THE APPRENTICE (DOCTOR STRANGE STORY)

25

"I-I'm back up," a voice called from behind them, making Hazel jump and get into a stance. Her eyes widened at the sight of the familiar suit, but this time with a brown haired teenage boy without a mask on. "O-oh sorry, did I scare you?"

"No. You're a stowaway," he waggles  a finger between himself and Strange "The adults are talking."

"I know you," she interrupted

"I-I'm sorry, I'm confused as to the relationship here. Is he your ward?" Stephen scrunched up his eyebrows and stared at the boy up and down "Wait- did you just say you know him?"

He turned to hazel, making her blood suddenly run.

"I-I'm Peter by the way,"

"Doctor strange- how do you know him?" He pressed onto Hazel "I-is this him? Why? Did you see him without me knowing? Have you been seeing him without me knowing?"

"No,-"

"Oh were using our made up names, i'm Spider-Man," Peter assumes, making the two stop and stare at him for a few seconds "Wolfe, right?"

"Hazel," she added "Er, But, Yes, Hazel Wolfe,"

"Young lady?" Strange called her attention, making her blush in embarrassment. "We'll talk about this later. Stark, can you get us home?"

"I'm not thinking we should," he said absentmindedly, making the man step to Tony quickly, Hazel following a little.

"Under no circumstance can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos. I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here." Stephen scoffed and shook his head, annoyed

"No. It's you who doesn't understand, that 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 they 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?"

Stephen looks at Hazel, and she purses her lips and gives him a nod, making him roll his eyes as he turned back to face Tony.

"Alright , Stark. We go to him. But you have to understand... if it comes to saving you or the kid or the Time Stone... I will not hesitate to let either of you die. I can't, because the fate of the universe depends on it."  Stephen squinted his eyes, his voice deeper and darker. Hazel scratched her head.

"Good moral compass," Tony mocked and faced Peter "Alright, kid, you're an Avenger now," he taps his shoulders like a knight, leaving the sorcerers confused.

"So how did you meet Peter?" Strange drifted back to the topic and crossed his arms.

"Oh it was one time!," she defended "stop being so stupid about these things!" Hazel raised her voice a little louder and crossed her arms too.

"I'm not being stupid, Hazel!" He walked closer to her and gave her a look "because I don't know if you've forgotten, but the last time you've met a stranger, he tried to kill you. Remember? Gyor? And his fans are probably still out there."

"Gyor?" Tony asked

"How can I protect the stone if you don't even think I can protect myself?" She hissed, annoyed "Stephen, none of this makes sense"

"Wait, whos gyor?" Peter brought back, making the two face the avengers.

"Some dude," Hazel answered, making Strange scoff

"Some dude?" He ridiculed "see, Peter, he tried to kill her for the staff-"

"But I won-"

"Shut up," we waved her off "and people are still after her," he explained and looked to Stark "so Stark, looking at this in an adult's perspective, am I right or am I wrong?"

"Well, I don't see the problem with talking to Peter," he shrugged, Stephen curling his lip and giving him the stink eye "What?"

"See?"

"Wait, you're...her father? Uncle?" Tony tried to guess, turning the two very uncomfortable.

"Well, you two are?" Hazel returned and stared in between Spider and Iron Man

"Touché," Tony pouted, and  went to Peter, placing his hands on his shoulders and  proceeding to talk to him about being an avenger.

Hazel pulled her lips slightly down and raised her eyebrow, watching the man walk to her slowly. She turned her back on him and crossed her arms.

"But seriously, are you okay?" He inquired, his tone a little bit gentler this time.

"Yeah," she sighed and dropped the act "are you?"
He nodded in response

"We shouldn't be fighting," he suggested "not during this time and not in front of them,"

"I know," she looked down at the floor "let's just not do it anymore, Okay?" He nodded again "your...face is bleeding,"

She reached for his cheekbone and wiped the blood off with his sleeve, Stephen starting to do the same with her forehead and cheeks.

"This isn't gonna heal quickly, is it?" She asked

"Nope," he denied, popping the 'p'. "And I never got my sandwich,"

A smile appeared on her face, she casted one out of nowhere and handed it to him. His eyes lit up and his lips curled.

"How-"

"I knew you wouldn't be able to get one, I have a sandwich  reserved for you just in case something like this happens," she explained, Stephen looking at her like she was heaven "it's a ham on rye," she sat down on the floor beside him.

Stephen put an arm around her and opened the white paper wrapped up, and stuffing his face with it.

"So you two made up?," Stark turned to them and stopped "...with a sandwich?"

"He hasn't eaten lunch yet," Hazel shrugged