The Ultimate Fix-It Fic

12| Peter Problems

Part 1 (yes we're doing parts again)

Peter wrung out his mask, sighing as he did so.

"You okay?" MJ asked in his ear.

They had found a way to keep the comms there after Peter took his mask off. It was infinitely easier in the nano-suit, but Mr. Stark had confiscated it when he visited last.

"I'm great," Peter muttered. "Can you call Ms. Romanoff for me, please?"

"Sure."

A second later, he heard the line ring and pick up. "Ms. Romanoff?"

"Hey, Spiderling," his mentor said. It was a nickname Peter couldn't seem to shake from the other Avengers' minds. "Why are you calling?"

"I had... a problem," Peter admitted.

"What happened?"

"It's– It's hard to explain," he sighed. Squinting, Peter spotted something glowing on the ground about five hundred metres away. "Actually– I'm so sorry for bothering you, Ms. Romanoff. I'll– I'll call you back later."

"Alright, safe safe, Peter." Ms. Romanoff sounded unconvinced, but that was just as well.

Peter scrambled off the play set and pocketed the small, glowing purple rock.

Maybe running away from Liz's party and getting dropped into a lake after crashing an illegal arms deal was worth whatever mission this would definitely set him on.

-

Natasha sighed and turned off her phone. She rolled over in bed and contemplated the man beside her.

"Bruce," she whispered.

"Hmm?" he mumbled sleepily. "Tash?"

Nat smiled and brushed a curl away from his face. "Hey. Morning."

Her scientist blinked awake. "Nat." Bruce smiled groggily. "Hi."

Natasha felt his arm curl around her waist. "Do you think we should check on the kids?" she asked quietly.

Bruce blinked again. "Why?" His brows furrowed. "Did something happen?"

Nat bit her lip. "Maybe. Peter called me a few minutes ago, said he had a problem, and hung up." She pulled her knees close to her chest. "I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right."

"We can fly back tonight," Bruce offered. "I can prep the jet."

Natasha sighed. "I, uh, don't want to show up if it's not a huge deal. He'd think we don't trust him."

"How do you know?"

She studied her boyfriend for his reaction. "Because that's what you would think. And he's–" she shook her head, chuckling– "a little too like you for the thought process not to be the same." Nat glanced over to the clock. "We slept very late."

Bruce squinted and blinked in surprise. "It's eight-thirty," he noted.

Nat nodded empathetically. "At night."

"We should get up."

Natasha allowed herself to be pulled up and she smiled softly as she pretended to stumble into Bruce's chest.

He chuckled. "You're a lot clumsier than I remember, Tash," he teased.

Nat responded with a light kiss.

"I take that back." Bruce gazed into her eyes like he was a lovestruck fool, which Natasha decided not to comment on.

"You look like an idiot." was what she said instead.

"You love it."

"I do. I don't know why, though," Nat said with a small smile.

Bruce swayed them gently as they kneeled on the bed, to a faint melody they always keep on. Tonight, it was 'Claire de Lune'. "Do you really need a reason?" he asked her, grinning softly.

"I guess not."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

PART 2

"Shit," Peter whispered. "Shit shit shit–"

"Peter, don't freak out–"

He looked at MJ, in full panic. "'Don't freak out'? I'm fighting, the girl I like, the girl I'm taking to the homecoming dance, 's dad! How in the absolute shit did that happen?"

MJ put a hand on his arm, the softest she'd ever been with him. "Peter, breathe," she instructed.

He took a deep breath and exhaled, glancing at the doors to the gym anxiously.

"Look, it's the dance. Right now, if you don't do anything, he doesn't do anything," MJ said. "It's your move."

Peter looked up at her. "On this board, sure. But he's got games going on with ten different people. He's– he's got a shipment or something happening in a few minutes!" He ran his hand through his hair. "I– I need help. I need to call Ms. Romanoff." Peter froze and patted his pockets. "I don't have my phone."

MJ sighed and dialled their mentor with her own shiny Stark stealth phone. "Ms. Romanoff?" she said. "We have a problem. Our big bad of the month is here and uh, he's Peter's date's dad and right now Peter's hyperventilating in the hallway while Ned keeps her busy."

Peter watched her listen to Ms. Romanoff talk.

"She wants to talk to you," MJ informed him, handing him her phone.

He took it gingerly. "Ms. Romanoff?"

"Peter." His mentor sounded relieved. And then she didn't. "Why didn't you tell me you had a problem? I'm skimming incident reports right now and– I'm going to kill Tony– why didn't you call when you were in DC? Or when you broke that ferry in half?" Ms. Romanoff sighed. "Never mind. I'll grill you later. Do you have your suit?"

"My nano-one, yeah." Peter and MJ had learnt after last time that they needed to bring all their crafts home if they intended to break more stuff in the lab.

"Well–" Ms. Romanoff sighed again. "I don't know your fight plan or anything, Peter. I can't help you. Just... keep MJ in your ear, and maybe turn on your AI for good measure. Don't pull your punches. Stay safe. I... I'll keep a Cradle on standby."

Peter felt numb. So this was it. "Okay, Ms. Romanoff."

"I'm sorry, Peter."

"It's okay." He tried for a smile, but it was more of a grimace. "At least I have MJ with me."

"That you do," MJ agreed, taking her phone back. "I have my laptop with me. Want me to hold anything for you?"

Peter hesitated before handing her a small box. "Please don't open it."

"I won't," she promised.

There was a spot of silence where they just looked at each other and Peter melted into his suit.

"If you don't survive–"

"If I die–"

They stopped in unison and blinked.

"You go first," Peter ceded, but she shook her head. "Okay. If I die, please tell May that I ran away. And I have some things saved in a USB in my room in the office on a file that I'd like you to do. Just in case." He glanced at the gym doors again, and back to his friend and partner in crime-fighting.

MJ looked torn. This was one of the first times that Peter had seen her with any expression other than her trademark bored look. "Peter, you've been a friend." She nodded with a small, faint smile. "You have some idiotic moments, but if you die, we're even."

He chuckled, despite the situation.

MJ tugged her backpack closer to her, her smile bittersweet. "Now go be a hero."