Fic: Burning (Avengers)

[lar_laughs]

I made fic tonight out of despair. I didn't write anything when Colorado burned last year but I'm so tired of crying that I decided I needed to write something. My inner Darcy cried out for justice because she hung out in New Mexico so might very well have known what it was like to live through something like this.

Title: Burning
Characters: Darcy/Steve
Rating: PG-13

Steve was instantly on alert as he walked in the room. Even though Darcy had her back to him, he could tell from the rigid way she was holding herself that something was wrong. When he saw that the news was on, he thought that the team had gotten a call that he'd somehow missed. Then he saw the flames leaping up impossibly high and smoke billowing out over a flat plain.

"Darcy? Hey, what's the matter?"

She turned to face him, her beautiful eyes puffy and red while tears poured down her cheeks. She was biting at a knuckle, teeth worrying away at reddened skin. It was a sure sign that she was holding back a sob.

Sure enough, she collapsed in on herself as she tried and failed to speak. He held his arms open and she came running into them. Tears soaked his shirt front but she wasn't holding on to him. Instead, she was pounding at his chest, getting out the aggression she hadn't allowed herself when she was alone.

"What's going on?" he asked again when she seemed to have worn herself out.

This time, he got his answer. And then some.

"You fight aliens from other planets and people who have been over-serumed until they're considered a national risk. So why aren't you doing anything about that?"

"About what?" he asked, baffled by what horrendous happenstance he'd missed to get her so worked up.

"Colorado is burning. Again. I had to find out about it on Facebook because heaven forbid the East Coast media mention anything about it. Only a hundred people have lost their homes so it's not the national disaster that New York getting rained on is. Just thousands of acres of land going up in flame. Look at that smoke. Do you think it's just going to roll up into the atmosphere and not bother anyone? No, sir. Everyone who isn't running from the flames has to deal with their lungs feeling like they're going to explode every time they try to get a breath of air. And still-"

He silenced her with a quick kiss, pulling away before she could slug him. "You want to pack anything for the trip or are you going to help in that impossible dress?"

"Shopping trip with Pepper," she mumbled as she tried to comprehend what he was saying. Her eyes lit up as soon as it worked itself out. "You're taking me?"

"I'll take whoever wants to make the trip. Well, I have to take Clint whether he wants to go or not because someone has to fly the quinjet."

Darcy was the one to initiate the kiss this time. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

His smile was far wider than it should have been, under the circumstances, but he couldn't stop it curving up. "Not since breakfast."

"Well, I do. And thank you. For caring. Not everyone would."

***

Some images that Darcy might have seen on the news

Comments

[alphaflyer.livejournal.com]

Nature can be the cruellest villain of them all. (I spent much of the Christmas break in 2004 manning the phones in the consular office at Foreign Affairs Canada, talking to the relatives of people missing in Boxing Day tsunami, and one of my closest friends spent much of May digging people's belongings out from under the Moore tornado). We are helpless in the face of the onslaught, all we can do is try and mitigate the fallout.

My heart goes out to those under threat, and the wonderful humans like your Dad who try to help. Not all heroes wear spandex, either.

[lar_laughs.livejournal.com]

I'm going to get my dad a t-shirt with that on it! Perfect!

[anuna-81.livejournal.com]

Clicked on the pics. Oh God. I'm at the other end of the world, but my heart goes out to everyone suffering because of the fires. I loved the fic, loved how Steve is ready to help and heck, he'll take anyone, because that's what he does. *HUGS*

[lar_laughs.livejournal.com]

Thank you! What kills me is that I used to live in the area where a lot of the pictures were taken from. That is a view that I know so well.

I'm still working through my Steve/Darcy feels and this was just one of those ideas that wouldn't leave!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_ashestobeauty_/]

Today we found out that two people have perished. They were found in their garage with the car doors open. Trying to leave but the fire was too fast. :(

360 homes in Black Forest are gone. This fire is now more destructive than Waldo was last year - and it hasn't burned as many acres. And 48 out of 52 buildings at the Royal Gorge Park are gone. Who knows when they'll be able to rebuild and reopen.

I am emotionally exhausted from all the information. I can't imagine how people who have actually evacuated and lost their homes feel. There are at least 80 employees at work who are evacuated. I know of two so far that have lost their home.

I hate winter, but I would give just about anything for a blizzard right now!