Dependence

Chapter 12

"But I did. I did think this through." he said.

"You couldn't have."

"It's just- You can't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man when there's no neighborhood." he said. Tony sighed.

"Okay. Look, come here, we have a problem," he led Peter over to see Strange being interrogated and torchered, "see him down there? He's in trouble. What's your plan?" he asked.

"Uh, okay... Uh... Have you ever heard of this really old movie called Aliens?

~~~

"Painful aren't they?" the alien asked, looking down at Strange, "They were originally designed for microsurgery. And any one of them..." he looked up upon hearing a thump and saw Tony.

"...could end your friend's life in an instant." he said.

"I gotta tell you, he's not really my friend. Saving his life is more a professional courtesy." he snarked.

The alien walked towards him with large metal objects floating behind him. "You've saved nothing. Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine."

"Yeah, but the kid's seen more movies." he fired a rocket to the side of the ship, tearing a hole and causing it to suck things out, including the alien and his weapons and the needles that had been torturing Strange. The cape flew over and caught Strange before he could fly out as well. Peter used his webs to help keep him and the cape from going out. Tony used nanites to plug up the hole. The alien was floating in space, dead, as Strange dropped to the floor. Once this was all over, the cape floated over next to Peter.

"Hey, we haven't officially met." he said, holding out his hand towards the cape to shake. It didn't return the gesture and instead continued floating over to Strange.

"Cool." the teen said. Tony's suit retracted back into however Tony was containing it and he walked over to Strange.

"We've gotta turn this ship around." the doctor said.

"Yeah. Now he wants to run. Great plan." Tony said sarcastically.

"No, I want to protect the stone." Strange said.

"And I want you to thank me now. Go ahead, I'm listening." Tony said, irritated.

"For what? Nearly blasting me into space?"

"Who just saved your magical ass? Me."

"I seriously don't know how you fit your head into that helmet."

"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." Tony said. Peter raised his hand.

"I'm backup." he said.

"No. You're a stowaway. The adults are talking." Tony replied.

"I'm sorry, I'm confused as to the relationship here. What is he, your ward?" Strange asked.

"My son." Tony said.

"I'm Peter, by the way." the kid said.

"Doctor Strange." he replied.

"Oh, we're using our made-up names. Um... I'm Spider-Man, then." he said. Had Peyton been there, she would have laughed at him.

"This ship is self-correcting its course. Thing's on autopilot." Tony said after observing everything. Strange walked over to him.

"Can we control it? Fly us home?" Tony didn't answer "Stark?" Tony was pulled out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Can you get us home?"

"Yeah I heard you. I'm thinking...I'm not so sure we should." he said.

"Under no circumstance can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos. I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here." the doctor replied. Tony walked towards him angrily.

"No. It's you who doesn't understand, that Thanos has been inside my head for six years since he sent an army to New York and now he's back! And I don't know what to do. So I'm not so sure if it's a better plan to fight him on our turf or his but you saw what they did, what they can do. At least on his turf, he's not expecting it. So I say we take the fight to him. Doctor. Do you concur?" he rambled. Strange paused for a second before nodding.

"Alright , Stark. We go to him. But you have to understand... if it comes to saving you or the kid or the Time Stone... I will not hesitate to let either of you die. I can't, because the fate of the universe depends on it." he said. Tony glanced at his son before looking back at the wizard.

"Nice. Good. Moral compass. We're straight." he then turned to Peter. He touched his shoulders as if knighting him. "Alright, kid. You're an Avenger now." he said. Peter grinned before his face morphed into one of determination and he nodded.

"Think Peyton's okay?" he asked. Tony nodded.