Pointe Shoes and Spider Webs

67. Common Ground

"Ca-can't we just take the elevator the rest of the way?"
"We're almost there, dove." Spider-Man is climbing his way up to the Avengers Tower penthouse.
"Don't know if you noticed, but the air is a little thin up here," Daphne pants. She painstakingly holds onto Peter and her muscles are starting to cramp. "And I still don't like heights!"
"You were fine with the little den I built in the lab?" Spider-Man chuckles. A gust of wind makes Daphne yelp and cling onto him even tighter, if that were even possible.
"That was inside!" She shouts into his chest. "Not over 60 stories up against a high-rise or swinging through the streets at at least 30 miles an hour!" Spider-Man stops moving and sticks his knees against the windows, so Daphne can relax her legs that were wrapped around his waist. She rests herself on him and leans back until her back is against the window. Her hands are still holding on to his shoulders and his arms stick to the window on both sides of her head. Daphne stares at herself in his lenses, taking deep breaths.

"You picked the wrong superhero to call your boyfriend, then." Daphne gasps quietly, not believing her ears. He called himself her boyfriend. It's the first time she's ever heard him say that word but it feels so right. It almost tickles her ears. "Ah- sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"Say it again," she whispers. Pushing her head forward until their foreheads touch. She can feel him go rigid beneath her.
"Wha- that I'm your..." He pauses, unsure if that's what she meant.
"Boyfriend," she finishes the sentence for him and smiles, letting their noses touch and forgetting for a second that her feet are dangling at least 600 feet up in the air. Peter's stickiness is all that's keeping them up there, but she trusts him unconditionally. He's got her.

She can feel Peter's breath quickening under his mask. The heat emanating from his body is in straight contrast with the cold wind blowing against them. He must be blushing. There's no denying.
"And you're... You're my-"
"Girlfriend," she teases him by pressing a peck on his masked lips.
"I like the sound of that," he mutters with a quiet scoff. She can practically hear him smile through his words. He clears his throat. "Though, as much as I'd like to kiss you right now..." He moves her head to look inside. "We're at level with Dr. Banner's sleeping quarters." Daphne realizes what he means with that and immediately pushes herself against him again.
"Keep climbing, please," she says quickly. Now it's her turn to have bright red cheeks.

...

Daphne didn't think there would be people in the penthouse. Though, with it being the main living quarters, she realizes she should've expected it. Peter and Daphne had climbed in via the main balcony and there was a small group of people in the lounge corner. The attention of the group of Avengers shifts from the TV to the duo and they both freeze as they stand next to each other awkwardly. One of the men immediately bursts out laughing.
"Yo, Pete, this is legit the worst way to sneak in a girl." Before Peter or Daphne can reply, the man gets hit in the face with a couch pillow.
"Shut up, Sam." Daphne looks at who threw the pillow. A red-head. She's stunning and her voice is surprisingly deep. She recognizes her from the kidnapping.

Daphne looks at the other two men and holds her breath. Steve Rogers. Captain America. He's right there. On the couch. Staring at her. Next to him sits a man with shoulder length brown hair. He was part of the rescue squad too. The brown-haired man looks amused at the situation. Daphne bites the inside of her cheek.
"Sorry for interrupting," she mutters, looking down at her feet. She hears Peter shuffle next to her and she's startled when she realizes one of the people on the couch stands up to walk towards her. She looks back up and is met with a large chest. She has to look further up to look him in the eyes. It's difficult for Daphne to comprehend that it's Captain fucking America.

He holds out his hand to her.
"We didn't have the chance to meet properly last time." He smiles encouragingly and Daphne feels like she could disappear into the ground. Saying that he's looking down on her is an understatement. That man is as tall as Loki is. A literal god. How is it possible that she's intimidated by him, but has no issues with Loki? Possibly because Loki is lean and this man looks like he could lift an airplane. Which he probably can. Can he? Not important right now. She clears her throat to beat her brain back to reality and she hesitantly takes his hand to shake it. "Rogers. Steve Rogers." Daphne nods.
"Daphne," she says quickly. "Birch."
"What brings you to the tower, Daphne Birch?" When they let go, Steve rubs his thumb over his fingers from the hand he just held her with. He looks at it confused for a second. Daphne looks back at Peter, who's taken off his mask.
"She, um... Her stalker..." he mumbles.
"It's a long story," she adds simply. She notices Steve is still looking at his hand. "A-are you okay Mr. Rogers?"

"It tingles." Daphne shoots a quick glance at Peter, who looks just about as shocked as she is.
"Anything else?" Peter asks.
"Not really. Just a funny feeling." Steve looks back up at Daphne, or well, down at Daphne. "Are you doing that?"
"It's a side effect," Daphne explains. "From the, eh... Lightning strike."
"Really?" He clenches his hand into a fist and relaxes his muscles again. "That's neat."
"Doesn't it hurt?" She asks carefully. Steve shakes his head.
"Nah, kid, I'm okay. Why'd you ask?" All eyes are on her and she hates it. She looks back at Peter, who shrugs casually.
"I- I have unstable electricity levels in my body and Dr. Banner felt it too."
"Wait, you hurt Bruce?" Natasha sits up straight suddenly.
"No- no, she didn't," Peter butts in. "I... She has this weird effect on me? She over-stimulates my nerve endings, so I have to wear a regulator." Sam can't help but laugh.
"Sure, she does, kid." Peter goes red at the suggestion and disputes it.
"No- it's just- my vitals go haywire. Dangerous levels."
"For real?" Sam asks, now concerned. Daphne nods.

"People who are enhanced apparently notice my electricity levels. Normal people don't." She turns to Peter. "Pete has the addition of extreme hypersensitivity, so I... I think I could kill him if he didn't wear the regulator." Peter swallows at the thought. He never really considered that, though with everything that she did to him when he wasn't wearing that regulator yet, it makes sense. His heart would beat so fast, it wouldn't be abnormal if it gave out.
"And so, you decided to date her?" The brown-haired man says nonchalant. Daphne presses her lips on top of each other.
"You know that's not how love works." Peter defends himself and Sam laughs yet again.
"Hormones, you mean." Sam gets hit in the head by another pillow.
"Stop being rude!" The red headed woman gets up from the couch and walks to Daphne, bumping Steve to the side with her hip. She smiles and cocks an eyebrow. "Please ignore them. They're from the Middle Ages."

"Hey!" Sam protests. "I'm from '79!" The red-head doesn't reply and just grins wide at Daphne.
"Natasha," she says simply. "I heard you do higher level ballet?" Daphne nods vaguely.
"I do." She looks down at her feet.
"Well, we've got common ground on that, then."
"You dance?" Daphne looks back up at Natasha, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
"Grew up with it. In Russia." Natasha purposefully leaves out where she learned the art form. "I still practice alone. I don't really have anyone who can keep up with me." She winks and then cocks an eyebrow at Daphne. Daphne catches on and smirks.
"Is that a challenge?"
"Maybe." Natasha puts her hands on her hips. "Let's set a date after you tell us about this stalker situation."