Title: Goes Up, Comes Down
Fandom: Iron Fist (Marvel TV Universe)
Rating: PG
Length: 700
Content notes: references to drug use
Author notes: n/a
Summary: Danny and Joy, waiting, post-canon. For the "Crash" challenge.


"So you need to learn some things about Ward," Joy said.

She had come in with brisk pops of her heels, and Danny scrambled up from his chair. He was exhausted, going on 24 hours awake, and meditation wasn't doing much to cleanse the fatigue from his body; neither was the waiting area's bagged tea and lukewarm water.

"Joy! You're—here." She looked neat and put together and sleekly pretty, even at four in the morning.

"I guess we can both blame Ward for that," she said, looking him up and down like she wasn't quite sure what she was looking at.

In all honesty, neither was he. He hadn't seen Joy since before he and Ward had left New York. They were back now, but Joy had been doing her own thing, mostly over in Jersey, and had made it clear she didn't want to see either one of them.

And yet she was here, and most have driven through the night to get here. He hadn't gotten a response to the text he sent her, and honestly didn't think she would come.

Still, he found himself flaring in a defense of Ward. "It's not his fault."

"Oh, Danny," Joy said. She patted his arm. "Sit down."

"There's tea over on the—"

"I know," she said, and took one of the uncomfortable chairs. So did he, after a minute. "Danny, I spent a lot of years with my brother doing this. Years of—this."

"It's not—"

"Danny," she said, raising a hand. "It is. Ward is what he is."

"Joy, he was drugged by a cult who were trying to sell us magical weapons."

Joy let her head drop back against the wall. "Do you know what it sounds like when you say things like that?"

"It's literally what happened, so I don't know what I'm supposed to say."

There was a silence. With her head resting against the wall, she stared at the ceiling. Then she sat up abruptly. "There's a diner down the street that opens at five. Let's get breakfast."

"But Ward," Danny said helplessly, as she wrapped strong fingers tipped with sharp red nails around his wrist.

"Won't be ready for visitors for hours, Danny, remember, I've been here. Come with me."

*

They ended up in a greasy-spoon diner called Mabel's, two minutes after it opened. There were booths with red plastic tables, and Joy slid into one. It wasn't really Danny's kind of place, or at least not what he had made his kind of place, but it didn't seem like Joy's either, and yet here she was, in a silver off-the-shoulder blouse with her hair brushed back perfectly from a straight-line part. Danny picked up a plastic-laminated menu and followed her into the booth.

"Tea, please," he told the waitress. She brought him a heavy ceramic cup with lukewarm water and a Lipton's bag. He sighed and dipped it.

"As far as I can tell, the only real difference in fifteen years is that you've become a tea snob," Joy told him, and smiled at the waitress. "Fruit cup and oatmeal, please."

Danny ordered scrambled eggs and toast. After she took the menus, he leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "You came."

"It's like a habit at this point," Joy said. She stirred creamers into the cup of coffee the waitress had left her, took a sip and shuddered, then added a no-calorie sugar substitute packet.

"I don't think those are good for you."

"Danny, could you and your Lipton's tea bag please shut up."

Danny smiled a little and dunked his tea bag. "I'm glad you came, Joy."

"Would you just stop saying things like that." She didn't look at him, sipping her coffee instead.

"I know you're not here for me. But you're here for Ward, and that really means something."

"Please don't make a big family deal out of this, Danny."

The waitress brought their order just then, and Danny's came with a free pancake. He offered half of it to Joy. She rolled her eyes at him, but took a bite, dunked in cheap corn-syrupy fake maple syrup.