In Your Eyes // Steve Rogers

With Great Power

A glass shielded overlook of space covered the entirety of the cockpit. There wasn't much to see, by relative means, as it was lowly illuminated by stars and swirls of colors and planets passed, not belonging to our Solar System. Nevertheless, it was a sight I never dreamed of seeing, but it was beautiful.

"We're in space, Peter," I said quietly, shocked.

Peter nodded slowly. "It's beautiful."

"Where he's taking us won't be," I said under my breath. I looked at Peter. His mask had faded, leaving a young boy looking out into space with wonder.

Young, I kept repeating. Peter was still a teenager, and it was hard to remember that with what responsibility and urge he showed. It was hard to remember that with the mask over his face. Peter was a kid who was blessed with abilities, who wanted to use them responsibly and for the good of good, and he was with me by chance. It meant still I needed to be teaching, providing him with insight, and suppressing my own fear. I owed it to him to be strong, as well as protective, because, no matter what, Peter was just a kid.

"Peter, look," I said, touching his arm. He looked at me with wide eyes. "You're out here with me in space by chance, because you nobly answered to a disaster, but you didn't ask to be in space. I don't feel it was fair of me to ask so much of you when we were outside, so if you want to go home, I'll send you. Don't feel like you have to stay, I can protect myself. I just..."

"You're afraid because I'm a kid," sighed Peter. He watched my eyebrow raise in agreement and nodded. "Miss Blake, I get it, okay, I really do. Mr. Stark freaks about me, too, but I have a responsibility to help. I have the powers to. Maybe I'm still a rookie and maybe I have a lot to learn, but I'm not alone. I have you."

I smiled. Reassured, I patted his cheek. "All right, Pete," I agreed.

He smiled back at me.

Ebony Maw's voice reached our ears, turning our attention back to the floor.

"In all the time I have served Thanos, I have never failed him," said Ebony. His voice was soft, as Strange was right in front of him, but the ship was quiet and hollow enough to be heard up in the rafters, where we were crouched down. "If I were to reach our rendezvous on Titan with the Time Stone still attached to your vaguely irriating person, there would be judgement."

A single blade lit up white as it touched Strange's cheek. The needles started to enclose on the Eye of Agamotto, to which it ccreated its own mandala of protection. In response, more blades started to light up around Strange's face. His breathing got heavier and small grunts of pain started to exert when the tips began to burn into his skin.

"Okay," I began, my intro to our plan of action.

At the same time, Peter nudged me suddenly and pointed underneath us. Tony Stark was standing on a rafter underneath our own, slightly peaking out from behind a support beam to watch the interaction between Ebony and Strange.

The Cloak, recognizing him, tore itself away from me and flew down to tap him on the shoulder. It startled Tony and was almost blown to pieces.

"Wow. You are a seriously loyal piece of outerwear," muttered Tony.

Peter attached a web to the ceiling above and lowered himself down, with a shy, "Uh, speaking of loyalty..." to greet Tony.

I stepped through a portal to join them. Tony turned between Peter, The Cloak, and I, his face twisting into a multitude of shock, relief, and anger with myself for the obvious: saving Peter from returning home.

"I know what you're gonna say--" started Peter, hopping to my defense.

"You should not be here," snapped Tony. He turned to me. "You should not have let him stay here."

"I was gonna go home--"

"I don't want to hear it."

"--but it was such a long way down and I just thought that I'd be more help inside the ship and this suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way, so if anything its kind of your fault I'm here," rushed out Peter, hands extended in a shrug.

"What did you just say?" asked Tony flatly, and even The Cloak looked taken aback. When I chuckled, Tony's hard gaze snapped to me. "No, I haven't even started on you."

"Bite me," I said, annoyed. I nodded to Peter. "We need the help, he needs to be here."

"Right where I didn't want him to be," Tony said viciously to me, then turned to Peter. "This isn't Coney Island, this isn't some field trip, this is one way ticket, do you hear me? Clara, take him home."

"We need him," I continued to defend, since Peter hadn't faltered. "Kids got what it takes. He has the urgency to want to help, you have no right to take that away from him."

Tony ignored me. He turned back to Peter, hoping to change his mindset and prompt him to ask me to send him home.

"You didn't think this through," said Tony softy.

"Yes, I did," said Peter.

"No, you didn't."

"I did think this through."

"You could not have possibly thought this through!"

"You can't be a friendly neighborhood spiderman if there's no neighborhood!" shouted back Peter. Tony just stared at him. "Okay, that didn't really make sense, but you know what I'm trying to say."

Tony continued to stare at Peter. The boy began to bend his shoulder back, fearing what may come next from his idol's mouth. Tony looked stoic, unsure.

"Are you done now? We have a situation, clearly," I said urgently, gesturing over the ledge.

"Down there, he's in trouble," agreed Tony, snapping back to mentor. "What's your plan? Go."

"Okay. Okay. Uh..." fumbled Peter. He paused briefly and then turned to us with a sense of excitement. "Have you ever seen this really old movie Aliens?"

Tony looked at me for confirmation.

I shrugged. "It's a fine plan. If you can just separate Ebony from Strange, I'll throw him out into space and Peter can save him. Eliminates the whole bust open a slice in the ship and risk all of us dying, you know."

"Fine," agreed Tony.

"Big ship, though, Tony," I interjected before we fell into action. "Have you seen anyone else?"

"No one. Seems like he's the only one on it," said Tony honestly.

I nodded. "All right. Just be on the look out and let's try to be as quiet as possible with this in case we do have company."

"Roger that," said Peter.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Kids plan it is."