The Spider and The Flame (Peter Parker)

Part 30- Overly clichéd

Ashs POV

As I begin to come to, I realize I'm laying on a hard, cold surface. My guess is the floor. I begin to open my eyes and find myself blinking desperately, trying to block out the bright light.

"Ugh," I huff, wrinkling my nose in an attempt to get used to the light.

"Finally awake, are we?" The familiar voice of the bird-man speaks. I find myself rolling my eyes.

"You kidnapped me?" I laugh, sitting up on the floor. I open my eyes fully and find myself in a sort of warehouse. Large weapons of alien-type caliber are scattered across the room, with the bird-man sat at a desk working on a small piece of metal with a pair of pliers. I narrow my eyes and shake my head, unable to contain my laughter. "So, what, you're the supervillain?" I use air quotes around the word "supervillain".

"I'm just a man doing his job," the bird-man replies, avoiding eye contact with me. "sometimes we have to do bad things for the greater good."

"Because kidnapping me is for the greater good," I roll my eyes and huff. 

I try to form a fireball in my hand and find myself incapable. 

"Okay, what gives?" I whine.

"Why can't you burn me to a crisp?" The man finally turns towards me and smirks.

"Yes." I cross my arms over my chest.

"I've been working on it for a while, my friend Francis tipped me off on the formula," the man pulled the familiar spray bottle from his belt. Whatever is in that can is somehow stopping my powers. "It corrects mutated genes. It may be temporary, but I'm working on a... Permanent alternative." He smiles widely, "I'm glad to know it works. Your friend Spider-Man will enjoy it."

"Don't you touch him," I growl, standing to my feet. I move toward the man and immediately hear guns cocked back. I turn around and find myself held at gunpoint by several henchmen. "Oh, come on..." I roll my eyes again. 

"You're mine, kid," the man chuckles, "might as well get used to it."

"Over my dead body," I reply, sitting cross-legged on the floor again.

"Watch it, or it just might be."

Peters POV

I run as fast as I can toward Mr. Stark's building. My feet carry me at a lightning speed, my body becoming numb to all feeling. He took her. Everything with Ash was finally falling into place, and I let her slip through my fingers. The Bird-Man got the better of me.

"Mr. Stark!" I yell as I approach the building, not even bothering to use the front door. Still dressed in my Spider-Man attire, I scale the side of the building towards the penthouse suite. Climbing as fast as I can, I nearly slip several times but manage to catch myself and keep myself from falling to a sure death. 

I climb over the railing and spot Mr. Stark in his living room with Pepper Pots, the two of them laughing and sharing a bottle of wine. I clench my fists and sigh heavily, my feet trudging towards the glass doors.

"Mr. Stark!" I repeat, pulling the door back and finally gaining his attention.

"Woah, kid, what are you doing here?" Mr. Stark replies, standing from his seat on the couch and raising his brows at me. 

"I-," I begin to choke out, tears welling in my eyes as I try to form a coherent thought, "Ash, she," my mind races a mile a minute, thinking back to what happened. The moment we shared, the electricity in that kiss, everything was too much. And as soon as things were looking up for us, like we might really have a shot, she was taken from me in the blink of an eye. My heart aches, my head is spinning, I feel like I might throw up. I think about Ash being in the clutches of that fucking bird-man and my blood immediately boils. He could be doing anything to her, and there's nothing I can do about it. How am I supposed to find her now? How am I supposed to be her "knight in shining armor" when I'm as blind as a bat?

"Peter," Pepper stands up from the couch and speaks soothingly, knowing that I'm having a bit of a mental break. "Calm down, honey, talk to us."

"What happened to Ash?" Mr. Stark continues asking, persistent on an answer.

"That man, with the weapons. The man with the wings. He took her," I firmly state, allowing my tears to dry.

"He took her?" Mr. Stark repeats sternly, more as a statement than a question. I can tell he's upset, too, although, its hard to understand why. After everything we've been through, I'm surprised Mr. Stark wants Ash around me at all. 

"Yes," I reply, running one of my hands up the back of my suit to take off my mask. I reveal my face to Pepper and Mr. Stark, the redness of my eyes and the puffiness of my cheeks obviously catching their attention. I'm sure I look like shit. "You've got to help me get her back," I speak, "please," I beg.

"Is that whats best for you?" Mr. Stark asks, taking a step towards me, his fingers fidgetting against his palms. He's nervous, and rightfully so. He knows he needs to choose his words carefully.

"What are you saying?" I grit my teeth together, narrowing my eyes at him. "If you're going to talk shit about her I won't hesitate to punch you in the teeth, Mr. Stark." I quip.

"Woah, there, Tiger," Mr. Stark raises his hands up in defense, "I'm just making sure you know what you're getting into. She did abandon you, after everything. How do you know this isn't a setup?"

"Because I know her," I reason, running my tongue across my bottom lip. I take a deep breath and continue, "because I love her, Mr. Stark," I admit. "I need her back, I need her to be okay."

Mr. Stark took a deep breath, then exhaled. He stood up straight and allowed a small smile to appear on his cheeks. He spoke six words that would permanently change the current perception of the Civil War.

"Well, then let's get her back."