UVa - For Darcy

[loveawkward]

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.

Comments

[loveawkward]

"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.

[tazedandconfused]

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.

[loveawkward]

"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?"

[tazedandconfused]

"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."

[loveawkward]

"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.

[tazedandconfused]

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?"

[loveawkward]

"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."

[tazedandconfused]

"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?"

[loveawkward]

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?"

[tazedandconfused]

"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.

[loveawkward]

"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.