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Tony leaned over the edge of the balcony like edge on the ship. He could see the weird wizard doctor from New York, Doctor Stephen Strange, held up in the air. Ebony Maw had his hands, if Tony would even call those weird appendages hands, held up as they entrapped Stephen in a tight situation.
Stephen was suspended in the air by magic from the weird alien like creature. Tony rolled his eyes at that. Since when did a man of science like him have to put up with so much magic bullshit.
Back on track to the birthday wizard. He squinted as watched the sharp invisible like needles inch closer to Stephen. He devised the plan of just blasting that Squidward like alien’s face off and just calling it a day, but he knew there was more to it than just that. He had to think this through more thoroughly.
He was so caught in thought that he hardly felt the hard nudge to his suit. It shook his arm while he was leaning against the pillar like metal and he immediately turned to face the intruder, repulsors already powering up to fire.
He gasped a bit, his breath unconsciously holding before he caught sight of the large piece of red fabric floating in the air. He sighed and lowered his repulsors a bit.
“Wow, you are seriously a loyal piece of outerwear, aren’t you?” He frowned a bit as he looked over the floating fabric. The intricate stitches much more visible as he was now closer and got a better look at it.
“Yeah- uh. Speaking of loyalty…” Tony’s head snapped to the direction of the voice. The kid. His face contorted into shock and anger in an instant. He turned to face the kid who jumped down onto the floor, facing Tony as he stood. His mask retracting.
“What the-”
“I know what you’re gonna say-” Peter started, raising his hands in defense. The Cloak came around to Tony’s left, looking between the two curiously, its collar tilted.
“You should not be here” Tony said firmly.
“I was gonna go home-” Peter tried to frantically explain to Tony as he gestured to the direction of earth with his hands, which was below them.
“I don’t want to hear it-”
“But it was such a long way down, and I just thought about shooting webs-”
“And now I gotta hear it.” Tony threw his arms out to his sides in a slight frustration.
“and they got stuck to the side of the ship, and this suit is ridiculously intuitive by the way.” He defended.
“Damn it.” Tony grumbled and turned his head to the right a bit with an eye roll.
“So, if anything, it’s kinda your fault that I’m here.” He tilted his head and pointed at Tony.
Tony lifted his head, a look of shock painted across his face again. The Cloak looked up with Tony and flared its edges a bit, looking at peter in surprise that he had said that to Tony.
“What did you just say?” Tony lifted a hand, pointing at Peter. Tony leaned forward while pointing. The cloak leaned forward with Tony, lifting an edge as a finger, mocking the man, but also scolding the child.
“I-I take that back… And now I’m here in space.” He looked away a bit. Tony started stepping forward and approaching Peter.
“Right where I didn’t want you to be.” He frowned a bit at Peter, a softer expression with concern. He lowered his voice. “This isn’t Coney Island, this isn’t some field trip, this is a one-way ticket, you hear me?” His voice cracked with a bit of emotion at the end. He tilted his head and looked at Peter. The cloak stood behind Tony, observing the interactions between the two males. “Don’t pretend you thought this through.” He stated more firmly and glared at Peter.
“No, I did think this through-”
“No, you didn’t-”
“I did think this through!”
“You could not have possibly thought this through.”
“Look, you can’t be a friendly neighborhood Spider Man, if there’s no neighborhood.”
There was a dragged-out silence of Tony glaring at Peter with utter confusion. Peter frowned at his own words before speaking up to cover that.
“Okay, that didn’t really make sense. But you know what I’m trying to say.” He looked at Tony with a slightly apologetic expression. Tony looked away with a slightly fond smile before it faded into a small frown. Sighing and closing his eyes, he spoke firmly again.
“Come on, we got a situation.” He turned and walked back to the edge with peter, pointing to Stephen. Peter crouched down and looked at Stephen, the Cloak following the two to get a look at its master. “See down there, what’s your plan, go.”
Peter leaned on his chin on his hand as he watched the alien talk to Stephen while Stephen grunted from the puncture of the sharp needles. He couldn’t see them, his eyes closed or focused on the alien. Peter smiled for a moment and stood up to face Tony, who was watching the wizard with a look of slight worry, even if he wouldn’t admit it.
“Okay so, you remember that really old movie aliens? Yeah I wa-” Peter started to talk to only get cut off by Tony groaning.
“Oh my god, you’re seriously making a pop culture reference?” He shook his head and turned his head away for a moment. “I can’t believe it, we’re doomed.” He mumbled and closed his eyes before looking back at Peter. “A better plan, do you have a better plan?”
“Uh- well. Not entirely.” He rubbed his neck.
“No, not gonna work, we can’t take down a super powered alien in a doughnut ship with some earth pop culture reference. We’ll die.” He stated bluntly. “Look, new plan, from now on, I come up with all the plan, okay?” he looked at Peter. The Cloak behind Tony nodded and mocked Tony’s stance.
“Well, what’s the plan, how are going to save the wizard?” Peter looked at Tony, attentive and ready to jump into action at his mentor’s words.
“So, look, Squidward obviously wants the ancient necklace thing, but birthday wizard is too angsty to share. So, my plan is, we fight. If we can tag team Squidward, it’ll be overwhelmed. Which, gives us a chance to slow this ship down somehow and get back to earth.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Hopeful I can get us back before May and Pepper kill me for this.”
“You think we can make this work?” Peter questioned.
“Are you questioning me again, after you already didn’t listen?” He raised an eyebrow and spoke firmly. The Cloak shook its collar at Peter momentarily, before looking over the edge again back at Peter. At the sight of its master in pain, the Cloak flared out in anger and whipped towards Tony.
Tony was pulled from scolding Peter when the Cloak swooped in front of him, flapping excessively and waving its edge in the direction of Stephen. Tony held his hands up in defense.
“Jeez, I’m going, calm down doormat.” He stepped forward, following the Cloak that was yanking him along by his metal covered bicep. He tugged his arm from the grip. “You’re a real handsy thing, huh? No wonder that wizard keeps you around.” He smirked a bit and looked over again to see the wizard still in pain. Only this time, Squidward had dropped the necklace and was holding its hand in pain.
“Oh shit,” He mumbled and raised an eyebrow in surprise. He got an idea. “Underoos, now or never, go.”
Tony tapped the Reactor on his chest and the nanobites retracted off his body and he threw them at Peter. The nanobites wrapping around Peter’s hand and staying there.
“Get this to Doctor Dumbledore, now!” Peter caught the nanobites and jumped down, shooting a web to sling down. He threw the nanobites towards the wizard, using his web and aiming at his chest. He followed through with his swing and slammed feet first into the alien.
“Sorry!” Peter yell, flipping and landing on the cold metal, looking up at the Alien who was stumbled over. “Just so you know- E.T. was a good movie.” He stood up and shot another web, jumping to swing away from the chunk of metal that the alien threw.
Stephen grunted when the invisible needles fell, seeing the Spiderboy fly past and knock over Ebony Maw. He felt something slam against his chest, flinching a bit. He fell from the air where he was suspended by Maw’s magic. He held his hands out to stop him from slamming against the ground, closing his eyes and ready to accept the sharp pain he’d receive from landing on his hands. However, it never happened.
He opened his eyes to be greeted with a blue display and he looked to see his hands encased in a familiar red and gold metal.
“Hello, Doctor Stephen Strange. I am F.R.I.D.A.Y.” He frowned a bit.
“Hi…?” He lifted himself up and looked to see Maw.
“Calibrating strategic fighting analysis.” The AI spoke. Stephen quickly looked at his chest to see the Eye of Agamotto wrapped and encased in the nanobites. He brought his metal fingers to brush over the Eye. He was knocked out of his thoughts when Maw lifted a piece of metal. He quickly brought his hands up to defend himself. The gauntlets power up and the gets knocked off his feet, the repulsors firing at Maw.
“Nice shot, Doctor Strange.” FRIDAY compliments him with a cheerful voice. Stephen groans and lifts himself off his back.
“How does that asshole not get brain damage from this?” He grumbled under his breath. He shook his head and tried to focus on all the displays on the HUD. All the words seemed to be going fast. He frowned. “Seriously, minimize that or something. Hurts my eyes.” He turned back to Maw, who was fighting with Peter.
Tony felt the Cloak firmly settle on his shoulders after Peter jumped off.
“Alright. Up, Up and away?” a pause. The Cloak wiggled around on Tony’s shoulders. “Abracadabra?” he tilted his head in slight confusion, the Cloak not moving. “Come on, Curtain, we have to work together to save your wizard man.” Tony stepped forward to jump off, the Cloak not budging, and Tony tried to tug against its fabric. “Oh, come on. Please?” He grunted ask he kept tugging his weight. When the sound of a repulsor blast went off, the let loose and Tony jumped off. He started falling. He instantly tensed and held his hands out, unable to use his gauntlets to save himself. He closed his eyes and screamed, coming out as more of a squawk.
He was about to fall, feeling himself close to the ground when he was stopped. He opened his eyes to see the red wrapped around him, encasing him in a hold. He laughed in disbelief.
“Yes!” he was set down on the metal floor. Across the way, he met sight with his suit. The wizard was in the suit, the suit was shaped around the wizard’s body to perfectly encase him. The suit was definitely taller, and broader on the shoulders.
“Hey asshole, you gonna fight? Or you just gonna stand there and take up oxygen?” Stephen called out, the repulsors lifting him as he aimed at Maw and shot a few times.
“I’m trying to figure out your carpet, douchebag.” He called back, a small smirk playing on his lips as he was lifted up a bit by the Cloak.
“Hey guys! I have an idea!” Peter yelled as he swung past Stephen flipping over Maw’s attack of invisible needles.
“Oh god,” Tony mumbled. The Cloak lifted Tony and helped him whip past Maw. The Cloak shielded Tony from the needles.
“A child?” Stephen asked in surprise. “You brought a kid to space?” Stephen asked Tony incredulously. Tony scoffed.
“Not now Dumbledore, I already got on his case.” He turned to face Maw again, distracting the alien. Peter shot another web at Maw’s mouth, shutting the alien up from talking. “The adults are talking, not now.” He pointed at Peter. The Cloak lifted an edge and pointed at Peter too, mocking Tony. “Would you stop that?” He frowned at the Cloak.
“I was thinking, we could blow a hole in the ship!” Peter called out as he landed next to Stephen.
“What?! Why would we- Oh, you know…” Stephen started, trailing off. “That- That might work.” Stephen tapped his fists together and summoned his shields, the shields no longer a fiery orange, now blue, coming from the gauntlets of the suit.
“Seriously? The birthday wizard is siding with the kid I just told no to? I’m gonna have to leave a bad review for you on Yelp. 0/10, would never hire again.” Tony was brought up and he smashed feet first into maw, knocking him off his pile of metal he was standing on while distracted with Peter and Stephen.
“He has a good plan, unless you can pull a better plan out of your ass in the next 60 seconds.” He blasted a laser beam at Maw, shooting the Alien back as he was closer to the edge of the ship.
“I mean, unless you even know how to control my science, I don’t see why not. Just hurry, Squidward is getting angrier. Tony warned as Maw started crumbling pieces of the floor and yanking metal off the ship, throwing it in the direction of Tony.
“Pest.” He growled out as a shard was thrown. Tony was about to be covered by the Cloak but was instead yanked up. He looked up to see the metal arms wrapped around his chest, pulling him away.
“What the hell?” He asked over the loud clash of the metal missing and hitting the ship instead.
“You were going to die; you weren’t fast enough.” Stephen’s voice came clear out of the speakers of the suit.
“I was not going to- how did you know?” Tony argued when Stephen set him down on the side lines of the battle, the Cloak holding him tight.
“I can’t tell you that. Stay here and don’t do anything stupid, asshole.” He clasped his metal covered hand on Tony’s shoulder before turning and blasting back off to join Peter.
The Cloak tightened it’s hold on Tony and turned him away at the sound of the blasting metal. He could hear the loud white noise after the short cut off scream of Maw. It was shortly stopped when Peter landed next to him and smiled. His mask was retracted.
“We did it! We won Mr. Stark!” He grinned. The Cloak loosened its hold on Tony and rubbed his shoulders in a reassuring way. Peter reached to shake the Cloak’s hand. “Hey, we haven’t officially met yet.” He smiled. The Cloak pokes his hand before ignoring him and shrugging off Tony’s shoulders to go approach Stephen. “Cool.”
Stephen lands next to them with a clang. “We’ve gotta turn this ship around.” He didn’t retract the mask, not really knowing how to do so.
“Yeah. Now he wants to run. Great plan.” Tony scoffed, his tone leaking with snark.
“No, I want to protect the stone.” He stepped forward, following Tony, as Tony walked up the platform to the large window.
“And I want you to thank me. Go ahead. I’m listening.” He turned to look back at Stephen momentarily.
“For what? Nearly getting us all killed with your terrible planning?” He tilted his head with a frown, looking Stark up and down as he stood by the steering controls. The inflight suit hugging his body in the right ways. Peter stood off to the side, watching for now. The Cloak following Stephen in a distance.
“Who just saved your magical ass? Me.” He turned to look at Stephen fully, pointing at Stephen. The helmet retracted and Stephen had a frown.
“I seriously don’t know how you fit your head into that helmet.” He scoffed a bit.
“Admit it. You should have listened to me when I told you not to follow a teenager’s plans. I tried to tell you. You refused.” He frowned at Stephen. He looked the man up and down in his suit, noticing the broader, taller stance.
“Unlike everyone else in your life, I don’t work for you.” He stepped closer on the plat form. Peter flinched at those words and widened his eyes at Stephen’s comment. Tony marched up to him, now a bit angry but also impressed by the wizard’s attitude.
“And due to that fact, we’re now in a flying doughnut billions of miles away from Earth with no backup.” He grounded out.
“I’m backup!” Peter smiled and raised his hand. Tony and Stephen looked over at Peter, drawn out of their bickering.
“No. You’re a stowaway. The adults are talking.” He pointed at Peter with a firm glance.
“I’m sorry, I’m confused as to the relationship here. What is he, your ward?” he pointed at Peter with a suited hand.
“No. I’m Peter, by the way.” He held his hand out to shake and smiled at the wizard.
“Doctor Strange.” He stated firmly, looking at the boy’s hand. Peter gasped a bit.
“Oh, we’re using our made-up names. Um…I’m Spider-Man, then.” He smiled awkwardly at Stephen as in an apology for using his own real name. Stephen frowned for a moment and rolled his eyes before turning back to Tony.
“This ship is self-correcting its course. Thing’s on autopilot.” He spoke up from looking over the weird alien like controls. The cloak was now on his shoulders again, its bottom part hanging on the floor a bit from Tony’s smaller height.
“Can you get us home?” Stephen raised an eyebrow as he approached Tony again, leaving Peter to drop his hand back at his side. Tony turned to Stephen with a discerning look on his face.
“Yeah I heard you. I’m thinking…I’m not so sure we should.” He looked up at Stephen.
“Under no circumstance can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos. I don’t think you quite understand what’s at stake here.” Stephen frowned a bit, suddenly feeling a bit of guilt eat away at him as he watched the man. The Cloak tightened on Tony’s shoulders in another reassuring squeeze.
“No. It’s you who doesn’t understand. 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 he 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 stood face to face with Stephen. His face was twisted in a frown but had emotion behind it. Looking as if he was sorry with himself and what was happening. Stephen paused for a long moment.
“Alright, Stark. We go to him; we fight on his turf.” He then lowered his voice with more emotion, holding his arm out and placing his hand on Tony’s shoulder. His face drawn into a hurt smile as he looked Tony in the eyes. “But you have to please understand…if it comes to saving you or the kid or the Time Stone… I can not let him have it. I’d have to let you go. I can’t hesitate, because the fate of the universe depends on it.” He kept his face drawn in an emotional look. Tony nodded, understanding the pain of it, but also understanding that this was what came with their job. They put the universe first. He lowered his head with a sigh and nodded turning to Peter.
“Good. Nice. Moral compass, we’re good.” He outstretched his arm and briefly placed it on both of his shoulders. “Alright, kid. You’re an Avenger now.” Peter looked at his mentor in disbelief before smiling and nodding in satisfaction.
“Let’s save the universe.” The trio walked together, suited up to the controls. They were going to figure out how to save everyone.
Even if they died trying.