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Someone was singing in the kitchen.
That usually wouldn’t be a problem, except it was one o’clock in the morning and Steve Rogers had super hearing.
He couldn’t make out what they were singing exactly, just the echo of sound but they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Steve really didn’t want to be the crotchety old man the team frequently accused him of being but this was the first night he’d had in his own bed in nearly two months, excuse him for wanting it to be peaceful.
He had privately been looking forward to tonight. He was the only one home in this wing, he’d prepared to enjoy some much needed alone time. After being holed up with Sam, Nat, and Bucky in a deserted warehouse in Mumbai surveying a suspected child slave ring, He didn’t think it was too much to ask for a bit of peace and quiet, especially at one in the damn morning.
Climbing from beneath the navy covers and slipping on the white t-shirt he had abandoned on the chair in the corner of his room, Steve made his way down the hall to the dimly lit area and the source of all that damn racket.
Darcy Lewis was making coffee in the kitchen.
And making coffee at one am for a continuation to the Science! Friends super party happening downstairs required angry girl music. Hey, she didn’t make the rules. (If she did, she wouldn’t be awake right now, Thor would always have to be shirtless, and Pop tarts would replace apple pie as the standard for American desserts.)
It was another late night with Jane, Bruce, and Tony and another night Darcy was incredibly grateful that she was the only one in this wing that was actually home. In the six weeks her and Jane had been at the Avengers facility in upstate New York, Darcy had made a bit of a habit of bopping around this kitchen at insane times, singing along to whatever song got her in the mood to deal with a wired Tony Stark.
Today’s choice was You don’t own me by Pale Waves. It was the exact angry girl banger she needed to get her through the next ten plus hours.
Dancing around the modern kitchen, Stark brand earphones firmly nestled in her ears, Darcy filled up the water in the back of the coffee machine and pulled out four travel cups from the cupboard above.
“You don't own me, you don't own me
You don't own me and I'll do whatever I want to
'Cause I'm a psycho but that's fine though
So you better get outta my way
I'll be your biggest mistake
If you keep acting that way
I don't need you, I don't need you
'Cause I'll be whoever I want to
And what makes you think you get your say?
So you better get outta my way
I'll be your biggest mistake
If you keep acting that way”
Darcy filled the cups quickly and added the appropriate amount of milk and sugar to each cup per the drinkers preference. After dumping six sugars into Tony’s coffee, (yeah, she didn’t know how he still had teeth either.) she searched for the tray she had stashed under the sink to carry them all downstairs. Bouncing back up, Darcy launched into the bridge. She saw movement in the corner of her eye and assumed it would be Jane or Tony coming to hurry her up. She swung towards them singing the final part loudly, a cheeky grin on her face.
“I know it’s hard to believe,
But you don’t own me.”
Steve Rogers stood in the doorway to the kitchen watching her with wide eyes. He’d looked tired and confused and perhaps a touch annoyed when she first started singing at him. That look had quickly fallen into disbelief.
Darcy understood, she probably had the same look on her face. She’d just accidentally shouted angry girl music at Captain freakin’ America. Darcy found herself praying for a sinkhole to just swallow her up and ensure she was forgotten about forever.
“Shit, I’m so sorry. I just yelled at you, Oh my God, it’s so late! I didn’t know anyone was back yet. F.R.I.D.A.Y was supposed to tell me so I had an excuse to get out of late night science binges with the ‘Science Friends.’ Or so I could at least find another kitchen to torment.”
The A.I spoke suddenly, startling the pair. “Apologies, Darcy. Captain Rogers asked for his presence in the facility to be kept quiet for 24 hours.”
Steve winced, looking slightly apologetic. His awed gaze quickly finding hers again. They stared at each other for a few moments, the silence coming from the Captain was starting to make Darcy uncomfortable and the only way she knew how to deal with a situation like that was to make it even more awkward by word vomiting all over him and then herself.
“I really am so sorry, this kitchen has the best coffee machine hands down. And I honestly did think I was alone, as you just heard. And honestly, I swear on Mew-Mew if I’d know anyone was back from Mumbai I would’ve been so quiet. A metaphorical mouse, I swear.”
Darcy quickly realised as the Cap’s eyes widened to almost comical levels that she had just admitted she knew about their super duper secret Avengers mission she was very much not supposed to know a single thing about.
“I mean, not that I knew you were in Mumbai! I just guessed, I’m kinda psychic maybe. I definitely didn’t hack Tony’s computer out of boredom one night when they left me alone in his lab to Science! Together. Nope! definitely didn’t do that!”
Steve couldn’t stop staring at her in wonder. If he was in the right frame of mind he might’ve even laughed at the turn of events.
“Are you gonna say anything? I think you should probably do that cause I’ve been talking a lot and I really do like to think of myself as an equal opportunist.” Darcy pauses for a minute with a small frown before adding, “Unless your gonna fire me or something, maybe you shouldn’t talk if your gonna fire me. Wait, can you fire me?”
“Honestly, I just can’t believe you don’t hate me.”
“Oh.”
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, I may have spent my entire life thinking my Soulmate was gonna hate me because I was a possessive asshole.” Steve watches her quietly, his hand reaching over to clasp her words on his inner forearm, the shock slowly wearing off. A small hesitant smirk finding its way onto his lips. “You don’t hate me do you?”
“Your Captain America, I think it’s illegal to hate you in at least 49 states for sure.” Darcy says unthinkingly. She could feel a blush crawling onto her cheeks as his smirk evolved into a full-blown grin. Slowly he stepped toward the bench she had fallen against. Darcy spots the dark words in her bubbly writing resting against tanned skin below his inner elbow and a small gasp falls from her mouth.
“Not all 50?” He asks, his bright blue eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Well, you never know when it comes to Florida.” He laughs, it’s deep and slightly too loud and it makes her shiver and grin in response. Darcy straightens, tucking her dark hair behind her ear before offering her hand with a grin. His words beautiful and sharp from the side of her right thumb to her wrist.
“Dr. Darcy Lewis; Science Bro to Jane, Lightening Sister to Thor, and maybe illegitimate daughter of Tony Stark. He’s taken blood, just to check.”
Steve takes her hand within his own, his thumb gently running over the pretty cursive. His grip is gentle and warm and the shivers take Darcy all over again. “Steve Rogers; Captain to America, Pain in the ass to Bucky and Nat, and murdered by Tony Stark if that test comes back positive.”
Darcy bursts out laughing, her hand squeezing Steve’s in delight.
“Nice to meet you, Soulmate.”