Seeing the look on Peter's face, Natasha knew better than to ask. If there was a way for them to get him on side, and to follow orders, then she doubted that Fury would say no.
"So let me get this straight. All the complaining you've been doing will go right out the window if I find two people for you?" Fury asked, sitting behind his desk tapping a pen.
"Yup, I'll play nice, go on your little trip and then as long as you deliver and give me time to fix some things, sure" Peter replied, shrugging.
"Can I ask what you intend to do?" Fury asked again
"Have you heard of MGH?" and he noticed that Fury sat straight up,
"MGH mutant growth hormone, or budget super-soldier serum, it's a slow-spreading poison across the gang of America, so yes, I've heard of it." In fact, Fury had several folders on the subject, as it wasn't as slow-spreading as he suggested.
"It's made from people, living people. We busted a drugs operation a few weeks ago, rescued a girl, the only one of 13 still alive, some people, these people came and took her. I'm going to get her back" Peter explained, trying to remain calm over remembering the scenes they found in Fisk's drug lab.
Fury looked at Natasha, "and you want my help?" and Peter nodded.
Peter stared at Fury, "I've done some bad things Director, some really terrible things, but MGH made me realise I am a saint compared to some people, it needs to be stopped, and I know someone else knows about it. They came to my home, took the survivor I found, no fight, no hassle. Just walked into my warehouse and took her"
Fury noted the clenched fists and strained muscles hiding under Parker's clothes, whoever had touched a nerve had really touched it. This was perfect. "Hey I get it, every man has his reverse scale right," Fury was still sore that Thor had literally done the same thing with the Tesseract, "but if these people are using her for drugs, you think it'll be that easy?"
Peter shook his head, "Director Fury, you have no idea what my powers are or how strong I really am." at that Fury raised an eyebrow
"We then Mr Parker, do the job, I'll get the names but when you go, I want Natasha to go with you. Nobody goes alone, rule number one, but I guess agent Romanov will be filling you in on the details. You have a deal" and Fury stuck out his hand for Peter to shake. Fury had his in and now he was going to take it. With Natasha there, if Parker did anything illegal it would give him leverage to keep him not only compliant but quiet.
"No contract?"
Fury shook his head, "this is black book, no contract, no paper trail, no anything to tie you to Shield,"
"Why Director Fury, you almost sound like a bad guy saying that," Peter smirked as he spoke, and Natasha smiled and looked off out the window.
Fury leaned back in his chair laughing "Compared to you I'm a regular boy scout. Romanov, fill him in, get the paperwork done and then head off. I don't need to tell you how important this mission is, oh and fill him in on Project Sword, the rest you already know. As this is now off-book, you leave in two days. Tony and Clint have already headed to the facility. Let me remind you, you need to be a bit quieter. It's going under a training mission so no flashy theatrics, no exposing your powers, and no killing. In and out, but you know the rest."
Natasha nodded and Peter guessed that was their cue to leave.
"So, secret spy stuff right?" Peter asked as they walked down the hallways of Shields HQ.
"Yup, and as secret spy stuff is you know, secret, we don't discuss it in the hallways. Your place is good yeah?" Natasha asked as they approached a window hatch. Natasha slid a card over one corner and it opened, grabbing two duffle bags from the hatchway, she handed one to Peter and swiped the card again, closing the hatch.
"Uh, that was anticlimactic," he said. "Where's the giant room with super cool cars and watches that shot lasers and stuff?" and Natasha raised an eyebrow at him.
"Seriously? Do you just watch TV all the time? None of that's real." and Peter shook his head and frowned, disappointed.
"None? No giant lasers, no flying cars or bombs that look like pens and stuff?" and Natasha shook her head as Peter huffed, "man, being a spy is boring."
Natasha laughed, "oh, believe me, you won't like it when it's not. We're heading to your warehouse, get whatever you need for a 7-day trip and then we'll head to the airport. No phone, no electronics of any kind unless I approve them."
"Seriously? No laptop or e-reader?" he asked incredulously and Natasha shook her head.
"Unshielded electronics can be a giveaway, plus if they're replaced with duplicates containing cameras, bugs, or worse then I don't have time to be dealing with that and a giant man child who seems to think this is a holiday."
Peter stopped and raised an eyebrow, the change in Natasha's attitude coming as a surprise. "Uh, giant man child?"
"Sure, you're impulsive, loud and undisciplined. You haven't even asked what we'll be doing, you just nodded and agreed. If you're going to be a problem I need to be able to neutralise it right now, restricting you to no-combat and non-interference seems the best way. You'll be grounded, with no powers or abilities until I give you an order to do so. This isn't a game and I'm not getting my ass shot cause you want to joke about and act like a moron."
Peter sighed and looked down at the ground as they walked, "sorry," was all he said
"Look, your track record is fine, but so far it's been nobodies and thugs. If we meet resistance more than likely it'll be either soldiers who'll want nothing more than to kill you or civilians, who I don't think you want to kill. Stay focused, listen and most of all follow my orders. Do that and you'll be fine. Joking and making stupid comments is alright in the office but once the bullets start flying, running off like a lunatic will get you killed or worse, get me killed."
"Okay okay, I get the point, don't do anything unless you say, gonna wipe my ass for me as well?" Peter was fine with a dressing down but being talked to like an idiot wasn't on the cards.
Natasha stopped and looked up at the ceiling and Peter heard her mumble under her breath, "give me strength," before turning and jabbing him with a finger. "So, what's your fucking problem? Don't like being told what to do by a woman? Got a stick up your ass about the restroom, what? Cause if you don't want to be here. if you'd rather go with Clint then tell me now. This isn't a fucking game and I'm not getting killed cause you can't act like an adult for five minutes."
"My problem? What the fuck is your problem? One minute it's all eye batting and now it's up my ass over nothing. I get it, I'm not an agent and everything is on the fly, but so far that's worked out fine and acting like a kid? Better than acting like a bitch. So I don't know what I'm doing. Isn't it your job to tell me what I'm supposed to be doing? Not whining cause I won't salute every time you grace me with your sparkling and majestic intellect, or fawn in awe when the sun shines out your ass. So yeah, right now, I'd rather go with Clint or whoever that is cause you, you're being belligerent and stubborn over fucking nothing, Tali." Peter said through gritted teeth.
"Natasha, Nat, or even Agent Romanov, not Tali." Natasha said, "and no, this was to see how volatile that temper of yours is. I also don't want you stomping off in a huff if I call you an asshole as part of our cover. Once we get to the warehouse, we fight again and see if that's up to my standard as well." Nat said, smiling at him, before turning and walking off.
Peter followed, shaking his head, this was going to test every single one of his nerves, and if he thought Felicia was bad then it seemed that Nat was a million times worse. Felicia was just rude, Nat had been trained to be like that. Oh shit, Peter thought, and they're about to spend time together. He felt a headache coming on and wondered if it was too late just to run away and let Ultron destroy everything.
While the meeting at Shield headquarters was awkward and grating the ride back to the warehouse raised a few questions in Peter's mind. Nat had a bike, a two-seater very expensive bike. Peter wasn't a mechanic and had no clue as to what kind of bike it was, all he could think of was two things. One did Shield really not have a secret lab full of cool things like flying bikes and two, would she stop rubbing her ass on his crotch for one goddamn minute.
Normally Peter enjoyed the flirting and the teasing but with Nat, he was never sure if it was real, if she wanted something or if she was just trying to get a rise out of him, and not the good kind. As they rode along he even moved his hands up and took liberties but she gently moved them back down onto her stomach and gently patted them, not saying a word but making the intention perfectly clear. Clear until she slid back, leaning forwards and stuck her ass in his lap.
While Nat had been nice, grating but nice and while she reminded him of Felicia he made a vow right then. He knew his libido could get him in trouble so she would be his training for him, an anvil in which he forged a little bit of self-control. Once he was sure she wasn't after something for Fury, then he would see what everyone else thought, and if she was serious about wanting more.
As she lent back he pulled her onto him and let his erection push into her tight leather pants, still, fuck her though if she thinks I'm going to take this without a fight, and made sure he was poking her right in a sensitive spot, extending out symbskin to make sure she was well aware of what was digging into her backside, two can play at that game, he thought to himself.
Peter had been tempted to extend a tendril into her underwear and give her a real taste of his powers, but that was breaking his new rule, self-control bullshit, he thought as once more she revved the bike and turned, making sure they rubbed together. Thankfully for Peter, a motorcycle had a better time getting back to the warehouse than a car, its smaller frame able to weave in and out of the busy New York traffic.
Jumping off and opening the chain link fence that Peter had already opened for her Natasha pushed her bike into the warehouse and for once it was quiet. Gwen was at her new job. MJ was off filming her movie, and Felicia was doing the rounds with the Black Cats. The only one who was still in would be Liv and her face darkened as she came out of her home and saw Natasha.
"Miss Romanov I presume?" Liv asked, standing with her arms crossed in the doorway of her home. "You might not remember but we've met. You infiltrated Oscorp as a secretary, and when I heard Peter's description of the Shield Agent I figured what you had been doing at Oscorp and why you were after Peter. Olivia Octavious, but I'm sure you already know that." and while it was apparent that Liv was playing nice, the look she was giving Natasha was anything but.
Peter cleared his throat, "uh, coffee, I need to get packed Liv. Fury promised help tracking down the uh, shit." Peter realised he hadn't told anyone about Laura. If whoever took her erased their memories and he only got his back because of the mind stone then this would seem like a really stupid thing "Fury promised help with a project Liv, so play nice, okay?"
"I don't intend to do anything of the sort Peter dear. She might be an agent of that man, a spy, but most of all the look she is giving you and the smell coming from her just," and Liv tilted her head "pisses me off," and with that, four arms, primed and ready for battle, extended from the back of her lab coat.