Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Five. Building Relationships

Peter stared at the aftermath of the warehouse party. It had started off as a simple meal, taco Tuesday, but it devolved into so much more and right now, he had been left to clean up the mess.

Logan had drunk several bottles of beer, but as he had the same regenerative constitution as Laura, he was fine to drive and had taken Jean and Laura home, much to the grumbling of the pair. Jean had to sort out if the Professor would let her live with them, and as soon as Laura heard she demanded the same, starting an argument.

Even as the trio left she was still sulking as he forcefully told her no, and Peter saw no happy end there. Especially as he watched her and Logan argue and two blades slid out and drew a score line across Logan's car. He heard the man yelling as she evilly grinned at him while she did it.

Nat had stayed, taking Peter's bed while he slept with Liv, and the issue of the warehouse living arrangements wasn't sorted. Each of the crudely drawn homes had several names all pencilled into it, and while it would still be discussed, Peter's ego grew a little bit as they all fought to live close to him. He knew things in the warehouse were strange and being the only man around he enjoyed several perks to make other men jealous. Who cared if it was like that? as long as everyone was happy, people should be allowed to have whatever relationship they wanted.

As he sorted food, glass and other trash into the recyclables, he even found the badge Nat had handed him and taking a small break, one of many he knew he would have, he flicked through his timetable.

If anything screamed secret agent it was this, not just CQC, which he had to find out meant close-quarter combat, but ranged weapons and tactics, survival, and he found a handwritten note,

No damn agent of mine flunks highschool

Stuck to the notice of his GED exams. Peter had completely forgotten about them, and after the invasion and the Sokovia visit, it had gone completely from his mind.

He then had vehicle maintenance, social etiquette classes and then training. Lots and lots of training, split into track, assault course, swimming, and finally a free elective, which again Fury had added a written note to,

We'll be testing your powers, and no, you can't refuse

Peter also found on the back was a book list, mainly geopolitical textbooks but also history, art, and even a few cookery books focused on foraging and edible plant identification. For those, he would use Gwen's trick, downloads.

What he wasn't expecting though was very little class time. Having just come from High School he had expected the academy to be the same, but a quick search on his phone showed that they were mainly college graduates. It was expected for them to schedule their own time, write their own notes, and do their own work, under the guidance of a mentor, who for Peter, was Natasha. She would oversee his training, manage his essays and finally grade his work.

As the spring was coming to an end, Peter only had six months of free time before the academy started. Like a proper school, which he supposed as it took graduates from various fields, it was it would start in September and run for a full year, moving students around as needed to keep classes full and as graduates either became full agents or were moved into their relevant fields the classes would eventually dwindle to one or two.

Peter was thinking about classes when a sleepy Nat wandered out of his home, wearing nothing but a nightshirt, uncaring it wasn't buttoned-up, and knowing that only the girls and Peter were here she had nothing else on.

"Bed was comfy, thanks, bit lonely though," and Peter shrugged as he slid another bowl of half-eaten sauce and veg into a compost bag,

"Can't help with that Nat, a line was drawn."

"And I crossed it?" but Peter shook his head.

"No, I did. I am really grateful for what you did, and Tony got something he shouldn't have, but I can't, not with as you said, the kind of agent you are, but that's on me, not you." and Nat sighed.

"So we never?" and Peter paused,

"Never say never, but," and he put down the trash bag. "My sense of smell is heightened, and so one day you seduce a target, nothing more than kissing and maybe some touching, none of my business, but you come here and I smell it. I kiss you and taste someone else on your lips, in your sweat. Nah, you don't deserve that Nat, which is why it's really not you." and as Nat moved over and poured herself a cup of coffee from the already made jug she sat and sighed

"You're a good kid, nice stress relief and yeah, that's my life. I do things like Tony so the good girls don't have to, it's not great, not glamorous and really. You get used to being called a whore, even if it's not to your face." Nat sat down and pulled her legs up into the soft armchair and wrapped her arms around herself, she didn't care that she was exposing herself to him right now, as she was about to expose herself a whole lot more.

"I grew up in Russia, the Red Room, kinda like Shield but way way worse. First sexual encounter at 9, raped at 12, right after my first period, and then taught, taught how to please not just me but women, taught how to kill, even during, and then injected with that crappy formula and sterilized." as Peters face hardened into a stone statue of anger she waved a hand at him. "I didn't tell you for revenge, just, life isn't roses and chocolates for someone like me. I've done bad things and had bad things done to me, I'm not," and she sighed and took a breath, "I'm not some college kid who never had sex or even some lab rat whose life revolved around white coats and meetings. I'm a killer Pete, a stone-cold fucked up killer, you want that? You really want me in your life?"

Peter could see that even talking about this was hard for her. "That was my life, and Fury gave me a new one. We had a saying, a ledger dripping with red. Our book of the dead, every person we ever killed, you know why?" and Peter shook his head, "to remind us that one day someone will come for us and add us to their ledger. So it's fine, life's been shit and this is just another mark on the page."

Peter laughed and shook his head, "oh cut the crap Nat. Even I'm not as emo," and he pulled a scowly face and lowered his voice into a fake growl, "oh my ledgers dripping with red," talking normally once more. "So you're a killer, so what? I think MJ's the only one who hasn't here, and sex? You might not get jealous but, want to go down after I finished in Liv or Gwen? Even I'm not that much of an ass that I don't shower unless the girls say not to. We are a family and sure, we are very very open but no outsiders, and it's simple, stop fucking other guys and then your welcome, no one cares who or how many." Peter tied the bag he was holding and added it to the pile. "Shit, Liv admitted she pretty much screwed her entire college when she was younger. No. One. Gives. A. Shit. Well, the other stuff, yeah, that's a nightmare right there. Therapy or just talking, we're maybe not the best people to work out issues, but we'd be here, if you needed to. Or you know, if you want to burn it to the ground, that works for us too."

Nat actually looked surprised. "So, if I say yes, and do it, what do I get?" the look of surprise replaced by her usually teasing smirk,

"What do you want? I mean, MJ shares a bed with me, and occasionally Gwen, Gwen and Felicia are more a couple than any of us. Liv sleeps with who she wants and I enjoy everyone equally. It's up to you and the other person, nobody's forced, everyone does who and what they choose."

Nat looked down at her cup, "and if I admitted just you?"

"Then just me, how is that difficult?" and she nonchalantly shrugged,

"I would, I would have to tell Fury though, but with a change in assignment, that shouldn't be too hard." Nat straightened up, "but I would like to try, I mean, the relationship thing, we already tried the rest." And Peter looked down at her open top, which he had been trying to avoid since she got up, nodded, raising his eyebrows in appreciation. "Took you long enough. I thought you had no self-control and it would be wham-bam, oh thank you ma'am, for breakfast."

"Well, someone lectured me, gave me this big speech about being responsible and stuff. Yeah then we got blown up, kinda sticks in the mind when that happens." and Nat laughed,

"And now?" she smirked.

"Well, a rather attractive woman is making eyes at me, and sure, she'll be my boss, but not for another few months. So till then, I think I'll take a good look at what was hiding under that shirt," and Natasha brushed a finger down her front, letting it open more.

"No screwing at the breakfast table," MJ shouted from her home, and Peter laughed.

"Uh yeah, that's another rule," but Nat was shaking, trying to hold in the laughter of her own.

"You are the strangest bunch of teens ever." and she shook as the infectious laughter echoed around the warehouse.

As Nat calmed down and Peter finished stacking and rinsing the plates, she was sat at the table, eyeing the design Peter had sketched earlier in the evening. "Do I get one of these as well?" and he half shrugged,

"If you want, but you know, for what I've got planned, everyone's gonna be disappointed." and Nat raised an eyebrow,

"Why?"

Peter dried his hands and reached under the table, taking out a spare pad. This one had technical paper in it, where he put finished designs that required measurements and diagrams for building, "cause this is the finished design."

Nat frowned and shrugged as she looked over it. "I can't read this, it's all architect gobbledygook to me," and Peter shook his head with a wry grin,

"My home will be up there," pointing up, "and the rest will be down here, I want to keep some labs, and keeping them nearby suits me."

Nat stared again, up at the space in the warehouse roof and then around the warehouse itself, "I can see it now, but uh, you don't think they'll be mad?"

"We get mad at each other all the time, it's not normal not to, and it doesn't matter, everyone can probably hear me anyway, so if there was a major complaint Fel probably would have started yelling by now," and as if on cue,

"I heard that asshole," she yelled from her home, and Peter grinned and shrugged and Nat just shook her head.

"What about Wanda, Jean, and Laura?" Nat asked casually, and with no warning, Peter was at a loss for words,

"I don't plan these things, so I can't say. Wanda and Jean will be a no. I doubt they're happy with everyone else and Laura doesn't know any better, her dad seems kinda gruff though. So he'll probably give me some lecture about it being inappropriate or something but Laura'll probably just ignore him and do what she wants, I get the feeling that's kinda her thing. Here's a better question, what about you? I mean, I didn't expect anyone to be, you know, into it."

"Cute, handsome and forgiving, you know how people look at me, it's not respect," and she lightly shrugged, "tired Pete, tired of being 'that agent.' So, you want the truth. Sex was great, I mean toe curling great but you. You didn't pity me or look at me like I was a piece of shit after, even after you knew it was a trap. I'm only 26 Pete, I," and she sighed. "I've never been in a relationship that wasn't sanctioned or a lie and well, this, this might be the biggest pile of macho bullshit on the planet. I mean, six, six fucking women you ass, but I see how you look at them and it hurts. To see that and want it, and know nobody wants you, plus you know, Liv kicking the shit out of me made me realise how much they love you, and yeah, I was jealous."

With his powers, Peter could feel the honesty pour from her, a first. He had always liked her, and the others had been right, he did have a thing for strong women and from them all, even Liv, Natasha was not just strong, she was willful and exuded power. As she sat, in just a shirt, a paragon of beauty and seduction, Peter knew that he never stood a chance, and as she slid onto his lap and kissed him, he knew he never wanted to.