It had been an eventful night after the Soccer Banquet Incident. It seemed that every time Danielle put on a dress for a nice event, something just had to go and screw it up.
After saving Betty from that man, Danielle hoped and prayed Betty hadn't recognized her in her dress with only a dirty bandana covering half of her face. Then again, it was dark and her dark short curls were covering the majority of her face, so maybe Betty wouldn't recognize her at all.
All the worrying was put to rest though when the morning news came on the next day.
Danielle had woken up early for once, Sharon already out and about. She decided to make herself some Toaster Strudles (something Sam had taught her how to do) and a to-go cup of chamomile tea to start her morning.
But when she flipped on the TV, the first story they reported on was the — "Mysterious Masked Vigilante who stopped a young girl from getting robbed," the lovely news anchor lady on the screen exclaimed. "Eye witness reports state that they saw another young girl in a dress and heels wearing a red bandana over her face came to the rescue of a young woman getting mugged in the back alley or a local hotel venue. The reports state that the girl not only disarmed the man and subdued him, but she did it all with her mind."
The second news anchor to the left of the woman laughed. "Another enhanced vigilante? Wasn't the Spider-Man enough?"
"Well, maybe it's an Avenger," the third news anchor chimed.
"Which one? The little one that wears that gold mask? Impossible," the news anchor exclaimed. "No one's seen the so-called 'Eris' since the Battle of Sokovia and the Avengers' PR team has kept quiet about her identity and whereabouts."
"Well, whoever this Vigilante is sure is doing a good job so far. I mean, did you see the way those metal bars were wrapped around that crook?" The original lady news anchor chuckled as actual photography was displayed on the screen of the man Danielle had stopped last night wrapped up in twisted metal bars.
Danielle wasn't sure why, but all of a sudden it was like she was walking on air. Her steps felt lighter, the weight on her shoulders felt slightly lifted, she seemed genuinely... happy for once. Could it have been the post-crime fighting glow? Was it the reason so many heroes loved saving people? The feeling. The feeling that you put your needs before others, put your life on the line and saved someone from possibly losing theirs. The feeling that flooded Danielle's senses and made her crave it like some kind of drug all of a sudden.
Danielle was so high up on Cloud-Nine, she thought no bad things could touch her as she got ready for school, walked to the subway with her chamomile tea and Toaster Strudle in hand, and was ready to face the day. That was until she actually arrived to school and got off the subway only to realize something was missing... something big. But what?
She wasn't sure why she got the feeling as though she were forgetting something until she reached mid-field on the football arena. That's where she stopped in her tracks and looked up at the top of the bleachers where none other than Peter Parker say perched at their old study spot.
When her eyes landed on him, his head snapped up and his gaze fell on her. She smiles and he looks away, a look of hurt written clear on his face causing Danielle to become extremely confused. What had happened?
Already finishing up her breakfast, Danielle set aside her trash and began to walk up the bleacher stares until she reached Peter. At her arrival, he began to stand up, balancing on a beam a few yards away. "Hi," Danielle greeted him, questioning his every move as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and attempted to look out onto the field, looking at anything but her.
"Hey," he replied simply, bowing his head and kicking his shoes on the bleachers some more.
"I didn't know you'd be up here..." she attempted to strike up a conversation. "You missed the subway." She wasn't sure how she had missed t before but she just now realized he hadn't been on the subway with her. Now she knew something was seriously wrong; he always rode the subway in the mornings.
Peter kept his haze fixated on the ground he kicked with the heel of his foot as he replied, "Uh, yeah... I know."
Danielle frowned and tilted her head slightly. "Is everything okay, Peter?" She asked, worry coating her tone.
"You tell me, Elle," Peter finally said forcefully, snapping his head up to look her in the eye. "Last night?" Danielle felt herself go numb. Had he seen her? Did he know about her powers, about Eris? "You ditched me at the Banquet last night," Peter finally clarified.
Danielle let out both a sigh of relief and a gasp of horror. "Oh..." she muttered, realization dawning on her. Oh God, oh God, oh God! She completely forgot about Peter at the Banquet! She forgot that he was going with her and that she left him there after she ran from the robbery scene. She had been so focused on whether or not anyone saw her and would match up the dress to it being her who saved Betty, she had completely forgotten about Peter.
"Oh, Peter, I-I forgot," she admit truthfully. "I didn't mean to leave you-"
"You went," Peter cut her off abruptly, and Danielle scrunched her face in confusion.
"...what?"
"I saw your Aunt Kate's car pull up outside when I was at the Banquet," Peter explained. "I was on my way to meet you in the front and you were just... gone." Danielle watched as her closest friend frowned down at the floor, his shoulders sagging in defeat. He looked like a broken hearted puppy and Danielle just wanted to hug him and apologize a million times over. God, she didn't mean for this to happen. She didn't realize how much her abandoning Peter meant until now.
Peter frowned and shook his head as he looked back up at Danielle with pain and hurt in his eyes, "You ditched me on purpose."
Danielle's eyes widened and her heart sunk. "What?! Peter, no, that's not – I didn't want to ditch you there-" She tried to explain, but Peter cut her off again.
"Then why did you? If you didn't want to go with me, you could have just said 'no'..." Peter stated, his gaze falling once again as his tone shifted from anger to sadness. "I mean... I would've understood if you just didn't want to be seen with me-"
"Peter," Danielle cut him off. "That's not at all what happened. You're my friend, I'd never think that way about you."
"Then why?" He asked. "Why'd you leave me there?"
"I... I..." Danielle froze. What was she supposed to say? She had nothing, nothing but the truth. Oh, but she couldn't tell Peter the truth... She wished she could, but she couldn't. But that look in his eyes. That sad, defeated, hurt look that was there because of her... why couldn't she just tell him?
Because she had a responsibility. If anyone knew about her powers, they'd become a target of HYDRA, the government, and anyone else seeking power by using Danielle and her abilities. She couldn't put Peter in danger that way, he mean too much to her.
She closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh before finally answering, "I can't tell you..."
When Danielle opened her eyes, all she saw was hurt and frustration as Peter spun around and clenched his fist angrily into the air. "You can't tell me anything, Elle!" He snapped, spinning back around to face her. "You-you ditch me at the Banquet, before that you ditched me at the Winter Formal. You disappear for weeks at a time and you keep so many secrets!"
"I mean, I get it. It's family problems," Peter continued. "But, Elle... You can talk to me. Just tell me what's going on with you. You have to let someone in," he practically begged, the silent pleas projected through his wide, brown eyes.
Danielle could only bite the inside of her cheek and shake her head, her heart chipping slightly as she repeated her previous statement, "I can't... I'm sorry, Peter, I just can't."
He nodded, calmly turning away from her as he stepped down from the beam he had been standing on for the majority of their conversation. She watched as he moved to pick up his backpack lying on the ground and pulling it on over his shoulders. He continued to ignore her until he was a few yards down the stairs, it was them that he turned towards her slightly, nothing but pain me betrayal in his voice as he said, "I'm sorry about whatever's going on with you... But I hope you figure it out, Danielle."
And just like that, Peter turned away and continued down the bleacher steps.
Danielle, however, was frozen in place. Her heart clenching at the way Peter called her 'Danielle'. He hadn't called her that sense they met... It was always 'Elle', 'Ellie', or just 'E', but never 'Danielle'. The way he gave her her own nickname, it always stuck with her. Se always thought of it as their trademark of friendship. But now that he was back to calling her 'Danielle', did the even make them friends anymore?
Oh, God... What had she done?
The rest of the day went by agonizingly slowly. Danielle could only carry the weight and guilt of hurting Peter around with her all day as she walked the halls. Her once happy and Brit morning filled with joy due to the fact that she had saved Betty and stopped a mugging, slowly morphed into nothing but a day of regret and remorse.
And the Universe didn't make it easy for Danielle either. Each class she had and each passing period she walked through, someone was talking about the events last night. Students whispering amongst themselves about how one of their very own, Betty Brant, had gotten saved by a possible Avenger, was like getting stabbed by tiny swords each time someone mentioned it. Instead of pride, all Danielle fel was angry at herself for choosing Eris over Peter.
But at the same time, Betty had needed help. What was Daielle supposed to do? Capture the guy and go back to the Banquet where Betty would immediately pinpoint Danielle in the dress and conclude that she had powers and she was Eris?
No. Danielle had to leave. No matter how much she was regretting it now that her and Peter were on rocky terms, Danielle would rather keep her friends safe and away from the crossfire of her crazy and harmful life than risk them getting hurt because Danielle didn't want to hurt her closest and one of her first normal friends.
It was the right choice. Not the choice that everyone was happy with in the end, but the right one. She did the right thing... At least she hoped so.
By the end of the day, the hype over the Banquet incident still hadn't subsided. In act, it was the main topic that day during soccer practice.
"Did you hear about what happened to Betty?"
"No way there was an Avenger in Queens."
"How tall was the guy that tried to mug her?"
"Do you think the Spider-Man knows the girl who saves Betty?"
And those were only among the few of the many things Danielle had to endure while getting dressed in the locker room, working out on the field, and practicing plays for almost two and a half hours.
It was a painful practice because not only was Danielle distracted by her teammates whispering about her alter-ego and the incident last night, but also the thought and memory of how hurt Peter was on the bleachers just off the side of the field she was playing on. She kept replaying that conversation in her head, wishing she had told him the truth, thinking up the scenarios of what would happen if she would have told him. Would it have been that bad? There was no telling in this dark, twisted, and cruel world they lived in.
By the end of practice, Danielle was tired, exhausted, and upset with herself. No one even cared about how glum she looked while changing back into her regular clothes after practice; everyone too busy talking with Betty on the other end of the locker room to care about upset ol' Danielle.
She was so upset and out of it, she hardly heard the pep speech Ashley gave the team about the playoff have the next day as she walked out of the locker roo, towards the most secluded area from it. Once she was out of sight, as usual, she banished and reappeared inside her and Sharon's apartment.
Once inside, she was greeted by Sharon. "How was school-"
"It was fine," Danielle answered hastily before she could finish her question, marching to her room in large, heavy steps before walking inside nd slamming the door behind her. Danielle was hoping Sharon would eventually get the hint – unlike most people – that she didn't want to be bothered. And thankfully, she did.
Danielle laid face-flat on her bed for hours on end until she finally poked her head up to stare out the window overlooking the city of New York. She knew, somewhere out there, Peter was probably lying on his bed regretting ever even meeting her. She couldn't help but think of his eyes and how hurt they were when she told him she couldn't tell him the truth. He probably hated her. No... She had not doubt that he did hate her, he had every right to.
Danielle let out a groan before dropping her head back into her comforter once again. She was content to just spending the rest of her evening there, soaking up her self-hatred and trying to keep her mind off of her argument with Peter that morning.
That was until a lightbulb went off inside her head. She jumped up off the bed and knelt down beside her bed, pushing her arm underneath the mattress until her hand grasped the handle of a box. With a single tug, a dark grey case came hurdling from under the bed directly in front of Danielle. A smirk tugged at her lips as she unclasped the locks on the case and popped it open. Inside was none other than her suit. The suit she had worn almost a year ago back in Sokovia.
It was similar to the newer uniform Tony and Jack had made for her after Sokovia to better fit her and match her colors, but this one was perfect for hiding in plain sight and staying in the shadows. It's dark, navy blue color would hide her perfectly, not to mention to signature gold mask will notify anyone that sees her of who she is — Eris, the Avenger.
Without second thoughts, Danielle pulled herself off the ground win her suit in hand and quickly changed in her walk-in closet. It was a tight fit (like most of her suits and suit prototypes Jack and Tony had her test out), but it felt comforting to be back in her old uniform. Nostalgic, almost.
Danielle quickly laced up her boots that went along with the catsuit and tied her hair up into a half-up-half-down do, leaving her bangs out to cover her face if necessary. Before slipping out of the window, Danielle made sure to leave her light on, pull her signature navy blue hoodie on over the top part of her suit, and shove the gold mask into her pocket.
Once she was out of the apartment window, she used the fire escape to climb her way up to the roof of the apartment building. When she was up there, it was like she were on top of the world. The New York City lights glowing all around her, the sounds of millions of people, the scent of fresh cool breeze blowing through her hair, and the exciting feeling Danielle got in her gut when she pulled on her gold mask, clasping both ends to the backs of her ears and letting it drape just below her chin in a triangular figure. This was it.
She slowly walked back a few paces on the roof, stopping when she felt she had a reasonable distance just before she dashed. She ran and ran and ran and suddenly launched herself off the top of the roof. A normal person falling off a roof would've screamed, cried out just before falling to their death, but luckily for her, Danielle was far from normal.
She caught herself in mid-air using her powers and allowing the invisible force to fly her to the building roof just across the street. When her feet hit the ground, it was the most satisfying feeling in the world to her. And she hadn't even gotten to the crime-fighting part.
Luckily, it didn't take long for her to catch wind of some trouble stirring in the Projects in Manhattan.
Danielle had been flying, jumping, and running from roof top to roof top, unseen by the night-time city goers below, when there were sounds of gun shots coming from the notorious apartment buildings a few clicks South. Danielle immediately thought better than to waste her time flying, and instead teleported herself to the area the gunshots had been fired from.
She found herself perched atop a drugstore just around the corner from where people were scrambling off the streets and into different buildings along the street. Danielle narrowed her eyes to find a group of men standing in the middle of the street, three bodies lying in their wake a few yards away from them. When she looked a little closer, she saw one of the men standing was holding a gun, the others holding only knives and box cutters. From the way they their jeans were hanging low, how their arms were covered in symbolic tattoos, and their bandanas we're covering their faces and scalps, Danielle could only assume these men were apart of a gang, and if she didn't step in now, things were going to get much worse.
Without a second thought, Danielle let her powers gracefully drop her to the dimly-lit sidewalk down the street before running across the pavement and slipping into the dark shadows leading to where the violent gang slowly advanced towards the three bodies lying on the ground.
At a closer glance, Danielle suddenly realized one of those bodies weren't as dead as she first thought.
The man bleeding out on the ground slowly lifted his upper body with a groan, his hand clutching at a place on his lower abdomen where the light from a nearby lamppost reflected on the crimson liquid spilling from the wound. He coughed and wheezed as he attempted to crawl away, but it was no use as one of the gang members walked over and kicked the wounded man right in his chest, subduing him and sending him into a fit of coughs and painful groans.
The man with the gun then stepped forward, a grim look etched to his features as he gestured to the man on the ground with the barrel of his gun. "You missed your monthly payment, Davis," he stated matter-of-factly.
The man on the ground – Davis – moaned. "I don't... I can't.." he coughed. "I can barely... pay my rent-GAH!"
Davis burst out into a withered cry of pain when the gunman pressed his boot down on his chest, pushing him down to the asphalt. "You ain't gonna be paying rent if you don't get me my money either," he growled.
"Alright! Alright!" Davis cried out as Danielle began to hatch a plan at how she would defuse the situation.
"I'll get you your money!"
What had Natasha, Sam, and Steve taught her about gunman situations months ago? Obviously get rid of the gun in the equation, scope out the other weapons... What came after that?
"It's a bit too late for that, Davis," the gunman sneered as he cocked the gun and aimed it towards the man on the floor who was begging and pleading in protest. Danielle still hadn't come up with a concrete plan, but realized she didn't have enough time before she ran out into the main area of the street.
Her first instinct and first action was to flick her wrist, prompting the gun to fly out of the gunman's hand to the opposite side of the street. It was then all of the gang members spun around to see her petite figure standing in a defensive post a few yards away.
"Aye, it's one of those freaks!" One of the men shouted as the rest of them began to brandish their weapons at her.
"You don't belong here, kid," the Gunman tilted his chin up and boasted his chest as he took a step towards her. "Beat it before you regret it."
Danielle's eyes darted from the Gunman, to the men around him, their knives and box cutters in hand, before her eyes finally landed on Davis lying on the ground, his hands still clutching at his open wound. She couldn't leave him, and something told her by the looks on these men's faces that they weren't going to leave him either... at least not alive.
Danielle slowly straightened her posture and held up her palms towards the group of men.
They stared at her in confusion before the weapons in their hands began to shake and vibrate. Just before any of them could drop the knives, they flew from their reach across the street along with the gun.
It was then that the group charged towards her.
Danielle easily manuevered her way past the first three men, knocking them aside with the flick of her wrist, pushing them with her invisible force through a nearby fence or a brick wall. But the rest quickly follows in suit, multiple fists being thrown at her and two many bodies to try and avoid. It came to the point where three men had ganged up on her, taking punches at her legs, her abdomen, her arms. She tried to fight them off, but she somehow managed to lose her footing and fell on the street, all of the gang members rushing over to kick her while she was down, all the while shouting profanities at her.
Danielle cried out and squirmed with each kick as she attempted to cover her face with her arms and curl up her knees in attempt to lessen the already numbing pain.
The men were relentless, kicking, shouting, screaming. With each kick she slowly grew even more scared and frustrated and angry, until she finally snapped.
Her once brown eyes snapped open to reveal a bright glowing yellow gleam in her irises. A scream ripped from her core and her arms pushed outwards. All the men around her yelled out as they all were launched into different directions by the screaming girl.
When Danielle realized what she had done, she looked around at the damage. Many of the men dashed away in fear, while a given few laid curled up on the ground in pain from the forceful impact Danielle had unleashed on them.
As she watched the main Gunman writhe in pain, her mind quickly retreated back to the man bleeding out a few yards away.
Despite how sore and numb her body felt, Danielle pulled herself to her feet and ran towards Davis. He wasn't looking too good, his dark skin growing lighter as his etelids became heavy and the hand putting pressure on his gunshot wound became limp.
"No, no, no, no, no..." Danielle cursed as she fell to her knees beside the man, lifting him slightly so she could out pressure on the wound. She knew from the classes she had taken at school and the first aid training Sam had taught her, that if she didn't put more pressure on it he was going to die. "Oh God..."
Davis coughed in response, shifting his entire body prompting him to wince and groan in pain.
"Just stay calm," Danielle told him in a near-whisper voice as she struggled to keep the blood from pulling out of his body, soaking her hands. "What's your name?" She asked him.
"A-Aaron... Aaron Davis," he answered, his voice cracking and trembling. "A-am I going to die?"
"N-no," Danielle answered in an equally scared tone. "No," she repeated more firmly as she pressed down harder. "You're going to be fine." He wasn't going to be fine, especially if she couldn't get this wound closed.
She needed some sort of cloth, something to soak up the blood...
Her eyes darted everywhere, but it seemed all the gang members had gone already, leaving Danielle empty handed. She needed something and she needed it fast...
An idea suddenly hit her when a gust of wind blew through her hair, pulling the mask she wore concealing the bottom part of her face down to her chin slightly. That was it! The mask! But... if she took off the mask, he'd know who she was. Danielle had to think to herself: what was more important, his life or her identity?
Without another thought, Danielle tugged off her mask and pressed the golden cloth to the wound. She watched as Aaron Davis visibly flinched and the crimson ooze bled into her signature mask. She hoped to God no one was around to see her without the mask off.
"You're going to be okay," she whispered to Aaron. "You're going to be okay..."
Soon, the sounds of ambulance sirens and police cars echoed through the streets, getting closer and closer with each cry. Danielle had to leave, and fast if she didn't wan to get caught.
The moment the ambulance turned the corner onto the street, Eris had vanished, the mask covering Aaron Davis's wound gone. But from the shadows, the masked vigilante watched as the EMT's picked up the man she had saved and took him to the ambulance, speeding out of there towards whatever hospital they could.
Danielle smirked slightly and let out a sigh of contentment. She had saved a life.
A/N: Oof, news. So many things have happened since I last updated. One thing, the girl who played Hannah Baker was totally casted as Kate Bishop and no one can convince me otherwise. And two, the Russo Brothers really did just give us a whole countdown clock until Avengers 4 (and I totally have the tab open on my phone at all times).
Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter. Let me know what you think about the Peter/Dani argument or the fact that Danielle is now officially a vigilante who really needs to work on her shit. Also, Happy Veterans Day to those here in the U.S. and thank you for your service if you're a veteran!
Chapter song: Superhero by Lauv for the Dani/Peter argument and Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons for Eris v. Gang members fight.
Incorrect Quote of the Chapter:
Dani: Ned, tell Peter he's an idiot, but I still love him.
Ned: Why don't you tell him yourself?
Dani: We're in a fight.
Ned: You're sitting on his lap.
Dani: ...
Peter: ...
Ned: ...
