Going for Peanuts

The bass vibrated throughout the giant room, cutting through every drink, body and piece of furniture. Lights were flashing and Darcy got lost in the music. She had to admit that being Jane's Intern/Personal Assistant did have mounting advantages. For one, she actually got paid now. Ever since Jane had been able to control the portals between the different alien worlds opening in London, Stark Industries had realized exactly how much of a valuable asset she was. Well, Darcy suspected that most of all, Tony had realized what a great scientific catch Jane was, so only days after Thor had gotten back from Asgard, Jane, him and Darcy had found themselves on a plane back to New York. Stark Industries was now generously funding all of Jane's research, and Jane had received an entire "lab floor" to herself at Stark Tower, along with a PA (Darcy) and several lab assistants (with actual sciency-degrees, not poli-sci like hers). Jane and Thor even lived in Stark Tower – Jane because it meant the shortest way to work ever, and Thor because Stark Tower was where Jane was. Darcy also suspected that both Tony and Thor enjoyed the living arrangements on top of that – Tony seemed to take a very particular delight in showing Thor the workings of life on Earth when Jane was busy in her lab.

Darcy herself did not live in Stark Tower, but in a small, one-bedroom apartment in Lower Manhattan. It did eat up a large amount of her newly-gained income and required a daily commute to Columbus Circle, but Darcy preferred it that way – while she didn't mind Stark's generosity (who'd also offered her an apartment in Stark Tower), she wanted to preserve some kind of independence from the crazy superhero-life she'd gotten involved in. She was still trying to figure out what exactly it was that she wanted to do with her life and she wasn't sure if living in the same house as people like Iron Man, Thor, Jane and Pepper Potts would really help her get a clear vision of what real life was like.

Still, that didn't mean she couldn't cash in on some of the benefits of the superhero/Tony-Stark-lifestyle, such as this truly amazing club outing. Apparently, a night-out on Wednesday night was part of the Starks' Thanksgiving tradition, and so for the first time (and possibly the last) in her life, Darcy found herself in the VIP section of one of New York's hottest clubs. It had its own bar, its own dance floor, and even stereotypical velvety ropes separating the VIP area from the jam-packed rest of the club. Darcy certainly wasn't going to complain about this aspect of her job connections.

The song changed and Darcy decided to get herself something to drink. As she made her way over to the bar, she had a look around their roped-off-section. Thor was playing a very involved drinking game with Tony, and judging by the loud laughs of the people around them – including Jane – it seemed to be hilarious. Pepper was sitting on a bar stool, sipping a cocktail and talking to The Black Widow, who tonight went by "Natalie Rushman" once again, presumably to protect her own identity. Darcy had heard quite a lot about Agent Romanoff in the short time she'd spent at Stark Tower so far, and from what she'd heard, she had immediately developed a healthy respect for the woman. Even if her sources probably exaggerated some of Agent Romanoff's traits a little bit, Darcy didn't want to get on the agent's wrong side in any way.

And those were already all the people that Darcy knew. There were plenty of other VIP guests around – mostly very good-looking model-types and/or seemingly rich kids – but Darcy had no idea who they were. Tony was very inclusive when it came to partying.

When she arrived at the bar, she noticed that the noise level there seemed to have decreased significantly compared to the dance floor. As she waited for the guy in front of her to move away with the drinks he'd just bought, Darcy's eyes fell on two girls just off to the side of the bar. Both of them were standing with their backs against the wall, drinks in hand. Facing them were two hunky guys who clearly wanted to get lucky that night. Judging from the girls' facial expressions, however, that was not going to happen.

"One water, please," Darcy mouthed at the bar tender. She was close enough to the girls now to hear their exchange with the guys.

"- no, dude, I told you, we're not interested. Now, please, leave us alone!" Darcy heard one of them say loudly.

"Come on, babe, just a little dance. Don't be so uptight!" one of the hunky guys replied just as Darcy exchanged her water for a few dollar notes.

"Don't touch me! We said no, so get out of our way!" The girl's voice got angrier and more desperate. Darcy sighed inwardly. Seriously, what was wrong with some people?

"Yo, babe, don't – "

"Leave her alone, she told you she's not interested!" Darcy almost yelled to make sure that she was heard over the music.

The talkative – and apparently handsy – hunky guy froze and turned to her.

"What did you say?" His face contained a weird mixture of disbelief and barely guarded aggression. Darcy swallowed and straightened up a little. She held her water tight, prepared to empty the glass at the guy if she needed to escape. Where was her taser when she needed it?

"I said: Leave them alone. They don't want to talk to you," Darcy repeated, her voice firm.

"Oh yeah? Well, none of you bitches gets to tell me what to do." Talkative Hunky Guy took a menacing step towards Darcy. He was almost two feet taller than her, with dark, slick hair, a polo shirt, a very expensive watch, and an increasingly furious facial expression. His not-so-talkative-yet-just-as-hunky companion backed him up. Seriously, the two of them against her? Darcy swallowed once again. How did she always get herself into these kind of situations?

"I think someone needs to teach you to keep your mouth shut!" Talkative Hunky Guy continued as he advanced further towards Darcy, who involuntarily took a step back. She slowly got her right arm ready to throw her water at the guys and to make a run for it. She just hoped that she'd be able to make it over to Thor and Tony before the hunky guys caught up with her.

But just as Talkative Hunky Guy reached out to grab her, his arm got twisted behind his back and he yelped in pain.

"And I think you should apologize to the ladies for your language and for your behavior," Darcy heard a deep and serious voice say. She followed the Hunk's twisted arm. It was held back by a very athletic blonde guy wearing a stern facial expression.

"Ugh! What the hell-" Talkative Hunky Guy hissed. The blonde guy only pulled his hold tighter.

"Ow! Okay, okay! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Talkative Hunky Guy shouted. Blonde Guy let go of Hunky Guy's arm but his facial expression remained impenetrable. Two security staff showed up next to Blonde Guy.

"These men were just about to leave. Why don't you help them find their way out," Blonde Guy told them tersely. His eyes seemed to pierce right through the men opposite him.

"You are going to regret this!" Talkative Hunky Guy spat at Blonde Guy before he and his not-so-talkative friend disappeared in the crowd, framed by the two security officers. Blonde Guy watched them disappear for a second before he faced Darcy.

"Are you alright, miss?" he asked. His deep-blue eyes now scrutinized hers, and Darcy noticed that a small crease had formed on his forehead. Blonde Guy seemed to genuinely care about the situation, and not in a "look-at-me-the-super-macho-saving-the-damsel-in-distress" kind of way.

"Miss?"

Darcy shook her head slightly to clear her head.

"What? Yes! Yes, I'm fine, thanks!" she sputtered. Blonde Guy's face lit up a little and he nodded shortly. Darcy quickly scanned him head to toe. Damn, he looked good. A few strands of his sandy blonde hair fell on to his now crease-free forehead, and his perfectly even features ended in one of the sexiest jawlines Darcy had ever seen. And that was only his head. Darcy was usually not drawn to model-type guys, but in this case, she had to admit that the guy had it all. Most importantly though, the guy seemed to actually be nice.

She tore her gaze from Blonde Guy's face to check on the two girls that the Hunky Guys had threatened. Blonde Guy followed her gaze. Needless to say, the two girls were immensely relieved and thanked Blonde Guy several times. They even offered to buy him a drink, which he politely declined. Shortly afterwards, the girls were off to join the remainder of their group, which apparently hadn't even noticed what was going on. Darcy did a quick sweep of the room. As a matter of fact, hardly anyone seemed to have noticed the altercation. Thor, Tony and their audience were still deeply invested in the drinking game, and all other partygoers were still going about their usual dance/drink/talk-business. Last of all, Darcy shot a quick glance over to the table where she'd seen Pepper and Agent Romanoff earlier. Pepper wasn't there anymore, but Agent Romanoff was still in the same spot. Only now, Agent Romanoff was staring at her and Blonde Guy with an inscrutable facial expression. Darcy quickly averted her eyes and looked back at Blonde Guy.

"Thanks for saving me. I'm really not sure if my planned water-in-the-face-and-run maneuver would have been successful," Darcy said with a light smile.

"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help. What you did was very brave," Blonde Guy replied. "Many people wouldn't even have stood up against those guys."

"Yeah, probably because many people are a lot smarter than me," Darcy replied. "I mean, not that I shouldn't have helped – because I can't not help – but I guess I could have just gotten security straight away. Somehow I don't always think before I act. Or before I open my mouth. I get carried away." Her smile turned into a sheepish grin.

"I know what you mean." Blonde Guy's eyes lit up when he said it. "I also used to get into a lot of trouble when I just wanted to help."

"How? Just one look at you should send all the bullies running!" Darcy grabbed his right arm with her free hand and held it out. "Just look at the size of you!"

An incredibly shy and embarrassed smile crossed Blonde Guy's face. "It wasn't always like this. I wasn't always like this. There was a time when I needed plenty of saving myself."

"Well, I'm glad that you are using your newfound powers for good then." Darcy countered. "I'm Darcy, by the way."

"Steve Rogers," Blonde Guy replied. It took a moment for Darcy's mind to click. She raised her eyebrows.

"Wait, Captain Steve Rogers?" she asked, trying to beat down the mixture of nervousness and excitement that quickly rose inside her.

Steve just gave her another sheepish smile.

"Yeah, but Steve is absolutely fine," he replied.

"Wow, well that explains – things. You." Darcy gestured up and down his body and quickly shook her head once again. "Sorry, I honestly had no idea. Thor talks about you all the time, so you'd think I should have recognized you." She smiled. "Hey, that means you do have actual newfound superpowers that you are using for good. Not just a happy realization about the usefulness of workouts. I wasn't too far off earlier."

"Actually, it's just genetic enhancement. Fitness, no superpowers," Steve explained, still a bit abashed. "How do you know Thor?"

"I tased him," Darcy replied matter-of-factly, and Steve did a double-take. "In New Mexico, when he first came to Earth. Jane, Erik and I ran into him with our RV. By accident, of course. Fortunately he's built the way he is so he didn't get hurt. Just a few scratches. He was scary, though, so I still tased him."

Steve's facial expression seemed torn between confused and amused.

"But then he saved us all from that Destroyer-thing, and fell in love with Jane in the process. I'm Jane's assistant, and ever since Thor's moved down to Earth – or at least I think he has, he didn't actually say he did – he and I have been hanging out a lot when Jane was busy doing science."

"So, you live at Stark Tower as well then?" Steve asked.

Darcy shook her head and quickly explained her living situation. Afterwards, there was an awkward silence. Darcy was just wondering if she should leave it at that and head back to Jane when Steve suddenly blurted out: "I'm sorry, I'm trying really hard to think of an alternative to 'Can I buy you a drink?' given that you already have one and I really don't want our conversation to be over."

Darcy had to bite the inside of her cheek to make sure her grin wouldn't get as wide and giddy as her insides seemed to want it to go.

"Well, you could just ask me to dance. Or you could invite me to have some peanuts. I haven't got anything to eat right now and they seem to have some behind the bar," she replied, desperately hoping that she came across even remotely nonchalant.

"I'll go for the peanuts then. I'm not sure I'm made for dancing," Steve replied with a relieved smile. Darcy raised an eyebrow.

"I'll only believe that when I see it! Let's start with the peanuts, though," she replied as she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the bar.

Across the room, an amused glint appeared in the eyes of Natalie Rushman.