he recognized it immediately when someone came in. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and saw an unknown girl standing at the door. She was unknown because he was sure he had never seen her before, but at the same time, she reminded him terribly of someone.

"You can rest, I'm sure your family is on their way," she told him in a contemptuous voice before finally walking closer to him. It was a pity they ended up like this. The two of them could rule the world together. But she was clearly destined to be alone in everything. Even for world domination.

"What do you want?" Peter asked, not even bothering to ask who she was, because it was clear to him that she would not tell him.

"I just want to talk," she smiled sweetly. So much so that Peter's hair on the back of his neck twitched. "I think it's adorable that you thought Mary was terrible a person," she laughed, but in a second her face cooled. Peter even felt that the temperature in the room had dropped. He had no idea who the girl was, but he didn't feel good about her.

"Wasn't she?" he whispered almost inaudibly.

The brunette watched him for a moment before nodding and sitting in a chair beside his bed. "Of course she was. But do you want to hear the secret? Mary grew up in a happy family. Only over time did she get to where she was. Only over time did she become who she was. What do you think a person who has been led to callousness from an early age will be? What do you think will be the person who grew up with Mary? That is if her absence can be counted on growing up with her," she snorted. "So yes, she was a terrible person, but me? I'm much worse. And I can't wait for you to see it for yourself," she said with a devilish gleam in her eye and got up from her chair.

Peter didn't dare say anything. The truth was, he had so many drugs in him that he didn't even know if it was real. He was inclined that not. And when the brunette leaned in, he closed his eyes.

"See you soon, my sweet little brother," she chuckled, kissing his forehead.

That was the last thing he felt before the darkness surrounded him.

Notes:

OMG, what just happened?

Chapter 81: Chapter 80

Chapter Text

"You didn't come back at a very convenient time, Captain," Rhodey said as they stared at each other for a moment. The last time they saw each other, there was a rivalry between them. "It's nice to see you, but you should probably leave."

"I think I came back just in time," Steve countered, looking at him. "Natasha called me. And we know very well that Nat is the type who would rather do it all alone without a stranger. It must be something really serious for her to speak up. I know we didn't break up in a good way, but Tony obviously needs help. And I'm here to give it to him. This is about Peter."

"Okay, I warned you. But is it clear to you that your meeting may not turn out well?" Colonel Rhodes decided to let the Captain in and leave the final decision to Tony.

Steve nodded and pursed his lips. "I reckon. I'm willing to accept the consequences." Rhodey suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and urged the Captain to follow him. Rogers turned and asked his two companions to wait for him. He would talk to Tony himself first. If he took Bucky in with him, it certainly wouldn't have gone well, and he didn't want an even deeper gap to form between them.

It was strange to return to a well-known place after a long time. Steve felt a surge of nostalgia. Maybe Nat will be here, who will lean to his side in a case. But he really hoped that after talking to Tony, everything would be fine between them again. It is said that time heals all wounds, or at least we get used to the pain. Steve hoped that the time of their separation was long enough and that Tony would be willing to listen to him.

"I'm leading someone to you," Rhodey announced as he entered the dining room, where Michelle, Pepper, and the rather pale and disoriented Tony were having breakfast. But when Captain America stepped inside, he raised his head and widened his eyes. It was as if the air in the room had cooled by a few degrees. The atmosphere was quite tense and surprised Michelle glanced from one man to another.

"Steve," Pepper breathed, recovering first from the unexpected surprise. "It's great you are here! I'm glad to see you're okay." And then she shifted her gaze a little carefully at Tony, who was clenching his fists under the table, obviously wondering if he should jump after him and hit him into his perfect teeth, or approach him with caution and throw himself tightly around his neck. There was so much he wanted to tell him, but for now, he was silent and waiting for the right moment.

Rogers smiled and tenderness in his eyes. "Nice to see you too, Pepper," he told her, looking carefully at Stark. "Hi, Tony."

There was a silence that was broken only by the regular ticking of the clock. Pepper cleared her throat and placed a palm on MJ's shoulder. "Michelle, I think we should leave for a while so they can talk," she whispered, and the girl nodded immediately. But before they could get up, Tony interjected in a sharp voice.

"No need," he said coldly, standing up as the chair creaked. "I'm leaving," he told them all, but he didn't even look at Steve. He lifted his chin and walked confidently past them, a measure into his workshop, giving the Captain no more glances.

Pepper sighed. "He's so stubborn."

"Didn't I say that?" Rhodey said, folding his arms across his chest. "So what do we do now?" His question was more about the Captain, who was fighting a contradictory struggle. One part of him claimed that it was right to come here, to express their lingering loyalty to them and to help them in any way possible. But for now, it seemed that if he remained in exile, it would be better.

"I'm not going to run again, I'll stay this time. I'll go see Tony and try to talk to him. If he sends me away and tells me he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore, I'll never see him again. But I'll do my best to help you," he promised, looking at Pepper, who nodded gratefully. "I care about Peter, too."

Rhodey patted him on the shoulder and went to make coffee. "Good luck."

Steve knew he would need it.

He walked slowly down to the workshop to find Tony. He thought carefully about what to say to him. What the right words to choose. But maybe it's just best, to be honest. Tell him how he feels.

"Tony, I need to talk to you," he said in a resounding voice, and there was a small noise in the workshop. He heard his sigh. "Please. It's about Peter. At least give me a moment. I know you probably hate me for all this, and I'm really sorry about what happened, but we won't change the past. So let's forget about what happened, at least for a while. Because of Peter. We have to save him."

There were quiet footsteps, and a moment Tony appeared in front of him. Tousled, tired, bred like a beast. Desperate. He stared at Steve, and he was so glad to see him again. His heart was pounding loudly. He was afraid of rejection. He was afraid Tony would send him away and he would never want to see him again.

But he sighed in defeat instead and ran his hands over his face. "I want to be angry with you. And I'm actually a little upset. But at the same time, I know I need you, and I hate myself for that. But this really doesn't lead anywhere. I want to reconcile." He looked at him seriously. And Steve felt the corners of his lips rise into a small smile. "I don't want this anymore. Contempt, as it turned out, destroys me."

"Me too. "I missed you."

Tony smiled now.  And then they both hugged briefly but firmly.

"All right, we have to save Peter. Tell me everything you know, if you have any idea where he is, who kidnapped him, what to expect from them. Let's not lose a minute," Captain America immediately decided in his confident voice, and Tony was glad for that because that's how they could both disguise their emotions.

"Sure, just... give me a second," he asked, and Steve nodded. Tony walked away, apparently looking for something. When he returned and Rogers saw what he was holding in his hands, his throat tightened. Tony held a repaired, brand new shield, which Steve gave up just after he destroyed Iron Man's suit and was about to escape with Bucky. And now Stark was holding it and handing it to him. Captain America studied the shield nostalgically, then looked up at Tony, who was watching him closely.

"Tony, I don't know," he breathed uncertainly, not really sure if he deserved to wear the shield at all.

"Why? He made it for you," Tony replied confidently, handing it to him. "It belongs to you. You are Captain America. The only and irreplaceable."

Steve gripped the shield tightly and a warm feeling settled in his chest. "Thank you, Tony," he said softly, and Tony patted him on the back.

"All right, we'll call the rest and figure out what's next. Something tells me it won't be long and my kid will be home again."

Captain America nodded. "Trust me."

Chapter 82: Chapter 81

Chapter Text

The red-haired woman paced around the room in silence, carefully examining what was there. She could use a lot of things. Like the serum of truth, she'd applied to her host a moment ago. And while she waited for thiopental sodium to make the effect, she was looking for something to treat a minor stab wound that she hadn't avoided on her way here. Getting here was far too easy. She only encountered the problem when she was almost at the finish line. Suddenly she was surprised by a soldier, but not too much for him to do any great damage. Natasha acted immediately, but unfortunately for her, even the man was not slow. And so, before she could neutralize him, he managed to stab her in the arm. The redhead had no idea what he was trying to prove, but she didn't think too much about it, it was better for her than if he hit her in the stomach, for example.

She finally found a roll of bandage. She wrapped it tightly around the wound so she wouldn't lose too much blood. She was sure there would be no sign of an injury before she ended it here. She wouldn't even have to bandage it, but she didn't know how to handle the brown-haired woman yet, and she didn't want to get infected if she decided to play around with her.

"What's your name?" she asked as she snatched a piece of rag from her mouth, which she had placed herself before, so she wouldn't have to listen to her rambling.

"Elizabeth Ross," she muttered through clenched teeth. The ropes that bound her to the chair cut into her skin on her arms and legs, but she wasn't going to complain. She knew that thiopental would not work for long. And she could control herself. She was her father's daughter. He had been preparing her for such situations since she was a child.

"Great, the show can begin," she grinned, looking out of the corner of her eye at Bruce, who was locked in a large cage, like a dusty animal. "How long will he be out?"

"Probably two or three hours," Betty said forcibly. She had no idea what Ramonav was up to, but it certainly couldn't work out. Right? Someone will sooner or later notice that something is happening. Her father must know that she broke into his building.

"Such a time," she remarked in an almost singing voice, and her eyes reflected something the other woman couldn't identify, but it didn't leave her feeling very good. "What did you give him?" she asked. She, too, knew that the serum of truth would not work for long, after all, this was not her first rodeo. Fortunately for her, Elizabeth had a decent supply here.

"A substance that suppresses the Hulk."

Natasha gave her a disbelieving look. "If I didn't know you were forced to tell the truth, I'd say you're lying. Bruce said it wasn't possible," she told her, essentially asking her another question.

"It was not possible when the accident happened to him. I've been working on it for almost my whole life," she snapped.

"Where are you have the rest of it?" she said thoughtlessly. She didn't have to think about knowing that no one else could find out. That it was not allowed to get into anyone else's hands. Otherwise, she would really have to lock him up at home and never let him out again.

The brunette said nothing this time but gave her the answer only with a look. Natasha immediately moved to the silver briefcase, which really contained a few ampoules of unknown fluid. "Is that all?" she asked, but Betty didn't say anything again, just nodded. Then she didn't hesitate and dumped the contents of the briefcase on the floor. The glass ampoules were shattered and the liquid was spilled.

"And now the fun can begin," she chuckled, moving closer to the brown-haired woman. She leaned so close to her that Betty could feel her breath on her face. "Imagine the possibilities. You probably know my past better than anyone else, so you know I was not led to moral deeds. On the contrary,” she said in an icy voice, glancing at her before pulling away and standing up straight to let her know who was the boss here.

"What will your beloved Bruce say when he wakes up?" she asked with a smirk for a change. But Natasha didn't act on it this time, because she had been in full Black Widow mode.

"That's none of your business anymore, is it? Have you ever heard the term white hell? It is a long-term method of torture, which at first glance may not seem so terrible, but in the end, it always works. It was my favorite. Unfortunately, we do not have the time or resources to do this. So we'll have to make do with something else," she told her almost sadly. Although she liked physical torture, white hell was the absolute pinnacle of mental hell. The victim is placed in a white room where there is nothing but white. They wear white clothes just like the guards who carry her food. Which is, of course, white rice. What's more, everything is soundproofed, so the victim can't even hear anything. After a few weeks, sensory deprivation begins to take its toll. The human body is simply not built for such a lack of visual and auditory stimuli, so hallucinations and depression are just the beginning. In time, complete depersonalization occurs, so the victim ceases to be aware of his or her own existence.

The brunette felt that the serum of truth was slowly disappearing from her, as she no longer had an urgent need to tell her all her thoughts. "Will, you just talk, or will something happen?"

The redhead had to laugh. Such courage. She couldn't wait to break her. She liked these people best. Those who revealed everything she wanted to know without torturing them properly were not much fun. "I wanted to think it over, but if you're looking forward to it, we can get started," she agreed, shoving a dirty rag back into her mouth, and before Betty could orient herself, a low-voltage electric current passed through her body and caused her painful cramps. And as she struggled with the pain, Natasha untied her and grabbed her hands, which she tied again  too roughly. She walked a short distance away to where a hook hung from the ceiling, which seemed to be waiting to be used for this torture, not so terrible, according to Natasha. But she had to start with something, right? She tied her hands so that she had an even bigger piece of rope left, which she now hung on a hook, so the brunette hung from the ceiling and her legs barely touched the floor. Apparently, it wasn't pleasant.

She slapped her a little to recover. Torture was not fun when the victim no longer even knew about the mself. "Concentrate. That's what you wanted, isn't it? Now you know how naive you were when you decided to go after me. I can't wait for you to beg me to kill you. When you start wishing you're right and I was just an ordinary killer,” she told her with a huge grin on her face, and her suit glowed blue. The game has started.

And while Natasha had let out Black Widow after a long time, a few rooms away, Peter woke up from one of his short periods of sleep. If he wasn't so tired, he would stay awake, because, after each wake-up, he forgot for a moment what was happening. He forgot that his mother was dead. And when he remembered, a new wave of pain and sorrow struck him. It was as if he heard about her death over and over again. He wished his dad would finally show up. They needed to be together now. He had to be careful not to do anything stupid.

"I miss you," he sobbed softly. Tears welled in his eyes, and his head filled with memories of the woman he called his mother. For once, he was convinced of how fragile human life was. They survived so much together. And in the end, an ordinary traffic accident was fatal for her.

Fate was a really strange thing.

Chapter 83: Chapter 82

Chapter Text

A few minutes later, Teresa left the lab, where she had spent so much time in recent months. She didn't look back, she wasn't sentimental. After all, even this place could not grow on her cold heart. But maybe nothing and no one could. As if everything in her had died the night her mother for the first time - and certainly not last - doesn't come to celebrate Christmas with her. The little girl Teresa was then was completely broken. Shocked. That evening she told herself she wouldn't trust her mom anymore. She replayed all the situations that had ever occurred between them. Well, there weren't too many of them. Mary came whenever she wanted, whenever it suited her, whenever she needed to unleash her frustration, whenever she needed to take a break from her heavy burden, whenever she needed to make sure she left her successor behind, and at least a little involved in her upbringing.

That's when Teresa admitted that her mother was definitely not the mother she should be. Just look at the other children and their families. Teresa figured she didn't even belong here. That her place is nowhere. And because she's here unnecessarily, not even her own mother, who only goes out when she needs to pass on to her the new experiences, secrets, and family burdens that Teresa had to carry with her for the rest of her life, wants to see her. But she swore. She swore not to be her mother's obedient puppet, the one she had created. No, she will be much, much worse. 

She will not back down from any challenge. And she would respond to every attack with an even harsher attack.

She will be like a hydra. You cut one head and two more grow, much stronger and scarier.

Teresa shook her dark short hair, as if she wanted to banish all unwanted thoughts and memories from her head. She kept her word. She was worse than her mother, and this time she was determined to bring everything to the end. And she would do things that even Mary herself would not dare to do.

"Do you see that? I'm you... or rather, I'm what you were ever afraid to be," she laughed softly. "I can do so much more than you, Mother, because I really have nothing to lose and I'm convinced of that. I can only get something and I am willing to do it for it all. I wonder if you would be proud of me. If you could feel anything like that at all, and what's more, admit it to me. Because that would only prove that you care about me a little, right? I hope you have a good look at what is happening to your daughter, wherever you are. But I suppose you are in Hell," she chuckled dryly, and then she finally came to a black car with Richard sitting behind the wheel, looking restless and drumming his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel.

"Calm down, we're still ahead, the Avengers won't have a clue," she assured him amusedly as she opened the passenger door and sat down on the seat. She slammed the door behind her and exhaled for a long time. Then she looked at the pale Richard. She tapped him briefly on the arm, encouraging, "Come on, what's the matter with you?"

"I'm just looking forward to getting out of here, that's all," he snapped, annoyed to himself that his own weakness had overwhelmed him and that he'd made it clear to Teresa. He could still see how she a cold-blooded shot Quentin Beck. How she didn't hesitate for a second. As strong as her hand was, so strong she never shuddered once. Even now, a chill ran down his spine from the aura of power, the chill, and indifference that flowed around her at that moment. Even when she was a small child, he knew that, like her mother, it was not in her nature to be bound. But he still felt that Quentin was like her friend. After all, they understood each other. There was no danger to her.

But then she shot him, and Richard realized that even though he was one of her loved ones, there was no security for him. And it terrified him how easily Teresa could do something like that. And without any remorse. He was worried because, as he himself reluctantly admitted, he himself was in danger. She could have killed him mercilessly at any time, and the fact that he was raising her played absolutely no role. It is enough if a person comes to the wrong place at the wrong time.

He was really so naive and thought he was safe with Teresa.

The truth was, he was nowhere safe.

"Then we'll get out of here," she urged and strapped herself in. She looked at the blond hair wig she'd put on her head so often she'd gotten used to. She liked Liv's identity. Now that she was looking in the mirror, knowing she was dark-haired Teresa again... it was weird. And it was a necessity too. A clue, a clue to the puzzle that will definitely boil Peter's clever head. And Teresa had no doubt he wouldn't give up until he solved it. And when he deciphers her, it brings him to her.

She smiled contentedly. Although not everything turned out exactly as she had planned, they were on their way. Teresa had no doubt that she had her victory in her pocket.

"Aren't you feel sorry? Not even a little?" Richard suddenly said as they waited at the intersection. She looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "I mean Beck's death. He didn't... wouldn't he do something else for us?"

She laughed coldly. "Richard, war is sacrificing. Quentin was neither the first nor the last I would kill in this game," she told him perfectly calmly, and as they drove off again, she bent down and grabbed her wig, which had served her so long and well. She smirked and rolled her over her arms. No, she wasn't sentimental. She pulled down the window and tossed the wig from the moving car out into the street. Liv was really gone now.

Teresa turned her head and looked out. A pleasant breeze flicked across her face. She closed her eyes for a moment and smiled broadly. He was neither the first nor the last... no, all this was just the beginning. Now she will just pull on the right threads, which she will be gradually cutting away. All until she has only one in her hand.

And that will be the broken Peter Stark.

Her little brother.

Chapter 84: Chapter 83

Chapter Text

To say that Elizabeth was at the bottom of her strength would be underestimated. The brunette knew she wouldn't last too long. In fact, she was surprised that she had not yet been surrounded by blackness. She was at a point if she really wished Romanov would be done with her. But Betty knew she would only do so when she begged. And she couldn't do that. She won't let her have it. She didn't understand what Bruce saw in her. She was a killer. Bruce wouldn't be with anyone who is like that. Bruce was too pure to be in her presence.

Natasha knew, too, that her rival would not last long. Once she began torturing, it was difficult for her to control herself. She finally let her be a few minutes ago. She still hadn't decided how to handle her. She wanted to kill her so much. She would break her thin neck and listen to how it cracked with a calm heart. That would be heavenly music for her ears. Could she do it? Of course, she couldn't. On the other hand, Bruce might not know at all. She'll take him away before he wakes up. Then they talk and they'll never turn around to this again. The redhead knew it didn't work that way. And not at all in her case. The past will always catch up with her sooner or later. And she didn't want to have another skeleton in the closet. And as she thought about her next move, she carefully untied the bandage from her hand. She had been here for over two hours, and the stab wound was not so deep. By this time, she should be healed.

Her actions were followed by Betty, who charged with new energy when she could not see a single trace of the stab wound. That was not possible. She could see a little blurry, but she wouldn't miss this. She studied biochemistry. This was not possible. So if you were an ordinary person.

"You're- you're enhanced," Betty rasped heavily.

Natasha smirked at her. "Of course I am. How could an ordinary agent keep up with the most powerful heroes in the world? How could Russia be content with another inferior agent? They had a bunch of them. Of course, they wanted something new. Something better. Something much better than America had," she snorted. Betty was the first to figure it out. And only because she let her figure it out. She was out of it, so if she happened to get out of here alive, no one would believe her anyway. And if she talks too much… accidents happen.

"But how?" Betty didn't understand. Why didn't anyone know yet? This wasn't something she could hide from the outside world.

"Do you really have to ask this? You?” she laughed contemptuously. "It was serum. They wanted to make their own Captain America, but they couldn't make as good serum as the Americans had. And so, before they developed something better, they served it in the Red Room. Superhuman strength, superhuman senses, and high psychological resilience. But the end of talking. I'm only interested in one thing. Do you want to end this?” she asked, almost sweetly, which in her case was far more frightening than speaking in her typical icy voice.

"If you expect me to beg, you're wrong," the brunette smirked for a change.

The redhead's face turned to stone. Her perseverance surprised her, but only for a few seconds. Killing her was risky anyway. Another skeleton in an already full closet. "So be it, have it your way. You'll be able to leave, but probably not on your feet. I'll give you a keepsake that will remind you on a daily basis of what might happen if you ever decided to cross my path again. Believe me, if we ever meet again, you won't get out of it alive. On the contrary, I will choose the slowest and most painful death I know and let you suffer. Do you understand?”

Betty nodded slightly. She was surprised he wouldn't kill her. It won't be until a few days later that she wishes she hadn't left this place alive.

Natasha adjusted the voltage range and gave the brunette one last look before putting her hand to her neck and activating the bracelets. Betty fainted almost immediately, and Natasha finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was over.

•••

Tony was nervous. It was not a big mission. He would almost say that it was one of the most primitive they had ever undergone. The problem was that it was about Peter. One mistake and something could have happened to him. And he couldn't allow that.

"Calm down, Tones, it's gonna work," Rhodey said calmly, sitting next to him in the passenger seat. Steve was sitting in the back seats with Sam and Bucky, whom Tony had chosen to tolerate at least a little, but he certainly didn't have full confidence in him. All three had electrical handcuffs on their hands that would take Tony out of service as soon as they were inside. Loki stayed home with Pepper and Michelle, but if anything went wrong, he was ready to rush to their aid.

Tony stopped at the gate and pulled down the windows. "I'm going to see Ross," he told to the soldier, almost annoyed.

"You're announced, sir?"

"Ross and I have such a tradition. We always go to each other unannounced," he grinned as he tried to calm down. Rhodey was right. It will work. Everything is going to be fine. Everyone will sit at home in the evening and enjoy family time.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't let you go unannounced."

"You are doing your job, I understand. Come closer," he urged, pulling down the windows at the back door. "See who's sitting in the car with me? If I knew I would only be able to come if I checked in advance, of course, I would let you know in advance that I'm about to catch the men, Ross is so eager to get, today," he told him sarcastically, closing the back door again when he saw the soldier's shocked expression.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'll lift bolt and lower blocks immediately," the soldier muttered, returning quickly to the booth. For a few seconds, they had a free path to Ross's labs.

"Do you all know what to do?" Tony asked as he parked and turned to face the others.

It wasn't their best plan, but it was the only one they had. Tony had his nanosuit, and Rhodey could have one weapon as a member of the U.S. military. He had the captain's shield and Sam's belongings with him, like retained weapons, so once they released them, they would have a clear path to them. The only unarmed man was Bucky, but Tony had a hunch that he could handle it without weapons.

All that remained was that everything went according to plan and any shortcomings would go unnoticed.

Chapter 85: Chapter 84

Chapter Text

Natasha gave Betty one last look. Then she bent down and check her pulse. She nodded to herself and straightened. She didn't want to kill her, not today. Not when Bruce was here, and so close. If Betty didn't take her warning seriously enough and try something in the near future, then Natasha couldn't guarantee that she would spare her. And especially not if Bruce isn't there. Just because of him, the thought of what he might say about all this kept her bloodlust and desire for revenge under control. Only thanks to him did she still have some control over Black Widow, which had slept too long.

The redhead took a deep breath and looked at her watch. Betty said Bruce would be out for about two to three hours. There was still some time left, and Nat didn't want to waste it. Moreover, it was only a matter of time before Tony and perhaps Steve showed up, whom she turned to for help. It won't hurt to investigate here until no one has any idea of her presence. Maybe she will find something interesting that will come in handy later, or she will also be able to find the kidnapped Peter. It was clear to her that when Tones appeared, he would angrily turn it here upside down, just to find his son, and of course, he would draw unwanted attention to them. Then it will be too late to explore. Then they will play for only a few seconds to get Peter and Bruce out of here. 

She glanced at her boyfriend to make sure he was okay. He slept, breathing regularly, and curled up in a ball. Natasha's lips curled into a gentle smile, but then she shook her head and leaned over to Betty, from whose pockets she pulled out a bunch of keys and a card to open the door. That will come in handy. Then she crossed her motionless body and quietly left the room.

There was an unnatural silence in the corridors, disturbed only by the soft hum of the ceiling lights. Natasha looked around. Nobody anywhere. They were all apparently in laboratories working on research. Laboratory rats. She must have smirked. They had no idea that someone else and someone very, very dangerous were running around in the building.

She strode forward, looking intently at the door to see if she could see Peter there, or perhaps someone else, someone foolish, who would try to thwart her plans. She ran her hand over her belt and felt the holster and pistol in it. Just to be sure. She knew that leaving corpses behind was not the best way, but unless there wasn't another way…

But it was empty everywhere, and that made Natasha nervous. After all, these were Ross's labs. She assumed that there would be as many scientists here, that there would be as much activity and life as there could be in the laboratory. But no one was anywhere and she stopped liking it. Was it a trap? Did they know about her after all? Were they just watching her actions so that they could attack in an unguarded moment as soon as she made a mistake? Natasha was alert to all her senses and kept looking around. She turned the corner - and winced when she saw a man lying in a puddle of blood leaning against a wall. His arms hung along his body, his palms turned up, resting in a somewhat unnatural position. In one smooth motion, Natasha drew her pistol, snapped the magazine, and aimed it in front of her, to make sure the killer wasn't hiding somewhere and ready to attack again. 

With slow steps, she stepped closer to the brown-haired man and scanned the dark corridor in front of her. Was it unlit on purpose? Was the man's killer hiding in shadow? Or did they run away from here, let the lights go out at this place so that someone wouldn't think of coming here, and they could come back after a while and pull the corpse out of here, erase the tracks?

When Natasha got close enough to the man, she slowly knelt down and listened to the sounds around her. She heard only her own breath. If someone was lurking in the darkness, they had a good opportunity to pounce on her and kill her with one well-aimed blow. Natasha didn't want to be vigilant, but she had no choice but to hope that no one was really there and her senses weren't lying. She slowly shifted her gaze to the lying man. She grabbed his chin with her free hand and turned his face to the light. A surprising breath escaped her lips.

"So you weren't dead," she muttered to herself as she recognized Quentin Beck in him, and her eyes darted quickly after the scene in front of her. He had a large dark red spot on his stomach. A gunshot wound. "God's mills are grinding slowly... of course you were involved too. I just wonder who's to blame. We can only hope that Mary is not waiting here somewhere too," she growled to herself. She searched his pockets quickly to see if she could find anything in them that might be useful to her, any plans, pieces of paper with important information... nothing. She only found his phone. She tucked it carefully in her pocket, got up, and went back without another look.

It was clear to her that the epicenter of all this would be Ross's office. The most important plans and research will certainly be locked there. They would be safe there, hidden and inaccessible to other scientists who might want to know something about things they were not involved in. She would have to get into Ross's office at any cost. Everything was there, she was sure of that. He will definitely have all the clever toys, cameras and everything else needed to monitor his staff and whether there are any riots. She was probably lucky and Ross wasn't here right now. Maybe he handed it over to Elizabeth today to represent him. But since she's locked in the room with Bruce now, Ross's office will be empty. Nat was ninety-nine percent sure of that, because if Ross was in charge of everything in his labs — and she had no doubt he was — he would have sent his troops to her a long time ago to neutralize her. But she had been here for such a long time, and nobody knew about her.

It didn't take her long to find Ross's office. She pulled out a white card that Betty had stolen and was about to open the door with it when she noticed that it was ajar on a small crack. With bated breath and a pistol in one hand, she opened the door wide and held out her pistol. Nobody anywhere. Natasha scanned the room. And then her gaze fixed on the lying man.

On another dead body.

Chapter 86: Chapter 85

Chapter Text

Natasha was so shocked that she stood for a few seconds without the slightest movement. With bated breath, she watched the pale man, trying to calm down. To tell the truth, she was glad the old bastard was dead, but on the other hand, she found it very strange. Who killed him? How did he get so close to him without triggering the alarm? The redhead immediately came up with only one solution, and that was that Ross's killer must be someone he knew intimately. Whom he let be close to his body without fear. And she didn't like it. It could mean that their main enemy was not Thaddeus Ross, but someone completely different.

The redhead finally stopped aiming at the already dead man, hid her weapon, and closed the door behind her before moving quickly to the table to see if she could find any interesting data on his computer. But even here she was unpleasantly surprised. The one who killed Ross knew very well what they were doing. Natasha didn't find anything on the computer at all. So she searched the drawers on the table, hoping for more luck, but before she could find anything to catch her attention, she heard footsteps approaching from the hallway. Lots of steps. It had to be at least four people. The weapon quickly found its way back into her hand as she moved to the door. She didn't have many options to choose from.

"Christmas has arrived a little earlier this year," said a sarcastically male voice that Natasha recognized in a second, but she still aimed her gun at her friend's head when the door opened and he went inside. It wasn't until she saw with her own eyes that it was Tones, did she lower her weapon again.

"You missed the party," she grinned, taking a step back. Tony turned to her with an unreadable expression on his face, and the others entered the office.

"I don't see how that’s a party," Tony remarked, just as she had at the Battle of New York. And because the air was clean, he finally cut off the handcuffs for the others.

"For God's sake, Natasha, tell me you didn't kill him," Steve breathed in shock, being the first to notice Ross's dead body on the floor.

"Calm down, Captain, he was lying here like this when I came in," she replied, slightly annoyed. "Nice to see you, gentlemen."

"Did you find Peter?" Tony blurted out before they could start greeted each other. There really was no time for that now.

"Unfortunately not, but I have Bruce. Looks like he'll be fine. He's in the east wing, Peter is definitely not in it, I searched it there. I also found Beck, but you don't have to worry about him anymore, he's done it too. Someone took off nicely here," she informed them.

"So how do we do that? We have the best chance when we split up. Tony and I will take the southern part," Rhodey finally joined the conversation.

Natasha studied the five men in front of her. She wanted to go look for Peter with them, but she knew she had to come back for Bruce. "I'll take Bucky and go with him for Bruce. We'll meet outside," she decided in a firm voice. She knew Tony probably wouldn't like Bucky finding his son. "If it takes you a long time, Bucky will wait in the car with Bruce and I'll get back to you," she added.

"Sam and I will take the north," Steve said, nodding at Bucky, who seemed to be waiting for his best friend to confirm that he could go with Natasha.

"Let's go," Sam, who was already fully equipped.

Nat and Tony exchanged one last look to made sure it would turn out well. To make sure they had Peter back home today.

•••

Loki frowned slightly as Pepper returned to the kitchen with a full plate of food she had taken a few minutes ago, just as full, to the living room to Michelle.

"Why don't you give up?" he asked with interest. He didn't understand why she kept forcing the poor girl to eat something when she didn't want to. Plus, he thought it was pretty hypocritical of her not to eat anything herself, but he didn't tell her that.

"Because she needs to eat and drink," she sighed, placing a plate of food in the refrigerator. "And she's asleep right now, so she'll have to eat later. The poor girl hasn't slept much in recent days, and I certainly won't wake her up. Sleep is another thing she needs.”

"Sure," Loki could not help but snort.

"Please stop, you may not need these basic things, but we ordinary people do," she said, a little annoyed, as she boiled water for tea.

"Of course we need these things too, but do you realize how absurd it sounds coming from you when you haven't practiced any of these things since the accident? All you do is drink a liter of green tea,” Loki said, a little ruder. He knew he shouldn't upset her, but he couldn't take it anymore.

Pepper gave him a startled look. Her eyes soon filled with tears, so she hurried out of the kitchen. Not that his words hurt her so much, no. It was more that he was right. Of course, she knew she was hypocritical, but it couldn't be otherwise! Whenever she thought of food, her stomach turned three times. As soon as she closed her eyes, she saw her son's limp body.

"Are they back yet? I heard voices," Michelle asked sleepily, joining Loki for a few minutes after Pepper left.

"Not yet," he replied sharply, but immediately cleared his throat. "You have food in the fridge, eat it. Young Stark will definitely return home today and he certainly doesn't want to find just walking corpses here," he remarked a little more gently, but you wouldn't find too much feeling in the tone of his voice. MJ didn't do anything about it. To tell you the truth, she quite liked this strange guy.

"Where's Pepper?" she asked her next question as she reluctantly pulled her plate out of the refrigerator.

"I do not know. We had a small exchange of views, after which she left very quickly."

MJ looked at him. She was used to the fact that the god of mischief often had inappropriate remarks, but she had not yet witnessed Pepper leave because of it. Peter didn't mention it either. "And what was this exchange of views about?"

"About food, so get started," he growled.

"I'll talk to her," she assured him with a small smile. She herself noticed that Pepper was neglecting these things. She took a plate in one hand and an apple in the other. She will make sure that the redhead eats at least this little piece of food.

Chapter 87: Chapter 86

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Once Natasha and Bucky disappeared around the corner, the redhead began to count down in her mind. The two of them walked in silence, there was only a faint echo of their footsteps, they had nothing to say. But Nat had a lot on her heart, or rather on her tongue. Therefore, when she thought they were far enough away from the others so that no one could hear them, she unexpectedly lunged at the surprised Barnes and pressed him firmly against the wall, her arm pressed against his neck.

"What the—" Bucky managed to say only three words before Natasha pushed and he gasped.

"Look, you're going to listen to me well now," she growled at him softly but clearly. She frowned into Bucky's eyes. "The last time we had met, the team quarreled over you. I understand why Steve brought you with him, but if you want to work with us, we'll probably have to clarify something and set boundaries. Tony would have killed you a long time ago if he hadn't been in such a difficult life situation. But trust me, he won't just leave this."

"I wouldn't have thought of that without you, Natalia," Winter Soldier said ironically, coughing briefly.

"I haven't finished yet!" she snapped at him and pressed closer to him. "And don't call me Natalia. It's Agent Romanov for you," she growled. Bucky grinned. "I do not intend to deal with similar things in the team again. So either you don't push the corners too much, you work so we can rely on you, or you get out of here, and I don't care if you're Steve's best friend. I don't need to have a divisive team again. I need a team of the best and most capable superheroes, okay?! Not a team of people going after each other's throats and stabbing in the back. That's why we have enemies. Did you understand?!"

"Perfect," Bucky growled, and Natasha finally let go of him. He stretched his stiff neck. "Wow, I had no idea you were made the boss of the Avengers. You're pretty rough, aren't you? Should I salute you, Agent?“

"I advise you not to play with me. Take it as a friendly warning," she told him calmly and started walking again. Bucky quickly adjusted his step with her, because it was clear to him that she would be able to tear him apart even if he was walking too slow. But he actually liked that about her.

"It makes me wonder why you let us go back then when I'm obviously a burden. Why didn't you just neutralize me?"

"Trust me, I've regretted it sometimes," Natasha said. "I got a one-way ticket to exile. But I did it for Steve, I really didn't want for him to be locked up in Raft. I just let you be because you're his best friend. He wouldn't leave without you, so everything would be in vain. But don't worry, I'll give you a hard time when you start training.“

"I'm not surprised," he muttered. "Hmm, what you said makes sense. All right, I'll be careful around you."

She looked at him askance. "They really brainwashed you there, didn't they? Of course, it makes sense. As plain as day."

"Just don't hit me again. I'd hate to get another blow from you," he grinned, and Natasha wasn't sure if she was more amused or annoyed by their conversation. Probably something in between.

"Okay, shut up now. Betty should still be unconscious, but I'm not going to risk it. I'll free Bruce and you'll keep an eye on her, okay? If she waked up you just send her to the ground again," she told him quite calmly, as if talking about the weather.

"I don't beat girls."

"Well, then you start, boy. Wait, what are you saying? You hit me hard," she reminded him.

“Well, I was brainwashed."

"That's a great excuse, isn't it?" she muttered, unlocking the door from the room where the stunned Betty and the sleeping Bruce lay.

"She is quite pretty," Bucky said as he stood up to her. Natasha, who was working on the cage lock, rolled her eyes.

"More like a pretty bitch," she grinned, then finally unlocked the lock. At that moment, Bruce began to come together and come to his senses. He sat up in confusion and looked around in disorientation. Then he grabbed his head.

"Where is it - where am I? What happened?" Then his gaze fixed on Natash. He rolled his eyes. "Nat?! What are you doing here? And what-" He noticed Bucky and the motionless Betty. "What the hell-"

Natasha helped him to his feet and hugged him briefly. She was so worried about him! "Now is not the time, we have to get out of here. When we're home, I'll explain everything to you." She glanced briefly at Barnes, who nodded. "But now we're getting out of here."

•••

Tony and Rhodey hurried down the hall. Stark wasn't sure how long they'd been on the search, but it seemed like an eternity. Although Friday had entered the system, she found Peter, who was more or less fine according to her control, and now she led them to him, but there were still a tangled number of corridors, and Tony cursed Ross to hell.

"Head left," a robotic voice said, and Tony and Rhodey turned. A single door appeared, and Tony did not doubt that Peter would be inside.

"Are you ready?" asked Rhodey, who had already pulled out his weapon if they had encountered any uninvited guests inside. "All right, let's go inside."

"You're at the finish line," Friday said as Tony broke the door lock and kicked it out of the hinges. Rhodey was already kneeling and heading for the corners of the lab.

"Friday, this wasn't some stupid escape room!" Tony shouted at her, but then he saw his son and his heart skipped a few beats. Seeing him destroyed like this, pale to death and bound, but alive at the same time, gave him incredible torment and a desire to kill whoever had done this to him, but also the joy that he was all right.

"No one anywhere," Rhodey announced, perhaps a little disappointed as he looked forward to the action, and Tony immediately rushed to Peter to free him.

"Peter," he said, breaking his handcuffs. "Peter, I'm here."

His eyelids quivered and he opened his bloodshot eyes. His lips were dry and trembling dumbly. Seeing Tony so close to his son's condition frightened him. "D-Dad?" Peter struggled, but then closed his eyes again. He was convinced it was again an illusion so they could get him to his knees even more. But he didn't have the energy.

Tony cried and hugged Peter tightly but carefully. He stroked his hair and pressed against him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You are fine. We'll get you home."

Notes:

...and only the epilogue remains.

Chapter 88: Epilogue

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Peter stood in front of the mirror, examining his reflection closely. Normally he didn't care so much what he looked like, but today was an exception. Today must have been absolutely perfect. That's what he promised to Michelle. He promised her that their wedding would be even more beautiful than his parents'. And that the bar was set very high.

"I'm proud of you, son," Tony told him, who appeared beside him with a glass of whiskey in his hand. The older man tended to avoid alcohol, but he had to have a drink at his own son's wedding!

Peter gave him only a faint smile. He wished Pepper could be here, too. He had gone so long without her, and it wasn't easy for him at all. He wanted to see his mother.

"Let me tell you something. Having a too beautiful wife is the same for a man as getting a college degree. He can boast of both in front of others, but at the same time, he must prove his whole life the qualities that he deserved them. You're so much better than me. I'm proud of you and I mean it."

"Thank you, Dad," said the younger of the Starks, for whom his father's words meant a lot.

Suddenly the door opened and a woman's voice came through the room. "How's my little boy?" The red-haired woman asked cheerfully.

"Love, our son is getting married today. He's not a little boy anymore," Tony laughed, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek. Peter watched it all in the mirror, trying to figure out if anyone had ruined his wedding, and this was just a crazy illusion.

"Mommy?" he addressed her heavily, and finally turned to face her.

"You look beautiful," Pepper said, pulling him into her arms. "Wait till you see Michelle, she's a literal angel."

But Peter couldn't think of anything but the fact that he was hugging Pepper, alive and healthy. He couldn't explain it, but he didn't want it either. He didn't care if there were any tricks to confuse his head. He didn't care because he had both parents with him.

Tony parked in front of the house, and a giant rock finally fell from his heart. He looked at the redhead sitting in the passenger seat. "We're home," he breathed, and she gave him a small smile. She, too, was glad it was over.

"I guess I should apologize," she began quietly. This wasn't the part she was looking forward to. And being a Black Widow literally a few seconds ago made it a thousand times worse for her.

"We'll talk about it later, now let's just enjoy Peter being back home," he told her, getting out of the car. Meanwhile, a car parked next to them, where Rhodey was with the others.

"I need you to wake up for a moment, little bat. We're home,” he whispered softly as he opened the back door.

The young brown-haired boy slowly opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. "Are we home?" he asked weakly.

"Yes, come on, there are a few people waiting for you who were worried about you," he told him with a small smile and helped him out of the car.

"I want to go sleep again. I saw my mom," he sobbed, "please let me sleep. I want to see her again.“

This time it was Tony who was confused. He didn't even want to imagine what Peter had to go through there. "Mom's inside, little bat, waiting for you."

"Don't lie to me. I know she's not there. I know she's dead," he yelled desperately, and before Tony could even process his words, everything around him went black, and if Tony didn't hold him, he would end up on the ground.

Notes:

And that's the WRAP! 🔥
But don't worry and go check the prologue from the third and last part.

Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed it! ❤️

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