the siren |peter parker x siren!oc|

Serenity: Part 6

Tony Stark was stuck in a ditch, and he was desperate to find a way out.

Inside of his lab was a creature. A creature. The little fucking mermaid. He had acted nonchalant in front of the kid when they had first seen her out on the ocean, but that was before he realized all of the complications that followed her. She was a political nightmare. Once he said a word to any person in government, she would be pulled apart at the seams. She would be pricked and pried at until the poor thing went mad and then thrown back into the ocean.

His ears were hot and his heart was racing as he stalked out of the room. He didn't want to lash out on Peter any more than he already had, but the situation was so complicated it made his brain hurt, and it felt impossible to think clearly when he was with them. The thing could put a human into a trance just by opening her mouth. How were they supposed to know her intentions? Why hadn't she tricked them into drowning already?

He liked to think he vaguely knew the answer to that question. Peter had some sort of connection with her, and she reciprocated. They mirrored each other's looks of longing like two lonely teenagers - or what appeared to be teenagers - looking at each other across the middle school gym at a shitty dance. This dance was just about as shitty as it got. Tony had gotten two hours of sleep, was preventing two mutant kids from falling in love, and for all he knew Peter was asphyxiating as he rode the elevator to his bedroom.

For the millionth time that afternoon, he strayed from the idea that she was an evil being. The way she spoke about her own species was detached and disoriented. It reminded him of how he spoke about his father: there was no sense of belonging.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y. is Peter still alive?" he just wanted to ease his anxiety.

Peter Parker is alive and in good health in your lab.

"Good."

He exited the elevator and entered his room, where his bed had never looked so welcoming. Tony wasn't particularly good at sleeping, but two nights in a row he had gotten less sleep than any normal human being got in one night. When he reached the edge, he crumpled into it, closing his eyes.

All he could see were the silver eyes of their mermaid. Their rare beauty was unmatched but simultaneously off-putting. Nagging at the back of his brain like a rock in his shoe was the reminder that he needed to tell someone about his murderous species of siren that was plaguing the Atlantic ocean.

He opened his eyes again, an idea flickering inside his brain.

"Call Rhodey."

Calling James Rhodes.

It was a shot in the dark. Rhodey was a busy man, but when he had time for Tony he made it. The fact that it had taken this long to call his best friend was proof of how tired he actually was. The screen perched on a wardrobe across from his bed rang for about 30 seconds, and he was almost certain that he wouldn't pick up.

Call to James Rhodes connected.

A pleasant surprise.

"Now what could you want from me now, Stark!" there was a hint of playfulness in Rhodey's voice.

"Rhodes, I'm only calling to say hello!"

"With those bags under your eyes? Definitely not the case. Lay it on me, Tony, I'm all ears."

Tony sighed, knowing that there was no way he was ready for this, "I...know why the ships have gone missing."

He lifted his eyes to see Rhodey's face fall.

"You - what?"

Slight nausea had settled into his stomach, which his exhaustion probably contributed to. He wanted to explain further, but had trouble getting the words out. The actuality of the lives that had been lost was starting to sink in. Tony was the first to have confirmation that 64 people were dead. 64 families were about to have their hope obliterated.