Archive of Our Own

When Darcy had met Phil Coulson in New Mexico, she thought she had just met the epitome of badass efficiency. He had barely blinked in the face of Loki's Destroyer, and had just laughed when Darcy demanded the return of her iPod.

However, that was before Darcy started working for Stark Industries.

"Morning, Darcy," said Maria Hill as she passed Darcy's desk. Maria had exchanged her SHIELD blues for a tasteful, dark gray business suit, but it didn't diminish her authority.

When Darcy had first gotten the position as Maria's assistant, it taken all of one glance at her new boss to realize Maria and Jane couldn't be more different. Still, Darcy was nothing if not adaptable.

Scooping up some materials from her desk, Darcy followed Maria into her office. Stark Tower boasted one of the best views in New York City. Maria's corner office had two full walls of windows overlooking Park Avenue. The glass was Stark Tech, which meant that in addition to being weather- and bullet-proof, JARVIS could pull up a holographic projection over them or black them out completely.

Darcy had spent all of two minutes being jealous of Maria's office before she realized her room in the Tower's penthouse gave her an even better view. The first seventy-five floors of Stark Tower were dedicated to Stark Industries, but the top ten floors were the coolest superhero clubhouse on Earth. Jane and Thor had insisted she join them on their floor, and Darcy hadn't even pretended to have to think about it.

"I've got those expense reports you requested, a request from the DOD for you to look over, an acquisition form from the Tower's security guards," Darcy said, setting the stack of papers on Maria's desk as she spoke, "and a thermos of coffee from Tony's stash upstairs. Black with half a sugar packet."

For the first few mornings Darcy had been Maria's assistant, she had gone down to street-level for Starbucks, but had quickly decided to use her place in the Tower to her advantage. Tony was possessive of his coffee, but JARVIS had a soft spot for Darcy and had assisted in her steady siphoning of the Columbian roast.

Maria took the thermos gratefully and gulped down half of it in one go. "Thanks," she said, sitting down at her desk.

Darcy gave her a lazy salute and turned for the door.

"Hey, actually, can you go run this over to Pepper?" Maria said, pulling a thick manila folder out from under a pile on her desk. The rest of the stack wavered unsteadily at the movement, but didn't topple. It probably didn't have the guts.

"Sure," Darcy said, accepting the folder.

Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries, had an office on the opposite side of the Tower. The few times Darcy had been by before on errands from Maria, the executive had either been on the phone or out of the office entirely. Even on the rare occasions that Pepper stopped by the upper floors of the Tower to drag her ex-boyfriend to SI board meetings, she had been in and out in a flurry of dry snark, brisk efficiency, and a lingering scent of lavender.

That was why Darcy was caught off-guard when she saw Pepper sitting at her desk through the wall of windows that surrounded the office. The CEO was focused on her computer, a pair of slim glasses resting on her nose.

Darcy nodded toward Pepper's assistant, a cheerful girl named Kitty, before knocking lightly on the door and striding inside.

"Good morning," Darcy said when Pepper didn't immediately acknowledge her.

Pepper blinked and looked up at her. Her red lipstick was sharp and her pale pink pantsuit was crisp, but there were undeniable shadows under her eyes. "Darcy," she greeted. "Sorry, I was just..." She trailed off and shook her head. "Can I help you?"

"New glasses?" Darcy asked instead. The frames looked good on her. While Darcy's glasses were thick and wide, helping her blend in with the hipster youth of Manhattan, Pepper's slender frames were more elegant. She looked gorgeous.

Shaking her head, Pepper slid the glasses off and folded them on the desk. Darcy suppressed a disappointed sigh. "Sometimes staring at the computer screen gives me a headache," Pepper admitted.

Narrowing her eyes, Darcy asked, "How long have you been here?" It was no later than 9:15 in the morning, and most of the office was only just rolling in.

Pepper shrugged. "A few hours. I just had some things to read through before my first meeting." She glanced at the file in Darcy's hand. "I'm guessing you brought me more?" It was a tribute to how classy Pepper was that she didn't even sound irritated.

With a wince, Darcy nodded and set the stack on Pepper's table. "Sorry it's not digital," she said. "After the SHIELD debacle, you know how Maria is about sensitive information going anywhere that can be hacked. So, you know, don't let Tony and his gadgets near it." Was it totally insensitive to talk about Pepper's ex, who happened to be letting Darcy live at his place? Since Darcy's mouth rarely stopped to listen to her brain, she continued, "I'm pretty sure he takes paper as a personal offense. I saw him take a newspaper out of some dude's hand and replace it with a free StarkTablet at one point."

Pepper's smile became a bit more genuine. "Why doesn't that surprise me? Don't worry-- I'll burn it after I read it." She gave Darcy a wink.

Darcy couldn't help but smile back.

"Did you need anything else?" Pepper said, sliding back into her professional demeanor.

"Uh, no," Darcy said. "I guess I'll just..." She pointed to the door before waving awkwardly and sliding out.

***

One of the things Darcy loved about the Avengers was that they had managed to make themselves into a small family despite all of their differences. At first glance, they seemed like six puzzle pieces that had been taken from as many different boxes. From what Bruce and Thor had mentioned, bringing two assassins, a rage monster, a god, Captain America, and the world's most notorious billionaire playboy together under one roof hadn't been the smoothest process.

These days, they still didn't have much in common to look at them, but they found ways to work together in unexpected ways. Clint and Bruce meditated on the roof together most mornings. Natasha and Thor were on a mission to try every pizza joint in the city until they found one they could agree was the best. Steve and Tony, despite their initial clash, were now America's favorite couple. It was their differences that made the team such a great unit.

The one thing it seemed everyone in the Tower did have in common was the nightmares.

It turned out that you wouldn't face cosmic destruction without a bit of damage of the psyche.

"Lights please," Darcy said to the ceiling when she woke up with her sheets twisted around her. According to her phone, it was four in the morning, but she felt like she’d taken a shot of espresso.

JARVIS complied quietly, turning her bedside lamp on at minimal strength. The AI had gone through enough of these nights with her and the others to know that she only needed enough light to stumble out of the room.

“Thanks, J,” she said as he lit her way through the hallway to the elevator.

Darcy shared a floor with Jane and Thor, since she was officially their guest, despite having become friends with Bruce and the others as well. However, most people used the communal kitchen, and she knew for a fact that Bruce had made blackberry cobbler the afternoon before, and that JARVIS kept the freezer supplied with at least one carton of vanilla ice cream at all times.

She wasn’t going to get back to sleep tonight— might as well embrace it. At least it was Friday night and she wouldn't have to go down to the office in the morning.

It wasn't unusual for Darcy to run into other inhabitants of the Tower during her hunt for a (post-)midnight snack, but the figure silloutted by the fridge when Darcy entered the kitchen was unfamiliar.

"Um, hello?" Darcy prodded. Though she doubted JARVIS would have let her come into the kitchen if the Villain of the Week was raiding it, much less start the coffee machine for them, her fingers still itched for her taser.

There was a clatter as the intruder dropped what they had been holding and whirled around. In the faint light, Darcy was finally able to recognize the person. "Miss Potts?"

Pepper had shucked her usual heels and blazer, though she was still wearing her pale pink pants and white buttondown. A pen stuck out of the messy bun on top of her head. "Darcy?" Pepper confirmed, blinking.

Darcy couldn't decide whether to be amused or concerned. "Whatcha doing there?" she asked.

"I, uh," Pepper said, glancing over her shoulder at the fridge. "I'm looking for a coffee mug."

Approaching her slowly, Darcy said, "I'm pretty sure neither of those is in the fridge."

Face flushing slightly, Pepper stepped away from the fridge. "Sorry, I'm just a little..." She waved a hand around her head.

"Have you been working all night?" Darcy asked.

Pepper rubbed a hand over her face, wincing. "We have to get this acquisition right," she said. "I just need some coffee and then I can go back down. There's just...so much to do."

Darcy had been Jane's assistant long enough to spot an impending breakdown when she saw one. Instinct kicked in. "Well, you're not going to get anything done tonight." When Pepper opened her mouth to argue, Darcy said, "You thought we kept the coffee mugs in the fridge. Are you really ready for complex negotiation right now?"

Shoulders slumping, Pepper said, "This is just really important."

"Which is why you need to be sharp for it," Darcy said. "Come on, grab a seat at the kitchen table. I'll whip us up something to eat. JARVIS, dump the coffee. Honestly, you'd think you've been taking care of Tony long enough to know when coffee isn't the answer."

JARVIS's voice was wry. "Miss Potts can be very insistent."

"Damn right," Pepper said.

"Sit," Darcy said, pointing to the table.

While Pepper—finally—listened to her, Darcy pulled Bruce's cobbler from the open fridge, spooned large servings into two bowls, and then popped them in the microwave. She hummed as she waited, nodding her head lazily to the song stuck in her head. She would have liked to think that she'd have acted cooler in front of Pepper if she had been more awake, but the truth was that Darcy tended to constantly embarrass herself around attractive people.

When the microwave beeped softly to let her know the cobbler was done heating, Darcy moved the bowls to the counter and then topped each with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sitting a spoon in each, Darcy moved to sit across from Pepper at the kitchen table. "Here," she said, pushing one bowl in front of the other woman. "Eat up. Trust me, it's delish-wish."

Once she was sure Pepper was listening her, Darcy dug into her own plate. She groaned happily around a bite of cobbler. "This is good stuff, right?" she asked Pepper.

Pepper nodded, a strand of light red hair falling loose from her bun to hang over her face. "You said Bruce made this?"

"I have a theory that he's some kind of kitchen god," she confirmed. "It's the only way to explain how he can be this good. None of the other Science Bros can cook worth a damn."

It had taken less than a week after Jane had moved in with Thor for Tony and Bruce to officially invite her into their little science club. That had meant that two more scientists were suddenly swept under Darcy's purview, and she'd spent many an evening sitting in one lab or another throwing gummy bears at the closest scientist. Hey, she was making sure they weren't getting overworked. It was an important job.

Pepper chuckled. "Tony used to try sometimes. It was always a bad si—" She yawned partway through the word, a wide, jaw-popping yawn that made Darcy have to suppress one of her own. "Sign." She shook her head. "Maybe you were right about me needing sleep."

"I'm always right," Darcy informed her.

"JARVIS?" Pepper inquired, tilting her head toward the ceiling.

"Yes, Miss Potts?"

"Can you call me a car?"

Darcy shook her head. "A car this late? The only drivers you'll find are the ones looking for drunk college kids and other easy targets."

Pepper shrugged, scraping one last bite from her bowl. "I'm just down in the Village. It's not so far."

"JARVIS, cancel the car. Maybe you're too tired to notice, but you're currently standing in the nicest apartment complex in Manhattan," Darcy said.

Pepper hesitated. "I haven't stayed here since me and Tony..." She trailed off, sadness suddenly creasing her face.

"You're not going to stay on Tony's floor," Darcy said. "My bed is down on Thor's level."

"Your bed?"

"I, uh, I mean, not like while I'm in it. I'm already awake. It'll just be you. And my bed. Without me. I'm not trying to... Hey, JARVIS, you wanna spray me with fire extinguisher or laser my mouth closed before Pepper calls the cops on me?"

Pepper chuckled. "It's okay," she said. "That would actually be really nice. If you're sure...?"

"Absolutely," Darcy said, standing up and leading Pepper to the elevator. "I swear, it's the coziest bed ever."

Once they got to their floor, Darcy lowered her voice so they wouldn't risk waking up Thor and Jane. "I've got sweats you can borrow to sleep in," she said. "JARVIS can direct you to anything you need. Uh, JARVIS? Can you do that?"

"Of course, Miss Lewis," JARVIS said.

Darcy hesitated in front of her bedroom door. "I'll just leave you to it," she said, gesturing grandly to the door.

"Thanks, Darcy," Pepper said. She dropped a lazy kiss on top on Darcy's head, so brief that she could have imagined it. "You're sweet."

Darcy was two episodes into her Sex and the City marathon before the grin finally left her face.

***

There were many words you could use to describe Thor, but 'quiet' wasn't one of them. The sounds of him banging around in the kitchen woke Darcy up, and she sat up on the couch, blinking in surprise at having fallen asleep at all.

"Oh, Lady Darcy, I didn't see you there," Thor said when he noticed her. "Apologies. I hope I did not wake you."

Darcy waved off his concern. "Don't worry about it." She rubbed a hand over her face, wincing when she felt a crease from the couch's stitching imprinted on her cheek. "Are you the first one up?"

"My Jane sleeps on," Thor said.

"So you haven't seen..."

Darcy was interrupted by her bedroom door opening. Pepper emerged, wearing Darcy's sushi pajamas and rubbing a hand through mussed hair. Darcy felt her heart skip a beat. When Pepper saw them, her lazy stumbling turned into confident strides and poise settled on her shoulders like she'd just thrown on a mask. "Good morning," she said, voice rough with sleep. She cleared her throat. "I asked JARVIS to call me a car home."

"You don't have to run out," Darcy pointed out, sitting up and trying to seem like she hadn't just been sleeping on the couch.

Pepper shook her head. "I don't want to intrude any more than I already have."

"'Tis not an intrusion to have you join us," Thor interjected. He looked between them. "Darcy does not invite people in lightly. I'm sure she was not inconvenienced."

"What the big man said," Darcy agreed.

Clearly embarrassed, Pepper said, "Really, I didn't mean to stay here and take over your room. I was... exhausted last night, and not thinking straight. I'm sorry."

Darcy stood up, stretching her arms over her head. "Look, if you really feel that badly, make it up to me with brunch. There's got to be some great places around here, right? Your treat."

At first, Pepper looked ready to demur, but Darcy turned on the puppy eyes. The only time they didn't work was when her target was too absorbed in science to notice them, and Pepper was no exception. "All right. I know a place."

***

Darcy learned two things during brunch: chicken and waffles were the greatest combination known to man, and Pepper Potts was as clever as she was beautiful.

When she got back to her floor, she found Thor and Jane on the couch, cuddling as Jane flipped through the channels. Darcy toed off her shoes and then flopped down over their laps, making sure her head landed under Thor's hands. She had learned early on in their cohabitation that Thor gave excellent head massages, and could braid better than any of the cheerleaders Darcy had known in high school.

"Darcy, get up. You're heavy," Jane complained, but she didn't smack her, which meant she wasn't serious.

"I'm full of brunch," Darcy explained, snuggling in to make herself comfortable. Thor's hand landed lazily in her hair and Darcy gave an internal fist-pump. "Jaaaaane," she whined. "It's not fair."

"What's not fair?" Jane asked, her attention clearly already back on the television.

"Why are the nice, hot girls straight?" she complained.

"Statistically speaking, they can't all be straight," Jane said.

"Is this about the Lady Pepper?" Thor asked.

That got Jane's attention. "You're crushing on Pepper Potts?"

"Isn't everyone?" Darcy asked.

Jane patted her leg. "I'm one of those straight girls, remember?"

"Jane, she's seriously so adorable," Darcy said. "And smart. And funny. And so, so unattainable."

"Lady Pepper is a worthy recipient of your affections, but why do you think they would be unreciprocated?"

Darcy considered giving Thor an unamused look, but that would have required moving away from his talented hands. Instead, she just said, "In case you missed it, she is very publicly into dudes. And I, obviously, am no man."

"I am aware of her relationship with Tony," Thor said. "And yet, I am also aware of Tony's relationship with our dear Captain. Could not Pepper be open-minded about the sex of her partners?"

"Even if by some miracle Pepper were bi, she's a CEO. And unlike Tony, that position means something to her. She's not going to get it on with another woman, especially not an employee as young and hot as me," Darcy said.

"You do a disservice to yourself and to Pepper," Thor chided.

Meanwhile, Jane just thumped Darcy's thigh with the flat of her hand. "You're a drama queen, and you're squishing me." When Darcy just whined and snuggled in closer. "We'll go out soon and find you a hook-up at a bar downtown," Jane assured her, patting her leg more gently. She waited a moment, and then said with resignation, "You're not moving, are you?"

Darcy laughed. "Nope. Just be glad I stopped crashing in your guy's bed. That had much more awkward potential."

"Except for how I'm the only person here apparently capable of feeling shame," Jane pointed out.

Darcy lifted her hand up without looking. As expected, Thor laughed and high-fives her.

***

Though Darcy knew Pepper had had a good time at brunch, it was nearly a week before Darcy got a chance to see her again.

During Darcy's daily stop by Tony's coffee machine the next Thursday morning, JARVIS directed her to a small box on the counter. "Sir has requested you deliver it to Miss Potts," he explained.

Though he had wisely waited until Darcy was partway through her own cup of coffee, she still blinked up at the ceiling in confusion. "I'm not a courier," she pointed out. "Also, she works like five floors down. He can do it himself."

"He insisted you do it," JARVIS said. "He predicted you would argue, and has thus promised to give you the new StarkPod a month before the official release date."

"Like he wouldn't have anyway," Darcy pointed out, but she picked up the box. It was heavy for its size, and was wrapped so thoroughly in packing tape that the cardboard underneath was obscured. "Tell me it's not a bomb."

"It's not a bomb."

Darcy narrowed her eyes at the nearest security camera. "So it's just a perfectly innocent box Tony wants me to hand-deliver to his CEO? Am I going to get fired for this?"

"Doubtful, Miss Lewis. Even if Pepper does not like the contents, she is not unreasonable enough to shoot the messenger."

Darcy shrugged and pocketed the box. "Fair enough."

When Darcy got to her office, Maria's coffee in hand, she forgot completely about the box in her jacket pocket until nearly 5.

After making sure that Maria was set to survive without her for a few minutes, Darcy swung by Pepper's office. However, when she got there, the lights inside were off and the door shut. Turning to Pepper's secretary, Darcy asked, "Is she already gone for the day?" Most people, Darcy included, ended up staying in the office until at least 6 to wrap up everything, but it wouldn't have been unusual for the CEO to have moved to work from home instead.

Claire shook her head. "She's in a meeting with the rest of the C-suite. She should be back soon, but I can give her a message if you want to leave one."

Tapping the box in her pocket, Darcy shook her head. "I really should..."

"Oh, here she is," Kitty said, pointing behind Darcy.

Darcy turned to watch the other woman approach.

She was dressed in a navy suit today, hair pulled into a high ponytail, and walked confidently on three inch heels. "Hi, Darcy," she said. "You here for me?"

"Yep," Darcy replied.

Pepper walked to her door and pulled it open. "Come on in," she said.

Darcy could have given her the box there, but wasn't going to pass up the chance to chat with Pepper.

"Sorry it's a bit of a mess," Pepper said, shuffling a stack of papers to the side to clear off her desk. "I've been in meetings all day."

Darcy laughed. "I used to work for Jane. Trust me, this is nothing in comparison. How are you?"

"I'm doing well," Pepper said perfunctorily. "So what can I do for you?"

Got it. No conversation wanted. "Tony asked me to give this to you," Darcy said, pulling the box from her pocket and handing it over. Pepper sat down, grabbed a small laser box cutter opener and sliced through the layers of tape as Darcy kept talking. "Well, technically JARVIS asked me. Tony's schedule doesn't usually match up to 9 to 5 life."

"Don't I know it," Pepper said. She carefully removed a bundle of wires and gears from the box. "What...?"

A blue light turned on and the object sprang to life, unfolding to reveal a crab-like shape before it skittered off Pepper's palm and onto her desk. Pepper let out a startled noise that wasn't quite a shriek and pushed her chair backward.

Darcy suddenly realized there was a reason JARVIS hadn't assured her that Pepper would be happy about the present. "What is it?" she asked.

Pepper plucked a scrap of paper from the discarded box, careful to avoid the small bot, and read out loud. "Made a paperwork bot, but I still don't want to do paperwork. Happy Birthday. PS- His name is BRAT-E."

"Well, that's sweet," Darcy ventured. After her run-in with Loki's killer robot back in New Mexico, she still hadn't quite warmed up to Tony's collection of misfit toys.

"My birthday was in March," Pepper said, watching the bot tumble across the desk. She had looked harried when Darcy had first come in, but seeing Tony's gift made her look exhausted.

"Why's he called BRAT-E?" Darcy asked.

Pepper frowned. "I'm not sure I want to know, but I get the feeling I'm going to find out." The bot tugged a contract out of its folder and began flipping through it, small lens scanning the papers. "If I didn't know better, I'd think it was a tiny corporate spy."

"Yeah, that wouldn't make sense what with Tony owning the company."

"Also, it'd mean he'd have to look over all the work he refused to back when he was actually getting paid for it," Pepper said. "Whatever. I'll deal with...this later. Did you need anything else?"

"No, just that," Darcy said. "You know, I could take the bot back to Tony. If it's bothering you."

"Trust me, Tony's relentless. He said he made it accidentally, but I can guarantee he meant for it to end up right here," Pepper said.

"All right," Darcy said. "See you."

"Bye, Darcy."

Darcy was about to head for the door, but was interrupted by Pepper's stomach growling loudly. Turning back around, Darcy found that Pepper was blushing so brightly that it was visible under her concealer.

"Have you had lunch yet?" Darcy asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Lunch. That meal in the middle of the day-- or, I guess, at 4:20," Darcy amended, glancing at her watch. "Have you had it?"

"I was in meetings all day," Pepper said. "I had a juice at noon."

"Yeah, no, that's not lunch," Darcy said. "That's barely even a snack."

"It had spinach in it," Pepper protested. "And oats."

Darcy raised an eyebrow and Pepper slumped slightly. "I have so much to do."

"There's a bagel shop down the street," Darcy told her. "They're ninja-fast, even if it weren't such a completely off hour. Fifteen minutes tops. You don't have another meeting tonight, do you?"

Pepper hesitated, looking back at her computer. Her gaze landed on BRAT-E, which seemed to make up her mind. "Good idea. Let's go."

---

Manhattan during the holidays was covered in bright lights and wreaths, with jingles playing from every shop one walked past and a Christmas market in every big park. Even when it snowed, or when the fog was so heavy that it masked the upper floors of most buildings, the city burned with an inner fire.

Manhattan in early February was cold and wet. And gross. The sun began to set around 4:30, so by the time she and Pepper had purchased their bagels, it was dark outside.

Darcy hopped over a slush puddle when the next light changed, and turned to help Pepper over it. In the dark, the headlights cast shadows on everything not glared into submission by the street lights and store windows, but the puddles could be tricky. Without hesitating, though, Pepper simply stretched out one heel-clad foot and stepped lightly over it.

"Your legs are so long," Darcy grumbled, but she couldn't suppress her impressed glance. "Did it drive Tony crazy how much taller you are than him?"

"He sometimes would stand on top of furniture so he could feel tall," Pepper confided with a small wink as they continued walking toward Stark Tower.

Darcy laughed, delighted by the playfulness from the usually stoic executive. "He should invest in some platform shoes," Darcy said. "With his luck, they'd become the main fashion by the end of spring."

"Actually..." Pepper said, but she trailed off when a muttered voice interrupted them.

"Mm, looking pretty, baby," said a man as he walked past them. Though his voice was soft, almost intimate, the eyes raking down Darcy's body were challenging. "You should smile."

"Excuse you?" Pepper snapped, turning to face him.

Clearly thrown off guard, he stopped, but quickly recovered. "I was talking to your friend," he said. "Tell her to cheer up."

Darcy's fingers itched for the taser in her bag, but Pepper didn't hesitate. "No one cares what you think," she said coolly. "Keep your opinions to yourself."

"Crazy bitch," the man muttered, walking away.

Pepper took a step after him, but Darcy caught her arm. "Leave him. You totally scared him off." She batted her eyelashes dramatically. "My hero."

"I'm sure you could have handled it," Pepper said, casting one more glare at the retreating man before letting Darcy pull her toward Stark Tower, their arms still interlocked. "I just hate guys like that. It's like they think they own the streets and that you're there for their, their entertainment." Though her voice had been bitingly cold during the confrontation, she grew louder as she warmed to the topic. "You should be able to walk to work without being objectified by every creep who walks past!"

"I don't let it phase me anymore. Trust me, I've been dealing with it for years," Darcy said.

"That doesn't mean you should have to," Pepper replied, jaw clenched stubbornly.

A grin grew over Darcy's face. "I'd hate to see what happens to reporters that comment on your appearance," she said. "And by hate, I mean love."

"I think Tony's complied a collection," Pepper confided, a smile dancing on her lips.

"Smart man."

***

After that, it becomes a thing for them to eat together during or after work. Darcy is usually the one to initiate it, since she has less work to be drawn away from, but Pepper occasionally swung by Darcy's desk to collect her when she needed a break.

Darcy had known Pepper was cool. That much was obvious to anyone who had seen the woman. However, Pepper was also interesting and kind, with a dry sense of humor that most of her employees were too intimidated to catch.

About a month into their tradition, Tony showed up in Jane's lab. In itself, that wasn't unusual. As an official 'Science Bro,' Jane was often called to give an astrophysicist's view-point, and Tony seemed to enjoy sweeping through the lab and seeing everything Jane was working on. Though Jane, like just about everyone else in the Tower, was officially on the Stark Industries payroll, her lab was on the Avengers' floors by Bruce's space.

Jane had been talking to Heimdell so often lately that the gatekeeper had apparently given Jane permission to call on him at anytime, and whatever she had been learning was in the equations she was currently wrapped up in.

It had taken Tony time to convince Jane to move away from a physical whiteboard, but it had ended up being for the better. The lab was like a labyrinth of glowing holograms, all bearing Jane's scribbles.

Darcy was sitting on a couch in the corner, crunching her way through a bag of chips and scrolling through her phone, when Tony flopped down beside her.

Glancing over at him, Darcy warned, "She's in a state. Whatever Heimdell told her this week put her in a tizzy. She's barely opened her mouth in hours."

"Then why are you here?" Tony asked.

"Even quiet Jane is good company," Darcy said. "Besides, JARVIS gave me my own board to doodle on," she added, gesturing over her shoulder.

Tucked away from Jane's equations was Darcy's board, which was covered in half-formed notes and intricately shaded bubble letter versions of the names of everyone who crossed her mind. Darcy hadn't lasted long as her college choir's activity chair before she'd gotten bored and moved on, but the ability to chalk up sidewalks and design signs had never left her.

Tony looked over her board, one eyebrow slightly raised. "Huh," he said thoughtfully. "JARVIS must like you."

"Rumor has it," Darcy agreed, making pistols with her fingers and shooting at the ceiling. "Love you, JARVIS,” she called.

“Thank you, Miss Lewis,” JARVIS replied. He sounded put-upon, but vaguely fond, which was good enough for Darcy.

"Yeah, so you'll have to come back if you want to talk to Jane," Darcy concluded.

"I'm actually here for you," Tony said.

Darcy hesitated. "Why did that feel ominous?" Tony's expression didn't change, and Darcy was suddenly concerned. "You're not kicking me out of the Tower, right? Because I was pretty sure you knew about that. Also, Thor might protest leaving me out on the mean streets. I mean, I could totally survive. But it'd kind of suck."

"Look, Darcy, I like you. I do. I'll be just as bummed as you if I have to kick you out," Tony said.

"Not just as bummed," Darcy protested, and he shrugged his agreement. "So let's just avoid the trouble and not kick me out."

"Like I said, I don't want to have to. But listen, if you break Pepper's heart, you're out, no matter how much it pisses off my favorite Asgardian," Tony said.

"Oh my god," Darcy breathed. "This is the 'stay away from my daughter' talk from Tony Stark."

"I think it's actually called a 'shovel talk,'" Tony corrected. "If Pepper were my daughter, it would make that thing where we dated for years more messed up than it was."

"Ew," Darcy said.

"Exactly."

Darcy shook her head. "You're way too pervy for Steve."

"I literally just explained why it wasn't pervy," Tony complained.

"I don't know," Darcy said. "Maybe I should be giving you the shovel talk. Cap is America's sweetheart, after all. Break his heart and everyone in the world will be coming after you."

"Steve is a big boy. He can make his own decisions. Besides, I wouldn't break his heart. He's..." Tony frowned. "I'm not justifying my relationship to a teeny-bopper."

Darcy shrugged, a smirk on her lips. "Sorry, man, you're the one who brought up shovel talks."

"I'm going to be real with you. And trust me, not many people get this, so take notes. Pepper Potts is a goddess among women, a rose among thorns, sunshine in a dark world, capisce?"

"Mi dispiace, non ho capito," Darcy returned.

Tony narrowed his eyes at her and then looked up at the ceiling. "Did she just sass me in Italian?"

"I believe she did, sir," JARVIS replied. "In your liberal definition of the word 'sass.'"

"You speak Italian?"

"Some. And some German. I was a Poli Sci major, so learning some languages looked good on my resume. Also, I always had plans to go to Oktoberfest before aliens landed in New Mexico."

"See, this is why we're having this talk. Pepper knows French, Cantonese and Japanese, because she wanted to work in international business," Tony said.

"Maybe that's what she told you," she replied. A week ago, Pepper had confided that she'd taken French in high school because she'd always dreamed of getting romanced by the Seine.

"What is that supposed-- Stop distracting me. The point is, Pepper is important to all of us, so you'd just better be careful."

"Pepper's a big girl. She can handle herself," Darcy said, parroting back his earlier words.

"That doesn't mean she can't get hurt," Tony said. "I've been the one causing it often enough to know."

Darcy was surprised out of her needling. "I thought she called it off between you."

"She did. Just because she was the one strong enough to do what needed to be done doesn't mean it didn't hurt."

"Way to suck all the fun out of this convo," Darcy said. "Look, Robocop, you can rest easy. Pepper and I aren't even dating."

"But you guys go out together all the time," Tony protested.

"Yeah, as friends. I didn't even know Pepper was into ladies," Darcy said.

"Not usually, but Thor said--"

Darcy cut him off. "Oh my god, don't listen to Thor. He was just going off all the UST on my side. I only let you keep talking because I thought you were going to be the one ending up embarrassed here."

Tony laughed. His tension loosened and he leaned back on the couch. "That's where you miscalculated. I have absolutely no shame. I don't think I've blushed since I was three."

"I don't know," Darcy teased, relieved that the conversation was back off her apparently obvious crush. "You were getting a little fluttery of Cap earlier."

"You're a brat. A brat and a liar," Tony declared.

"You totally love me," Darcy said. "Besides, I've met BRAT-E. That's a term of endearment from you."

Tony continued arguing, but there was a spark in his eyes that told Darcy she was right. Darcy gave herself one self-satisfied pat on the back for managing to handle that conversation. It wasn't the first time someone had tried to warn her off of their friends, but it was the first time it had ended with that person offering to pay off her college loans.

***

It was a brisk evening in the city, the kind that made your nose turn red after five minutes outside. Still, Darcy was bundled up and jogging her way through a looped path through Central Park.

When Darcy had been younger, working out had never been on her to-do list. She was curvy, maybe a little curvier than some people could handle, but nothing was worth working up a sweat. Living with a bunch of superheroes, though, had made her more aware than ever of her own fragility. She was willing to jog around Central Park in yoga pants and a staticky sweatband if it meant someday she'd be able to run far enough away from a robot to avoid being killed or kidnapped. (She was, after all, a sidekick. She embraced her role, but she knew what that meant for her risk of being held hostage.)

Surprisingly, the 'run as though you're being chased by super-villains' method had been working well for Darcy. With loud enough music and a bold enough imagination, Darcy was able to hit the gym on a (relatively) regular basis. The Stark Tower gym was great, but Darcy was tired of being cooped up in the Tower. Some days, only going down five floors from bed to the office was convenient, but it made it easy to get cabin fever. Jogging in the park after dark was a far less risky activity than detective shows would have one believe, and her watch had an alarm button courtesy of Tony Stark. She was about as safe as she could get.

Honestly. After everything she'd been through, she should have known better than to even think something like that.

The bass pounding through Darcy's earphones was loud enough that she didn't realize something was wrong until an uprooted tree landed in her path.

She skidded to a halt, jerking out of earphones so they dangled off the phone on her arm. She looked back toward where the tree had come from, and then looked up. The path was well lit, but even Manhattan's light pollution wasn't enough to illuminate the monster that was looming over Central Park.

From the helicopter spotlights dancing over it and the silhouette it formed against the sky, the general impression Darcy got was...

"Godzilla?! Seriously?" She looked around, hoping to spot the Avengers flying into action, but she was alone in the park, and the giant lizard was stomping toward her.

This was what she'd just been training for. She needed to run, run fast enough to keep away from the monster until someone with phaser blasts or rocket launchers could take it out. The lizard was still picking up trees and throwing them around, but she was reasonably sure she could duck them.

She had only taken one step away from the approaching creature before a scream rang out to her left, close to where the last tree had landed. In all honesty, there was a moment when she hesitated. Darcy knew her limits-- she was a vulnerable human. There was nothing she could do to help anyone else.

Shaking her head at herself, she ran toward the scream. Just because she might not be able to help didn't mean she wouldn't try. Still, she pressed the panic button on her watch as she ran. A little back-up wouldn't hurt.

The ground shook as the wannabe-Godzilla stomped closer, but Darcy didn't spare it a glance. She found the source of the scream in a woman lying on the path. Like Darcy, she was in an unflattering workout ensemble, but part of her sweatpants was obscured by the tree lying across her lower legs. Her dreadlocks had escaped her headband, framing the pained expression on her face.

Darcy dropped to her knees and slid to a halt beside her. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I know, stupid question, but tell me how to help out here."

"My legs are stuck," the woman said through gritted teeth. "My legs are stuck and they hurt like hell and I can hear that whatever-it-is getting closer."

"Look, we need to get out of here. Not to freak you out, but it's getting closer."

"No shit, Sherlock." The woman was nearly hyperventilating, eyes wide as she tried to look over her shoulder at the creature.

"What's your name?" Darcy asked.

"Mikayla," she responded.

"Hi, Mikayla. I'm Darcy. I'm going to get you out of this. You've just got to stick with me," she said. "Can you move your legs at all?"

She shook her head. "I'm totally stuck. Who knew these trees were so heavy?"

Darcy moved to shove at the tree, hands scraping against the rough bark as she tried to push and pull it off Mikayla. "This tree is part of New York history," she grunted as she worked. "You know how many old trees survive urbanization?"

"I don't know, but I wish it had been one less."

Darcy couldn't hold back a snort. At least Mikayla was feeling decent enough to joke around. The tree trunk was seriously heavy-- it was like trying to move a boulder.

There was a hail of gunfire and then a painfully loud roar overhead.

"What is it?" Mikayla asked, trying again to look up at it.

"Honestly? Godzilla, I think," Darcy said. She leaned her full weight against the fallen tree, but it didn't budge. "Shit."

"Run," Mikayla said, voice tight. "It's almost here. Maybe it'll just step over me and you can come back and get me when it's all over."

It was a nice thought, but whatever the monster was doing in addition to tossing trees sounded like it was leaving a wake of destruction as it went. Darcy couldn't trust that Mikayla would get lucky, not when it was headed straight for them.

"Oh, fuck it," Darcy said, standing up. She took off running toward a big field that stretched out on the left, shouting as she did. "Yoohoo! Big ugly lizard thing! Over here!"

Her voice was barely audible over the sound of crashing trees and the helicopters hovering out-of-range overhead. Once she was into the field, the lack of surrounding trees let Darcy get a better glimpse of the monster. The dark shape was wading through the forest, kicking and throwing trees out of its way as it went. Whatever the helicopter had shot at it had just pissed it off, and it was paying no attention to her ineffectual shouting. It was still on track for Mikayla, if it hadn't crushed her already.

Luckily, the panic button wasn't the only accessory Tony had added to her watch.

Darcy unclasped the device with shaking hands and then twisted the face as she pressed the buttons on either side. She dropped it and jumped back when a red flare shot up from the watch face, arcing into the sky with a whine. The bright light overshadowed everything else in the park for a moment before it fizzled out, leaving only a trail of smoke overhead.

The monster turned toward the light, moving toward Darcy's location with more speed than she had expected after its earlier rampage.

Though she was barely taller than its ankles, it noticed her standing in the otherwise empty field immediately. Even though its head was obscured in shadow, she could feel its gaze on her like pin sticking her to a display board.

With her watch smoking on the lawn, Darcy was left with her phone, a miniature can of mace, and a suddenly overwhelming sense of doom.

"C'mon, Lewis," she told herself, backing away and keeping her eyes on the monster. It was large enough to cover several yards with each step, and there was no way she could make it back under the cover of the forest before it caught up to her. She didn't know what it would do, but if it could uproot trees and throw them hundreds of feet, Darcy wasn't going to be difficult to squash.

Should she run in a zig-zag pattern? Hadn't she seen something about that being the best method to escape from predators? No, wait, that was for cheetahs. Besides, no matter how much training she'd done, she could outrun something that big.

What about waving your arms and shouting to seem bigger than you were? She was pretty sure that was for bears, but Discovery Channel was seriously lacking on recommendations for facing down lizard monsters, and she was running out of options.

"Don't know until you try," she muttered, and then threw up her arms. "Hey, ugly!" she shouted. "Go away!" The monster took another step toward her, apparently unaffected. She waved her arms more energetically and let out the loudest roar she could muster.

To her shock, the monster hesitated, one foot left hanging in mid-air as it looked down at her. Its focus on her meant that it missed the streak of silver and red that came barrelling through the air until it collided solidly with the side of Godzilla's head.

"Hell yeah!" Darcy crowed. "Thor to the rescue!"

Thor's attack knocked the monster off balance and sent it careening toward the ground. The grass under Darcy's feet shook as the enormous lizard landed heavily. From the closer vantage point, Darcy realized that the monster was more of a horrifically oversized iguana than Godzilla, but the spikes along its back and malicioius yellow eyes were still intimidating. Luckily, Thor didn't give it a chance to regain its feet.

"Get it, Thor!" Darcy cheered as Thor struck the lizard with the hammer. "Let Mew-Mew show him what's what!"

She was planning on continuing her impromptu cheering, but she was suddenly snatched off the ground by a pair of metal arms and lifted into the sky. There was a moment where she flailed, images of Loki's Destroyer in her mind, but then Tony's voice came through the speakers. "Jesus, Lewis, are you trying to kill me?"

"It's your life you're worried about?" Darcy asked. "I was the one facing down a giant Godzilla wannabe on my own!"

"Yeah, but can you imagine what the team would be like if you ended up as lizard food? I'd have to buy Kleenex," Tony continued. Now that they were safe out of reach of the monster Thor was still beating into unconsciousness, Tony rearranged his grip so he was holding her bridal style.

"Please don't drop me," Darcy said, the new position making her feel even more vulnerable hanging in that air.

"Didn't I just say I don't want you to die?" Tony asked, but he held her closer to his chest. "Question-- why were you shouting at the lizard monster when we got here?"

Darcy mumbled something about bears, and then jerked up so suddenly that she nearly rolled out of Tony's arms. "There's a girl trapped on the path! A tree got her legs. Someone needs to help her."

"Steve, Clint, and Nat are working with the NYPD to sweep the park and make sure everyone's safe," Tony assured her. "Let's focus on you for now, okay? Are you hurt?"

Darcy shook her head. "Fine," she said. "I'm glad you guys showed up when you did, though."

"I told you the panic button was legit," Tony pointed out.

Monster vanquished, Thor flew up to face Tony. His expression was tense, and he held out his hands to Darcy without a word.

Darcy nearly died launching herself into his arms, but he wrapped his arms around her without hesitation and pulled her close.

"I see how it is," Tony grumbled, but Darcy ignored him in favor of nuzzling her face into Thor's neck. Now that she felt safe--really safe-- she found herself shaking.

"Thanks, Thor," she muttered.

Thor's voice was gentle. "As though I would allow harm to befall a sister of my soul," he said. "You were very brave."

***

During the next hour, Darcy learned why the Avengers hated going to debriefings. Even with Thor on one side, leaning his leg against hers, having Maria pick through every moment of the attack when all Darcy wanted to do was sleep was brutal. As Maria’s assistant, she’d seen the process from the other side, but having to face down her boss and relive her decision to save Mikayla was brutal.

Pepper sat in the corner of the room, tapping furiously at the tablet in her lap. She should have left the office two hours ago.

Finally, Maria closed the folder in front of her. "I'll get this report to the PR team. If anyone got footage of Thor's...enthusiasm, it'll be easy to excuse once they know his friend was in danger. As for the rest of the team, your response time was better than ever, and you may have saved hundreds of lives by stopping it before it hit Central Park South." She looked at Darcy, blue eyes surprisingly kind. "I'm glad you're okay, Darcy. Take tomorrow off."

"Thanks," she replied, smiling weakly.

When Darcy and the team stood up, Pepper rose as well, tucking her tablet into her bag. Giving Thor once last smile and another assurance that she was fine, Darcy made her way over to the other woman. Despite the dark circles under her eyes, Pepper was looking surprisingly composed considering it was nearly nine at night and she had been stuck in the office.

"Hey," Darcy greeted.

She was caught off-guard when Pepper snatched her into a fierce hug. Behind them, the rest of the team filed out of the room, leaving them alone. Pepper was surprisingly strong, clutching Darcy close.

"Um, breathing," Darcy reminded her after a minute, and Pepper stepped back with a wry smile. "I didn't say you had to stop," Darcy complained.

"I was so worried," Pepper said. "Tony let me know as soon as your panic button was activated."

Darcy smiled. "You'd think you'd be used to alerts like that by now."

"Not about you," Pepper said, and her voice was unsteady. "You're supposed to stay safe."

Darcy took her hand, rubbing a thumb along her palm. "I'm all right," she assured her. "I could use a drink, but I'm fine."

Pepper's responding grin was watery but mischievous. "I think we can make that happen."

***

Darcy had never been to Pepper's apartment before. Located on a quiet street in the West Village, the townhouse was unassuming from the outside. Inside, however, looked like it had been taken from the pages of a magazine. Pepper owned all three floors of the squat building, and had carved out the inside to make a grand foyer by the door. It had a dignified elegance to it that made Darcy immediately want to smudge every surface.

Pepper moved around the space with the ease of familiarity, toeing off her heels and gesturing for Darcy to follow her into the lounge.

“I’ve learned a lot of things from working with Tony for so many years,” Pepper said as she rummaged through a cabinet. Darcy sat on the leather couch in front of the decorative fireplace, hands still shaking slightly from all of her earlier adrenaline. “Mostly, the lessons were of the ‘what not to do’ variety, but sometimes, Tony really knows what’s best.” With a triumphant noise, she pulled a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet.

Darcy raised her eyebrows. “I know Tony doesn’t drink Maker’s Mark,” she said.

Pepper shrugged as she sat down next to Darcy, one leg tucked under her body as she leaned back. “The goal is to get drunk, not to waste a $80 bottle,” she said. “Besides, I like Maker’s Mark.”

With a grin, Darcy said, “Amen, sister. I am all about this plan.”

Some people made the mistake of assuming that because Pepper was dignified at work, she wasn’t able to relax at home. Darcy had spent enough of her free time with Pepper to know that wasn’t the case, but she had never seen Pepper as loose as she became after a few swigs of whisky. They passed the bottle back and forth as they chatted, and Pepper was soon flushed red and had practically melted on the couch.

“What even is this city?” Pepper asked. “When I was growing up, New York was only scary because of the gang activity. You didn’t have to worry about wormholes, and you definitely never had to worry about your dumb superhero friends.”

“You could be a superhero,” Darcy mused. “It’d be hot, and then you wouldn’t have to watch from the sidelines.”

“Maybe I should get Tony to build me a suit,” Pepper said, gesturing with the bottle. “Did I tell you about the time I wore it? I saved his life, you know.”

“That is so badass,” Darcy replied. “You’re just like… You’re so badass. Like damn.” It wasn’t like Darcy couldn’t hold her liquor. She totally could. She was just really, really impressed by Pepper and all of her badassery. She was barely tipsy. “I’m barely tipsy,” she said out-loud, and Pepper burst into laughter.

“You’re lying,” Pepper said. “The whole point of this was to get drunk and stop thinking about the giant monster that tried to kill you, so it’s good you’re lying.”

“Damn it, Pepper, now I’m thinking about the monster again,” Darcy whined. She had stretched out over the couch so that she had an arm over the back of the couch behind Pepper’s head, and was leaning in close. She dropped her head to rest on Pepper’s shoulder. “Sometimes I wish I were an Asgardian.”

Pepper shook her head. “No way. You couldn’t be an Asgardian. I’ve met Lady Sif and some of the others. They’re so…”

“Badass?” Darcy offered. “Tough?”

“Serious,” Pepper concluded.

“Oh,” Darcy said. “I could be serious if I needed to be.”

Pepper shook her head again, adding a wagging finger for emphasis. “You, Darcy Lewis, should never be serious. You are far too much fun for anyone to ever try to make you boring.”

Darcy laughed, face still pressed against Pepper’s shoulder. She smelled like whisky and lavender. “If you think Asgardians are boring, you’ve never partied with them. Thor invited me out with the Warriors Three and Sif, and let me tell you, they can drink anyone under the table. They’re the definition of a grand old time.”

There was a stubborn set in Pepper’s voice. “You don’t need to change, Darcy. I like you just the way you are.”

“I like you just the way you are too,” Darcy returned softly.

A brush of fingers against Darcy’s jaw made her lift her head and meet Pepper’s eyes. There was a pause before Pepper leaned in and kissed her. Pepper tasted like alcohol and black coffee, and her lips were unbelievably soft. Darcy had kissed a lot of men and women in her life, but none made her breath catch the way simply brushing lips with Pepper did.

Pepper ran her hands through Darcy’s hair and then pulled her closer. Darcy followed her lead and swung a leg to straddle Pepper’s lap. She giggled against Pepper’s lips. “I like this position,” she said, bumping their noses together.

“Me too,” Pepper said, blinking up at her. Her expression was warm, and her eyes were sparkling with interest. Her crisp white shirt was still buttoned to the base of her neck, but her strawberry blonde hair was loose around her shoulders. She looked gorgeous.

Darcy’s head was still spinning from the alcohol, giving her the courage to lean forward and kiss Pepper more deeply.

The slide of their tongues was languid and indulgent as they kissed. Darcy ran a hand up Pepper’s side, lingering on her ribs before unbuttoning the top of her collared shirt and pushing it to one side. Darcy dropped kisses in a trail down her neck, nipping the skin and enjoying the way Pepper tilted her head back against the couch.

Darcy sucked a hickey on the base of Pepper’s neck with a single-minded focus, and then moved back slightly to admire her work. It had been years since Darcy had felt so deeply satisfied by leaving her mark on someone. She gave it a gentle kiss and began moving along Pepper’s shoulder, but was interrupted by a rattling sigh from the woman under her.

Pulling back though her head reeled with the sudden motion, Darcy found that Pepper had fallen asleep. Her dark lashes rested over her flushed cheeks, and she was breathing slowly despite having Darcy sitting on her lap.

“Pepper,” Darcy whined, but she made sure to keep her voice too quiet to disturb her sleep. “I want to be annoyed, but that looks like a really good idea right now.”

After she pulled Pepper’s collar back into place, Darcy slid off her lap and stretched across the couch. Resting her head in Pepper’s lap, she closed her eyes and followed Pepper’s example.

***

When Darcy woke up the next morning, she was alone on the couch.

There was a text on her phone from Pepper, explaining that she had left for work. Since Darcy had the day off, she was welcome to have some coffee from the StarkBrewer in the kitchen before she left. The text ended with a request for Darcy to lock the door behind her. No ‘thanks for getting drunk with me,’ or ‘sorry I fell asleep while we were making out,’ or even an ‘xoxo.’

If Pepper remembered what had happened while they were drinking, she was clearly determined to pretend she couldn’t. It shouldn’t have been surprising. Pepper was the CEO of Stark Industries. Darcy was just a secretary, and a young, inexperienced one at that. There was no way Pepper would want anything more than a drunken kiss with her.

With a sigh, Darcy flopped back onto the couch and closed her eyes again.

***

“Hey, you wanted to see me?” Darcy said, standing by Maria’s door.

The woman looked up, setting down a paper file she had been looking over. Maria was, as always, the picture of professionalism. Her short, dark hair was tucked firmly behind her ears, and her dark suit was sharply tailored. Darcy, on the other hand, was in her most deceptively comfortable work outfit: stretch trousers, a silky blouse, and a cotton blazer lined with sweatshirt material. Worse, she knew that her make-up wasn’t enough to hide the bags under her eyes, especially in front of ex-SHIELD deputy director Maria Hill.

“Take a seat, Darcy,” she replied, waving her inside.

Darcy obeyed cautiously. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Maria. Honestly, the other woman was one of her role models, along with Natasha and Beyoncé. Still, Maria’s icy stare was enough to make anyone nervous.

“How are you feeling? Do you need more leave time?”

Darcy had taken off the day following the attack in Central Park to rest and recuperate at Maria’s suggestion, and then had the whole weekend to fully recover. Since she spent more of that time dwelling on the fact that Pepper was ignoring her texts than the attack, she had ended up spending most of it eating ice cream and marathoning Sex and the City. “I’m fine,” Darcy assured her. “I wasn’t hurt.”

“You had everyone worried,” Maria said. “When that call came in, everyone went into emergency mode. You know, Thor would go to the end of the universe for you.”

“And I’d do the same for him,” Darcy said firmly.

“Even Pepper seemed concerned,” Maria continued. Her voice was a study in deliberate nonchalance. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that worried.”

Darcy plastered on a fake smile. “Well, like I said, I’m fine.”

“You two are close, aren’t you?”

“Uh, yeah. I mean, we go out to eat together sometimes.”

“Mhm. Have you spoken to her lately?” Maria prodded.

“No,” Darcy admitted, though the words hurt. “We haven’t talked in a few days. I mean, she’s busy. CEO and all that.” When Maria didn’t reply, Darcy continued, “Look, I don’t think our friendship is inappropriate, right? We really are just friends. If even that.” Her voice was slightly bitter.

Maria raised her eyebrows and nodded to herself. “And there it is,” she muttered.

“Maria?” Darcy prompted when she didn’t go on.

“Don’t worry about it,” Maria said. “Just asking out of curiosity. That’s not why I called you in here.”

“Okay…” Darcy said, officially thrown for a loop.

Maria smiled. “You’ve got a visitor.”

There was a knock on the door behind them. Darcy turned in her chair to see Mikayla come through the door. She was in a wheelchair, one of Tony’s design that let the occupant direct their movements easily. Both of her legs were wrapped in casts, but her smile was bright.

“Mikayla!” Darcy said, standing up. She rushed over to hug the other girl. Though they’d only known each other briefly, there was something about facing down a giant lizard together that made immediate bonds.

The other girl hugged her back tightly. “Hi, Darcy.”

“Mikayla called over the weekend hoping to get in touch with you. I wanted you two to have a chance to talk,” Maria said. She gathered her files and StarkTablet from her desk and headed for the door. She paused beside Darcy and gave her a single pat on the back. Though the execution was awkward, Darcy appreciated the sentiment. “Good work out there, Lewis.”

Once they were alone, JARVIS politely blacked out the office windows so they could have some privacy. It was a good thing, too-- Darcy could feel tears welling up. “Are you all right?" she demanded. "I’m so sorry I left without saying goodbye.”

“Are you kidding me? I got to get rescued by Captain America. He lifted that tree like it was nothing, and then carried me to safety. I thought I was going to swoon. Shame about him and Iron Man.”

“The bachelorettes of the nation weep,” Darcy agreed, pulling her chair to sit across from Mikayla.

“I mean, Stark totally hooked me up with these wheels and covered my hospital bills—to my mom’s relief—but man, Cap’s biceps,” Mikayla said.

They exchanged gossip for a while, just enjoying being alive and in each other’s company after their experience. Finally, Mikayla’s smile died down and she said, “Thanks, by the way.”

“It was nothing,” Darcy said immediately.

“You could have just run away,” Mikayla pointed out. “Most people would have. There was a monster coming, and we both knew I was stuck. You could have left.”

“No,” Darcy said, “I really couldn’t have.”

***

Valentine’s Day in the Avengers Tower was an elaborate celebration. Though at least one member of the team professed that love was for children, and several others denounced the commercialism of such holidays, the owner of the tower had final say.

“At least he didn’t let the decorators onto our floor,” Jane muttered to Darcy. They were at the, quote, ‘unofficial Avengers Valentines’ Party’ in the penthouse. The Avengers and their companions of choice were spread around the room, surrounded by strewn confetti, heart-shaped balloons, chocolate fountains, and stacks of cheesy and inappropriate superhero-themed cards. (Darcy had pocketed a red card proclaiming that Thor would be happy to guard her ass later. She’d get a kick out of bringing it back in a few months to laugh at.)

Natasha was in a striking black dress in the corner. Someone had wrangled a pair of heart antennae onto her head, but she managed to look gorgeous and threatening anyway. She was talking with Clint, who was happily sporting a gaudy purple outfit, and Bruce, who seemed unaware of the red kiss mark that had been left on his cheek at some point.

Tony and Rhodey were standing by one of the chocolate fountains, talking together in between bites of chocolate-covered cake and fruit. Tony was using the skewer as a baton to emphasize his points, and Rhodey was rolling his eyes with nearly every other word.

Darcy’s attention snagged on the corner where Steve and Pepper were talking. They were leaning against the window so that they were silhouetted by the Manhattan skyline. Darcy hadn’t spoken to Pepper beyond short greetings since their night drinking at Pepper’s apartment. She was looking resplendent in a long silver dress and a sophisticated bun. Though she was taller than Steve in her towering red heels, she looked ethereal beside the broad-shouldered soldier. Her wispy appearance belied the strength Darcy knew rested under her friendly smile. Steve may have been Captain America, but Pepper was powerful in her own way.

“Darcy,” Jane chided, sliding forward to block her view.

“What?” Darcy said, blinking as she readjusted her gaze to look at Jane.

Jane raised her eyebrows. “You’re getting that look in your eyes.”

“What look?”

“The one you get right before you do something really stupid,” Jane said, “like tazing the god of thunder.”

With a laugh, Darcy said, “You know that was totally badass.”

“It was pretty awesome,” Jane admitted. “Still, you specifically asked me not to let you do anything stupid tonight.”

“I really meant after I start drinking,” Darcy said, but she allowed Jane to usher her over to the refreshment table.

Jane pressed a flute of champagne into Darcy’s hand. “We both know you don’t need alcohol to make dumb decisions,” she pointed out. “But at least you’re more distractible when you’re tipsy.”

Darcy took a sip of the bubbly drink. “I see you manipulating me, and I respect you for it.”

***

An hour later, Darcy was sitting beside Clint on the back of a couch, batting lazily at the heart antennae on Natasha’s head. The spy was sitting on the couch with her back pressed against their legs, indulgently not decapitating Darcy despite her pestering. After her experience drinking the other week with Pepper, Darcy had restricted herself to the one glass of champagne. Still, the relaxed vibe of the party had infected her, and she embraced the chance to play with Natasha’s gorgeous hair.

“I’m surprised you guys came tonight,” Darcy commented. “Don’t you go to enough parties undercover?”

Natasha laughed under her hands. “That’s not quite the same,” Natasha said. “I’m not planning on seducing or killing anyone here.”

“That makes one of us,” Clint said.

Darcy raised her eyebrows and glanced over at him. “Who are you planning on killing?”

“I meant the seducing part,” Clint said. “And I was talking about you.”

Darcy patted his knee. “Sorry, Hawkeye. I just don’t see you that way.”

Natasha snorted, and Clint looked offended. “Wait, what do you mean you don’t see me that way? I’ve seen you looking at my arms and drooling.”

“Well, I’m not blind,” Darcy said. “Your arms are a work of art.”

“I can accept that,” Clint said. “Besides, I’ve noticed that your taste runs a little more…classy.”

“If you’re fishing for me to reassure you of your class, you’re barking up the wrong tree,” Darcy said. “It’s okay, though. I don’t have much class either.” She batted at Natasha’s headband again. “Natasha is the only person on this couch who does.”

“You only say that because you’ve never been out for sloppy joes with her,” Clint said. “But seriously—are you planning on pining all night, or going to ask her to be your Valentine?”

“Who, Natasha?”

Natasha reached back and swatted Darcy’s shoulder without looking. “Stop deflecting. We’re spies, remember?”

Sighing, Darcy cast another glance over at Pepper. She had moved on from talking to Steve to chatting with Bruce. She had a champagne flute in one hand and a chocolate-covered orange slice in the other, and was beaming at the scientist. “In that case, yes, I’m going to keep pining.”

“She’s been looking over here too,” Clint told her.

Darcy forced herself not to check. “I look hot tonight,” she said without a trace of shame. She was wearing a low-cut sheath dress and matching red lipstick. Even Natasha had scoped out her rack earlier, and Natasha wasn’t even interested in sex. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

“It totally does,” Clint said. “Back me up, Natasha.”

“Just because it’s Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean we should play Cupid,” Natasha said. She glanced back at Darcy. “He’s right, though.”

“I’ll never get tired of hearing those words,” Clint said with a happy sigh.

Darcy smirked. “Because you’ve never heard them before?”

Clint turned to Darcy, mischief in his eyes, but he was interrupted by Tony tapping loudly on an empty champagne glass. “Settle down, settle down,” he said. “Let me have a minute of your time before you go back to drinking all of my booze.”

“Oh god,” Clint muttered.

“Is he drunk?” Darcy asked softly.

“No, Rhodey’s been keeping him sober all night,” Clint returned. “That’s why I’m worried.”

“Hey, pipe down in the peanut gallery,” Tony said, pointing at them. “All right, now Steve—where’s Steve? Get over here, sugar plum.”

“He’s being Performer Tony,” Clint said. “You don’t think…?”

Natasha, who had twisted to watch Tony, nodded. “Oh yeah.”

“In front of…?”

“Subtlety isn’t really his forte,” Natasha pointed out.

Steve slinked up to Tony’s side, chin lifted but face flushed with embarrassment. Though Captain America was an excellent leader in the field and one of the most reliable Avengers for PR situations, Steve Rogers had never gotten comfortable with his personal life taking center-stage. With Tony as his boyfriend, though, it was hard to avoid. At least the party was limited to the Avengers and their close friends.

“Hey, Tony,” Steve greeted, giving their audience an uncomfortable smile.

Tony pulled Steve in for a quick kiss and whispered something in his ear. Whatever he said relaxed the larger man, though his blush only got redder.

“Steve Rogers is…well, you all know him. People Magazine named him one of the sexiest men alive last year, and you would not believe the comments I’ve heard seemingly-innocent old ladies make about his ass. Not that I blame them. He gets a little awkward in front of crowds,” Tony said, since Steve looked ready to combust from embarrassment, “but he’s also one of the sassiest motherfuckers I’ve ever met when you get him one-on-one. He’s stubborn as hell and never compromises, not when it matters.”

“What’s this about, Tony?” Steve asked softly, obviously attempting to ignore all the eyes on them.

“Steve,” Tony said, “you’re the most important person in my life. You’ve stuck beside me even though I’m…well, you all know me. Steve, I love you. I want you by my side for the rest of my life.”

“You’ve got me,” Steve said, brow furrowed.

Darcy was torn between feeling sharp secondhand embarrassment and cooing over what was about to happen.

Tony cleared his throat and reached into his pocket. Despite the bravado in his words, his hands were shaking slightly. “Steve Rogers,” he said, pulling a velvet box from his pocket. “I’ve got just about everything a man could ask for in this world, but none of it’s worth anything to me unless you’re there to experience it with me. Will you marry me?”

Steve’s eyes were wide. “You’re proposing?” he asked, his voice nearly a squawk.

“Um, yes?” Tony said cautiously.

“On Valentine’s Day?”

“Oh my god, this is so uncomfortable,” Darcy muttered to Clint. “Can we make our escape?”

Clint shook his head. “Hell no, I want to see what happens.”

Steve was looking around the room, looking slightly panicked. “But you don’t do cliché,” he pointed out.

Like Darcy, Tony seemed to be looking for an exit. “I, uh, thought you’d like having everyone around,” he said. “Because…team?” He shook himself and pasted on a painfully fake smile. “You know what? Forget I asked. Sorry to put you on the spot.”

“God, you’re an idiot,” Steve said before grabbing Tony and pulling him in for a kiss.

When they—eventually—broke apart, Tony looked dazed. “Okay, Steve, I’m an actual genius—I make people in MENSA look like toddlers—but I have no clue what just happened. Help?”

“Of course I’ll marry you, you ridiculous drama-queen,” Steve said. He was smiling so broadly that Darcy could feel herself on the verge of swooning. Damn, that man was attractive. “You just caught me off-guard, beating me to the punch like that.”

“You will?” Tony asked, still clearly reeling from the whiplash.

“Absolutely,” Steve said. There was an impromptu cheer from the crowd, and Steve beamed at them all. “I’m so glad everyone’s here,” he said. “But I need some alone time with my fiancé.”

“We haven’t even brought out the cake yet,” Tony said. Steve grabbed his tie and began pulling him out of the room, and Tony quickly said, “You know what? You’re right. Everyone else enjoy the cake! We’ll see you in a few days.”

Steve laughed softly, but the kiss he landed on Tony after that did nothing to contradict Tony’s prediction.

“That went better than I thought,” Clint said once the newly engaged duo were out the door.

“Steve was planning on proposing on their anniversary at the end of the month,” Natasha explained. “I had to go with him to pick out the ring, and listen to him fretting over whether asking on their anniversary was too cliché.”

“Clearly Tony isn’t afraid of clichés,” Clint said with a laugh.

Not five minutes after Tony and Steve left the penthouse, Pepper slipped into the elevator and disappeared.

***

Though the newly engaged couple left the party early, Darcy stayed in the penthouse for several more hours. She cheered as Thor and Clint competed to see who could chug the most Shirley Temples (the winner was Clint, surprisingly), helped Natasha play a risky game of Jenga with a tower of champagne flutes, and made lewd jokes every time another couple deserted the party to spend the rest of their Valentine's Day night alone together.

It wasn't unusual for Darcy to spend the holiday alone. Even when she was dating someone, she never put much emphasis on the day. After all, it was nearly as commercialized as Christmas, and lacked the yuletide cheer to make up for it.

Still, when everyone else was paired off with their special person, it made one's own solitude more obvious.

When the party ended, Thor and Jane went off to their room, hands clasped and laughing together, and Darcy locked herself in her suite. After the loud party, her rooms seemed quiet and boring. When she sighed, the noise seemed to echo.

Maybe this was what Darcy got for being so easy. She could snag a lay for a night-- or score a drunken make-out session with the CEO of Stark Industries--but she wasn't the kind of girl people settled down with.

As she slipped off her party dress and pulled on a fluffy robe instead, she quietly scolded herself. "Stop moping. Yeah, okay, the last person you kissed is pretending it didn't happen and, yeah, everyone else you know is madly in love but hey! You're living the bachelorette life in the coolest pad around!" She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyeliner was smeared after the long night, but her lipstick had stayed true. She pointed at her reflection. "You're going to stop being self-pitying. Take advantage of the ultimate room service and the free HBO."

Nodding to herself, she stepped back from the mirror and waved a hand at the ceiling. "Hey JARVIS!"

"Yes, Miss Lewis?"

"I assume Tony's giving you the night off, right? What with the...you know. Fiancé shenanigans."

"You'd be surprised how much Sir requires my services for all occasions," JARVIS replied, as world-weary as any valet.

"O...kay," Darcy said, blinking away her surprise. "Guess I shouldn't have asked. Are there any take-out places open?"

"You are aware it is nearly three in the morning, correct?"

"You are aware that I don't need your judgey tone, correct?" Darcy shot back. She sighed. "Sorry, JARVIS. All of Tony's fancy party food--which, by the way, was way too fancy. Has he met Steve? So no the way to impress him."

"I believe Sir was nervous," JARVIS offered.

"Hm, I'd imagine," Darcy conceded. "Anyway, that was far too delicate and not nearly greasy enough to serve as comfort food on this Singles' Awareness Day. Can you find me some grub? The grosser, the better."

There was a knock on her door, and Darcy raised her eyebrows. "Damn, JARVIS, are you the Sorcerer Supreme now? That was ridiculous," she said as she walked over to the door.

When she opened the door, though, she found someone unexpected on the other side.

"Pepper?"

The woman had wrapped a fur-lined coat over her party dress and had let her hair loose, and it looked like she'd been running her fingers through it. Her cheeks were red like she has just come from outside, and the smile she conjured for Darcy was weak. "Hi."

"Are you okay?" Darcy asked immediately.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Could I come in?"

"Yeah, yeah," Darcy said, stepping back so Pepper could walk in.

Pepper moved like a woman with a purpose. Darcy had seen that walk a dozen times, usually when Pepper was on her way into a negotiation she was about to dominate.

Darcy closed the door behind her and then leaned against it. "So how I can help you?" she asked.

"Do you know how long it took for Tony and me to finally get together?" Pepper asked.

With a surprised blink, Darcy said, "Uh, no?"

"Years," Pepper said. "In our defense, he spent most of that time being a playboy and an asshole, but even after he became Iron Man, I just couldn't make a move."

"I can't imagine things got easier with the superhero stuff added in," Darcy said, taking a deep breath. She could have this conversation like an adult. Like Pepper's friend.

Pepper shrugged. "That wasn't why, not completely. I had goals I didn't want to compromise. What would happen to my career if I slept with my boss? What would happen to my friendship with Tony? I knew he would jump in without thinking about the consequences, so I had to be the rational one."

"Sounds like that's your usual role," Darcy pointed out.

"Because I'm good at it," Pepper said. "I'm not good at letting myself have what I want. Now, though, I know what I want."

Darcy winced. "As your friend, I'm going to have to stop you." Pepper looked hurt, and Darcy continued, "If you try to break them up, no one will end up happy. Trust me."

"Break who up?" Pepper asked, like Darcy was being the weird one here.

Rolling her eyes, Darcy said, "Steve and Tony. I know my reputation, but I don't actually condone homewrecking. Why don't we get you some water and ice cream until you sleep this off?"

"I'm not drunk," Pepper said.

Darcy raised her eyebrows. “When’s the last time you slept, then? I know how you get when you’re exhausted.

“Neither,” Pepper insisted, "I'm not. I've just been thinking all night, and I know I can't let this opportunity slip through my hands."

Pepper walked toward the door, but Darcy didn't budge from where she was leaning against it. "Sorry, Pep, but you're not leaving this apartment."

"Good," Pepper said.

And then her lips were on Darcy's.

Darcy was caught so off-guard that she immediately went along with the new direction the conversation was taking. Unlike the first time they had kissed, she was completely sober. This wasn’t warm and sloppy— it was determined and intense. It wasn't until Pepper ran a hand through Darcy's hair that she suddenly remembered why this was a bad idea.

Pulling back reluctantly, Darcy leaned her head back against the door. "Wow," she said. "No, I mean. No."

"No?" Pepper asked, still in her space.

Too close. Darcy slid away and moved so she had the room to her back instead of the door. "No. Pepper, you're one of my best friends. I don't want to do this."

The heat in Pepper's eyes dimmed. "Oh."

"It's not that I don't... I mean, I would... Look, I don't want to be your rebound."

"Darcy, you have this all wrong. I'm over Tony. He and I would have never worked."

"Then what...?"

"I love you, Darcy," Pepper said, meeting her eyes. If they hadn't been close enough for Darcy to feel the slight tremor in Pepper's hand, she would have believed the other woman was calm. "Maria helped talk some sense into me. I was letting excuses get in the way, but if Tony can manage a healthy relationship with Captain America, there's nothing that should stop me from having one with you. If you want."

Darcy was left reeling. "You... Really?"

Pepper nodded. “I’m not just looking for sex here, Darcy. I… You mean a lot to me. I want to try this with you.” When Darcy just stared at her, she added, “I mean, if that’s what you want. I…”

Darcy cut her off by smashing their mouths together. It was awkward for a moment, since Pepper was mid-word and Darcy was more focused on making a statement than an enjoyable kiss. Then, Pepper threaded her hands through Darcy's hair, and they finally clicked.

From the day they had met, Darcy had never known Pepper to put anything less than her full toward anything she tried. Kissing was no different. Darcy had plenty of experience with sex and all the related foreplay, but Pepper’s slow and deliberate kisses were driving Darcy crazy like nothing had before. “I’m sorry it took me so long,” Pepper murmured against Darcy’s mouth. “I want this. I love you.”

"I love you too," Darcy said against Pepper's mouth. "So much."

Still kissing, they navigated their way back to Darcy's bedroom.

Darcy took her earlier sentiments back. Valentine's Day was the best.

***

When Darcy woke up the next morning, it was to a warm weight draped over her chest. Neither of them had managed to put back on any clothes, so Darcy was grateful for the extra snuggles. At some point during the night, Pepper had moved to Darcy's shoulder as a pillow, and had an arm and a leg flung over Darcy's body.

"Like an octopus," Darcy murmured, delighted. She dropped a kiss on Pepper's freckled arm. She stayed in Pepper's embrace, basking in the warm cocoon of her bed, until her bladder urged her to get up.

When Darcy moved to slide away, Pepper grumbled in protest. "Sorry, babe," Darcy said, shoving a pillow into Pepper's arms to make up for the lack of Darcy. Pepper frowned, but didn't open her eyes. It was adorable.

Darcy was dressed in her slinkiest pajamas, adjusting her smudged make-up in the bathroom mirror, when she realized that she probably wasn't allowed to brag about getting lucky on Valentine's Day.

Drunk confessions of love or not, Darcy was still Maria Hill's secretary, and Pepper was still the CEO of Stark Industries. The press would have a field day. She could imagine the headlines now: "Potts Follows in Stark's Footsteps? Stark Industries CEO bangs young secretary."

But would Darcy really be okay being Pepper's secret lady-love? Darcy stared at herself in the mirror, raising an eyebrow at her reflection.

Since when had Darcy cared about what other people thought? There was no way she was letting Pepper slip away now.

Thor and Jane were in the kitchen eating breakfast when Darcy emerged from her room, leaving Pepper sleeping on the bed.

"Darcy!" Thor boomed.

Darcy shushed him. When he looked crestfallen, she gave him an exaggerated wink, pointed over her shoulder at her bedroom, and then gave him two thumbs-up.

Jane was visibly torn between being delighted and stunned. When Darcy leaned against the counter beside her and stole a piece of toast from her plate, Jane hissed, "Who did you hook up with?" Her eyes widened. "Was it Clint? Natasha? Both?"

“You give me way more credit than I deserve,” Darcy said, impressed by the suggestion. “Pepper came back after the party.”

“Seriously?” Jane exclaimed. “Finally!”

“Look,” Darcy said urgently, “you can’t mess with her if she decides to leave, all right? Walks of shame are awkward enough without mutual friends in the peanut gallery.”

“Walk of shame?” Jane repeated, feathers clearly ruffled. “Come on, Darcy, you’re clearly a catch.”

“And there is no shame in making love,” Thor added.

“I can tell you think so, considering how often I hear you too going at it,” Darcy said. “Look, just let me see how this goes. I’ve got Pepper now, and we want each other. We just have to see if it’s something that works outside the bedroom too. Not really a group discussion type of topic.”

Jane frowned, but didn’t argue. “We’ll talk about this later,” she said.

Dredging up a smile, Darcy said, “And since you guys didn’t make me breakfast, I guess I’ll have to pull something together myself. Maybe French toast?” Thor perked up, so Darcy added, “Yes, Thor, I’ll hook you up. God, are you ever full?”

“In Asgard, we feast for days without tiring,” Thor reminded her.

Shaking her head, Darcy gathered the ingredients.

Darcy had just dropped the first piece of toast onto Thor’s empty plate when the bedroom door opened. Suddenly nervous what she’d find if she looked up, Darcy kept her eyes on the toast she was dipping in the egg mixture.

“Morning,” Pepper greeted softly.

Glancing up, Darcy found Pepper wrapped in one of Darcy’s robes. “Morning, Pepper.”

The older woman came into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Darcy’s waist, looking over her shoulder at the skillet in front of her. “Looks good,” Pepper said, pressing a kiss to Darcy’s shoulder. "You were right, by the way. You do have the coziest bed ever."

Darcy beamed, leaning back in the embrace. Unlike the night they’d kissed at Pepper’s apartment, there were no quick exits and guilt today. “Love you,” Darcy said softly before turning and capturing Pepper’s lips with her own.

When they broke apart, Darcy found Jane and Thor looking at them with delight. They appeared content to sit and watch them all day. “Can you guys give us some space?” Darcy asked, shaking her head, but unable to lose her smile.

“Congratulations on consummating your relationship,” Thor boomed, even as Jane pulled him toward their suite.

Pepper laughed, a light blush on her cheeks. “I guess we’ve got Thor’s blessing,” Pepper said.

“I’m not sure everyone else will be as thrilled,” Darcy said quietly, voicing the thoughts that had been plaguing her that morning.

“Everyone who matters will be,” Pepper insisted, caressing her cheek with her slender hand. “No one else matters.” She gave a small smirk. “Remember, the only other CEOs SI have had have been either megalomaniacs or Starks. Sometimes both. You and me won’t even cause a blip in anyone’s radar. Besides,” she continued, “this is worth it.”

“Agreed.” Darcy kissed her again. “Come on,” she said. “Help me make some French toast.”