Chapter Text
“I hate this.”
“It’s not that bad!”
“I still hate it.”
“You’re not even going that fast.”
“Still hate it.”
“You don’t even need to be here!”
“Hate it.”
Eliza held back a side, trying to ignore how tight Wallace’s death drip on her ribs was. It didn’t hurt, not with the Watcher’s orange crystals coating her body, but it was still a reminder of how vulnerable Wallace was. He didn’t have powers, not like Eliza and Peter. He was just a guy. A guy sitting behind her on her magic, mutant dog, or whatever Davy was now. It was something about Eliza that allowed him to change form, or at least she controlled it, so she supposed he still just a regular dog. Only he wasn’t. That was why Eliza, Wallace, and Peter could ride on his back.
Or rather, just Eliza and Wallace. Spider-Man was too used to swinging to stay still for long, even if staying still meant riding a giant dog. Really, Eliza knew she was the type to get caught up in fantasies but even the more scientific had to dream of this. She couldn’t believe Peter would opt to swing. Sure, it was faster but Eliza and Wallace were literally riding a giant dog.
“Davy’s a good boy,” Eliza said aloud, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice. “You’re not going to fall. And even if you did, it wouldn’t be that far.”
Wallace responded by holding on even tighter. “I have no idea how you two are so calm about this. Having superpowers really does something crazy to you.”
“Maybe,” Eliza agreed but didn’t elaborate. Wallace was here because he knew exactly what it was like to be just a regular person. He didn’t want Eliza biting off more than what she could chew. Except, Eliza wasn’t just a regular person anymore. She had powers. Did that change anything though? She could handle getting on Davy’s back but only because it was Davy. She didn’t think she could handle whatever it was Peter was trying to get them into.
“We’ve got to go faster if we’re going to find any action tonight,” Peter urged, swinging back to where Davy was lumbering. “Whoever we fight, tonight’s going to be the debut of-”
“No one’s fighting anyone tonight,” an echoing voice interrupted, followed by the roar of jets above. Eliza, Wallace, Peter, and Davy’s heads snapped up to see the Iron Man armor descending upon them. Eliza could practically feel Wallace’s shock wafting off him. That was Tony Stark right there. Tony Stark was approaching them. “Especially not some newbie. Really, kid?”
“She’s a new hero!” Peter insisted, landing firmly on the ground in front of Iron Man. His face plate slid up, revealing Tony’s face. Wallace made a small noise, unable to contain his inner fanboy. “This is-”
“The Watchling,” Eliza interrupted before Peter could spill her real name or, god forbid, her username. “And…?”
“And Isopuppy,” Wallace said into Eliza’s ear, quiet but excited. Eliza shot him a confused look. Wallace merely shrugged. “It’s from a fanfic. I’ll show you when we get home. Trust me.”
“Isopuppy?”
“Watchling, Isopuppy, and weirdo who won’t talk to Tony Stark,” Tony repeated, voice dry but eyebrow quirked with amusement. Eliza felt Wallace freeze behind her. “Okay, I’ll bite. What are your powers?”
“Watchling can draw power from another dimension and manipulate reality,” Peter stated as if it were the most perfectly normal thing in the world. Which it wasn’t. Eliza could feel Wallace react behind her but it was nothing compared to the way Iron Man balked. It was unbelievable, really. This was Tony Stark and she, Eliza Mirk, just got a reaction out of him.
“Okay, I was perfectly prepared to bully you kids into going home and grounding Underoos here for life,” Tony said slowly, expression blank and unblinking with shock, “but this is… Yeah. Bigger than- crime fighting? Really? This kid’s powers rival Wanda’s and you were just going to- Jesus fucking Christ, Underoos.”
“They know my name. You can just call me Peter.”
“I repeat, Jesus fucking Christ, Underoos.”
“Who’s Wanda?” Eliza asked quietly, turning around as best she could to direct the question at Wallace without Tony hearing.
“The Scarlet Witch,” Wallace explained, whispering into her ear. Part of Eliza wanted to get off Davy’s back but there was an advantage to having Wallace being this close. He was literally touching her. No need to guess what he was thinking and no way she could lose him when he was this close. “She’s-”
“You’re coming back with me to the Avengers Compound,” Iron Man announced, unknowingly interrupting the boy. “I’m- I’m… I don’t even know. Banner’s taking a look at you. And you’re talking to Wanda. And I’m calling the fucking wizard. And Peter! You’d be so grounded if I didn’t need your help understanding whatever the fuck this means if you’re right.”
“You’re not my dad.”
“Grounded!” Tony shouted back, which was honestly kind of surreal. This version of Tony Stark was nothing like the one Eliza saw in videos online. “I’m calling Happy to bring a car. Or a truck. I don’t think that dog’s fitting in a Tesla.”
“Tell him we’re not going to Avengers Compound!” Wallace hissed in Eliza’s ear. “My parents are going to kill me!”
“We’re, um- we’re minors?” Eliza said aloud, hating how unsure she sounded. “We can’t just go off upstate in the middle of the night.”
“I thought you two were eighteen?” Peter said and Eliza wanted to slap him. Could the guy not pick up on the subtext?
“Look, I’m not kidnapping you. That’s some S.H.I.E.L.D. shit. But S.H.I.E.L.D. did that sort of thing because they understood urgency. Look, I trust Peter and when he says your powers are…” Tony trailed off. “How long have you had them? Your powers?”
“Um…” Eliza tried to do the math in her head but she was so in the moment that she just couldn’t. “A few weeks?”
“A few-” Tony cut himself off and ran metallic fingers over his face. “Okay, now I’m officially kidnapping you. For your own safety. Text- text your parents. Tell them I’m taking you to the Avengers Compound. Take a selfie with me if you have to. I don’t really want legal trouble if we’re going to- gee, I hate to keep doing this but what the fuck even are your powers.”
“I don’t think I’m actually, um, doing whatever Peter said,” Eliza offered weakly. She genuinely didn’t think Oracus was another dimension like Peter thought it was but she didn’t have a better explanation to throw on the table. Not yet at least. She was a creative girl. She could think of something.
“I’m certain she gets her powers from another dimension and she can use it to make changes to this one,” Peter responded resolutely, shoulders squared. “Like, a solid eighty percent sure.”
Eighty didn’t sound all that good to Eliza but Tony was nodding. “Okay. Okay. This was not what I was expecting when your AI-”
“Karen.”
“-when Karen called me.”
“Karen! You sell out!”
“Come… Come take your selfies, kids,” Tony Stark said, sounding exhausted. Eliza probably would too in his position. She slid off Davy’s back, helping Wallace down after her, and approached the hero, phone in hand. “I’m not smiling.”
“Wasn’t going to ask you to,” Eliza responded, which may have been a bit rude and she’d probably spend the rest of her life regretting it but she had more important things to think about at the moment. Raising her phone, she quickly snapped a photo with her, Wallace, Iron Man, and a posing Spider-Man. No Davy but she didn’t exactly want to turn him back into his usual elderly self right now. Quickly, she sent the photo to her parents, Wallace’s folks, and also Max and Emmy for good measure. “Alright, let them know we’re not being abducted.”
Wallace gave Eliza a look that told her he thought they definitely were getting abducted but they were standing too close to Tony for him to voice it. Hopefully it wouldn’t be an issue. The Avengers probably weren’t insensitive but Wallace got a lot of shit for his mutism. Eliza could never be too cautious.
Eliza’s phone immediately began blowing up with incoming messages but she was forced to ignore them as a car rolled up surprisingly quickly. The driver window rolled down, revealing a surprisingly average looking man in the front seat. “You riding or flying, Tony?”
“I don’t love riding in my armor but I want those three to suffer in the back,” Tony responded, shooting Peter a look. “The dog can-“
Eliza, not wanting to hear how that sentence ended, pulled her power away from Davy and returned him to his usual snuggly self.
“…The dog can ride in the back,” Tony said slowly, somehow even sounding more tired. “This is going to be a long night, isn’t it?”
“You have no idea,” Eliza responded as the group piled into the car, Davy sprawling out over their laps. And truth be told, she had no idea where that swagger was coming from. She didn’t have the foggiest idea how the night would go. Nothing could be crazier than finding herself on Oracus though, right? Right?