A Life In the Day

Chapter 3: Backstreet's Back

It was well known among S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers that Darcy Lewis often engaged in what were commonly referred to as guilty pleasures…but without the guilt part. Darcy had zero sense of shame and her current indulgence was a nineties dance party

Darcy was cleaning up in the kitchen following lunch and she had her ipod playing all of her old nineties tunes. Using a pair of chopsticks as a microphone, she was rocking out to the tones of the Backstreet Boys between stacking dishes in the washer.

Everybody, yeah.

Rock your body, yeah.

Everybody, yeah.

Rock your body right.

Backstreet's back, all right!

Oh, my God, we're back again.

Brothers, sisters, everybody sing.

Gonna bring the flavor, show you how.

Gotta question for you, better answer now.

Am I original?

Yeah.

Am I the only one?

Yeah.

Am I sexual?

Yeah.

Am I everything you need?

You'd better rock your body now.

As Darcy rocked her body, she was joined by Clint, who had heard the music blaring. He smiled when he realized what he was hearing and immediately started to sing with her. Darcy pumped a fist in the air before placing the last dish in the washer and turning to Clint.

Now throw your hands up in the air.

Wave 'em around like you just don't care.

If you wanna party, lemme hear you yell.

Cuz we got it goin' on again.

Am I original? Clint sang.

Yeah, Darcy called back.

Am I the only one?

Yeah.

Am I sexual? Darcy picked up.

Yeah, Clint fired back.

Am I everything you need?

You'd better rock your body now.

And they did just that, rocking out hard to the nostalgic music right up until the end of the song, and the next one began with a bark of laughter and Scary Spice more shouting than singing.

Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want.

So tell me what you want, what you really, really want.

I'll tell ya what I want, what I really, really want.

So tell me what you want, what you really, really want.

I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig, ha.

Neither agent had yet realized it, but they'd attracted an audience. Russ, Phillip, Chase, and Noelle had gathered outside of the kitchen and were watching the two adults rock out with looks of worry and confusion on their faces.

"What…the hell are they doing?" Russ murmured, looking slightly weirded out by the sight of her dad playing air guitar like a teenage boy.

"Should we…get the camera, maybe?" Phillip suggested lamely. His thirteen-year-old friend nodded vaguely, but no one actually made a move to go get the camera.

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends.

Make it last forever, friendship never ends.

If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give.

Takin' is too easy, but that's the way it is.

"I think it looks like fun," Chase said, brushing the skeptics aside and bounding into the kitchen, dancing with his mother to the beat of Girl Power. When the Spice Girls had finished their turn, they were quickly followed by 'N Sync.

Here it comes, Millennium,

And everybody's talkin' bout Jerusalem.

Is this the beginning or beginning of the end?

Well, I've got other thoughts, my friend.

See I've got my eyes on the skies,

The heavenly bodies up high.

And if you're in the mood to take a ride,

Then strap on a suit and get inside.

Pretty soon, Rosie and Fiona came dashing into the kitchen, followed by Balder. Rosie would do anything loud and crazy and Fi, at seven, found everything fun. Darcy got Chase and Rosie into a loose dance circle and Clint lifted Fi onto his shoulders, dancing around with her.

If you wanna fly, come and take a ride.

Take a space ride with a cowboy, baby.

Why-yi-yi-yippie-yi-yay-yippie-yi-yo-yippie-yi-yay .

Why-yi-yi-yippie-yi-yay-yippie-yi-yo-yippie-yi-yo.

Noelle shrugged. "Well…if you can't beat 'em…" she said, going to join the dance party. Both Russ and Phillip continued to watch incredulously. Balder shook his head.

"Come on, you guys. They're just having fun."

"You actually approve of this?" Phillip asked, raising an eyebrow. "Parents dancing around to their weird old music."

"Yeah, because that Pixel Cut stuff you listen to is so much better," the older boy pointed out. "I don't really see what's wrong with it."

Don't be afraid at all,

Cuz up in outer space there's no gravity to fall.

Put your mind and your body to the test,

Cuz up in outer space is like the wild, wild west.

"Yeah, okay, let's go see what your dad's doing," Russ said. "At least he's not a dork."

"End the transmission," Darcy finished with the song. "They've had enough."

"Well," Clint started as the two kids headed away from the kitchen, "never thought I'd see the day when Tony Stark was the normal one."

XxX