Chapter Text
Sometimes it's the least amount of words that can describe a horrible scenario.
I forgot the baby, for example, causes a reasonable amount of parental distress and even though six month old Darcy was quite content lying in the pile of stuffed toys at the Disney store, her mother was less than pleased at her fathers antics.
I didn't do it- one phrase that Tony Stark deserved to have tattooed on his forehead for the number of times he said it to Pepper alone.
Anyone seen my quiver?- also an interesting event that resulted in a singed Quicksilver and a few thousand views on YouTube.
And of course, Darcy's latest dance with danger sparked the words Bucky I need help. What was it exactly with four word combinations?
Jane had invited Darcy out to lunch- they hadn't had much time to spend together since Darcy's new job as the Avengers PR started.
Sitting in a restaurant in Manhatten, Jane munched on a chicken Caesar while Darcy bit greedily into a pulled pork sandwich. "So, how's the big guy doing?"
"Off protecting the nine realms again." the astrophysicist shrugged. "He was gonna leave sooner but Steve and Tony were trying out different ways to lift the hammer."
"Any of them work? Mew Mew's picky, she is."
"Steve nudged it. Freaked the hell out of Thor." Jane placed the remainder of her croutons on Darcy's plate (it was their mutual agreement that Jane could have half of Darcy's onion straws if she gave up the little toasted bread bits.) "Speaking of freaked the hell out, how's Sergeant Barnes doing?"
"Not bad, actually. It's been a while since the last episode." Darcy hadn't been around for that one, but apparently Steve was very glad he had convinced Bucky to relinquish all of the firearms in his room. Not so lucky was he to find himself on the wrong end of a coat hanger shiv. But God Bless America and Super Soldier Healing.
"Doesn't it ever...worry you?" Jane asked in a more hushed voice. "I mean, couldn't he hypothetically go off at any moment?"
"Technically yeah, if there's a trigger." Darcy put her sandwich down. "But he doesn't scare me. Okay that's a lie I get scared sometimes. But usually it's for his sake- I've started to see the person he once was sure, and that guys great. But he's becoming someone... else. It's like watching Thor learn basic humility but slower and with more shooting."
"Thor was a bit of a dick, yeah." Jane agreed, her eyes drifting to where Darcy was rubbing her arm.
The star that had been carved into it was mostly faded; some of the sides did scar, but you could hardly make out a pattern. She'd still taken to wearing more cardigans around Bucky, just because he'd get that 'it's all my fault' look on his face and then the argument came cause it's not his fault she could do what she wanted and make her own choices which is what got her in that truck in the first place.
"Actually, Bucky's been pretty annoying lately. It's like I'm a box marked 'fragile' or something."
"You? Of all people?" Jane raised an eyebrow.
"I know it's like he's got no clue right?" Darcy sighed. "My adorable little idiot."
"You ever gonna tell me about that little slip on the news?" Jane smirked when she took a sip of her pop.
Darcy knew exactly what she was referring to. The first time she was on TV at the press conference for the Avengers, when Bucky called her beautiful into the mic by accident. She had it recorded on three devices at least.
"Nothing more to tell than what happened." she shrugged, but Jane wasn't having any of that.
"Oh come on. In some part of his mind he's crushing on you big time."
"In some part of his mind he's a soviet mind-slave drone." Darcy pushed up her glasses to hide her smile behind her sleeve. "'Sides. I have planted myself firmly in the land of friendship by now. Even if he wanted to dig me out of there, my roots are too deep."
"Someone's been reading too much fanfiction again."
"Hey. I just like seeing places where Nux and Capable are happy and alive, okay?"
"Uh huh."
The tell-tale whistle of Darcy's twitter notifications sounded and she flinched. "Dammit. Leave me alone you turtle fuckers."
"Public backlash again?"
"I swear if it's not the Bucky fangirls asking how he is in the sack it's the Stucky fangirls sending death threats." She groaned. "Sometimes they team up. It's horrifying."
Darcy's phone rattled the table, muffled singing coming from the speaker and the name Grandpa flashing over a picture of Steve. "Oh look, I like this one."
"WEARING OUR VINTAGE MISERY NO I THINK IT LOOKED A LITTLE BETTER ON ME-"
"Psychic hotline: you have the wrong number." Darcy said in a droning voice before giggling a bit. "What's up Steve-o?"
"Is Bucky with you?"
With those four words came a violent shiver up Darcy's spine; she shot up out of her seat and made a grab for her bag. "Jane I've gotta go."
"What? Darcy what's going on?" Jane went to stand too, causing their waiter to rush over to their table.
"Would you like the check?"
"Jane I'll pay you back later when I explain." Darcy booked it outside, not quite sure where she was going yet. "Steve, where is he?"
"Not with you I guess."
"Good guess. Do you have anything tracking him?" Darcy sighed at herself. "Of course not that's why you called me."
"Do you know where he could have gone?"
"If we're lucky? Brooklyn. If we're unlucky? Siberia." Darcy hailed a cab and gave the driver the address to Bucky and Steve's old neighbourhood in Brooklyn. He grumbled until Darcy flashed her fancy Stark credit card and then- well, she'd never gotten to Brooklyn in midday traffic so quickly.
"I'm at the old apartment. He's been here." Steve told her.
Her cab stopped outside of the building and she could see Steve sans Cap gear from an open window. Just down the road was a white van being loaded with some boxes. Followed by a long black duffel bag that Darcy saw had a hole in it from the flash of silver.
"Steve." She whispered. "I think I found him."
"Where?" She hung up.
Darcy paid the driver before creeping along the cars to where the van was being loaded. The duffel bag was unceremoniously thrown into the back and the doors slammed shut. Once the two men that had been loading the van went around to the front, Darcy opened the back door and unzipped the bag. Sure enough, Bucky was snoozing inside of it- a needle still protruding from his neck from where she assumed they tranquilized him.
Darcy tucked her phone into his pocket before crawling out of the back and closing the doors again. She found Steve looking for her just as the van pulled away.
"What happened?" He asked.
"He's in that van." Darcy said. "Knocked out."
Immediately Steve went to run after it, but Darcy grabbed onto his jumpsuit sleeve. "Slow down speed racer."
"Darcy we don't know where that's going-"
"Yes we do. Gimme your phone. And stop making the cute angry stress face." Steve pulled out the device and she did an app search. "Remember when I lost my phone a few weeks back?"
Steve paused for a moment. "They would have tossed his phone as soon as they got him."
"That's why I planted my phone on him." She held up the Find My iPhone app proudly, the GPS following the van's movements.
"Right. Go home and wait for us there." Steve marched over to where his bike was parked in the alley beside the building.
"No way. I'm coming too- you'll need help talking him down from this bender."
"I don't think he'll be in the talking mood when he wakes up."
"Steve." Darcy crossed her arms. "I'm not sitting this one out."
Steve sighed but let her climb onto the bike after him. "If it gets bad I want you out of there."
"Ditto Rogers. Now step on it- straight on and then hang a left."