loveawkward | UVa - For Darcy

UVa - For Darcy

California was a hot spot. Names had been revealed, the community was under threat, and there was nothing left for him in California. Not that he wouldn't miss it but Josef was big on survival.

Which was how he found himself in Charlottesville, teaching Economics and pretending to be a professor named Joseph King because he just wasn't ready to change his monogram. Not yet.

Teaching though came with the trouble of actually having to speak to college students, and not snacking on said college students. The latter was nearly the hardest thing. The hardest was Mick being off, doing his own thing, and not having his best friend for eighty years there with him.

It was what had brought him up to the astronomy tower, staring out at the night sky from the balcony that had been built for star watching for the students.

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"You are not Jane."

She was not used to people coming up here. Well people that weren't Jane and Jane was very definitely not here and that was not good. She might have to call in a Thor-napping to SHIELD if Jane's not here and not answering her phone.

But at the same point, she could wait a moment. Because um, hello beefcake.

He heard steps behind him, but Josef didn't look away. Not for the longest time. Not until she made that announcement.

Slowly he turned, looking at her with a smile. "No. No I'm not. But I can pretend to be if it makes you smile."

That makes Darcy just tilt her head at him and size him up for a second. "As amusing as that thought is, I don't think you'd fit in her clothes. You're also obviously self-aware and Jane sometimes isn't, not when she gets lost in her science." And that was too much information, it really was and she's babbling and she never used to do this, but Jane is a bad influence on her and this guy is really hot and it has been a long while since Darcy had a chance at anything since England really and her intern and yeah.

"Besides you don't have to dress in drag to make me smile." It's so much easier than that.

All of his self lecturing about not hitting on the coeds was going straight out the window. She was cute, and kind of reminded him of Beth in a lot of ways. Mostly in that babbling and not caring kind of way. He hadn't realized until then that he found it endearing, but it was definitely a trait he could appreciate in a nonsnack type person.

"Well, I'm sure I'll find other ways to make you smile then," he said, turning to offer his hand. "Joseph King, economics. Who might you, and Jane, be?"

She's technically not really a coed anymore. She's got her bachelors and she's still a PA for Jane and then she'd been promised a position at SHIELD or with Stark Enterprises if she ever wants to stop being a PA. She's thinking about a Masters degree but she's not decided on it.

"Darcy. Lewis. I'm Dr. Foster, that's Jane's, assistant. She's astrophysics and I'm political science."

Learning that will make so much better in Josef's mind, not that he should be hitting on anyone at all. So much for a low profile.

"Darcy, aren't you a charming thing for a polisci major. What's the plan for that?"

Oops, totally letting the rest go. He'd worry about Jane later. Suddenly he was thinking other things, like needing someone in his corner to help with things.

Her ideas of low profile come down to "Asgardian, Shield, or Not?" Life is very strange for her at the moment. "Still working that out to be honest. How's Economics doing?"

Josef chuckled, shifting in a bit closer to her and looking over the balcony. He pointed down a way to where the faculty parking lot was. "Do you see that? She's proof that economics is doing me pretty well. The students, that's another story."

Oooh. That was a nice car. "How's she drive?" Smooth like butter she was guessing. "So I know this great coffee shop." Because she can text people to have them find Jane. She wants a ride in that car.

"I think there's only one way to find out," Josef said, dipping his hand into his pocket and pulling out his key ring. Two keys and a plantinum bar. He was showing off these days, needing to rebuild everything and himself as well.

"Why don't you find out," he offered, holding out the keys.

She stares for a moment. "Are you serious?" Because hell to the yes and she takes the keys. "You coming?"

There's a flirtatious smile there that she's giving him because innuendo totally meant.

"I'm rarely serious but I am offering to let you drive the car." Which wasn't true, but he hid how determined and serious he was beneath a pretty smile.

"Oh probably, but not in the car. It's expensive leather," he noted with a smile. "Shall we?"

"You're right, it's much better to do that sort of thing somewhere you have a lot of room to spread out and really feast." Darcy nodded with a totally sincere look on her face.

She offered an arm to him. "Lead the way Mr. Economics."

"I do hope you find Jane eventually," he said, smirking and linking his arm with hers. "Though not today. Unless she's the type to share," he noted. "Faculty elevator then.

And that made her eyes cross for a minute. "I'll send suits after her. They'll find her. And while that would be a pretty thing...her boyfriend would murder all of us."

Death by hammer was not how she wanted to go. "So tell about yourself, Mr. Econ. Or is it Dr. Econ?"

"Oh I don't know. Some of us are pretty hard to kill," he said, not bragging in that moment. At this point in his life, it was fact.

"It's actually just Joseph. I'm not one for titles. As for me... I'm just a man with an instinct for money and a lot of time on my hands."

"Just Joseph. So it's definitely Doctor King and you like the fact that just Joseph makes it seem like you don't want to brag. It's a good way to get people to trust you." Darcy grinned. "How do you like your coffee?"

He laughed at that. "It is Doctor, and I don't use the title as much as I use the car. It tends to work better." He smirked at that, giving her a soft nudged. He liked her. He had to admit that.

And not only because she smelled good.

"And people don't tend to trust me anyway," he said, playing honesty for sympathy. "I'm a ... There's an old term for it. A bit of an odd duck. And black with three sugars and a cream. You?"

"The car is a very very good thing to use. Gets you lots of attention I bet." Darcy grinned, "But do you let everyone drive it or am I just special?"

"Any particular blend of roast or cream?" Because she's so tempted to just drive them back to the apartment that Stark set up for them. No one's there really and it's got a king sized bed.

"Oddly enough, I stopped looking for attention about a year ago, but I just couldn't help upgrading the car when I moved." Not to mention the old one had been in a name of a man that died in an explosion. That hadn't helped either.

"Nope. I am not particular about coffee." Blood, sure. Not coffee.

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