A/N: Written for The Writer's Table's April 2019 Drabble Challenge.


Out of the corner of her eye, Jane saw the first strike of lightning light up the night sky. Her heartbeat sped up in anticipation, but she forced herself to turn her back to the window. Eyes fixated on her research data, she did her best to ignore the subsequent crash of thunder.

Ever since Thor had left six months ago, she had been doing her best to forget him. Unfortunately, every storm since then had acted as a reminder of what she was missing, putting her on edge as she waited to see whether it was heralding his return.

Jane had never been great at breakups. While her mind knew she shouldn't miss a man who didn't want to be with her, her heart took a while to catch up.

That was largely because she was so busy with work that she didn't socialise much. Whenever one of the people she did see outside of work left, the hole in her life was obvious, causing their absence to linger longer than it otherwise might have. Of course, that just made her less likely to bother with romance in general, which only contributed to the vicious cycle.

Still, this was even worse than normal. Considering how briefly she'd known the Asgardian, he'd made a massive impact on her view of the world and her place in it. It was impossible to just shrug that off.

At least, that was what she kept telling herself. Better that than the alternative.

The door to the warehouse opened with a creak, breaking the sound barrier and allowing the next crack of thunder to reverberate around the room. Jane winced.

'I know you don't like eating while you work,' Darcy said as she entered, her arms full of small containers, 'but it's, like, a crime to turn down Chinese food.'

Usually, Jane would've insisted that she'd eat later, but she could use the distraction. Her data still made as much sense to her as it had before the storm hit.

A wry smile pulled at her lips. 'Then I guess I can tear myself away for a little while. After all, I don't want to go to prison.'

'Good.' Awkwardly placing the containers on the table in one big heap, Darcy said, 'I would be useless in a gaolbreak.'

Lightning streaked across the sky once more, followed by another loud crack. This time, Jane pulled out her phone and searched for a playlist of classic rock music online. Starting the first song, she adjusted the volume until it was loud enough to provide a counterpoint to the noise without drowning out conversation.

'It's about time I had a night off,' she muttered.

Darcy grinned. 'That's what I've been saying for ages!'

The next time the thunder cracked, Jane barely even noticed.