the siren |peter parker x siren!oc|

Serenity: Part 8

Lena Lena Lena Lena.

The name was the only word she was capable of thinking after Peter left. She liked the name. It gave her an identity of her own, but it was strange that she could form a better sense of herself with something as measly as a label. Additionally, she loved that Peter had helped her pick it out, and even though It had taken over 300 attempts, they eventually reached a consensus. It put a light feeling in her chest. She was getting close to happiness.

A scientist that was not Peter came in every day. She asked Lena questions limited to yes and no answers, as that was all Lena could verbally answer. If she had wanted, she could implant her words into the scientist's mind, but it took much more effort for someone that she did not have a connection with. Peter was her peirasmós. The channel between them was much more easily navigated than one with a total stranger.

Mr. Stark, the name that the man with the odd facial hair had, also had a speech therapist try and assist her with the first skill she had started to develop. It was her least favorite part of the day, as being told what to do was deeply irritating. No matter how many times she said any word she was given, it only felt like it got increasingly difficult.

Except for when she was with Peter.

With him, everything felt easier. He encouraged her in the way she needed, and in a way that was effective, rather than in a way that was condescending and annoying. Lena felt as if she had someone on her side. With the professionals, she knew that they were only there because Mr. Stark hired them. The progress she made with him was miles difference. He had a way of poking through her stubbornness that the scientists could not penetrate.

It made her wonder what her purpose in Mr. Stark's home served. She did not provide anything for Mr. Stark. There was no benefit to her presence. She was grateful that they had chosen to trust her, but it remained a mystery as to why.

A few days after Peter had helped named her, he took a day of his weekend to spend with her. She knew it was a weekend as he arrived in the morning instead of later in the afternoon.

The human construct of time was an interesting concept for her to grasp, but like most things, she had been catching on quickly. She discovered that she was a fast learner, it only took one or two explanations of these innate human concepts until she pretty thad them practically memorized.

It was a rare occasion where he was able to spend more than a few hours with her and in the past few months, there had been twice when he took a day of his weekend to dedicate to her. It was an extra blessing. A surprise. He already spent every weekday with her, but being able to spend over 12 hours talking and learning new words boosted her morale for the upcoming week.

She hummed a light melody while waiting for Peter, but her impatience was already growing. A fleeting thought crossed her mind. It was an idea that had continuously sat in the back of her head, but she had never had the energy to go through with it. The anticipation of waiting for Peter was getting the best of her, and if he didn't arrive soon, she would be doing the last thing anyone expected.

After a few more minutes, she was tired and bored of waiting, so she made the leap.

She swam to the bottom of her tank and into the farthest back corner. Shutting her eyes and peering up through the water, she swam forward as hard she could and propelled herself forward and up. Her arms exited first, followed by the rest of her body, and landed vigorously on the hard ground, rolling a few feet before coming to a painful stop. It left the upper part of her tail sore, and her entire body cold.

Conveniently, that was the precise moment that Peter decided to walk through the door. They made eye contact and she smiled a helpless smile, unsure of what his reaction was going to be.