#lest you think darcy is that one coworker you hate who is always late to work

[zephrbabe]

ABO Shieldshock for Miin! Featuring Tony and Jane, science bros.

Rated T.

Fifteen minutes late to work wasn’t suspicious at all, all things considered. She’d been later than that. Only last week, she’d rolled in at 2pm with Starbucks and enough pastrami to lure Jane away from bending the universe to her will.

So it really wasn’t fair that she set foot in the lab and two heads swiveled to track her. Jane actually sniffed the air and raised her eyebrows in Darcy’s direction. Rude.

Tugging up her turtleneck, she called on her bravado and said, “What.”

Jane opened her mouth, but Tony beat her to it: “My nose has been fried since I started blowing things up as a hobby, but even I can scent the alpha on you, Lewis. Ow!”

“Serves you right,” Jane pronounced, keeping the astrophysics journal rolled up in case she needed to whap him again. “You can’t talk to Darcy like that. Her scent is none of your business.”

Tony threw his hands up, and scooted his shop stool out of Jane’s reach for good measure.

Rummaging in her bag for something to cover what they were smelling, Darcy groused, “What are you even here for, Tony?”

“He’s helping me redesign the particle sensor on ol’ Clara,” Jane said, sliding a wrench and a mug full of screwdrivers in front of him. “We can’t improve her until you get a good look, so get crackin’, Stark.”

Darcy caught his mumbled, “At least Clara appreciates me,” but he was already pulling the main panel off the machine by the time she realized the deodorizing spray she usually kept in her bag was missing. Turning heads was going to be the order of the day, if she couldn’t douse herself with scent nullifier. They were definitely ordering in for lunch.

Twenty minutes later, Clara was half-disassembled and Jane and Tony were discussing something in her guts with the kind of enthusiasm Darcy usually reserved for national politics or the newest season of Game of Thrones. She couldn’t see either of them behind the machine housing.

Which was just as well, because that was when the lab door swept open and Darcy was scooped out of her chair before she could so much as squeak.

Her arms flew around broad shoulders to steady herself, and she let out a whuff of air that was almost a laugh. Steve was supposed to be in some kind of logistics meeting with the new SHIELD. He was supposed to be in meetings all day. That was the only reason she wasn’t still in bed: Steve and his meetings.

Unbidden, her lips curled into a smile, but she tried to keep a straight face to ask, “What are you doing here?”

“Missed you,” he said, pressing a kiss to her upturned lips. Steve dipped his face to the scent gland under her jaw, just above the edge of her turtleneck, and scented her. Then he licked her. With a gasp, Darcy poked him in the ribs- she was at work!- and Steve drew back with a smile. His smile wasn’t remotely as contrite as it should have been; it was mostly just smug.

Darcy teased her nails down the back of his neck to feel him shiver. “Missed me? It hasn’t even been an hour.”

Steve’s smile blossomed into a grin. “Can you play hooky?”

“I thought you had meetings all day.”

“Canceled ‘em.”

“What, all of them?”

“Hey, it isn’t every day you get bonded.”

“BONDED?!” Jane screeched. She emerged from behind Clara like a directionally-challenged jack-in-the-box. “Since when!”

It was only then that Darcy realized it might look a little weird that Steve was holding her nearly a foot off the ground so they were face-to-face. Especially since Jane had been too wrapped up in Science! mode to notice Steve had been courting Darcy for months. Oh well, Jane had to get the news at some point.

“Wait- Capsicle and Lightning Lewis? Bonded? In my tower? Who knew about this?” Tony’s head popped up behind Jane’s. He had black grease along one side of his nose.

Steve’s exasperated eye roll made Darcy snort. “Ask Friday. Or Natasha.”

“Or Thor,” Darcy added, bending far enough out of Steve’s carry to snag the strap of her bag. He made for the door, grin returning full force once his back was turned to Tony and Jane. Their legs bumped together as he walked out.

Jane’s faint “Why didn’t he tell me?” followed them out of the lab.

“He did!” Darcy shouted before the door shut completely.

She hooked an arm around Steve’s neck and nibbled on his ear while they waited for the elevator. One big hand flexed on her thigh, and Darcy smirked. She ducked her head and kissed over his scent gland, soft lips and a little purr against the skin. And right when the elevator pinged open, she bit.

Good thing the elevator was empty, or else Steve would’ve given someone a show. As it was, the emergency stop was activated for a full 20 minutes, though the system registered no errors.

Darcy was six hours late to work the next day.