Chapter 3
The next few days were busy ones for Darcy. Jane was caught up in some tangent and had them both working extra-long hours. In the rare moments she managed to sneak off to the kitchen for food, Darcy found it empty. She wondered if 'Natasha' was out on another mission. (It hadn't occurred to Darcy until later that 'Natasha' was probably not the Black Widows real name. Darcy wasn't offended by the thought. It was just the type of badass name Darcy would pick for herself in the unlikely event she became a kickass assassin in need of a cover.)
As the days began to drag on though Darcy started to wonder if she hadn't somehow offended The Widow- Natasha.
Then on one Monday afternoon, as Darcy was making her way through one of the long halls, she finally caught sight of the spy. Further ahead, walking towards her, the woman was talking on the phone with someone in clipped Russian. Darcy's steps slowed unconsciously. Natasha walked straight past her without a glance.
Maybe the cookie had been really bad? Had she mixed up the sugar and salt maybe?
Darcy forced her feet to move forward. She could hear the ever fainter sounds of Natasha's conversation fading away into the distance...
-….-….-…-
That night Darcy marched back up to the empty kitchen.
Rolling up her sleeves she set the oven to preheat and pulled out the largest mixing bowl she could find. She measured out the ingredients for a triple match and doubled the amount of chocolate chips the recipe called for. She used a whisk instead of the large hand mixer and stirred until both her arms burned with the soreness. Darcy filled three cookie sheets with the balls of dough and watched vigilantly until each tray was removed from the oven.
It was nearing two in the morning by the time the cookies had cooled enough for her to arrange on a glass platter.
Darcy left the cookies covered by a clear layer of saran wrap.
She avoided the kitchen for the next three days, opting instead to walk the long hike across the compound to the other kitchen.
-….-….-…-
On Thursday Darcy saw Natasha again.
In an almost mirror image of their last encounter, they were again passing each other in another long hall. Darcy looked straight ahead. She didn't stop or speed up. Natasha brushed passed her like she wasn't there.
Ouch, Darcy though honestly.
She blinked harshly.
"Lewis!"
Natasha's voice called out sharply from behind her and Darcy spun around on the heel of her sneakers.
Natasha wasn't looking at her. She had stopped a little further down the hall and was gazing out one of the large glass widows out onto the perfectly green grass. Darcy watch the woman throw back her molten colored hair with a brush of her head, her penetrating eyes sliding over to her with a glance. "Needed more chocolate chips." She said not unkindly. Then the assassin turned away and continued down the hall with silent footsteps.
Darcy stood there watching the Widow saunter further and further down that hall until she turned a corner- gone.
A breath of air she hadn't realized she had been holding blew out from her mouth.
Darcy wasn't entirely sure what to make of whatever that had been, but in her chest what she felt most was- relief.
-….-….-…-
Finally a weekend arrived that Jane agreed to actually take off.
When Darcy woke on Saturday she felt the urgent need to get out of the building. While the Avengers Facility sometimes felt like its own Rapture-like city, she couldn't quite recall the last time she had been actually outside. It was no wonder she was getting a little claustrophobic.
Darcy had her phone play the latest news (BBC of course, Darcy's international classes had quickly trained her out of watching American news sources), while she brushed her teeth, took a quick shower, and threw on some clothes. She picked one of her favorite sweaters- purple with gray polka dots.
"There is a lot of emerging concern in the international community about the accountability of these so called 'super groups'. Teams like the Avengers. How are they going to be regulated? Who do they answer to? Who decides when they need to be called in and where? There is also the question of potential political agenda here. They have a man named Captain 'America' as their leader after all. It's a major concern for a lot of countries but especially small countries in the global south, like-"
Darcy slipped her feet into her well-worn boots; the brown leather ones that gave that made that click-y sound when she walked. Flicking the news off, she grabbed she shoulder bag and adjusted her black beanie for a final time.
Hurrying down the hall she headed for the elevator and the main floor.
Darcy was planning on heading to a cute bakery she had been to a few times previously. It was relatively nearby and great for pick up fresh bagels and other pastry treats. Because it turned out that Tony Stark could be something of a health nut and besides Thor's mandatory pop-tarts and the mac and cheese Darcy requested herself, there was not much in the way of junk food to be found in the compound. Tony tended to snack on blueberries for god sake and she could only guess that the rest of them were also trying to maintain their badass butt-kicking physiques.
Down in the foyer she encountered a rare sighting; almost the entire hero team was milling about. Captain America, Scarlet Witch and Falcon stood together, all in regular people clothes for once. Off a bit to the side, Hawkeye and Natasha were also dressed as civilians. They stood so close together it could almost be classified as 'hovering'. Tony Stark was still in his armor, helmet off, and frowning at the Captain.
And wow, that armor- totally badass and way cooler in person. Darcy kind of wanted to touch it.
"Tony, you need to be able to work with him. This isn't going to work otherwise. I kno-" Captain America was saying, running a tired hand across his face.
"Lewis!" Tony called in greeting once he spotted her, cutting off the Captain sharply.
"Stark!" she yelled back unnecessarily loud as she approached the group. 'Winter is coming' she thought in amusement.
Hawkeye tilted his head, eyes on her bag. "Where are you off to?" he signed and spoke simultaneously. He'd been doing that since he learned she knew very basic ASL. It had actually been very helpful in improving her own sign vocabulary although she was still very far away from being actually fluent.
"Out on a mission. Hardcore stuff." She shrugged easily.
Captain America's eyebrows drew together as he looked between the two. Darcy wondered if he perhaps thought she had some superpower he wasn't aware of. Or maybe he was just wondering who she was.
Natasha gave her a considering look. "Need some backup?" she asked coolly.
The words registered but the meaning took a second to process. The Black Widow, Natasha, wanted to go with her? Out in public together? Darcy blinked in surprise.
She forcefully reminded herself to play it cool. "Yeah, sure. If you want. Should be a short trip." She replied a little uncertainly. If she had known cookies were all it took to make friends with The Black Widow she'd have baked trays full weeks ago.
"Wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to," Natasha affirmed carelessly as she turned to Tony. "Mind if we take one of your toys?"
"Go wild." he told her, tossing a set of keys from god knows where. Did the Iron Man suit have pockets?
"Tony-"
Ignoring the Captain's reproachful tone Tony stomped off towards the elevators.
Darcy looked after him for a moment.
"Come on, I'll show you where all the fun toys are." The Widow called, heading for a side door Darcy had never been through. Slowly tearing her eyes away the brunette followed after her.
"Have fun!" Hawkeye grinned as she passed.
He looked far too smug.
"Later Hawkguy!"
"It's Hawkeye!"
-….-….-…-
"Where are we headed?" Natasha asked as they pulled out the parking garage.
Darcy didn't know the name of the type of car she was sitting in but she was certain that one if its seats was probably worth more than her soul.
She pulled her phone from her pocket and read off the address for the bakery. They fell into silence. Natasha focused on the road and Darcy tapped her foot and wondered if it would be rude to turn on the radio. Of all times for her motor mouth to abandon her.
"You're Jane Fosters assistant." Natasha said giving her a quick look. Darcy had a very brief moment to wonder if this thing of people spontaneously knowing more about her then they should would ever surprise her again. Probably not.
"Yep. Well, I think officially I'm still an intern. But yeah, she's totally how I got involved in all this crazy. I was there when Jane ran over Thor with her van."
Natasha smiled bemusedly, "He thinks very highly of you. You must the one he calls his 'lightning sister'."
Thor was a sweetheart. She thought briefly of the last time she had seen him; she and Jane had been in Iceland and Thor had managed to meet up with them for a few cold but beautiful days in Reykjavik. They had all been formally invited to a religious gathering with the Norse Pagans of the region. Thor had been deeply humbled by both the huge crowd of people that had turned out to hear him speak and of the temple they were constructing on the cliff side there. It was going to be the first Norse temple to be built in a thousand years. He had spoken regally and with heartfelt passion to the people he called 'his little kin'- regaling them with tales of bloody battles and of honor of long ago. It had been a little weird to see him that way; displaying every inch his nobility and his true age.
Jane had always seen more science in Thor than magic. But listening to him speak that day about the wars he had fought thousands of years ago, Darcy thought her friend was perhaps underestimating the true transcendental nature of their god friend.
When he had lifted that shining hammer to the darkening sky and summoned resplendent bolts of crackling lightning over all their heads it had felt like something…divine.
They had feasted afterwards in Scandinavian Norse style with drafts of ale and beer and fire roasted meats until the sun broke dawn again. He must have sensed that they would not see him again for some time because he pulled her aside afterwards to speak. "You are a shield maiden true, my sister of lightning. Keep an eye on Jane and yourself, yes? With you by her side, there is nothing I need fear for my Lady." The knowing look in his eyes had been a stark reminder that he was not as stupid as he sometimes made himself appear.
Darcy smiled at the memory. She missed the big guy.
"We're pretty tight. I tased him."
The curl of Natasha's bemused smile turned slightly devious and she looked maybe even a little impressed. Darcy bobbed her head knowingly at the look. "Yep. He was totally freaking me out at the time but it was…epic. And apparently since I 'felled him in battle' I've become his lightning sister. Since then Jane, Thor, Eric and I have been pretty much sticking together."
Natasha switched lanes. "But you're not a scientist."
It didn't sound like a question but Darcy gave a hum of agreement. "Nope. Most of it goes way over my head but…we're all kind of family now. We took on crazy alien demon elves together, no going back after that even if I wanted to. Me, Jane, and Thor, we're are all BFFs now. It's the crazy stuff that makes you stick together forever." She gave Natasha a considering look, "Like you and Hawkeye, right?"
They pulled up at a stoplight and Natasha turned to really looked at her. Darcy stared back a little confused. The intense green of the Widows eyes ran over her and she fought the urge to fidget. Natasha must have found what she was looking for though because she turned back to the road. Some barely perceivable tension ran out of the spies shoulders. "You know you can call him Clint, right?"
Darcy blinked. "Clint? Is that his name? What kind of superhero is named Clint? Oh my god, is it short for Clinton? That's atrocious." Darcy chipped delightedly.
Natasha raised an eyebrow slightly incredulously and more than a little amused. "You didn't know his name?"
Darcy shrugged a little and admitted, "I didn't know yours either until you told me. You two aren't like Thor or Tony or Rogers. People use their names and their codenames interchangeably. The media always calls you Black Widow and Hawkeye." In a moment of complete brain to mouth filter failure she continued on and blurted out, "You were always my favorite by the way. My favorite Avenger."
"That's because you have good taste." Natasha said looking smugly pleased.
-….-….-…-
The bakery was tiny, only three tables and a line of glass showcasing their wares. However, there was no denying that the smell was sinfully enticing. More important to Darcy though was the little rainbow sign taped to the side of the cash register.
"Darcy! Welcome back!" the cashier greeted from behind the counter. The place was empty but for a young man tucked at the far corner engrossed in his phone and eating a beagle.
"Hey Jesse! How've you been? Would you mind grabbing me and my friend here a dozen sesame bagels? And one of those garlic baguettes if you still have any?"
Jesse grinned and pulled on a pair of clear plastic gloves. "Of course. Anything else?"
Darcy looked to Natasha. The other woman walked along the display case for a moment. She bent a little to get a closer look at something before turning back to the cashier. "One of those pink doughnut if you wouldn't mind."
"Make that two!" Darcy chimed, rocking on her heels.
"Two cherry cider doughnuts coming up!"
Jesse rang them up and Darcy stuffed her $3.42 in change into the charity jar on the counter. She turned to Natasha who leaned back against the counter beside her, eyes roving the bakery. "Outside or inside?" Darcy asked, juggling her stack of purchases.
Quickly, Natasha relived her of the bag of garlic bread. "Outside, if you wouldn't mind."
"Thanks," Darcy said absentmindedly, "and sure. We can go for a walk."
The door jingled shut as Darcy gave Jesse a wave farewell and the two took off down the street. Fishing around in the pastry bag Darcy grabbed a doughnut and carefully passed it to Natasha before diving back in to get her own. "I don't like small enclosed spaces." Natasha said suddenly. Darcy blinked in surprise and the Widow continued unflappably, "I can handle them fine. But I prefer more space to move if I'm ambushed." Her gait continued smoothly and her face was comfortably open in the sun but Darcy thought that was the kind of thing one didn't admit lightly.
"Makes sense to me." Darcy nodded.
Natasha smirked a little and raised a sharp eyebrow. "You don't think I'm paranoid?" she wondered, a soft teasing lilt to her voice.
Darcy scoffed. "Of course you're paranoid. You're a badass super-spy." She took a large bite if her doughnut. So good. Natasha had chosen well. "Anyway, it's not paranoia when they really are out to get you. I mean, I'm a little paranoid and I've only had to deal with one homicidal death bot and a few evil space gremlin elves. It'd be weird if you weren't paranoid."
Natasha took a graceful bite if her own doughnut. "And if I told you we were about to be attacked?"
Finishing off the last bite of her doughnut goodness, Darcy grinned and lifted the loose top flap of her messenger bag to reveal the taser sitting in the front pouch. Natasha smirked approvingly.
All in all the bakery trip was a resounding success and once back at the compound she and Natasha parted ways with a friendly wave. Darcy rode the high she got from that for the rest of the weekend and was equally thrilled that the next time they met in the kitchen, Natasha's friendlier demeanor remained.
-….-….-…-
By Wednesday afternoon Clint, Natasha, and Darcy lounged in the blue family room together like old friends.
It should have been strange, how quickly they had become something almost like friends. Especially after how Natasha had first reacted to her. Darcy didn't really understand it, didn't really know how this had happened, but she was incredibly…happy.
They had tried playing Uno earlier but that had quickly dissolved into an all-out, dirty cheating war. Then they had switched to TV. They tried the news first, but it hadn't stayed on for more than two minutes before they switched over to some horror movie (they had been running interviews about Sokovia.) The movie hadn't lasted long either. After only maybe ten minutes the screen had splattered with a florescent red as one of the stereotypical teens was cut in half by a chainsaw, to which Natasha had responded by tilting her head and commenting about how no human she had ever stabbed had ever bled that much. Clint had promptly snagged the remote and changed the channel. Now they were watching some real-estate interior decorating show and criticizing design choices.
"That paint does not go with those tiles." Clint scoffed, grabbing a hand full of popcorn.
Natasha sat between Clint and Darcy on the couch wrapped tightly in a blanket. The Russian shook her head disapprovingly, "It's only a problem because they made the counters too dark."
Darcy hummed a little. "I think she's going to go with the other house…oh shit." Rubbing her eyes Darcy quickly counted to be sure she hadn't dropped a stitch.
Reassured that she hadn't ruined the scarf (Darcy had one direction in kitting and that was forward. She had no idea how to fix mistakes beyond tearing the whole thing apart and starting over), she tuned back in to the house drama. Darcy smiled as Clint tossed a piece of popcorn at Natasha and the woman caught it with her mouth.
It felt really good to do this. She and Jane were close, really close, but they obviously weren't always around each other. Darcy had missed having a group of people she could just…hang out with. How long had it been? Not since junior year of college…
By three in the morning though even night owl Darcy was ready for bed and she lazily began packing up her knitting bag. Almost done with another scarf. She really should find a charity to donate them all to.
"Would you make me one?" Natasha asked watching Darcy stretch. The brunette rubbed her eyes, mind working slowly. Clint stared at the back of his partners head.
"Make you what?" Darcy yawned.
"A beanie like yours." Natasha clarified, "I can pay you if you want."
"You want a beanie? Um sure. You don't have to pay me for that…what color?" Darcy had been slowly zoning out the last two episodes they had watched and trying to think was difficult. She stifled another yawn.
"Pink." Clint told her from behind Natasha's shoulder but the woman made no move to correct him.
"Pink, I can do that…" Darcy confirmed pensively. She was far too tired to try and figure out whatever the looks being exchanged between the two agents meant. She stood wearily, ready to head for bed, when Jane burst into the room like a mad woman.
"Darcy!" she cried desperately, "I cant find the- " "Third drawer on the right hand side of your desk, under last weeks reports." "and my –" "that was confiscated until you agreed to eat dinner." Darcy reminded her as she rubbed sleep from her eyes.
"Oh. I did that." Jane said as she fiddled with the hem of her flannel shirt helplessly.
Looking at her friends pleading eyes was a mistake Darcy should have known by now to avoid. She sighed. "Come on then. We'll do two more hours of work and then we are both going to sleep."
Dragging her knitting bag like it was a ten ton weight she waved farewell to the spies and steered Jane towards the exit where she literally ran into Captain America. Darcy squinted unhappily at the muscled chest. "beep, beep." She told him impatiently and he awkwardly moved aside.
Sooner they got to the labs the sooner they could leave.
Three and half hours later, curse Jane's infernal puppy-eyes, it was only once she finally crawled into her bed that she thinks, 'Pink on Natasha would be…kind of …adorable.'
The thought jolted her awake.
She rolled over to stare at the ceiling.
"Shit."