Billionaire Babysitter

November 11, 2017:

After a rag tag team assembles to save Jessica Jones, some end up a little worse for the wear and Luke Cage makes sure Danny Rand is okay before sending him home.

Luke's Apartment

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions: Jessica Jones, Michael Carter, Tony Stark, Daredevil, Six, Emery

Plot:

Mood Music: None.


Fade In…

It's not as if he could walk up to the front door with an unconscious Rand slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and say, "Here's your Billionaire." So after making sure that Jessica was safe with Michael he ends up bringing Danny back to his apartment and flopping the man on the sofa to recover from … whatever the hell it was that just happened.

His place isn't anything fancy, just a very rectangular one bedroom apartment in the building above his bar. Luke's still irritated, judging by the amount of noise he makes rattling around the kitchen just to fill a glass of water for Danny for the eventuality that he'll regain consciousness. Or at least he hopes the man will. But those are a set of complications he just can't parse at the moment.

*

Danny Rand has indeed been a sack of gold potatoes since he passed out post-healing. Dead to the world, but with steady vitals and no obvious signs of trauma. He just emptied his entire gas tank in one go and his body said 'nope' to doing any more. That really shouldn't happen, but the young man's biggest failing is his lack of discipline. As much as he would deny it.

He's out for a good few hours before he starts to stir. He startles awake, gets dizzy and nearly collapses back against the couch. He makes a loud whuffing sound and the first tendrils of golden energy start towards his fist. Once he realizes there aren't enemies immediately nearby, the glow subsides. He places a palm against his aching forehead.

*

Luke is right there, big looming bastard that he is. "Whoa, hey. Don't go lighting up like a super nova in here, man." Water and aspirin are thrust out in the other man's direction, impatiently waiting for them to be taken. "You didn't die, so that's a good sign. There aren't many places to bury a body in Manhattan."

*

Danny pinches his eyes shut against the light and hunches his shoulders. "I feel…hungover. Did we go out drinking after the fight?" he asks with a croak. He really sounds like he means that rather than making a joke. When he realizes there's something being handed to him, he takes the painkiller and water gratefully.

*

"Yeah, after we all high-fived each other we met up with Stark and spent the night singing karaoke into the wee hours of the morning." Luke replies sardonically as he leans his large frame against the wall across from the sofa. Thick arms braid together over his chest, "Nah, man. What happened is somehow you saved Jessica's life by going all sparkle fingers - whatever the doped her up with could've killed an elephant - and I got to haul your unconscious ass all the way back to Harlem hoping I wouldn't get stopped by some random police officer."

*

Yeeeah, that wouldn't have looked good. Especially since to most of the world, Danny is just a dumb rich kid. He swallows mouthfuls of water and leans back against the couch. The movement is a little too sharp and it makes him wince in pain. He closes his eyes and seems to be going to some kind of meditative effort to dull the pain. "I burned the poison out of her system. I've…I've never done anything like that before. I think I expended too much of my Chi." And then his eyes snap open. "Is she all right?"

*

"Something tells me our 'Chi' isn't something I can just run to the corner bodega and pick up a six pack of." Talking about Jessica makes him slightly uncomfortable, enough so that Luke pushes off his lean on the wall and pace to his window with the nervous energy her name creates. "She was still out like a light when I dropped her off with a friend, but she was stable and international man of mystery has more resources than I do to make sure she stays that way."

*

Danny's head is hurting too much to tactfully probe that well, so Luke is left off the hook. He swallows more water, then scoots forward on the couch to try shifting his head forward. It eases the pain somewhat. "Did you get what that doctor was talking about? I know he started confessing to something but I was trying to sense the drugs in her system at the time."

*

A heavy finger drags down metal blinds, Luke staring out into the night as if paranoid they were followed back here, or worse someone is listening in right now. They clatter together as they snap back into form, and Cage lets out a long sigh. "I don't know what you are Rand. But some of us weren't born the way we are. We can do what we do because someone fucked with the natural order of things. We were experimented on. They turned us into freaks trying to make a bigger, badder version they can exploit. Near as I can tell, Jess and I are the success stories, and they needed her to try and replicate it. The escapee from the prison project? I think he meant me, though he didn't realize it."

*

Danny tries not to wince at the clattering of the blinds, but this really does feel a lot like a hangover. So noise = ow. He takes another sip of water, then says, matter-of-factly, "I'm the Immortal Iron Fist." Then he sucks in a sharp breath. "And please don't tell me it's a stupid name." And then, quasi-under his breath: "Everyone keeps saying it's a stupid name. It's an honourable title." Consarndit.

Then he forces himself back to the topic of conversation, though with a fair bit of effort. "I don't think either of you are freaks. You're pretty damned useful in a fight."

*

Immortal what now? Luke looks back over his shoulder with his eyebrows pushing up the wrinkles far onto his bald head. He might have outright laughed at Danny had he not seen the man in action. "You look pretty fleshy to be immortal." Is all he says as he paces away from the window. "They call me 'Power-Man' on the streets, I'm not making fun of anyone else's name." He finally settles down into an arm chair, the well loved thing the perfect size for his larger frame. "Freak or not, we aren't supposed to exist. Something went 'right' with us, so Jess is a target. I will be too, if they ever figure out who I am."

*

The painkiller seems to be doing its job because Danny's face stops scrunching up quite so much. "I'm not immortal. It's the title, the power," he makes a fist, but doesn't make it glow. "It's complicated." He says that in lieu of word-vomiting the whole tale. That hasn't gone so well the few times he's done it. "If you have a superhero name and you're known on the streets, it's only a matter of time before they find you." Says the guy with zero street smarts.

*

"It's always complicated." A pause. "You saying my hoodie isn't much of a disguise?" Luke snorts, "Once Jess is back on her feet, we'll have to find out how exactly they got the drop on her, if she remembers anything. Then we'll have to figure out who these guys are and put an end to their little scientific inquiry. Sorry for giving you shit, by the way, about showing up. You'll have to teach me some of that hi-yah shit."

*

Danny slowly gets to his feet. He smiles at Luke. It's a bright and honest expression. "I don't think you need it, man. I saw the way you handled those guys. Thanks for giving me cover, by the way. Hope it didn't sting too bad." He looks around for anything else that belongs to him. "I should get out of your…" he looks at Luke's head. "…way."

*

"If there is one thing I'm good for, it's absorbing bullets." Luke unfolds back to his feet, "There someone I can call for you, man? Not really going to find a taxi this time of night, and I don't recommend lone-traveller billionaires take the subway at this hour, glowy fist thing or not."

*

"There is but I hate to wake him at this time of night." Danny then looks sheepish, and suddenly younger than his years. "I uh, have a butler. He knows about…" he makes a fist and nods towards it.

*

Luke looks at Rand for a long moment like he's out of his damn mind for being polite after what they all just went through. "Wake the man up." There is a shake of his head, incredulously. "You should have fleets of cars ready to pick you up. You're doing this whole 'billionaire' thing wrong."

*

"Yeah, I've been told that," says Danny good-naturedly, even if he looks a bit embarrassed about it. He digs around in the pocket of his jacket for his phone. He flicks through until he finds Emery's number and fires off a text. "Uhm," he says after a moment, "…where are we?"

*

"We were figuring out how to cover our asses, exact revenge, and basically do what big damn heroes do while we look good doing it?" Luke offers, "You want a beer while you wait for your ride?" He asks, already on the way to the kitchen, likely at least to get himself one even if Rand declines. "And I'll keep being your human body shield, but one of these days people need to start pitching in to buy me new shirts. I wonder if I can get a discount if I buy in bulk."

*

"No, I mean, where are we right now? I have to tell my ride where to pick me up." He looks around. Sure, he could pull up his map app on his phone but he hasn't progressed to being that tech-savvy yet. He nods to the beer. "Sure." Then, "Uh, hey I'm sure I could spring for a couple shirts." He says that earnestly.

*

"Oh." Duh. Not everyone is a stalkery stalker person that already knows where Luke lives. He rattles off the address for Danny, adding, "Tell him to look for my bar on the corner." He ducks down into the fridge, pulling out two brown glass bottles that he pops the caps from with his thumb. "I was kidding about the shirts. Sort of." One of the beers gets handed over to Danny.

*

One of Danny Rand's most prominent traits is his earnestness. To the point where he tends to expect it in others. He accepts the beer with a nod of thanks. Then he plugs the address into a text message. "I'm um, pretty sure Rand owns more than one factory. If you're genuinely interested." He could probably drop off a whole container full of hoodies and t-shirts for the big man.

*

"Just, uh." Luke doesn't really know what to do with that, already humbled enough after taking a check from Stark after the whole Wakanda thing. "Get me something nice for Christmas. And I'm talking like, a bottle of whiskey. Not an island or something." You have to be clear with these billionaire types. You never know!

*

That makes Danny grin. "Deal. I'll see what I can come up with." He reaches out to clink his bottle against Luke's. He sips his drink then, "I'm sure I can think of something better than a bottle of whiskey. I mean. You own a bar. That's like giving a guy who runs a restaurant a food gift certificate."

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