the siren |peter parker x siren!oc|

Serenity: Part 16

After watching Peter carry Lena away, Tony felt a sense of relief. Everything had been extremely high pressure, from Rhodey frantically calling him, to the last-minute press conference, to the endless amounts of press begging him for answers; all of it was squeezing his head too tight. He wouldn't be surprised if his brain popped out. Now, Peter was frustrated with him, and for valid reason too. Something inside Tony had snapped in half like a twig, forcing a series of aggressive words on the young girl who had trusted him with her care. He wondered if that trust had changed after the tense encounter.

Rubbing his eyes, he watched as Peter left, hopping into a car he had probably called for himself. The kid was finding a comfortable place at the compound, which was something that Tony had always hoped for. He had anticipated it happening sooner, but Peter had interpreted a serious offer as something that it wasn't, and it turns out Spider-Man would officially become an Avenger at a later date. For now, him and the Siren would be New York's fan-favorite vigilantes.

Having a partner would be good for his mentee. It could be someone that would keep him in check. Tony liked the idea of Peter having someone with him while fighting crime rather than going at it on his own, and someone with so much power over others would almost make the job easy. Plus, there was an odd tie that Lena had to the boy. Maybe it was because he was the first one she interacted with, or maybe it was because she had a crush on him, but they clicked particularly well and he was the only person that Lena didn't blow off. Every human that crossed her path she shied away from, putting a strong barrier between them. It was that way with all of the doctors, her tutor, and even Tony.

Tony wandered in the direction of Cap's old room, the room that Lena had now inhabited. They had cleaned it out a while ago, Pepper kindly returning all of his stuff behind Tony's back, so it had been empty, excluding the basic pieces of furniture. When the girl had finally revealed that she could survive outside of the water, the ghost of the room finally came to life again despite how empty it was.

He was unsure as to why she hadn't mentioned the ability to walk on land earlier, but it didn't matter anymore. Lena could move outside of her tank, and was adapting to human life with ease.

All of the doctors he had hired had sent back good reports. Her progress was extraordinary and unlike anything they had seen before. Even the tutor that they had only started earlier that week said that she grasped onto concepts without further explanation immediately. He had taken a gamble by submitting her application for Midtown, but by the looks of it, she would be completely caught up with Peter three weeks from now, possibly sooner.

He had cut some ties to secure her identity and custody. His lawyer was a smart man, getting the social security number, the birth certificate, and the adoption papers had been a piece of cake compared to the chaos that had been his life since his fight with Steve. It was refreshing to see some paperwork that he actually wanted to read and sign, and saying that Pepper's 'sister' had tutored her at an advanced level was what secured the spot to take the entrance exam. All she had to do was pass it.

For the first time since she had moved in, the door was closed. He let his head fall into the corner of his hand, leaning on the wall beside the door and knocking lightly. It was highly probable that she had no idea what the knock meant, but he could always explain it to her if he had to.

"Who is there?" she said in her small, raspy voice.

"It's Tony. Can I come into your room?"

"Yes."

She was lying on her bed, her face staring at the ceiling. He had only visited her when she was with Peter, so he had no idea if this was normal. Sometimes when he walked by he heard her talking to PET, the AI that had been specifically tailored to her needs. Lots of the human mannerisms that she had questions on could be answered in a direct way, and he was glad she was making good use of it.