Author's Note: So…my computer ate my story. I'm doing a second shot at it. This is for dresupi – Happy Galentine's Day…a little late! (And no, I don't know why they didn't just run…probably because they're them.)

The Big Red Button

"You know, I really kind of want to push this big red button."

"Don't you dare, Clint Barton!" Darcy stabbed a finger in his direction without bothering to look away from her computer. She continued to type, entering astronomical data from her boss-slash-best friend's most recent fieldtrip to Alaska. "I don't care how bored you are. You can play the Science version of Russian roulette after I'm finished and out of range."

Amusement saturated his voice. "Ever wonder why it's Russian roulette?"

"Ha!" She heard him spinning around on one of the work stools even as her eyes narrowed on Jane's scratchy notes. "I have met Natasha, you know. I don't have any doubts in my mind that the Russians would come up with a deadly game of chance and think it was a fun idea." She flicked a glance over her shoulder to where he leaned back against one of Tony's various work stations. "Or don't you remember the whole grenade thing at Christmas?"

"That was her teasing Barnes," he shrugged. "And why are you working in here anyway?"

"Because I have tomorrow off and I plan to enjoy it." One of her shoulders came up in a half shrug as he raised his eyebrows. "And Thor got back from wherever the heck in the Nine Realms and they're….occupying the other lab."

"Hallelujah for soundproofing?" Clint laughed.

"Oh like you can't even know," she muttered, turning back to her work. Envy flickered inside her, but she swallowed it down. Yeah, she might wish she could have something like Jane, with the guy and happiness and the whole shebang, but no way would she let it twist her up. She was happy for Jane and for Thor, but… "Anyway," she continued, shaking her mind free of the topic, "I need to get this finished if I'm going to have a worry-free day off."

"Gotcha."

Something in his voice drew her attention once more. His eyes held a different look, less bored and more intense, as he eyed her this time. She lifted a brow. "What?"

"Nothing." He shrugged and she could almost see the mask drop down. "So about the red button…"

"Oh my God, what? Are you three?" Exasperation fueled the eye roll, but experience gave her voice an edge of wariness. "Look, go be a toddler somewhere else, okay?"

"Excuse me?"

Now a thread of hurt wound through his voice and she looked back. The shadow of a deeper emotion hovered around his pout. She sighed as she turned back to him. "Look, I'm sorry, hotshot, but when you get bored, you get as easily distracted as any kid I've ever met. If it's shiny, sharp, or curvy, you want to go look. You like to push buttons, pull ropes, and I don't know what else." His pout deepened, but she could see humor beginning to flicker in those blue eyes. That let her lighten her own voice. "And we're talking about a device made by Tony. As in Stark. As in the guy who has to explode things anywhere from one to a dozen times before his genius wins out and he creates something fantastic."

"Okay," he nodded, "I see that."

"And with this?" She pointed her chin at the device in question. "He's not even sure what it's for. He made it after a three day binge of sleeplessness when Pepper was missing." Her nose wrinkled. "It could do anything from creating a black hole in the lab to making julienne fries. Lets not push it, okay?"

"Number one, I'm not that bad," Clint argued, a real glint of amusement brightening his gaze as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Yes you are," she insisted, keeping her eyes fixed on his…and not letting them shift to his biceps.

"Number two," he continued as one corner of his mouth curved into a mischievous smile, "we could concentrate on the curvy if you want." His eyes grew more intent as he watched her.

Darcy blinked at him. "I…ah…."

An alarm blared out.

Both of them jumped, with Clint coming to his feet as a gun appeared in his hand as if by magic. He moved towards the door, placing himself between it and Darcy. She turned towards the computer, instinct driving her to scan the machines. "What the-?"

"Get down," he interrupted, the gun coming up to point towards the door.

Only to lower a moment later when Natasha slipped into the room. "We have incoming," she informed them. Her attention shifted to Darcy. "We need to get you into a safe room."

"Lucky me," Darcy sighed even as she grabbed her phone. "Let's go."

The Tower shook, pushing all of them off balance.

Darcy grabbed her desk to hold herself upright. "Well that can't have been good."

"Shit."

Both women turned towards Clint.

"Barton?"

"Clint?"

Lights began to dance in the air above Tony's workstation.

Clint grimaced and his eyes slid over to Darcy. "You know how we were talking about the big red button…"

"You have got to be kidding me!" Her blue eyes grew wide as they shifted from the light show to the archer and back. "Seriously?"

"It's not my fault!" he protested. "It's not like I did it on purpose!"

"Did what?" Natasha demanded, her own gun now up and aiming for the heart of the now-steady glow. "What did you do?"

Darcy reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "He pushed the button."

The glow grew deeper, moving from a light yellow to a deep gold in mere seconds, pulsating in a way that made Darcy begin to edge backwards. She could almost hear Jaws soundtrack playing in her head. "You know, maybe we should-." Light flared and she threw up her hands, trying to block out that blinding flash. The air swirled around her as the ground seemed to give way beneath her feet. Then, just before everything went dark, she heard Clint one more time.

"This is not my fault!"