Chapter Text
Darcy’s phone rings at 1am and she groans, rolling over in her bed to answer it.
“What?” She snapped, rubbing her eyes.
“I found a way in to the football field.” Bucky says immediately “There’s a gap in the fence.”
“And you’re calling to tell me this because…” Darcy sighed
“Don’t pretend that you don’t want to come. I’ll pick you up in 5.”
It had always been like that. Bucky was always pushing, pulling, forcing her out of her shell in some crazy adventure with him. It had been that way since they met at the start of high school.
Now they were seniors, faced with the looming decision of what they wanted to do with their lives and having no earthly idea.
Darcy had always been good at science and put her heart into it, leaving no room for many other subjects. Except art, that is. A small part of her always wanted to illustrate children's books, she only ever shared that part with Bucky.
Bucky was a people person. There was always something about him that people were just drawn too, but nobody more so than Darcy. He wasn't particularly smart, but he could talk his way out of any situation. Darcy said once that he should be a lawyer, but he said he couldn’t because he’d never be able to fight for a case he didn’t agree with.
Darcy somehow made it through the tiny gap in the tall fence that surrounded the football field and had barely straightened up before Bucky had taken her hand and dragged her to the middle of the field and began spinning her around in circles as they laughed together.
They end up lying on the grass right in the middle of the field. Darcy has her head pillowed on Bucky’s outstretched arm and his fingers run idly through her hair as they stare up at the stars.
“I have work tomorrow.” Darcy mumbled and Bucky just shrugs. He never thinks about what’s next, he’d always just be thinking about what’s happening right now. But that’s okay, because Darcy does enough thinking for both of them.
“Is there any way we can just stop?” He asked after a few moments of silence “Any way we can live without having to worry about grades and jobs and college?”
“Nope.” Darcy replied simply “But hey, at least we’ve got this summer.”
***
School was done and they were free. Darcy wasn’t going to college, instead she had an internship with an astrophysicist set up once the summer was over.Their best friend Steve had gone to art school, as he’d always dreamed of. It hurt to lose him, but they were glad he was happy.
Bucky still wasn’t sure what he was doing with his life, but that was okay. He had a job at the local garage and was making enough money to put clothes on his back
He spends a lot of nights in her bed, platonically of course. Bucky holds her close and pretends that he’s not cramped up in a single bed with his best friend, but in his home that he worked for with his wife. Either way, Darcy’s there.
On a night that he’s meant to be at hers, Bucky’s out at some club. The music thumps hard in his ears and he’s pressed chest to chest with a girl he’s never said a word to. He has 6 missed calls from Darcy and 8 texts, all asking where the hell he is.
The girl sits him down on a couch on the side of the dance floor and straddles his waist. She’s slim and blonde, not the type he usually goes for. He normally sets his sights on curvier girls, mostly brunettes because its easier to pretend that they’re Darcy, not that he’d ever admit that to himself.
The girl holds a small white pill to his lips and he opens his mouth so she can place it on his tongue. Then she’s kissing him and he’s kissing back as the world begins to blur around the edges and his blood starts to pump a little faster.
*
He calls her at 1.30am to ask her to come pick him up. It’s not the first time he’s stayed out without telling her, left her worrying while he did whatever he wanted.
“Are you okay?” She sighed, not having gotten any sleep.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need you to pick my up I’m at-” He began reading the street sign, but she cut him off.
“No, Bucky.” Darcy ran a hand through her hair.
“What?”
“I’m not coming to pick you up, not tonight..” She explained.
“But Darcy, you’re the only person who can..” Bucky chewed his lip “Steve’s not-”
“I said no, Bucky.” Darcy cut him off again “I’ve been worried sick. I was going to call the police. Would it really have hurt to just call me and let me know that you’re okay?” Her voice began to shake a little “Y’know, I was going to ask you if you wanted to share an apartment with me because I thought you were finally starting to get your shit together. But you’re still just doing whatever you want and you still don’t care about how that affects the people that care about you.”
The line clicks off and Bucky groans, leaning his head back against the wall. He knows she’s right, but he doesn't have to be happy about it.
***
Bucky calls Steve on his lunch break a few days later.
“So, hows Darce?” Steve asks once they’re done catching up.
“I wouldn’t know. She’s not answering my calls.” Bucky shrugged, sounding less beat up about it than he really was.
“What did you do?” He could hear the frown in Steve’s voice. Of course, he knows right of the bat that it’s Bucky’s fault.
“Stayed out, got wastes, didn’t call.” Bucky sighed “She’ll forgive me soon enough, it’s okay.”
“Ever wonder if one day shes not going to forgive you?” Steve teased, but there’s real concern behind it.
Bucky knows he may just push Darcy too far one day. And then their friendship will fall to pieces, and so will he.
“Ill figure something out.” He tells Steve before saying his goodbyes.
He hears from Jane that Darcy’s looking for apartments alone and knows he has to act fast.
***
“Darcy. C’mon.” He calls up at her window. It’s 11.30pm and her parents are gone for the weekend. Normally at times like this he’d be there 24/7, now she’s moved the key from under the brick that he usually uses and won't answer his calls.
“Fuck off, Bucky.” She shouts out her window.
“I’m sorry, okay? Can you just let it go?” He yells back.
Darcy throws the key down to him and he happily takes it to open the door, only to be faced with a furious Darcy was he enters.
“Let it go?” She fumes “I wait up all night worrying about you and you tell me to just let it go? Fuck you!”
“I don’t even get why you’re so worried.” Bucky rolled his eyes “I can take care of myself.”
“Can you? Because that’s not what I can tell by the times you’ve asked me to pick you up, high as a fucking kite and just fucked by some random chick.” Darcy scolded, her eyes narrowing.
“Why do you care who I have sex with?” He raised his eyebrows.
Darcy paused and shifted on her feet “I don’t.”
He folded his arms over his chest “You do. And honestly, it’s none of your damn business.”
She scoffed “It’s my business when I have to pick you up and let you stay at my place.”
“Fine. I won’t ask anymore!”
“Good!”
Bucky takes a few steps towards her, his voice dropping to a low and dangerous level “Let me tell you the rules, Darce. You don’t get to be jealous if we’re not dating. I’ve been trying for years to tell you how I feel about you, and you keep pushing me away.” He backs her up against a wall “I’m not denying it. I like you. Hell, it wouldn’t be far wrong to say that I’m in love with you. But if you’re never going to love me back, then I have every right to go out and do whatever I want. I don’t need you to look after me.”
Tears pool in Darcy’s eyes because it hurts, his words hurt and sting and twist a knife in her.
“Get the fuck out of my house.” She muttered, staring at her feet.
“My pleasure.” Bucky snarls before turning on his heel and leaving.
It was going to be a long Summer.