Pointe Shoes and Spider Webs

76. Fit For A Zoo

Peter was right. And boy, did he hate being right about this. Tony didn't like him being in the bed with Daphne.
"No-no-no," Tony says while shaking his head the second he walks in and spots them in the bed. "Not in my house."
"We're not-" Peter stutters, but Tony interrupts him.
"I don't care what you do or don't do. Daphne needs rest. So, out." Tony points away from the bed and Peter scrambles to get out of it, to Daphne's dismay.
"No offense, Mr. Stark, but I was actually doing better before you barged in," Daphne groans, covering her eyes with her arm. It's cold again without Peter next to her and her head's banging annoyingly.
"Sass. That's good." Tony saunters towards the bed. "Gonna have to do some tests to determine the severity of your concussion, but sass means it's not super bad."
"Yeah, no, I'm just gonna go back to sleep." Daphne turns to her side with her eyes closed and flinches as a rather persistent ringing starts in her ears.
"What's with the attitude?" Daphne doesn't reply straight away, which makes Tony roll his eyes. "Daph?"
"Don't 'Daph' me," she scoffs. "Liars get an attitude."
"Tsk." Tony pulls a face. "I'm a compulsive liar, you're gonna have to give me a little more than that." Daphne pulls the sheets over her face and brings her knees to her chest.
"Get lost."

Tony raises an eyebrow and looks at Peter, who shrugs apologetically.
"She knows," is all he says.
"Once again-" Tony crosses his arms. "I'm gonna need a little more than that."
"Zephyr." Daphne's voice is muffled from under the covers. Tony brings his hands together.
"Ah, does this mean David broke the spell?" Peter quickly shakes his head, pulling a face at Tony. Daphne whines quietly, causing Peter to shift all his attention on her. He slightly lifts the covers.
"Daph, you need oxygen. Don't hide." Daphne puffs her cheeks at him.
"I just wanna sleep." Peter gets on his knees next to the bed and puts the blanket over his head, so he can look her in the eyes. The corner of his mouth curls down slightly when he notices her pupils are dilated differently.
"Please, Dove... For me?" Daphne's nose twitches and evades his gaze. She sighs.
"Fine," she mumbles. "Damned puppy dog eyes."

...

"Yep," Bruce says. "That's quite the concussion." Bruce had come down from his own quarters to do some tests while Peter and Tony left the room to discuss what Daphne told Peter. Despite Daphne's ability to hold a conversation properly, she still shows severe symptoms. She's often slow with replies, there's a ringing in her ears... Not to mention the banging headache and the pupil issue.
"Oh, no," Daphne says sarcastically. She tries to roll her eyes, but the pressure behind them makes her squeeze them shut in pain. She's sitting slumped on the side of the bed. "Can I go back to bed now?"
"Yes, actually." Bruce stands up from the chair. "Stay out of the sun. And, well... It's smarter to just... Not go out for a while. Or engage in anything that involves a lot of thinking. You need as much rest as you can get." Daphne slowly lays back down in the bed and closes her eyes.
"Cool."
"Is everything alright?" Bruce cocks an eyebrow at her, but patiently waits for her delayed reply.
"I'm fit for a zoo," she mutters to the ceiling.
"Why, isn't that a little dramatic?" Bruce chuckles as he picks up his sweater from the chair. "It's just a bit of bed rest."
"Zephyr." Strangely enough, Daphne likes the way the world rolls off her tongue. Yet she despises what it means. What it makes her.

"What's that?" Bruce asks while tidying up the small mess he made during the examination.
"Me." Daphne takes a breath. "Though, I shouldn't be telling anybody this."
"Why are you telling me, then?"
"I dunno," she sighs. "Guess you might kind of get me." Her speech is slightly slurred and Bruce is unsure if it's the concussion or the strong pain meds he gave her. He stops in his tracks and looks at her confused.
"That sounds... Unsettling."
"I mean I'm not..." Daphne needs to take a few breaths to suppress the pain in her head. "I'm not gonna turn big and green, but..." Bruce sits back down on the chair and leans his elbows on his knees.
"You don't have to tell me," Bruce says with a kind smile.
"I know." Daphne's voice grows weaker. The strong pain meds Bruce gave her are really kicking in now. "I just..." Her face relaxes and her mouth opens slowly as she's starting to fall asleep again. "All I do is worry people. Nothing good happens when I'm around..." Bruce wants to protest, but he doesn't know what to say. He understands what she feels like. A little too well for his taste. He shoots her a worried glance. "I just... I feel like I'm..." Her hand drops to her side as she gives into the medication. "...a bother..."