𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 | parker²

xxii. far from home

"You've saved nothing. Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine," Maw taunted, telepathically lifting two beams of steel on either side of himself. Silently threatening to hurl them at the two Avengers with a flick of his wrist, Maw took a step forward and focused his attention on Aster. "Even yours, little star."

Tilting her head, Aster jutted out her bottom lip into a dramatic pout. "Mm, okay, if that's what you think." Her lips curled into a subtle smirk. "But you are severely underestimating a seventeen-year-old boy who has seen way too many movies."

A look of confusion flashed across Maw's face, but before he could decipher her words, Tony had already fired a rocket from his suit. The weapon pierced a hole in the side of the ship and created a vacuum-like effect, sucking Maw out and spitting him into space.

Strange yelled as he was also pulled toward the opening, though his cape quickly swooped in to grab him, anchoring him to a railing of the ship. But because of the sheer force of the air rushing out of the ship, his arm slipped from the cape's grip.

From above, Peter lept down and shot a strand of web at the sorcerer, catching him before he could be sucked into space. He grabbed a beam in the ship with one hand and held Strange with the other. 

When Aster saw Peter's grip faltering, she swirled her hands through the air and surrounded both of them in cosmic energy, pulling them away from the opening and toward safety with ease. Turning to give Tony a nod, she yelled, "Now!"

Holding both fists angled forward, Tony sprayed nanites over the hole, creating a seal to stop the vacuum of air. Aster gently lowered Peter and Doctor Strange to the floor of the ship, making sure they were somewhat stable before dropping her energy.

Doctor Strange's cloak levitated through the air, immediately going to check on its master. Peter's eyes lit up when he saw the red fabric floating toward him, holding out a hand for it to shake. "Hey, we haven't officially met—" 

The cloak ignored him and went right to Strange. Aster snorted as Peter dropped his hand, muttering an embarrassed, "Cool."

"We've gotta turn this ship around," Strange breathed, pushing himself up from one knee.

Dissolving his suit, Tony walked past the sorcerer without so much as a glance. "Yeah. Now he wants to run. Great plan."

As his cloak settled back on his shoulders, Strange followed after Tony and insisted, "No, I want to protect the stone."

"And I want you to thank us," Tony bluntly said. He walked over to the controls of the ship, inspecting them closely. "Go ahead. I'm listening."

"For what? Nearly blasting me into space?"

Finally turning around, Tony stared at Doctor Strange in a bewildered manner. "Who just saved your magical ass? Us."

Aster and Peter shared a look at their back-and-forth argument. Stepping forward, Aster cleared her throat, "Okay, guys—"

"I seriously don't know how you fit your head into that helmet," Strange told him, cutting Aster off.

"Admit it. You should have ducked out when I told you to. I tried to bench you. You refused."

"Unlike everyone else in your life, I don't work for you."

"And due to that fact, we're now in a flying doughnut, billions of miles away from Earth with no backup."

Standing next to Aster, Peter raised a suited hand and chirped in, "I'm backup."

"No," Tony told him, waving a hand through the air. "You're a stowaway. The adults and Aster are talking."