Pointe Shoes and Spider Webs

66. Anonymous

Daphne's walking home from ballet class on Tuesday when Peter calls her. He evaded her all day at school and skipped ballet class. He was acting off. She doesn't know why and it irks her. What happened? Did she do something wrong?
"Hey Do-Daph," he corrects himself. Daphne frowns. Why would he not say the nickname he has for her?
"Hey, Pete," she replies simply.
"I- eh... Could you maybe stop by Avengers Tower? I'm with Mr. Stark right now and we... I want to discuss something with you." He sounds worried, which concerns Daphne. Something is definitely up. She stops walking for a second as Avengers Tower is the opposite way and she looks down at her feet.
"Yeah- yeah, Pete, of course. I'm not far, I'll be there in five. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just... It's important." Daphne's mouth goes dry. What does he want to talk about? Why does he sound so out of it?

Suddenly, a shiver runs down her spine and her hand instinctively clutches her backpack, moving it to her chest. She looks up at where the feeling's coming from and her eyes go wide. There's a figure on the opposite side of the road. Black pants. Black hoodie. Face hidden in the hood as he looks down. The light from the nearby shop is reflected on his hand. It's... silver. "Daph?" Daphne stands frozen in place as she stares at the figure.
"Pete-" Her voice only barely comes out.
"Is everything alright?" She shakes her head, which he obviously can't see. "Daph, talk to me."
"D... David-" She manages to push out. She yelps quietly as the figure suddenly crosses the street, headed for her in a straight line.
"What's going on?!" Peter asks worried. Daphne turns to run away, nearly dropping her backpack. She clutches it tightly, hoping her feet are faster than his. "Where are you right now?!" Peter asks sternly.
"I'm running your way! Just- just don't hurt him, he needs help!" She looks behind her, only to see him still running after her. She lets out another yelp and stumbles, her phone still pressed to her ear. Peter's talking to her, but she's not hearing him. There's no noise in her head. All she hears is his footsteps and her own heartbeat.

"FUCK!" She runs into someone and barely scrambles to continue fleeing David. Her phone is on the ground, the screen is completely in pieces. Her bag also fell. Luckily, the zipper was shut, so nothing fell out. She shoots a quick glance at the person she ran into, but can't find it in herself to help right now. She has to go. "I'm so sorry, sorry- I can't-" Before she can finish her sentence, she feels something hit her side and she's lifted up into the air. She shrieks until she feels a familiar arm wrap around her waist.
"I got you," Spider-Man says. Her feet dangle far above ground and she moves to grab onto Peter with all her limbs, like a Koala. She still hates how the adrenaline feels in her stomach, so she doesn't reply and simply nods into his chest as he swings her to a nearby building. He sticks to the windows, slightly widening his stance and leaning backwards, so Daphne can sit on his lap with her legs wrapped around him.

"You okay?" Daphne doesn't let go of Spider-Man. He can feel her shaking against him.
"I don't know," she mutters. She blinks a few times. "Is he gone?" His body moves beneath her. He's looking around for David, but can't seem to find him. A crowd has started to gather below them.
"Can't see him," he sighs. "Karen, did the tracker hit the target?" Spider-Man's quiet for a second, listening to his AI. "Great, thanks." She releases her breath against his chest and he lets go of the wall with one hand to pet the top of her head.

"Keep it PG, please." Iron Man appears next to them suddenly, hovering mid-air, referring to the way Daphne's sitting on top of Peter. They blush profusely, though both their faces are hidden by the Spider suit. Daphne wants to turn her head, but gets interrupted by Tony. "You might want to keep hiding your face, kid. People pulled out their phones, so if you want to stay anonymous, you're better off covering up." Daphne nods into Spider-Man's chest again and convulsively lets go of him to reach for the hood of her winter coat. She quickly pulls it over her head and brings her hand back to Spider-Man's neck for grip. She really doesn't want to fall.
"I dropped my phone and bag," she whispers.
"You want me to get them for you?" Peter asks.
"Already on it," Stark says. "Get her to the tower, kid." Iron Man moves to the crowd, who instantly step to the side. Daphne huffs.
"We're going to have to swing, don't we?" she whines softly.
"Sorry," he replies.
"Don't be." She presses a kiss on the Spider logo on his chest. "Just... Don't let go."
"I wouldn't dare, dove."