Playing with Fire

17. The Phoenix

Peter's POV

We landed with the rest of the Avengers in front of the entrance. I immediately looked back at the building surprised it wasn't completely destroyed. Most of the windows were blown out along with parts of the ceiling and walls.

"Where's Y/N?" I heard Wanda whisper behind us. Neither I nor Tony responded at first. All I can do was look at my feet, clench my fists, and let the tears secretly fall under my mask.

"They did something to her to amplify her powers so the weapon could use them against the city. She was able to hold them back long enough for us to destroy the weapon and get her out of it but she was in bad shape. If that girl wasn't as strong as she was, the city would be destroyed right now, us along with it," he turned to me when he finished, "She died a hero."

I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own two eyes. I took off running towards the building, back to her. I ignored all of the team's warnings not to go back in since the building's structure was compromised, but I just had to. I was already through the doorway when I tried to formulate a reason for running back in there. What was I looking for? Was it closure? There's no one that could have survived that. Would I even find a body? It must have been pure emotion that drove me back in there because I wasn't completely sure myself.

I made it to the main room at the center of the building and slowly began to walk in. The rubble that had fallen from the ceiling littered the room, parts of which still fed small flames. I followed the scorch marks along the floor to the middle of the room where Y/N laid motionless on her side. While the room around her was completely destroyed, she looked untouched, like how we had left her. I ran over and gently rolled her onto her back. Kneeling over her I hopingly put my fingers to her neck searching for any sign of movement. I slumped to my knees when I was met with nothing. I took off my mask and clenched my fists on my knees. I shook my head as the tears fell onto the back of my hands.

"I'm so sorry," I cried, "If only I had gotten here sooner... You didn't deserve this."

I felt a familiar metal hand on my shoulder which made me slightly jump, "Neither did you... I am so sorry kid."

I turned around to see his helmet was off and he squatted on the other side of her. He placed his hand on her arm and we both sat there staring at her for a few more seconds in silence until hoards of Hydra soldiers started pouring into the room through every entrance. I quickly pulled my mask back on while Tony's helmet snapped on. There were guns aimed at us in every direction while the evil doctor from the alley made his way towards the front. We stood there completely still and in readying stances, there were way too many guns on us to get out in one piece.

"YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING!" he yelled at us.

Right after he said it, my super senses allowed me to hear Friday's voice come through Tony's helmet, "Sir, I'm ready slight traces of radiation growing in Y/N's body." He didn't react, however, I glanced down at her body. I was probably just getting my hopes up again but I could have sworn that I could see color returning to her skin.

"Then what are you doing back here," Tony replied.

"Well, Ironman, seeing that you two aren't making it out of here alive, I will enlighten you... We never intended on taking that girl into Hydra when we did. We shot her along with the rest of her family when she was young and set the house ablaze to hide the evidence. When she spotted one of our agents, he shot her in the chest. I stayed behind to make sure when the fire settled down, our presence there would be concealed, however, the girl crawled out from the rubble unscathed. I knew she couldn't have survived that by pure luck so I decided to run some tests on her only to find an immense but dormant power inside her, a power that had been an asset to us for years. I'm back to make sure that the job is finished this time for good...starting with you two."

A second after he said it a bright, warm light was creeping up our backs. We could see the guard's postures were slacking a little bit as they stared at what was happening behind us. We turned around to see a fire so bright right where Y/N's body was. It was growing brighter and brighter to the point where we needed to look away and Tony used his suit to shield us from the heat. I peeked out from behind him to see the flame shoot upwards into a large phoenix made from fire. It's head pointing straight at Dr. Malcolm as the flame wings flapped in slow motion. As the brightness began to die down, I could see Y/N right in the center of its chest. Her eyes were still closed but the phoenix was changing. The head was disappearing and the wings grew smaller and connected to her back. She snapped her eyes open and the fire grew as she stayed suspended in the air full of rage.

I heard Tony chuckle right next to me, "Like a phoenix rising from the ashes."

I could feel a big cheesy grin under my mask. I felt so relieved she was alive, I wasn't sure how but I didn't really care at the moment. I just wanted to kiss her but this obviously is not the time.

I almost forget we were completely surrounded until I heard Dr. Malcolm shout, "What are you idiots waiting for? Kill her!"

A second later hundreds of bullets shot at the three of us and I squeezed my eyes shut. When I didn't feel anything I peaked them open to find a wall of flames surrounding all of us in the center of the room. The flames were so hot the bullets were evaporating into dust when they hit it. I looked up at her in awe. She was yelling but not like she was when we were in the alley where she was running out of energy. No, she was angry and her power was only growing stronger. When we heard that all the guards were out of bullets, she shot the fire outwards knocking them all down giving her a chance to land next to us, her wings still present on her back.

"Malcolm's mine!" was all she yelled before she took off for him. We didn't really have any choice in the matter as we were too occupied fighting off countless guards that had come rushing at us. Right when I thought we were being overwhelmed I saw the rest of the Avengers make it into the room and at that moment, I knew for the first time that night that everything was gonna be okay.

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Published: 6/18/2020