You're What?

Auntie Tasha Isn't Fooled

Natasha was excited. She hadn't seen Peter in a long time due to taking longer missions and Peter being gone on vacation for the one time she was in town. While the rest of the team had been surprised at how quickly Natasha had taken Peter under her wing, Tony had just smirked and waited until it was just the two of them to mention it. All she'd had to do was share a look with the man before she knew he'd fallen victim to Peter's easily excitable personality in the same way she had.

"When does his class get out again?" Natasha asked for the third time.

From the driver's seat, Steve couldn't help but smile. He had never seen her so excited for something as mundane as picking a kid up from school.

"Ten minutes."

She nodded and glanced at her watch.

When the front door opened a few minutes later, she straightened in her seat and looked for Peter. It was just a young kid with their mom leaving early. She huffed in annoyance but kept her eyes on the doors until they finally opened again and students began streaming out.

Natasha eagerly watched for Peter, expecting him to be one of the first ones out. She had texted him ahead of time so he knew she was picking him up and he had seemed excited, but now he was nowhere in sight.

"Something's wrong," Natasha said, two minutes later.

"Give him five more minutes," Steve said, reaching to stop her from getting out of the car. "His teacher might be talking to him after class."

Natasha frowned but stayed put for seven minutes before jumping out of the car. Steve sighed and followed her into the school. Although the remaining kids in the hallway stared at them as they passed, Natasha didn't seem to notice as she searched the school for Peter.

"He's not here," Natasha muttered, searching in the last classroom he had been in.

She continued to search in every room, not caring how many clubs she disrupted.

"Nat, you gotta stop barging into clubs," Steve said, reaching out to stop her from opening another door.

Natasha rolled her eyes but stopped. Instead, she just peered into the door windows. When he wasn't there, Natasha moved onto the next room.

As she peered into the room, Steve felt her mood shift. Before he could tell her not to disturb more clubs, she threw open the door and Steve was left to follow after her. Whatever he was expecting to see, it wasn't Peter being held down by two boys while another one punched him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Natasha demanded, drawing the attention of the three boys. They turned around sharply and paled. "Get out."

They didn't wait to be told twice. Before they were even out the door, Natasha rushed over to Peter.

"I'm fine, Aunt Tasha," Peter said, grimacing as he stood up. "Just a little bruised."

"Peter, how long have they been bullying you?" Natasha asked, checking him over for any bleeding or other injuries.

"All year," Peter muttered. Natasha's eyes widened and Peter scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "And the year before that."

"Peter!" Natasha exclaimed. Peter looked at the ground and Natasha sighed. "Does your dad know?"

Peter shook his head quickly, looking back up with wide eyes.

"Please don't tell him!" he exclaimed. "He'll make me change schools and I love it here."

"You're being bullied," Natasha reminded him.

Peter sighed and looked up at her desperately. Natasha glared at him, but there was no way she was going to argue when he had a blooming black eye.

"Fine," she agreed. Peter grinned, but she wasn't finished. "But I'm talking to the principal and the kid that was punching you. I want to know every time he so much as looks at you, okay?"

"Okay," Peter agreed.

Later, he would convince her not to talk to Flash, but right now he just wanted to go home.

"Can we go home now?"

"Yeah," Natasha said with a nod.

Wrapping an arm around Peter's shoulders, the two walked out to the car with Steve following them. Rather than going directly home, they ended up going out and walking around New York until late into the night, but no one said anything when they got back to the Tower. After secluding themselves away from the other, Natasha and Peter watched movies until morning and as Peter slept, Natasha called the school to say he wouldn't be coming in. Why? Because the Black Widow said so.