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After getting sucked into Wanda Maximoff’s Hex and later getting expelled from the Hex with weird, disjointed memories of being an escape artist for the circus and much clearer memories of helping Vision, Darcy Lewis was 100% ready to take a sabbatical and head somewhere warm, sunny, and mercifully free of SHIELD agents, SWORD agents, and any other agents that might have wanted to find her.
But even with Darcy’s latest paycheck from SWORD, Darcy wasn’t made of money. She was an astrophysicist; and while she did have a shiny new PhD she wasn’t exactly rolling in research grants or job offers. Which is how Darcy found herself desperately scouring Google in the wee hours of the morning trying to find the perfect place to get lost and not break the bank.
Latin America was always a good option, and definitely cheap, but it was rather obvious. Darcy didn’t want to be found for a good long while and Latin America, while full of amazing tourist destinations, was almost too perfect for her budget and wouldn’t put a huge damage in her savings. And SWORD would definitely know that - it would be so simple to track her down that it wouldn’t even clock as a minor inconvenience.
Which is how Darcy found herself falling down the rabbithole of small European countries and eventually found herself booking a one way ticket to Latvia.
Latvia wasn’t an obvious choice - there was a lot of turmoil there with all the unrest due to the GRC ruling and the rumors of the Flag Smashers making an appearance or three - but it didn’t make her want to weep at the cost, boasted of some truly gorgeous beaches, and even had historic cities. And most importantly, SHIELD and SWORD would think twice about sending people after her with all the turmoil going on!
As long as Darcy avoided any huge gatherings of people and stayed clear of anywhere near the GRC protests, she would be totally fine and would be able to enjoy her long awaited vacation.
Everything would be fine!
And just as the cursed thought crossed her mind, Darcy was thrown violently off her feet as a redheaded woman crashed through the window next to her and smashed into Darcy with all the delicacy of a freight train. Darcy impacted against a building hard, smacking her head on the brick with a sickening thud that made her vision go black at the edges as she slumped to the ground.
Hazily, Darcy blinked at the form of what looked like a Captain America cosplayer if Captain America was full of incandescent rage as he barrelled out of the building after the redheaded woman. The man let out a frustrated scream that made Darcy’s head pound as he threw himself into the fray after some people in what looked like paramilitary gear.
Darcy groaned internally. She thought she would have had more time before SHIELD or SWORD found her!
“Hey, hey, woah there,” a low voice rumbled and Darcy blinked blearily up at the form darkening her vision. “You okay? My name’s Bucky, and I’m going to help you up. We need to get you out of here.”
At the name, Darcy couldn’t stop her head snapping toward the dark haired man and couldn’t resist a groan as the world began to spin and her head throbbed with pain.
“Woah, woah, easy there,” the man, Bucky , chided. “You got knocked pretty good and probably have a concussion. There’s no need to rattle your brain around any more than you already did.”
“No…” Darcy groaned as the man threw one of her arms over her shoulder and proceeded to lift her limp form up like she weighed next to nothing. “I can’t...can’t do this.”
Intense blue eyes briefly swam into focus before Bucky, goddamn James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes she would recognize that man’s jawline anywhere even concussed halfway out of her mind, turned to glance behind himself. “I know you don’t want to move, Doll, but you’ve got to. We’re in the middle of a battlefield here; it’s not safe. I swear, you can do this.”
“No, not moving. I c’n walk,” Darcy slurred through her pain. “Meant this, ” she stated wearily, flapping her free hand between her and the supersoldier.
A smirk played at the corners of Bucky’s mouth even as his eyes continuously scanned their surroundings. “Do what, Doll? Not that I’m not flattered, but I don’t think you’re in any state to be doing much of anything other than rest in a hospital,” the man replied as he hustled her through the battle.
Darcy growled in frustration as she tripped over her uncooperative feet. She was only saved from most likely giving herself a second concussion by the metal arm Bucky had wrapped around her waist and if Darcy wasn’t in so much pain she would probably be three different colors of red right now.
“ This . I can’t do this, th’ superhero shit again. ‘S why I went back to school, got m’ degree. Thought I’d b’ safe fr’m the weird shit , but guess not…” she trailed off, her eyes slipping shut as she went lax in Bucky’s hold.
“Woah! Hey, you’ve got to stay awake; stay with me, Doll,” Bucky exclaimed, hauling the woman’s body into his arms and moving as quickly as he could through the warzone to safety. “Let me see those pretty blue eyes.”
Darcy whined high in her throat as she pried her eyes open and glared up at the supersoldier as best she could while the world was swimming around her. “Steve was right... y’re a li’l shit...” Darcy mumbled, vaguely seasick as she pressed her cheek into Bucky’s chest.
Bucky tensed at Steve’s name, turning his intense gaze on the concussed woman in his arms with a type of cold calculation that should have seemed out of place on his face but somehow fit perfectly.
“What’d you say?” he demanded, jostling Darcy to prevent her eyes from slipping closed. “No, hey, don’t go to sleep! Tell me what you said.”
“Said Steve was right…” Darcy repeated slowly, teeth clenched against the waves of pain now radiating from the back of her skull. “Y’re a shit, Bucky Barnes.”
At the sound of his last name, Bucky let a sharp exhale of breath hiss out from between his teeth. Finally far enough away from the battle, Bucky put Darcy down on her feet gently only to quickly wrap his metal arm back around her waist as her knees buckled under her own weight.
“Careful there, Doll. Don’t want you taking another hit to the head. Especially when you’ve got some explaining to do,” Bucky declared, gently lowering Darcy to a seated position propped up against the wall.
Tilting her head up toward the supersoldier, Darcy hummed an agreement and stayed silent as he pulled out a cellphone.
“Hey, Sam? I think I found someone you might want to see,” Bucky called, and Darcy couldn’t help but smile a little even as the pain in her head grew blinding.
“Birdy! Didja miss me?” Darcy slurred loudly before finally succumbing to darkness and passing out.
“Darcy? What the hell, Buck; how did you find Darcy?” Sam’s tinny voice stated incredulously.
Bucky, brow creased with worry, leaned down and righted the girl’s slumped over posture. “Found her near the Flag Smashers fight. She looks like she got knocked pretty good; she probably has a concussion.”
“That girl is the biggest trouble magnet I’ve ever known,” Sam grumbled, and Bucky’s brows flew into his hairline.
“I’m sorry, did you know Steve Rogers? Used to be Captain America? The epitome of “fight me” and the number one pain in my ass practically since diapers?” Bucky replied.
“You’ll think I’m lying, but Darcy is worse than Steve, hands down. Send me your coordinates; I’ll meet you both and we can figure out where to go from here,” Sam announced before unceremoniously hanging up.
Frowning down at the unconscious woman, Bucky exhaled before easing himself down to sit beside her. “I know you didn’t want to get involved with superhero shit again, Doll, but it looks like you’re going to.”
So, maybe Latvia wasn’t the best choice after all. But at least Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson were better than SHIELD and SWORD, so it wasn’t a total bust. Even with the concussion.