HOPELESS ☾Peter Parker - 1

TWENTY FOUR

Once Aspen Blue left the Avenger's tower, she made her way to a random motel. She honestly just wanted to relax and sleep for a while, so when she got her room she immediately plopped on the bed.

She stayed in the motel over night and once again was plagued by nightmares, but it was alright. She was just glad that she was away from Peter and Tony for a while. 

She knew that her reaction was probably dramatic, but she honestly didn't know what else to do. Aspen had already lost enough people in her life by her own fault, and she didn't want that to happen again.

It was her fault she didn't know where her parents were. She had left Hydra with Bucky without second thought when given the opportunity, and she didn't even stop to think about retrieving her parents. 

Now she had no idea where they were and everyday it felt like she was growing farther and farther apart from them. 

Every file she opened or image she saw just made her more confused and flustered, and there wasn't much she could do to clear her mind. Of course, Tony and Peter both provided decent distractions and help, but in the end all she was doing was putting the two of them in danger. 

Aspen already didn't like the idea of the men--especially Peter--going into a Hydra base for her, but now that she knew that she could be turned into Hemlock with just ten simple words the thought made her want to throw up all over again. 

The thought couldn't leave her brain, however. She continued to imagine herself becoming a weapon and killing her only friends, and she couldn't help but wonder if that was her fate. 

Should she even hope to find her parents, or was her path already set in stone and headed for darkness?

Aspen had been wandering the streets for about an hour now mindlessly. It was pretty early in the morning, so the streets were somewhat peaceful. She was paying no attention to where she was going, yet her feet seemed to be leading the way. The young Blue got onto the subway and sat in silence before getting off at her stop and walking again, her destination still unknown.

Aspen knew that she couldn't run forever. She would have to see both Peter and Tony again, but for now it was best to be away. The girl always had tendencies to isolate herself in tough situations, as unhealthy as it was, but that was just her introvert-personalities way of functioning. 

She needed to pull herself away and go into her shell in order to provide comfort for herself, so, that's exactly what she planned to do. She would take a break for a little until she was ready, then continue her research on her own. 

Aspen's feet suddenly stopped leading the way and her eyes were now facing familiar doors. A small smile danced it's way onto her lips as she looked up and read the sign. The warm feeling of Stacy's coffee shop flooded her senses as she walked up to the counter and ordered a hot chocolate. 

The girl found herself staring at the table her and Peter sat at together, so once she paid and received her drink, she made her way over to it.

Aspen rolled her eyes at herself as she sat down in the exact place she had before. She wanted to think of her actions as pathetic, but on the inside they made her smile.

A small sound echoed to her ears when she sat her bag on the floor, so she leaned down to find the source. The girl let out a small sigh and grabbed the item, leaning up and putting it on the table in front of her.

"Sorry, Barry. I didn't mean to do that." She mumbled to her succulent, rubbing her finger over the now chipped rim of the pot.

Aspen took a sip of her warm hot chocolate and leaned back against the cushion. She allowed her eyes to close after a while and she tried to relax as best as she could.