Pointe Shoes and Spider Webs

15. Scar

"You're late," is all Tony says.
"I'm sorry, I got caught up," Peter says quickly.
"You could've called," Daphne mutters. "Or texted."
"Hey, are you okay?" Peter walks up to her but Daphne takes a few steps back until she's against one of the desks next to the main computer areas. Peter cocks his head. "Daphne?"
"You said I didn't hurt you."
"You didn't!"
"Why the fuck do you lie, Pete?!"
"I don't know what you're-" Peter spots the holograms and what they're saying. "Oh."
"For fuck's sake!" Daphne takes big strides towards him and this time Peter stumbles backwards. "What were you thinking? How many times has happened what happened yesterday?"
"Zero times, I promise!" He instinctively grabs her shoulders.
"Peter-" Tony steps forward, scared of what might happen now that Peter's touched her.

Daphne pushes his hands off her.
"Don't. Lie." There are tears in her eyes but she refuses to let them fall down her cheeks. Peter clenches his jaw. His eyes are locked with hers.
"Fine." He grabs his bag from his shoulder and drops it to the ground. "You have been overwhelming me since we met in the store. Day one." He looks down at her, his eyes are dark. "But it's been getting worse."
"Why didn't you say something sooner?"
"Cause I'm a freak, Daphne."
"You say to the one who's got a gigantic scar on her back that makes her discharge more electricity that a regular person." Daphne puts her hands on her hips and cocks her head at him.
"I just..." Peter takes a step back and looks anywhere but at the people in the room. "I don't want you to hate me."
"Why the fuck would I hate you?"
"I don't know." Peter now looks down at his hands, which are slowly turning red. His voice is shaky. "I think I'm scared."
"We're all scared." She steps towards him again, but looks away. It's quiet for a second. "Sorry I yelled."
"Don't be," Peter sighs.

Daphne sucks on her teeth and then looks up into Peter's eyes.
"So, Mr. Science Guy, are we gonna find a solution or should I just boop your nose again?"
"Solution, please."
"Figured." Daphne sighs and looks at Bruce who is obviously feeling a fair amount of second hand embarrassment, but trying not to show it.
"Well, that was three f-bombs in ten minutes. You sure have a different vocab than Peter." Tony clears his throat and deletes the holograms. "Worst I've ever heard him say is dammit. Once."
"I don't really have a filter when it comes to that kind of stuff," Daphne admits. "Sorry."
"We all know the words and I'm not your parent so I honestly don't give a crap about what you do and don't say."
"Cool."

Tony was obviously just trying to make light of the situation, but there was still a heavy pressure in the room. Daphne glances at Peter.
"How are your hands?" Tony asks. Peter holds them up, showing his palms. They're bright red.
"Warm," is all he says. "But other than that, I'm okay."
"Got the regulator?" Bruce asks quietly.
"In my bag." Before Peter can move to grab it, Daphne gets hold of it. "Ah, no! There's some private stuff in there!" Peter yelps before she zips it open.
"What?" Daphne pauses mid-action. Peter's eyes shoot at Tony who immediately realizes that Peter didn't put his Spider-Man suit in his locker. Daphne offers Peter his bag.
"Can you even open it with your hands in that state?"
"I can try." Peter once again glances at Tony, his eyes pleading.

"Right!" Tony yelps. He needs to distract her. "Daphne, I got something that I'd like you to put on." He holds up two pieces of cloth and she raises an eyebrow at him.
"Excuse me?"
"We don't know to what extent the stuff you wear influences how much electricity you give to Peter, so we want to make it as neutral as we can." Daphne's face twists. "It's like a bathing suit. It's not even all that flattering, it's just neutral clothing." She hesitantly takes the set from Tony.
"Where do I change?"
"'Round the corner."
"Aight, thanks."

She swiftly moves to the changing rooms and when she's out of sight Tony glares at Peter, whose face is flushed and twisted with discomfort. He's sitting down on the floor, focusing on his breathing. Bruce has resorted to helping him open the bag because he couldn't actually use his fingers. Tony throws a pen at him and hits him in the shoulder. Peter flinches.
"Hey!"
"Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" He whispers loudly. "You're still pretending!"
"I don't want to worry her!"
"Peter, you're lying to yourself as much as you're lying to her," Bruce says simply. He clicks the regulator on Peter's wrist and he visibly relaxes immediately.
"I know, I know..." Peter pants and presses his eyes shut.
"You're not safe with her!" Tony picks up the pen he just threw.
"I like her too much to stay away."
"Then un-like her!"
"You know that's not how it works, Mr. Stark," Peter scoffs. He lets his head fall back against the leg of one of the side desks.

"If we learn how to apply the technology more directly, it might also be applicable to the Iron Man suit," Bruce says as he looks at Tony with raised eyebrows. "Or me." Tony groans as he walks back to the main computer. He shuffles some holograms around, obviously frustrated.
"I'm not gonna leave her behind, not with everything that's going on." Peter looks at Tony, who swears inwardly. Peter has these awfully disarming puppy-dog eyes and Tony hates himself for falling for it every time. Peter's right, though. If Tony were in his position, he'd probably do the exact same thing. He lets out a loud sigh.
"I know you won't, kid."

Daphne waddles out of the changing room not much later. She's wearing what looks like a white and blue sports bra and shorts. The shorts go down to her knees and the set has a honeycomb pattern woven into it. Peter can't help but think she looks stunning, even if it's just a sports clothing set. She looks like she's uncomfortable and Peter walks up to her.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah... I just don't really like my back being this bare." She frowns. "And I think there's more than just rain in the sky."
"Are you afraid of thunder?"
"It's just... My scar kind of hurts during thunder storms." She clears her throat and looks away with a shrug. "And there's the added childhood trauma, of course."
"Fair enough..."
"How are your hands now?"
"The regulator works!" Peter smiles as he shows his hands. It looks like his nerves calmed down.
"That's great, Pete." She smiles but Peter still senses her discomfort.

"Daphne, did you say something about an aching scar?" Bruce calls out from his desk. Tony is leaning against it. They look like they were working on something. Daphne walks up to them with Peter following right behind her. He wants to look away from the branches on her back, but his eyes are glued to them.
"I didn't exactly come out unscathed when I got struck." Her face twists when she says it. Bruce's eyes light up with wonder and curiosity.
"Do you have a Lichtenberg scar?" The hopeful tone in his voice is honestly quite endearing and Daphne nods, looking at her feet as she turns 180 degrees. "Gah, I've only ever seen pictures of these!" He leans forward onto his desk to take a closer look. "Fascinating."

A short silence falls and Daphne frowns.
"You've been awfully quiet, Mr. Stark."
"Don't have much to say." She glances over her shoulder at the billionaire.
"When does Tony Stark not have much to say?"
"I'd say now's a good example." She rolls her eyes and turns back forward. She shares a glance with Peter who pulls an 'I dunno' face.
"It's quite the feat to leave Tony speechless, Daphne," Bruce laughs. "You should be proud."
"Shut it, big guy," Tony says as he raises his eyebrows while playfully punching Bruce in the shoulder. Their attention moves back to Daphne.
"How much did it hurt?" Bruce asks. "What did it feel like?"
"What, when the lightning...?"
"Yeah."

Daphne thinks for a second.
"It's like..." How would she even describe it. It hurt like hell. "You get locked up. Your muscles tense up so hard you can't move." Peter notices the goose bumps spreading over Daphne's arms. "There was heat. But I don't remember how much cause... It was gone before I could register it." She clears her throat and chuckles as she looks down. "I make it sound a whole lot less bad than it actually is." She turns around to the three scientists and presses her lips on top of each other. "All I know is that I definitely never want to experience it again."
"I don't think anybody would ever want to experience it." Bruce stands up. "Thanks for showing us this. And telling us."
"That's okay. As long as it helps with the research..." She bites the inside of her cheek and glances at Peter, who looks back at her expectantly. "So, uh, do you want to do some tests?"