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Astrea was a creature of habit, not in an obsessive way, but she liked predictability. So her days were always the same.
Getting up when the sun rose, she knew her parents were going to be asleep until after she left, so this was her time. She spent time getting ready: the same skincare products, the same makeup routine as the last half year. Primer, concealer, powder foundation, setting powder, water liner, eyeliner, mascara, and highlighter. Simple but effective.
Then she’d turn to her hair; for today, she would do two fluffy French braids. Her scalp was getting greasy, but she wouldn’t shower till that night. Afterwards, she would pack her bag, making sure her homework was all sorted in their separate folders, then she would grab her book from her nightstand. She knew she would need it.
Walking from her room, she made her way to the kitchen. Inspecting the area, she was glad to see it wasn’t a mess. Last night was an easier night. Gregory, her father, was in the mood to pretend she and her mother didn’t exist; it was better that way, so she didn’t complain.
Grabbing items from around the kitchen, she made herself a sandwich, which was placed into a Ziploc. A bushel of grapes followed behind the sandwich for a snack. Zipping both items away in her bag, she was ready to head out. Keys in hand, she unlocked the front door, then relocked it when she was on the other side.
A press of a button and some soft music, and Astrea was standing in the lobby of her apartment building. Heading to a group of mailboxes set in the wall, she stood and waited. Maybe 5 minutes had passed before a ding of the elevator brought her attention upwards.
A very familiar boy stood with his backpack slung over one shoulder, his eyes groggy but aware, as he stepped towards Astrea,
“Good morning.” Astrea leaned up and pressed a soft kiss against the boy's cheek, who grunted at her greeting, “Late night?”
“Yeah, had some problems on my way home, but once I get some food in me, I’ll be fine.” The boy held up one hand that contained what seemed to be food wrapped in aluminium foil. “Aunt May says hi and that you need to come to dinner this Sunday.” He informed her as he handed her one of the foils.
Astrea took it with a smile; inside was a warm egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich. “I’ll ask, but are you ok, Pete?”
Peter sighed, “I’ll explain on the way.” Together, the two teens walked from the building, heading down the busy Queens street towards Midtown High School. After a moment, Peter explained, “It was a break-in at Lucky 7. It was super easy. The kid behind the counter pressed the panic button. I showed up, took down the robber. The thing was, there was a second robber outside who saw me enter from above; he caught me off guard and tried to stab me. I took care of it, but he caught me on the side.”
At this point, Astrea looked at Peter with alarm, opening her mouth, but Peter cut her off, “I promise I'm fine; I didn’t need stitches, but KAREN alerted Mr. Stark, so I have to head in to see Mr. Stark and Mr. Banner after school.” A guilty look sat on Peter's face. “And I know we had plans, but maybe I can move the tickets to another time? You know what will happen if I don’t stop by.”
Astrea leaned and bumped shoulders with him. “I can wait for you to; you’ll be out by 6, right?” At Peter's nod, she continued, “Then let's move to Kissena Park; we can watch the sunset together. Plus the show will come back around again. I’d rather have you here.”
“Are you fine waiting that long? I feel bad, and I know you have your book, but still,” Peter looked concerned, but hope shone in his eyes; they had this date planned for over a month. He wanted to go out with her, just the two of them.
“Yes pete, I’m fine. I wanted to finish the ending today anyway.” Walking hand in hand, the teens carried on down the road, enjoying the soft morning noises. Two turns and a familiar voice rose from behind them.
“Peter!” A male shouted, turning the teens stood, waiting for the boy to catch up. “Hi, good morning. Did you catch the new episode of The Hero Hotline? Man, it’s so good.” The other teen seemed to be jumping with excitement,
“No wait, Ned, we promised no spoilers!” Peter exclaimed, “I was busy, but trust I’ll be caught up by tonight. Why, who is it about?”
“Vision!” Ned hopped forward, beaming between the teens as they deep-dived into their favorite YouTuber. The Hero Hotline was a popular YouTuber who had garnered fame with their deep dive into popular superheroes and vigilantes, including their powers and personal lives if their identity was known. Ned and Peter watched his episodes on a weekly basis. In short terms, they were obsessed.
Seeing as she had lost the boys to their chatting, Astrea had turned her attention to the surroundings. There wasn’t anything different; the same shops were opening as they walked by, but there seemed to be more people on the street. It was the weather, she decided; the sun was out a nice breeze was in the air. Who wouldn’t want to walk at this time?
Before she knew it, the three teens were approaching the school. Principal Morita stood towards the road, greeting the students as they walked in. Astrea waved as they walked by while the two boys ducked their heads, “Come now, boys don’t be shy, she won’t bite.” Astrea teased
“Easy for you to say; she likes you.” Peter rolled his eyes before reaching for her. “I’ve gotta head to my locker. I’ll see you in history.” A kiss pressed to her cheek, Astrea watched as Peter vanished into the crowd of students, Ned following behind after a quick wave.
Astrea turned and weaved her way through the crowd of students heading to her first class; the trick to not getting pummeled by the crowd was sticking to the walls. After a walk down the hall and up two floors, Astrea stood outside her first class, AP Biology. Strolling through the doors, she headed to her seat, where she saw her best friend sitting in front of her.
Sitting her bag down, she leaned forward and tugged the girl's earbud out. “What's up, MJ? How's your morning been?”
MJ, who had jerked at her earbud being ripped out, glared at her. “You do know you can tap my shoulder.” Astrea just raised an eyebrow at MJ, who sighed, “It's been fine; I have the displeasure of running into Flash.” At this, both girls shared a look of disgust.
“Gross, I see him at earliest in geometry, but to see him this early in the morning, ugh.” Astrea shivered at the thought as she relaxed in her chair. Before MJ could respond, the door opened and in walked Mr. Harrington. The girls shared a look before focusing on the class.
An hour passed before the bell rang, and the two teens stood together, leaving for their next class. Heading down a floor, they made it to World Literature to watch as Ned sat in his seat. With Astrea to his right and MJ on the other side, Ned immediately broke the silence, ‘Hi MJ, you won’t believe who's already been arguing today.”
A sigh rang out before both girls chimed, “Flash and Peter.” Ned chuckled and nodded,
“Yep! Flash was doing the usual, boasting about his brand new fancy phone and insulting Peter, then he brought up May, and Peter started arguing back. Luckily, they stopped before Mr. Cobbwell got there, but still! It's too early for arguing.” Flashing Ned a sympathy-filled look, Astrea patted his back
“You're doing great, Ned; we all know there's no stopping those two. They’d argue over the size of raindrops if they could.” Laughing at the facts, the three teens waited for Ms. Bennett,
Another hour passed before the class was finished. At the door, Astrea broke off from the group, heading back up a floor towards Honors Geometry, where she dreaded seeing the very boy talked about earlier, Flash.
Walking in, Astrea greeted Mr. Cho, who stood at the front of the room. “Good morning, Mr. Cho. How was your weekend?”
Chatting, Astrea sat in one of the front-row seats, dreading the arrival of Flash, who had almost fallen while running into the classroom. Mr. Cho watched him with an exasperated look,
“If you're ready, Mr. Thompson, you may find your seat, and quickly,” Reprimanded, Flash scoffed and trudged to his seat two rows back from hers. Hoping that since Flash had been reprimanded once, he wouldn’t attempt anything, she was sadly proven wrong as a piece of paper landed on her desk.
With practiced ease, she brushed it to the ground before refocusing on the worksheet in front of her. After a moment, another one landed just shy of her chair, to be once again ignored. Astrea could hear Flash huff in frustration before a final ball flew by her face, rolling to hit Mr. Cho’s foot.
“I do not allow note passing in this class. As you all know the rules, you understand the consequences.” Reaching down, he picked up the paper and unrolled it to read aloud. “Your boyfriend is a penis face; how about I show you what a real one looks like?”
Silence sat through the class before Mr. Cho looked up. “This is a very inappropriate note to be passing. I am very disappointed in whoever wrote this, and do know that if I find who did, you will be severely punished.”
A twenty-minute period passed before the bell rang and the teens filed out. Sitting at the desk, Astrea hurried to stuff her work away before she could get caught. At the last moment, she zipped her bag and jumped out of her seat, rushing to the door, with Flash hot on her tail.
In the hall, she blended in with the crowd, effectively losing Flash behind her. With relief flooding her chest, she traveled back up a floor for World History, excited to see her boyfriend. Inside the room, Peter sat at a desk with his bag in the seat next to him, saved for her.
Astrea approached, kissing his cheek before looking at him with a deadpan look. “You're already fighting with Flash in first period, I heard.”
Peter sighed, grabbing her hand and lacing them together in his lap. “He gets under my skin. He always has something rude or down-putting to say, especially to me.” Astrea rubbed her thumb over his knuckles, soothing him.
“I know; he was throwing notes in class, and Mr. Cho caught and read them out loud,” At Peter's questioning look, she continued. “He was trying to get them to me, but I was ignoring him; it was him basically asking if I wanted to see his dick.”
Peter scoffed, hand tightening in hers. “God, he gets on my nerves.”
Astrea hummed in agreement as they waited for class to start, which happened when Mr. Dell walked in.
As noon finally came around, so did lunch period; the couple headed from the classroom down another floor to the cafeteria. Astrea bumped shoulders with Peter before heading off to an open table towards the back. Sitting down, she was soon joined by MJ, then Ned and Peter, all carrying their lunches.
Pulling her sandwich from her bag, she sat about eating, enjoying the sound of the noise as Peter and Ned continued a conversation about Lego Star Wars.
“So, you wanna hang after school? I got my radio to start working again,” MJ asked Astrea, tapping her foot against the other girl under the table,
“Aw, I have plans after school with Pete, but tomorrow I’m definitely open,” Astrea smiled in apology, handing a grape out in offering. “What was wrong with your radio, though?”
Popping the grape in her mouth, MJ spoke up, “It was the rubber belts; they got worn out, so I just had to replace them. It's all fixed now, though, and it was relatively easy.” Nodding her head along, Astrea watched as behind them, Flash approached.
Turning her head, she hid her face in Peter's shoulder. “Hey, MJ, how ya doing?” MJ ignored the boy. “Why don’t you quit hanging with these losers and come sit with me?”
“No.” MJ rolled her eyes,
“Come on, baby, it’ll be great. Hey, by the way, why don’t you let me take you on a date? We can take my dad's boat out; it’ll be a great time.” Flash's ability to ignore the obvious signs of disinterest amazed the group each day.
After a moment, Flash turned to Peter, “Penis Parker, you know your girlfriend asked to see my dick, passed me a note in class.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Astrea was on her feet.
“Now you listen to me, Eugene. I understand your fat ego can’t comprehend the fact that no one wants to get your dick wet, but don’t you dare be coming over here uninvited and try to put words in my mouth.” As her voice rose in volume, the other students watched on as Flash opened his mouth to respond but couldn’t. “Your mother would be so disappointed in you. Should I call her up and tell her what you tried to do? Would you like that?”
A moment passed in silence. “Answer me!”
Nothing, not a peep left Flash as he turned and stomped away, cheeks flaming in embarrassment. He knew Astrea would make good on her threat; there wasn’t one time she hadn’t. Next to her, Peter tugged her back down into her seat. “And you get on to me about fighting with Flash.”
Ned and MJ both chuckled as Astrea glared. “You fight with him; I put him in his place. Who has his mother's phone number?”
Peter stuck his tongue out at her before focusing back on his meal; his heightened metabolism meant he needed to consume more calories on a daily basis, especially when injured. Appetite ruined by Flash's horrible manners, Astrea wrapped her sandwich away before retrieving her book.
Astrea wasn’t lying when she told Peter she wanted to finish her book. She really did, but reading at home wasn’t relaxing; it was stressful, and with the spring recital coming up, her afternoons were filled with her practices. This left her with no time for reading.
Cracking the book open, Astrea leaned into Peter's side, letting herself be carried away into another world written in ink. Before she knew it, the lunch warning bell was ringing, and Peter was helping her to her feet.
Not having to go far, they headed towards the locker rooms for the one class they all shared, PE. Astrea and MJ headed inside the room, quickly changing into their PE uniforms, neither girl particularly excited for class.
The gymnasium was filled with the sound of squeaking shoes as over 60 students piled onto the bleachers. It was one of the bigger classes here at Midtown; as a science-focused school, they pushed the PE periods into only three time slots. Quickly finding the boys on the bleachers, the friend group sat waiting.
Soon, Coach Wilson walked through the doors carrying his classical clipboard. “Good Afternoon. After a quick attendance check, I will partner you up, and we will be going through a set of full-body exercises. Please be quiet during this time.”
As Coach Wilson went through the long list of names, Astrea had leaned back against Peters' legs, using them as a resting place. She knew the exercises would hurt Peters' side, but he couldn’t reasonably explain why he had a cut mark on his side. It was a good thing he was going to see Mr. Banner after school.
Tuning in to her name being called, Astrea was paired with Sophie Alvarez, a nice girl whom she was familiar with. Setting off, the teens went through the set of exercises. Chatter echoed around the room before Sophie spoke up, “Hey, I forgot to ask last week, but did you finish the alterations to the music sheet yet?”
“Mhm, do you need a copy?” Astrea offered, as Sophie smiled in relief, “I’ll leave it in the library room.”
Sophie, out of breath from sit-ups, was grateful. “You're a lifesaver, Astrea.”
Conversation flowed between the two teens, mostly small talk about the homework that was assigned the days before. For a prestigious school, Midtown assigned large projects rather than small daily homework. It was both a blessing and a curse.
A sharp whistle caught the students' attention. “Alright, Head on out. Please hurry as to not miss your next class.”
Sophie helped Astrea up as they walked back towards the locker rooms. “You know I really don’t get us having to take PE so often; Coach Wilson doesn’t even record our results”
“I know! It’s annoying. I’m glad this will be my semester doing this class.” Astrea complained as she slid out of her PE uniform back into her street clothes. MJ slid onto her other slide before Sophie responded,
“Hey, I probs won’t see you after school, so text me later tonight.” MJ's customary earbuds now made their way back to her ears,
Astrea nodded, sharing a brief hug, before they walked out of the locker rooms together. “Yeah! See ya.”
A wave goodbye, and Astrea walked through the halls, Sophie by her side as they made their way to the final class of the day, Choir. “I’ll go put the sheet in the library.”
Off Astrea went, waving hi to students along the way; off to the side sat a room dubbed the library. It held all the sheets for all the yearly performances. It wasn’t a large room, but it was crammed full of files. A table sat in the middle where Astrea left her sheet for the others.
Back in the main area, Astrea took her place on the bleachers, middle row, towards the left of the bleachers. She was a soprano, but the conductor liked to have a mixed formation so each part could be heard from all places. Not a moment too soon, the conductor, Mr. Manlapid, had appeared.
“Hey everyone, let's gather around real quick. I know the spring show is coming up really quickly, so we really need to get on practicing. Let's be quick and efficient today; we’ll run through the first half of the program today and the rest on Monday. After that, we have two full run-throughs of the show on the stage after school from 3-6 on Tuesday and Wednesday. Now let's get going, people!”
A wave of movement happened as each student took their place. The last hour and a half of class flew by as Mr. Manlapid critiqued each singing group. Not using long vowels or not having clean entrances. It was disappointing, but Astrea loved it. The art of performing on the stage with this group of people astounded her. It made her feel like she belonged.
As the last bell rang out, Astrea was ready to get out of school. Outside the classroom door stood Peter. “You ready, Rea?”
Lacing hands, the couple walked with the wave of students as they poured into the Queen's streets. Many were getting on the bus or standing and hanging with friends. It was going to be a long subway ride to the Stark Tower, but it was ok; it was more time to spend reading.
“Maybe we can grab a snack on the way to the subway? We’ll pass by Honeycrumb,” Peter swung their hands between them, the offer of sweets stirring excitement in Astrea. Before the two could make it down the second street, a car sped up beside them.
Flinching, Peter put himself in front of her, eyes narrowing before the car window rolled down, revealing a popular face. “Hey Underoos, get in.”
“Mr. Stark!? What are you doing here? I was coming to see you.” Peter's shocked expression was comical; he swung his head to the side to see if anyone saw the famous Tony Stark on a casual residential road.
“No time to chat, kid; get in,” Mr. Stark ordered, but Peter couldn’t.
“Mr. Stark, I can’t leave Rea on the streets; I have plans with her afterwards. Plus it's not safe.” At this point, Mr. Stark finally took notice of the teen girl standing to the side of Peter, looking at her over his glasses. “She’ll be fine, kid.”
Peter's expression clouded slightly. “Mr. Stark, I’m not leaving her on the streets. If you want, she can just sit in the Tower lobby, but either we both come or not.” With a sigh, Mr. Stark nodded his consent.
Peter opened the car door before helping Astrea in. Inside the car, the leather seats creaked under her as she got comfortable. With Peter sitting beside her, the car jerked off as they raced through the street.
“Now, who exactly are you to bring Undroos here to argue against me? The kid who couldn’t look me in the eye for the first six months he was my intern.” Mr. Stark had pulled off his sunglasses, staring at her appraisingly, like she was a monument or statue to be inspected.
“My name is Astrea Bennett. I am Pete's girlfriend; it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stark.” At her declaration, Mr. Stark's eyes widened, turning to Peter,
“No, no, wait, you’ve had a girlfriend and never told me, Underoos how could you?” The mock betrayal in his voice didn’t last long. “You're not gonna wait in the lobby, oh no, you’ve gotta be introduced to the team. Please call me Tony!”
Peter's head thunked against the seat as he threw his head back, “We’re not getting out by 6.”
Laughing, Astrea patted his leg, “Well then, Tony, it’s my honor to meet the elusive heroes who work alongside my Pete!”
The car ride flew by as Peter wallowed in self-misery, watching as his evening plans ran down the drain. He knew the other would want to interrogate him and Astrea; that's why he hadn’t mentioned her. She was his safe place, and he could keep her safer if none of the other knew about her.
Pulling into the underground garage, Tony stepped out, followed by Peter, who helped Astrea. A look of wonder filled her eyes; she knew Tony had crazy money, but to see it in person was a whole new thing. Stepping into the elevator, it chimed, “Good evening, Mr. Stark, Mr, Parker, and new guest.”
“Hey Fri, tell everyone to gather in the kitchen; we’ve got an important guest to greet.” Tony glanced at Astrea again. “So, Astrea, how long have you and Peter been dating?”
“Just over a year and a half now; it was before you hired him on as an intern, if that's what you're asking,” Astrea answered. She could see where Tony's thoughts were, especially as Tony shot Peter a look.
A ding of the elevator doors opening sounded before Peter laced handing with hers, “I’m sorry about this, Rea; we’ll try to get out soon.” Astrea laughed, her smile bright as she told Peter not to worry; she didn’t mind; she knew these people were a big part of Peter's life.
Turning into the Kitchen, a group of the most well-recognized people stood around the island. Steve Rogers, or Captain America, stood tall, a man she recognized as Bucky Barnes from Peter's story of his vibranium arm next to him. Next to them was Clint Barton, or Hawkeye, then Natasha Romanoff, or the Black Widow. Astrea adored her for representing women on a team full of men. Across the table sat Thor Odinson, a god Astrea was ecstatic to meet as her love of the stars urged her to ask questions. His voice was booming as he laughed at something Dr. Bruce Banner, or Hulk, had said.
“You won’t believe what I found out,” Tony said, announcing our arrival. “Our little spiderman has been keeping secrets.”
The team's gaze passed over Tony, then to Peter, who followed to Astrea, who waved at them with a smile. “Is this our special guest?” Steve asked, watching Astrea
“Yep! Everyone meet Peter's girlfriend, of over a year and a half.” At the announcement, all the Avengers' eyes shot back to her with interest. “Our Pete's been lying to us, and none of us knew.”
Peter's gaze grew sharp. “It's not lying; you never asked, and I didn’t think you would want to know, plus the more attention we bring to her, the more danger I put her in.” At his words, Astrea drew her hand from his grasp, running his hand down his back,
“Well, It’s a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Astrea Bennett. It's a pleasure to meet you all.” She dipped her head in a respectful bow, glancing around the table at the heroes.
“Man-Of-Spiders! You bring a child of stars with a hair full of fire!” Thor boomed, slapping his hand against the counter. “You have done well”
Astrea threw her head back in laughter. “Thank you, Mr. Odinson. I’m honored you think me a child of the stars, though it’s only in name.” At a curious look from half the Avengers, Peter spoke up,
“Astrea is the goddess of justice in Greek mythology; after she left Earth, she became the constellation we know as Virgo.” At his explanation, the team nodded along,
Steve stepped forward. “Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Bennett. Please make yourself comfortable. I’m Steve Rogers, and this is Bucky.” Bucky, who stood slightly behind him, nodded in greeting.
“It's a pleasure.” A brief handshake later, the group had moved to get comfortable around the island. Astrea fixed Peter with a look. “While I do appreciate you all greeting me, we are here to get Peter's wound checked out. I believe that's your expertise, Dr. Banner.”
With a jerk, Dr. Banner stood. “Yes, of course, a pleasure, Ms. Bennett. Come along, Peter; let's head down to the lab.” Peter, who had turned to look at Astrea, watched as she shook her head,
“Go, you dummy; I’ll be fine.” With a sigh, Peter followed Dr. Banner out of the room, with Tony behind them.
As they left, Bucky and Steve stood up. “We must head back to training, but please make yourself comfortable.” With a nod, the two had left, leaving Thor, Natasha, and Clint in the room with Astrea.
“May I ask a question, Ms. Bennett?” Clint had finally spoken up, his eyes focused on her. After a nod, he continued, “Are you perhaps related to a Mr. Roman Bennett?”
Astrea sat for a moment before she smiled sadly. “Yes, he was my older brother; he spoke fondly of both of you.” Clint closed his eyes at her response.
“He was a good soldier, a better man. I’m sorry for your loss.” Natasha spoke up for the first time, her eyes watching her, appraising her.
“Thank you; he loved serving our country. I was devastated when I heard about SHIELD's fall.” Clint and Natasha shared a glance after that, then Thor spoke up,
“Your brother was a shield-brother! To die in battle is an honorable death.” He had slapped his hands on the table, curious about the shield-brother
Astrea had laughed slightly; it hurt to talk about Roman, but she knew he would want her to talk to Natasha and Clint. “My parents were ecstatic when Ro had made it into SHEILD; his need to protect people was always a top priority to him. I remember the night he came home with the news that he was accepted into the academy; Mama made his favorite meals for days.”
She had relaxed into the stools around the island, “If I may, Mr.Odinson, would you answer some of the questions I have about our stars?”
With a booming laugh, Thor agreed, “Please, Lady Astrea, call me Thor.”
“Well then, Thor, are there stars in the other realms that humans don’t know about?” Astrea spoke, then quickly followed up, “And if so, do people on other planets make up different stories about the constellations?”
Thor’s smile brightened as he looked at her. “There are countless stars beyond those known to the people of Midgard, Lady Astrea. Some burn brightly above worlds your people have yet to discover, while others are so distant that their light has traveled for ages before reaching the eyes of any living being.”
He paused, considering her second question.
“And yes,” Thor continued, “the people of other worlds tell stories of the stars, just as you do. A constellation that reminds the people of Midgard of a hunter may be seen as a great beast, a fallen king, or a ship sailing through the heavens elsewhere. The stars remain the same, but the stories belong to those who gaze upon them, for every plant has a different culture and beliefs; the stars reflect what those people believe.”
Astrea nodded, the answers bringing more questions to mind. “Then does that mean that Asgardians have their own beliefs on what the constellations are, or do you not study them as we humans do?”
Thor laughed softly at her question, “Asgardians have studied the heavens for thousands of years,” he said. “Though perhaps not always in the same manner as the people of Midgard. We chart the stars to guide our ships between the realms and to mark the paths through space. Yet we also tell stories of them.”
Thor had raised one hand upward, tracing an unseen constellation,
“Some patterns are remembered as the deeds of warriors. Others are named for creatures, kings, or events so old that even the oldest records cannot tell where legend ends, and history begins. But the stars themselves do not change merely because another world gives them a different name. Some of your constellations are stars we have not seen ourselves because of the way the Nine Realms, or more specifically Asgard, lay, compared to Midgard.”
Thor held his hand up before she could ask another question, “May I ask of something in return, Lady Astrea?” A nod and he asked, “You have clearly spent so much time studying the stars. Tell me—when you look upon them, do you seek answers, or do you simply enjoy their beauty?”
A beat of silence passed as Astrea thought; it wasn’t a necessary hard question, but she wanted to make sure she got her words out correctly so that she might be understood. “A bit of both, if I may be honest. Being named after a star or constellation is new in my family; my mother, grandmother, and uncle are all named after something astronomy-related. I grew up learning about the stars. That's what sparked my curiosity; then, as I got older, they became a safe place for me. I enjoy learning about our history through the stars.”
Astrea paused, taking a moment to think,
“I love them for their beauty, yes, but when I’m overwhelmed or scared, I look up and realize that my family is with me, even if they are watching from so far away.” Astrea looked at the group sitting in front of her, the three adults watching her with curious eyes.
“Well, Ms. Bennett, I think that you have a very admirable love and study of the stars.” A man's voice spoke up behind her. Turning, she looked at Peter, who stood next to Tony and Bruce,
She recognized that neither Peter nor Tony sounded like that, so she assumed it was Bruce who spoke up. “Thank you, Dr. Banner,” turning to Peter, she continued, “All stitched up are you?”
“I didn’t need stitches; it was just a long scratch. I’ve gotta keep it wrapped for safekeeping, but I’ll be right as rain in about a week.” Peter had approached her, wrapping his arm around the back of her chair. “Are you interrogating Thor?”
Astrea blushed, turning away from his knowing gaze, “He was nice enough to answer some of my questions if that's what you mean.”
Most of the adults around them laughed at her, Thor leaning towards the group, “I enjoy answering the questions of the youth; you remind me of my brother, a thirst for knowledge.”
Immediately, silence cut through the group. Astrea wasn’t insulted to be compared to a young version of Loki, more the shock that Thor compared her to him. A moment passed before Tony spoke up,
“Maybe don’t compare Pete’s girlfriend to the homicidal maniac you call a brother,” Natasha snorted at the comment before standing to leave,
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Bennett,” She said as she left, not glancing back,
Astrea looked up towards Peter. “If you’ve been released, maybe we can head out; we’ll have time for dinner if we do.”
As soon as she asked, Peter was looking towards Dr. Banner, who sighed,
“No superhero work for 2 weeks. I’ll check the healing when you come back on Tuesday.” At the permission, both teens stood. Astrea flashed a smile at the group, “Thank you for entertaining my questions, Thor. If you're up for it, I will have more the next time we see each other!”
Thor smiled brightly, “Of course, Lady Astrea, Man-Of-Spiders, I’ll see you soon.”
The teen walked towards the elevator before Peter glanced back, “I’ll see you on Tuesday, Mr. Stark,”
A billonare flashes him a smile before heading back towards his lab, leaving the teens to step into FRIDAY’s Elevator. “To the ground floor,r please,” He asked.
The elevator moved quickly before depositing them on the bottom floor. Walking out of Stark Towers, the teens set off towards the subway station. “I enjoyed meeting the heroes,” Astrea spoke up. “And I’m glad you're truly ok.”
Peter pulled their laced hand upwards, a kiss placed on her knuckles, “I’m glad, now let's see if there's any sweets left at Honeycrumbs,”
Laughter spilled over Astrea's lips as Peter pulled her down the street; she enjoyed predictability, but the unknowns of loving Peter always brought her a certain amount of joy. She couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow would bring them.