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“I don’t know what to tell you. Darcy was sat in Steve’s apartment, on his couch. “I haven’t really talked to anyone about it”
“You told Tony” Steve accused.
“Steve” her tone sounding how unimpressed she is.
“I couldn’t get close to you without hurting you. You flinched away from me.”
Darcy was silent.
“Do you have any idea how that made me feel? He continued when she didn’t say anything
“You want me to apologise for not considering your feeling while I was dealing with an overload?” She said incredulously “He was already there, did you want him to go, and you stayed just to soothe your ego, you’re the only one allowed to comfort me?”
“No, I didn’t mean...”
“What that I’m not allowed to have other people than you?” she interrupted him.
Steve stand still. Darcy can see the war going on in his head, Darcy could see the moment Steve concedes.
“You are right I was jealous; I saw you hurt, and I wanted to help you. I hated that Tony dismissed me. That when I moved close to you, you moved away from me. I hate that tony knows this about you and I don’t.” Steve sighs in frustration. “And I hate that I’m making this about me and the way I feel.”
Darcy sat still on the couch. “What do you want to know?”
Darcy could feel the dread bubble up in her chest, she worked hard to keep it in.
“What are you?”
Darcy flinched against the question. It was harsh like a bright light in a dark room. Casting light into all the corners.
She bowed her head against the pain it caused. “I’m an empath, I think”
Steve cocked his head. “You don’t know?”
She shook her head slowly. Her quiet voice came out of the darkness surrounding her.
“I can feel what you feel, and I can make you feel what I feel. Sometimes the lines are blurred. Sometimes emotions are so strong that I get lost.”
“And this morning…?”
“I don’t know.”
“What happened”
“I don’t know”
Steve waited.
“I felt pain and I needed to see Tony.”
“Go on. “
“I ran down to the workshop and saw that Tony and Bruce were about to get hurt.”
“So, you felt the pain before it happened?”
“Yes”
“How?”
“I don’t know.”
“How can you not know?”
Darcy felt her anger rise and she did her best to control it.
“What do you want from me?”
“The truth”
Darcy felt the anger explode.
“The truth? the truth is that my dad was more concern with using and abuse mutants that he didn’t notice that I was one. he stole abilities and tried to make a super solider and I was so afraid that I had to build up walls just to protect myself.”
“Darcy stop!” Steve growled, his hand was on her shoulders, and she was on the other side of the room. Steve’s grip was hard almost hurting her.
Darcy shrugged off his hand and retreated to the couch. She took a moment to calm the fire inside. Steve stood still breathing deeply. Darcy could feel the anger radiating of him.
“I’m sorry. She said quietly. I had better control yesterday. My encounter with the hulk is, has weaken me, my control.” She hesitated, “I can, I can take the anger away, if you want.”
“No, I can handle it.” his voice rough and sharp.
“I’m going to go. We can talk later.”
Darcy walked towards the door, but Steve made it there before her. Blocking her way. His hands on her shoulders again. Darcy felt the familiar attraction at his touch
“Steve?”
“Darcy” his voice still rough
Steven pulled her closer and kissed her it was desperate and needy. Darcy managed get her hand between them, she pushed him away with all her strength, Steve didn’t move. She pulled her foot back and kicked him in the shin as hard as she could. Steve yelped from the pain, it brought him back to himself. And he backed away, his eyes wide in shock over what he had done. He moved away from her and away from the door. “Oh God! I’m so sorry I would never...”
“I know.” Darcy was quick to reassure him, “it’s my emotions I can’t control them right now. This was a mistake we can talk later when my control is back. This wasn’t you.
Is this what you feel? His voice no longer rough.
“It’s complicated.” She said slowly
He turned to look at her. Waiting for her to explain. She sat down she took her glasses off and rubbed at her eyes, she was so tired.
“I feel something for you, and you feel something for me.” She began. “I feel what you feel, and it adds to what I feel.” She motioned her hand between them “My emotions bleed over onto you. She pointed back at him. “You feel what I feel, and it adds to what you feel and then it keeps going until I don’t know what you feel and what I feel. Your feelings add to mine and then that get reflected on to you. Its…” she ran out of words
“Complicated” Steve finished.
“Feedback loop? I guess”
There was silence while Steve absorbs everything.
“I should go.” She stood and moved towards the door. “Until we can cool off, there is too much between right now. We can’t do this.”
She could feel Steve’s hurt and frustration roll off him. Before he could say anything or move towards her. She put her hand up both to stop him and to protect herself.
“I don’t mean never; I mean when I have control back and we can know what we’re feeling and at the correct intensity.”
Steve nods his head and watches as Darcy leave his apartment and sags under the weight of his emotions.