V is for Value

Darcy gave a bland smile to a knot of politicians as she made her way towards the bar. One thing about working for Tony and Pepper – she actually used the political science degree she had earned. To be precise, she used the analytical and diplomatic stuff she learned…and to a degree probably unheard of outside of the United Nations. She decided she was glad she learned all of it, but she realized she would have hated spending day in and day out immersed in a full cycle of politics…it was all a mess of glad handing and snake charming. At least she only had to deal with the insanity at specific functions.

She would happily spend the majority of her time herding heroes and wrangling scientist rather than pampering the spoiled kids of the Hill.

A small chuckle escaped under her breath as she thought of how insulted the politicians would be if they knew she thought they were more spoiled than Tony. Stepping up to the bar, she placed an order for her favorite pomegranate martini and waited, her eyes wandering the room. She needed to gauge the party and see where she might be able to either help move things along or break up tension.

"You look much too serious for a party."

The smooth voice drew her attention around to a slick, up-and-comer type somewhere around her age. His dark hair held a studied 'playful' tousle slightly at odds with the neatly pressed suit while the hint of a five o'clock shadow lent a bit of an edge. His face blended interest and gentility.

I wonder how long it took him to perfect that look. Her eyebrow rose in cool consideration. I suppose he's cute enough, but… "Not all of us are present for recreational purposes," she replied, voice professional and detached.

"Ah," he nodded, his smile losing a little of the politeness even as his eyes sharpened. "I wasn't aware anyone would be working this little gathering." The emphasis he put on the 'working' raised her hackles. The tone of his voice also shifted, losing the sense of an attracted equal and gaining an edge of superiority. Before she could say anything, he moved a step closer and a calculating light entered his gaze as it swept over her. "Perhaps you could tell me more about your work over a dance?" he asked in a low voice. "I'm sure we could come to a mutually satisfactory agreement-"

"Just who do you think you are talking to?" she interrupted, not bothering to keep her voice quiet. She didn't care who this guy was – he had just stepped over a line and she knew her bosses would back her even if it completely disrupted the party.

Color rose in his cheeks as nearby guests turned to stare. "What do you mean?"

"Please," she rolled her eyes. "I don't know who you think you are, but let me assure you, your chances with me are pretty much equivalent to a snowball's chance in the Sahara." Then her eyebrows lifted. "Or maybe you've just had a bit too much to drink?" It wasn't much, but she tried offering him a way to get out of this without losing too much face. She didn't care either way, but she knew both Phil and Pepper would prefer it.

She could see his temper spike as his lips thinned. "I haven't had anything-"

She interrupted him. "It's really the only potentially reasonable explanation I can have for you mistaking a PA for whatever your prurient thought processes have come up with. I recommend you take it and move along." She turned away.

He grabbed her arm, wrenching her around. "Just a damn-"

"Is there an issue here?"

Both of them looked around at the carefully contained question. Phil stood there, expression cool but eyes intent. He focused on the man's hand on her arm before flickering up to the other fellow's face. His gaze seemed to go flat as it locked with the stranger's.

The man paled and began to speak, "I…uh, I was just about to…uh-"

"He was just leaving," Darcy announced, eyes moving around the crowd beginning to gather.

"No, I-"

"Excellent," Phil cut in. "We can arrange to have your vehicle brought around."

The man frowned. "Actually I-"

"Let me take care of that."

Darcy almost sighed as yet another familiar voice joined the conversation. She glanced around to see Bucky…her eyes narrowed on his face…no, Soldier join the gathering. His sniper persona very much took over his expression at the moment. Her gaze caught his. "Just get him to his car," she told him.

"Naturally," he replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

It didn't reach his eyes.

"Wait a minute!" The man started to put up a protest, but his voice died away as he was moved inexorably away from the bar and towards the door.

"Oh, for…" Darcy sighed and turned to look at Phil. He gently took her arm and moved her away from the bar, leading her out of the room. She shook her head. "He was just-"

"An insulting annoyance who thought he could place a value on you," Phil finished for her. He led her into one of the many private sitting rooms in the tower. Tony hated not having an escape hatch from time to time so every single public floor contained three to five rooms only accessible by his people. It gave all of them somewhere to rest even during these kind of events.

She relaxed down on one of the comfortable couches scattered around the room. "And what kind of value should I have then?" Her voice took on an unmistakably teasing quality as her eyes met his.

Phil leaned a hip on the arm of the couch. The fingers of one hand toyed with a few dark locks of her hair. "Priceless," he replied, voice steady and matter-of-fact.

Her breath caught at the very simplicity of it. His eyes contained no shadows, no masks…they were beacons of pure sincerity. She blinked and then forced herself to take a deep breath. For a long moment she considered her own heart and compared it to what she knew of his emotions in this little give-and-take game they had been playing. She made a decision.

She rose and turned to face him. He did not move even as she stepped closer, watching her as she invaded his personal space to a degree they had not yet crossed. "Priceless?" she repeated in a tone that was not quite questioning. "That's one heck of a high bar to reach." Her hands came to rest on his shoulders as her eyes locked on his.

"And yet you succeeded," he replied, remaining still as his gaze stayed steady on hers. A long speaking look passed between them and then he rose to his feet, bringing him even closer to her. With the height difference, her hands slipped down to his waist. One of his hands reached for her chin, capturing it between thumb and finger. He tilted her face up and his eyes traced over her face.

She drew in a breath to speak, only to be cut off as he leaned down and captured her mouth with his. Her eyes slipped closed as his lips moved over hers – strong, fierce, and demanding, nothing stoic or restrained. His kiss revealed a whole new side to him that intrigued her. Apparently he'd been hiding more beneath the surface than she had realized. He possessed a layer of something primal underneath the tailored suits and stoic mannerisms. His free hand moved to the back of her head, tangling in her hair, as he deepened the kiss. Her hands clenched at his waist as the kiss became near bruising in its intensity.

Slowly, so very slowly he pulled back. Her eyes blinked open, taking longer than usual to focus, but catching the hint of satisfaction in his face. His thumb traced feather-light over her bottom lip as his curved into that slight smile he gave to her only. "Absolutely priceless."