Wrong Number

20 ~ New Start

<Third person POV>

It felt surreal. Dahlia hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Sure, she was told she might end up in a foster home, especially with how horrible things were in the past. She thought for sure that if her uncle ever–for some reason–left her alone, that was where the bad news would start.

And here she is now and things are... okay.

Things have changed. She has a family and a home once again. She doesn't have to worry about coming home to an angry drunkard. She hasn't any need to worry about being used by her uncle or his friends.

Her days had passed rather peacefully. All she did was lie around in bed most of the day. Sometimes she would read or colour. When she was bored, she sometimes would play games on her phone.

She had spent the majority of her time after the hospital with Natasha. She didn't really feel like seeing anyone else. Don't get her wrong, she appreciates each and every one of them, it was just exhausting and nerve racking to interact with so many new people.

She feels more relaxed around those she's already met though.  Especially Natasha who seems to understand her completely. She doesn't ask too many questions. She doesn't push her. She lets her get used to the new situation first before asking the questions later when she's ready. It's nice to talk to someone that doesn't push her or act sorry for her.

It's a nice change.

She hasn't really had anyone to confide with for awhile. It feels as though she can trust Natasha with everything. Natasha is safe. Natasha is good to her.

The former spy has noticed how Dahlia has seemed to grow more comfortable around her. That makes her extremely happy. Knowing her situation, she can only imagine how difficult it must be to open her heart up again. To allow herself to be vulnerable.

"Hey, darling? The team was wondering if you wanted to come down and eat with everyone tonight. They're ordering in Chinese, it'll just be a chill little hang out. They're probably going to pop in some movies, so you won't have to talk too much."

Placing a bookmark in her book, Dahlia says, "sure, I'll just go get changed."

"Oh, you don't have to change if you don't want to, a lot of people are in their pyjamas already," Natasha informs her. Seeing that her daughter looks apprehensive, Natasha tells her that she can wait for her to get changed if she'd like.

Peter sits down on the couch, looking at the elevator every few seconds, anxious to see Dahlia again. He's hasn't seen her much since she left the hospital, and he hopes she's doing alright. Even though the others told him that Dahlia hasn't come to see any of them, he still worries that for some reason Dahlia doesn't like him.  He's trying not to assume and jump to conclusions, but there's a tiny part inside him that fears the worst, which he can't seem to shake.

Dahlia opens the doors and steps out into the common floor. She turns toward the sound of the voices.

There, sitting all around the TV with Chinese takeout scattered around every surface, are all the people that saved her. There's a lot of laughter and smiling faces. "Hey!" Tony gives her a smile. Others turn to face her and greet her.

She smiles and walks over to sit beside Peter on the couch. He leans forward so they can talk privately to one another.

"How are you feeling?" Peter asks her quietly.

"Better," she shortly responds, not wanting to bother him with the details. Peter frowns, but doesn't push her to tell him the truth.  Instead he changes the subject.

"So, what movie are we watching next?" He asks excitedly.

"You pick something and then you tell me," she offers.

Peter pauses for a moment, trying to think of a movie to watch. He settles on Star Wars, hoping that she'll like it. She nods and smiles before saying, "okay". She turns her attention towards the television.

After a while, Peter glances over at her periodically. She appears to be lost in thought and doesn't appear to notice. He anxiously reaches over and takes her hand, rubbing his thumb over the top of her fingers gently.

Startled by the gesture, she snaps her head over to Peter with a questioning glance. Upon seeing a comforting smile, she relaxes and smiles back. She unconsciously leans slightly towards Peter and rests her body against his.

Butterflies swirl around in his stomach as he anxiously looks around at the team. No one seems to see this except Auntie Nat and his dad. Peter blushes as Stark sends him a knowing smirk. Natasha is just proud of her little angel for being so brave.

Peter tries not to notice the slight tremors he can clearly see going through her body. Her breath is unsteady, and he knows she's anxious. He wants so badly to reach out and hug her close and assure her everything will be okay. 

He wants so desperately for her to lean forward and wrap her arms tightly around him, to let him hold her as tight as she needs him to in order to keep from crumbling apart. He wants to comfort her. But, instead, he just squeezes her hand a little before continuing to rub small circles onto the back of her hand.

He wants to reassure her that she does deserve happiness after everything she's been put through–even if he is not aware of the full story. But he doesn't know how, even if he tried, what exactly to say.

Peter cannot bring himself to speak. He instead settles on hoping his actions are enough to convey his feelings towards her.