THINKING OUT LOUD || Avengers

-)Twenty Three: The Director Will See You Now(-

"You see that up there? That's Spiderman."

It was over quickly. A fffp! and a whoop! and a thud! later and the mugger was groaning on the ground at Dan's feet, a red and blue-sporting figure standing over him. Spiderman's entire costume was slightly make-do-and-mend, but Dan didn't have time to notice any of that. She was too busy grinning over her whole face.

"Dude!" She was practically exploding with excitement, "That was awesome!"

Spiderman seemed to be barely containing a similar outburst, "I know, righ- Uh, thank you, Ma'am. If you could just wait here a moment."

He hoisted the not-mugger up by his elbow.

"Ow! Shit!" The not-mugger swore resentfully, "That pinches."

"Oh. Sorry, man." The vigilante loosened his hold slightly as he led the guy round the corner and webbed him to a streetlamp with a post-it stuck to his head explaining the situation.

The girl was still grinning ear to ear when he returned, "Hi."

"Are you hurt, Miss?" Spiderman asked in a gruff tone.

Dani shook her head and observed him curiously, "Why are you using that voice?"

"What voice?" He asked innocently.

"The all-deep one." Dani answered, "I like your normal voice, Pan. I don't think you should change it. Unless this is your normal voice and the other one is fake. In which case, this is fine."

Spiderman (who was so definitely not Peter Parker) leaned against the grimy alleyway wall and crossed his arms, the picture of a nonchalant attitude, "Who's Pan?"

"You are." Dan was growing more and more confused by the second, "Peter Pan. My library buddy who doesn't sleep a lot. I wasn't expecting you to be Spiderman, though. That's so far beyond cool. I have so many questions."

"Hang on." Spiderman put a hand on her arm, waited for her nod of permission, and then hooked his arm around her and shot a web up into the air, carrying them both off the street, and onto the building. As soon as they were away from prying eyes, he pulled off his mask to reveal that he had been- gasp!- Peter Parker all along, "How'd you know it was me?"

"Because you sound exactly the same, you're just wearing a mask." Dani said, "How don't more people know?"

"Luck, naïveté and terrible excuses." Peter admitted honestly.

From up on the building, Dan could see all the way to Stark Tower. She imagined the pandemonium back there, Tony's irritation at her sudden disappearance, Thor's confusion, Nat's quiet fury. Dani liked the Avengers, she always had, but they also terrified her in a way that few other things were capable of. They protected innocent people, and Dan wasn't sure if that bracket extended to her or not. 

But Spiderman couldn't scare her. Not Peter.

Dani sat on the edge of the roof and swung her feet over the gap. After a few moments, Peter joined her.

"So." Peter coughed semi-awkwardly, "What's up with you since the, you know, the library?"

Images flashed through Dan's head. Pulling Tony Stark from the wreckage of Midland Circle, Venus Island, Carthas, Clint collapsing, Natasha saying 'What's going on, Atteberry?', lightning arcing down from the sky, illuminating a figure in a red cape, Tate delivering orders into her head.

"Nothing much." She lied terribly, "How about you?"

Peter scratched the back of his neck, "Caught a bus last week."