Spider Man: Duty And Loss - Chapter 116

*Cough* Peter and Natasha continued their hug until the small sound from Barton finally broke them up. Acting as if nothing happened, Natasha pulled back from the hug as her face rearranged from a smile into a thin line, once again showing no emotion.

Peter instantly knew what she was doing and couldn’t help the small smirk that came over his lips as he watched on. He didn’t say anything though as he pulled back, still keeping his arms on her shoulders.

The emotion was thick in his voice when he spoke to her. “I was so worried after seeing what the park looked like. I’m Glad you’re ok.” Natasha’s face became soft once more for a second as she stepped back from him.

“Worried about me? I was more worried about you. After ‘that’ happened you suddenly disappeared, I couldn’t find you and you never came back to the park from what I could tell. I was worried something had happened to you.”

Her eyes flashed in concern as her mind drifted back to that time, but it quickly disappeared, she had known for a while now that he truly wasn’t hurt or captured, she wouldn’t dwell on those dark thoughts. Plus a small part of her was happy he had been worried about her all this time as well.

“Peter gave a small laugh as he pointed over to Felicia. “You’ll have to blame her, she sort of kidnapped me to try and get me off the streets it almost worked…till it didn’t….and then it did… I escaped and then came back to my kidnapper…was a stupid idea on my part….It was a complicated time in my life you know?”

Felicia snorted from across the room as she made her way over. Standing behind him, she flicked her hand up and gave Peter a small smack upside the head *Pak* as she addressed Nat. “Don’t listen to him…I didn’t kidnap him per say, just helpfully persuaded is all.”

Peter rubbed the back of his head as he looked at her sweet smile an aghast look in his eyes. “You call drugging me to sleep and then dragging me to your apartment, ‘Helpfully persuaded?’”. *Pak* Felicia gave him another smack upside the head which shut him up as Natasha’s eyebrow rose.

“I didn’t drag you, I princess carried you if you must know.” “What!?” *Pak* “Indoor voice Petey.” *Smack* “mmmph! Not the ass…..not in front of others.” “Ohh for the love of god…” Tony leaned into Clint and whispered as he watched on. “Are they flirting?” Clint gave a small nod. “Yeah almost how you and Pepper used to.” “We did not!”

Finally Nat spoke up ignoring the two behind her, a slight twinge of emotion stirring inside as she watched the two in front of her. “I think you’ll have to tell me that another time.” Both Peter and Felicia stopped at her words as Tony also couldn’t help but butt in as well. “Yeah, that sounds shady as hell, and I work with 2 assassins for Christ sake. Peter turned his attention to the billionaire for a second before looking back to Natasha, a small smile playing on his lips.

“Ok, change of topics then…” His smile grew just a tad wider. “When were you going to tell me you were Black Widow?” Natasha stopped for a full second as her heart stopped. ‘How did he know?’ That was the first thought that popped into her mind.

Though she wouldn’t admit it, she really didn’t want Peter to know her secret identity…it was just so….freeing? Not having someone know what you were doing for a living, having someone to talk to that treated you like another human being that couldn’t kill you in seconds.

When she would meet up with Peter, she wasn’t Black Widow, super spy and killer, she was just Natasha and she loved that feeling. Hearing the words coming from his mouth caused a small pit of dread to well up inside her.

Would he think of her differently? Would he treat her differently? Would he be afraid of her?

She might not have noticed, but for a brief second as her mind spiralled into all the different outcomes that could possible happen, the mask that she usually wore cracked, the calm facade that sometimes faded to happiness when she was talking to Peter, or Clint; the facade that kept all her emotions in check, broke for one second and Peter could see the deep-seated fear within.

But it was only for a second, in that one second, Peter had already seen enough, he didn’t say anything to her, but he did memorize that lonely look that she kept deep down. He didn’t want to see that look ever again.

Natasha quickly drew her emotions in tight as she realised that she had lost herself for a second. Her mind organized herself as she rationalized what she was thinking. ‘Of course he knows I’m Black Widow, look where we are.’

As if reading her mind, Peter talked up in the small pause that had overtaken the room as Natasha said nothing. “I’m not an idiot, We’re in Avengers Tower, that uncle with the trimmed beard over there is Iron Man…” “Hey!” “…And the Fit guy is Hawkeye.” “I like this Kid.”

Peter gave a small nod to the archer, that he just knew he would get along with, before finishing. “They’re all over the news half the time especially recently, it isn’t hard to figure out that you’re Black Widow, given your Red hair and figure.”

Though it was technically a lie and he had only realised when he had seen her during the Shield take down event, if he hadn’t figured it out then, he would have figured it out pretty soon after…well he hoped he would have, he wasn’t that thick…was he?

But as Peter finished he did rub the back of his head in embarrassment. “Though I have no clue how I didn’t figure it out sooner, I mean, it’s pretty obvious once I have a good look at you. And how many drop dead, super model looking red heads are there in New York. In my defence though you were talking to a homeless person on a bench it’s the definition of impossibility!”

Just as he finished Felicia once again…*pak* “OK. What was that one for?!” Felicia just shrugged her shoulders, a slight ting of jealousy hidden behind her irises. “No reason.” Just as Peter was considering if he should smack her ass again or do something else, Felicia’s eyes twinkled as she read his thoughts. “Don’t worry I’ll let you smack me in the bed room later. *Purr*”

The coy wink she did at the end just caused Peter to face palm as Clint and Tony look on in disbelief. Having only seen a little of their relationship before then they were at a loss for words for a second at her forwardness and stood stunned looking at her. Dragging the conversation back to topic, Peter Coughed drawing the rooms attention as he looked around.

“So where are the last two Avengers? Though I don’t want to meet the big green guy in person, somehow I don’t think that would end well for me…I always wanted to meet DR. Banner and Captain America, his Comics are worth a mint, (would he sign mine?), and DR. Banner’s scientific papers are quite a good read.”

Felicia could only shake her head as Peter somehow easily, integrated himself as the leader of the conversation. Laura wasn’t really concentrating on the conversation and so said nothing as she was lost in her own thoughts, something whispering in the back of her mind.

It was the other avengers that looked at each other before finally Natasha spoke up, enjoying talking to Peter after so long. “Banner’s away on some business right now. We don’t know when he’ll get back.” Peter’s eyebrow rose for a second but said nothing.

“Steve’s…well, Steve went out to catch up with an old friend, he’s a bit of an amnesiac, so they been seeing each other quite a bit recently. I think he said he would be returning soon.” It wasn’t a second later that Jarvis’s voice spoke over the speakers. “Mrs. Romanoff is Right Master Parker. Mr Rogers ETA is 5 minutes, he just called to inform the others. He said he would also be bringing Mr. Howlett and a Misses Grey.”

Peter jumped for a second at the abrupt voice, as he looked around the room in fright for a few seconds. Though he was already accustomed to Crystal doing the same exact thing…Damn AI’s…he had to play it up a bit for the others.

‘He couldn’t be talking about…nah, just a coincidence.’ As that small thought played through his mind he spoke up. “Ummmmm…Thanks?” Tony gave a small chuckle as he looked at the freaked out kid, before nodding towards a specific speaker. “Thank you Jarvis, we’ll get ready for our guests. I’m sure they’re dying to meet our new addition.”

Felicia, Natasha, Clint and Tony all gave a small laugh at the words, prompting Peter to look at them suspiciously. They knew something he didn’t. His worries only seemed to increase as his super hearing just picked up the small words Clint spoke to Tony as they walked out of the room.

“Do you think ‘he’ll’ skewer him on sight?” Tony gave a small chuckle. “Caught the eye of his pseudo-daughter…I truly pity him.” Peter felt a shiver go down his spine. ‘Ohh god what the hell have I done now? And whose daughter?!?!?!?!