Chapter 24 News of his idol

Peter didn't move.

He just lay there, soaking in the feeling of Felicia next to him.

The smell of her hair, the warmth of her body – it was all so real, so comforting.

He had missed this, missed her, more than he could say.

"Felicia," he whispered, her name a soft breath.

She stirred, a sleepy murmur escaping her lips.

Her eyes fluttered open, blinking slowly in the dim light of his room.

A small smile touched her lips when she saw him.
"Hey, sleepyhead," she mumbled, her voice raspy with sleep. "You finally woke up."

Peter couldn't help but smile back. It felt so good to see her, to hear her voice.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice still soft, careful not to break the fragile peace of the moment.

She snuggled closer, her arm tightening around him.

"Couldn't sleep and I wanted to speak with you but I saw you were sleeping, so I slept with you."

"Wording please..."

They lay there for a while, just enjoying each other's presence.

There was no need for words. The quiet comfort of their shared space was enough.

Peter felt a sense of calm settle over him.

It was like coming home after a long, strange journey.

Eventually, Felicia yawned and stretched, her muscles protesting slightly.

"Alright, as much as I love being your personal blanket, I gotta move before I fuse with your bed."

Peter chuckled and gently untangled himself from her.

He sat up, stretching his own limbs.

The room was exactly as he remembered it: messy, filled with stacks of books, half-finished projects, and the faint scent of whatever crazy experiment he'd been working on last.

"Coffee?" he offered, getting out of bed.

"Please," she replied, already heading for the kitchen.

"And maybe some of those stale Pop-Tarts you hoard."

They settled into a comfortable routine.

Peter made coffee, and Felicia rooted through his pantry for food.

"So, what are we going to do today? Aunt May has gone out and won't be back till evening"

Felicia asked, leaning back in her chair.

"What crazy new thing have you been working on in your mind?"

Peter hesitated.

How much could he tell her?

Should he tell her about his other life as Koen Kumohito?

She'd always been the one person he could share anything with.

After a while he shook his head. There was no point in telling her that and made her become unnecessarily worried.

"Well," he began, "it's... a bit out there. But remember how we talked about energy, and how it flows?"

Felicia nodded, intrigued.

"Yeah, Chakra and such."

"Exactly,"

Peter said, a spark of his usual scientific excitement returning.

"But what if that energy, this 'chakra,' as they call it, could be manipulated directly, consciously?"

He started explaining, simplifying the concepts as best he could.

He described how ninja of old channeled chakra, how they used it to enhance their bodies, to perform incredible feats.

Felicia, already a little bit familiar with the idea of chakra, listened with rapt attention.

"So, it's like... a refinement of our own life force?" she asked, her eyes wide. "And you can control it?"

"To some extent," Peter admitted. "I'm still learning. But it's about focus, about directing that internal energy."

He paused, then grinned. "Want to try something new?"

Felicia's eyes lit up. "Always."

He led her through a simple chakra exercise, the same one Tsunade had taught him initially.

"Close your eyes," Peter instructed, his voice calm and steady. "Focus on your center, deep inside you. Imagine a warm, glowing energy there. Now, slowly, gently, try to guide that energy to your hands."

Felicia was surprisingly good at it. She already had a natural intuition for such things.

Within a few minutes, a faint, almost imperceptible warmth radiated from her palms.

"Whoa," she breathed, opening her eyes. "That's... weird. And cool!"

Peter smiled, genuinely happy.

"It's all about control. The more you practice, the more you can direct it."

He felt a strange satisfaction in sharing this with her, even if it was just a dream.

It was a way to bridge the two parts of his life, even if only for a brief moment.

They spent the rest of the morning experimenting with basic chakra exercises.

Peter showed her how to focus chakra to her feet for a slight boost in speed, and how to channel it for a stronger punch.

Felicia, ever the quick learner, picked up on the concepts with surprising ease.

Her natural agility and awareness made her a far more graceful student than Peter himself had been.

"You're a natural, Felicia," Peter said, admiring her focused intensity. "Tsunade would be impressed."

Felicia chuckled. "Who's Tsunade?" A little bit off.

Peter slipped and he decided to just say nothing.

As they practice.

An urgent news report blared, its sound cutting through the peaceful morning.

The voice of the news anchor was grim, filled with a sense of shock and urgency.

"We interrupt this program with breaking news. Billionaire industrialist and CEO of Stark Industries, Tony Stark, has been reported missing. Sources close to the Stark family confirm that Mr. Stark's convoy was ambushed while he was on a weapons demonstration tour in Afghanistan. There are unconfirmed reports of heavy casualties and a significant loss of military equipment. Law enforcement and military officials are investigating the incident, but details remain scarce at this time. We will bring you more information as it becomes available..."

Tony Stark. Kidnapped.

The words hit him like a physical blow. He was his biggest idol!

Tony Stark. The brilliant, arrogant, iconic inventor. Kidnapped.

It was a headline that would shake his world to its core.

The news report, the image of Tony Stark's face on the screen, stayed with him.

A cold dread settled in Peter's stomach. He felt like something big was going to happen soon.