Little changed for Darcy in the weeks following Leita’s addition to their tiny household. She grew accustomed to his presence and his overly formal ways, coaching him here and there to ensure he picked up on some of the most commonly used slang. Her distrust vanished deep into the second week, though she occasionally wondered where he acquired the funds for such expensive clothing. It seemed SHIELD had left him with nothing but an amply funded bank account.
Any and all attempts to coax him into casual wear had been met with a flat stare and no success. She’d even taken to leaving little gifts in his room – a dark green Henley, a sweatshirt bearing the name of her favorite NFL team, even a plain t-shirt with the words ‘Mad Science’ emblazoned across the chest – but as far as she knew, he could have been tossing them in the trash. She never ventured into his room for longer than it took to drop the shopping bag on his bed and leave.
With the bulk of his time, both personal and professional, spent in her company, Darcy suspected briefly that he had developed a crush on her. Paying slightly closer attention to him for the following week proved that she was imagining things, but also allowed her to track his weight loss, note his lack of appetite. Amusement and a developing mutual interest were replaced by concern, and her presents came in the form of various snacks and treats. PopTarts, to see if he enjoyed them as much as Thor; chocolate covered caramels to determine if he shared her passion for them. Leita was slim to begin with; he could ill afford to lose additional weight.
It continued long enough that she vowed she’d confront him, though she wasn’t entirely sure how to go about it. Eating disorders were common enough in women, and Jane herself often forgot to eat if Darcy didn’t follow her around shoving food under her nose, but she had no idea how prevalent it was in men, or what the cause might be. He was attractive, even with the weight loss, so it was possible there was a medical issue he had yet to reveal.
Or there was something else going on. Regardless, she was determined to solve the mystery and keep him from turning sideways and disappearing. Her nerves would be unable to handle it.
If she ever sat down and examined her feelings, she’d note that she was swiftly growing attached to Leita. He took her far more seriously than either Jane or Erik, patiently explaining the methodology behind his calculations, and even passing a few of the simpler ones over to her to puzzle out. He went about it a vastly different way than Jane, one that seemed somehow more intuitive even to one with no scientific background. Beyond being flattered to receive attention from an attractive guy, Darcy was thrilled to be offered the chance to learn, to prove herself.
None of that was at the forefront of her mind, aside from how she’d run into Leita, fresh from the shower, the prior morning. The image of him with wet hair was engraved in her mind in a way that embarrassed her no matter how she’d gossiped about it to Jane. The man could have been a model. Regardless, her focus was on a week’s worth of mail piled on her bed, a couple of papercuts already stinging her fingers. One letter in particular with SHIELD’s letterhead and logo had her attention.
“Holy shit,” she breathed, scrambling off the bed and flinging her door open. She called out, “Jane! Oh my god, come here, you need to see this. Jane?”
Silence. She knocked on Jane’s door, then opened it to peer inside. Nothing. Had Jane returned home last night, or had she retreated to her trailer for privacy? Uncertain, Darcy padded into the living room, eyes bright with excitement. “Hey, Leita, have you seen Jane? You’re not going to…” Her words trailed off as she noticed the expression on his face, tears glistening, familiar concern returning. She took a few extra steps towards the couch, hesitant, rarely having been faced with a guy crying and finding herself at a total loss.
no subject
Any and all attempts to coax him into casual wear had been met with a flat stare and no success. She’d even taken to leaving little gifts in his room – a dark green Henley, a sweatshirt bearing the name of her favorite NFL team, even a plain t-shirt with the words ‘Mad Science’ emblazoned across the chest – but as far as she knew, he could have been tossing them in the trash. She never ventured into his room for longer than it took to drop the shopping bag on his bed and leave.
With the bulk of his time, both personal and professional, spent in her company, Darcy suspected briefly that he had developed a crush on her. Paying slightly closer attention to him for the following week proved that she was imagining things, but also allowed her to track his weight loss, note his lack of appetite. Amusement and a developing mutual interest were replaced by concern, and her presents came in the form of various snacks and treats. PopTarts, to see if he enjoyed them as much as Thor; chocolate covered caramels to determine if he shared her passion for them. Leita was slim to begin with; he could ill afford to lose additional weight.
It continued long enough that she vowed she’d confront him, though she wasn’t entirely sure how to go about it. Eating disorders were common enough in women, and Jane herself often forgot to eat if Darcy didn’t follow her around shoving food under her nose, but she had no idea how prevalent it was in men, or what the cause might be. He was attractive, even with the weight loss, so it was possible there was a medical issue he had yet to reveal.
Or there was something else going on. Regardless, she was determined to solve the mystery and keep him from turning sideways and disappearing. Her nerves would be unable to handle it.
If she ever sat down and examined her feelings, she’d note that she was swiftly growing attached to Leita. He took her far more seriously than either Jane or Erik, patiently explaining the methodology behind his calculations, and even passing a few of the simpler ones over to her to puzzle out. He went about it a vastly different way than Jane, one that seemed somehow more intuitive even to one with no scientific background. Beyond being flattered to receive attention from an attractive guy, Darcy was thrilled to be offered the chance to learn, to prove herself.
None of that was at the forefront of her mind, aside from how she’d run into Leita, fresh from the shower, the prior morning. The image of him with wet hair was engraved in her mind in a way that embarrassed her no matter how she’d gossiped about it to Jane. The man could have been a model. Regardless, her focus was on a week’s worth of mail piled on her bed, a couple of papercuts already stinging her fingers. One letter in particular with SHIELD’s letterhead and logo had her attention.
“Holy shit,” she breathed, scrambling off the bed and flinging her door open. She called out, “Jane! Oh my god, come here, you need to see this. Jane?”
Silence. She knocked on Jane’s door, then opened it to peer inside. Nothing. Had Jane returned home last night, or had she retreated to her trailer for privacy? Uncertain, Darcy padded into the living room, eyes bright with excitement. “Hey, Leita, have you seen Jane? You’re not going to…” Her words trailed off as she noticed the expression on his face, tears glistening, familiar concern returning. She took a few extra steps towards the couch, hesitant, rarely having been faced with a guy crying and finding herself at a total loss.
“…are you all right?”