Summary:Darcy learns that Jimmy is injured, then learns an awful lot more. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Heading home from the park turned out to be more Eventful than Jimmy would have liked. Flight, at least, is good for hobbling home — especially with that alley-facing balcony. Now he's been home for a little while, long enough to get himself bandaged and with ice packs strapped to his chest. He keeps himself in the big, cushy seat, and decides he's not going to move for the rest of the night. The morning should give him enough time to mostly recover.
And he has his phone still in reach too. And just then, he happens to get a call. Caller ID puts a distinctive picture on the screen, and he snaps it up. "Hey, Darcy." His voice sounds a bit more strained and pained than normal.
"Hey, Handsome! I was about to fah-lop on my bed when I thought of you and figured I'd call," comes Darcy's reply, followed shortly by a soft umph and a pleased sigh.
"Not to late to call you? I can send selfies instead. I can send selfies while talking to you… if I can find my headset. How was your day?"
Jimmy smiles, even through the pain, as he sinks back more into the seat. "That's sweet of you. And yeah, I can talk. Just got home a couple minutes ago. Got a bit held up on the way back from the park." He shifts slightly in his seat to get more comfortable, and hisses as his injuries clash unpleasantly with one another. He's got his front all covered in cold packs, but he hadn't thought about the damage his back took when he hit the ground.
The tension in his voice and the hiss of discomfort make warning bells flash and Darcy shoves herself up to sitting.
"Jim… You alright? What's wrong? What happened on the way home from the park?" Darcy asks, rapid-fire, heart kicking up a notch in worry.
Ohhh boy. Jimmy had planned to tell her soon, but not like this. For one thing, he'd planned to tell her in person. "I'll be fine," he says, his voice coming fast. "Trust me, I'll be fine. Just need a night to rest up." That's the most important assurance to give. "It's just, while I was on the way home, there was this… meta attack. You know how it is, this city." He hasn't technically said he was involved in the attack. He could have been a civilian bystander, caught in crossfire. That happens, unfortunately.
"A meta… fuck. Alright. Text me your address. I'll be right over," she says, pushing up and grabbing her pants. It doesn't occur to her that if it's a meta attack that said metas could still be out there and she could end up like Jim, just an innocent bystander. Or, she's already had to deal with that and is going to sit with a friend after an attack, because that's what she would have liked.
"No, really, I—" Jimmy sighs. She may be out of his range, but he doesn't need empathy to tell that she's made up her mind. "Just make sure to be safe while you're on your way over, alright? Texting it now. And… s-see you soon, I guess." He hangs up then, and her phone soon buzzes with a text providing the address.
"Yup." Simple, short, decided. It doesn't take an empath, no. Nor does it take Darcy long to get to his place. She knows how to navigate New York, at night. She also knows where a CVS is, where she picks up a decent enough first aid kit, some comfort snacks, ad chocolate (That's for her, thank you). Some where along the way, she asks for the code to get in to his place, and so less than an hour later, Darcy's making her way in with her small duffle of supplies.
"Jim?" she calls out as she locks the door behind her.
"Here," Jimmy says, calling her attention to the big lounge chair where he's seated. The coffee table's been pulled over close by, and already has a first aid kit open on it; he's tended to himself at least a little already. "That was fast. Are you okay? You didn't have to rush that much." He's the one injured, and not moving from his seat, but that's not going to lessen his concern.
Worry clings to Darcy like a bad perfume. She moves over, eyes the first aid kit, and sets her things down next to it.
"Am -I- okay? Please. Let me see," she grumbles, purposefully ignoring his words about not needing to have worried that much. She looks for what he's drinking and if there's food, while taking out her phone and pulling up a search engine.
Darcy… does NOT have medical knowledge. Darcy does have an internet connection on her phone, and she knows how to use it.
Jimmy keeps his right arm crossed over his abdomen, holding his shirt in place — which shows the telltale lumps of bandages and packs. He puts a hand on hers, nudging her to ower the phone. "I've done the first aid thing. It's how we met, remember? 'Doc Meth', in the house." He gives her a pained smile. "About all I think I missed was getting some packs on my back, too. It's good having you here, but I think I'd better not move around enough for a second go at it."
…Fucking DUH! He's a doctor. Studying to be a doctor? In her worry and concern, she forgot. Her eyes fall to his hand on hers and she stills.
"Yeah. I remember," seh grumbles, with a tone that reads that she remembers now that he's reminded her. She slumps a bit now, having gotten herself worked up and now it's got no where to really go.
"….I'll get you those packs for your back… and I'll make you something to eat, if you're hungry…" she finally offers.
Jimmy smiles at her, still warm and affectionate even with her grumbling. And hey, since he still has hold of her hand, he tugs it up and gives it a kiss. "Packs would be good. And… yeah, I should eat something. Get some protein for my body to use. There should be some leftover hamburgers in the fridge? I still cook like I've got a group to cook for, I swear." He shifts about, sitting up straighter, and groans. "Though… since you're here, there's something I should show you." Yeah. This is just going to keep happening, and he has made a pledge to be honest.
Knuckles kissed, Darcy melts into a fond smile and she steps close to brush his cheek with her other hand.
"Sure. I'll cook you a burger. No problem. After I get you some ice packs for your back," she says, tutting her tongue at him and moving to try to gently press him back to resting until she's brought the things for his back.
"Ah ah ah. Yes. Tell me, after you're settled and eating, okay?" Darcy offers in return.
Jimmy pouts at her. Dang it, this is important stuff he has to say. He sits up slightly, and then lets off a hiss. Yeah, he's got to find a comfortable spot. "Alright, then. But don't let me back out of it now, okay?"
The smile turns sympathetic at his hiss, and Darcy pulls away to get that ice pack.
"You got it, Hot Stuff," is vowed on her way to the kitchen. Some rummaging and she returns with some large ziplock bags of ice wrapped in kitchen towels. Carefully, she helps him lean forward just far enough so she can gingerly slip the packs down behind him, and then she helps him lean back and get comfortable.. or as much as he can. WIth him set up, she brushes a kiss on his forehead, pauses a heartbeat, then licks him where she'd kissed him. And then she turns to head back to the kitchen to make them both burgers.
Jimmy leans forwards to make room for her to set the pack down his back, and then sighs with relief as he sinks back again. "That… really hits the spot. Thank you." He fidgets a bit with his hands, though that makes him wince, too. "So… how's your night been going, otherwise?" Other than the guy she's dating ending up caught in a cape fight.
"You're welcome," Darcy before she goes to the kitchen, opting to answer him from there.
"Night's been good. Went skating after work, got some food truck noms, took a shower, thought about you. And now here we are," she rambles over the sounds of her rummaging again and getting a skillet ready to go.
"And yours? Other than the meta attack. Those kinda suck, so you don't have to talk about it at all. Though if you want to tell me who it is so I can add them to my shit list, I wouldn't stop you."
Jimmy blush-smiles at the thought of her thinking of him… and then it leans more towards the 'blush' end of the spectrum when he realises she was thinking of him /in the shower/. He manages not to say anything out loud. "Other than the meta attack, was pretty good. Way more caught up on study than I have been, things are going well at work. And I'll tell you more, just… later." Once he's settled in and eating, as she insisted. What he has to say, and the meta attack, are pretty closely entwined.
Belatedly, he rubs fingers across his forehead. "You realise I don't have frosting on me, right?"
Focused on cooking, Darcy is listening.
"Sure thing," Darcy agrees to him wanting to wait until later to talk about it any more. Of course, then he asks about frosting, and with a bubble of amusement darcy quips: "Yet. You don't have frosting on you yet. But that's not why I licked you."
Yet. Well, that's going to put some thoughts in Jimmy's head. He purses his lips, trying to keep the embarrassment out of his field of focus. He tilts his head, looking up at her. "Alright, I'll bite. Then why did you lick me?"
"Because you're mine now," Darcy replies without hesitation. She know he was going ot bite on that, and she has zero shame for having done it. Burger sizzling and smells begin teo fill the apartment as Darcy locates some burger-appropriate veg for toppings.
Jimmy laughs — softly to avoid exacerbating his injuries, but still with a grin. "I licked it, that makes it mine? Didn't realise you played by 'little sister in a big family' kind of rules. Should I be worried about poachers?" He takes in a deep breath, and lets out a pleased sigh. The burgers smell good; he gives 'em some good seasonings.
"I did, and no you don't. Because poachers are asshats, and I don't allow asshats near my things," is explained, getting plates and cups down before looking about for drink things.
Jimmy has chilled water and juice, but there doesn't look to be any kind of beer in the fridge. Nor alcohol in general; he doesn't have anything against it, but he's just not a drinker. "Does that mean you're mine, too? I've always felt a little weird about staking ownership claims like that."
"Well, you can't claim me until you lick me, so there's that," Darcy starts. A moment passes and then she sticks her head out of the kitchen, leaning sidewise, to peer at him.
"Did it make you feel weird? Cause if it did, I'll apologize, not bring it up again."
Jimmy holds up a hand. "It's fine! It's fine. I just wasn't expecting it. It's still a new thing, and I'd figured we were feeling things out and keeping things light, until we figured out whether you even wanted to 'own' me like that. But if you're already sure, then I'm happy for it. You're just good at surprising me, is all."
A smile beams across Darcy's face and she bobs her head before disappearing back into the kitchen and fixing up the burgers.
"For me owning someone can be the owning of best friends that you'll stick up for to 'to death do us part' or whatever. So, I like you, quite a bit. I do want to own you. Don't know how far yet, but I'm not willing to just walk away and be Facebook Friends that occassionally like each other's shitposts but otherwise don't talk," is explained as she makes her way out of the kitchen. One plate is balanced on her forearm the other being carried on the flat of her hand. Two cups are being by the rims, fingers pinching them together. She hols the drinks out first for him to take one so she can set the other down and hand him the plate from her forearm. All with the grace and expertise of a diner waitress. Because college life, man.
Jimmy smiles his thanks when she arrives, and he takes the mug and plate from her quickly, to keep her from carrying so much weight. "Thanks. And… okay, yeah, that makes sense. Like, you'd lick your Derby Wife, too, if she and her husband would let you?" Yes, he remembers about her Derby Wife. He gets the plate situated on his lap, and the mug set within reach, next to the two first aid kits. He smiles. "Heh. Can tell you've worked as a waitress before, and haven't forgotten a thing. Yeah, I'm okay with that kind of owning. I don't want to just end up vanishing into the depths of Facebook, that's for sure." He takes a few bites of burger. He does need the protein if his body's going to put itself back together.
"I've licked her before. In front of him. He knew I was a weird one, and Summer made sure to introduce me to him before she proposed, because she wanted to make sure Jeff was gonna be okay with Auntie Darcy's weirdness." Darcy grins at this, settling down on the sofa next to him. She uses the arm rest as her table, smirking at the complement of her waitressing skills.
"Yup. Big Momma's Diner. Best apple pie this side of the Potomac," she quotes from memory. Glad that he's okay with her kind of owning, she nods and tucks into the meal, giving him some time to eat and relax and recover… and to remember he had a thing to tell her. Shell prompt him if he seemed to have forgotten.
Jimmy smiles. "That's good. As long as they're all cool with the licking." He makes to lean towards her, maybe to get in a lick of his own — but then grunts, winces, and thinks better of it. Nope, he's not leaving that chair for the evening.
Oh, Jimmy hasn't forgotten. He's settled in; he's eating; he knows he's going to say it soon. He just makes sure to finish his burger first. "Right." His tone shows that he plans to rip the bandaid right off. He looks her in the eyes, and before he can talk himself out of it, he says, "I'm not all human."
He leans forward, Darcy looks up, Jim winces, and Darcy reaches out to gently press him back to resting.
"Lick me later, Gorgeous," she says, waiting for him to sit back before she resumes her burger.
It's a comfortable silence they've settled into. Eating and drinking as they like, as Jimmy gathers himself to break the silence. Darcy looks up.
I'm not all human.
"Okay," she says. Surprised? Sure, a little bit. Upset? No. Frightened? No. Angry? No. Curious? Definitely. Disperate to find out? No, not really. Disguisted? Not even slightly. Darcy's calm and accepting and expectant, waiting for him to say something shocking.
Jimmy blinks at her. He hadn't been sure what kind of reaction to expect from her — he already knows she works with the Asgardians, so she's no stranger to the strange. But he'd still thought there'd be a bit more surprise. Still… there's no fear, no anger at having kept it from her, and that puts his mind at ease.
As for saying something shocking? No, it's better to show than to say. So he takes a breath, and like opening curtains, he lets his light shine. All his skin glows like distant lightning, and his eyes become blazing torchlights. Ethereal, flaming wings appear above and behind his shoulders. "This Is Me." When he speaks in that form, it's like two voices talking almost at once, with the new one being deep and resonant, a vibration she can feel in her bones.
There's the surprise. It's a thin candy coating, a veneer, over awe and wonder at the sight of him. Her mouth opens on a soft 'whoa', as her eyes trail over his face to the blaze of his eyes. From there, her gaze washes over to his wings, sweeping along them curve of them. A sudden desire sets in, driven by a mortal's curiosity: What do they -feel- like? Curiosity, but again no fear, no worry that it will burn her. Maybe there's the subconscious understanding that being burnt comes with a sense of heat. With only a small amount of that radiating at her from this distance, there's no reason to fear it. There is, however, the framework of respect that holds up the curiosity and wonder she feels.
This is me. And Darcy's head tips to one side.
Ten seconds pass.
"…Fuck… And I thought Tyrael was hot. I was so very wrong. You're hotter. Way hotter. Tyrael's got nothing," is Darcy's commentary.
Yes, she just compared Jimmy to a Diablo Character.
Jimmy keeps the glow up for a moment, enough for her to get a good look at him. There's just a little extra heat from him — more than normal body heat, but not actually feeling like the sun. But once those seconds pass, once she speaks, he closes the curtains again, and is back to looking like a normal man.
He laughs at her comparison — until he winces and curls in on himself a bit. "Ow. So I should get a big face-hiding hood, is that what you're saying? Cosplay it up?"
"If you want to clean up at San Diego Comic Con? Hell yes. Otherwise, no. I like the glowy glowy," she says, before leaving a stern look at him.
"And stop hurtin' yourself." Hmph!
"You done?" she asks, and the sterm grump is gone. Darcy's pushing up to collect the plates so she can tidy up before settling back down to talk some more, giving the impression that she's planning to stay for a while.
Jimmy holds up a finger. "I didn't hurt myself." It's true. It's not like he slammed himself into the ground. "But yes, I'm done. Thanks." He passes the plate up to her, and smiles when she returns and settles in. "So… the meta fight I mentioned…" Bit of a blush there. It's not so much that he was a bystander, a civilian caught in the crossfire.
"You tried to stop it and got meta punched into a cement wall and now there's a Jimmy-shaped crater in it?" Darcy offers, pouring him a refill on his drink before pulling her feet up next to her and curling her legs up. She'd taken off ehr shoes long before, and so she's barefoot. Because shoes on sofas are not something that should ever happen.
"Well." Jimmy ducks his chin, blushing a bit as he takes his glass for a sip. "…meta punched into the ground, actually. Spiked me like a damn volleyball." He coughs. "There was this orange-skinned woman, Whitestar. She was stealing some high-tech thing from Sol-Inc, a solar power company. A couple of us tried to stop her, but… she was just crazy strong." He shakes his head. "I'm going to have to find Spider-Man, and someone named Koriand'r, and talk with them."
Darcy nods at this, her expression growning a bit serious.
"I'll see if I can find any- did you say Coriander? Like.. the plant? Coriander?" Darcy side tracks herself. Because Darcy
Jimmy nods. "That's what it sounded like. She, Whitestar, said she was going to kill Koriand'r. She talked about it like a person, though. I… don't think she was planning to take vengeance on a species of plant."
"Whitestar. Coriander. Spider-Man." Darcy repeats each name, thoughtfully, memorizing them to search up later. "Got it. I'll have to kick this Whitestar's ass though… Messing with mah man," Darcy quips.
Jimmy gives Darcy a long, hard look. "She beat me into the ground, at full glow, with a double-layered shield between me and her, and hit me so hard that I'll be healing for days. I'd really prefer if you did not try to fight her."
"Who said anything about FIGHTING her?" Darcy retorts, looking honestly 'hurt' that he'd suggest that. And then her smile grows mischevious.
"It's the principle of the thing."
Jimmy raises an eyebrow. "Kicking ass generally means there's fighting going on, yes. That's" He shifts in his seat and winces, but not as bad as before. "that's just how it works." A thoughtful look passes over his face. "This… trouble-seeker thing. It sometimes means I'll have other people's secrets in my head. Like, if I find out the real identity of someone like Spider-Man or Koriand'r, I wouldn't be able to talk openly about that. Is that okay? I know secrets can be straining, but they literally wouldn't be my secrets to tell."
"I know. I know. I promise I'll bring an army," Darcy quips little, sipping at her drink a bit. The semi-playful of threatening to kick Whitestar's ass falls in light of his comment about needing to keep secret identities.
"That's fine. Just talk about them like their derby names. When I'm like this, I'm me; Darcy. When I've got my contacts in and I'm all derbyed up I'm Tits McGee. Granted, there isn't a huge difference in personalities here for me, but I know one girl that does make a rathe rbig seperation and.. well… It's like that. You've got your day face and your derby face. They ain't different. And if they don't want those two names mixed up and asked you to keep it on the hush, you do that. Not going to hurt my feelings. You don't make it awkward, and it won't be awkward."
Jimmy facepalms when she reminds him of her derby name, his eyes resolutely boring into the wall instead of looking at her namesake. "I still am never calling you that." Could he even manage the T word? Gosh he's such a cinnamon roll. "Thank you for understanding, Darcy. Some people, secret identities are a life-or-death thing. I may be bad at keeping my stuff secret, but if it's for someone else, I will."
Oh god! The facepalm is so adorkable! Darcy giggles.
"It's cool, dude. You're not keeping your secret. You're keeping theirs, which is helping to keep them and theirs safe so.. .that's chill," she adds, drinking a bit more of the cool water she's poured for them.
"How ya feeling?"
Jimmy finishes his water and sets the cup back down. He considers the question, eyes closed, and wriggles about a bit to test the strain in his muscles. "Still hurts, but I'm healing. And, physical aside…" He opens his eyes, smiling at her. "I feel better. Good to get things out in the open."
Darcy smiles right back, relieved he's feeling physically a little better and then emotionally better now that he's told her …shown her what he is.
"Good. I'm glad. Let me know what you need, and when you're ready for sleeping, I'll help you into bed. Keep your phone by you and if you need something, text me. I'll be out here on the sofa." Perfectly reasonable.
Jimmy shakes his head and pats the recliner lever on his chair. "I'm just going to sleep out here tonight. It's a good spot for making sure I don't go curling up into bad positions. Though…" He gives her a shy smile. "I wouldn't mind having you a bit closer to in-reach." The couch and recliner sort of have the coffee table between them at present.
"Say no more," Darcy quips, setting her drink on the side table next to his. She hops up, shoves teh coffee table out of the way, then grunt-slides teh sofa over so it's next to the recliner. Darcy takes a moment to dust her hands off, studying the set up before - She snaps her fingers!
Darcy has a plan! Turning, she finds his bedroom, rummages a bit, then returns with two pillows, two sheets, and two comforters. The comedy is in watching her manuveur with it all, for it's stacked over her head and she's leaning - side to side - to see where she's going. It all get tipped onto the sofa before the AC is found, turned down a bit, and then the lights switched off, all save the glow from the bathroom.
"There! We've having a sleep over. I'll tell Prince Loki that I've got an emergency and I'll be late for work tomorrow," she says.
Jimmy winces. Dammit, he's the one who should be doing the moving of heavy objects. Normally he would be — and could probably push that couch around one-handed, while he's glowing — buuuut he's not exactly in the best state right now. He lifts up a finger, mouth half-open. "Er, you don't need to carry it all at—" Nope, she's decided she's not making two trips.
In the end, though, he just accepts and smiles. "Thanks. Though, you might not be late." His smile gets playful. "Depending on how I'm feeling by morning… I might fly you over." Those wings aren't just for show.
Starting to floff the bedding into place, Darcy's movements screech to a halt the moment he says 'fly you over'.
"Are.. you.. shitting me?" she asks, eyes wide.
"Like, for real flying?" she asks, excited and eager and-! Darcy very quickly gets the sofa made for her to sleep, then gets him set up with the sheet and the comforter close at hand if he's chilled.
"Fuck yes. Go to sleep. Wake me up if you need anything, at all. New ice packs, a refill of water, whatever," she chirps happily.
Jimmy laughs under his breath; his grin is louder than his voice, with how it's amplified with the excitement now radiating from Darcy. "Yes, actual flying. I don't know if it'll be as fun for you as it is for me — I go all weightless, but I'd have to carry you in some… normal kind of way. It's not like a Discworld vampire or anything, where you'd go weightless too." Once she's settled in, he pulls his blanket up to his chin with one hand. And the other arm snakes out to wrap around her shoulders. "I think I'm good."
Glasses set on the arm rest above her head, Darcy finds his hand by feel and thread her fingers through his.
"That's gonna be so bad ass," she says, yawning lightly.. okay heavily.
"Serious. Wake me up. Don't care the time." She pauses to yawn again. "Don't be macho. Macho's stupid. Don't like stupid. Be smart." Another yawn, and this time her rambling is mostly incoherent as she rambles herself off to sleep.