It's a Spider Thing. {Peter Parker and Natasha Romanoff}

{24} more than I'll admit to your face

THE NEXT MORNING, Tony had been unsuspectingly wandering back to the lab after collecting an obscenely large cup of coffee when he was tugged into an empty conference room by his ear.

A sharp breath escaped his lungs as his body instinctively followed his head and the sound of a door closing behind him echoed in his ears. "Romanoff." He announced, his heartrate decreasing when he recognised the distinctive red hair before her face; he had a rough idea of where the conversation was going to end up, but instead he chose to focus his attention on the spilt coffee that was now slowly soaking into the carpet with a mournful expression.

"Couldn't you have spared the coffee, you heathen?"

"Tony." Natasha said his name as a low warning before she turned around, her eyes darting upwards as if asking for strength from a higher being before she faced him again. "We need to talk."

Tony hummed, sipping from his coffee despite the way it burned as it travelled down his throat; he was in desperate need of the caffeine before he fell asleep at his workbench for the thousandth time. "About Peter?" He queried, offering a casual shrug. "Good kid. Good hero." Natasha scowled at his nonchalance and gestured to the large conference table in the middle of the room.

"I wanted to clarify a few things."

She sat down, hands clasping together and resting on the table expectantly. Tony watched.

Sensing that the assassin wasn't in the mood to joke around, he quickly followed her example and took the available seat. He noted the way that she held herself as stoic as ever, and it didn't escape his attention that it was familiar to the way she conducted herself inside court rooms.

"Peter is my responsibility."

The declaration wasn't surprising though at times her small acts of care towards the teen did catch him off guard, like driving him to the tower or throwing granola bars at him when he needed to eat- they were affectionate actions disguised as trivial things, easily dismissible unless you paid close attention. But it all made sense now that he had all the pieces of the puzzle.

"He looks up to you." She added, suddenly looking less sure of herself. "So, I'm asking you to watch his back, mentor him-"

"Woah there Kim Possible, I don't think I'm the best person." Tony interrupted, instantly clamming up at the conversation topic, much to the chagrin of the assassin who levelled him with a stern look. It wasn't a shocking turn of events, just inconvenient.

Tony's heartrate spiked at the idea.

Taking care of a kid? Immediate thoughts of his own childhood tainted by his father filled his brain. He wanted to scoff at the mere thought of his own father and the abysmal parenting tactics that he had been subjected to when growing up. Besides, there were plenty of other prospects on the team- Bruce? Clint? Steve? He had good morals and he was a leader, strong willed- he saved people.

I'd ruin him. That singular thought drowned out every argument.

Natasha leaned forwards; her features down turned. "Leap of faith Tony." Her voice was gentle- like when she spoke to Peter- yet there was an undercurrent of iron. His eyes flickered to the woman's across from him at the mention of his first name- it felt strangely caring when she said it. As if she could hear the ugly thoughts in his head. "You've got what it takes."

Tony huffed half-heartedly and rubbed his temples. "Natasha, I don't-"

"I've seen you with Harley." She cut him off, the brief blip of softness sharpening. "Taking him in so he can access better schools and equipment, teaching him not only mechanics and science but how to be a good man. You're a good father figure. Great, even." She admitted.

Her face faltered as her eyes traced over Tony's features in silence.

Instinctively, he looked away, clearing his throat and sipping from his coffee to hide his discomfort at being studied so blatantly. Natasha pulled back after a moment, as if coming to a conclusion. "Even if you don't believe it." She murmured. Natasha looked almost saddened by the fact as she reclined back in the seat. "Peter needs guidance from both of us. And there's no one else I'd trust with this."

"Are you offering to co-parent a teenager?"

Tony smirked. He was eager to move the conversation away from the topic of childhood- he did not want to discuss it with an assassin who could apparently read him like a children's book.

Fleetingly, Natasha hesitated before obliging to the silent request, much to Tony's relief.

She crossed her arms over her chest and the heavy atmosphere that had descended upon them seemed to dissipate. "A teenager with PTSD to rival your own and a hero complex that has him jumping in front of bullets." She mused, looking fond. "And we're the ones standing between him and Hydra."

Tony made a noise of agreement before fiddling with his watch.

He ignored the curious look Natasha shot him when a hologram appeared; there were numerous files and locations that Tony quickly skipped through- he noticed the way Nat's eyes trailed over every name and place. "I've already got alerts on presumed Hydra bases, tags on old guards- anything and anyone that could be a potential threat. So, it's all good.

Natasha looked smug when she faced him, "And that's exactly why I need you. To look out for him."

He gazed down at his coffee. "You trust me to do that?"

"More than I'll admit to your face."

-

The sound of a fire extinguisher being used was not a welcomed sound when Tony and Natasha approached the lab, sharing a confused look between themselves.

"Dum-E please! Or I swear I'll make Tony send you off to college!" Harley's voice could be heard yelling over the commotion. He adjusted his grip on Peter's back since they were stood on the ceiling, staring down at the mess that had now overtaken the entire lab.

"Don't threaten him, that's mean." Peter retorted, coughing into his elbow.

"He's following us with the fire extinguisher and blasting us with it!" Harley screeched, scowling down at the robot who extended its arm to reach the two teens.

"Dum-E down boy." Tony announced.

Natasha was posed in the doorway, her arms over her chest as Peter turned bright red of the sight of the two adults. "I leave you two alone for what? Ten minutes? And instead of making out like normal teens you decide to set my precious lab on fire." Announced Tony.

"Actually, we decided on a robot war-" Harley countered as Peter lowered them back to the floor. He jumped off Peter's back with as much dignity as he could muster, which wasn't a lot.

"- and it went a bit... smoky." Peter finished helplessly.

He had soot on his nose and forehead whereas Harley had a scorched eyebrow- both their clothes were dirty and crumpled but they were mostly unharmed so the billionaire was counting it as a win. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Out. Go and change. You're banned from the lab for the rest of the day."

"Come on old man-" Harley squeaked when Peter grabbed him by the back of his t-shirt and tugged him firmly out of the room. Natasha and Tony watched in amusement as Harley pouted and eventually gave in, letting himself be towed away. 

A/N

The little conversation between Nat and Tony makes my heart melt because they're lowkey best friends let's be honest and she obviously knows about his self-hate and repeatedly stomps it out because again, besties. :)

Anywho! Let me know of any spelling mistakes! xoxo.