Flower Child (Peter Parker, MCU)

A Strange Warning

COPYCAT - Billie Eilish

"Aw, c'mon, Lila, it's not like that-"

"Nope," Lila smiled teasingly, "It's too l-late. I'm offended."

The pair waved to Luca before Peter followed Lila up the metal staircase. "It's not that I don't trust your opinion..."

"It's just that you d-doubt my taste in science fiction."

Just like Peter had promised, there was a next time for the two of them to walk over to Delmar's after school. The plan was to grab the sandwiches, head over to the shop, and eat them in the greenhouse before Peter headed out in his Spider-Man suit. His aunt asked him to promote the work she'd been doing over at the homeless shelter helping the people displaced by the Blip. On the way over to Delmar's, the pair had an easygoing conversation about science fiction books. Peter quickly grew skeptical of Lila's taste, however, especially after-

"You said your favorite science fiction novel was The Martian, Lila."

"He's a botanist stranded on Mars, I really don't know wh-what you expected from me." Peter let out a genuine laugh as they reached the back room and walked towards the last staircase. The floorboards creaked underneath them as they walked, and Lila huffed. "Well, at least I can say that I don't think that D-Dune is the holy grail of film-"

"Hey, I never said that," Peter defended, "I just said the truth: that Dune is a largely underrated movie."

Lila, though Peter didn't see it, rolled her eyes as she grabbed for the door handle. "I think you mean a 'purposely forgotten' m-movie. It's not... g-good..." Lila trailed off as she swung the door to her greenhouse open. Or at least, it was supposed to be to her greenhouse.

Instead, the two opened the door to find a long hallway on the other side, its rich wood-paneled floors coupled with dark colors made Lila think she was in a museum hallway. But she looked behind her, and Peter was on the stairs in her dad's shop. Her mouth remained slightly agape as she stepped forward. "P-Peter?" She asked quietly, staring around at the various objects that were protected by glass cases. By the time she had turned around again to her friend, he had stepped through the door, too. He was looking around the space they occupied, every bit as confused as she was. "You're seeing this t-too, right?"

"Yeah," Peter said, eyes on the ceiling. A loud bang could be heard down the hall, and both sets of eyes landed on a door they hadn't seen previously. Peter stepped forward, shrugging the sleeves of his shirt up. Lila saw the metal bracelet he hadn't taken off since they returned from the Blip. She watched tentatively as he tapped his wrists together and the nanotechnology sprawled out across his wrists and hands to reveal his web-shooters. Lila looked up a bit to see the tension in his shoulders, and the weary expression on his face. "Stay close."

Lila, nerves already shot, did as Peter asked and stayed close behind. As the pair started creeping forward, she removed her backpack from her shoulders and opened the front pocket, hand wrapping around her mace spray. In one swift motion, she gripped her mace tightly and put her backpack back around her shoulders. Peter looked behind him, eyebrows raised in confusion at the mace can. Lila shrugged and whispered, "I'm g-going to help if I can."

The two of them, tense and silent, crept closer to the door, which upon closer inspection was cracked open. Lila looked behind her and saw the door to her greenhouse was gone, replaced by an empty stretch of hallway. The room they entered kept with the academic setting, arrays of artifact-type objects all organized in neat rows, papers scattered on random tables, and bookshelves filled with odd-looking books filled the room. The ceiling arched over them, and a large circular window that could've once easily held a clock housed a strange symbol instead, and seemed to be the only source of light that the room had to offer.