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Darcy still spent most of her time working for Jane. Since taking up work at the Tower a few months earlier and starting to meet some people, including Pepper Potts, who learned Darcy actually had a degree in political science and knew something about public relations among other things, she started doing other things as well. Which lead to Darcy assisting in both Stark and Avengers PR. And, while Pepper was out of town on business, which seemed to be about eighty percent of the time, she had left Darcy in charge of handing the Tower PR and managing any issues. Which, Darcy had quickly learned, was code for keeping a leash on Tony. Which was kind of like trying to put a leash on a Velociraptor. At least Jane was only tunnel visioned on one thing and all her focus went there. And she wasn't so verbally abusive. Okay, Tony was a okay guy, most of the time, but he also bounced around like a rabbit when he was in creation mode with some new tech. And since he seemed to hate being handed things, except by Pepper, even when Darcy explained she was Pepper for the next two days or whatever it was, he still turned into a giant toddler about it. So, Darcy started throwing and shoving things at Tony and saying she didn't hand them to him. He hadn't come up with a good comeback for that, yet. However, it did make him grouchy, and more likely to toss more bitchy comments at her than existed in the entire film Mean Girls. It made for long, stressful, aggravating days, and in this particular case, Tony had been in the Tower for well over a week, without Pepper around at all. Darcy was starting to lose her fucking mind. Especially since all this extra work still hadn't earned her a room in the Tower. No she was still hoofing it back to the Bronx on the train forty minutes home every night. She actually didn't think Tony or Pepper knew she didn't live in the Tower, but it seemed an odd thing to just bring up.
Darcy had been trying a variety of things the last several days to deal with her frustration and desire to punch Tony in the face, or maybe tase him a few times. There was the soothing bath with the bath salts and incense candles. There was the junk food and fluffy movies. Then junk food and angry aggressive movies. Last night was screaming into her pillow and a print out of Tony's face that she stuck little pins in while listening to the angry music that had gotten her through high school. Then Jane had mentioned the Tower gym, a place Darcy had never bothered to go thus far, since she didn't actually live there and assumed the gym, especially the nice upper floor one, was only for those living on those floors. Plus, Darcy wasn't really a gym person. But Jane said there were punching bags there that Darcy could try taking her aggression out on. Apparently Jane had done this herself recently after Thor had been gone on a long mission for a few weeks, and Jane was getting annoyed with her science. Of course, Darcy had no gym clothes with her, and didn't live there, and Jane's clothes were a little too tiny for her. So, the leggings she'd worn under her dress, and a plain tee shirt she had gotten from Erik would have to do. Luckily Erik had overheard her talking to Jane and offered up a shirt, as he too lived in the Tower, or she'd have had nothing to wear. And she was just annoyed enough she might have been tempted to try just her leggings and her bra.
She had no gloves or anything, but that didn't matter, she wasn't there for technique or anything, she just needed to punch something, as hard as she could. Her bag, shoes, and dress were piled near the wall of the little side room of the gym with the punching bags. Darcy was punching and even kicking the bag and screaming obscenities at it, like it were Tony. She may have growled a few times as well.
The gym, especially the upper level one, was usually pretty empty so late in the evening. Main reason Steve came by at this time. It was never super busy, it was only for the Avengers and high level staff of the Tower, largely researchers and scientists. Finding anyone there around dinner time was rare, so finding someone there and in the little room with the punching bags was strange. And it wasn't someone he recognized.
"What are you doing?" It may have come out a little colder than he meant it too. But he had a habit of sticking his foot in his mouth around women. Especially attractive ones, and this one was more than attractive. The oversized t-shirt, leggings, and nothing else, not even socks. Her hair only partly clipped back out of her face, but not all pulled back. She had a wildness about her, yet she also kind of looked perfect.
Darcy had a hair clip, but no hair ties that day, so it was what it was. She'd heard the door open, but hadn't really cared to see who it was, it didn't matter to her, she was still pounding out her Tony aggression on the punching bag. When he asked the question, and sounded annoyed, she looked over, hands on hips, "what does it look like I'm doing." And no, it did not come out like a question.
Steve paused a moment, realizing his own tone. He'd just wanted to be alone. Yet another lead on Bucky had turned up nothing, and he was frustrated. He wanted to beat on some heavy bags and try to burn off that feeling. "Sorry. Let me start again. There's not usually anyone in here this late. What's got you pounding on some punching bag while everyone else is going home and having dinner?"
Darcy exhaled when the rather attractive Steve Rogers, yeah, she was well aware of who he was, she'd just never actually met him before, seemed to shift his approach. "Too frustrated and annoyed. Have to get it out somehow. Figured I'd give this a try, since everything else I've tried this week hasn't really done the trick." She turned back to the punching bag and took a few more swings, and growled a little more doing it.
Steve couldn't help the crooked smile. "With a better stance, you might get a more satisfying swing. And better results if you ever actually need to punch someone."
Darcy stopped and looked over at him again as Steve moved over to the neighboring punching bag. "Okay." That had hints of a question in her tone.
Steve smiled a little and shifted his stance, "try standing like this, and plant your feet unless you're going to kick the bag. And punch, don't push the bag. Just hit it."
Darcy tried to copy his stance and follow his directions when she punched at the bag again. It did oddly kind of feel better. She giggled a little. "Cool. Thanks. So what has Captain America going for the punching bags at this time of evening?"
"It's Steve, actually. And kind of the same thing as you." Steve was still smiling lightly at her, her tone seemed playfully teasing now. He did take a couple jabs at the punching bag in front of him, then extended his hand to her.
"Okay, Steve. I'm Darcy." Darcy let his name really roll through her mouth as she reached over and shook his hand, firm, but not too firm, like she'd always been told. His shake was firm, but gentle, and his hand was softer than she expected. Their hands lingered a few moments longer than what was probably considered normal before they both pulled back. "Why are you frustrated and annoyed?"
Steve sighed, it wasn't exactly something he could get into, "it's complicated. Avenger stuff. Just always something."
Darcy nodded, he didn't want to expand or share, she could get that. "I'd guess that can be tiring work." She punched a few more times at the bag, still imagining it was Tony.
Steve was lightly punching at his own bag, "you could say that. Can I ask what exactly got you so frustrated? And what's your job around here?" He couldn't help asking, he was curious. She seemed perhaps familiar, like maybe he'd passed her in the halls once or twice, but he definitely hadn't met her before.
"Not going to share, but you want to pry, aye?" The frustrated look in her eyes had dwindled, though she was still having at the punching bag. But when she looked over at him, Steve saw a smile in her eyes, and a playfulness to her tone.
He hit his own bag a little hard, "I know. Sorry. It's just, kind of secret stuff. Classified." Actually it was stuff that really only he, Sam, and Nat knew about. Well, he suspected Nat had let Clint in on pieces of it, but just enough to help, and it wasn't like Clint was going to blab to anyone. And Fury knew some, and Steve had a hypothetical conversation with Tony, but it was strictly a 'what if' thing, rather than a 'this is what's going on' thing.
"I figured, just had to poke you for it. I'm Jane Foster's assistant. But I somehow got roped into babysitting Stark every time Pepper's away and he's here, ever since a couple months ago when Pepper got me helping her with PR." Darcy's job wasn't classified, so she could talk about it as she punched.
Steve actually laughed, "I'm guessing Stark probably has something to do with your mood."
"How did you ever guess." She snickered and smiled.
"He can be like that. He's a good guy though." Steve had definitely found himself annoyed by Tony on more than one occasion, but he did think Tony was a good person who meant well. And sometimes had his own ways of showing he cared that didn't always seem normal to others.
"I know, he's funny, and can be really interesting, but he can be exhausting and infuriating also." Darcy rolled her eyes, stepping back and kicking the bag. Then she noticed Steve looking at her. "Are you about to give me pointers on my kicking form?"
"Maybe. As long as you aren't going to use them on me after." Steve chuckled softly.
"Not my immediate game plan, but no promises." She grinned, the teasing was possibly even better for letting go of her frustrations than the kicking and punching, and Steve was wonderfully distracting.
The chuckling from Steve got a little more pronounced, he too felt some of his tension falling away, without having to punch it out on the heavy bag. "Fair enough. There's a few ways to kick, types of kicks, that are pretty easy to use on the heavy bag." He stepped back into position and showed her three different kicks.
Darcy watched carefully, and then tried to repeat the motions. After each, she paused and looked at Steve, who nodded and smiled. "So now I can kick some butt." She then softly kicked Steve's butt.
Steve laughed and blushed. He had not expected that, and she had pretty good control. A few lessons and she might give someone a decent fight. Her form was good, and yet she also had ever so gently kicked him. It took control to do that. "You probably actually could with some lessons."
"Is that an offer?" Darcy bounced lightly on her feet and wiggled her fists in a sort of faux fighting motion.
Steve was still chuckling, and still red in the face. Her bouncing made other parts of her bounce, which made parts of him feel ready to bounce. But he tried to focus enough to keep a handle on that. He didn't have time to figure out how to deal with that in any other way. There were too many things going on to let his body parts start telling him what to do. "I can't guarantee regularity or how much time I have. But sure. If you're up for whenever there's time lessons, like now."
Darcy was smiling, "you don't have to, I don't want to add crazy to your life. But if you have time now for a few more pointers?"
"I can definitely do a few more pointers. And we could do lessons, it's not a bother. I just can't say, commit to every Tuesday or something like that. Cause I might not be available all the time. But if you're up for whenever I have time, if you have time too." Steve shrugged, still blushing and looked down a little, feeling like he'd put his foot in his mouth with that one.
Darcy gave his arm a soft jab, "that sounds good. I'm usually free as long as Jane doesn't have some crazy project going on where I have to tend her extra hours, and as long as Tony isn't being a needy, yet defiant, butthead." She giggled as Steve looked at her and chuckled softly as well.
She could have hit him a lot harder than she did and it still wouldn't have hurt. Maybe he oddly liked that she didn't just treat him like he could take any punch, even if he could. "Okay then. So let me show you a couple more things, and watch the form. You're doing really well already."
They spent near an hour in the room, punching and kicking, Steve showing her the best stances for a swing or kick, and even how to combine a couple moves. Darcy was a fairly quick study on it. They also traded grievances about Tony, and laughed.