𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 | parker²

xvii. a fine line

Aster's eyes were glued to the loft's grand windows as she made her way down the stairs, watching as a bolt of lightning cut through the dark skies. "Hey, do you think this is Thor trying to say hi?"

Throwing a few blankets onto the couch, Tony snorted. "Maybe. It would be a hell of a lot easier for him to just come down here and say it."

"It's Thor. He loves the dramatics," Aster pointed out, collapsing onto the sectional. It was then that she noticed the assortment of snacks and candy laid out. "Whoa, where did this come from?"

Tony sat next to her, handing her a bowl of popcorn while tipping his head toward the kitchen. "Happy brought them over. Pepper came with him and brought you some flowers."

Aster turned to the kitchen and a smile pulled at her lips. There was a bouquet of white lilies on the counter, gathered together in a vase with a Get Well Soon card attached. She made a mental note to call Pepper later.

Curling her legs up onto the couch, Aster covered herself with a blanket and raised an eyebrow in Tony's direction. "I heard that you two have been talking again."

He shot her a suspicious look. "Have you been spying on me?"

Aster giggled. "Not this time. She told me when she took me shopping to get my Homecoming dress."

"Oh," Tony hummed thoughtfully. It was as if Aster's words made him fall even harder for the strawberry blonde. "I didn't know she did that."

"Yeah. We had some good girl time." She offered him a genuine smile, poking him teasingly. "You guys need to stop beating around the bush and get back together already."

Scoffing, Tony rolled his eyes. "Fine. That's why I had her over here last night. We're dating again, you happy?" Aster perked up, but before she could possibly jump with joy, he had already shifted the attention to her. "Hey, while we're on the topic of dating... Is there something going on between you and Peter?"

The popcorn bowl slipped from Aster's hands, almost spilling all over the floor. She caught it at the last moment, though her wide eyes were on Tony. "What? No, why would you think that?"

Tony was eyeing her carefully. "Well, you guys have been spending a lot of time together. And the kid wouldn't stop calling me until he knew you were awake. He was really worried about you."

Aster shook her head, feigning disgust. "No, we're just friends. Besides, I had a different date to Homecoming."

She didn't think Tony knew about Henry, but based on the sudden dark look on his face, he did. "Oh, yeah," he hummed. "Henry, right? He's Adrian Toomes' kid."

Narrowing her eyes at his tone, Aster shifted her entire body to look at him. While trying to read his expression, she asked, "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," he told her, pursing his lips together to act nonchalant. A beat of silence passed. "Since he's eighteen, he's going to be tried as an adult for aiding and abetting his father. Oh, and aggravated assault."

Aster's eyes went wide.

"Toomes is gonna be behind bars forever," Tony said pointedly. "And after I heard what Henry did to you, I'll make sure he's in there for the rest of his sad life too."

Pursing her lips together, Aster winced. "Sorry for my poor dating choices."

"This is why I don't want you to date at all."

Sinking into the couch cushions, Aster rubbed her hands over her eyes. "You know what? Can we not talk about dating? My head still hurts," she mumbled.

"You brought it up," Tony remarked before snapping his fingers and pointing at her. "Hey, this is a good lesson. This is what a hangover feels like."