Drifting
Phil looked down into his glass, the amber liquid glinting back up at him in the pub’s dim lights. It had been a long while since he had drowned his sorrows at this particular establishment, but somehow it seemed appropriate. In a swift move he downed the entire glass of whisky. Before his glass could set back on the bar a full bottle of Jameson was placed beside him.
His eyes turned from the bottle to the woman still holding onto it. He had seen her when he had first entered the pub over an hour before. She had been set back in the corner, face obscured by her messy waves. He had thought she had looked familiar, something about the turn of her wrist as she brought her glass to her lips. Still, he hadn’t wanted any company and so had ignored her. Now she sat beside him, her watery eyes staring at him.
“Feel up to a little reminiscing?” Fading red lips curled into a nasty semblance of a smile.
“What are you doing here, Ms. Lewis?” It had been years since he had seen this particular woman, not since everything had started in that lonely New Mexico desert. She had changed much in that time, gone was the energetic girl with the bright smile, replaced with this worn out shadow of a woman.
“Same as you, getting shitfaced.” Darcy let go of the bottle and leaned against the bar. She had been there for the past few hours hoping that this time she would find reason in the bottom of the bottle. After not finding in the first she thought to leave, then her eyes landed on him… the impossible man, the dead man walking.
“I think I should call you a cab, where are you staying at the moment?” Phil reached into his pocket for his phone only to lunge forward to catch the woman as she tripped.
“It’s over, all of it.” Darcy looked up at the man who now had her in his arms. “What was the point of it, what was the fucking point of it all?!”
“Calm yourself, Ms. Lewis, there is no need to get all worked up.” Worried that they were drawing attention, he righted the woman and led her back over to the table she had been sitting in all evening.
“I’m alone now, you know that? The Avengers have lost their minds, Thor is gone, and I just wasn’t needed anymore. I gave up all my dreams for this, and now no one will touch me because of Shield. God-damned Shield, God-damned you.” Darcy allowed the man to sit her down in the booth. She curled into a ball against the wall when he slipped in next to her.
“I’m sorry, I wish I would have known.” He had known that the blow out had damaged more than just agents, but he hadn’t once thought that this woman would be affected. She was supposed to be protected by Thor, but she was right, he was gone now and there was no one left for her.
“And what would you have done? I’m a nobody, always have been. You wouldn’t have lifted a finger to help me.” Darcy pushed back the tears that threatened to fall. Ever since she left Jane she seemed to be on the verge of crying.
“You’ve never been a nobody.” Feeling out of his element, but unwilling to let her alone, he reached out to take her chin in his hand. “Hey, you’re not a nobody. Don’t you ever think that for a minute.”
Darcy blinked as she gazed at the man beside her. She probably shouldn’t do what she was about to, but it had been so long since someone said something like that to her. Refusing to think about it, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his. It was just a light press resulting in a caste kiss, but it still sent heat through her body.
Phil swallowed thickly when Darcy pulled back, her wet eyes gazing innocently up at him. He hadn’t expected such a reaction form her, or from him for that matter. Against better judgement he removed his hand from her chin and slid it along her jaw and into her hair. His breath shook when she pressed herself into his chest, her head nestled into the crook of his neck.
“I don’t want to be alone… please.” Darcy wrapped her arms around his middle, holding onto him as tight as she could. She shook in his embrace, unknowing if it was relief of pleasure she felt when he held her closer.
“You’re not alone, not anymore.” Oh, this would probably come back to bite him in the ass, but he couldn’t leave her out in the cold. It was their fault what had happened to this girl, and he would do what he could to set it right. “I promise.”