"D."
The red letter stared her in the face, almost lifted itself up from the page. Lucy gave it another incredulous look before turning to Peter who was staring at her.
"It's not the end of the world you know. You didn't even fail."
"This is the worst grade I've ever had," Peter said, panicked. "And it's the first test in the year. This is a disaster."
Lucy sighed and turned to Wanda. "Back me up here, this isn't terrible."
Wanda made a face. "I don't know. Tony did say that he'll only let him out as Spiderman if he keeps his grades up."
"And you are absolutely sure that it's a D because of him being Spiderman?" Lucy shook her head. "I can't believe that."
"Could you stop talking about me as if I'm not there?" Peter asked exasperatedly. "We need to find a solution."
"Ok then," Lucy started in a no-nonsense voice that she definitely copied from Nat. "Why did you get a D?"
Now it was Peter's turn to grimace. "'Cause I didn't spend enough time on the report. It's not that I didn't understand the topic but I was out so much that I just couldn't finish it."
Lucy groaned. "Are you serious? And Tony already warned you about it? You're dumber than I thought."
"That's harsh," Peter sulked. "And he didn't warn me before… not really at least. He just said that I can't go out if my grades slip."
Lucy gave him an unbelieving look. "What do you think a warning is?"
Peter just shrugged. It was a Tuesday night in mid September and the kids had relocated to Peter's room after dinner. He was staying at the tower because May was working the night shift and she didn't want to leave him home alone. Lucy couldn't blame her – this was a prime example of neither Peter's common, nor his spidey sense working.
"I don't see what you can do about this. Go to your teacher, butter him up with some excuse of why you couldn't do better, ask to redo the report. If he says no, just tell Tony if he asks. I don't see how you could get out of this." Lucy shook her head. "You're an idiot but you're an even greater idiot if you try anything stupid."
"Mr Morton is never gonna change my grade," Peter sounded dejected. "He hates me."
"I wonder why," Lucy murmured, earning herself an evil glare from the spiderling who sighed heavily again.
"I need a solution to this and none of you are helping."
Wanda had been quiet so far but now she sported a small smile. "I have an idea but it's outlandish and probably not a good idea."
Lucy yanked her head towards the young witch and gave her a glare. "If you think it's a bad idea, it is a horrendous one."
"What is it?" Peter obviously sounded excited.
Lucy closed her eyes in pessimistic expectation.
"I thought I could use my powers to change your teacher's memory, implant another one where you've delivered better work and then ask him to give you another report because you've lost the first copy. He's gonna give you an A, everyone is happy."
"Yeah, everyone except you two, because you're gonna get your ass kicked." Lucy opened her eyes again and considered Wanda with narrowed eyes. "You just want to try out your powers – you know exactly you can't use them. That's like me using my suit on the street to get to school."
Peter's eyes shone. "But it's gonna keep me from getting into trouble."
"It's not!" Lucy was at her wit's end with these two. "The worst that'll happen now is you getting a lecture and being grounded from Spiderman until your grades go up – that's like, what, two weeks? If you change your teacher's memory – I can't believe you're actually considering that – you're gonna get your ass kicked, both of you."
Wanda looked thoughtful. "You are correct but you forgot one detail." She grinned. "We're only gonna be in trouble if we get caught and I'm good."
Lucy shook her head. "Do whatever you want but leave me out of this. I don't exactly wanna be in trouble with Nat, not when I've just finished my grounding from Joyride." She threw Peter a pointed look before getting up and, with another sigh towards the others, left the room towards the elevator.
Back on her own floor, she made her way towards the small kitchen and living area that Tony built in on every floor. It was rarely used because most days everyone ate on the common floor since the tower family used dinner as an opportunity to get together and keep each other updated on their lives, but the fridge was nevertheless well-stocked. Lucy pulled out a bottle of chocolate milk and sat herself on the sofa, tuning in to Jeopardy. She was sure the others were busy planning their stupid mission and didn't have time to solve some actual puzzles. Oh well, their loss. As the opening tune ended Lucy heard someone entering the apartment from the elevator and a few seconds later, Natasha stepped into the living room. She glanced at the TV before sinking down next to Lucy and, draping an arm around her protégé, joined in the program. Lucy yelled a few answers too loudly but Nat only grinned and placed a calming hand on her shoulder now and then. During the first commercial break, the spy turned to the younger woman.
"Aren't the others watching?"
Lucy shook her head. "Nope, they're busy with school work."
As her mentor nodded understandingly, Lucy stole a quick glance at her and only narrowly stopped herself from feeling guilty. It wasn't a lie and Lucy would never sell her teammates out as long as it wasn't dangerous, but the level of trust Natasha put in her was incredible. The lab incident and the Joyride had been bad enough and she promised herself she wouldn't disappoint her mentor again. So far, she did a good job at turning down opportunities for trouble, she thought to herself satisfied. After Jeopardy finished, the two stayed on the couch as Mulan started and just enjoyed the quiet downtime they could spend with just each other. Lucy had loved her grandmother but Peggy had never been the type to sit down and watch movies with her, so having some quality time with Nat, just relaxing and hanging out was a new experience for her. She never thought she'd ever have a maternal figure that cared about her enough to keep her around even though she wasn't of use in that moment, but Nat was right next to her to prove the opposite. Lucy sighed and snuggled closer under the older woman's arm, feeling her tighten her grip.
Natasha knew Lucy still needed reassurance of her place in the family because she'd been rebuffed by her own parents so many times and Nat was willing to prove it to her over and over again by standing by her and caring about her actions until she'd finally believe it. When Clint brought her in instead of killing her, Peggy was the first to believe in her, introducing her into Shield and Nat never thought she'd be able to repay the agent for her trust. Now she was given the chance and she was sure not to let her down. Lucy resembled Peggy so much, but Nat also saw a lot of Howard in her, from what Fury and Steve told her about him. She'd made a solemn promise to Peggy that she would care for Lucy, giving her a stable home and keeping a reign on her self-destructive tendencies. They'd all seen how a neglected, rich child genius could turn out and while Tony did turn his life around, it took him the better part of three decades. Nat wasn't going to let Lucy make the same mistakes.
The movie finished and Lucy let out a long yawn.
Nat grinned. "You sound very tired."
"I am," Lucy conceded, surprised by her own maturity. "I'm gonna head to bed."
The girl bent down to allow Nat to place a kiss on her forehead before making her way towards her bedroom. As she laid down and pulled the covers up, she knew instantly she wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Lucy had never before suffered from many nightmares but ever since her grandmother died, they started appearing and while in school she just dealt with them by not sleeping. Here, that wasn't an option. Nat knew exactly if she didn't sleep and after she realized Lucy had problems, they had a long talk after which they agreed that Lucy would say something if the nightmares acted up again. It was hard for her in the beginning to not feel like a little child every time she went to Nat but it also felt good – her parents wouldn't have cared about nightmares in a million years. Sighing softly, Lucy crawled out of bed again and stepped into the living area on bare feet. Natasha obviously heard her coming – she was a spy after all – and cocked her head as she Lucy entering. The girl nodded and Nat immediately got up and put an arm around her shoulder as she led her back to bed. After tucking Lucy in, Nat sat on the edge of the bed and started stroking the girl's back soothingly while softly singing a Russian lullaby that always managed to send Lucy to sleep. The familiar sounds reminded her of an easier time when she was safe with her grandma and her nanny and her parents were unimportant. She had to get used to the fact that she now had people care about her again. It was with that thought that she finally fell asleep.
###
"I can't believe you actually did it."
Peter grinned and waved the piece of paper with a big, red A on it in front of Lucy's face.
"You're just jealous that you didn't have the guts to support my idea and now you're proven wrong and you're pissed." The triumphant tone in Peter's voice annoyed Lucy to no end so she turned to Wanda who looked just as content with herself as the spider.
"Oh, you're awfully pleased with yourself, aren't you?" Lucy shook her head in disbelief. "I still can't believe you went along with this. What do you think is gonna happen when Steve finds out?"
"He won't!" Wanda sounded almost offended. "I told you it all ended well – my magic is working wonders."
"Fine," Lucy responded calmly. "I'm happy you're not banned from being Spiderman but I'm still on the fence about this whole situation."
"That's alright." Peter put a collegial arm around her shoulders. "Let's see if we can help out with dinner to something."
The trio went downstairs to join the others. Lucy was looking out to find Natasha who hadn't returned to their floor yet, meaning she must be downstairs helping with dinner. She had received the invitation to Olivia Waldorf's annual start of school party and she needed to tell Natasha when it was. She wasn't necessarily friends with any of them but they were acquaintances and – there. She didn't specifically want to go but it was the normal thing to do and usually there was also alcohol, so not a complete waste of time. She knew she wasn't allowed any but no one ever cared – part of teenage life after all.
Not only Nat was in the kitchen but also Pepper and Steve, who greeted the teens and asked them to set the table. Lucy thought now was as good a time as any.
"Nat?"
The older woman turned to face Lucy with a questioning look in her eyes.
"I got an invitation for Olivia Waldorf's party, so I'm gonna stay over there tomorrow night."
Lucy's mouth almost dropped open when Natasha shook her head.
"No, you're not. Your curfew is 10pm as always. I don't want you to go to that party, especially not during the week."
The others around them went quiet and watched expectantly as the events unfolded.
"I wasn't asking you." Lucy sounded disbelieving.
Nat shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe you should've because I'm saying no."
Now Lucy's mouth did drop open. "I've always gone to that party. I have to go this year, it's not a big deal! What's different now to last year?"
"You're living at the tower," Natasha explained plainly. "You've got our rules to follow and they say that you're not allowed."
Lucy huffed. "The rules can be changed for exceptions but you just don't want me having fun."
"If your definition of fun involves drinking yourself into oblivion at the Waldorf's then no, I don't want you having fun." Nat's tone was clear and preempted any argument. "You have a curfew and that's that."
Lucy narrowed her eyes. "I had a curfew at school and they still let me extend it for that party."
Nat focused her gaze on the girl but Lucy was angry enough to hold it. "You don't even want to go, so why is it a big deal?"
This time Lucy felt irritated at how easily her mentor seemed to be reading her mind. No, she hadn't wanted to go to the party – but now she did.
"You don't know me. I want to go to that party – it's the most important date in the whole school year."
"If it's so important, then why didn't Wanda get an invitation?" Steve joined in and immediately regretted it when he saw Lucy's face.
"'Cause she's new and weird and they don't wanna invite her," Lucy shot back. "No offense."
Wanda snorted. "None taken but thanks."
Nat sighed. "This conversation is over, Lucy. You are not going to that party, so could we all sit down and start dinner?"
As if on cue, Bruce and Tony entered, evidently straight from the lab and Rhodey made his way out of the living room. Lucy stayed quiet during dinner, brooding at how unfair her situation was. Back at school, they only asked for confirmation by her parents that she was allowed to spend the night somewhere else and her parents didn't care one bit so they always gave it. It was ridiculous that Nat refused – she had no idea how these parties actually went, she was just jealous because she'd never been able to go to them herself.
Lucy went to bed still angry. Nat would know she hadn't calmed down completely but she probably thought she just needed some time. Lucy grinned. She wasn't going to stay in tomorrow, she'd sneak out, go down to the Waldorf's and be back without Natasha ever realizing she was gone. She didn't tell the others – it would only bring them into a sticky situation and she wouldn't want them to lie to their guardians if worst came to worst.
###
Lucy was lucky they were all given access keys for the entire building, including the front door at all times. Leaving the apartment wasn't hard and thankfully the ground floor was far away from any family members so she didn't have to worry about any beeping sounds the door might make. Living at the tower made going to Olivia's party even easier – she only lived two blocks away now and as soon as Lucy walked up to the building, she could see the party through the penthouse windows already. She flashed her invitation to the doorman outside and entered into the familiar apartment that had been transformed into a high-class high school party floor. Olivia wasn't hard to make out and Lucy went over to say high and was instantly led to the bar.
"We've got a new cocktail and it's gonna set the tone for the entire year," Olivia explained proudly. "It's called the Brainsquash, basically just a play on a classic Martini with grapefruit."
Lucy grinned. "Very inventive. I'll have one."
Olivia waved to the bartender. "Great choice. I gotta say hi to some other guests but the rest of the girls are over there."
Lucy grabbed her drink and followed Olivia's arm towards the group of girls from Columbia by the sofas. Just because they weren't her friends didn't mean she wouldn't be civil with them – it was all about appearances.
The party was nice, just about as exciting as any other year. Any other year, Lucy didn't have the nagging feeling of guilt in her stomach though. It was stupid, she hadn't been unreasonable, she'd gone every year for crying out loud. The feeling didn't go away though and with every sip of alcohol it intensified, so Lucy decided to cut the evening short and left shortly before one in the morning.
Getting into the tower was just as easy as getting out and Lucy made it to her floor without any problems. As she was about to open the door to her room, she heard Nat's voice and her blood run cold.
"Do I need to guess where you were?" Nat sounded disappointed and angry. Great, Lucy thought to herself, more guilt. She turned around slowly and gave her mentor a charming smile that disappeared from her face as soon as she saw the spy's expression. She settled on staying quiet and sinking her head.
"Go to bed and sleep." Natasha commanded with a sigh. "We'll talk in the morning and for your sake, stay in your room now."
Lucy quickly slid into her room, closing the door tight behind her and throwing herself onto the bed. She didn't want to feel bad, she was in the right after all, but something deep down still told her what she did was wrong. Burying her head in her pillow, Lucy decided to ignore that part and fell asleep; upset, defiant and angry.
The next morning, she got up feeling slightly out of sorts though she knew it wasn't because of the alcohol – she only had a glass and that was definitely not enough to get her hungover. With a dreading look towards the door, Lucy knew instantly why she was feeling off. Sighing and knowing she wouldn't be able to drag out the inevitable forever, she got dressed and walked out the room with her head held high – even though she had it coming, she didn't need to eat humble pie
As she got to the living area, her mentor was already waiting there and she gave her a long, stern glance.
"How are you feeling?"
Lucy smiled politely. "I'm good, thank you very much."
Nat sighed, knowing exactly where this conversation would lead. "Sit down please, I'd like this discussion to happen now."
Lucy still had a hard look on her face as she sat herself opposite to Natasha.
"Why did you go out last night after I specifically told you not to?" As always, Nat didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the problem.
Lucy didn't know what to answer. Because she always did it? Because she wanted to? None of those were excuses that Nat would accept but in her hard-headed stubbornness they were all valid reasons in Lucy's eyes. She decided no answer was better than any of the ones she came up with and kept her eyes focused solely on the table.
Nat sighed again. "I'm not just disappointed because you snuck out and broke the rules that we clearly outlined. That would've been bad enough. What upsets me more, is that I specifically told you not to go yet you still went and did it. That's not just plain disregard for the rules, that's disregard against a direct order."
Lucy grimaced. When Natasha played the direct-order card, she was angry on a completely different level.
"I always went to that party. Every single year I went, so why should this year be different?" Lucy narrowed her eyes again, not relenting in her stance.
"We've had this discussion before," Nat shook her head slightly. "You're not in school anymore, you're living here at the tower and there are different rules in place. You decided you wanted to live here and have me as your guardian, which means that not your parents decide whether you can go to parties but I do."
Lucy kept quiet. Nat was making sense but she wasn't going to admit it since she still believed she was in the right. She felt Nat's eyes on her, waiting for her to answer but she wasn't going to.
"You're grounded for two weeks and we're also having a discussion about this. Go to your room and wait for me."
Lucy's breath hitched. She could've seen this coming but she still didn't feel it was justified, so she lifted her head and did something that would've made Peter give her a Medal of Valor and Wanda pop her eyes out.
"No." Lucy was amazed at how calm her voice was.
Natasha gave her an incredulous look. "Excuse me?"
"This isn't fair. I was only doing what I've always been doing. I didn't even get 'blackout drunk' and I wasn't home too late."
Her mentor still stayed calm but her eyes had a dangerous sparkle in them. "I don't care. You're following the rules, no matter what you've done before."
Lucy groaned and her voice got louder. "The rules are stupid! Why am I being punished for something I've always done?"
"Because every time you come to a new place, there's new rules to follow. If you want to live here at the tower, then you need to follow our rules."
Lucy narrowed her eyes and she could probably blame her hard-headedness for the way she snapped but, in the moment, it seemed like the only reasonable response.
"Well, then I don't want to live here anymore," she all but yelled.
Silence ensued at the table.
Nat shrugged her shoulders, her voice alarmingly composed. "Alright, if that's what you want. I'll call Columbia and you can move as soon as possible." She got up before Lucy could get another word in and left her protégé feeling confused but weirdly triumphant.
Lucy hadn't expected the conversation to take this turn but if that's what it took to get her way, then she'd leave. With a huff she got up and walked to her room, pulling her suitcase out and starting to pack. She ignored the turmoil within and with every item she packed into a box, her confidence in her decision grew. Natasha came by her room not long after and informed her that she could move to school the next day and even gave her a small smile. Lucy was still confused at how she wasn't angrier but her stubbornness allowed her to not care. Both Peter and Wanda visited her in the course of the day and while Wanda tried to convince her to stay at first, once she saw how sure Lucy was in her decision, she let it be. Everything kept quiet and Lucy was (kind of) happily packing up until a knock on her door interrupted her and after she answered, Clint stepped into the room. She sighed and sat on her bed, an expectant look in her eyes. She was sure Clint had already spoken to Natasha so she was prepared for a lecture. He didn't start talking immediately though and only sat himself next to her, glancing at the suitcase and boxes around the room.
"You're moving out?"
Lucy hadn't expected to be hit this hard by the disappointment in his voice but it made sense. This was Clint and he'd cared about her ever since she could run around the Shield offices, pretending to be an agent. Nevertheless, she had gathered confidence in her decision and looked straight back at him.
"Yes," she started firmly. "I don't agree with the rules so I don't think I can stay here anymore."
Clint's face remained stoic but Lucy sensed there was still underlying disappointment lingering.
"I'll still come over for training and lab work," she tried to sound cheerful. It didn't work as well as she wanted.
"But you won't be here every day, will you?" Clint gave her a long look that cut deep. Lucy always wondered how he, Nat and even Coulson had the ability to just look right threw her. "Are you sure you don't want to rethink? Is being grounded for two weeks really worth moving out and giving all this up?"
Lucy's heart dropped at his tone. She wanted to rethink her actions, she knew it had been a rash decision but she couldn't cave in now. She'd made her choice and going back would only mean losing her face and she was far too proud for that.
"It's not about the consequences," she reverted back to her old argument. "It's about principles. I can't do what I used to anymore and I'm not willing to give that up." She cocked up her chin and gave Clint a challenging look – although it took her some courage.
Clint sighed and got up. "If that's your choice, then we'll all go along with it. I'll see you next week for training." With that he left the room, leaving Lucy behind once more, on the outside sure in her decision but deep down confused.
Clint left and went to the living area of the floor where the other adults had gathered and waited for him with expectant looks. He only shrugged.
"She didn't reconsider. She's absolutely found her stance and she'll die on it." He grimaced as Nat sighed.
"I didn't expect anything different," she said, even managing a small smile. "You two are too similar… both just as hard-headed as the other."
Clint was about to argue but he had to concede and grinned wryly. Nat was right and him trying to prove her wrong would only cement her point.
"What are you gonna do then?" Steve asked softly.
"I'll let her move back to school," she explained calmly. "We can't keep her here if she doesn't want to and she's not going to stay here if she doesn't follow the rules."
Tony nodded. "I'm impressed. You're the newest at this parenting game but you're crushing it."
"Thanks," Nat responded with a dark gloom in her eyes. "I don't really feel that way right now, but we'll see."
Pepper put a reassuring arm around the spy. "This isn't your fault. It's Lucy's decision and she thinks this is what's best for her. She'll realize it's not right but that needs to happen on her terms."
Nat sighed and gave the other woman a thankful smile. "That's what I'm hoping but until then we just need to continue like we did when she wasn't living here."
###
Lucy didn't realize how quiet her room in school often was. Her warden had welcomed her back, having been informed that Lucy would stay in school until her guardian was back from travels. Her nightmares didn't get any better either and since she couldn't run to Natasha anymore, she just dealt with them. She told herself that the independence strengthened and helped her but the sleep deprivation started taking a toll. The other girls in schools were the same as usual but Lucy only really felt happy when she saw Wanda in class or both her and Peter back at the tower. She went back there a few times a week to work in the lab and train and while at first, she'd been slightly apprehensive towards the others, especially Nat, everyone had treated her completely normal. Her mentor had taken a step back in terms of the rules applying to her was she living at the tower; now it was only the training ones, Natasha agreed. Lucy didn't want to admit it, but it created a feeling of emptiness inside her. She missed the downtime, things like watching game shows and having breakfast although she was sure she didn't miss the stern glances or lectures from Nat when she caught her trying to sneak down to Wanda after she was supposed to be in bed or when she refused to get up for a morning run. No, she'd be crazy if she ever missed that.
Lucy had just finished a lab session with Bruce. Peter was notably absent though the scientist wouldn't tell her anything and she went upstairs to see Wanda before she had to return to school. Before she opened the door, she could hear Peter's muffled voice as well and as she went inside, she saw the two lying on Wanda's bed. Lucy gave them a curious glance and got regretful faces in response.
Peter sighed and decided to fill her in. "So, our teacher ploy didn't work as well as planned…" he trailed off with a long look to Wanda who sighed and continued.
"Apparently I don't have as much control over my powers as I thought and messing with Mr. Morton's memory also messed with his mind a bit too much."
Lucy shook her head silently and gave the two an exasperated look. "How did they catch you?"
"He was behaving weirdly during class and I asked him what was wrong and he seemed like he had amnesia." Peter sighed heavily. "We fessed up and they went in and got him in therapy and they're slowly gonna get his mind on track."
"So you're not completely dumb and tried to fix it yourselves," Lucy commented.
Wanda grinned ruefully. "We thought about it but it did seem a little extreme."
"That also explains why you were missing in the workshop today… getting your ass handed to you," Lucy addressed Peter with an eyeroll. "You also got grounded?"
Peter nodded. "Just me, until my grades go up – without magic."
Wanda and Lucy both giggled and Lucy dropped down next to her friends and grabbed a handful of chips while Peter complained. Time went by, the trio talking and having fun, but 9:30 came quickly and with a knock on the door, Happy interrupted them to take Lucy back to school.
###
Tony sighed as Peter left his office. The idea the boy and the young witch had come up with was borderline insane and he sometimes really questioned the kids' common sense – or lack thereof. The discussion had been long and thankfully the spider was rueful and understood that his actions were absolutely out of line. He shouldn't have been surprised though – sending the kids to school with superpowers would eventually lead to trouble, he'd never suspected anything different. Still, delivering a punishment was never easy on his nerves – how did he ever find himself in this position? But there was no way he'd ever give up his hold on the spider again. Peter had wormed his way into his heart and he'd forever care for him, no matter what happened. With a heavy sigh he made his way towards the common room floor and the bar – he needed a drink.
Natasha had just finished a report on the latest mission when she headed down towards the common room, in need of a workout to clear her mind. She knew Lucy was in the tower for lab work today and she couldn't help but feel a little stitch. Things had been slightly off in the beginning from the girl's side but Nat did her best to treat the situation completely normal as if the girl had never lived at the tower in the first place. She knew this had been Lucy's decision and both Pepper and May had reassured her so multiple times but in the weaker moments – that she had, though she didn't like to admit it – she questioned whether her decisions were ever any good. She didn't experience real parents so how did she ever think she was cut out for parenting a troubled child genius? With a sigh Natasha stepped out of the elevator and saw the resident adult genius in front of the minibar, obviously pondering which drink to get. Shaking her head, she stepped up to Tony.
"You know drinking isn't going to improve this," she drawled and Tony let out a frustrated sigh as he turned to look at her. When he saw her workout clothes, his expression softened slightly.
"It helps," he quipped but Nat only gave him a long, knowing look and slid herself forcefully between him and the bar.
"I'm headed down to the training room and I need a sparring partner," she said while pushing him further from the alcohol.
"What if I don't want to go?" Tony asked.
Natasha only narrowed her eyes and gave him one of her evil grins while continuing to separate him from the alcohol. "Then I'll persuade you."
Tony sighed. With a look into the spy's eyes he knew, she'd get him to the training room with or without his consent. He huffed and turned, stalking to the elevator. Nat let out a breath in relief. She knew punishing Peter was never easy for Tony but she also knew that the man had made more progress towards kicking his drinking habit since he'd started mentoring Peter than during the entire rest of his life. Lucy moving out wasn't an easy situation for her either but she had coping mechanisms and she would go to great lengths to ensure that Tony wouldn't fall back on bad, old habits. Even if it meant some tough love.
Training was hard, with both of them needing to vent their emotions but, needless to say, Nat owned Tony without question. After she'd hauled him on the floor a few times, she decided some scolding was appropriate.
"All those training sessions we've had and it's like we're right back at square one," Nat commented after having kicked Tony's legs out from under him. She set a foot on his chest and glared.
"You're angry, so use that anger and use your goddamned head. I know you can fight much better than this, so quit embarrassing yourself or I'll knock you unconscious and train by myself," she threatened.
Tony gritted his teeth and was obviously embarrassed to be so easily overpowered by her, but then – none of the Avengers could hold their own against Nat for long; maybe with the exception of Clint, solely because he knew her too well. Tony shoved her foot off his chest, got back on his feet and banned all thoughts of Peter from his head, focusing completely on his fight with Natasha. The rest of the night passed quickly, with the two exhausted parents trading blow after blow and Nat was finally satisfied that Tony was taking training seriously.
By the end, both sat on the floor, applying cream to their bruises and tending to any injuries. Nat cocked her head at the inventor.
"Feeling better?"
Tony just gave her a questioning look that had the spy sigh.
"You were angry with yourself, genius," she enlightened him. "I heard you punishing Peter and trust me, I know that wasn't easy."
He gave her a small smile that disappeared pretty quickly and was replaced by a lost look that made him look much younger.
"What the hell am I doing, Nat, thinking I can be a dad?" His voice was barely above a whisper. "Peter never got in this much trouble before I got involved."
Nat immediately shook her head and smacked Tony on the back of the head, before looking into his eyes with a deadly serious expression.
"You are not to blame for the bad choices he makes, Tony. He's a teenager and they get into trouble and that's got nothing to do with how you used to be."
Tony held her gaze and with relief, Nat saw understanding dawn in them before he nodded mutely, so she continued.
"I don't know what a good father is supposed to be like but I know that I wouldn't have minded having a dad like you growing up."
She grinned at Tony's expression who was clearly stunned and moved by her words. It didn't take him long to find his voice though and when he did, it was uncharacteristically serious.
"You know, the same does to you."
Nat jerked her head towards him and eyed him warily. He gave her a tired smile.
"I know you're trying to keep this as normal as possible but I know that Lucy moving out is taking a toll on you." Even though Nat sighed and sunk her head, he kept going. "It's her decision and she'll eventually realize that what she's doing is stupid and she'll come back to us." He paused. "You're making a great mother. You've made the right call, all on your own, without consulting any mommy blogs."
Nat gave him a tired smile back at the dig at Steve. "So basically, we don't know how we ever got into these positions but we're both doing great?"
Tony nodded. "I'm gonna believe you that I'm doing the right thing, if you believe me that you're doing an equally great job."
He smiled as he elicited a nod from the Russian.
"I never thought I'd get so much wisdom out of you," Natasha admitted amusedly as the two got up and made their way towards the elevator.
Tony grinned. "Oh, you know, fatherhood is helping a lot… just you wait, I'm gonna overtake our Captain in that department eventually."
With a yelp, he only narrowly avoided the towel that Nat swung in his direction. Upstairs, both made their way to their respective bedrooms with solid promises to each other that they'd actually get some sleep.
###
October arrived, the air had gotten chilly and New York welcomed fall with open arms. Central Park was a colorful mixture of red, yellow and gold and the falling leaves created carpets all over the sidewalks in the cities. It was a Wednesday night, about three weeks after Lucy had moved out, she was over at the tower for training and she had stayed for dinner. Peter was staying over too but, unlike Lucy who couldn't spend nights away from school during the week, he was staying the night. She was in Peter's room, packing her training clothes, getting ready to leave when Wanda burst in.
"Sam just brought new footage from the last mission and they're allowing us in the conference room to watch it," she explained with glowing eyes.
"Hell, yeah," Peter yelled and jumped up from his bed and almost ran out the room.
After the initial rush of excitement, a dejected feeling settled in Lucy's chest. She slowly continued packing and got up.
"I've got to get back to school, I'm running too close to curfew already," she sighed.
Peter and Wanda threw each other a long look, hugged Lucy and wished her a good night before exiting and making their way towards the elevator all while talking excitedly between themselves. Lucy stayed behind in Peter's room, the feeling of abandonment growing within her once again and she shook her head as if that would help her get rid of it. Today wasn't the first time something like this happened since she moved out but she chose this situation herself, she was going to live with it and being independent at school was better than staying at the tower feeling like a little kid. Happy was waiting in the car downstairs already and he dropped her off at school with only a few minutes to spare. Lucy fell asleep that night, not plagued by nightmares but deeply dissatisfied with something – though she couldn't place her finger on what.
A few days later, Lucy had just finished her lab work and joined Wanda who was sitting on her bed, trying to finish some math homework. When the blonde girl entered the room, the young witch put away her paper and focused on her friend.
"You don't look too happy."
Lucy grimaced. "My calculations don't work out. Bruce is trying to help me but he's running short on time right now so everything is just being pushed to the future."
Wanda smiled sympathetically. "It's gonna be fine, you just need to be patient."
"See, that's not really one of my strengths," Lucy sighed as she reached for a chocolate cookie.
Wanda watched her. "Are you staying for dinner?"
Lucy nodded. "But I gotta be back in school by ten."
The other girl seemed to want to say something but she hesitated. Lucy gave her an expectant look that finally caused the redhead to open her mouth.
"You have a curfew in school as well. How is that different to here? I mean you got loads of different rules there too, just like here at the tower."
Lucy's stomach turned. She had successfully repressed any negative feelings towards her leaving the tower during the past few weeks but Wanda's innocent question brought it all up again. Apparently, it hadn't been buried that deep.
"It is different…" Lucy started slowly, trying to gather her thoughts into a cohesive argument. Why did she feel like she had to justify her choices anyway?
"In school, I do have to be back by curfew but no one cares where I go or what I do. They give me my freedom."
Wanda gave her a long thoughtful look. "No one cares…" she murmured as if to herself.
Lucy heard her - and Wanda's comment stirred something inside that she'd managed to suppress for weeks. No one cared. She was lonely at school and the only time she felt happy during the past weeks was when she was at the tower or with Wanda in school. Lucy couldn't deny that being at the tower had helped her heal, just like Wanda promised, but leaving set her back – it was an indisputable fact. Her feelings towards her grandmother suddenly caught up with her as well. Peggy would be incredibly disappointed in her. It hurt to admit that but it was the truth. Lucy thought back to one of her conversations with Steve and how he'd said that Peggy would be proud of her for accepting whatever consequences she had coming and a pang of guilt hit her. The rules in the tower would be completely acceptable to her grandma because they were mostly about owning up to her actions but she basically just ran away from them. Peggy had also never liked the parties and the entire environment with her 'friends' from school much. Her stubbornness seemed to have hit a concrete wall and was finally shattering. Lucy knew Nat was reasonable and she wondered how her mentor had ever put up with any of her behavior. But she could answer that easily – Natasha would want her to admit herself that she'd been in the wrong. She almost groaned. Of course, the spy wouldn't make anything easy.
"Are you okay?" Wanda asked carefully, almost scared to disturb Lucy in her thoughts.
Lucy yanked her head around. "Yeah, I'm good." She stocked. "I'll – uh – I have to go talk to Natasha." She slid of the bed while Wanda's eyes grew large.
"Are you moving back in?" Wanda asked shocked.
Lucy turned to her with a nervous grin. "If they let me." With that, she left the stunned young witch behind and made her way towards the elevator.
She'd hoped she would find Natasha on her own floor, but of course, nothing was made easy for her. She guessed she deserved it – karma and all.
Nat was on the common room floor setting the dinner table with Steve while Rhodey and Pepper were cooking dinner in the kitchen. When Lucy entered, they all turned their heads in surprise. The girl took a deep breath and managed to meet Nat's eyes as she spoke.
"Could I talk to you? Alone?" Her voice was calmer than she'd expected.
Nat took another long look into her eyes during which Lucy almost averted them but then nodded and walked to their own floor with her protégé. She sat at their kitchen table and Lucy lowered herself on the chair opposite to her mentor. Nat just looked at her expectantly and Lucy knew she had to start this conversation. Her stomach twisted again.
"I'm sorry," Lucy started. It was the first thing that came to her mind and it needed to be said. "I want to move out of school and back into the tower… if you'll let me."
Her mentor sighed and kept a stern gaze on the young girl who started to fidget. She knew she'd hurt Nat with her actions but she desperately wanted to make up for it.
Natasha stared at her protégé. She felt unbelievable happiness inside at Lucy's decision but she knew she needed to draw hard boundaries unless they wanted a repeat of this situation due to the girl's impulsiveness. She needed to make sure Lucy understood why she was coming back and what that meant in respect to the rules.
"You know that we need to stick with the choices that we make," Natasha began and Lucy's heart dropped as she heard her guardian. Tears started forming in her eyes, tears she had held back for weeks that now finally made their way towards the outside.
"I should've told you that weeks ago when you decided to move out but I think it's important for you to recognize why you want to move back in."
Lucy grew a little more hopeful as Nat continued on.
"If you want to move back just because it'll make it easier for you to hang out with Wanda and Peter and –"
"No!" Lucy interrupted her mentor who gave her a questioning look. "Sorry, I didn't wanna interrupt but it's not that – I mean I don't want to move back because of the others." Lucy took a deep breath to get her thoughts in order. "It's one of the things that made me realize that I do want to move back but – in reality… it's…" She closed her eyes briefly before continuing but unable to meet Natasha's eyes, she kept her own focused on her hands. "You care. That's why you have the rules in place and they aren't stupid they're normal and reasonable. I know that grandma would be disappointed if I didn't accept the consequences for my actions. I'm sorry that I disrespected you by completely going against your orders and I just want to come back." She managed to deliver her monologue without tears but her voice started to crack. "I miss our quality time, just watching movies and playing cards and-"
She didn't have to continue as the first errant tears made their way down her cheeks because Nat got up instantly and pulled Lucy into a tight hug, stroking her back and placing her head on top of the younger woman's. Lucy cried into her shoulder and couldn't believe how relieved she was. It was as if during the entire past few weeks she'd stood under constant stress and it now all started to fall off. After a few minutes, they pulled apart and Natasha proudly smiled at Lucy.
"Of course, you can come back. And thank you, pticka."
Lucy gave her a grateful smile and was about to ask when Nat answered her question instantly.
"I'm gonna call Columbia right now and you'll move back in tomorrow."
Lucy grinned at her and her heart felt light and happy. She couldn't believe how much good it did to push past her pride and stubbornness and not let them interfere with her happiness anymore.
After Nat made the call, the two of them went down to dinner where the others slowly gathered. Wanda was already there and watched Lucy expectantly as she entered the room. Lucy gave her a smile and a nod and Wanda ran towards her and, shrieking, she hugged her, jumping up and down. Pepper raised an eyebrow at Nat and the spy nodded as well, causing the other woman to place an arm around her shoulder and squeezing her. The two girls detached and Steve turned his attention to Lucy.
"You're moving back in?"
Lucy nodded enthusiastically and Steve also hugged her, smiling relived.
The other were just as ecstatic and when Sam and Clint entered the room, they stopped as they saw the commotion. Clint gave Lucy a questioning look who nodded and the archer crossed the room in a few strides to pick the younger bird up and swing her around. Dinner that night was a happy and loud affair and Wanda giggled that she couldn't wait to tell Peter about it and see his face.
###
The next evening, Lucy had moved everything back into her room on Natasha's floor. Coming back filled her with new spirit and she managed to move quicker than the last time. Dinner had been almost normal but the adults asked Lucy to stay back afterwards while Wanda and Peter, who spent the weekend with them, left but not without throwing her a worried glance. Lucy wasn't nervous but she was sure this conversation was about the rules or something related to them. She was proven right, but it wasn't as bad as Lucy expected. Not until the end.
"Alright, then we've cleared everything up," Nat concluded satisfied, nods following around the table. She fixed her stern look on Lucy who swallowed hard. "You're grounded for the next two weeks and we're gonna have a discussion in a moment so go to your room please."
Lucy's mouth dropped open. "What? Why?" The others seemed confused as well.
Natasha's strict glare cut off any more refusal. "You just agreed to follow the rules again and the discipline from weeks ago still stands. Consequences don't disappear just because you postpone them and try to run."
A hundred objections flew through Lucy's head but they were all squashed instantly by Nat's arguments. She was right and Lucy had just taken the firm resolution that she'd take responsibility for her actions and she wasn't going to argue with the first order she was given. Nat was reasonable and she should be glad that her sentence didn't get extended. Lucy met her mentor's eyes and nodded before exiting towards the elevator.
The other adults stared at Natasha in awe.
"I'm continuously impressed with your parenting skills," Steve sounded amazed. "Your strategy worked out perfectly. How did you get so good at this?"
Nat smiled and nodded in appreciation of the compliment but only shrugged in reply. "We're similar, like Lucy is similar to Clint. I understand her and I can see what would've worked with me. So far it's turning out well."
Tony clasp her shoulder in understanding as Nat sighed. "I better get going – I've got my bird's wings to clip after all."
Lucy was sitting on her bed as Natasha entered the room and she looked up at her guardian with worried but apologetic eyes. Nat smiled softly in response but Lucy could sense the sternness behind it.
"I don't think we need to talk about anything, we've pretty much covered it all," Nat addressed her.
Lucy shook her head in response.
Nat nodded. "Good. I also want to add that while you're obviously not trapped here, I don't want to have you move in and out with the changing wind. I expect you to stick to your decision and accept whatever consequences your actions might yield. Is that understood?"
Her words stirred something inside Lucy and she knew her behavior had been abhorrent but she forced herself to look into Natasha's strict eyes nevertheless.
"Yes, ma'am, that's clear," she answered in a firm voice.
Natasha nodded once more as she sat down on the bed and motion Lucy to come over.
"Unbutton your pants."
Lucy's stomach still turned at hearing the order although unfortunately she should almost be used to it by now. She complied and stepped closer to Nat who took her wrist and pulled her over her lap.
She didn't waste any time pulling down her pants and placed a stabilizing hand on Lucy's back before starting to deliver smacks to her bottom. The first few Lucy was able to take stoically but as soon as Natasha started the second round, she couldn't help squirming and huffing at each blow.
When her bottom had gotten an even red color, Natasha stopped and rubbed her back. Lucy knew what was coming.
"Why are we here?" Nat's voice was as stern as usual and Lucy didn't waste any time replying.
"Because I broke the rules by violating curfew and I – I disobeyed your direct order to stay in." Lucy closed her eyes as she finished and buried her head in her arms again to keep the tears back that threatened to spill.
"Spot on," Natasha agreed. "I don't expect you to be a perfect lamb but, as I hope you recognize now, the rules are reasonable and in place because we care. We can extend them but when I say no, that's final. Running away will never solve any of your problems. The only way to confront your actions is to face the music and I know that you're brave enough to do so, no matter what trouble you might've gotten yourself into. That's my expectation for you and I know that you can live up to it."
As she heard Nat's words, Lucy slumped a little more and wasn't able to keep the tears at bay anymore. Her mentor pulled down her panties now and started another round on her bare. Lucy slowly started sniffling and apologizing. Nat knew she was almost there so she tipped the girl forward to target her sit spots where she would feel the discipline for another few days. It didn't take long for Lucy to start sobbing and going limb over Nat's lap at which point the older woman stopped the spanking and started rubbing her back to calm the younger woman down. After the crying had become slower and quieter, Nat pulled up Lucy's clothes and straightened her before placing her in her lap and hugging her tight. Lucy threw her own arms around her mentor and hung onto Natasha's neck like a lifeboat. She kept crying into her shoulder while Natasha rubbed her back soothingly.
"Shhhh, it's all over, pticka," Nat told her softly.
Lucy's breath hitched here and there but she slowly calmed down and Nat was pleased to see that it happened faster every time they had to do this.
"I'm so sorry," Lucy pulled away slightly to look through her own clouded vision into Natasha's eyes. "I know that I shouldn't have run away from this and I promise I'll do better. I promise!" she emphasized.
Nat smiled and stroked her hair. "Thank you and I'm glad to hear that. As I said, I know you can do better and I have no reason to believe you won't."
Lucy sighed in relief and sunk back to Nat's chest and the two just sat in silence again, processing everything that had happened. After a few minutes, Nat spoke again.
"I meant to ask you, how have you been sleeping at school? Any nightmares?" she asked.
Lucy slumped a bit and pressed harder to her mentor's chest to hear her heartbeat. "I didn't sleep much – I had a few nightmares."
Nat sighed and tightened her grip around the younger woman. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she felt so safe.
"I say you're getting an early night tonight," Natasha started and Lucy nodded into her chest. "And we'll make sure that you get a good night's sleep too."
When the two got up, Lucy went straight to her bathroom and then to bed and under the covers. Nat sat herself on the side of the bed and reached to stroke her back while she told Lucy a story about a mission she'd been on, years ago. After Lucy had quieted down and was slowly drifting off, Nat hummed a Russian lullaby and Lucy sank into the deepest and most rested sleep she'd gotten in weeks.