The Night Before Life Goes On
Penny zoned out as her family and Matt traded information on Kilgrave, including his real name being Kevin Thompson and the fact that he should be dead. Penny only added in what she could remember, she'd first meet him outside of her school and she was kept in a bedroom in a penthouse.
Matt squeezed her hand as everyone left the room, she hopped up kissing his cheek before heading to the kitchen for water.
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Matt listened as Penny left, her footfalls light. Especially compared to the footsteps approaching behind him. Apparently Captian America wanted to talk with him the older man stopped and cleared his throat.
"I'll show you to an extra room." Matt wasn't surprised that Cap didn't want him staying with Penny. "We can talk more on the way there."
"Yes, sir." Matt moved to go tell Penny that he was leaving when Steve gripped his shoulder.
"Penelope I'm borrowing Murdock for a bit."
Matt prepared himself for a ... interesting conversation. He followed Steve, who still rested a hand on Matt's shoulder, to the elevator.
"I don't approve of you dating my daughter." Matt almost cringed, as Rodgers cut straight to the point. "She just entered college, you're a lawyer. The two of you are at two different places in your life."
"In all respect sir, I don't think it matters as much as you seem to think. Penny is far more mature than others her age, not to mention she isn't a child. She twenty, fully capable of making her own choices." Matt knew that the age gap was rather large but it was something the two had actually talked about in the beginning.
Steve seemed to ignore him.
"Not to mention you are putting her in danger, this wouldn't have happened if she wasn't associated with you and Ms. Jones. She would be stressed about exams and school not chasing down some serial rapist."
Matt wanted to point out that Penny was Spider before he'd ever meet her, hell that's how they meet in the first place, but he figured it wouldn't do any good. The elevator dinged and the door opened allowing another person to step in, Matt could more clearly hear the buzz of Barton's hearing aid in the suffocating silence.
"I hope you're not giving him a hard time Steve. I mean he should be getting back to Pen soon." Matt exited the elevator as Clint called the one beside it. "Pen's waiting for you, penthouse floor"
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Clint finished with Matt and turned to Steve.
"You can't blame him for this." Clint pulled Steve into the foyer.
"Kevin went after her because Penny was close to Jones, she met Jones because of Murdock." Clint knew Steve would do this, unable to lay into Kevin Thompson he would turn to the lesser problem, which was Matt's relationship with Penny.
"She'd still be spending her time chasing men like Kevin though." He brushed his fingers through the hair at the nape of Steve's neck. "We taught her to stand up against people like him, we can't tell her not to do things that we have done all our lives. Things her siblings do."
Clint does hate that she never told them, hadn't come to them for help in her heroic life. But they let Wanda and Petro work as heroes so they had no right to tell Penny she couldn't do so.
"But we have training! The twins are training, they trained for a year before we let them out in the field." Steve argued, his fists clenched at his side.
"She seems to be training with Murdock, not to mention from what's been on the news, she's damn good with those web shooters. Murdock and Jones aren't the ones we should be anger at."
"Clint, she- she's hurt and we can't take that pain away. I - we didn't protector her." Steve's shoulders slumped down. "How could- our little girl." Clint pulled Steve to him allowing the man to hide in his embrace.
-----
Penny hugged Sam as her uncle bid her good night, smiling as arms wrapped around her waist. Matt's touch was as comforting as always.
"Did papa C save you? Pops can get protective."
"He wants you to be safe, it's understandable."
She chuckled a little turning in his arms facing him she nuzzled her nose against his, before gently kissing him, enjoying the lazy way they kissed. No pressure to take anything further, just affection and love.
Penny slipped her tongue into his mouth, feeling the familiar warmth that he caused in her spread through her body, felt it sink into her bones and coarse in her veins. She smiled into the kiss, this feeling had been absent since her encounter with Castle.
She took his hand and pulled him into her room, Penny would rather not have her family find her making out with her boyfriend.
Penny pushed him down on the bed before flopping down beside him, linking their fingers together she pulled him to lay beside her. Making the first move, once again, she kissed him. Matt let go of her hand, running his hand through her hair playing with the ends of it.
She smiled as they kissed, happy to be held in this moment, away from what happened.
Penny knew that she wasn't ready to do much else, even if she knew that Matt would never hurt her. She pulled away from the kiss snuggling close to him.
"We should get out there." She said with no real conviction in her voice, plus she didn't really think her family would let her leave the tower.
"Tomorrow, Penny." He tucked her closer to him, giving a huff of a laugh as she yawned. "Sleep okay."
-end-