Pointe Shoes and Spider Webs

84. Swanilda

Tony pats Peter's shoulder.
"Well, we still got a few seats left upstairs, why don't you join us?"
"Join... you?" May can barely believe what he's saying.
"Yeah, got part of the crew upstairs and I promised I'd save the kid a seat. I'm not letting you sit by yourself." Tony smiles. "Unless you want to sit with Pepper, she's downstairs with the scholarship board." May looks at him suspiciously.
"'Part of the crew'?" she quotes.
"Yeah, Bruce, Tasha, Steve, yada yada." May's never met any of the other Avengers personally before, so her heart practically stops beating when Tony says that.
"Sure! I'll join you!" she blurts out. Peter has to hold in his laugh and Tony raises his eyebrows at his protege.
"Alright, let's get going then." Tony turns to walk towards the balcony seats and glances back when Peter and May follow him. "Oh, and please don't embarrass me in front of them," he jokes. "I have a reputation to upkeep."

...

May shifts in her seat, obviously nervous about sitting next to Captain America. The living legend. She tries to keep her cool, but fails, which results in her talking. A lot. Peter looks at the situation amused. Tony did this on purpose. He knows May gets talkative when she's nervous. It's a tick Peter seemed to have taken over from her as she raised him. Tony likes to mess around with Steve sometimes and this is very blatantly a test of his patience, based on the discussion Steve and Tony had earlier.

"You're too polite, don't you ever just want to tell someone to shut up?"
"Shut up."
"Hey, that doesn't count!"

To Tony's dismay, Steve actually seems to enjoy May's company and engages in conversation with her. Peter glances at Tony and raises his eyebrows accusingly. It's times like these where Peter's reminded of how manipulative Tony can be if he wants to.
"What?" Tony whispers as he leans in towards Peter. Tony knows Peter's aware of what he's doing, so he decides not to play dumb. "I did genuinely want her to sit with you, I'm just seizing the opportunity."
"Sure are," Peter scoffs. "Didn't you invite Derek up here?"
"I did, actually," Tony says with a triumphant smile. "He didn't really want people to know he knows us for privacy reasons, which is fair." Peter nods and leans forward to hang on the edge of the balcony.

People are finding back their seats after the intermission. The second half should be starting soon. Peter can't wait to actually see Daphne on stage, performing. He's seen her dance so much already, but he knows it'll be different now. Peter's curiosity gets the better of him as he searches the crowd for the black-haired lady, he had eye contact with before the show. She shouldn't be hard to find, right? She stood out quite a bit.

It indeed didn't take long for Peter to spot her in the crowd. She's already back in her seat, sitting with her legs crossed and her hands resting on her thigh. She's waiting patiently and Peter can't help but stare again. She's beautiful and she carries herself like she knows she is. There's something regal about her. Like she's actually royalty. Something about her feels off, but he can't place it. Peter jolts slightly when she turns her head to look him straight in the eyes, blinking slowly. She smiles wide again, just like she did before the performance, and shakes her head as she looks back forward. Could she feel him staring at her? Before Peter can think more about it, the lights in the theater dim and the curtains open. The audience applauds as the presenter comes back on stage to announce the next performer.

...

"Next up: Daphne Birch, performing a Swanilda Variation." The presenter walks off stage, obviously getting bored and wanting to get his job over with. Peter's stomach tightens and he leans forward again, his eyes glued to the stage. He grins when he hears the tapping of her pointe shoes on the floor. Daphne elegantly makes her way onto the stage, a beaming smile on her face, immediately brightening up the entire room. She prepares in the back corner and waits for the music to start.

...

Loki thought he knew all there was to know about Daphne, based on their conversations. Yet, on stage, she seemed like an entirely different person. Where she was clumsy before, she was balanced and disciplined now. Her sassy attitude swiftly turned into a feather-like grace. She was pretty before, but she looks absolutely beautiful now. Loki stares astonished at the speed at which she turns. How her head flicks around as she spots. The heights that she leaps. The precise control she has over her body and her movement, all while standing on top of those torture devices she calls pointe shoes... Her smile carries her across the stage and Loki can't help but smile along.

Even though she's not his own blood, he feels a pride that warms his chest. Like a father just having taught his child to ride a horse or a brother, watching his little sister kick the butts of a small group of bullies. With every little bit he gets to know about her, the need to protect her grows stronger and the will to kill Somm intensifies. Loki quickly glances up at the balcony where a few of the Avengers are seated. And the boy, Peter, who kept staring at him, knowing something wasn't completely right about him. Or her, actually. Lady Loki smirks as she looks back at the stage, thinking about the little test she had prepared for the Avengers tonight.

Daphne's in the middle of the stage, travelling forward by showing off her incredible flexibility and managing to turn three times in one go. What was this one called again? A pirouette? Daphne had mentioned to Loki that she was practicing her turns because they weren't all that great and she needs to show off to the board. Her previous performance involved a lot of leaping, which she mentioned, is her strong suit. Loki remembered how he was quite surprised with how she leaped over the couch so gracefully and easily when she ran from him in her childhood home. Now, however, he's surprised by the fact that she thinks her turns are weak. She really must've trained hard to show the board what she's capable of.

Loki's mouth opens slightly in amazement as she turns and turns and turns and turns, travelling in a circle over the stage. The music nears its climax and whenever Loki thinks she's done turning, she adds a few more. She raises one arm with a beaming smile as she takes her final pose and Loki is the first one in the entire audience to stand up, applauding Daphne for her marvelous performance.