Chapter Text
Fluffy July Prompt day 1: Shooting stars/ “you will be okay”
Streaks of light chased each other across the velvet expanse of the night, reflecting off Darcy's glasses and tears. The letter in her hands showed the wear of repeated readings, creases deep, the paper soft now. With a deep breath she folded the letter and tucked it away in her dress pocket. Raising her glass to the sky the ice chiming softly, she cleared her throat and began.
"Doctor Jane foster was a brilliant woman far ahead of her time. She was brave, fearless even, probably more than was wise frankly. Plus she was a huge dork. "
The crowd gathered behind the old dealership in Puente Antiguo, where it all started, chuckled in fond remembrance.
Darcy smiled as she scanned the faces surrounding her. Those who knew Jane best, Thor, Erik, Jane's mom Corrine, Valkyrie. Those whose lives she changed, Love, the children of New Asgard and their families, Korg, Ian the intern. Finally a cadre of scientists who had worked with Jane over the years and had actually taken her seriously.
"Jane had a spirit of determination I have never encountered before or since. If Jane believed in something, she worked until every goal was achieved. From proving the existence and unraveling the science behind Einstein Rosen Bridges; showing up all of those pasty old academics who called her a crack pot; or guiding her flighty, snarky intern through an academic career in the ‘soft’ sciences. Through jack-booted thugs stealing her work, being infected with an alien power, and her final fight with cancer, Jane never gave up and never slowed down. "
Gazing up into the dazzling display of the Perseid meteor shower flashing across the August skies she spoke to her friend.
"You were my mentor, my teacher, my friend, my 'sister from another mister', you supported, encouraged and taught me to be the woman I am today. I owe you my life in so many ways. I miss you so much, but I know that you are already terrorizing Valhalla with your never ending quest for knowledge."
There was a long pause as Darcy's tears flowed freely, then Erik stepped forward and raised his glass beside Darcy's.
"To Jane!" He said clinking their glasses together and wrapping his arm around Darcy's shoulders. She sniffled and murmured along with the audience,
"To Jane."
At the end of the night, cleaning up the debris of a successful Wake, Darcy heard a message notification from her phone, her heart jumped a little in anticipation. She knew that specific alert, it was only for one person, a certain puppy eyed super soldier to be precise.
'Thinking about you tonight Doll, I hope it went well. I'm here if you need to talk'
Debating whether to message or call ate up enough time for Thor to notice her preoccupation.
"You must need rest, go on my friend, there is not much to finish here. I will ensure the cleaning is complete before I leave."
"Thanks big guy, you're a gem." She replied, pulling the huge man into a hug that turned bear very quickly. Since most everyone arrived by Bifrost Air, there were only a few staying in town for the night and they all fit in the local inn. Darcy was fully immersing herself in the New Mexico experience so she elected to stay in the little trailer she and Jane had shared once upon a time. The trade off for cramped space was privacy, unlike the paper thin walls of the inn separating her from strangers and colleagues. Here there was silence and the desert air. Darcy could lounge on the bed and still see the shooting stars through the huge skylight (mandatory for any self respecting astrophysicist).
Blowing out a big breath and shaking her hands to expel the jitters settled Darcy. At least enough so that the first sound of Bucky's voice only sent a mild shiver down her spine.
"Hey Doll, how are you feeling?"
"Oh you know, copacetic."
"Ya I'll bet. Like me last month?"
Darcy huffed a humourless laugh, reminded of this situation in reverse barely a month ago. Old man Steve had finally kicked the bucket after technically 181 years on earth; the wake had been much larger, with a lot more complicated emotions attached.
"Nah, I'm doing alright. I miss her for sure, especially here. We found each other here, this was the start of everything really, my whole life for the past 15 years. But it's been almost a year now, the initial grief isn't as heavy anymore."
"You know, it's ok if that changes, healing isn't linear, or so my new shrink tells me often enough. You can feel as much as you need tonight, I won't let it get the best of you."
"Do you know how sweet you are? Seriously I'm getting a cavity over here." She teased gently, then sobered. "I think I got it all out during the speeches, at least I got to start us out, I don't think I could have finished if I had to hear everyone else speak first."
"How many showed up in the end?"
"More than I was expecting honestly, Jane was wonderful but she didn't have a lot of time for friends, just a few really close ones. All of the kids from New Asgard and their families came, plus the scientists who didn't mock Jane in the beginning. I think it was about 100 of us. Good thing we decided to hold it in the backyard instead of on the roof like I'd planned."
The desert air blew in the open window, reminding Darcy of all the other chilly nights of stargazing here. Strangely that just made her want to change the subject, emotionally exhausted was not a strong enough assessment at this point.
"Brrrr, I forgot how cold it gets here at night. And I don't even have a snuggle buddy to keep me warm this time." A bit of flirtation snuck into her voice, not entirely by accident.
Bucky huffed a soft laugh, "Well I don't know how snuggly I am anymore what with these new parts, but I'd at least keep you warm."
Instead of a dignified chuckle, like a grown woman with a doctorate, Darcy actually giggled, like a tween with her first crush. Rolling her eyes at their juvenile flirting she replied faux primly
"I was talking about snuggling Jane."
"Mmhhmmm sure you were sweetheart, and I was merely referencing my enhanced metabolism and thus increased body temperature."
"You know, You're cute when you're trying to be all science-y."
"Is that the technical term? Science-y?"
"I changed my mind, you're not cute, you're a brat."
"Been called worse, but I'm thinking you like that about me anyway."
"Absurd. Absolutely ridiculous. Preposterous. I'll not hear it!" There goes the giggling again, well at least she can hear Bucky giggling just as much right now.
"You're a peach Darce."
"And don't you forget it!" She proclaimed with feigned dramatics. Smoothing down the fluffy comforter absently, her fingers brushed against the letter, the letter from Jane, her last words to Darcy, delivered by a stone faced Thor. Darcy knew immediately. Thor only had that look when he could. not. feel. any more, without breaking. It only took hearing her gasp and he shattered, snatching Darcy into his arms as he collapsed to his knees, sobbing apologies into her shoulder. She didn't even get the letter until the next afternoon when he'd sobered up enough to go pick up his new daughter from her sleepover with Valkyrie. He left it on the table, kissed her on the forehead like a benediction and left, as regally as if the last night had never happened. Well he was a dad now. It was time to grow up, and he did it well.
The letter was so Jane, mostly unfinished theories, a few dorky jokes about their younger years when they drove each other crazy, chasing rainbow bridges and blonde hunks. The worst part was the end. The back of the page had just one sentence.
'You will be okay Darcy I have no doubt.'
How could she know that?
Why was she right?
"Darcy? You there?
"Yeah, sorry" she croaked out around a sob, "got lost in a memory"
"Don't worry about it doll"
His voice was so soft it gave her butterflies. Which mixed oddly with the recent crying jag and produced a giggle that she couldn't stop, and turned eventually into the kind of tear laced silent laughter that only came from release. Bucky even laughed along with her and she detected a hint of fondness in those chuckles.
Wiping the tears away, she took a deep breath, exhaling to her toes, she felt lighter.
"Whew, I needed that."
"You know, you remind me of Lizzy Bennet, you're not made for sadness."
There was a definite note of adoration in his voice this time, and the butterflies were back with a vengeance, but she managed to keep the laughter at bay with a big sigh instead.
"So you've read Pride and Prejudice enough times to know her by 'Lizzy' interesting, tell me more." She snuggled down into the comforter, looking back to the stars streaming above her.
'Ok so you were right Jane, don't let it go to your head'
She mouthed to the stars and the universe beyond. Who knows where Valhalla is really? Was it simply a different dimension you could only get into by sacrificing your life for another? That would be nice, Jane would like it there. She always did the right thing.
"Well, you know I did have four sisters, and Becca really wouldn't let me sleep until I listened to a chapter each night as soon as she finished reading it herself. When I got back to myself, it was the first book I read. And I finally figured out why she insisted that I listen to the entire book."
"What was it?"
"She saw me in Charles Bingley, and she figured if I could think about how those poor girls felt when I went out with another girl the next weekend that I wouldn't always be catting around. Too bad the lesson didn't stick until I got my brain back. Not much catting around in between goat herding and battle fields."
"So I'm the only one getting the full Bucky Barnes Charm?"
"Doll, you're getting the full Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes Swagger, you, and only you."
"Well I guess that's a good thing since you're the only one getting the full Doctor Darcy Elizabeth Lewis Pizzazz"
"Seriously Darcy, I'm crazy about you,"
"Me too, except about you."
"I told you that movie was ridiculous"
"I distinctly remember you laughed your fine behind off during both movies"
The peak of the meteor shower had passed but the star seemed to shine extra bright to Darcy's sleepy eyes.
Goodnight Janie