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1
Natasha, she thinks, is the first to notice. Darcy is running through basic self defense drills with the spysassin when her calculating eyes linger on the charm around her neck. Darcy is wearing a military grade sports bra, legging, sensible sneakers, and has her hair pulled back in a knot at the back of her head. Her glasses are in her locker, she took out her earrings, but she is still wearing a loose chain around her neck and it's this that has caught the Widow’s attention.
She looks from the necklace to Darcy’s determined expression and states, “It could be used against you.”
“I know. It stays.” Darcy acknowledges.
Natasha simply nods and begins training. If she gives Darcy more moves geared toward defending against grabs to the neck, both women are smart enough not to mention it.
2
For the most part, the necklace stays hidden under her shirts and sweaters, so Darcy doesn't fault the otherwise observant superheroes for not noticing. She prefers it that way. If they don't notice, they won't ask about it.
Thor notices.
Thor asks.
She's being pulled to her feet after running into Thor and falling with a thump, breath temporarily knocked from her lungs, and necklace temporarily free of its cotton hiding spot. The thunder god pulls her up easily, shamefaced for causing her fall, and sees the charm as she hastily checks it before putting it away.
“Lady Darcy, are you hurt?”
“No harm done.” She smiles. “Don't worry big guy.”
He zeroes in on the necklace. “Is fine jewelry not to be worn where others may see it and appreciate it?”
“Fine jewelry, sure.” Darcy shrugs, trying for ambivalent. “This is… sentimental.”
“I see.” Thor frowns slightly. “My apologies for intruding into your confidence.”
“Don't worry about it.” She tells him again with a smile. She likes Thor and doesn't want him to think she's mad at him for asking. “If you wanna make it up to me, you could drag Jane out of the lab for real food.”
Thor gives her a bright smile. Thor’s two loves are Jane and food, Darcy knows, and he can usually be distracted by one or both. She digs that he's so smitten with Jane; the two of them are so sweet it gives Darcy cavities.
He carefully slides passed Darcy and heads to the labs, and Darcy sighs relieved.
3
She doesn't always hide it, of course. Sometimes she wears clothes that have a lower cut, because sometimes it's too hot, even in New York, for sweaters and cardigans. And it is always too hot in Tony's lab.
Darcy ventures down there rarely, spending most of her time in Jane’s lab, but the three resident geniuses are all in Tony's lab today. She's not paying attention to the science babble, instead content to read waiting to be useful.
When DUM-E wheels over she looks up at him expecting a ball or wrench to throw for him, his odd games of fetch are fun, after all, but his claw is empty. She's about to ask what he wants when he reaches out and gently grabs her necklace.
“What--” she's cut off when he starts to wheel away, prize in hand, and she can't help it, the bottom drops out of her stomach and she screams.
Three sets of eyes snap over to her and the grabby bot.
“Whoa, DUM-E, bud stop!” Tony shouts.
Jane runs to her side rubbing her shoulders comfortingly, as Darcy tries to slow her breathing and calm down. DUM-E has stopped his progress but hasn't let go yet and Darcy is fighting the urge to pry his metal appendages open.
“I said wing nut, why would you grab a pendant. I know you know what a wing nut is.” Tony is scolding the bot as he walks over. “Let go, you scrap heap.”
The bot drops the charm and Darcy clutches it, pressing it firmly against her skin to assure herself it's there.
“Did he hurt you?” Bruce asks. He’s usually reserved, but Bruce has always been kind, and his concern is touching.
Darcy shakes her head, not trusting her voice, still shaking from the panic.
“Did he break it?” Jane asks, placing her hand on Darcy’s over the pendant.
Darcy can't help the panicky giggle as she shakes her head. If he had broken it, it would be a very different conversation. One Darcy does not want to have.
“I'm gonna…” she gestures to the door. “Yeah, leave. Excuse me.”
She bolts for the door and is gone before they can comment further. It's probably the closest call she's ever had, and she wears sweaters, cardigans, and scarves despite the heat for the next several months.
4
She doesn't relax until October. She loves Halloween, always has. She litters the common spaces of the tower with decorations as soon as September ends and refuses to take them down. She starts wearing festive outfits halfway through the month, and for once she doesn't mind having her necklace visible. It's in theme after all.
She's making desserts in the kitchen when Steve makes his way in from the gym, looking for a post-workout protein boost. Darcy is wearing an orange scoop neck shirt and a black skirt with short pumpkin apron. Atop her head she is wearing a mini witches hat and her shoes are pointed appropriately as well. She feels super cute and is having too much fun with the gummy worms.
“What are you making?”
“Grave Dirt.” She grins and hands him the bag of candy. “Gummy worm?”
He snags one, amused, and gestures to the decor. “I don't think I've ever seen anyone go this far for Halloween.”
“Then you've missed out. Halloween is The Best.” Darcy cheers.
“The candy’s certainly gotten better since my time.” Steve allows.
She sighs fondly. “It's not just that though, you know? It’s the time of year when people embrace what scares them, make it something fun and something to look forward to instead of hating it and lashing out. When it's okay to be weird. Being different doesn't get you odd looks, it gets you praise!”
“I think I see why you're always wearing that necklace.” Steve considers her decorations. “A way to keep all this with you, right?”
She touches the bat wings charm around her neck and shrugs. “It's also family heirloom, but yeah. That too.”
“I didn't realize it was an heirloom. Is that why you…” Steve tries to find a polite work for it.
“Freaked out?” Darcy offers with a smile and another gummy worm. “I over reacted, but I was terrified that DUM-E was gonna break it.”
“I would have fixed it.” Tony says as he steps around Steve. “Or sent it out to be repaired professionally.”
“Some things can't be fixed, Tony.” Darcy shakes her head, but still offers him a gummy worm.
“Necklaces can.” He counters.
Sometimes Tony is an ass.
“Tony!” Steve hits his shoulder, scolding him for being rude.
The genius sighs but doesn't push. Instead he snags one of the finished Grave Dirt cups and leans against the fridge as he eats. Darcy hands him a spoon the second he goes to sip a grease stained finger into the cup and then hands Steve a cup and spoon as well.
“Always wondered though,” Tony starts after he finishes his snack, “why bat wings? Aren't--what are they with feathers?--angel or bird wings or whatever the more popular choice?”
She groans. “Okay one, family heirloom means I didn't pick it. Two, bats are way cooler than birds! Bats are adorable and awesome and don't make an ungodly racket at ass o’clock in the morning when people are trying to sleep. Unlike birds.”
Tony sniggers, “Don't let Clint hear you say that.”
“Too late,” Steve mutters as Clint and Natasha enter the kitchen.
“Lewis,” Clint places a hand over his heart, “how could you? My feeling is hurt.”
“Just the one?”
“Yes. And you injured it with your harsh words.”
“Here,” she hands him a cup with a smirk. “Rub some Dirt on it.”
“Ooh pudding!”
Counter to her opinions on birds, Darcy likes Clint. She likes Clint a lot. She's surrounded by superheroes with superhuman good looks, but Clint is funny. He and Darcy snark and prank constantly and she, at least, finds him insanely attractive. It's the arms.
Natasha gets a treat too, and Darcy puts the rest in the fridge after shoving Tony out of the way.
5
It gets easier after that. She doesn't hide it as much, sometimes wears it outside her shirt. To say she can. To prove to herself that it's okay. That she’s safe.
Until she isn't.
Natasha was right, the necklace is used against her the first time she's in a real fight. She's getting Jane and her data out of the lab and into a panic room, but there's a big dude in a yellow jumpsuit between them and the door. She jumps in front of her boss/friend and keeps herself between the bad guy and his target.
He comes at her because she's in his way and the first punch catches him by surprise long enough for Jane to get closer to the exit. He recovers in time to leap at the running astrophysicist, but Darcy kicks him just above his knee and he misses. When he launches himself at Darcy it's in the split second her back is turned to make sure Jane is safe and he grabs for her. He misses her hair and snags the chain instead, yanking hard to cut off air supply while he drags her closer.
The points of the wings are digging into her neck and all Darcy can think is please don't break, despite the fact that she'd likely escape if it did.
She hears nothing but her own heartbeat and then a crack from behind her. She almost loses her balance then as there's suddenly dead weight tugging on her necklace.
Just as suddenly, the weight eases and she hears a gruff, “Try not to move.”
She complies and once the pendant is no longer digging into her, she turns to see The Winter Soldier standing over the dead bad guy as he drops the wrist of the hand that was holding her. He'd grabbed it to keep the weight of the dead man falling from snapping the chain while he pried it carefully from dead fingers.
“Thanks.” This is the first time she's been near the guy, he mostly stays to the corners of rooms, but Steve had said he was good people despite his antisocial habits.
She's inclined to agree.
Bucky looks uncomfortable, like he's not used to being thanked. “You two good?”
“On our way to the panic room as we speak.” Darcy nods.
He follows them as long as it takes for them to get inside and then he's gone.
“Not quite what I expected from the Winter Soldier.” Jane muses. “He saved our lives, my data…”
“My necklace.” Darcy adds. She has a small cut where the wings dug into her skin, but she doesn't care.
Jane is touching the spot gingerly, cleaning what little blood welled up. “I'm surprised it didn't snap.”
“If he'd grabbed the pendant instead it probably would have.” Darcy knows it's true. The clasp is the weakest part by design.
They only sit in the panic room for an hour. Darcy has stopped bleeding by then and both of them are ready to get out of the tiny room and back to work.
It's Clint and Thor that let them out. Thor scoops Jane into an Asgardian bear hug and showers her with promises of slain foes and safety. Clint is more reserved and reaches for Darcy only to pause, silently asking.
She steps closer to him and he takes that as acceptance. He runs his thumb over her cut just as Jane had done before, but it's not bleeding now. He moves on to the skin the chain aggrivated, sweeping his thumb up her neck. The damage is superficial, it probably won't even bruise, but his touch gives her goosebumps she hopes he doesn't notice. His other hand pulls hers up for his inspection. Her knuckles are bruised but unbroken after her punch and he nods approvingly.
“Not bad for your first fight.” He aims for casual, but doesn't quite hit the mark. How very un-Hawkeye.
“I'd say you should see the other guy, but that wasn't me.”
“Barnes told me.” Clint assures her. “And I am perfectly fine with you not knowing what killing is like.”
In response, she winds her fingers into his and squeezes. The hand that was on her neck is suddenly in her hair and Clint looks at her like he needs her, like he's waiting for her to tell him what to do next, that what he wants to do next is okay.
She gives the hand in hers a tug, pulling him forward and then his lips are on hers and twice in as many hours, she can't breathe. She finds that she doesn't mind it at all this time, though, and aims to make him just as affected as she is.
The kiss is over too soon, but he doesn't pull away. Instead he wraps his arms around her and holds her close as he buries his face in her hair.
“I'd get it if you wanna chalk that up to adrenaline--”
“No, stop it. I've been sitting in a boring ass room for an hour, there's no adrenaline.” Darcy scolds. “I'm definitely down for all the kissing and the being with you. If you are.”
“I have a whole mess of issues and baggage and shit I probably can't ever tell you.” He warns.
“Same.” Darcy admits seriously. “Doesn't bother me. You?”
He stands a little straighter to eye her inquisitively. “Now I'm curious.”
“Clint.”
“Fine.” He smiles. “Fine, keep your secrets.”
She kisses him again and he picks her up, wrapping her legs around his waist so he can guide them out of the panic room and the lab without ending the kiss.
+1
The call to assemble goes out while Darcy is on her way back to the Tower after getting lunch for herself and Jane. She feels the ground rumble a little with the distant explosion and then sees Thor and Iron Man shoot out of the Tower. Not too long after, five motorcycles tear out of the garage below. It’s too impractical to take the Quinjet within the city, but motorcycles can get them where they’re going quickly enough.
Darcy waves needlessly. They can’t see her, not as far away as she is, but she feels better wishing them well.
Protocol states she is to take Jane and get either somewhere safe if the attack threatened the Tower, or to the media room to watch the coverage. That is not a job she envies, those reporters are crazy.
She jogs the rest of the way to the Tower and through the parlor and steps into the elevator that Jarvis has waiting for her.
“Where’s Jane? Has she looked up from her sciencing yet?”
“I’m afraid I am unable to locate Dr. Foster.”
Darcy blinks. “What?”
“She was in her lab when the call went out, but she disappeared shortly after.” Jarvis sounds confused and frustrated, which Darcy feels is entirely justified given the circumstances.
“Show me the feed.” She steps out of the elevator into the common room. The big screen TV comes to life showing the security feed of the lab. Darcy watches as Jane works on getting some machine to stay together when the alarm sounds. The flashing lights get her attention and she makes a quick examination of the room, likely looking for Darcy, and then makes her way to the exit once she sees her intern is still out to lunch. Before she opens the door, there is a flash of green light and Jane is simply gone.
“What the fuck?” Darcy knows magic when she sees it. “Have you told the others?”
“I have attempted to do so. It appears my communications are being disrupted.”
“And she hasn’t reappeared?” Darcy chews on her thumb, nervous. If she was taken by someone with magic, she could be anywhere. The likelihood of her reappearing within the Tower is low.
“She has not.”
“Tell me as soon as you get a lock.” Darcy orders as she makes her way to the elevator. “And take me to the lab.”
“As you wish.”
She throws the doors open to the lab and stops. She makes herself calm down and do something she hasn’t done in a while. She feels for magic. It is just one of the things that makes her different and aberrant, but it is also the one thing she could still do with the necklace on. She gets a sense of the caster… Asgardian, and feminine which is odd. She can’t think of an Asgardian magic user that would want Jane other than Loki, but this isn’t him.
“Ms. Lewis, I have located Dr. Foster.” Jarvis interrupts.
“Where?”
“She is on the roof.”
Darcy runs for the elevator. “Take me there now!”
She reaches the top floor--the penthouse--and follows Jarvis’ instructions to reach the roof. She sees Jane being held over the edge by a tall, blonde, woman. The magic user; Darcy could sense the same magic coming off her as she found in the lab.
“You will die, pathetic mortal, and then Thor will be mine at last.” Her voice only carries to Darcy because the wind is in her favor.
“Jane!” Darcy screams and runs to them.
The blonde looks her over as she runs, unimpressed. “The other one. Best to eliminate you as well I think.”
“Darcy no! Go get the others!” Jane orders.
Darcy ignores her. “They’re on their way!”
The Asgardian laughs. “They are not. They do battle still with my minions. There is no one to save you, and now you will watch as Thor’s precious mortal falls to her death.”
She drops Jane, and Darcy feels her heart go with her over the ledge. She can hear Jane’s screams echo in her ears and she uses them to infuse her soul with iron. Darcy launches herself forward, whipping off her shirts and throwing them at the suddenly confused Asgardian. When she’s down to her sports bra, Darcy leaps off the roof and tears off her necklace, stuffing it into her bra to keep it safe.
The change takes her quickly, mostly painlessly without clothing in the way, and her wings explode out of her back, open to catch the wind. The rest of the change isn’t as violent. Her eyes go from blue to molten yellow, her pupils reduced to slits, and she grows two small horns just below her hairline, and though she knows they happen, they go unnoticed.
She can feel the cold wind against the leathery webbing of her wings, and it’s been a long while since she’s flown, but she doesn’t let that stop her. Her body remembers the feeling, picks up the movements easily, and soon she’s rocketing toward her best friend as she falls.
Darcy reaches out with her hand, “Jane, don’t be afraid, it’s me!”
Jane stops screaming, “Darcy!?”
“Surprise!” She scoops the astrophysicist into her arms and then spreads her bat-like wings as far as they’ll go to slow their descent until she can regain control under the added weight.
“You can fly!?” Jane isn’t looking at her in fear, she’s looking at the wings on her back in awe, and then she looks at Darcy’s face. “What happened to your eyes?”
“Focus, Janey. We have an angry Asgardian on our tail.” Darcy requests, because it’s true. The magic-user is behind them, angrily throwing bolts of energy. Any that connect with her bounce off harmlessly, but if Jane gets hit, the same will not be true.
Jane doesn’t have a demon curse to keep her safe from magic like Darcy does.
“Where’s Thor?”
“Avenging downtown.” Darcy explains, turning that way. “But you’re right, let’s get his opinion on the matter.”
The trip is relatively short and soon she’s downtown. The two friends look at the chaos below and try to pinpoint Thor. “There!”
Darcy loos where Jane points and sees the red cape. He’s currently fighting side by side with Black Widow and Captain America as troll-looking things swarm them from all sides. Each one is the size of a linebacker and about as angry. Darcy sighs and holds tighter to Jane as she swoops down and kicks a troll away from Black Widow before landing between the three Avengers.
As soon as she’s on the ground, she wraps her wings around Jane and covers her from the bombardment of magic fired at them from the Asgardian still pursuing them.
“Enchantress!” Thor bellows. “This destruction is your doing?”
Darcy peeks out of her cover to get a look. Thor is standing between her and Enchantress--apparently--so there’s not much more than his cape in her line of view. Looking in front of her, she sees both Captain America and Black Widow looking over her suspiciously, though they’re still dealing with any troll that gets too close. Crouched down like this, she isn’t sure if they can’t tell who she is or if they just don’t care.
“Darcy, let me up!” Jane smacks her shoulder.
Hearing the little scientist beneath her wings, both Avengers start. “It’s not safe yet.” Darcy shakes her head.
“She’s right.” Widow states, moving closer. “Darcy?”
“Hey, Nat. How are things?” Darcy doesn’t look up, too scared to see her friend reject her like this.
“Take her somewhere safe, we’ll cover your escape.”
Darcy tucks Jane close and pushes up off the ground as hard as she can to get out of the fray as fast as possible. Once she’s in the air, she sees Hawkeye on a nearby roof, slowly getting overwhelmed.
“Dammit!” Darcy curses. “Jane, we gotta make a pit stop.”
“Sure thing.”
Darcy dives to the roof, pulling up abruptly above three trolls. They’re knocked back by the force and Darcy quickly shifts Jane behind her as she lands, practically shoving her behind cover as she takes off again. She does a wide loop and then makes herself as aerodynamic as possible to gain speed on her way back down. She takes out a line of four in one sweep, pushing them off the roof with the force of her attack, and then she’s in the air again readying for the next pass.
She lands on one advancing on Jane, knocking him off balance, and grabs him as she flies away. He’s heavy though, and she only manages to toss him into another of his fellows, landing wings spread in front of Jane to keep her safe. Two arrows take them out permanently, and then the roof is clear.
Slowly, she pulls her wings in, and reaches out to Jane to let her up.
“You okay?” She asks, looking her over to make sure she isn’t hurt.
Jane hugs her fiercely. “You’re insane! I’m not the one who was getting hit with energy weapons and tackling trolls.”
“Magic, Jane.” Darcy corrected. “If it had been an energy weapon, I might actually have been in trouble.”
“Darce?” Clint approaches cautiously.
She tucks her wings against herself, ashamed and scared, and quickly looks to the ground to keep him from seeing her eyes. “Don’t.”
Jane rounds on Clint. “You are a smart guy, Barton, I know you aren’t about to make a huge mistake, right?”
“What mistake would that be?” Clint sounds calm, but Darcy isn’t sure she trusts it.
“This is Darcy, okay, the same Darcy.” Jane explains, and bless her, Darcy could kiss her for being so accepting of this weirdness.
He says seriously, “I just want to look, make sure she isn’t hurt, yeah?”
Jane, the betrayer, steps away and Darcy sees Clint’s boots in front of her.
“I’m going to touch you now, okay?” He says softly before she feels his hand under her chin, making her look up at him.
She waits for him to take in the yellow eyes, the small twisted horns, and the slight sharpness to her features. He doesn’t look disgusted or afraid, though, and she starts to hope maybe he won’t run away. His gaze shifts to her wings, and then snap down to her throat.
“Your necklace.”
“It suppresses the curse.” She mumbles. “I took it off to save Jane.”
He looks like he’s about to nod and then frowns. “Why are you only wearing a sports bra?”
“I threw my sweater at the Enchantress as I went after Jane. It was gonna rip anyway when the wings came out, so I figured… why not use it to distract her long enough for me to make the change?”
Clint laughs. “That’s my girl.”
She throws her arms around him and kisses him. It’s brief, there’s still bad guys to take care of, but he kisses her back, and she’s happy in her unaltered skin for the first time in her life.
After the fight is over, Thor takes The Enchantress back to Asgard for justice, promising to return in a few days once everything is settled there. Darcy puts her necklace back on once the all-clear is given and rolls her shoulders a few times to readjust to not having wings. She rides back to the Tower on the back on Clint’s motorcycle, while Jane rides with Natasha, and the elevator ride up is tense.
Clint has his arms around her, planting the occasional kiss to her neck or hair, but the others are looking at her assessingly, and Darcy is entirely sure she doesn’t like it. Jane squeezes her hand, though, and Clint tucks her hair behind her ear, and she tries to relax.
Tony is in the common room arguing with Fury when the elevator doors open. The Avengers file out first, Clint last as he gives her another kiss and joins them. Darcy and Jane make to leave, but Fury stops them.
“I don’t think so.” He holds his arm out, blocking their exit. “You’re joining this debrief.”
“What?” Darcy squeaks. She didn’t stop before to consider that Shield would to talk to her, but she is terrified by the idea.
Clint tries to argue. “She doesn’t need to be--”
“Was she or was she not witness to important details of the event?” Fury asks.
“Uh…” She supposes that’s true.
“Dr. Foster, your presence is required as well.” Fury levels his one eye on Jane, and then makes his way to the room Tony had set up for Shield debriefs, expecting everyone to follow.
Hesitantly at first, Darcy and Jane follow behind the others as they make their way to the room. Once the door is closed, and Darcy has found a corner to stand in, Fury turns on a holographic image of Jane falling and Darcy jumping after her, transforming mid air.
“Who wants to be the one to explain this?” He glares at Darcy.
To her surprise, the others close rank around her.
“She doesn’t have to explain herself.” Clint growls.
“She saved my life,” Jane agrees.
“I’m not saying she didn’t.” Fury states. “But this somehow managed to stay out of her Shield file, and that makes me more than a little cautious.”
“So what,” Tony rolls his eyes, “she’s a mutant. You hardly have every single one in your files, and it makes her squarely Not Your Division. I’ll call Xavier, and he can--”
“I’m not.” Darcy finally finds her voice, and the others look at her. “It’s not a mutation, it’s a curse.”
“No it isn’t. Curses aren’t real.” Tony declares.
“Tell that to my no good, dirty, rotten, pig-stealing, great, great, grandfather.” Darcy chides.
“What, seriously?” Jane whispers, and Darcy makes a note to have Jane read Holes.
“Sort of.” Darcy wiggles her hand in a maybe gesture, and then sighs, steeling herself to tell the full story since she doesn’t think Fury will let her out without hearing it. “It’s a lot more greats than that, I don’t remember the exact number, but back in the 1500’s, my great grandfather made a deal with a demon. Instead of trading his own soul, he offered the soul of every woman in his future bloodline. Which, I know, dick move, but you can’t actually bargain with shit that isn’t yours, so the demon put a curse on the family instead. Every female Lewis carries an aspect of the demon, enough that they’re more likely to walk down the road of damnation and thus end up in Hell.”
“Bullshit.” Tony sputters. “Demons and Hell and crap aren’t real.”
Darcy shrugs. “Maybe they adapted what they called themselves based on the beliefs of the people, or maybe those beliefs exist because they do. Like Asgard and Thor and shit. Are they really gods, or just really powerful begins us human mistook for gods?”
Tony didn’t have an immediate answer, so Darcy continued. “Regardless, it worked. My family tree is littered with great aunts that went bonkers or became murderers. It wasn’t until my great, great aunt, that that stopped. She never went dark side, and she explained to me that I didn’t have to either. That I could choose to defy the demon and not let the curse make me a monster.”
“Good out of spite.” Barnes chuckles. “I can get behind that.”
Darcy smiles at him. “Exactly. When the physical effects started to manifest in me, she gave me this,” she touches the necklace, “to suppress the curse, so I could live a normal life.”
After a bit of silence, Darcy starts to edge her way to the door. “Anything else? Are we done here? ‘Cause, I’m just gonna--”
“No. Sit down.” Fury orders. He waits for Darcy to sit at the table, watching her the entire time, before he says, clearly, and without room for argument, “A full examination of your abilities is in order, Ms. Lewis.”
“Like hell it is!” Clint barks the same time Barnes growls, wordlessly.
“She isn’t a lab rat!” Jane hisses.
Indeed, the Avengers seem ready to bundle Darcy up and take her somewhere far, far away where Shield will never find her, and Darcy is quietly pleased that her friends have rallied behind her so.
“Everyone shut up!” Fury snaps. “Need I remind you that you have been lied to, each of you,” he directs his attention to Natasha, “so thoroughly that no one saw this coming? Doesn’t that beg the question how and if she can be trusted?”
“Not really.” Steve shakes his head. It’s the first thing he’s said since the big reveal.
The director levels his gaze at Steve, who doesn’t even twitch.
“Uh,” Darcy feels the need to break the tense silence, “How about you just, I dunno, ask me?”
All eyes are on her again, and Darcy feels really exposed sitting in a meeting with the Avengers and the Director of Shield in her bra, but she’s determined not to look too much like she wants to throw herself from the nearby window.
“Forgive me if I don’t take you at your word, Ms. Lewis.” Fury drawls.
“I mentioned the part where I’m determined not to be a bad person, right?” Darcy regrets the sarcasm almost as soon as it’s out of her mouth, but she continues. “As a rule, I try not to lie, and I think I can be forgiven for my lie of omission since your first response was to want to dissect me.”
“Short stack has you there.” Tony glares at Fury openly.
Fury looks completely unfazed by the accusation, but he gives her a long, hard stare, before saying, “Well then, let’s see it.”
Of course he wants to see it. He’s testing her, she thinks, seeing if she’s going to refuse to cooperate like she promised. Trapping her, it feels like. If she refuses, she’s the untrustworthy liar he believes her to be, but if she agrees, she’s opening herself to the fear and rejection of those who haven’t seen it in person. It is one thing to see a poor hologram of it, it is another entirely to be face to face with it.
For the first time in her life she feels the baser instincts within her coil just beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed, whispering to her sweet promises of pain to any who would offend. Defiant, Darcy slams the voice down, but she is livid beyond any measure she’s ever been before that this douchebag in leather and an eye-patch nearly made her lose control of herself.
She stands abruptly enough to send the chair skittering away and yanks the necklace off once more. There’s space enough in the room that she lets her wings open completely as they materialize and doesn’t lower her gaze from Fury’s as her eyes turn yellow.
“This is the aspect of the demon I am forced to carry.” Darcy bites. “Ask your questions and let us be done.”
“You can fly.” Not a question, or it’s one with an obvious answer that he somehow thinks she’ll conceal.
“Proficiently.” She answers.
“Are you stronger? Faster?”
“Stronger, yes. Faster only in the air.”
Fury doesn’t seem to appreciate short and concise, but Darcy doesn’t care. She’s not lying and that’s all she promised.
“How much stronger?” This is Banner asking, so Darcy tempers her answer.
“I’m not sure. Less than Steve but more than Clint.”
“I wanna arm wrestle.” Clint immediately challenges.
“Maybe later.” Natasha smiles. “What about those energy bolts the Enchantress was throwing? They didn’t seem to affect you at all.”
“I am immune to magic like this.” Darcy tells her. “Harmful and beneficial spells do not affect me, and I can also sense magic if I want to, get an idea of who cast it.”
Fury takes the control of the conversation once more, “Anything else? Or are you going to make us guess?”
Darcy gives him a baleful look and the clipped tone returns, “I am harder to hurt, but I do not heal faster than normal. I do not know the extent of my durability, I have not tested it. I gain no benefit from my eyes being this way, and the horns are really too small to be practically useful, although,” she considers briefly, “I suppose if I were to headbutt someone, they might be pointy enough to hurt.”
Tony snorts and Darcy shoots him a half-hearted glare.
“Is that all?”
She thinks about it and nods. “Yes.”
“Damn, Darcy.” Jane mutters, “You almost sound like you’d make a decent Avenger.”
Darcy turns her glare at Jane, the last of her anger drained away by her surprise, and is about to tell her to stop being silly, but Steve murmurs quietly, like he’s seriously thinking about it, “Someone immune to magic would be handy. Not even Thor is completely resistant.”
“She’s a security risk.” Fury reminds the Captain.
“Above or below angry bees?” Tony snipes. Bruce's lips twitch in a grin.
“Flight is good.” Barnes adds.
Natasha agrees. “We could use someone else who can fly.”
Tony is suddenly grinning. “She’ll need a name!”
“Whoa.” Darcy objects. They do not listen.
“She’ll need training,” Natasha looks her over, “We will increase our workouts and add weapons training.”
“What about Batgirl?”
“That’s taken, Tony, by a fictional character.” Clint remarks.
“And perhaps something that isn’t a sports bra to wear.” Bruce blushes a little, but continues, “The wings might be difficult to accommodate.”
Darcy is shaking her head, “Guys!”
“The Flying Fox!” Tony giggles. Natasha gives him a Look.
“You people are a fucking disgrace.” Fury mutters, massaging his temples.
“What have you done?” Darcy rounds on Jane, but her friend only looks pleased with herself.
“Winged Warrior?”
“No.” Barnes shoots down Tony’s suggestion
“Clint,” Darcy begs, “baby, you don't want me to be an Avenger, do you?”
“How about Batibat. It is both hilarious and appropriate.”
Darcy uses a wing to smack Tony upside the head. She is not taking the name of a demon.
Clint cocks his head to the side, considering. “I don't see a reason I shouldn't.”
“Danger. All the danger!”
“Oh! Mab.”
“Wasn't Mab a villain in Arthurian myth?” Steve frowns.
“Seems like danger finds you regardless.” Clint reminds her. “But if you're one of us, you won't have to find it alone.”
“It is a chance to use what others forced you to be,” Barnes adds quietly, “in a way completely counter to their intentions.”
It’s the longest sentence she’s heard from him yet, and she considers.
“Good out of spite.” Darcy repeats and Barnes gives her a small nod and a smaller smile.
She covers her hands over her face and groans quietly. This is decidedly not what she expected to happen, but as terrifying as it is, the offer appeals. More than she thought it would.
“Aspect.”
The others look at her, waiting for more. She tucks her wings into a neutral position and stands up straight, hands once again at her sides.
“All your suggestions suck, Stark.” She comments. “Figured I throw one out for myself.”
Clint wraps her up in his arms. “It works for me.”
“Aspect.” Steve saying it makes it feel official in a weird way, and Darcy forces down a flutter of zealous butterflies. “Welcome to the Avengers.”