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

{3} quit the dramatics you hazard to society

"SOMETHING'S HAPPENED."

Her intense stare down with her reflection in the closed elevator doors was broken by Peter's quiet announcement. Natasha's eyes dropped to her left where Peter was stood, fiddling with one of his hearing aids to adjust the volume setting now that he was safely indoors and away from the noisy city. Unconsciously, the assassin's eyes trailed to the scar protruding from the neckline of his jumper. It stretched across his skin and ended just behind his ear- guilt welled in her chest at the reminder that she hadn't been able to prevent it from happening.

"You're brooding." Peter added offhandedly, looking up at her.

"I do not brood." Natasha muttered back, uncrossing her arms.

The pair met one another's eyes for a moment before Natasha rolled hers and turned away again, muttering under her breath, "You're a pain in my ass."

Peter's smirk only lasted for a moment before he was scowling; Natasha had thrown her arm around his shoulders and tugged him into her side with a grin and instinctively began ruffling his hair. The assassin snorted when he batted her away with a groan before practically barrelling out of the small space the second the elevator doors opened to escape.

The avenger's living room was practically deserted when Peter looked around until his boyfriend rounded the corner. "Look who's arrived." Announced Harley, his hands posed on his hips.

A range of emotions flitted across Peter's face; fondness, exasperation, realisation- sudden dread.

"Who?" Came a distant shout, presumably from the kitchen.

"The resident bane of my existence, that's who!" Harley called back; eyes fixed on Peter. He gulped.

"Quit the dramatics you hazard to society!" Natasha smirked as Tony's voice carried.

For a moment, both teens appeared to be mildly offended at the irony of the nickname and looked towards the kitchen with matching expressions of various degrees of annoyance. Peter was the first to gather himself and he turned back around to shoot a pleading look at Natasha who smirked in response. He huffed and then spun round to face Harley who was marching forwards again, aggressively tapping away on a tablet that materialised in his hands.

The woman slipped past the two boys and disappeared into the kitchen, her easy smile disappearing.

"You're a dick." Harley stated whilst thrusting a video of Spiderman jumping off one of the taller buildings in New York into his hands. Peter had had multiple injuries at the time and had only just managed to catch himself before he hit the ground and became a Spiderman Pancake.

He could practically feel Harley's eyes boring into his skull as he watched the footage back. Peter grimaced and attempted to produce some viable excuse. "Harls -"

"Nope. No excuses. You are a dick."

Peter pouted as Harley dramatically scowled. "I'll be careful-"

"You better be Peter Parker because I am not being a widow at the age of sixteen."

"We're not married." He explained and Harley sighed like he was exhausted.

"Minor details." He murmured, pressing a chaste kiss to Peter's cheek before dragging him towards the couch by his hands. "Still a dick though."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Peter snickered, allowing himself to be pulled across the room.

-

Multiple people were scattered around the kitchen island when Natasha appeared in the doorway. Her senses were met with the delicious smell of dinner being prepared by Bruce.

For once, the scientist looked completely at peace as he moved around the area expertly, all the while simultaneously managing to keep up conversation with Thor who was perched on a barstool. A look of adoration was plastered across the god's face and he was practically drooling, and not just over the food. Natasha merely smiled at the duo before noting Tony sneaking food behind Bruce's back and also trying to type an equation into his tablet at the same time. And failing.

At any other point in time, she would have been tempted to call the billionaire out, but Natasha had more pressing matters to attend to than Tony's abysmal spy skills. So silently, she ventured further into the room and Bruce, as if sensing her arrival glanced up to offer a warm smile at the woman before immediately being recaptured by whatever story Thor was regaling him with.

"What's got you frowning?" Natasha questioned, flicking the back of Clint's head.

"Hey-" he rubbed the sore spot as she sat down beside him.

"Barney is beating me at flappy bird." He huffed, frowning down at his phone yet again.

Natasha simply blinked at the ridiculous answer.

She knew the Barton brothers were going to be the death of her, naturally, or at least be the reason that she went grey years before her time, and one of them wasn't even present half the time. Clint continued to play by angrily jabbing at his phone screen, oblivious to Natasha's silent plea for patience as she drew in a long, slow breath and momentarily glanced upwards as if talking to some higher being. "I need your help."

"Huh?" Clint barely looked up, too focussed on the silly mobile game.

"идиот. (Idiot)." Natasha muttered under her breath before snatching the phone away.

A look of betrayal overtook Clint's features as he gaped at the assassin across from him, "How could you." He sniffled, being theatrical as always but she didn't have the time nor the patience for it. Pushing herself from the seat, Natasha looked thoroughly unamused and pocketed the phone with a lack of reaction while he continued to fake sob on the dinner table, much to her annoyance.

"I need your help, which you would know if you listened the first time."

In an instant Clint seemed to sober. He frowned again, "... touché. Is it serious?"

There was a beat of silence that passed between the two agents before Natasha finally nodded. A rare moment of worry flitted across her features as her thoughts once again turned and pondered over the information that Fury had found about the Parkers; the whole ordeal only made the assassin want to hold onto Peter even more- what if he needed her and she wasn't there?

That thought alone was enough to send Natasha fleeing with Peter as far away as possible.

But she knew that she couldn't take away one of the only chances of Peter finally being able to meet his family. Not when he thought they were all dead because of Hydra.

No further words were exchanged between the pair as Natasha exited the kitchen without further explanation with Clint trailing after her, now alert and fully focussed. The others barely looked up from their activities when the duo left and disappeared into the rest of the tower. 

A/N

Kind of a filler chapter? I don't know man but it feels super short because it is sort of a bridge between chapters? Hell if I know and I'm the author. Welp.

Also! I love the idea of Peter and Harley being like an old married couple together because it warms my dead heart. :)

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