Day 8- Firefighters!AU/Sherlock Crossover
Day 8
Firefighter AU- Sherlock Crossover
Bucky/Darcy/Steve
Rated T
Death’s Door Pub, Middlesex, England- Present Day
The journey to Middlesex had been a strange one, though, to be completely honest; most of their cases seemed to go that way. Darcy had been to some strange places during her time as Jane Foster’s roommate and colleague, and it wasn’t that the place was necessarily that odd, in and of itself, but the situation was one she’d hardly have imagined in her wildest fantasies.
Okay, maybe her wildest fantasies.
She and Jane were standing in the main bar of the Death’s Door Pub trying to explain to the LFB Station Manager and the Arson Investigator just exactly how the fire had started in the first place while firefighters moved in and out.
As per usual, Jane was lecturing through the facts of the case, following the twists and turns of how they had arrived at this very location and happened to be in this very situation.
Also per usual, Darcy had managed to follow only about half of what was actually going on when she was following Jane around on her consulting cases. (Okay, she should give herself some credit; it was probably closer to 75 percent.) When Jane finally finished speaking, though, the thing that usually happened when Jane was forced to converse with “Normal People” happened right on schedule.
The “Normal People”, being the firefighters and company, looked stunned and slightly lost, and Jane rolled her eyes in long-suffering frustration and turned to Darcy.
“Darcy, translate,” Jane snapped and turned to toss her coat and scarf onto one of the pub’s booth bench seats.
Darcy knew enough to explain the towering group of men, (Christ, what where they putting in the water here, they were all over 6 feet tall and ripped like gladiators), that it had started with the hunt for one of James Moriarty’s crime network, a mercenary by the name of Brock Rumlow, and that it involved the theft of formula for a chemical weapon, a shipment of Japanese electronics, a Privateer from the 1750’s named William Death, a record found in the basement of The Library run by the Society of Genealogists, an antique safe, and a cutting torch.
“That’s when the safe burst into flames. Luckily, there was a fire extinguisher in the hallway, so I grabbed that and was able to get the fire put out, but Phil here had already called you guys and we figured it would be a good idea if you made sure there wasn’t fire in the walls or anything so… here we are.” She finished with a wave of her hand as another firefighter strode past with his jacket off and his rather impressive arms bulging as he carried equipment towards the stairwell to the basement.
“No, that should still be impossible! How the fuck did you manage to get the entire safe to catch fire?” The station manager insisted. He was a large black man wearing an honest-to-god eye-patch.
“My hypothesis is that the safe was pre-treated with some kind of chemical wash to prevent anyone from, say, trying to break into it using a torch,” Jane said, as though it should be perfectly obvious. It was her preferred tone, not that Darcy thought about it. “From the smell and color of the initial flame I would guess something in the Bromate or Nitrate family. I won’t know for certain until I can analyze a sample of the residue.”
“You have a sample on you?” The Arson Investigator, a hulking blond man who had to be at least 6’3” and 200 lbs. asked looking at Jane appraisingly.
“Yes. One of my tools had contact with the outside of the safe prior to ignition and I believe it will have a sufficient sized sample for analysis.” Jane explained and held up a zip lock baggy with a stethoscope. Darcy smiled as she remembered Jane’s attempt at safe cracking. And more fondly, her indignant tantrum when she’d failed.
It probably shouldn’t please her so much to see Jane so irritated, but somehow, it just felt like Karma’s sweet, sweet retribution.
“I will require that for the arson investigation,” the blond giant said again. “It’s evidence.”
“I can provide you with all the evidence we’ve gathered to date on the man responsible, as well as a report on my findings after I’ve preformed my analysis, but I’m afraid I must decline to surrender my personal property.” Jane announced imperiously.
“Jane, maybe you should just-“
“No, Darcy, the chemical make-up of the substance might lead clues to Rumlow’s whereabouts. Now that the contents of the safe have gone up in smoke, as it were, it’s the only possible lead we have. No offense to the brave men of the LFB, but I trust my abilities much more when it comes to the investigative sciences.”
“I’m afraid I must insist,” the man responded. He sounded more polite then people usually did when addressing an argumentative Jane.
Jane opened her mouth, her determined scowl an expression Darcy was more than familiar with.
“Hey, I have an idea!” Darcy cut in, “Why don’t you take the hunky arson investigator to the lab and you can run the analysis together!”
Jane looked like she was about to object, but the guy cut in before she could. “That is agreeable to me. That way the chain of evidence can be logged and I can certify the results for the DPP.”
“Very well,” Jane said with a scowl and turned to retrieve her coat and scarf. “Have you access to proper facilities nearby? I have a standing agreement with the staff of St. Bart’s that I can use even at this late hour, if you prefer.”
“You’re going to do it now?” The Station Manager, who’d introduced himself as Nicholas Fury, asked them as they moved for the door. “Shift was supposed to be over 40 minutes ago.”
“Of course, Mr. Fury. There’s no rest for the wicked, you know. Darcy, if you would, gather our belongings and I’ll meet you back at Baker’s Street when Investigator…” she gave his badge a quick glance, “…Odinson and I are finished.”
“Right,” Darcy agreed. “I’ll probably stay for a pint, first, provided they aren’t closing the place down. You play nice!” Her admonishment received no acknowledgment. As expected.
Once Jane and the Investigator where gone, Darcy rounded on Fury with an eyebrow already raised. “We good here?”
Fury gave her an stern frown and then turned to watch another firemen walk over with a clipboard and a smile. “Just wait a god damned minute.” The new comer was also tall and blond, though his frame was slightly more compact then the last one. “What have you got to report, Rogers?”
Rogers gave the clipboard one last glance and then handed it over. “Toxic fumes are a negative and structural integrity is intact. The wall the safe was in was basically concrete and, because they managed to put the fire out fairly quickly, most of the damage was to the safe and the wall paper. That part of the basement is gonna need some basic repairs and will probably smell like smoke forever more, but the bar should be okay to open for business.”
Darcy clapped her hands and strolled over to the bar. “You hear that, Phil? No harm, no foul, right?”
Phil, the owner and bartender, gave her a wink and placed a nice cold draft on the counter for her. “That’s good news, Darcy. First round is on the house!”
Darcy lifted her glass in salute to Phil who had just been a gem about this whole thing. Not only had he given her and Jane permission to attempt to open the old safe after they’d showed him the hidden room in his basement, he hadn’t blamed them for the fire or thrown them out, and now he was giving her free booze.
“That goes for you LFB gents as well,” Phil shouted, and the guys close enough to hear let out a cheer.
“You boys get your gear taken back to the truck first,” Fury barked, “Then you’re off duty and you can kick back, if you must.”
“And make it snappy,” Darcy added. “I don’t know about you fellas, but I need a drink, and I hate drinking alone.” She eyed the various and sundry collection of prime man flesh and vowed that not only would she not be drinking alone, she wouldn’t be leaving alone tonight, either. Not if she had any say in the matter.
Things were going amazingly well. The bar was packed. Darcy marveled at the fact that Phil turned out to be a real shrewd operator. Not only had Darcy and the majority of the firefighters stayed to drink, but they’d called all their other firefighter buddies to come on down and bring their friends. Plus, everyone from the area seemed to wanted to find out what all the fuss was about. He was really raking it in tonight. That was good, because he was going to have some remodeling to take care of downstairs.
Darcy was happy for him, and it wasn’t like she had anything to complain about anyway. She was sitting in a booth surrounded by some of the finest looking men she’d ever seen, each and every one of them had muscles on their muscles and the flirting had been going hard and heavy for hours. They were playing ‘never have I ever’ and laughing up a storm telling stories about when they ‘had’, drinking draft beers and basically having a grand old time. She needed to make a note to get out without Jane more often.
With all the attention she was getting she figured she could practically have her pick on guys to take home. Her first choice was a tie between Barnes (Bucky when I’m not on duty) and Rogers (Steve is fine), though she’d willingly settle for any of the other guys at their table.
Barton, Wilson, and Maximoff where all being more then friendly, and had her laughing so much her face and side were starting to ache.
Still, she had yet to decide between Bucky’s blatant flirting and constant innuendo and Steve’s sweet smiles and bashful blushes.
Barton had just finished a story about the time they’d been called to pull a drunk guy off the roof of a church steeple, (“He’d been clinging for dear life, mostly naked and shouting obscenities at the priest and none of them had ever been able to figure out how the guy had even gotten up there!”), when Barnes announced he had to hit the head and shoved Wilson out of the booth so he could slide out.
“What about you, Lewis,” Barton asked, “When have you ever had to put your arms around someone wearing tighty whities?”
Darcy mock scowled at Maximoff as she took a sip of her beer. She was pretty sure that ‘never have I ever’ had been aimed at her, and maybe Barton. “Well,” she began, never one to be a sore loser, and eyed the boys one by one, “I’m not usually the kind of girl that thinks the kind of underwear a guy wears is a deal breaker, but this particular pair of underwear was lacking somewhat in the white and the tight department.”
All the men booed and winced and groaned as she grinned. “I made some lame excuse about having to return some movie rentals and started backing for the door the second he got his pants down and I got a look at his briefs in all their saggy and stained glory. He tried to follow me, but his pants were still around his ankles and he fell and smacked his nose against his dresser. He was gushing blood and crying like a baby, but I could just leave him there, so I helped him up and to the bathroom to get him cleaned up.”
“Aw,” Barton laughed, “ain’t you sweet. Bet he was just trying to angle for a pity fuck.”
Darcy couldn’t help but laugh at that. “No! That’s the best part! After I got him cleaned up he thanked me and gave me an awkward hug and then told me-” She cracked up again, tilting in her seat to lean against Steve’s shoulder as a lack of oxygen made her dizzy. Maybe it was all the beer, too. “He says, ‘I’m sorry, Darcy. I hope you don’t get late fees, cause of me. Let me know if I owe you for the fines!’”
The guys started hooting with glee, and yeah, it was probably the alcohol making things funnier than they really were, but she was giddy, and her head was swimming pleasantly and she decided not to care.
“I’m gonna grab the next round,” Steve said, and when he pulled away she realized she’d practically lain her head on his shoulder. “Everyone want the same?”
Everyone did, and he stood and began maneuvering his way through the think crowd. When Darcy lost sight of him and his exceptional derriere, she turned her attention back to the guys around the table. “So, whose turn is it?”
Things sort of degenerated at that point, and after a few minutes, Darcy decided it was time to make her choice and see about heading home. She decided that she would ask whichever of the guys she found first, since neither Bucky or Steve had returned to the table, if they wanted to get out of there. It would be more discreet then trying to ask a guy in front of a table full of his friends that way, too. So everyone wins.
She muttered something about nature's call and Wilson gave her a wink as he helped her slide out of the booth. Barton and Maximoff were deep in an argument about which of them could beat the fireman’s training course the fastest, and so missed her exit. She grinned back at Wilson and started trying to find a path to the bar.
She would look for Steve first, if she didn’t catch Bucky coming back from the bathroom, since he would probably be closest. She nodded to Phil as she finally grabbed onto the smooth polished wood of the bar and held on for dear life. People were packed almost shoulder to shoulder around the bar, and brushing against each other everywhere else.
He walked over and shouted if she wanted another round.
“No, Steve was supposed to be getting it. You see him?”
Phil just shook his head. “Not in the last hour or so. He hasn’t been by.”
“Huh.” Eloquent as ever Darcy just shrugged and looked around for a minute. He was nowhere to be seen. “Probably in the loo,” she murmured to herself. “They’re downstairs, right?”
“Right. Across from the storeroom.”
She nodded her thanks and pushed for the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she was surprised to find there wasn’t a line for the ladies room. Perhaps most couldn’t find it down here and didn’t bother to ask. There was a fast food place next door, so…
Her thoughts cut off as she thought she heard a voice. The noise from upstairs was muted enough that she caught the low sound coming from behind the storeroom door. “What the hell,” she whispered, her beer buzzed brain not stopping to ask if investigating would be a good idea, only following where its natural impulses led it. When she pushed open the door and stepped inside the sight before her had her jaw dropping and her eyes popping almost out of her head, and maybe her panties dripping just a little, as well.
Steve had Bucky pressed up against one of the storage shelves and was kissing the hell out of him. Bucky’s hand was on Steve’s magnificent ass, squeezing and kneading him with enthusiasm.
“Fuck,” she said conveying both her surprise and her appreciation in that one word.
The guys must have heard her, cause they broke apart, both their mouths shiny and swollen and looked at her.
“Sorry, sorry,” she said shaking her head and pinching her eyes shut. “I just came for the loo and I thought I heard something and damn.” She chuckled a little to cover her disappointment at finding the two guys at the top of her list already engaged for the evening. “Boy, was I reading the signals wrong tonight!”
Steve looked slightly embarrassed as he blushed and wiped the corner of his mouth dry with one hand. Bucky was grinning cheekily. “How do you figure, doll?” he asked, pushing off the shelves and standing straight as Steve stepped back to give him some room.
“Well,” she paused wondering how to phrase her thoughts so she didn’t sound like a totally narcissistic bitch. “I thought you were… but obviously you aren’t so… I should go-“
“Hold on, Lewis, not so fast!” Barnes moved to her quickly and pulled her back inside the store room and closed the door. “If what you’re trying to say is you thought we were hitting on you, then you weren’t reading the signs wrong at all.”
She gaped at him. “But you’re-“ She gestured between them vaguely.
“Very Bi-sexual, and always on the lookout for a fun and sexy girl who might like us both enough to join us,” Steve finished for her and gave a rather brazen look directed at her through the fringe of his long, dark eyelashes. “I was just coming down to check in with Bucky and make sure we were both on the same page before we said anything to you.”
“For the record,” Bucky added, running his hand from her upper arm where he’d grabbed her down to her hand where he laced their fingers together, “we are very much on the same page. We’d very much like it if you’d come home with us.”
“With both of you,” she said, just to be absolutely clear.
“With both of us,” Bucky repeated running his thumb over the pulse point in her wrists in a way that made her breath hitch.
“Is that okay?” Steve asked a bit nervously.
“I don’t know… “ she started, a teasing glint in her eye, “It almost seems…”
Steve’s eyes went wide. “Don’t do it,” he gasped, but it was too late.
“Too hot.”
Steve groaned and put his face in his hands.
“Hot damn,” Bucky said with a smirk fit to melt all the panties.
“Call the police,” Darcy continued, her face was near to splitting.
“And the Firemen,” Bucky finished.
“Oh my gawd,” Steve said.
This was going to be soooooooooooooooo much fun.