Archaic Kinds Of Fun
Take Care Of Her
July 24, 2014
“Not another harlequin.” Jo’s head snapped up at the sound of the loud voice in the very quiet library, and her smile was instantaneous.
“Clint! I missed you!” Jo wrapped herself around the archer like a starfish, and Clint chuckled as he caught his footing and the mutant. “Did everything go okay? You two had one more day and then I was calling Fury to see if you needed backup.”
“Yeah, I got in last night. Early this morning. Natasha had a little side thing to do, but she should be here soon. It took a little longer than we expected, but everything has been handled. Fury wants to meet with everyone though, soon.”
“All of us? What’s going on?” Clint gripped her thighs and hoisted her up a little more securely, and Jo draped her arms over his shoulders.
“Don’t know. We’re in the dark on this one too. Where is everyone?”
“Thor, Cap, and Bruce are still no-shows. Tony and Darcy are up in the lab, and I felt like reading.” The library is so big and the chairs are so comfy, and it’s nice to just relax with a good book sometimes.
“Well, I know something that’s better than reading,” Clint grinned. He’s still in his uniform. He must have passed out while he was still dressed and then came looking for her as soon as he woke up. On the surface, it seems like a sweet gesture. Jo’s not an idiot though, and she doesn’t have to use telepathy to figure Clint out. What happened on their mission?
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“JARVIS? Seventy-six, please.”
“Excellent selection, sir.” Jo squealed as Clint jumped up onto the long table, while still holding her, but she was laughing as he set her on her feet. She straightened her back and tried to hold her smile in, but she was failing. Clint bowed at the waist, like the gentleman he wasn’t but knew how to act like, and raised a hand to ask for a dance. Jo smiled at the familiar tune and placed her hand in his just as the lyrics started.
“Aaaat laaaast, my loooove has come along. My lonely days are over…and life is like a song! Oh, yeah, yeah.” So, that’s where she was. Tony peeked his head into the library, looking for his bodyguard, and found her with her favorite dancing partner. He had a feeling that he should be upset about the two of them dancing on the old, and expensive, table but he wasn’t. Not when they were dancing so sweetly again. Seeing the two dancing like idiots was common, but this was the first time he’d seen them slow dancing since the Elvis song over two months ago.
“At last, the skies above are blue.” Jo was fully dressed for once, in a pair of ripped denim shorts and a light gray tee shirt. Tony was pretty sure that her hair was up earlier, but the brown mass was hanging freely down to her hips now. Clint was still dressed in the tight black pants and sleeveless black shirt he wore on missions, but the two were both barefoot as they twirled around the table.
“My heart was wrapped up in clover, the night I looked at you.” Clint swiped a hand down the side of Jo’s face, and Jo spun away from him as if in embarrassment with her hands pressed against her stomach. Clint’s front molded to her back as he reached around to grab her hands, and Tony could hear Jo singing quietly with her rough voice as she danced away from Clint again. Clint followed her easily, and they danced around each other, face-to-face, without touching.
“I found a dream, that I could speak to, a dream that I, can call my own.” Jo’s singing voice was rough, but it fit the song. She finished the line with her back to Clint once again, and she swayed lightly from side to side as the archer pressed against her once more.
“I found a thrill, to press my cheek to, a thrill that I, have never known.” Clint sung the beginning of his line with his cheek pressed to Jo’s, and Jo let him spin her around again. Clint tossed her into the air with the next verse and easily caught her with his hands locked around her waist, and Jo sang the following “Oh, yeah, yeah” as she was lowered back to the ground.
“You smile, you smile.”
“Oh and then the spell was cast.” They were dancing sweetly again, gracefully, like real lovers. They never broke eye contact as they sang to each other, first Clint and then Jo. It looked so real, with the gentle smiles and familiar touches, and Tony had never wanted to be a telepath more, just so he could know what they were thinking about.
“And here we are.”
(Clint was thinking of Lily, the little girl in the circus who was brave and snuck into his cot at night because she was scared of the shadows. He thought of her big blue eyes blinking up at him as she balanced her little feet on top of his, and he remembered the sound of her laugh as he dipped her far enough for her pretty blonde curls to brush the dirt covered ground. Thinking about Lily didn’t hurt when he was dancing. He didn’t see her thin and dying with coughs shaking her too small body. He saw her laughing as they danced.)
“In heaven.”
(Jo was thinking of Camille Holbrook, her Ma. She thought of lazy Sunday mornings in the kitchen, when she was still really small. She thought of how her mother would grab her hand and spin her around the kitchen just as the sun was lighting up the room. She could see herself dancing through light beams like another little piece of dust being revealed, and she could hear her mother singing quietly as they danced from tile to tile in the kitchen. It was their special time; moments for just the two of them.)
“For you are mine.”
(They both remember those tense first meetings, first in the hospital where Jo was held captive and the grueling debriefing that took a few weeks. Clint remembers a skinny and pale Jo, with dark circles under her eyes and the way she continuously rubbed a hand over her shaved head. Jo remembers the still young and angry agent, with eyes that burned with protective rage for his friend and a raw guilt for hurting someone he was meant to save. They both remember the night the debriefing was over and they wound up at the same seedy bar despite taking off from base separately. They remember matching drink for drink, they remember first impressions melting away under a new bond, and they remember their first dance. The smell of cheap beer and sawdust, the yellow light all around them, Jo’s bony hips and Clint’s wiry arms, and Nancy Sinatra singing, “Bang, bang…my baby shot me down.”)
“At last.” They ended the song completely pressed together, with Jo’s arms locked around Clint’s shoulders and Clint’s arms wrapped tightly around Jo’s hips. Their eyes were connected, and they were smiling like they were sharing a secret. Tony fought the urge to clap, because he didn’t want to ruin the moment.
“Hiya, boss,” Jo said with a throaty whisper. Her and Clint were both smiling at him now, and they both looked so relaxed. Maybe he should give dancing a try.
“Sorry to intrude,” he said with a big grin of his own. Clint propped his cheek on top of Jo’s head, and Jo snuggled under the archer’s chin.
“Whatcha need?” Jo was nearly slurring her words, and Clint’s smile was bordering on dopey. Tony was almost jealous of the peace they seemed to find with each other, but he remembered Jo’s fingers tightening around his when she told him that he’s the only one she cuddles. He also knows that Clint’s still closer to Natasha than anyone else, so Tony doesn’t have to worry about someone stealing his bodyguard away.
“Darcy is in the kitchen making lunch and—” He was cut off as the mansion shook, and Clint and Jo sprung apart.
“JARVIS! What the hell’s happening?!”
“HYDRA is attacking the mansion, sir. I believe they are looking for Agent Romanoff.” The two dancers swore under their breath in unison, and Tony took a second to just blink up at them. Is it the dancing that makes them that in sync?
“I’ll handle it,” Jo mumbled and jumped off the table.
“I’m comin’,” Clint said and followed her down.
“Same here,” Tony said as they reached him.
“You’re both crazy. You’re still wrung out from the last mission and don’t know what they’re packing, Clint. As for you, boss, the suit isn’t up and runnin’ yet. Stay here and let me take care of this, both of you,” Jo said without breaking her stride. “JARVIS? Can you please tell Darcy what’s going on and then direct her to the Assembly Room?”
“Of course, Miss Jo.” The rest of the house is already on lockdown so no one can get inside, and the Assembly Room is the safest place to be. Clint mumbled something under his breath and split away from them once they reached the foyer, and Tony followed Jo as she power walked to the elevator.
“You can’t take on HYDRA by yourself!” Tony yelled once they were inside. He realizes that his suit isn’t fully operation, yet, but Jo can’t fight on her own. Isn’t that the point of everything? To not fight alone anymore?
“I’m not takin’ on HYDRA. I’m gettin’ rid of a few agents sent to either take down Natasha or bring her in,” Jo said once they were on their own floor. She went straight to her room, and Tony paused in the doorway to watch her pull on a pair of heavy looking boots.
“You could get hurt.”
“I’m going to get hurt. I’m going to bleed and might even break something, but I’ll heal. You won’t.” Jo had the boots tied now and was balling her hair up.
“I don’t want you out there alone.”
“Tough titty said the kitty,” Jo mumbled as she finished with her hair.
“We don’t have time for flippant remarks!”
“Because those are your specialty?” Tony just glared as Jo stopped in front of him, and Jo sighed as she reached up to press her palms against stubbled cheeks. “You’re not ready to fight, and I was fighting long before Fury sent me to you. As your bodyguard, I’m asking you to stay in a secured area. As your friend, I’m asking you to let me keep you safe.”
“Jo—” The house shook again, and Jo’s lips thinned as she glanced up at the ceiling.
“I’ll be fine, boss.” Jo moved around him, and the elevator doors were already closing when he got back to the den. He caught a flash of dark green eyes before the doors closed completely, and he waited with a tapping foot for the elevator to open again. He needs to get to the lab.
The house shook around her again as the giant door to the Assembly Room opened, and Darcy quickly walked inside. There were couches along one wall, and there was a lot of machinery. It looked like a giant panic room, and that’s probably what it is. After the first quake, JARVIS directed her straight here. Now she’s here, and she has no idea what’s going on. Where’s Jo? And Tony?
“What’s happening, JARVIS?”
“The house is currently under attack. Miss Jo is handling the situation.”
“By herself?!” Tony’s suit isn’t finished yet, so of course Jo is fighting by herself. Is Jo strong enough to take on whoever is attacking them?
“I assure you, Miss Darcy, she is quite capable.” Darcy fell back onto a couch and let her eyes close. She hasn’t tried praying in a very long time, but maybe she can make an exception for her new friend.
“Dear God…no, wait…Dear Thor, my friend, Jo, told me that she prays to you whenever she needs a little extra strength. I’m living with her and Tony now, Tony Stark, and they’re both pretty cool. The house is under attack, and Jo is fighting off the bad guys on her own. I’m praying to you because…I want her to be okay. I guess, uh, keep her safe? Amen.”
“I! Hate! All! Of! You! Assholes!” Jo yelled as another barrage hit her. There’s a helicopter above her, and a few agents dropped down onto the roof once they realized their little bombs couldn’t put a dent in the Avengers Mansion. The bombs shook it up a little, but the place is still whole. Jo has never appreciated Tony’s brilliant and paranoid mind more.
“Hand over Black Widow, Eris!” one of the agents called out. Jo kicked him off the roof with high hopes that he’d land on his head. Lady Luck owes her that much at least.
“Still want her?” Jo asked as she turned to face the three remaining agents. They took off running back to the helicopter, and Jo cheered as she watched them go. “Yeah! You better run!”
“Could you be anymore cliché?” Jo tilted her head back to see pale green eyes and long black hair, and she propped her fists on her hips.
“Look who’s talking, Madame Hydra.” The other woman, who’s actual codename is Viper, let a slow smile curve her lips. Jo watched with confused eyes as the jet she was in slowly lifted higher into the air, and she realized there was a bomb aimed right at her around the time that it fired. She knew the mansion would be okay, she knew that she would survive the hit, and she knew that it was going to hurt like a bitch. The bomb landed and went off a few feet in front of her, and her eyes squeezed closed as she waited for the blast to rip through her. There was heat hotter than the surface of the sun, but she didn’t explode. All of her limbs are accounted for. She slowly peeked her eyes open and saw a wall of green.
“Okay?” The voice was more of a growl, with a lot of anger, but it wasn’t menacing. No, not menacing at all. The giant green wall of muscle was protecting her from the worst of the blast and seeing him up close was absolutely breathtaking. Jo glanced up to take in the green features, and she was surprised to see the concerned look in the big guy’s green gaze.
“My hero!” Jo gathered the last of her strength into her legs to help her push off the ground, and she locked her arms around his thick neck. His back was still burning hot, but she didn’t care. She heard his grunt and then squealed when he lifted her higher into the air. She was deposited on one broad shoulder, and her hand reached over to brush some dust out of his curly dark hair.
“Jo! Are you—Whoa!” Tony slid to a stop as he looked around, and Jo grinned down at him from her new seat.
“Is she okay?!” Clint exploded around a corner, and Jo took note of his bow. Did he have that when they were dancing? She raised a brow in question, and Clint looked from her to the weapon in his hands. “There were a few on the ground. Next time, try aiming before you push someone off the roof.”
“Kicked,” Jo pointed out. It’s an important distinction. Ooh, in her woozy state, that’s an impressively large word to think.
“Hulk, buddy, when did you get here?” Tony asked. Jo had to resist the urge to look into her current savior’s mind. Her morals and the blood loss helped her make the decision.
“Banner coming to stay. Heard guns.” The big green guy shrugged, and Jo slowly moved up and down with the gesture.
“Glad you did too. That one was gonna hurt somethin’ awful.”
“Humph, you too puny.” Jo smiled at that and pulled in a painful breath.
“Hey, we’re all puny next to you,” Jo said and dropped her head on top of his. Her numerous injuries are letting themselves be known now that the adrenaline’s wearing off, and everything’s starting to throb.
“Did you know the Hulk could talk?” Clint whispered.
“No idea,” Tony whispered back. Jo slumped completely against the side of Hulk’s head, and she saw the blurry shapes of Tony and Clint stepping forward. Then everything went black.
Inside Hulk’s mind, Bruce could see and hear everything. It was a little disconcerting in the beginning, being in the back of his own mind, but he was getting used to the sensation. Right now, he could feel the way the woman was resting slackly against him and could see the two men stepping towards them. Bruce knew them, could identify them, and so could Hulk.
“You need to put her down. She’s been hurt and needs to be taken care of,” Bruce said gently. He has an understanding with Hulk now, so he knows that the other guy will listen to him.
“Take care of her?”
“Yeah, I’ll take care of her.” Bruce could feel the big fist wrapping so gently around the woman, but he didn’t place her on the ground. Instead, he carefully held the body to his massive chest as he started to retreat. Before, Bruce wasn’t conscious for his return so he was getting used to this part as well. A few heartbeats later, Bruce was standing on Tony Stark’s roof completely naked with Tony’s bodyguard unconscious in his arms.
“Hey, Bruce! Long time no see,” Tony said with a too wide grin. His eyes kept darting down to the woman, and Bruce wasn’t really sure what to do. What’s the protocol for this sort of thing?
“Yeah, Doc, it’s really nice to finally see you. All of you. Wow, you are really naked.” Bruce glanced down to see hazy green eyes staring at him, and a small smile touched her lips.
“How are you still conscious?” He couldn’t see all of her, but he’s got a good idea about what kind of shape she’s in.
“It’s a tank thing,” she giggled.
“Okay, it’s down to the med facilities for you, tank,” Tony said and turned to walk away. Bruce looked down at the bodyguard, who was smiling up at him with half of her face covered in blood.
“I think green is my new favorite color.”
“She is really out of it. She must’ve taken a really hard hit to the head,” Clint said with a shit-eating grin. Bruce remembers Tony and Clint, but he doesn’t remember everyone being this relaxed.
“Isn’t green already her favorite color?” Tony asked and glanced over his shoulder.
“Has been for the past ten years at least, so I think a Doc is just what the tank ordered.” Clint was grinning at him, and Bruce didn’t know what to say. Or how to act. He’s feeling a little lost.
“You should come down too. I can stitch that up for you, if you like,” Bruce said with a pointed look at the still bleeding hole in Clint’s arm. They stopped in front of the elevator, where Tony was holding the doors open, and Clint’s smile looked more genuine than manic.
“Yeah? Thanks, Doc. I need to call in SHIELD to come take care of the bodies first and then I’ll be right down.” The elevator doors closed as soon as Bruce stepped inside, and Jo groaned as the elevator moved and turned her face into Bruce’s bare chest.
“She needs to be treated first anyway.”
“Mmm, my hero,” she sighed and promptly passed out again.
“Holy shit.” The three men in the room froze at the sound of the whisper and remained motionless as Darcy walked farther into the room. As for Darcy, she could only see Jo. She didn’t see Tony, who was so tense that it was starting to look painful. She didn’t pay attention to Clint, whose eyes missed nothing and was dripping blood. She didn’t notice Bruce, who was stitching up the archer and only wearing a pair of scrub pants.
“Darce?”
“I thought she was indestructible.” Her voice was strong, but her fingers shook just a little as she touched Jo’s pinky finger. This is Jo, who laughs off getting shot in the head and responds to the name Tank.
“They hit her hard. Jo can heal at a rapid rate and survive injuries that us mere mortals can’t, but she’s got limits. Healing that much damage in such a short span of time takes its toll. Sometimes, the paint on the tank chips.” Clint’s voice was fond, like he’d heard that particular phrase several times over the years, and Darcy shuffled a little.
Jo looks like she got ran over by a tank instead of being one. She’s stripped down to her matching set of sailor blue bra and panties, and her blood caked hair is half up and half down. Her long tanned limbs are clean of blood, but that just makes it easier to see all the bruises. Her ribs and right bicep are so swollen that several bones have to be severely broken, and her left arm is one giant bruise. Bullet holes are peppered across her bare skin, like she got hit by a firing squad. Jo should never look like this.
“Keep it clean, and I’ll check in a few days to see if they’re ready to come out. Um, Tony? I know we have a lot to talk about, but I could use a little rest, after…”
“Yeah, no problem, big guy. Right this way. Clint?”
“I’ll be up in a minute.”
“Darcy?”
“In a minute.” Tony and the other guy disappeared, and Darcy realized that Clint was standing right beside her. He was looking down at Jo too, but he didn’t look as worried as she felt. “She told me about…that place. She said that you saved her, and that’s why you’re friends.”
“Saved her, huh?” What Jo had actually said was the rescue mission was a complete disaster, but it all worked out in the end. She wouldn’t say what happened inside either, just that she was a telepath when she came out. Darcy doesn’t need the whole story; she can read between the lines. Whatever happened there, it was bad.
“She’ll be okay, right?” Clint’s eyes met hers, hazel, and he smiled just a little.
“I watched Jo cannonball off the helicarrier onto an enemy jet. The crash left a little crater in the ground, and Jo was laughing when we found her. She can live through anything.”
“She’s that strong?” Clint hummed an answer, and Darcy nodded her head. It hasn’t even been three weeks, but she’s already attached. She told herself she wouldn’t get attached, but here she is about to cry at her new friend’s bedside even though her new friend will be completely okay.
“Come on, let’s go back upstairs.” Clint’s fingers touched the back of her hand, and Darcy let go of Jo’s pinky so she could hold onto his hand instead. The calluses on his fingers were rough against her skin, but she didn’t mind. Clint led the way to the elevator, and he didn’t let her hand go.
Coming back to consciousness was not a pleasant feeling; it was fuckin’ amazing. Jo realizes that doesn’t make any sense, but it is what it is. She’s still sore, so she’s still in the process of healing, but she’s alive. Sometimes referring to oneself as indestructible can give a person a big head, but that just means that there’s a bigger target to deflate. The target being her ego, which is represented by all of her and not just her head. Jo felt a light pressure on her left hand, and she forced her head up to get a better look.
“Hey, take it easy. You shouldn’t be moving around just yet.” Jo’s head swiveled to the side, and she felt her brows pull together as she tried to place the man. He looks normal enough, with his mop of curly brown hair and nice brown eyes, but Jo knows better than most that looks can be deceiving. Her eyes, still a bit hazy but clearing with every passing second, narrowed in on the blue button-down shirt. She caught a flash of a green chest and then a hairy tanned chest, and everything seemed to slot into place.
“Hey, Doc! Sorry for the Sleeping Beauty routine. I guess you patched me up? Did you turn Tony and Clint into nurses?” Bruce tried not to be surprised at the bodyguard’s easy tone, and he shouldn’t be after the whole jumping hug thing on the roof. In the past twelve hours, he’d slept for nine and spent the past three telling himself that it was all because of her delirious state.
“Clint was a patient. Nothing big, just a graze on his arm. Tony was more of a…hmm.”
“Nuisance?” Jo offered. Bruce watched the way the way her muscles contracted as she pulled herself into a sitting position, and she barely even winced at the pull.
“He was just worried, they all were, but Tony…I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that worried.” It was a little strange seeing such an unsure look on the confident billionaire’s face, but Bruce has been listening to their conversations over a phone line for months. He knows they’re close, so Tony’s worry makes sense.
“That idiot. He knows that I’m okay, but he’s such a worrier. Don’t worry, Doc, I’ll go knock some sense into him. How’re Clint and Darcy?” Jo swung her legs over the side of the table and then turned her head so that she could see his eyes.
“Uh, I haven’t seen anyone else. I came down here after I woke up.” Jo rolled her neck and sighed at the quiet pops, and Bruce watched the way her mostly free hair swayed with the movement.
“Alright, well, first things first. I’m going up to take a shower. I can definitely feel blood in my hair, and it makes me all itchy. You should eat somethin’, Doc. Knowing Tony, he’ll want to schedule a team meeting and make us all talk.” She was standing next to him now, and Bruce was startled to realize that she was only a few inches shorter than him.
“I didn’t think team meetings would be Tony’s thing,” Bruce laughed quietly.
“Tony takes any chance to talk about himself.” Jo was smiling over at him again, perfectly at ease even though she was covered in bruises with blood in her hair.
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” Jo grinned and then walked away, and Bruce wanted to ask her to lay back down. The bullet holes and large cuts were gone, but her back was still mottled with bruises of varying colors. He moved to the doorway to watch her enter the elevator, and she smiled at him one last time after turning around.
“See you later, hero!” Bruce stood stunned for a moment and leaned heavily against the doorway. He tried to coincide the bruised walking mass of flesh with the panicked sound of her rough voice as she shook in a bathtub with a naked and hallucinating Tony Stark. The woman wasn’t anything like he suspected, but that shouldn’t be surprising.
Tony was half asleep when he heard his bedroom door closing, and he opened bleary eyes to see a freshly showered Jo sauntering over to him. He knew she was freshly showered because her wet hair was pulled up into a tight ball, and she had changed into yellow panties and a nice black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.
“Is that my shirt?” Tony grinned as Jo balanced on the edge of the bed on her knees, and Jo smiled gently back.
“Yeah, it’s the strangest thing. I found it just lying on my bed and thought I’d take it for a ride. Looks good on me, right?” Jo carefully lowered herself down onto the bed, and Tony rolled over onto his back. Jo practically sunk down onto him, and he panicked for a moment about where to put his hands. He knew that she still hurting after that attack, and he didn’t want to make it any worse. Her head was pillowed on the space between the arc reactor and his collarbone, and Jo’s hand was pressed flat against his bare stomach since he was shirtless. Tony finally settled on placing his hand against her hip, lightly, so he wouldn’t hurt her.
“You’re an idiot,” Tony huffed.
“Duly noted.”
“I mean it, a real idiot. What were you thinking?” Tony’s voice was harsh, but Jo tilted her face up to smile at him.
“You’re safe.” She said it so easily, like it was the simplest thing in the world. Maybe, for her, it was.
July 25, 2014
Jo’s second return to consciousness was much more pleasant. There was still a dull throb of pain across her body, but it was fading. At some point, the natural order of sleeping positions was restored. She was sprawled out on her back, and she could feel slight stubble rubbing across her stomach. Her fingers were buried in Tony’s hair, and the fact that she could recognize her boss’s hair from touch alone should’ve been frightening but was instead comforting. Tony’s legs had hers trapped against his silky sheets, and he was so warm.
“Can we wake up like this every day?” Tony slurred sleepily. Jo didn’t have the heart to remind him that they already woke up like this every morning, but they usually have Darcy as an alarm clock.
“Operation lifetime sleepover is a go,” Jo mumbled back. Tony made a happy slash sleepy noise and nuzzled against her stomach, and she let her fingers comb through his hair. After a minute, she realized that her foot was asleep and shifted to get some better blood flow.
“Don’t go.” Tony’s hands tightened around her hips, and Jo finally opened her eyes to look down. Dark brown eyes met hers, and Jo’s smile felt both happy and sad.
“I’m not going anywhere, Tony. You hear me? I’m never going to leave you.” Since he’s still mostly asleep, hearing his thoughts is even easier than normal. He’s worried that she’ll go out to fight one day and never come back, or that she’ll just get tired of his shit and leave him. They all leave, eventually.
“I think I love you.” Tony blinked after the words left his mouth, and she gently brushed his hair back.
“Love you too, boss. Get some more rest, okay? We’ll get up in a few minutes.” The shirt that Jo was wearing had the last few buttons undone, which is why Tony was able to press his cheek against the bare skin of her stomach. Jo kept one hand in his hair and used the other to make sweeping circles over his back, and she watched as his breathing slowly evened out.
Jo was almost back to sleep herself when the door slammed open, and she groaned as her body automatically went vertical. The sudden move pushed Tony off of her and onto the actual bed, and he was on his knees and running his hands over her to check for injuries in the blink of an eye. Jo swatted at his hands to make him stop, glared at him to let him know that she was completely okay, and Tony dropped back down onto the bed after giving her an impressive eye roll. He pressed his cheek against her thigh, and they both turned to look at the doorway.
“Remind me to give Darcy a twenty,” Clint said slowly. He was blinking at them with his lips barely parted, and Jo felt like laughing. He looks so shocked, and…wait! Why does he owe Darcy money? “She told me that you two slept together, but I didn’t believe her. Remind me not to ever bet against her too.”
“Why are you in here disturbing my sleep?” Tony asked. He’s wide awake now, which means he’ll never go back to sleep, but it’s still a good question.
“Thor’s here,” Clint grinned. That had Tony sitting straight up, and Jo watched with amused eyes as he wiggled off the bed and disappeared into the closet.
“Put these on so people will stop thinking we’re sleeping together!” Tony yelled and threw something at her. Jo caught the pair of bright red leggings and rolled her eyes; she’s still wearing his button-up, so she doubts that a pair of leggings will help at all. Going by the head-shaking that Clint’s doing, he agrees.
“Did you two get married while we were gone?” Clint asked.
“No, but we did start planning,” Jo said as she yanked the leggings up her…legs.
“Am I invited?” Clint’s wearing his shit-eating grin, and Jo feels…perfect. So she got shot several times yesterday, but it’s all good now.
“We want you to be the flower girl,” Tony said as he emerged from the closet. He’s wearing jeans that have seen better days and an old Iron Maiden shirt, so they’re definitely spending the day in.
“Natasha is going to be so jealous,” Clint sighed.
“Why are you two just standing there? We’ve got a Viking god waiting for us downstairs.” Tony hooked his elbow around hers on his way out of the room, and Jo could hear Clint giggling behind them. He’s enjoying this way too much.
“Can I have a flower crown?” Clint asked as they stepped into the elevator.
“We’re bringing in several different models for you to choose from. Do you think Natasha will officiate?”
“I am not getting shot at my wedding,” Jo pointed out.
“Reception?” She looked over at her boss, who looked completely serious.
“Wouldn’t be a party without gunfire.”
“I want Darcy as my best man.”
“Then I get Thor as maid of honor.”
“Jo! You’re alive!” Jo was so busy going back and forth with Tony that she didn’t even realize they were halfway across the foyer, until Darcy’s arms locked around her neck.
“You sound surprised. I’m starting to feel insulted, Darcy.” The other woman let her go and took a step back, and Jo smiled. Clint walked around her and Tony to stand next to Darcy, and the archer slung an arm around the girl’s shoulders.
“See? I told you she’d be fine.” Darcy looked at Clint, looked at Jo, and then looked back at Clint.
“Are they planning a wedding?” Darcy whispered.
“You’re the best man and I’m the flower girl,” Clint whispered back.
“You owe me twenty bucks.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Darcy!” All four of them jumped at the sound of the loud booming voice, and Jo popped up onto her tiptoes to watch Thor walk into the foyer from the dining room. Bruce was right behind him, so the only person missing now is Natasha. And the Captain, but he hasn’t made an appearance at all so his absence is a given.
“Thor! This is my friend, Jo.” Big blue eyes looked her way, and Jo tried to stand a little straighter. He’s dressed in the same battle armor as that day in the kitchen, and his eyes look about the same. She still wants to hug him.
“Lady Jo! I am sorry for not properly introducing myself last time we met and for not assisting you in yesterday’s battle,” Thor said solemnly and bowed his head to her.
“Don’t worry about it, big guy. Hulk and I managed to hold the fort down.” When she glanced over, Bruce smiled shyly at her. It was both cute and endearing, and can’t they just all have one big group hug?
“Thor heard my prayer, which I didn’t even know was a thing that he could do,” Darcy said.
“You prayed for me?” Darcy nodded her answer, and Jo looked at Thor. “And you came?”
“Darcy is a dear friend, and she was concerned about your safety. Of course I came.”
“All of this is very touching and everything, but can we hash everything out in the den? Where there are couches?” Jo looked over at Tony, who just shrugged at her look and then pulled her towards said room. Looks like it’s time for that big team meeting.
“Excuse me, miss? Would you mind turning the volume up?” The waitress paused for a moment to look at him, and Steve tried to give her his nicest smile. It must’ve worked, because the young girl hurried over to the mounted television and raised the volume. Steve reminded himself to give the girl an extra-large tip before giving his full attention to the wide screen.
“There has yet to be any word on the attack that occurred at Tony Stark’s newly acquired home. There were several reports of rapid gunfire and low flying helicopters, but no one has yet to be taken into custody and Tony Stark is refusing to give a statement about the disturbance.”
There was a picture behind the blonde anchorwoman’s head of said home, and Steve’s mind boggled at the sight of the large house. Tony had invited him to come stay, along with the others. Steve promised to think about it, and Tony had given him his space since that last phone call. Was Tony living there alone? Had he been prepared for an attack? Was anyone hurt? Maybe he should go check in, just to make sure that everything was okay. He’s not very far from Manhattan, an hour away at the most. Steve blindly reached into his wallet and laid down a bill before rushing out of the small café to his bike. He has somewhere to be.
Inside the café, the young waitress nearly fainted when she saw the one hundred dollar bill sitting on the immaculate table. A hottie that knew how to clean up after himself, was super nice, and dropped a Benjamin like it was nothing? Best customer ever.
“Not another harlequin.” Jo’s head snapped up at the sound of the loud voice in the very quiet library, and her smile was instantaneous.
“Clint! I missed you!” Jo wrapped herself around the archer like a starfish, and Clint chuckled as he caught his footing and the mutant. “Did everything go okay? You two had one more day and then I was calling Fury to see if you needed backup.”
“Yeah, I got in last night. Early this morning. Natasha had a little side thing to do, but she should be here soon. It took a little longer than we expected, but everything has been handled. Fury wants to meet with everyone though, soon.”
“All of us? What’s going on?” Clint gripped her thighs and hoisted her up a little more securely, and Jo draped her arms over his shoulders.
“Don’t know. We’re in the dark on this one too. Where is everyone?”
“Thor, Cap, and Bruce are still no-shows. Tony and Darcy are up in the lab, and I felt like reading.” The library is so big and the chairs are so comfy, and it’s nice to just relax with a good book sometimes.
“Well, I know something that’s better than reading,” Clint grinned. He’s still in his uniform. He must have passed out while he was still dressed and then came looking for her as soon as he woke up. On the surface, it seems like a sweet gesture. Jo’s not an idiot though, and she doesn’t have to use telepathy to figure Clint out. What happened on their mission?
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“JARVIS? Seventy-six, please.”
“Excellent selection, sir.” Jo squealed as Clint jumped up onto the long table, while still holding her, but she was laughing as he set her on her feet. She straightened her back and tried to hold her smile in, but she was failing. Clint bowed at the waist, like the gentleman he wasn’t but knew how to act like, and raised a hand to ask for a dance. Jo smiled at the familiar tune and placed her hand in his just as the lyrics started.
“Aaaat laaaast, my loooove has come along. My lonely days are over…and life is like a song! Oh, yeah, yeah.” So, that’s where she was. Tony peeked his head into the library, looking for his bodyguard, and found her with her favorite dancing partner. He had a feeling that he should be upset about the two of them dancing on the old, and expensive, table but he wasn’t. Not when they were dancing so sweetly again. Seeing the two dancing like idiots was common, but this was the first time he’d seen them slow dancing since the Elvis song over two months ago.
“At last, the skies above are blue.” Jo was fully dressed for once, in a pair of ripped denim shorts and a light gray tee shirt. Tony was pretty sure that her hair was up earlier, but the brown mass was hanging freely down to her hips now. Clint was still dressed in the tight black pants and sleeveless black shirt he wore on missions, but the two were both barefoot as they twirled around the table.
“My heart was wrapped up in clover, the night I looked at you.” Clint swiped a hand down the side of Jo’s face, and Jo spun away from him as if in embarrassment with her hands pressed against her stomach. Clint’s front molded to her back as he reached around to grab her hands, and Tony could hear Jo singing quietly with her rough voice as she danced away from Clint again. Clint followed her easily, and they danced around each other, face-to-face, without touching.
“I found a dream, that I could speak to, a dream that I, can call my own.” Jo’s singing voice was rough, but it fit the song. She finished the line with her back to Clint once again, and she swayed lightly from side to side as the archer pressed against her once more.
“I found a thrill, to press my cheek to, a thrill that I, have never known.” Clint sung the beginning of his line with his cheek pressed to Jo’s, and Jo let him spin her around again. Clint tossed her into the air with the next verse and easily caught her with his hands locked around her waist, and Jo sang the following “Oh, yeah, yeah” as she was lowered back to the ground.
“You smile, you smile.”
“Oh and then the spell was cast.” They were dancing sweetly again, gracefully, like real lovers. They never broke eye contact as they sang to each other, first Clint and then Jo. It looked so real, with the gentle smiles and familiar touches, and Tony had never wanted to be a telepath more, just so he could know what they were thinking about.
“And here we are.”
(Clint was thinking of Lily, the little girl in the circus who was brave and snuck into his cot at night because she was scared of the shadows. He thought of her big blue eyes blinking up at him as she balanced her little feet on top of his, and he remembered the sound of her laugh as he dipped her far enough for her pretty blonde curls to brush the dirt covered ground. Thinking about Lily didn’t hurt when he was dancing. He didn’t see her thin and dying with coughs shaking her too small body. He saw her laughing as they danced.)
“In heaven.”
(Jo was thinking of Camille Holbrook, her Ma. She thought of lazy Sunday mornings in the kitchen, when she was still really small. She thought of how her mother would grab her hand and spin her around the kitchen just as the sun was lighting up the room. She could see herself dancing through light beams like another little piece of dust being revealed, and she could hear her mother singing quietly as they danced from tile to tile in the kitchen. It was their special time; moments for just the two of them.)
“For you are mine.”
(They both remember those tense first meetings, first in the hospital where Jo was held captive and the grueling debriefing that took a few weeks. Clint remembers a skinny and pale Jo, with dark circles under her eyes and the way she continuously rubbed a hand over her shaved head. Jo remembers the still young and angry agent, with eyes that burned with protective rage for his friend and a raw guilt for hurting someone he was meant to save. They both remember the night the debriefing was over and they wound up at the same seedy bar despite taking off from base separately. They remember matching drink for drink, they remember first impressions melting away under a new bond, and they remember their first dance. The smell of cheap beer and sawdust, the yellow light all around them, Jo’s bony hips and Clint’s wiry arms, and Nancy Sinatra singing, “Bang, bang…my baby shot me down.”)
“At last.” They ended the song completely pressed together, with Jo’s arms locked around Clint’s shoulders and Clint’s arms wrapped tightly around Jo’s hips. Their eyes were connected, and they were smiling like they were sharing a secret. Tony fought the urge to clap, because he didn’t want to ruin the moment.
“Hiya, boss,” Jo said with a throaty whisper. Her and Clint were both smiling at him now, and they both looked so relaxed. Maybe he should give dancing a try.
“Sorry to intrude,” he said with a big grin of his own. Clint propped his cheek on top of Jo’s head, and Jo snuggled under the archer’s chin.
“Whatcha need?” Jo was nearly slurring her words, and Clint’s smile was bordering on dopey. Tony was almost jealous of the peace they seemed to find with each other, but he remembered Jo’s fingers tightening around his when she told him that he’s the only one she cuddles. He also knows that Clint’s still closer to Natasha than anyone else, so Tony doesn’t have to worry about someone stealing his bodyguard away.
“Darcy is in the kitchen making lunch and—” He was cut off as the mansion shook, and Clint and Jo sprung apart.
“JARVIS! What the hell’s happening?!”
“HYDRA is attacking the mansion, sir. I believe they are looking for Agent Romanoff.” The two dancers swore under their breath in unison, and Tony took a second to just blink up at them. Is it the dancing that makes them that in sync?
“I’ll handle it,” Jo mumbled and jumped off the table.
“I’m comin’,” Clint said and followed her down.
“Same here,” Tony said as they reached him.
“You’re both crazy. You’re still wrung out from the last mission and don’t know what they’re packing, Clint. As for you, boss, the suit isn’t up and runnin’ yet. Stay here and let me take care of this, both of you,” Jo said without breaking her stride. “JARVIS? Can you please tell Darcy what’s going on and then direct her to the Assembly Room?”
“Of course, Miss Jo.” The rest of the house is already on lockdown so no one can get inside, and the Assembly Room is the safest place to be. Clint mumbled something under his breath and split away from them once they reached the foyer, and Tony followed Jo as she power walked to the elevator.
“You can’t take on HYDRA by yourself!” Tony yelled once they were inside. He realizes that his suit isn’t fully operation, yet, but Jo can’t fight on her own. Isn’t that the point of everything? To not fight alone anymore?
“I’m not takin’ on HYDRA. I’m gettin’ rid of a few agents sent to either take down Natasha or bring her in,” Jo said once they were on their own floor. She went straight to her room, and Tony paused in the doorway to watch her pull on a pair of heavy looking boots.
“You could get hurt.”
“I’m going to get hurt. I’m going to bleed and might even break something, but I’ll heal. You won’t.” Jo had the boots tied now and was balling her hair up.
“I don’t want you out there alone.”
“Tough titty said the kitty,” Jo mumbled as she finished with her hair.
“We don’t have time for flippant remarks!”
“Because those are your specialty?” Tony just glared as Jo stopped in front of him, and Jo sighed as she reached up to press her palms against stubbled cheeks. “You’re not ready to fight, and I was fighting long before Fury sent me to you. As your bodyguard, I’m asking you to stay in a secured area. As your friend, I’m asking you to let me keep you safe.”
“Jo—” The house shook again, and Jo’s lips thinned as she glanced up at the ceiling.
“I’ll be fine, boss.” Jo moved around him, and the elevator doors were already closing when he got back to the den. He caught a flash of dark green eyes before the doors closed completely, and he waited with a tapping foot for the elevator to open again. He needs to get to the lab.
The house shook around her again as the giant door to the Assembly Room opened, and Darcy quickly walked inside. There were couches along one wall, and there was a lot of machinery. It looked like a giant panic room, and that’s probably what it is. After the first quake, JARVIS directed her straight here. Now she’s here, and she has no idea what’s going on. Where’s Jo? And Tony?
“What’s happening, JARVIS?”
“The house is currently under attack. Miss Jo is handling the situation.”
“By herself?!” Tony’s suit isn’t finished yet, so of course Jo is fighting by herself. Is Jo strong enough to take on whoever is attacking them?
“I assure you, Miss Darcy, she is quite capable.” Darcy fell back onto a couch and let her eyes close. She hasn’t tried praying in a very long time, but maybe she can make an exception for her new friend.
“Dear God…no, wait…Dear Thor, my friend, Jo, told me that she prays to you whenever she needs a little extra strength. I’m living with her and Tony now, Tony Stark, and they’re both pretty cool. The house is under attack, and Jo is fighting off the bad guys on her own. I’m praying to you because…I want her to be okay. I guess, uh, keep her safe? Amen.”
“I! Hate! All! Of! You! Assholes!” Jo yelled as another barrage hit her. There’s a helicopter above her, and a few agents dropped down onto the roof once they realized their little bombs couldn’t put a dent in the Avengers Mansion. The bombs shook it up a little, but the place is still whole. Jo has never appreciated Tony’s brilliant and paranoid mind more.
“Hand over Black Widow, Eris!” one of the agents called out. Jo kicked him off the roof with high hopes that he’d land on his head. Lady Luck owes her that much at least.
“Still want her?” Jo asked as she turned to face the three remaining agents. They took off running back to the helicopter, and Jo cheered as she watched them go. “Yeah! You better run!”
“Could you be anymore cliché?” Jo tilted her head back to see pale green eyes and long black hair, and she propped her fists on her hips.
“Look who’s talking, Madame Hydra.” The other woman, who’s actual codename is Viper, let a slow smile curve her lips. Jo watched with confused eyes as the jet she was in slowly lifted higher into the air, and she realized there was a bomb aimed right at her around the time that it fired. She knew the mansion would be okay, she knew that she would survive the hit, and she knew that it was going to hurt like a bitch. The bomb landed and went off a few feet in front of her, and her eyes squeezed closed as she waited for the blast to rip through her. There was heat hotter than the surface of the sun, but she didn’t explode. All of her limbs are accounted for. She slowly peeked her eyes open and saw a wall of green.
“Okay?” The voice was more of a growl, with a lot of anger, but it wasn’t menacing. No, not menacing at all. The giant green wall of muscle was protecting her from the worst of the blast and seeing him up close was absolutely breathtaking. Jo glanced up to take in the green features, and she was surprised to see the concerned look in the big guy’s green gaze.
“My hero!” Jo gathered the last of her strength into her legs to help her push off the ground, and she locked her arms around his thick neck. His back was still burning hot, but she didn’t care. She heard his grunt and then squealed when he lifted her higher into the air. She was deposited on one broad shoulder, and her hand reached over to brush some dust out of his curly dark hair.
“Jo! Are you—Whoa!” Tony slid to a stop as he looked around, and Jo grinned down at him from her new seat.
“Is she okay?!” Clint exploded around a corner, and Jo took note of his bow. Did he have that when they were dancing? She raised a brow in question, and Clint looked from her to the weapon in his hands. “There were a few on the ground. Next time, try aiming before you push someone off the roof.”
“Kicked,” Jo pointed out. It’s an important distinction. Ooh, in her woozy state, that’s an impressively large word to think.
“Hulk, buddy, when did you get here?” Tony asked. Jo had to resist the urge to look into her current savior’s mind. Her morals and the blood loss helped her make the decision.
“Banner coming to stay. Heard guns.” The big green guy shrugged, and Jo slowly moved up and down with the gesture.
“Glad you did too. That one was gonna hurt somethin’ awful.”
“Humph, you too puny.” Jo smiled at that and pulled in a painful breath.
“Hey, we’re all puny next to you,” Jo said and dropped her head on top of his. Her numerous injuries are letting themselves be known now that the adrenaline’s wearing off, and everything’s starting to throb.
“Did you know the Hulk could talk?” Clint whispered.
“No idea,” Tony whispered back. Jo slumped completely against the side of Hulk’s head, and she saw the blurry shapes of Tony and Clint stepping forward. Then everything went black.
Inside Hulk’s mind, Bruce could see and hear everything. It was a little disconcerting in the beginning, being in the back of his own mind, but he was getting used to the sensation. Right now, he could feel the way the woman was resting slackly against him and could see the two men stepping towards them. Bruce knew them, could identify them, and so could Hulk.
“You need to put her down. She’s been hurt and needs to be taken care of,” Bruce said gently. He has an understanding with Hulk now, so he knows that the other guy will listen to him.
“Take care of her?”
“Yeah, I’ll take care of her.” Bruce could feel the big fist wrapping so gently around the woman, but he didn’t place her on the ground. Instead, he carefully held the body to his massive chest as he started to retreat. Before, Bruce wasn’t conscious for his return so he was getting used to this part as well. A few heartbeats later, Bruce was standing on Tony Stark’s roof completely naked with Tony’s bodyguard unconscious in his arms.
“Hey, Bruce! Long time no see,” Tony said with a too wide grin. His eyes kept darting down to the woman, and Bruce wasn’t really sure what to do. What’s the protocol for this sort of thing?
“Yeah, Doc, it’s really nice to finally see you. All of you. Wow, you are really naked.” Bruce glanced down to see hazy green eyes staring at him, and a small smile touched her lips.
“How are you still conscious?” He couldn’t see all of her, but he’s got a good idea about what kind of shape she’s in.
“It’s a tank thing,” she giggled.
“Okay, it’s down to the med facilities for you, tank,” Tony said and turned to walk away. Bruce looked down at the bodyguard, who was smiling up at him with half of her face covered in blood.
“I think green is my new favorite color.”
“She is really out of it. She must’ve taken a really hard hit to the head,” Clint said with a shit-eating grin. Bruce remembers Tony and Clint, but he doesn’t remember everyone being this relaxed.
“Isn’t green already her favorite color?” Tony asked and glanced over his shoulder.
“Has been for the past ten years at least, so I think a Doc is just what the tank ordered.” Clint was grinning at him, and Bruce didn’t know what to say. Or how to act. He’s feeling a little lost.
“You should come down too. I can stitch that up for you, if you like,” Bruce said with a pointed look at the still bleeding hole in Clint’s arm. They stopped in front of the elevator, where Tony was holding the doors open, and Clint’s smile looked more genuine than manic.
“Yeah? Thanks, Doc. I need to call in SHIELD to come take care of the bodies first and then I’ll be right down.” The elevator doors closed as soon as Bruce stepped inside, and Jo groaned as the elevator moved and turned her face into Bruce’s bare chest.
“She needs to be treated first anyway.”
“Mmm, my hero,” she sighed and promptly passed out again.
“Holy shit.” The three men in the room froze at the sound of the whisper and remained motionless as Darcy walked farther into the room. As for Darcy, she could only see Jo. She didn’t see Tony, who was so tense that it was starting to look painful. She didn’t pay attention to Clint, whose eyes missed nothing and was dripping blood. She didn’t notice Bruce, who was stitching up the archer and only wearing a pair of scrub pants.
“Darce?”
“I thought she was indestructible.” Her voice was strong, but her fingers shook just a little as she touched Jo’s pinky finger. This is Jo, who laughs off getting shot in the head and responds to the name Tank.
“They hit her hard. Jo can heal at a rapid rate and survive injuries that us mere mortals can’t, but she’s got limits. Healing that much damage in such a short span of time takes its toll. Sometimes, the paint on the tank chips.” Clint’s voice was fond, like he’d heard that particular phrase several times over the years, and Darcy shuffled a little.
Jo looks like she got ran over by a tank instead of being one. She’s stripped down to her matching set of sailor blue bra and panties, and her blood caked hair is half up and half down. Her long tanned limbs are clean of blood, but that just makes it easier to see all the bruises. Her ribs and right bicep are so swollen that several bones have to be severely broken, and her left arm is one giant bruise. Bullet holes are peppered across her bare skin, like she got hit by a firing squad. Jo should never look like this.
“Keep it clean, and I’ll check in a few days to see if they’re ready to come out. Um, Tony? I know we have a lot to talk about, but I could use a little rest, after…”
“Yeah, no problem, big guy. Right this way. Clint?”
“I’ll be up in a minute.”
“Darcy?”
“In a minute.” Tony and the other guy disappeared, and Darcy realized that Clint was standing right beside her. He was looking down at Jo too, but he didn’t look as worried as she felt. “She told me about…that place. She said that you saved her, and that’s why you’re friends.”
“Saved her, huh?” What Jo had actually said was the rescue mission was a complete disaster, but it all worked out in the end. She wouldn’t say what happened inside either, just that she was a telepath when she came out. Darcy doesn’t need the whole story; she can read between the lines. Whatever happened there, it was bad.
“She’ll be okay, right?” Clint’s eyes met hers, hazel, and he smiled just a little.
“I watched Jo cannonball off the helicarrier onto an enemy jet. The crash left a little crater in the ground, and Jo was laughing when we found her. She can live through anything.”
“She’s that strong?” Clint hummed an answer, and Darcy nodded her head. It hasn’t even been three weeks, but she’s already attached. She told herself she wouldn’t get attached, but here she is about to cry at her new friend’s bedside even though her new friend will be completely okay.
“Come on, let’s go back upstairs.” Clint’s fingers touched the back of her hand, and Darcy let go of Jo’s pinky so she could hold onto his hand instead. The calluses on his fingers were rough against her skin, but she didn’t mind. Clint led the way to the elevator, and he didn’t let her hand go.
Coming back to consciousness was not a pleasant feeling; it was fuckin’ amazing. Jo realizes that doesn’t make any sense, but it is what it is. She’s still sore, so she’s still in the process of healing, but she’s alive. Sometimes referring to oneself as indestructible can give a person a big head, but that just means that there’s a bigger target to deflate. The target being her ego, which is represented by all of her and not just her head. Jo felt a light pressure on her left hand, and she forced her head up to get a better look.
“Hey, take it easy. You shouldn’t be moving around just yet.” Jo’s head swiveled to the side, and she felt her brows pull together as she tried to place the man. He looks normal enough, with his mop of curly brown hair and nice brown eyes, but Jo knows better than most that looks can be deceiving. Her eyes, still a bit hazy but clearing with every passing second, narrowed in on the blue button-down shirt. She caught a flash of a green chest and then a hairy tanned chest, and everything seemed to slot into place.
“Hey, Doc! Sorry for the Sleeping Beauty routine. I guess you patched me up? Did you turn Tony and Clint into nurses?” Bruce tried not to be surprised at the bodyguard’s easy tone, and he shouldn’t be after the whole jumping hug thing on the roof. In the past twelve hours, he’d slept for nine and spent the past three telling himself that it was all because of her delirious state.
“Clint was a patient. Nothing big, just a graze on his arm. Tony was more of a…hmm.”
“Nuisance?” Jo offered. Bruce watched the way the way her muscles contracted as she pulled herself into a sitting position, and she barely even winced at the pull.
“He was just worried, they all were, but Tony…I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that worried.” It was a little strange seeing such an unsure look on the confident billionaire’s face, but Bruce has been listening to their conversations over a phone line for months. He knows they’re close, so Tony’s worry makes sense.
“That idiot. He knows that I’m okay, but he’s such a worrier. Don’t worry, Doc, I’ll go knock some sense into him. How’re Clint and Darcy?” Jo swung her legs over the side of the table and then turned her head so that she could see his eyes.
“Uh, I haven’t seen anyone else. I came down here after I woke up.” Jo rolled her neck and sighed at the quiet pops, and Bruce watched the way her mostly free hair swayed with the movement.
“Alright, well, first things first. I’m going up to take a shower. I can definitely feel blood in my hair, and it makes me all itchy. You should eat somethin’, Doc. Knowing Tony, he’ll want to schedule a team meeting and make us all talk.” She was standing next to him now, and Bruce was startled to realize that she was only a few inches shorter than him.
“I didn’t think team meetings would be Tony’s thing,” Bruce laughed quietly.
“Tony takes any chance to talk about himself.” Jo was smiling over at him again, perfectly at ease even though she was covered in bruises with blood in her hair.
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” Jo grinned and then walked away, and Bruce wanted to ask her to lay back down. The bullet holes and large cuts were gone, but her back was still mottled with bruises of varying colors. He moved to the doorway to watch her enter the elevator, and she smiled at him one last time after turning around.
“See you later, hero!” Bruce stood stunned for a moment and leaned heavily against the doorway. He tried to coincide the bruised walking mass of flesh with the panicked sound of her rough voice as she shook in a bathtub with a naked and hallucinating Tony Stark. The woman wasn’t anything like he suspected, but that shouldn’t be surprising.
Tony was half asleep when he heard his bedroom door closing, and he opened bleary eyes to see a freshly showered Jo sauntering over to him. He knew she was freshly showered because her wet hair was pulled up into a tight ball, and she had changed into yellow panties and a nice black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.
“Is that my shirt?” Tony grinned as Jo balanced on the edge of the bed on her knees, and Jo smiled gently back.
“Yeah, it’s the strangest thing. I found it just lying on my bed and thought I’d take it for a ride. Looks good on me, right?” Jo carefully lowered herself down onto the bed, and Tony rolled over onto his back. Jo practically sunk down onto him, and he panicked for a moment about where to put his hands. He knew that she still hurting after that attack, and he didn’t want to make it any worse. Her head was pillowed on the space between the arc reactor and his collarbone, and Jo’s hand was pressed flat against his bare stomach since he was shirtless. Tony finally settled on placing his hand against her hip, lightly, so he wouldn’t hurt her.
“You’re an idiot,” Tony huffed.
“Duly noted.”
“I mean it, a real idiot. What were you thinking?” Tony’s voice was harsh, but Jo tilted her face up to smile at him.
“You’re safe.” She said it so easily, like it was the simplest thing in the world. Maybe, for her, it was.
July 25, 2014
Jo’s second return to consciousness was much more pleasant. There was still a dull throb of pain across her body, but it was fading. At some point, the natural order of sleeping positions was restored. She was sprawled out on her back, and she could feel slight stubble rubbing across her stomach. Her fingers were buried in Tony’s hair, and the fact that she could recognize her boss’s hair from touch alone should’ve been frightening but was instead comforting. Tony’s legs had hers trapped against his silky sheets, and he was so warm.
“Can we wake up like this every day?” Tony slurred sleepily. Jo didn’t have the heart to remind him that they already woke up like this every morning, but they usually have Darcy as an alarm clock.
“Operation lifetime sleepover is a go,” Jo mumbled back. Tony made a happy slash sleepy noise and nuzzled against her stomach, and she let her fingers comb through his hair. After a minute, she realized that her foot was asleep and shifted to get some better blood flow.
“Don’t go.” Tony’s hands tightened around her hips, and Jo finally opened her eyes to look down. Dark brown eyes met hers, and Jo’s smile felt both happy and sad.
“I’m not going anywhere, Tony. You hear me? I’m never going to leave you.” Since he’s still mostly asleep, hearing his thoughts is even easier than normal. He’s worried that she’ll go out to fight one day and never come back, or that she’ll just get tired of his shit and leave him. They all leave, eventually.
“I think I love you.” Tony blinked after the words left his mouth, and she gently brushed his hair back.
“Love you too, boss. Get some more rest, okay? We’ll get up in a few minutes.” The shirt that Jo was wearing had the last few buttons undone, which is why Tony was able to press his cheek against the bare skin of her stomach. Jo kept one hand in his hair and used the other to make sweeping circles over his back, and she watched as his breathing slowly evened out.
Jo was almost back to sleep herself when the door slammed open, and she groaned as her body automatically went vertical. The sudden move pushed Tony off of her and onto the actual bed, and he was on his knees and running his hands over her to check for injuries in the blink of an eye. Jo swatted at his hands to make him stop, glared at him to let him know that she was completely okay, and Tony dropped back down onto the bed after giving her an impressive eye roll. He pressed his cheek against her thigh, and they both turned to look at the doorway.
“Remind me to give Darcy a twenty,” Clint said slowly. He was blinking at them with his lips barely parted, and Jo felt like laughing. He looks so shocked, and…wait! Why does he owe Darcy money? “She told me that you two slept together, but I didn’t believe her. Remind me not to ever bet against her too.”
“Why are you in here disturbing my sleep?” Tony asked. He’s wide awake now, which means he’ll never go back to sleep, but it’s still a good question.
“Thor’s here,” Clint grinned. That had Tony sitting straight up, and Jo watched with amused eyes as he wiggled off the bed and disappeared into the closet.
“Put these on so people will stop thinking we’re sleeping together!” Tony yelled and threw something at her. Jo caught the pair of bright red leggings and rolled her eyes; she’s still wearing his button-up, so she doubts that a pair of leggings will help at all. Going by the head-shaking that Clint’s doing, he agrees.
“Did you two get married while we were gone?” Clint asked.
“No, but we did start planning,” Jo said as she yanked the leggings up her…legs.
“Am I invited?” Clint’s wearing his shit-eating grin, and Jo feels…perfect. So she got shot several times yesterday, but it’s all good now.
“We want you to be the flower girl,” Tony said as he emerged from the closet. He’s wearing jeans that have seen better days and an old Iron Maiden shirt, so they’re definitely spending the day in.
“Natasha is going to be so jealous,” Clint sighed.
“Why are you two just standing there? We’ve got a Viking god waiting for us downstairs.” Tony hooked his elbow around hers on his way out of the room, and Jo could hear Clint giggling behind them. He’s enjoying this way too much.
“Can I have a flower crown?” Clint asked as they stepped into the elevator.
“We’re bringing in several different models for you to choose from. Do you think Natasha will officiate?”
“I am not getting shot at my wedding,” Jo pointed out.
“Reception?” She looked over at her boss, who looked completely serious.
“Wouldn’t be a party without gunfire.”
“I want Darcy as my best man.”
“Then I get Thor as maid of honor.”
“Jo! You’re alive!” Jo was so busy going back and forth with Tony that she didn’t even realize they were halfway across the foyer, until Darcy’s arms locked around her neck.
“You sound surprised. I’m starting to feel insulted, Darcy.” The other woman let her go and took a step back, and Jo smiled. Clint walked around her and Tony to stand next to Darcy, and the archer slung an arm around the girl’s shoulders.
“See? I told you she’d be fine.” Darcy looked at Clint, looked at Jo, and then looked back at Clint.
“Are they planning a wedding?” Darcy whispered.
“You’re the best man and I’m the flower girl,” Clint whispered back.
“You owe me twenty bucks.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Darcy!” All four of them jumped at the sound of the loud booming voice, and Jo popped up onto her tiptoes to watch Thor walk into the foyer from the dining room. Bruce was right behind him, so the only person missing now is Natasha. And the Captain, but he hasn’t made an appearance at all so his absence is a given.
“Thor! This is my friend, Jo.” Big blue eyes looked her way, and Jo tried to stand a little straighter. He’s dressed in the same battle armor as that day in the kitchen, and his eyes look about the same. She still wants to hug him.
“Lady Jo! I am sorry for not properly introducing myself last time we met and for not assisting you in yesterday’s battle,” Thor said solemnly and bowed his head to her.
“Don’t worry about it, big guy. Hulk and I managed to hold the fort down.” When she glanced over, Bruce smiled shyly at her. It was both cute and endearing, and can’t they just all have one big group hug?
“Thor heard my prayer, which I didn’t even know was a thing that he could do,” Darcy said.
“You prayed for me?” Darcy nodded her answer, and Jo looked at Thor. “And you came?”
“Darcy is a dear friend, and she was concerned about your safety. Of course I came.”
“All of this is very touching and everything, but can we hash everything out in the den? Where there are couches?” Jo looked over at Tony, who just shrugged at her look and then pulled her towards said room. Looks like it’s time for that big team meeting.
“Excuse me, miss? Would you mind turning the volume up?” The waitress paused for a moment to look at him, and Steve tried to give her his nicest smile. It must’ve worked, because the young girl hurried over to the mounted television and raised the volume. Steve reminded himself to give the girl an extra-large tip before giving his full attention to the wide screen.
“There has yet to be any word on the attack that occurred at Tony Stark’s newly acquired home. There were several reports of rapid gunfire and low flying helicopters, but no one has yet to be taken into custody and Tony Stark is refusing to give a statement about the disturbance.”
There was a picture behind the blonde anchorwoman’s head of said home, and Steve’s mind boggled at the sight of the large house. Tony had invited him to come stay, along with the others. Steve promised to think about it, and Tony had given him his space since that last phone call. Was Tony living there alone? Had he been prepared for an attack? Was anyone hurt? Maybe he should go check in, just to make sure that everything was okay. He’s not very far from Manhattan, an hour away at the most. Steve blindly reached into his wallet and laid down a bill before rushing out of the small café to his bike. He has somewhere to be.
Inside the café, the young waitress nearly fainted when she saw the one hundred dollar bill sitting on the immaculate table. A hottie that knew how to clean up after himself, was super nice, and dropped a Benjamin like it was nothing? Best customer ever.
Notes
I have posted a one-shot that goes along with this chapter, The Other Guy. It tells the story of what Bruce (and Hulk) has been up since the Battle of Manhattan up until this point. There's even a little bit of this chapter in there. It's not very long at all, so you should definitely go read it.
Everyone made an appearance! Bruce and Thor are actually in Avengers Mansion, and Steve got his little ending scene. If there are any questions about anything, let me know!
Song Used: At Last by Etta James
@TheIronBat
Oh my god! So much is going on and I love it!!!
10/23/17