the strongest avenger

forty three

Talia jerks as they enter the water, it's freezing cold. She flails around trying to untangle herself from the parachute. She forgets for a moment that she's under water, and takes a small breath, immediately freaking out at the water that enters her lungs.

IM DROWNING HELP ME!

She feels an arm snake around her waist, tugging her up towards the surface. They break through and Tal coughs and coughs. She looks over at Peter, his usual floppy brown hair plastered to his forehead.

"We are never doing that again!"

Peter lets go of her waist and Tal shrieks as she goes under. The panicking boy immediately reaches under to get her.

"DON'T LET ME GO PLEASE DON'T LET ME GO!" She yells as he pulls her up again. She hastily grabs onto his arms as he keeps them afloat.

"I've got you." He says in between breaths. "Why didn't you slow us down?" He sends her a glance.

"I—shit I didn't even think of it." She says, disappointed in herself.

"You also...can control water Talia."

"I—I am a sad excuse of an Avenger." She mutters. "Utterly useless. Haven't been on my A game recently."

Peter's hand on her tightens as something flies towards them and grasps the back of Peter's suit, pulling them out of the lake and over to a playground.

Talia looks up to see an Iron Man suit carrying them. She grips Peter's arms tighter and he keeps his arms around her waist.

"Oh, hey." Peter says, looking up.

The suit takes them to the playground where Tal sits, shivering, and Peter recounts the story while wringing out his mask.

"And then he just swooped down, like a monster and he picked us up and I—he took us up like-like a thousand feet and then just dropped us! How'd you find us? Did you put a tracker in my suit?"

"I put everything in your suit." Tony says. "Including this heater."

"Ohhh," Peter says as steam starts to rise from him. Talia scoots a tad closer to the boy, closer to the warmth. "That's better, thanks."

"What were you thinking?"

"The guy with the wings was obviously the source of the weapons! We gotta take him down!"

"Take him down now huh? Steady Parker, there are people who handle this sort of thing."

"The Avengers?"

"No, no, no. This is a little below their pay grade."

"We don't get paid." Tal mutters under her breath.

"Ah ah, don't you start miss. I haven't even gotten to you yet."

"Anyways, Mr Stark you didn't have to come all the way out here, we had that it was fine."

"He's not here." Tal says.

"Correcto, I am not...here." He flips up the helmet, showing nothing inside. "Thank god this place has wifi. Or you would be toast right now. Look forget the flying Vulture guy please."

"Why?"

"Why? Because I said so! Sorry...I'm talking to a teenager. Stay close to the ground, build up your game helping the little people. Like that lady that bought you the churro. Can't you just be a friendly...neighborhood Spiderman?"

"But I'm ready for more than that now!"

"No you're not."

"That's not what you thought when I took on Captain America!"

"Trust me kid, if Cap wanted to lay you out he would've."

"True." Tal says.

"And you young lady," the suit turns to Tal. "what the fuck are you thinking? Excuse my language Parker. Do you wanna go to jail? Do you wanna go to the Raft? Cause that's what'll happen if you do this. And I don't want you to go away."

"What does it matter? You're NEVER here! We're moving everything like this week and you DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME! If I end up in the Raft it'll be the same as before I fell through that wormhole...nothing I haven't faced before Tony. Just go back to drinking your martini's, you can't control me from India or Malibu or wherever the fuck you are this month."

"You and I are going to have a nice talk when I get back Talia." He sighs. "You damn kids are testing my patience. Listen to me, if you come across these weapons again, call Happy."

"Are you driving?" Peter asks as revving can be heard in the background.

"You know it's never too early to start thinking about college. I got some pull at MIT, end call."

"I—I, I don't need to go to college! Mr—"

"Mr Stark is no longer connected." A female voice says from the suit. They watch as the suit takes off and leaves them.

"That's awesome, that's great." Peter says.

"Come on, lets go back to Liz's. I want to take your wet pants off—that sounded weird. You know what I mean."

The two of them begin their trek back through the woods and neighborhoods.

"Tal?"

"Yes?"

"What did you mean when you said that going to the Raft, it was nothing you haven't gone through or something?"

She sighs. "Before I came to Earth, I was held prisoner for a couple years or so. You know this we've been over it.

"But why would it be like the Raft?"

"Do you know what the Raft is Peter?"

"Not really, a prison?"

"It's an underwater prison in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. No outside contact with anyone, most people never leave. It's a prison built for enhanced individuals. When I was first taken prisoner, they put this collar on me that targeted my specific abilities and disabled them. Eventually they stopped feeding me and stuff and I got too weak to use my powers, so they took the collar off. At the Raft, they feed you, but take away your powers, so you feel empty the whole time you're there."

"Tallie—that's horrible."

The girl shrugs. "It's not something I like to talk about, puts me in a dark place I guess."

The duo continue to walk, nearing the neighborhood that Peter ran through. They stop when they see a purple glow emitting from what looks like a piece of one of the weapons.

Peter goes over to it and leans down. "Woah."

Talia jerks back as Peter's phone starts ringing again.

"Does that thing go on vibrate?"

"Yeah...Hey man what's up I'm on my way back? I'll see you tomorrow in school."

"Was that Ned?"

"Yeah, let's go get our stuff."

Peter picks up the purple thing and takes it with him, then the two go back to Liz's to grab their clothes.