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fringedweller prompted me with Darcy/Steve - first fight. It kinda ran away with me and is now part of this larger story that is taking me forever to actually write. It's tentatively called: Darcy and Steve go on a road trip and crack some wise, watch some movies and have an excellent adventure while Darcy blogs it all.
I know. The title needs work.
However! I do have this snippet ready for consumption and it fits neatly with Fringe's prompt. So, here it is!
Somewhere on the road in Colorado
Warnings: Foul language and mild violence
Steve looked up from his omelette and grinned at the sight of Darcy sliding into the booth across from him, her hoodie pulled up and her sunglasses on.
“Morning, sunshine,” he said cheerfully.
She held up a hand and croaked, “Rules.”
“Rules?”
“There are rules that people who don’t get hangovers have to comply with around people who do get hangovers,” she said, her voice low and scratchy.
“Ah. Those rules. Please continue,” he said still grinning.
“Rule number one?” She tipped her sunglasses down the slope of her nose and peered at him over the frames. “No being cheerful. Cheerfulness is not appropriate and must be suppressed at all times.”
Steve chuckled, but covered it up with a cough when she glared at him. “Ma’am, yes, ma’am. No cheerfulness.”
“No patronizing either,” she said still glaring, but the corners of her mouth were turning upwards.
“I’d never patronize you, Darcy,” he said putting his hand on his heart.
Darcy snorted then groaned, holding her head. “Ow. And congratulations, Steve. With that comment, you’re finally well on your way to being a true smart alec.”
“Not smartass?”
“Not yet. Alec first, then ass.” She gave Sue, their usual waitress a smile when she brought over a large cup of coffee. “You’re a goddess, Sue.”
“That’s what I’ve been told,” Sue said. “Think you can manage food?”
Darcy took a sip of her coffee, tilted her head to the side and then shuddered. “Not quite yet. Thanks, though.”
Sue patted Darcy’s shoulder and went back to the register.
Darcy waved a hand at Steve. “Eat. Imma go to the ladies and stick my head under the faucet.”
“Don’t drown,” Steve said around a mouthful of buttermilk biscuit.
“Such a gentleman,” she muttered, hip-checking his shoulder as she passed.
Steve continued to grin while he ate his breakfast. He’d just lifted his glass of orange juice when two men in masks burst into the front door yelling, “Everybody be cool! This is a robbery!”
They carried knives instead of guns and looked twitchy and nervous. Steve slowly put his orange juice down.
He could most definitely take the two of them if they both came at him, but they were doing a good job of staying separated from each other. Even if he could get one down, what kind of damage could the other one do?
He carefully wiped his mouth with his napkin and prayed to God that Darcy would just stay in the bathroom.
Naturally, she walked out of the bathroom, her hoodie off her head and her sunglasses tucked into the front of her shirt, just as the second robber walked past.
They stared at each other for a second and before Darcy could do anything, the robber grabbed Darcy and spun her around, her back to his chest. Steve jumped to his feet.
“Stay cool, bro!” the robber yelled at him, his hand going to Darcy’s neck and pointing the knife at Steve. “Or the lady gets hurt.”
Steve held up his hands. “I’m cool, I’m cool.”
“You okay over there, pumpkin?” the guy at the register called.
“Just peachy, honey bunny,” the guy holding Darcy said.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Darcy said rolling her eyes. “Pulp Fiction? The 90s are over, dude.”
Pumpkin shook her a little by the throat and said, “Tarantino is timeless and shut the fuck up.”
Steve’s vision went red. “Let her go.”
“Or what?” the guy said sarcastically.
“Oh, my God,” Darcy said before Steve could say anything. “I’m too hungover for this.”
She slammed her elbow back into the guy’s mid-section. His breath whooshed out as he doubled over slightly. Darcy stomped her heavy-booted foot down on the guy’s foot, he yelped and she spun around and slammed the flat of her palm straight at the guy’s nose. There was a spectacular whimper and then she kneed him right in the groin.
The guy fell to the floor groaning.
Steve turned just as Honey Bunny rushed him and laid him out with a flat hand to the chest. Honey Bunny thudded to the floor.
Honey Bunny stared up at Steve’s very angry face and cringed. “Be cool?” he whimpered.
“Not a chance,” Steve said through gritted teeth.
After the cops had come and gone and Pumpkin (Davy) and Honey Bunny (Stewart) had been revealed to be the local bad boys of the town, Steve made his way over to Darcy who was nursing a cup of coffee. (“On the house,” Sue’d said. “I’ve been wanting to punch that Davy in the face for years.”)
“Well, that’s one way to cure a hangover,” Darcy said watching the cops pull away. “What a pair of gomers. Tarantino purists are just nuts. I’d considered showing some of his stuff to you, but now? No way. I mean, did you see-”
“Why did you do that?” he interrupted, not recognizing his own voice that had gone cold and quiet.
Darcy looked up at Steve in surprise and blinked at him.
“Steve?”
“Why did you do that?” he asked again leaning forward, his hands clenched at his sides.
Darcy frowned. “Why are you all Hulk-smash at me? I just defended myself. What happened to ‘using every bit of power in your arsenal’?”
“That’s different,” he said his voice rising and completely unable to stop it or the anger and helplessness he still felt after seeing her in trouble. “I was there. I had it under control. You just needed to—“
“To what? Sit back and wait to be rescued?” Darcy set her coffee mug down on the concrete step with a clack as she got to her feet to look him in the face. (Well, look him in the chest.) “He didn’t have a strong hold on me, I could tell he hadn’t done any fighting before and he didn’t have a weapon on him. I struck when he was vulnerable and saved my own butt. What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal is that you could have been hurt, Darcy!” he said looming over her and disregarding the fact that everything she’d just said was true. “You are not prepared to be in these kinds of situations.”
“Says who?” she retorted.
“Says me,” he said still looming over her and feeling more and more irrational. “You could have seriously hurt yourself. Where did you learn that anyway?”
“Miss Congeniality,” Darcy said sarcastically. “Sandra Bullock used it to kick Benjamin Brett’s ass.”
“A movie? Jesus, Darcy! Are you insane?” Steve grabbed her shoulders.
Darcy pushed him away. “Don’t grab me, you big jerk! And don’t you dare tell me what to do, Mr I-Jump-Into-Extreme-Situations-Daily-Without-a-Thought-to-the-Consequences.”
“It’s my job! I get to take those risks. I’m made to take those risks,” he said. “You aren’t. Don’t ever, ever do something like that again. How could you be so stupid?”
Darcy went absolutely still and tiny alarm bells went off in Steve’s head.
“Did you just call me stupid?” she asked quietly.
“Yes! Sometimes you just don’t think and that’s stupid, Darcy,” he said, ignoring the voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Tony yelling at him to shut the heck up and back down before she slapped him. “You have to think.”
“I have to think? Well, how about this for a thought!” She pushed him and he took a step back when he saw the shine of tears in her eyes, but not hearing a single waver in her voice.
Oh, no he thought. Steve, you dummy.
“I actually learned that move from Agent Hill who made me practice it over a hundred times before I promised to ever use it in the real world.” She pushed him and he took another step back wondering if there was any way he could take back every single word he’d said in the last ten minutes.
“Also! I think that you’re being a massive, macho man who needs to never, ever, ever call me stupid again.” She pushed him once again and he stepped back, a pain flaring up in his chest at the sight of a tear actually making its way down her cheek.
“Darcy-“ he tried to say, his voice breaking.
“No,” she said firmly. “I’m too angry. Just – don’t talk to me.”
She turned around and walked back towards the motel and Steve watched her go. Tony’s voice popped up again in his head and solemnly declared that Steve was a big ole bag of dicks.
Steve wholeheartedly agreed with him.
fringedweller prompted me with Darcy/Steve - first fight. It kinda ran away with me and is now part of this larger story that is taking me forever to actually write. It's tentatively called: Darcy and Steve go on a road trip and crack some wise, watch some movies and have an excellent adventure while Darcy blogs it all. I know. The title needs work.
However! I do have this snippet ready for consumption and it fits neatly with Fringe's prompt. So, here it is!
Somewhere on the road in Colorado
Warnings: Foul language and mild violence
Steve looked up from his omelette and grinned at the sight of Darcy sliding into the booth across from him, her hoodie pulled up and her sunglasses on.
“Morning, sunshine,” he said cheerfully.
She held up a hand and croaked, “Rules.”
“Rules?”
“There are rules that people who don’t get hangovers have to comply with around people who do get hangovers,” she said, her voice low and scratchy.
“Ah. Those rules. Please continue,” he said still grinning.
“Rule number one?” She tipped her sunglasses down the slope of her nose and peered at him over the frames. “No being cheerful. Cheerfulness is not appropriate and must be suppressed at all times.”
Steve chuckled, but covered it up with a cough when she glared at him. “Ma’am, yes, ma’am. No cheerfulness.”
“No patronizing either,” she said still glaring, but the corners of her mouth were turning upwards.
“I’d never patronize you, Darcy,” he said putting his hand on his heart.
Darcy snorted then groaned, holding her head. “Ow. And congratulations, Steve. With that comment, you’re finally well on your way to being a true smart alec.”
“Not smartass?”
“Not yet. Alec first, then ass.” She gave Sue, their usual waitress a smile when she brought over a large cup of coffee. “You’re a goddess, Sue.”
“That’s what I’ve been told,” Sue said. “Think you can manage food?”
Darcy took a sip of her coffee, tilted her head to the side and then shuddered. “Not quite yet. Thanks, though.”
Sue patted Darcy’s shoulder and went back to the register.
Darcy waved a hand at Steve. “Eat. Imma go to the ladies and stick my head under the faucet.”
“Don’t drown,” Steve said around a mouthful of buttermilk biscuit.
“Such a gentleman,” she muttered, hip-checking his shoulder as she passed.
Steve continued to grin while he ate his breakfast. He’d just lifted his glass of orange juice when two men in masks burst into the front door yelling, “Everybody be cool! This is a robbery!”
They carried knives instead of guns and looked twitchy and nervous. Steve slowly put his orange juice down.
He could most definitely take the two of them if they both came at him, but they were doing a good job of staying separated from each other. Even if he could get one down, what kind of damage could the other one do?
He carefully wiped his mouth with his napkin and prayed to God that Darcy would just stay in the bathroom.
Naturally, she walked out of the bathroom, her hoodie off her head and her sunglasses tucked into the front of her shirt, just as the second robber walked past.
They stared at each other for a second and before Darcy could do anything, the robber grabbed Darcy and spun her around, her back to his chest. Steve jumped to his feet.
“Stay cool, bro!” the robber yelled at him, his hand going to Darcy’s neck and pointing the knife at Steve. “Or the lady gets hurt.”
Steve held up his hands. “I’m cool, I’m cool.”
“You okay over there, pumpkin?” the guy at the register called.
“Just peachy, honey bunny,” the guy holding Darcy said.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Darcy said rolling her eyes. “Pulp Fiction? The 90s are over, dude.”
Pumpkin shook her a little by the throat and said, “Tarantino is timeless and shut the fuck up.”
Steve’s vision went red. “Let her go.”
“Or what?” the guy said sarcastically.
“Oh, my God,” Darcy said before Steve could say anything. “I’m too hungover for this.”
She slammed her elbow back into the guy’s mid-section. His breath whooshed out as he doubled over slightly. Darcy stomped her heavy-booted foot down on the guy’s foot, he yelped and she spun around and slammed the flat of her palm straight at the guy’s nose. There was a spectacular whimper and then she kneed him right in the groin.
The guy fell to the floor groaning.
Steve turned just as Honey Bunny rushed him and laid him out with a flat hand to the chest. Honey Bunny thudded to the floor.
Honey Bunny stared up at Steve’s very angry face and cringed. “Be cool?” he whimpered.
“Not a chance,” Steve said through gritted teeth.
After the cops had come and gone and Pumpkin (Davy) and Honey Bunny (Stewart) had been revealed to be the local bad boys of the town, Steve made his way over to Darcy who was nursing a cup of coffee. (“On the house,” Sue’d said. “I’ve been wanting to punch that Davy in the face for years.”)
“Well, that’s one way to cure a hangover,” Darcy said watching the cops pull away. “What a pair of gomers. Tarantino purists are just nuts. I’d considered showing some of his stuff to you, but now? No way. I mean, did you see-”
“Why did you do that?” he interrupted, not recognizing his own voice that had gone cold and quiet.
Darcy looked up at Steve in surprise and blinked at him.
“Steve?”
“Why did you do that?” he asked again leaning forward, his hands clenched at his sides.
Darcy frowned. “Why are you all Hulk-smash at me? I just defended myself. What happened to ‘using every bit of power in your arsenal’?”
“That’s different,” he said his voice rising and completely unable to stop it or the anger and helplessness he still felt after seeing her in trouble. “I was there. I had it under control. You just needed to—“
“To what? Sit back and wait to be rescued?” Darcy set her coffee mug down on the concrete step with a clack as she got to her feet to look him in the face. (Well, look him in the chest.) “He didn’t have a strong hold on me, I could tell he hadn’t done any fighting before and he didn’t have a weapon on him. I struck when he was vulnerable and saved my own butt. What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal is that you could have been hurt, Darcy!” he said looming over her and disregarding the fact that everything she’d just said was true. “You are not prepared to be in these kinds of situations.”
“Says who?” she retorted.
“Says me,” he said still looming over her and feeling more and more irrational. “You could have seriously hurt yourself. Where did you learn that anyway?”
“Miss Congeniality,” Darcy said sarcastically. “Sandra Bullock used it to kick Benjamin Brett’s ass.”
“A movie? Jesus, Darcy! Are you insane?” Steve grabbed her shoulders.
Darcy pushed him away. “Don’t grab me, you big jerk! And don’t you dare tell me what to do, Mr I-Jump-Into-Extreme-Situations-Daily-Without-a-Thought-to-the-Consequences.”
“It’s my job! I get to take those risks. I’m made to take those risks,” he said. “You aren’t. Don’t ever, ever do something like that again. How could you be so stupid?”
Darcy went absolutely still and tiny alarm bells went off in Steve’s head.
“Did you just call me stupid?” she asked quietly.
“Yes! Sometimes you just don’t think and that’s stupid, Darcy,” he said, ignoring the voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Tony yelling at him to shut the heck up and back down before she slapped him. “You have to think.”
“I have to think? Well, how about this for a thought!” She pushed him and he took a step back when he saw the shine of tears in her eyes, but not hearing a single waver in her voice.
Oh, no he thought. Steve, you dummy.
“I actually learned that move from Agent Hill who made me practice it over a hundred times before I promised to ever use it in the real world.” She pushed him and he took another step back wondering if there was any way he could take back every single word he’d said in the last ten minutes.
“Also! I think that you’re being a massive, macho man who needs to never, ever, ever call me stupid again.” She pushed him once again and he stepped back, a pain flaring up in his chest at the sight of a tear actually making its way down her cheek.
“Darcy-“ he tried to say, his voice breaking.
“No,” she said firmly. “I’m too angry. Just – don’t talk to me.”
She turned around and walked back towards the motel and Steve watched her go. Tony’s voice popped up again in his head and solemnly declared that Steve was a big ole bag of dicks.
Steve wholeheartedly agreed with him.
