Sharon Carter is a super spy (exshieldagent) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2014-08-11 21:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, d'artagnan, sharon carter |
Who: D’Artagnan and Sharon Carter
When: Mid July
Where: Coffee
What: Talking about work
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete
D’Artagnan was starting to lose sleep over this whole Agency business. It was wearing on him. He knew he wanted to work with the others, but he was too damn loyal to just leave his new partner in the dust to deal with the old badges. Fury had made it rather clear that his invite only extended to him. D’Artagnan probably could have asked Athos to talk to him, but he really didn’t want Athos to get in any sort of trouble with the director. He seemed like the sort you didn’t want to shake things up with unexpectedly.
D’Artagnan had been lucky that Fury had merely taken an interested in him wandering all over the security cameras, rather than been highly annoyed. He didn’t want to see that man angry. It was odd, he wasn’t intimidated by most. Something about Fury said he was dangerous though if provoked.
So he took Sharon up on her offer for coffee, and waited at the shop they’d agreed at. He’d ordered one, but he really wasn’t drinking it much. Mostly just watching it.
Sharon showed up a couple of minutes after their arranged time. Not long enough for him to start getting worried or annoyed, but enough that could communicate to him she’d gone through something that delayed her this morning. Her hair was a little frazzled, her eyes had some bags under them. Poor Sharon wasn’t looking her best.
After heading into the shop, she gave him a nod before ordering a very strong. Then she went and sat down at his table opposite him, dressing the coffee with lots of milk and sugar and whatever else to cool it down enough to drink. She didn’t say anything.
He raised an eyebrow at her as she arrived. Not attempting to be cruel or anything, but she really wasn’t looking good. She didn’t even say anything as she went in to get her drink, she only did so in silence. When she sat across from him, both brows lifted. “You look like hell.” He couldn’t help it. She was usually rather well put together. He highly doubted this was because of the decision he had to make, but he did worry.
What if he left her with those old badges? They gave him enough shit as it was. He didn’t want to see all of that fall onto her by herself. At least with him there he could take the brunt of it. “Everything all right?”
“Yeah.” Sharon said, stirring her coffee with one of those little, red straws. She kinda hated those stupid, little, red straws. But it would have to do for now. It’d get the coffee moving, and melt the sugar, anyway. “My mother called, and it wasn’t a happy phone conversation.” Sharon didn’t normally have problems with her parents, but a lot of things had all been piling up on her lately. “And I’ve been having those weird dreams, too. Just… not the best morning for me. Anyway, how are you? You look better than I do, anyway.”
“Oh yeah? Wanna talk about it?” He frowned a little and toyed with the cup of his own coffee. He really hadn’t been drinking much of it lately. He missed it. This would have to be a thing he fixed in the future. “They can be rough. But again. If you want to talk about them I’m around. I won’t think you’re crazy, kinda hard to when I get them myself..” He shrugged a bit and drank from the coffee, enjoying the rich flavor for a moment and the cool breeze of the day. “I’m okay. Sort of accidentally moved in with Athos I think.” He mused as he thought over how much he’d been in that man’s apartment lately.
“Hey, that’s amazing,” Sharon said, giving him a smile. “You’re on the right track. My mother would be proud.” She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “It’s ridiculous. It’s the stupidest thing. She’s like, going through menopause or something, and wants me to have children. She’s reaching the point where she doesn’t care if I’m married. She just wants grandchildren. And she has no idea how idiotic she sounds. Whenever I try to point it out, I become the bad guy.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I’d rather deal with her than the dreams, though. They’re just … messing with my head.”
He knew his energy levels could be difficult for Athos to deal with, so he’d been cutting back a bit on the caffeine. But truth be told, he missed it. “Funny thing is, he was a little intimidating when I met him the first time.” D’Artagnan mused as he brushed some of his hair away from his face. Fidgeting some at the mention of menopause and girl problems like the typical squeamish guy. “Are we? It seems a little fast sometimes..but..knowing him in the dreams..I don’t know. It’s like I’ve known him a lot longer than I actually have. “ Aramis had said he took things too seriously, and maybe he did. But how could he not? Those dreams were so real sometimes..he nodded “They’re hard to separate.”
“Are you two together in the dreams?” Sharon asked. It wasn’t the kind of thing that they talked about often. For the most part, they kept their personal lives and professional lives separate. Not that they weren’t friendly. Sharon trusted him with her life, he was her partner. But he didn’t need to hear all the stupid intricacies of her day to day shit. “I haven’t had any of those Dreams yet… well, I might have? But not really. So I have no idea how it all… bleeds over.”
“No. We aren’t..the other him is more like my mentor and captain of the Musketeers.” He frowned a little. Athos was harder to get to know in the dreams, he didn’t smile much, hell he barely even spoke unless it was necessary or to correct D’Artagnan on something. D’Artagnan wondered if his dreams would turn out as they had in real life. He hoped they did. He wanted them all to be happy really. “It is hard to tell sometimes.”
“I’m really glad that things are working out for you,” Sharon said. And she meant it. As much as she would miss having him as her partner, she was glad that D’Art’s life was taking a good turn. Sharon knew that things would start looking up for her, too, but right now she felt like she was in limbo. It wouldn’t last, of that she was certain. It was just hard to shake. “So, the new job?” They should probably talk about it eventually.
“For once in my life yeah they are..” He hadn’t told her much about his childhood, and for the time being he intended to keep it that way. It wasn’t that he couldn’t trust her, it was more like he was trying to move on. He had a better life now. He didn’t constantly need to worry about things anymore and he was trying to remember that. It was hard though. He worried about other people still far more than himself, and couldn’t help but worry about her. “I’m going to take it. I’m not entirely sure all the details yet..but I think I want it.” Going after something he actually wanted was new. He normally just sat back and tried to let things happen, but he was miserable just waiting in that job. The more he stayed with the old badges the more unhappy he became. “It’s essentially top shelf stuff, I think they may even work a bit outside the law. But you know..after this job, I think I may be okay with that. They have their hearts in the right place.”
Sharon nodded. “Something about piracy and acting morally, and all of that.” She said, and sighed. “I’m going to miss you around here, though. It’ll just be me against the old badges for a while.” She wasn’t sure she could handle it, to be honest. Perhaps it was time for her to look for work elsewhere, too.
He frowned as he watched her. She really didn’t look good, it made him feel less than confident about leaving her in their current situation. And yet, if he didn’t he knew he would only get more miserable as time went on too. He was already dreading coming into work more often than not, and he knew Athos was right about that. He knew he couldn’t keep that up for long. “Me too..” He paused as he nursed at his coffee a moment. “I think you should try talking to Director Fury yourself maybe. I put in a good word, but that’s as much as I can do unless you try it yourself at some point.”
“Maybe.” Sharon said, and then shrugged her shoulders. “It seems a bit desperate, doesn’t it? This Agency seems to be the kind of thing where you have to be invited in to even warrant an interview. It’s okay, though. It’s probably time for me to start moving on, anyway. I’m sure I can find something… maybe private security. I hear they pay well.” She wasn’t all that interested in that idea, but she didn’t want… well, she didn’t want to have to go begging Fury for a job. She didn’t want to ride anyone’s coattails, and she didn’t want to lose any more dignity.
D’Artagnan also shrugged in response. “I don’t know about desperate, but I think you might be right about the exclusive thing..” He trailed off and frowned. “I might not have even been noticed except I apparently wandered into one too many secure areas without the right clearance. “ He admitted sheepishly, plus it didn’t hurt that he worked well with the other three. He actually didn’t mind taking orders from Athos or Aramis, or even Porthos when the need came for it. They didn’t treat him like a dog.
“I’ll put in a good word in any case.” He gave her a sympathetic smile. He should have known pride would have stopped her from following him in. If it’d been reversed, it probably would have done the same to him as well. Pride before a fall and all that.
If it was realistic for her to follow him in, she would have. But she didn’t want to get her hopes up about something that would never happen, or attempt to jump into something where she really wasn’t welcome. Honestly, she was happy for him. She wasn’t all that concerned with what she was going to do. She felt like she had time to dilly dally, to figure out what she wanted to do next. And that was freeing.
“Thanks, D’Art,” she said, returning the smile. “I appreciate it.”