Work Text:
Of Moments in Between
Everyone did stupid things sometimes. It was a fact of life. But sometimes, his choices were so dumb they surprised even himself, and he has done many crazy things.
The floor was filthy. It clearly hasn't been cleaned for months, possibly longer. Having that in mind, it raised the question: Why was Tony Stark squatting on a filthy floor of a prehistoric apartment building in Brooklyn? Nobody forced him; there was no gun pointed at his head. He hadn't seen a soul since coming in. That was apart from Lewis when she opened the door. Their encounter was so brief that he hadn't even had a chance to open his mouth and respond to her not-so-subtle death threat. His reaction time generally was much better. He just didn't expect it. Pepper said that Lewis had been receptive. It made him optimistic! So much so that he decided to check it out. In hindsight, that might have been premature.
On the upside, her new dressing gown was striking. That one-second glimpse made quite an impression. Regal simplicity. Very fitting for the Queen Bitch that Lewis had turned into this evening.
Tony always thought that the snarky edge she possessed was her main selling point. Yes, he even ranked it higher than the distinct hourglass figure she rocked. People would be terribly surprised if he ever said that out loud. He had never seen the point of limiting oneself to a singular definition of beauty.
Was he losing his touch? Or was Lewis just immune to his charm? Then again, if the woman could leave Bruce and those hurt puppy dog eyes, there was no telling what she was capable of.
"This is stupid." The empty hallway had no response to the statement.
It was hard to decide how he felt about Lewis' flare for the dramatics. It was great in the Tower where it worked in his favour. Sitting here gave quite a different perspective. The unfortunate conclusion was that he still enjoyed it. She kept him on his toes. Lewis was spicy. She had the right kind of attitude to get things done when the circumstances were stacked against her. Perseverance was undervalued quality. There was depth in the woman.
This situation was annoying. Doing things solved problems, not sitting on your backside like a petulant child. Tony once again pulled out his phone, stared at it, and put it away with a huff. Last night had ended on a friendly note. It was one of few things that he was sure of right now. What changed?
Was she territorial? Was she still offended? A tension headache was spreading like wildfire. He needed a drink. There was no reason to care this much. He should get up before he ended up needing inoculation from whatever diseases bred on these floors and give less fucks.
But Bruce was waiting for news, Cap texted him asking for an update, and the man hated texting. Too impersonal, apparently. Didn't they have telegrams back in the day, or was it still smoke signals?
If Lewis were to choose not to return, the Tower wasn't going crumble to dust. Eventually, everyone would move on with their lives. That was the great thing about life; it persevered. A bit like him.
Something small and furry scurried along the corridor, which had Tony back on his feet in a flash. He drew the line at visible vermin. All he needed was a way into the apartment. One that wouldn't get him killed. He could do that.
Have you ever thought, 'I shouldn't have done that.' right after doing something most people considered ill-advised?
Darcy stood facing the now firmly shut door, acutely aware of the uninvited guest she left on the other side. It would probably do her good to maybe see a therapist at some point about this defensive anger issue.
‘Hasn't the last 24 hours been just fucking fantastic?’
Darcy remained rooted to the spot, listening. It was too quiet. Did he leave? He should have gone. All Stark did was knock on the door, and she nearly bit his head off. That was just plain rude of her, regardless of what he might have come for.
Maybe she was hungry? Darcy returned to bed and made herself comfortable on the mountain of cushions. Everything was irritating her. She didn't need to be a genius to recognize fatigue. That shit was dangerous. After years of preventing Jane from doing stupid things on science binges, Darcy knew the signs.
Minutes dragged on. Thankfully no one was beating the door down in indignation; Darcy took it as a sign that Stark was gone and had taken with him whatever he wanted to say to her. It was time to get some food and rest. Emotional and mental exhaustion took a while to clear. That was a fact, and there wasn't long left until she had to be at the new office all bushy-tailed and bright-eyed.
For dinner, she decided on Italian Pizza. Thin crust, wood-fired, extra mozzarella instead of the red sauce for the base, more cured meat in the form of prosciutto, and mushrooms, and she couldn't forget olives. The first time she had it was in London. So simple, yet so good. She hadn't had a takeaway since moving in here. It was a well-justified indulgence. Plus, you never knew when she was going to snap and kill someone for knocking on her door. Correctional institutions had appalling food.
The earlier interaction with CEO was still circling in her brain when the knock announced the arrival of her dinner. It was so soft that Darcy nearly missed it, was nearly apologetic. It was safe to say it wasn't Stark. Food was going to calm her down. It always had that almost magic quality. Everything was better with a belly full of cheese.
Darcy was generally prepared for many things, but not seeing Tony Stark argue with the delivery boy. Her jaw instinctively locked for a second to prevent her colourful opinion of this development from escaping.
"Tell him to hand it over, Lewis." Stark emitted entitlement. It surrounded the man like the warm haze of a fresh fart. Maybe being hangry wasn't the reason for her earlier reaction after all.
She should have known that something like a bit of attitude wouldn't get rid of him. Otherwise, the man wouldn't have risen so far in life. But that was the dude's problem, not hers. Right now, she was hungry and tired. Darcy's intention was to deal with those issues precisely in that order. Tony Stark could take himself elsewhere while she did.
"Are … you ok, Miss L? I have your Pizza."
When Darcy described the delivery guy as a boy, she wasn't condescending. The guy was the very definition of teenage years. Weird haircut, lanky, an awkward stance indicating he hasn't gotten used to his own height yet. And, of course, the pimples. Not to mention the general aura of teenage angst enhanced by his inability to keep eye contact. But despite all that, he did not hand over the pizza to some random stranger. There were a couple of crumpled bills littering the floor. Stark had tried going the tested route of throwing money at the problem. What was his plan? Hold her dinner hostage? That would have been a bad, bad idea.
‘Steady, Darcy, steady. There are witnesses present. Deep breath, smile. You can do this.’
"Awesome, just what I ordered. What's your name?" Whatever was going down, there was no need to drag anyone else into whatever the fuck was wrong with Stark today.
"Mike."
"Thank you, Mike. Tony, tip him."
Never one to miss an opportunity to bitch about someone, the billionaire went at it. "He had his chance. All I wanted-"
"Right!" The smile spread wider across her face. Losing the previous friendliness. "Hot Rod. Let me explain how this will go because you're not feeling the vibe of this situation. Firstly, you'll tip. Then, apologize for your behaviour because Mike, here, did an awesome job of not leaving a lone woman with a manic-looking rando. So, what do we say in this situation?"
"I'm not a random person! You don't slam doors in random people's faces for knocking-" It might have been the murder in her eyes that made him stop, or maybe his better judgement prevailing. It was hard to say. All she could say was that his recovery time was impressive. "I got this. Mandy, great job. Your mother will be proud of you one day." Stark yanked the boxes after putting the bills into Mike's extended hand. Not the ones from the floor. Those were still there. Guess Mike was going to get extra tips.
The three of them stood there stubbornly, refusing to admit the blatant weirdness of the situation. Until finally, Darcy couldn't ignore the delicious scents emanating from the boxes now firmly in possession of one Tony Stark. She probably should deal with that.
"Mike, great job. Stay awesome and drive safely." Pizza boy attempted to object to Stark staying, but Darcy waved him off with a smile. If someone was in danger tonight, it sure wasn't her.
Darcy motioned where to put the food while she got the plates out. Originally the intention was just to stuff her face while resting on the bed. "Why’re you back anyway?”
“I haven’t left.”
“Ok.” Stark had a bright and plasticky customer service smile on, the one she had seen in the mirror way too much. Couldn’t he be miserable at his own place? This sucked. This has been an emotionally challenging 24 hours. “I get defensive when people try to exert undue pressure on me in my personal space. So… yeah.” It was not quite an apology, but it was an explanation at least. The man now seated opposite her deserved that if nothing else. ‘Maybe he will see reason and leave….’ The thought made her snort.
“Best intentions, hey? Pepper was feeling positive about your earlier meeting.” That made sense. Stark matched her tone of voice. It was polite but not to the point of being apologetic.
“I haven’t seen anyone work it the way she does.” Virginia Potts deserved her position, and if anyone was ever going to doubt that Darcy was prepared to fight them. “And she worked it hard. I’m still processing it.” Temptation wasn’t the best influence when making essential choices. Darcy has never been offered that much money.
“Understood.”
“What?” Darcy did a double-take that he ignored. That was it? Honestly, she expected way more objection. “Ok…” ‘I think this is a real-life example of “This meeting could have been an email.” What now, then?’
Stark kept eyeballing her small apartment, showing no signs that he might leave. The cheap linoleum covering the floor in the entire flat didn’t meet his standard of approval from the look of disdain it received. “So, what you been up to this evening?”
Darcy regretted not giving into her earlier urge of snatching the pies and slamming the door in the man’s face. Yes, she’s interacted with him before, but not like this, not without any pressing matters driving the interaction. What did billionaires do in their spare time anyway?
‘Fuck my life.’ One moment she regretted being impulsive, the other not being impulse enough. ‘This is fucked up. Is there any more wine left?’ From the way Stark settled in, she was going to need it.
“Relaxing.” The thing about her life was that when she wasn’t in the orbit of super people, she lived an ordinary life. It was average and unexciting. The kind you didn’t go around telling people about. A far cry from this man was used to.
“I love what you’ve done with the place, Shorty.”
“You do remember you were here last night, right?”
“It must have grown on me while I was away…. Should probably have that checked out.”
The last part was partly uttered under his breath. One of those comments that meant to be heard but denied if questioned. Well, it didn’t take long to get under Darcy's skin. It cost her a lot of money to make this place comfortable.
“Leaving already? What a shame.” She could be just as snarky. Tony Stark wasn’t the only person on this planet fluent in sarcasm. A wry smile and dry chuckle were his response.
“I do like it. Compact places have their benefits.”
“I love how you make something sound like an insult and a compliment at the same time. A great skill that. Makes you sound like a total twat.” On some level, Darcy was aware that she could elect to be nice, but that sounded like effort, and this was much more fun. Nothing improved your mood as well as a bit of bitching. It was like cold medicine for the soul. A balm for the jaded. Another way for an idiot like her to get into trouble.
“Only if you pick up on it, and that’s rare.” Stark helped himself to the steaming pizza while he said that.
“Is it? Really? ” The second those words left her mouth Darcy remembered that generally, people were dumb. It could very well be the truth. With fading faith in humanity, Darcy got herself a slice. There was something magnificent and comforting about a fresh hot pizza pie.
“Uhu. Shh-hawt. Be careful.” One thing that Tony Stark had that Darcy aspired to possess one day, apart from bags of money, was the man’s ability to adapt quickly. Here he was, in her apartment, acting like eating pizza together was tonight’s grand plan all along. “The cheese is molten. But delicious. Good choice.”
Darcy watched him consume the entire piece before she had taken her second bite. There were things she could choose to do. Let him finish eating and politely request the man to leave. A move that was dictated by reason.
Tony Stark wasn’t Jane. But the problem was that no one was Jane, and right now, if she was perfectly honest, she was lonely. The realization came somewhere between the angry moving and her first day in the new office. People had relationships, friends. Darcy Lewis had spent years following Jane around, there were no regrets there, but it was difficult making and keeping friends when you couldn’t talk about most of the things you did. Maybe she could have found some at the Tower, but alas, that was not to be.
“Thanks.” Maybe she could pretend for tonight. Pretend that there were no pressing issues, no important decisions to make, pretend that she wasn’t scared of choosing wrong. Just tonight, in her tiny flat, there was no rush. “Do you like Jurassic Park?”
“We’re talking the classic, right?”
Tony wasn’t a stalker. Regardless of how someone could interpret him standing at the foot of Lewis’s bed in the middle of the night, watching her sleep. Right. He was leaving... In a minute. It was the pizza; gluten made him sluggish. He just needed a second to figure out what was preventing him from leaving.
“This situation is already weird; please don’t make it awkward.” The voice made him jump. An unintentionally sharp voice whispered in the semi-darkness. The brunette slowly sat up. The scene reminded him of something from the discovery channel where a fragile butterfly emerged from the safety of its cocoon. Except this version was all snark and attitude. Nature was amazing.
“It’s not, I wasn’t, I was just….” What was he doing? It was nearly four in the morning, and he was standing there like a child caught doing something naughty. Seconds ticked away while they watched each other. They had eaten pizza, drank cheap soda, and fallen asleep watching dinosaurs running around on her laptop screen. It wasn’t the plan, but once again, stubbornness got the better of him. He stuck around like bad breath. Unsure of what he was trying to prove. Not that it seemed to bother his host in the slightest as if they were playing make-believe. Instead of knights and valiant quests, they roleplayed two normal, tired adults with nowhere else to be. Why was he feeling guilty for enjoying it?
“You got places to be, I get it.” That’s his cue. It was time to bid her goodbye and go. Right now. Right out the door. That was what was going to happen… In a moment or two. He totally was going to. He cleared his throat.
“Not right now. I do sleep, you know.” Lame. Tony tried hard not to cringe at himself. What was he saying? This wasn’t a one-night stand situation. He wasn’t caught hastily pulling his pants up to sneak out. They haven’t done anything apart from snarking at each and consuming too much cheese.
“Funny, you look awake. Or maybe I’m not.”
“Looks can be deceiving. Have you ever noticed-”
Even with the lack of light, Tony could make out the grimace. Lewis did have a knack for seeing complications coming her way. “Stark lets not-“
“Call me Tony, please.” Keeping in mind their brief but eventful history, it was way overdue. Tony gave his best-winning smile and hoped that he didn’t look like a complete psycho. “I spent the last few hours drooling on your comforter. Surprisingly absorbent. Cotton?”
The woman wasn’t having any of it. “Man, what are you doing?”
“That’s an excellent question.” And Tony didn’t have the foggiest idea how to answer that. So he smiled and acted confident. That did the trick in the majority of situations.
“Can you do it somewhere else while I go back to sleep?” The irritation in her voice had replaced the sleepy grogginess. Shame, it was pretty endearing.
“I will. Just want to ask you a question before I go.” It wasn’t his fault that his mind had a tendency to fixate on incomplete information.
“Of course, you do. Because it was going way too smoothly tonight, wasn’t it? Well, go on then. It’s a new day; I might as well start it annoyed. Why break the habit, right?”
“You should be more open-minded. Maybe it’s a simple question?” Pushing the envelope that tad bit further was a temptation he couldn’t just resist. Believe it or not, that was a toned-down version of what was on his tongue.
Shorty saw right through it. “Is it?”
“In a manner of speaking.” One could theorize extensively what could be defined as a simple question. For example, a simple question could be: why he did he look at her hands? Dainty, neatly trimmed and manicured. They were perfectly proportionate for her stature. He did not have a thing for elegant hands, but she had an attractive pair. One of them was propping the messy head as she gave him the stink eye. Could she even see him with poor light and no glasses on, or was she aiming it in the general direction of the noise?
“It’s not, then. Hurry up.”
And he had a go. “How come you didn’t get credits for the extra science classes you took? You passed the exams. There’re records.” The last bit made him sound defensive. Of course, there were bleeding records. How else would he find out about them?
“I did get six credits.” Glasses went back onto a pretty button nose. Suddenly she needed to see him. Yeah, he was on to something. The attempt to dismiss the enquiry was well acted. Not too much information offered, voice steady. What do you know? Darcy Lewis had a mean poker face, after all.
“The advanced classes you took after that. One could assume, and it’s just a guess, that you tried switching majors.” Oh, he would bet hard money on the fact that it was precisely that. Those weren’t just good results. They were excellent, and he had a high bar where it came to academics. It just made no sense. No one put in that much effort just to do nothing with it after, not while working for someone like Foster. ‘Especially not while working for Foster.’
“And?” Another dismissal. Just her eyes were sharp and fixated on him. It smelled like a secret.
Everyone had at least one of those, right? It really shouldn’t have been bothering him this much. Not when getting her back on board was supposed to be his main priority. Once Tony started digging for information, he just couldn’t stop.
“You’re good.”
“It’s starting to sound a lot less like a compliment and more like an accusation. Make your point.” You could always tell that you were getting closer to the truth by how hostile people got. The air got chilly. It’s a good thing he was dressed; one could get frostbite if he wasn’t careful.
“With those scores, you could have double majored. Why didn’t you?”
“Politics.” Another one-word reply, a massive red flag for a person that loved to run her mouth.
Tony pressed on, albeit gently in an effort not to sound too eager. “Politics?”
“Sta-Tony, yes, politics. Wrong time, wrong place, asshole in charge. My experience doesn’t transfer well onto paper that hasn’t been rubber-stamped by Fury.” Brilliant diversion. He was going to give her that. It contributed no new information that could answer the original question. Fine. He could play along.
“Why didn’t you go to work for SHIELD?”
“Can’t afford it. The pay rate there is shocking. I know justice is expensive, but so is living.” That flying fortress cost a fortune. Everyone cut costs somewhere.
“So why didn’t you go for Master’s at some other school?”
“Because of reasons.” If he ever needed anyone to keep his secrets, he was going to choose her. Right now though, he wasn’t enjoying their little game.
“… and those are?”
A nonchalant shrug was her response again, and it made him hang his head for a moment. What Tony had always hated was wasted potential. Darcy Lewis wasn’t a quitter. That kind of education was an asset. You marketed and milked it. The woman he knew was too rational to not use something like that to her advantage, except that she didn’t. Sure, not everything works out in life, you try different things, but no one takes Advance Physics to waste some time. That’s what alcohol was invented for.
“It’s rude to leave a man hanging.”
“Uhuh. Criminal even.” The young woman slowly sank back into the comfort of the bed. “Make sure you shut the door properly and don’t speak to strangers on the way home.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” He was being not so subtly kicked out. Instead of leaving, he dragged one of the kitchen chairs to sit next to the bed. They needed to level up or down. There must be a way to weasel the information out of her. “Now, how important is science to you on a scale from 1 to I’ll give you 24 hours in my lab to do anything you want. Within reason, of course.”
“Unbelievable. You’re such a dickhead.”
‘The Lady doth protest too much, methinks.’ “It’s a great offer! You know how many people would kill for a chance like that?”
Finally, after another pause and with an angry huff, she re-emerged from the safety of her cozy cocoon. “So, you’re rocking up to the sleep-deprived ex-employee with a serious anger management problem to test the theory? Brilliant, Antonio. How the fuck are you still alive?”
“It’s just Tony. It’s been a struggle, but I’m managing. I thought you would want that.” He knew that she knew that he knew that it would interest her. Because physics was an acquired taste, but once you had it, you craved it. Oh yes, he knew what he offered.
“If I knew what I wanted, I wouldn’t have fucking let you in the door tonight. You’re trying to sway me, and it’s not fair.” It was his turn to shrug at the accusation. Once again, she wasn’t wrong.
“Show me one thing in life that’s fair, Darcy. I’ll wait. Is my offer underhanded? Maybe.” Tony conceded to the ambiguous steps he was taking towards success. You didn’t just leave important matters to resolve themselves. There was too much at stake. “It’s only because we both know you want to return. I can tell. It’s a job that comes with perks that make the shit you deal with worth it.”
“You’re a pain.” It was a sentiment shared by many. It was his turn to shrug.
“Let’s not start listing things we’ve got in common; the night isn’t long enough, my sweet little vixen. Something occurred –” Loud thuds from upstairs made him jerk. That was what woke him up earlier. If that hadn’t happened, he would still be soundly asleep. “Do they train elephants up there?”
Lewis was unphased. “Pedro can’t sleep sometimes, so he exercises to release some energy. Nice dude. Fireman. Amazing the stuff that can you get used to. So, what occurred to you? That you’ve been way too involved in my life?” That might have crossed his mind. Considering the length of time they had known each other, he wasn’t supposed to be here, at her bedside, playing 20 questions. She shouldn’t let him be there, and that was a whole other complication to deal with later. “That occurred to me too, but before I fell asleep while watching you wrap yourself in my throw like a sexy burrito.” Pedro should get a new hobby, and he wasn’t going to dwell on the sudden attachment he had developed to her. There was now also an issue of being called a sexy burrito. But that, unfortunately, would have to wait.
Tony cleared his throat for the tenth time in the last ten minutes. “You were an intern and assistant then a P.A, Dr. Foster’s right hand in everything. I had the pleasure of meeting her a few times. Point Break’s snagged one of our brightest minds.”
“Shocker, I didn’t know any of that-” Lewis rolled her eyes so hard that he felt it rather than saw it.
“Humour me. Your sassy self went from making circles on the mental Nascar to granny lane overnight, where you came to a complete standstill. All that energy bottled up with nowhere to go. That’s a dangerous position to find yourself in with a determined mind like yours. The cherry on this shit pie, of course, was your so-called boss and all our misplaced good intentions.”
Darcy Lewis sighed in annoyance and disappeared under the duvet for a moment before angrily pushing it away and getting out of bed. The lovely gown still wrapped tightly around her. “It’s official. We’ve definitely been spending too much time together.”
The downside of an analytical mind was the compulsion to look for solutions. Once again, Stark jumped right in. “Now we know the problem-”
“We don’t. We really don’t. What if I’m just an angry, petty person? What if it’s just me? What if I need this change of pace?”
“You’re not-” His reassurance was cut off when the bathroom door shut behind her, leaving him to stand alone on the other side. It seemed to be a theme of the night. The only light was coming from the small table lamp Darcy left on after falling asleep. Dark enough to be relaxing but light enough that he could still get his bearings when he woke up. The thing with her was that Shorty set boundaries, yeah, she was sassy and bitchy, but everything was at an arm’s length. A safe distance. A professional courtesy. Protection for all parties involved. That was why he was there. It was safe to be there. It was safe to relax, joke and flirt.
Everyone has fears. Darcy Lewis was no exception. Insecurity with her own temper wasn’t what he would have guessed from how the woman used it to do her job.
The sound of the toilet flushing was loud and intrusive. The sink caterwauled like someone being strangled.
He’s been in this apartment for a few hours now, and it stopped growing on him. That’s why he built his own place. Soundproofing. Finally, the door opened.
The worst thing about this situation was that he knew how she felt. “Being pissed off is not a terminal condition, Darcy. It comes, it passes.” He intended to give her a hug at some point, but it turned into an awkward pat on the shoulders. “It definitely passes.” He’s been on that roller-coaster so many times, occasionally he’d forgotten that there was another way to live. So, they stood there, looking at each other.
“So why is it eating at me?”
“Because angry is a dirty word. Like sex and money. It’s indecent. We’re expected to feel guilty and ashamed. It makes the situation unsurprisingly worse.”
“Just… fuck. Tony… Why is it so damn hard? I-” The frustration emanated from her in waves. Suppressed emotions had a habit of creeping up on you when you least expected it. He would know.
“Take a break. You need another perspective.”
“I just started this job-”
“Two weeks, Darcy, you don’t even have to put it on your CV if you decide not to return to us. Do you really think going into that quiet, mundane office is going to make your rage magically disappear?” The idea alone wasn’t so much stupid as frightening. People snapped. Bad things happened; Lewis knew enough to build a decent bomb. And sometimes, under pressure, the idea to set everything alight could get highly tempting. “That’s not how it works, Shorty. That’s not how we work.”
“I’m not you-”
“And thank fuck for that. Why on Earth would I want another of me around? No one wants that!”
Lewis grinned. “Too much perfection in one place?”
“Precisely!” That came out before his brain caught up. “No. Maybe. I prefer you anyway. The person that’s been over the rainbow bridge and feasted with Kings and Gods. It all sounds way more exciting. Take a break.”
“To realize how much I need to come back to Dr. Banner?” Hopefully, but they were in uncharted territory now.
“To screw your head back on before you turned into a supervillain. You know too many of our weaknesses; we can’t afford it.” He was only half-joking. The last thing they needed was for her to end up working for someone like Hammer. Lewis was way too brilliant for that, but her resentment of the situation coupled with a shitty 9-5 that didn’t suit her could morph into countless unpleasant results.
The joke finally cracked the frown that appeared to have permanently marred her fair face. Shorty laughed, and in return, it dispersed some of the tension that had gathered in his shoulders. Their heated voices dropped to a level that was appropriate for the late hour.
“Supervillain? Ok. I know I really shouldn’t be, but I’m flattered.” Lewis pocked him in the chest before returning to bed. The brief physical contact got rid of the slight unease the discussion had created. She had shared something deeply personal.
“You would look amazing in something tight and low cut.” Yes, his mouth opened, and instead of saying something encouraging, a half-assed compliment came out. This wasn’t supposed to be hard. He had been gaining good ground! Lewis just laughed at him again. She knew what he meant. That was a relief. “See? That’s another reason you can’t turn evil. How would we resolve our sexual tension? Me frolicking with the enemy would just crush the good publicity built around the Avengers. That’s it; you can’t turn evil.”
“Bit of a long shot between me needing a few days of rest and attempting to take over the world, wouldn’t you say?”
“You already know what you would want out of it. We can’t have that.”
“I would rule fairly.”
“Yes, you would. But it’s a thankless job, and you would never ever get another holiday.” In his book, that is a big NO.
“Well, then it’s settled. The idea of working on my tan while sipping margaritas saved the word.”
“Actually, it was my idea, but tonight I’m inclined to share the credit.”
“I think I need to lay down before I fall over. The generosity has me floored. It’s just too much.”
“Regarding-”
Darcy groaned loudly and repeatedly while Tony tried to finish his sentence, drowning the words out with her audible displeasure. Now he just stood with his hands crossed, looking peeved.
“All your concerns are noted. I’ll email Miss Potts with my decision on Monday. You’re cute, but it’s getting annoying. Want to shut up, get into bed and sleep till noon? “
“I’m usually not that easy. I generally at least get a drink.”
“Fair play. You can make me coffee tomorrow. I like it milky with one sugar.”
“That’s not how-“
“Take it, or leave it, Tony.”
“I’ll take it.”
She really should have known better than to let Tony Stark pass out on her bed. Why was it so easy to pretend that nothing was wrong? Why did she want to? Why was she chasing this idea of normality when her life hasn’t seen any of that for years? Where was this confidence coming from whenever she was in a room with him?
‘Let’s have a sleepover! Sure! Hop in, Tony. It’s not in any way wrong or weird. Fuck this and me and my dead ass brain for letting me say shit like that.’
How dare Tony be so damn right about all those things she was too scared to say out loud. Anger was a dirty word. Nearly as much as non-sexual intimacy. Like two strangers sharing a bed, not for sex. It implied trust. That was a risky path to go down. Darcy stiffened for a moment until her company made himself comfortable next to her. The bed was big enough for them to be comfortable and not be touching.
This was the mother of all bad ideas. Like many things that had happened to her lately, it was a problem for the morning. Now all she wanted was some sleep and not wonder what happened to that fresh-faced, optimistic, shy young woman that travelled to New Mexico all those years ago.
Greeting, my lovely peeps! Hope you all are keeping safe and healthy. Life been getting in the way but I'm trying to keep writing.
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