Birds chirped as they stood at the center of the football field, both of their eyes locked on who Lena had started calling The Arsonist. The way that she was holding him under her trance was as if he was suspended in time, frozen in the same position that he had bounded in with. She was willing him not to move an inch.

The sound of rockets brought their eyes to the sky, Mr. Stark's suited figure lowering into a landing. The sound of Lena's vibrato was ringing in his ears, her voice sounding weaker than it had been when she started singing 15 minutes ago. When he landed next to them, the shell of the helmet around his head collapsed into the back of his neck, and a look of concern was plastered across his face. He was stern, walking around the villain, taking in every detail.

Peter looked over at Lena, whose eyes had started to droop, her mouth sagging from exhaustion. There was a heaviness about her that he could feel, every one of her limbs begging her to crumble underneath her, her mind begging her to let it take a rest. Still, she held herself upright, the song continuing to resonate through her vocal folds and into the ears of their enemy.

Mr. Stark forced the man's arms behind his back in a violent effort. The blare of police sirens echoed off the building of the school, and Peter watched a helicopter descend, the outline of a sniper fixating a direct shot onto the Arsonist's head. Lena was fading, resources were slim, and he was running out of time. Mr. Stark couldn't take the risk that a set of handcuffs would keep the man contained - no matter how high tech they might be.

"Sweetheart, you can stop singing now," Mr. Stark's voice was rough and riddled with frustration. The sound of her voice stopped, and she fell to her knees, and then onto her palms, keeping herself as upright and using her arms for support. Peter stepped towards her and lifted her up by the waist, allowing her to get an arm around his shoulders. Her head dropped onto his chest.

When the man gained consciousness, he was quiet, much to their surprise. His knees also buckled in an unexpected surrender, and if Peter could have seen Mr. Stark's face, it would be a stone cold expression masking how he really felt: confusion.

"What evils have I done," the man spoke quietly, letting his chin fall to his chest.

"Guys, go...go back to school."

"Mr. Stark-"

"Peter, I'll take it from here."

"But this is our villain, sir."

Mr. Stark's nostrils flared, and a familiar look came over his face, it was the look Peter was always given when he tried to push a boundary and ended up putting himself in danger. Only this time, they had things under control.

For the most part.

"Do you think this is a game, Mr. Parker? Do you think you are in some sort of comic book? This is not a villain, this man is a high profile criminal," each word hit Peter individually and with a different amount of force. All pride Peter thought his mentor had for him had suddenly disintegrated with three sentences of parental-esque lecture. Peter felt his hands ball into fists, but he couldn't bring himself to argue with Mr. Stark, and with Lena heavily leaning against him, inches away from passing out, Peter had to set his priorities in order.

Without another word, and making sure she was secured to the left side of his body, Peter hobbled to find the nearest building. If anything was certain, it was that neither of them could show up at Midtown dressed as their alter-egos. With Lena and Peter missing, it would be blatantly obvious that it was them. So, Peter set a direct route for his apartment, figuring they could change as quickly as possible before heading right back to school. Lena was fast asleep by the time he suspended himself in the air to start swinging.

"Karen, call Ned!" he yelled to his AI over the howling wind.

Calling Ned Leeds.

"Peter! What the- are you okay? Where are you? Where's the arsonist guy? Is Lena okay? Where-"
"Ned! I'm fine. We're both fine."
"Good. Good. I dropped your guys' stuff at your house just so you know."
"What? Why?"

"They sent everybody in the lunch room home. Everyone absent for the next three periods are going to be questioned, though."
"Shit," dread washed over Peter when hearing the latter statement. It was just what he was afraid of, and he knew they had to be at least a half an hour into his next class, preventing them from attempting act as if they had never left. Going back wouldn't be worth much at this point.

Besides, Lena was going to be asleep for the next few hours. This sleep was one that she was in full control of, unlike when the Arsonist's partner had strangled her. He still felt her and she still felt him.

It meant, though, that they had to come up with a solid alibi, and the only two options he had was Ned or Mr. Stark. Even then, there were flaws in both of those witnesses. If Peter and Lena claimed to be with Ned the entire time, MJ could debunk that in seconds. Alternatively, he had no immediate desire to call Mr. Stark in search of a cover story. He felt his stomach twist, Lena stir in her sleep, and let out all remaining air when he stuck a perfect landing on the roof of his apartment building.

"Peter, are you still there?" Ned was practically yelling into his phone.

"Yeah. Here," he set Lena on her back and let his legs cross beneath him, using his knees as a face rest. "Is there any way for you to cover me?"

"We might have to talk to MJ but-"

"That's the issue. I can't have her knowing that-"
"Peter, let me finish. God, you remind me more of Stark with each passing day," Ned let out an exasperated heave and didn't continue, leaving Peter wondering if the call had dropped. Usually, Karen would have said something, so it was odd that the line appeared to still be connected.

"Ned are you still there?"

"Yeah, I just had to make sure you weren't going to cut me off again."
Peter rolled his eyes.

"The thing...Lena's power…it made us all think that you guys left before lunch. Lena's uncle called you both out of school for something involving press or whatever. It made complete sense to me until I was able to snap out of it."

Peter's head jerked up and at Lena, her eyes fluttering. She was dreaming. Hopefully, there weren't any nightmares. His smart girl had already given them the perfect cover story. He brought his eyebrows together, almost laughing "Really? How did you know that it was her power? And was it weak enough to allow other people to snap out of it?" It was the second question that Peter really needed the answer to. He had never thought to wonder if the effects of Lena's voice were long term.

"I know who Spider-Man is, which sort of gave it away," Ned said, "and had I not known that I probably would have gone my entire life thinking that you guys really had left that day. I mean, MJ is still convinced that you guys got a call from Mr. Stark the other day when we were doing homework."
Peter chuckled, "Okay. Okay, that's good," he sighed, his eyes drifting to Lena sleeping next to him. "Thanks for dropping off our bags. I'll see you tomorrow."

The call ended, and Peter kept on staring at Lena, her sleep reminding him of the first few hours they had spent together; she was unconscious in the bathtub and he had been blown out of the water by the idea of her existence. Now she was his closest friend and his first love.

He took her hand, massaging it gently and planted a kiss on the top of it. He felt her stir, but she didn't wake, so he scooped her up, scaling the side of his apartment until reaching his window. After setting Lena on his bed, he rose to find May standing in his room with her arms crossed.

"H-Hey May-"

"I just get worried, that's all."

"May it was all so hectic-"
"Just a phone call next time, okay?"

He saw her face twitch, a small tear falling down the side of her cheek, and Peter let himself fall into a hug with her, knowing that they both needed it.

"I just never am able to really tell if you end up all right," her hand was clutching the back of his head and her heart was racing. A few sobs shook her diaphragm back and forth.

"I'm all right. I'm okay," Peter couldn't help but choke out a few tears, his throat thick with guilt for making his aunt worry. It had been the reason he had kept the entire Spider-Man ordeal to himself so that scenarios like this wouldn't happen.

When she pulled away, May was swatting at her tears with the hope that Peter hadn't seen them, but he had felt them and that was enough. She took him by the face and ran her hand through his hair, kissing his forehead. As a kid, it was what she would do whenever he got home from school. It was always a hand ruffling through the hair and a kiss on the head.

He let the suit fall off his body and put on a pair of sweatpants, letting them sit comfortably on his hips. Lena was still sleeping, her goggles smushing the cheek that rested on the pillow. He slid his fingers underneath the thick straps and guided it off her face, allowing her head to fall into a more relaxed position. Exhausted, he reached over her and let his body crash into bed, fitting perfectly next to her.

They dreamed together. When he drifted into sleep, he saw images more clearly than ever before. She stood in front of him in a place that neither of them had been to before. The land was earthy and rugged with a musty red undertone. Rocks and rubble floated in the air as if gravity followed different rules. For all he knew it did; the place looked like a different planet.

She was staring at the sky. He walked up behind her and tried to search for what her eyes were locked on, but it was just a grey-cloud filled sky. He felt her move, and she looked startled at the sight of him.

"How did you get here?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder and sliding it down to his bicep.

He looked around, his lips tight. "I just went to sleep."

"We are dreaming?" she looked around, her hand falling into his and squeezing it tightly. She was nervous.
"Yeah."

"That makes sense. Where is this place?"
"I couldn't tell you. Definitely nowhere I have been before."

There was a stalky silence, and they remained, holding hands and taking in their surroundings. The dark, morbid air clung to their clothes like sweat on a humid day. All he wanted was to place a finger on what was stirring the unsettling feeling in the back of his head, but there was no person in sight, no creature, possibly nothing alive. There wasn't even a plant to try and identify.

This couldn't be Earth.

They were forcefully awoken, their hands interlocked when consciousness returned. He felt her confusion and the annoyance that accompanied that confusion. She was growing tired of not knowing what was happening around her, and that's how he knew she had no role in the strange shared dream they had.

He rested his head on hers, drowsily attempting to keep his eyes open. Her hair descended out of its ponytail, brushing across his arm. When he felt her lips, it was with the same intensity as her hair: light, airy, soft. He closed the minuscule gap, their mouths piecing together. He found his hand reaching for her waist, but held back, unsure of himself. She smiled through another kiss, then pulled back, their faces still only inches apart.

"We will get there," she smiled, kissing the corner of his mouth, and burying herself into the space between his head and shoulder.

She knew. She knew his hesitation, and he knew of her confidence. All they had shared in their measly time together were short kisses, which was still the most he had ever...done with a girl. He hadn't even kissed Liz when they almost-dated. He felt Lena chuckle in his arms.

All in good time.

an: sorry about the mistake! i copied and pasted it from the wrong document. i hope you enjoyed this chapter, be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think3 allie x