𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 | parker²

i. the life of a normal teenager

Get on his good side. We can negotiate.

So, even though it physically pained her, Aster gave Ross a tight-lipped smile. "Yes. Nice to see you, too."

The surprise on Ross' face was clear. He wasn't expecting her to be so pleasant. Nodding, the grey-haired man clasped his hands together on the table. "So, I met with the UN and went over a few things with them. Even though you didn't sign the Accords, we agreed that you should be able to live with Mr. Stark." He raised an eyebrow in Tony's direction. "As long as he stays fit as a guardian in our eyes."

Tony swiveled his chair to face Ross, pulling his hand away from his mouth to make a face at him. "What, you don't trust me?"

Ignoring his sarcasm, Ross went on, "Miss Stark, I know this is going to be hard for you to hear." Aster bit down on the inside of her cheek and braced herself. "But we still don't think it's a good idea for you to continue as Starlight. At least for the time being."

Her jaw dropped. "What—?"

Tony lightly nudged her shin with his shoe under the table. When she met his eye, he slowly shook his head.

Aster shut her mouth promptly and cleared her throat. Taking a much gentler approach, she took a deep breath and leaned forward. "Listen, Secretary Ross. I love being Starlight. I love helping people. It's a part of who I am," she emphasized. "What am I supposed to do if I'm not an Avenger?"

"That leads me to the other term we came to."

Aster tiredly glared at him. "Which is..."

"The UN is concerned with your..." Ross trailed off, in search of the correct term he wanted to use. "Experiences."

Shaking her head, Aster squinted. "I'm not following."

"To put it simply, they're concerned you haven't had time to be a kid. You've always been hanging around adults. You've never been properly exposed to kids your age."

Making a face, Aster crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair. "And I'm doing just fine."

"For your best interest," Ross stated, clearly disagreeing with her claim. "The UN has decided to enroll you in Midtown School of Science and Technology. You will be starting as a high school sophomore next week."

Tony grimaced and shifted his attention to Aster, waiting for her reaction. She was still in her seat, staring at Ross indifferently.

And to both of their surprise, she laughed, right in Ross' face.

But after a moment, she realized he wasn't kidding. The smile on her face dropped. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I know you may disagree with our terms—"

"I don't just disagree. I would rather die."

"Ace."

Aster scoffed, holding a hand up. "Hang on, putting me in school is useless. I already finished my schooling a long time ago." She had to bite her tongue to hold back from telling them to call Fury to back her up. To Ross and the rest of the world, her old boss was six feet under.

"As I said before, it's about your experiences. Not your smarts. We enrolled you in an advanced high school for a reason," he told her. "We can re-evaluate these terms in the near future. But for now, that's what's going to happen."

With that being said, she knew he wouldn't negotiate further. Done being nice, Aster scowled at him. "Are we done here?"

"Yes."