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Darcy was born with a giant - seriously, it took up her entire shoulder span, what the hell - blue zigzag tattooed on her skin. Most people had tiny, but cute, rainbows or crowns or stars on their arms or legs or stomachs. But her, she had the single most horrifyingly massive piece of Harry Potter trash tatted on her skin, never to be removed.
She liked to joke that it was life's way of saying "we fucked you over and we're happy about it," complete with loud cackling and wine that tasted like Godly piss.
The only pro to it was that it could be used as an excuse as to why she couldn't parade around in bikini's at any beach party, when she was still at that age where the eyes bothered her more than exasperated her. (Um, sorry, but my mark is pretty big, and it hurts worse than everyone else's most of the time, sorry again. Ta ta!)
One of many, many cons was that it literally faded every so often. It turned the shittiest gray ever for long times - there wasn't any interval she could use, not when it could fade within a day of turning blue or, ya know, years. Not too long, especially not that span of time that was literally her entire ten years of bratty 15 year old to semi-bratty 25 year old.
She wondered about it, because yeah, that was kind of concerning? Usually, marks didn't fade like that unless the person hadn't been born yet or was dead. Fading in and out like that was a load of bullshit to her 3 year old self crying about how her soul mate had gone and croaked. She forced herself not to think about it like that, though.
Now, Darcy is a Smart Person. She recognized the fact that the zigzag was only blue whenever horrible, terrible murders or fires or car crashes happened. Her parents, all the neighbors and every single teacher who had a clue thought that the one who marked her was a Fucking Russian. This was during the Cold War, though, so everyone with a mark that wasn't the American flag or the Bible had a Russian counterpart.
She didn't think much of the people who insisted she skip off into the sunset with their perfectly fine son (or daughter, actually, and Darcy almost took up the offer, because that chick was nice and hot), Zigzag Soul Mate be damned. She went on a few dates with those perfectly normal/fine sons, but then she'd go back home, reach her arm up to stroke the zigzag (which, thank you for being in the most awkward fucking place her arms could just barely reach), and think about how she felt when she thought of him.
So, all through high school and the few years of (wasted) college, she had few boyfriends that lasted longer than a few dates and she was cool with it. She wasn't opposed to commitment - it wasn't that at all. No, it was more along the lines of she was waiting for her Zigzag Soul Mate. She had a feeling he'd be a lot to deal with. When she signed up to haul ass out to New Mexico to get science credits from an astrophysicist, she expected less than nothing from Zigzag Guy.
Two years later, after she had moved to New York with Jane and Thor (but not Erik, because he liked the weather, and not Ian, because he wanted to finish his degree), she got a lot from Zigzag Guy. Life must be spectacularly bipolar, Darcy thought.
Of course she would get the tortured soldier from the forties. Of course she would get someone so far out of her league, he was playing games with the Asgardians.
Bucky Barnes had grown up with possibly the most ostentatious mark of anyone he knew and then some (like, the rest of Brooklyn, the whole of New York, possibly America). It was a bright red lightning bolt - in theory. Most of the time - as in, 99% of it because after he was born, for a day at most, was the only time when it had been red - it was a pale, sickly pink. And this was, of course, on his chest, from half way down his ribs to his belly button.
Clearly, he had done something massively wrong in a previous life.
Steve didn't make fun about it, but then, Steve had a set of equally red lips right on his cheek as if his body wasn't enough of a bully magnet.
His ma told him his mate would be a spitfire. Had to be, if she had marked him so thoroughly. He liked the idea of that, of her doing that before she was even born. He also liked the idea of staying faithful to her - because yeah, he was that far ahead of the game with a soul mate that had not even been born - but he also liked the idea of getting what he could while he could.
He had dreams of a dame with all the right curves and bright red lips that looked like Steve's mark.
When he hit 18, and it was just as pink as the day after he'd been born, Bucky decided that he'd probably be senile by the time his girl was born, and went to town with the local dames.
When he was 26, and got drafted into the second World War, and she was just as much a person as before (which was to say, not) he knew he had a fluke. Either he was going to die in the war, and she was his but he wasn't hers, or he was going to meet her in Heaven.
Then he was captured by HYDRA and tortured by Arnim Zola. Bucky would never forget the face. His rescuer came in the form of Steve Rogers, his best friend and the guy with a mark on his cheek a black color he wasn't used to. Steve had been turned into a super soldier - Bucky bit down on all of his fears, much too much used to hiding them from Steve.
Being on the Howling Commandos was an honor. Every night they camped out in the frozen European woods, he would fall asleep with his hand up his shirt, rubbing a hand up and down the still pink lighting bolt.
Falling from the train didn't feel as bad as one might think. He felt weightless...
Everything that happened after that was a blur, one that he wouldn't remember. A metal arm; more torturing; a tube and the coldest he'd ever felt; vial after vial of serum.
He remembered one thing, though.
They tried to burn his bolt off of his skin, but it always came back.
Darcy knew everything there was to know about Bucky Barnes.
After doing at least three school projects on him in 4th grade, 8th grade and then in 11th grade, she was pretty knowledgeable. Living with Steve Rogers, his best friend, Captain America and also the sweetest guy ever who shouldn't have reason to mourn his entire life (do not get her started), only heightened her know how on all things James Barnes.
Meeting him (and holy shit, meeting him, what even) was a slap to the face. Much confusion was honestly her first thought, because who was this guy and what happened to the guy that she wrote nearly ten page essays about?
Oh, yeah, that's right, he fell off a train and right into HYDRA Spysassin Headache. Then, 70 years of mental torture and murdering people, he met her. That's what happened.
He had a wicked sense of humor, though, was loyal to the point it sped past awesome straight into adorable. And he didn't even ogle the girls all that obviously! Score!
So. She had a crush on him. Sue her - it's not like she would lose, Tony had her won before the idea came to formation. She still hadn't met Zigzag Guy, even though she was like, almost 30 (which, let her tell you a thing - yikes was an understatement), so she could do what she wanted.
Except. The zigzag was blue. There was no gray, no purple, no pain other than the de facto amount. That meant he was up and about. That meant she could, potentially, meet him at any time, really.
Oh, no.
See, the thing was Darcy's crush on Bucky was more of the whole Hopelessly In Love stuff that she despised nine times out of ten. So, Zigzag Guy? He was kind of fucked. He'd be fighting the idea of Bucky.
Darcy was a horrible person. But how can one be expected to be a good person when they have so much shitty shit going on in their lives?
Somehow, because Life was clearly done screwing her over (at least for now, but she'll take what she can get), all of her guy problems dissolved in seconds.
Bucky Barnes without a shirt. Picture that in your mind - let it stay there, ferment, make a home.
And it was all hers. To even see the mark she had left on him, his shirt had to be gone. Add in the metal arm - which, hot as the sun, thank you and also, do you understand what that arm could be doing for her?! - and she would be a simpering mess any day of the week.
Except. He had a giant, bright red zigzag on his chest. It looked exactly like hers, and even moved the same way hers did when she threw back her shoulders for hysterics. She was mesmerized. She didn't even care when Bucky turned to her, caught her staring and questioned her. She didn't even care when the rest of the gang zeroed in on the interaction.
All she could think about was him being her forever. Bucky Barnes and Darcy Lewis, sittin' in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g... Darcy Barnes?
She'd love that, honestly. And the name had a nice ring to it.
But then it dawned on her that the heroes were probably getting worried. So, like any other normal person, instead of pulling Bucky aside and showing him where he marked her, she turned her back to him, pulled her shirt all the way off, and waited.
She expected the palpable shock from the team and her fellow extras.
She didn't expect the pair of lips that brushed over the highest part of the zigzag.
She whirled around, squishing her chest to his because she might work for Tony, but if he wanted to see the goods, he'd had to have been born James Barnes, and wrapped her arms around his waist like the clingy little chipmunk she was.
When she looked in his eyes, he seemed pretty happy, but also happy happy, and Darcy was so for that.
"Take me back to my room, soldier?" she asked, effectively ruining any chances of returning to any easy friendship they had after meeting in the lobby, and up to the first time she saw him in the gym (and after, but still, the crush had started then and she wasn't ashamed to say it).
He grinned, putting his metal hand under her legs and his flesh under her back, carrying her bridal style. Usually, Darcy thought it was a load of romantic bull crap, but the way he was looking at her and holding her told her he had an intent for something.
As he carried her to the elevators (and away from the sounds of their whistling friends and roommates), she realized something that she had already half figured out.
She couldn't wait (for that and the whole Love Forever dealio).