It's a Spider Family. {Sequel to 'It's a Spider Thing'.}

{45} just keep that punk ass kid alive

THE AVENGERS WERE SURPRISED TO SEE people waiting in the landing area of the tower when the quinjet touched down after hours of being in the air.

However, no one was surprised when they recognized the faces; Nick Fury and May Parker.

One by one, all of the avengers descended the ramp in varying states of tension. Harley looked distraught and was being guided off by Tony who looked exhausted- May's eyes diligently flitted over them all with an eerie precision. Her voice caught in the back of her throat at the sight of Clint's injuries despite them being patched up over the course of the flight courtesy of Natasha.

Sensing that something was wrong, Fury moved towards the two agents. His face was set but the flicker of worry in his eyes gave away his concern. "What the hell happened to you Barton?"

"You saying I don't look handsome anymore?" Clint teased, though his voice fell flat.

"You did to begin with?" Fury asked seriously before he huffed out a breath. For a moment Fury deliberated with himself before asking the dreaded question, "Is Parker...?"

Natasha shook her head immediately before forcing out a vocal answer. "It's close though." She confessed, feeling her stomach sink at the admission as she watched Fury studiously for a reaction to the news having spent the entire flight herself coming to terms with it. Drawing in a breath, the man nodded once and glanced over his shoulder at May who was still standing by the doors and watching him intently while she chewed on her lip, arms crossed nervously over her chest. He turned back to the duo in front of him, "I'll talk to Mrs Parker." Natasha nodded, feeling an invisible weight being lifted from her shoulders when he moved to walk away.

He paused after a few steps and turned slightly to face them, "Just keep that punk ass kid alive."

Despite the levity he said those words with, Natasha caught the slight plea behind them. She offered a half-hearted smile that looked as exhausted as she felt, "Yes sir."

Then they watched the director walk away; May Parker practically latched onto him as he began speaking in a voice that was too quiet for either Clint or Natasha to catch any specifics from. But they could see the worry cloud the older woman's face and the action of Fury placing a comforting hand on her arm as tears built in her eyes.

-

No one was allowed to see Peter when he finally left the surgery suite, under heavy pain medication that Bruce had meticulously measured out so he'd be in the least amount of pain possible.

However, Harley Keener was determined, stubborn and had the help of an AI who was more than willing to help him sneak through the tower and to the hospital wing in the name of love. Although what Friday hadn't told Harley was that there was already someone else in Peter's hospital room who watched him with an intense stare when he creaked open the door.

"Keener." Despite Natasha's quiet voice, it felt loud against the silence within the room.

Harley jumped at the sudden noise, his head snapping round to see the assassin curled up on the couch; she had a blanket wrapped comfortably around her knees. Nat waited expectantly for a response before deciding she wasn't going to receive one. "What are you doing in here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He fired back, still standing in the doorway.

For a moment, Natasha's expression held a glimmer of amusement before the fatigue crept over her features again; she turned on the lamp. "You coming in or what, kid?" She asked, shifting her legs so there was room for him on the end of the couch. Despite still being a little afraid of Natasha- she was a trained assassin and could kill him without ever leaving a trace- he obliged, moving into the room and letting the door click shut behind him. He joined her beneath the window.

The only other noise in the room were the constant beeps of Peter's heartbeat.

Harley didn't look at him, his gaze focussed on Natasha. "When did you sneak in?"

She shrugged, her eyes sliding back over to Peter. "After the surgery."

He hummed half-heartedly, staring down at his feet as sat down beside her. He snuck glances at Peter from the corner of his eyes before he huffed out a short breath. He chose to stare resolutely out the window instead while Natasha side eyed him suspiciously, eyes calculating.

"I thought you'd have arrived earlier." She announced.

The teen's shoulders stiffened and he offered no further comments on the matter. Natasha was unperturbed and pushed on relentlessly. "He said your name, in his sleep." Harley clenched his jaw as his head drooped- he forced out a breath when he felt Nat's hand squeezing his shoulder softly.

"It's okay to be mad."

"You don't even know why." He mumbled.

"True." She conceded when he looked up at her, eyes glossy with unshed tears. Natasha was harshly reminded of how young he was and how scary the world of villains and superheroes could be- especially when your loved ones got caught in the cross fire. "But I know Peter. He makes mistakes and takes on the world by himself because he thinks that's the best for everyone."

Harley sniffed as a tear fell free. "You know we said we'd do it together."

"Then he left." Nat concluded; she frowned.

"Yeah." He let out a humourless laugh, voice hoarse and rubbed at his eyes. "And then he almost died. If he'd just stayed..." Harley whispered, throat closing.

If he'd stayed maybe Harley could have taken some of the hits- could have kept him safe and out of harm's way if he'd just been there. Natasha nodded her agreement to his words. She still felt sick at the memory of Peter's voice over the phone and seeing him holding on to the thin web and him falling so far- she blocked the thought out.

"But you still love him." She added after Harley had stayed silent.

"Yeah. I do." He admitted, lips turned upwards at the mere thought of Peter.

Nat smiled at him. "Then you'll work it out."

There was another beat of silence before Natasha offered some of her blanket so they were sitting shoulder to shoulder; they both settled and looked over at Peter who was still fast asleep. 

A/N

Honestly, I just love Natasha and Harley reluctant bonding because you know Nat would want to get to know Peter's boyfriend but have no clue how to go about it. Also Harley being lowkey terrified of Natasha is just understandable- I mean what a woman.

And why! Do I kind of ship May and Fury. They're both scary- and I love them. And the idea of Fury being lowkey related to Peter makes me laugh. :)

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