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The move to the tower had gone just about as well as could be expected. Lots of heavy lifting interspersed with varying, “If you fucking break that I’ll break your neck.”
From Jane.
The movers learned early on that her threats were pretty serious. Sure, she didn’t actually break anyone’s neck, but a few of the burly movers were sporting bruises. And one had a broken foot, but that was mostly an accident.
Sort of.
Darcy will swear on Mew-Mew it was a complete accident. The box of random sciencey bits totally slipped from her hands when he had insulted Jane, and landed right on his foot. That she then stepped on when she picked the box up. She didn’t mean to grind her foot into his when she turned around.
It could have happened to anyone.
Really.
Dude totally cried. It was glorious.
The move went much more smoothly after that. Well, at least during the packing up stage. When they started unloading the equipment into Jane’s new lab, Tony Stark had a fair bit to say about the state of things.
Mostly, however, he offered to just chuck everything out the window and buy her newer, shinier toys.
Jane was not pleased.
(“Don’t even think about it,” Jane growled as Tony started, nearly imperceptibly, moving things closer to the trash chute.
“Oh, come on! They can’t possibly work.”
Jane crossed her arms, “I will send your cars to another realm, don’t test me.”
He looked at Darcy, who shrugged and said, “Dude.”
Tony turned back to Jane and looked at her for a second, assessing the threat, before deciding that she was completely serious. Looking at Jane, he addressed Darcy, “Can’t you talk some sense into her?”
Waving a hand dismissively, she uttered, “The queen of the lab has spoken. Take your leave.”
Tony glared.
New equipment started appearing in the lab the next day. And if Jane started using it, Darcy never breathed a word.)
They’d been in the tower for a grand total of eight days when Tony swept in and, with a flourish and a bow, graced them with party invitations.
For their own party, apparently.
“It’s a welcoming party!”
They blinked.
“Christmas party?”
Darcy raised her hand, “Jewish.”
Tony huffed. “Holiday party. Non-denominational holiday party. A drinking party. An I-don’t-fucking-care-what party. Just be there.”
Darcy glanced over at Jane to find her blinking owlishly back at her. Darcy blinked back. After a few more exchanges (and a squawk of “are you having a conversation via blinking?”), Jane nodded, “We’ll be there. But no fancy dress. Sweatpants.”
Giving a whoop, Tony started walking back towards the lab doors. “Slumber party!”
“That’s not what I…oh, for fuck’s sake,” Jane muttered and returned to her Science! while Darcy started planning super adorable slumber party outfits. She totally had this covered. This was definitely a party to look forward to.
Drinking expensive booze (she was sure Stark had nothing less) in her comfiest clothes? Yes, please.
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Darcy never really gave much thought to her soulmarks over the years. They were just a part of her. Okay, a part of her that previewed the people the universe deemed absolutely perfect for her, but whatever. While she was pretty much of the opinion that whatever happens, happens, she was grateful that she didn’t have a generic “hello” or “how are you?”
Small favors.
But soulmarks mentioning her love of sweaters? She wasn’t too concerned. She didn’t go out of her way to wear more sweaters than she would normally (an old college roommate had a soulmark that mentioned flip-flops so she took to wearing them even in winter). Her parents Hanukkah presents, however, usually consisted of eight nights of varying knitwear.
Her closet was filled, but it wasn’t her fault. Clearly whoever her soulmates were had good taste, to be complimenting part of her collection.
Unless it was in reference to her boobs. In which case they’d be getting a swift tase to the balls.
Soulmates or not, that would be a dick move.
Ha. Dick. Balls.
She was hysterical.
Anyway.
She stood in front of her closet trying to pick just the right sweater to go with the rest of her outfit. She had already decided on adorable sleep shorts and fuzzy socks, both in varying shades of blue. Running her finger across the sleeves of the blue ones she owned (yes, her sweaters were organized by color, she had that many), she paused when she came across one of the few holiday ones she bought herself.
Bingo.
Instead of owning an ugly Christmas sweater, she had an ugly Hanukkah one. With a menorah. That lights up.
She hadn’t had the right opportunity to don it yet, but she figured this was as perfect as it was going to get, and she couldn’t wait.
A few hours later found her and Jane sipping glasses of amazing sangria and looking out the wall of floor to ceiling windows.
“Ladies! Welcome!”
Rolling her eyes, Darcy turned to greet the host who was just showing up to his own party. Pepper, bless her, was there to greet them and hand them glasses of wine the moment they stepped out of the elevator.
Darcy loved Pepper.
And her shoes.
Pepper was amazing.
Darcy raised her glass in Tony’s direction, trying not to laugh at the, presumably, silk leopard print sleep pants he was wearing.
That was all he was wearing. And, honestly, it wasn’t a bad view.
“Nice outfit,” she greeted, smirking as he took in her oversized sweater, shorts, and fuzzy socks.
She was fucking comfortable.
“I thought this was a slumber party,” he looked towards Jane, “where are the sexy unmentionables?”
Pepper smacked him on the back of the head as she joined them. She was wearing what looked like a super comfy flannel set that had little reindeers all over them. It was fucking adorable.
She totally wanted to be Pepper when she grew up.
During the next hour, most of the Avenger stragglers showed up which included, but was not limited to, Clint Barton in zebra footie pajamas and set of reindeer antlers on his head. Darcy nearly spit out her drink when she saw him.
This had to be the comfiest party Darcy had ever been to and she was loving it. The booze was good and the conversation was even better. Her and Natasha had embarked on an in-depth conversation on the pros and cons of potato latke’s.
The pro was that Natasha loved them, and the con was that Darcy hated them. Good lord, give her her mother’s kugel any day. Then the conversation turned to what made the best kugel and ended with Darcy promising her a pan-full within the week.
Natasha looked smug and Darcy realized just how much of a genius the redhead was.
“Finally! Just wake up from your nap?” Tony yelled from across the room, pointing his glass towards Bucky and Steve who were stepping out of the elevator. They were the last to join the party and, incidentally, they were the only two Avengers Darcy had yet to meet.
Steve rolled his eyes as he accepted the bottle of beer from Dum-E. He, too, looked comfortable in his clearly well-worn sleep pants and tank top.
Dear Santa, never let Steve know they make clothes in his size. Love, everyone.
She turned to Bucky.
Dear Santa, I don’t want to sound greedy, but please don’t ever let Barnes know they make shirts. Sincerely, Darcy…and everyone with a pulse.
Fuck.
That was a sight she could never get sick of seeing. Those abs, and pecs, and shoulders, and…
“You’re drooling,” Jane said as she handed Darcy another full glass of sangria.
“Is he wearing a reindeer nose?” Darcy asked when her eyes finally got to his face.
Jane nodded. “Yep. For some reason it just makes everything better, doesn’t it?”
Darcy hummed and then took a deep, fortifying sip and forced her eyes away before she got caught ogling the supersoldier soulmates.
Platonic soulmates.
That may or may not have the same romantic soulmate.
She had heard that rumor while deep in the science labs. She didn’t know if she believed it, didn’t even know if two platonic soulmates could share their romantic partner, but with those two? Well, she could believe they’d be the exception to the rule.
Whoever their third was was a very lucky person, indeed.
Sometime during the evening Darcy had migrated back to the window. She didn’t know how long she had been there because, man, that was one amazing view, and she was startled when a throat was cleared behind her. She whirled around and took a step back when she realized how close the supersoldier twins were to her.
“That’s a pretty swell sweater you got there,” Bucky said, nodding towards the menorah on her sweatshirt.
Oh…fuck.
She froze. She did not know what to say and, devoid of anything preplanned to say in this moment, she nearly yelled, “And it lights up, too!” while hitting the button near the hem that lit the menorah.
Oh god. She was a fucking moron. She blinked.
He blinked.
There was a lot of blinking.
Then, Steve, “It sure is something.”
She turned towards Captain America (her other fucking soulmate oh my god what) and opened her mouth to say something. Anything. Oh lord, please let it be better than what just came out of her mouth.
“You’re pretty.”
Okay, yup. That was worse.
She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, resting it on the glass behind her. “Please, Thor, if you’re listening, smite me. I need to be smited. Smoted? Whatever, just something.”
Two masculine chuckles were the reaction to her panicked prayer to Thor. “Oh, now, that wouldn’t be any good. We just found you. And, and I’m thinking Stevie feels the same, we’d really like to keep you. If,” Bucky hesitated, “if you want to be kept by us, that is.”
“What he means to say,” Steve interjected, “is that we’d really like the chance to get to know you before you ask to be smited.”
Bringing her head back up, she stared at them. And, wow, they were even hotter up close and personal. She still had to tip her head a bit to look them in the eye, but man it was worth it. “I just never expected…I didn’t think…I mean. Fuck. Okay. This is…wow.”
Okay, like obviously she knew she had two soulmates. She totally knew that. What she did not, in a million years think, was that they would be the fucking Winter Soldier and Captain fucking America. Okay? OKAY. She was allowed to freak out.
This was so beyond anything she ever could have hoped for. Honestly, she was expecting two schmucks making thinly veiled tit jokes, not…this.
Holy moly.
They stared a brief, but amused, look and then Bucky said, “I’m thinkin’ that’s a good reaction. I know I’m pretty fucking thankful the universe decided you were the one for us.” He straightened a bit before continuing, “We didn’t have a romantic soulmark before, honestly didn’t think I’d deserve one, or that we’d missed our chance. But when we realized we shared one? Yeah, we were pretty happy with that,” he wrapped up by elbowing Steve in the side.
Steve, for his part, just rolled his eyes.
“Okay, I’m sorry,” Darcy said as she reached for the bright red nose on Bucky’s face. She gently pulled it off and handed it to him. “I’m trying to listen to what you’re saying but between the no shirt and the nose I’m…having some difficulty.”
Bucky flexed his pecs in response to which Steve just rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
She cleared her throat as she felt the blush rising on her cheeks and (thoroughly ignoring the now smug look on his face) continued, “So, you two…” Darcy trailed off, she didn’t want to assume anything, one way or the other.
“Platonic,” Steve nodded. “Just been me and this jerk for a while now. Closer than brothers, really. But, you? We’re very happy to have finally met you, doll. Been waitin’ for a long time.” Steve finished his explanation with a smile that made Darcy want to do some very dirty things.
Darcy ducked her head and smiled, suddenly feeling a little shy. “Well,” she mumbled into her chest, “I’m really happy to have finally met you, too.” She tugged at the sleeves of her sweatshirt.
“Hey, now, sweetheart,” cold metal fingers went under her chin and brought her head up, “we know this is a little much. Why don’t we head to the kitchen, it’ll be quieter and we can talk? Is that okay?”
Darcy bit her lip and nodded.
“Good,” Bucky answered, his thumb pulling at her lip before giving her chin a little tweak and stepping back.
Steve slid an arm around her waist as they led her to the elevators. By the time they got on, she had an arm around him, too. She might have given him a squeeze, but she’d deny that if anyone asked.
This soulmate thing? Yeah, it was pretty swell.