Peter was sitting on his couch when she tapped, lightly on the door. He turned, smiling when she poked her head into the living room area.

"Are you decent?"

"Of course."

She made a show of looking around, carefully, as she walked in and closed the door behind her.

"Shuri isn't hiding in the other room?"

Peter smiled, and shook his head.

"I walked her to her rooms, already – which, as you know, are on the other side of the compound."

Romanoff smiled, too, and plucked Nutmeg from his cat tree where the kitten had been watching as Peter sat on the sofa, looking over the list that he'd made earlier. Now he set the paper aside as she sat down beside him.

"How are you holding up?" she asked him, bringing her arm around him.

"I'm scared," he admitted, softly, leaning into her side. "I could hurt a lot of people, and I can't think of any way out of it."

"You aren't going to hurt anyone, baby," she assured him. "It isn't going to happen."

"He's going to come…" Peter told her. "I can feel it. Like the way I know I need to be somewhere, or if something is coming at me and I need to dodge it? I feel him. Huge and dark and looming on the horizon. He's coming to get me, and he's going to make me use the stones…"

"You say that like you don't have a choice in the matter," Natasha told him, setting Nutmeg on the arm of the sofa, and bringing her other arm around him, now, to hold him, securely, tucking his head under her chin and guiding his cheek to her collarbone. His comfort position with her – and hers with him. "Like you'd be willing to let him use you – and as if there aren't a wall of Avengers standing between him and you."

"If he uses that power stone, he'll be able to destroy all of you. Even Stephen and Wong couldn't put up a shield to protect you guys." Peter shuddered, and Natasha knew that the boy she was holding wasn't afraid for himself – at least he wasn't as afraid for himself as he was for the rest of them. "I don't know what to do, Natasha…" Peter said, speaking into her shirt. "I told Tony that if Thanos gets close to me – if it looks like he's going to be able to get me that he needs to keep it from happening. No matter what."

She frowned. No wonder Tony had been looking so grim, lately.

"Bet that didn't go over very well…"

"No. He didn't even let me finish the sentence." Peter trembled, again, and she tightened her hold on his lean frame, trying to comfort him as much as she could when he seemed to – literally – have the weight of the world (and every other world) on shoulders that were body and already had carried too many burdens for any sixteen year old. "He told me that it isn't going to happen."

"Yeah. He's right. We'll get the stone from Thanos before he has a chance to use it – and we'll keep him from the rest of them – or we'll just kill him and end the threat the easy way."

Peter wasn't completely convinced, but she was so competent. So certain. Her confidence wasn't the same as Tony's. He had tech, and he was amazing, but he wasn't a killer. Not like Natasha. Peter knew that if there was a way to take out Thanos, Natasha would be the one to figure it out.

But… just in case…

"And if we can't…?" he said, softly, burying his face against her, shivering. "If he gets me?"

"Then I'll end the threat," she promised him, her hand coming to the back of his head, threading through his hair, tenderly.

Peter held her for a long time, soaking in her courage while she crooned reassurances into his ear. The same ear that she pressed an occasional kiss against. Natasha was willing to hold him all night, if he needed her to, and she was glad that he didn't ask her to clarify her promise, because as far as she was concerned, it wasn't Peter that was the threat.

She made a mental note to talk to Gamora, again, as soon as she could; if Thanos had a weak spot, she needed to know what it was and how she could exploit it.

When the boy finally sighed, and pulled away from her, Natasha was pleased to see that he didn't look as frightened as he had – although his expression was concerned. It was his default state, most of the time, anyway. She didn't release him, right away, instead brushing her fingers through his hair, lightly, studying him.

"You okay?"

"I'm always okay when you're around," he told her, honestly. "Thank you."

Romanoff smiled.

"You're welcome. Want me to stay?"

Peter shook his head.

"No." Yes. "I'm going to go to bed. If anything happens, I'll end up with you, anyway. Or with Tony and Pepper."

"You sure?" she obviously wasn't convinced, even though Peter did smile, then.

"Yeah. Thanks, Natasha. Really. You're amazing."

She kissed him, hugged him close for another long moment, and then let him go and stood up.

"You are, too. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

"Yeah. Good night."

"Good night, baby."

OOOOOO

"Don't hide your son, Ironman."

Tony scowled. Of course he was going to hide Peter. He was just a boy, after all, and he and Pepper had promised to watch over him, and to protect him.

"Go to hell. I'm not going to let him face a madman."

"If he doesn't, the universe will fall."

"He's a kid."

"A powerful child. Rare and desperately needed."

"Yeah. By me."

"By the universe. If he fails, half of your world will vanish – if not more."

"He is my universe."

An image of Pepper. And then Steve. And Clint – and Clint's family – and then Natasha Romanoff and Nick Fury and a succession of everyone else that Tony knew flashed into his mind.

"Is he worth losing them all?"

"Why don't you find someone else?"

"The events are coming to an end. Your son will hold the universe in his hands. Whether you want him to – or not. Support him, but do not hide him."

Warm arms came around him, even as he jolted awake. Arms that were as familiar to him as his own, and he trembled as Pepper hugged him close, still mostly asleep, herself.

"I'm here…" she murmured, gently, caressing his side. "Breathe…"

Tony looked around for whatever creature was attached to the voice that had been speaking to him, and as he woke, further, he realized that he'd been dreaming. He sat up, mindful of the woman who was holding him – even as he continued to shake.

"Jesus."

Pepper opened her eyes, now.

"Nightmare?" she asked, softly.

"Yeah. Sorry I woke you."

"It's fine." It's not like it was even close to the first time. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"Need to talk it out?"

"Not yet." Nothing new there, either. He'd have a nightmare, mull it over, and then if it was something that was still bothering him, Pepper was always there to be a sounding board for him. Not this time, though. At least, not yet. It was still new and fresh. And scary. He leaned into her for a long moment, until she was mostly asleep. "I'll be back in a little bit," he finally whispered.

She nodded, and he eased out of their bed and reached for something more substantial to wear.

"Friday? Where's Peter?" he asked, walking into the living room.

"In his bed."

"Alone?"

"Yes."

Never knew if Natasha might have joined him there, after all.

OOOOOOO

Peter woke with a start, warned by those inner senses of his that he wasn't alone. It was a gentle prodding, though. Someone's here, but there isn't any danger. That sort of thing. He opened his eyes and rolled over, looking toward the door to his room, and frowned when he saw Tony standing in the doorway, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and watching him.

"Is he here?" he asked, dumb with sleep and voicing his greatest concern without thinking.

"No." Tony walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. "It's alright, son. I'm sorry I woke you. I was just checking on you."

"I'm okay."

Tony reached for his forehead, even though he knew there wasn't going to be a fever, and found himself under attack by a newly woken kitten, determined to play despite the time of day. He caught Nutmeg in one hand, and tucked the kitten under his elbow to hold him still, then reached again with the free hand.

"Yeah. Go back to sleep, alright?"

"Are you alright?"

Tony nodded.

"Just had a weird dream."

"About what?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, right now. Go back to sleep, okay?"

"Was it Thanos?"

"No, son. I'm not sure exactly what it was."

"You'd tell me?"

"Yeah." Tony ruffled Peter's hair. "Go back to sleep, alright?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to check on Pepper's new suit, and then I'm going to go back to bed."

"Can I come?"

Tony smiled. It never got old to him that Peter enjoyed his company – and not because he was Ironman.

"Yeah. But if mom finds out you were up late, I said no and told you to go back to sleep. Understand?"

Peter smiled, too, and tossed his blankets back.

"If she finds out, I'll tell her that you came in here and shook me awake, wanting a consult."

The billionaire rolled his eyes.

"Hurry up, kid."