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"Et tu, Bucky?" Steve asked, stopping cold at the door to the diner. "Natasha got you to do her dirty work this time?"
"Look, it's simple. You go in there, have dinner with a beautiful dame, and see where it goes from there."
"And if I don't?"
Bucky looked through the window. "Then she sits there wondering what's happening and why the person who was supposed to meet her there never shows."
Steve glared at him, then stalked through the door.
Darcy saw the door open, and put her phone down. Jane had convinced her to sub for her at this dinner meeting, and after listening to her plead about how she just couldn't leave her experiment for even half an hour, Darcy had finally agreed. Jane had been vague about just what was involved, but it couldn't be that bad, could it? It was just a quick dinner meeting at a local diner. She'd taken a seat, gotten a cup of tea, and settled down to read a bit. The place was mostly empty - a black-haired woman a few booths away was the only other customer, poking at her phone as she waited for her dinner.
Well, my night just got better, Darcy thought, seeing the man walking toward her. She would have recognized him even if she hadn't seen him around the tower occasionally - everybody knew Captain America now. His scruffy beard made him look like he hadn't shaved for the better part of a week, and he'd dressed in civvies, but it was still obvious who he was. He didn't look happy to see her, for some reason, and she wondered just what she'd gotten herself into.
He slid into the booth across from her. "Hi, Darcy Lewis," she said, extending a hand. "Jane said you'd explain what this was about?"
He winced, shaking her hand gently, as if he were afraid he'd break it. "Steve Rogers. I'm sorry about this, Miss Lewis. Apparently a couple of overactive busybodies decided to set us up on a blind date."
Darcy's jaw dropped. "I..." She nodded, her jaw snapping shut. "That makes sense. I'll kill her."
"Who's 'her'?" he asked, curious.
"Jane. Foster. My boss, and the person who sent me."
"Jane Foster...Doctor Foster? The new researcher Tony hired to work with Doctor Banner on wormhole research? The woman involved with Thor?"
"Yes, that's her." And thank you for not immediately jumping to 'Thor's girlfriend' as the most important descriptor.
"Okay, that explains some things at my end. Like how Natasha found you. You're the third woman she's tricked me into blind dates with in the past two months."
"Jane's been threatening this for a while, but I thought she was joking."
"I'm very sorry you got dragged into this."
She waved his concerns away with a smile. "Not your fault. So what do we do to make sure they don't try this again?"
"Natasha and Bucky are going to keep after me until I finally start dating someone," he said, annoyed.
"Natasha's the scary redhead, right?"
"Natasha's the scary redhead in the black catsuit. As opposed to Pepper, the scary redhead in the business suit."
She laughed. "Point. Okay. So we pretend to date for a few weeks. Bloody breakup, lots of tears, embarrass the hell out of them for getting us into this mess in the first place."
He looked startled. "I wouldn't presume," he said.
"Nah, it's alright. Just, you know, no grabby hands or anything."
"Of course not." He looked directly at her, ice-blue eyes staring into her soul. "So what do we do from here, then?"
"At a guess?" She pulled a menu from behind the napkin dispenser. "Let's order dinner. I'm hungry."
He'd offered to walk her back to her apartment in Avengers Tower, a few floors below the lab where she worked with Jane. They'd had a fun conversation, discussing the foibles of his fellow Avengers as they'd enjoyed dinner together.
They'd agreed that they couldn't mention their plan in any part of the tower other than her apartment; the odds were too high of Nat, Bucky, or Clint hearing them. Instead, they'd agreed ahead of time to a kiss at her door, after he'd declared it an essential piece of their tactical plan.
She'd raised an eyebrow dubiously but agreed. It wasn't that he really wanted to kiss her, they both knew that. But if they were going to pretend to date, they'd have to pretend to some intimacy when they were being observed. And, given Natasha, Clint, and Bucky, that was all the time they were in the tower but outside of her apartment, and probably most of the rest of the time they were in public.
She stepped out of the elevator ahead of him, and he admired what he could see of her. She wore a bulky sweater and long skirt, and he found himself idly wondering what she looked like when she wasn't trying to conceal herself.
Regardless, that wasn't his business. His business, right now, was convincing Natasha and any other onlookers that he and Darcy had hit it off, so that when the breakup hit in a few weeks, they could each convince their matchmakers to leave them alone for a while.
They reached her door, and she looked up at him with a smile. "Thank you, Steve," she said, hooking her finger between two buttons of his shirt and gently tugging him towards her.
He took the hint, leaning down to give her a kiss on her bright red lips. She was warm, even through her sweater, as his arms slipped around her waist. Her lips were soft and he saw her eyes sparkling at him as she suppressed a laugh.
He kissed her, gently but firmly, and then they broke it off after a moment. She pushed him back, just a little, and he let go of her and stepped back. "I had a very nice time," he said. "May we do this again?"
He thought he heard Natasha whisper, "Finally!" in the background.
Darcy evidently hadn't heard it, or was ignoring it like he was. "I'd like that," she said. "Call me, okay? JARVIS has my number."
With a smile at him, she ducked through the door, which closed behind her. Smiling and with a spring in his step that he hardly had to feign, he walked back toward the elevator.
Natasha landed next to him quietly as he waited for it, and he asked, "Are you proud of yourself now?"
"Took you long enough," she said.
"My problem. Not yours. However this one ends, you butt out afterwards. Deal?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly, then she nodded with a smirk.
"Jane, don't ever do that again," Darcy said, sitting down at her desk to one side of the lab.
"Hmm?" Jane said, looking up from the screen she and Dr. Banner were gesturing at.
"The date. Never. Again. Do I make myself clear?"
"What date?" Dr. Banner asked, confused.
"Oh, Natasha and I set her up on a blind date with Captain America last night," Jane said with a smile.
"Do I make myself clear?" Darcy repeated, as if she were talking to a small child.
"Yes, Darcy," Jane said, then frowned. "But you're going out with him again, I heard..."
"That's beside the point. What is the one thing I require?"
"Keep you in the loop," Jane said automatically. "You were in the loop as soon as you got there..."
The look of doom that Darcy was giving her made Jane trail off, realizing how lame an excuse that was. Darcy kept it up for a moment, then said, "You want to set me up on a date, you ask me first."
"But you always say no," Jane said plaintively.
"Yes, that's my choice," Darcy said, nodding enthusiastically.
Steve checked his watch as he stepped up to her apartment door. It was exactly 7pm as he pressed the annunciator button.
The door slid open, and Darcy stood there, smiling. She had on a short jacket over a loose dress that concealed more than it showed. "7pm on the nose. Very punctual."
He shrugged. "One of the virtues they expect of me."
"They?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The public. Captain America is supposed to be...well, you know. A Boy Scout."
She looked up at the ceiling for a moment, her eyes dancing as she thought. "A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent," she recited, then grinned at him. "I don't see punctual in the list. Although..." She reached up and ran a finger across his freshly-shaven cheek, which did wholly unexpected things to his insides. "I suppose 'clean' is why the beard had to go. A pity. I rather liked it."
"We...ah. We should get going?" he said hurriedly.
"Sure thing. Where to?"
He'd made a reservation at a little Italian restaurant a couple blocks away where they could talk without, he hoped, being overheard. They chatted about minor things as they walked.
The maître d' escorted them back to a small alcove near the back of the restaurant, as Steve had arranged. It had a lot of advantages - it was defensible if somebody unfriendly came looking for him, it would be hard to eavesdrop on, and it looked quite romantic. She slid over next to him on the seat, which made the room feel uncomfortably warm for some reason.
"So, where do we go from here?" he asked nervously after they'd ordered and the waiter had cleared their menus.
She shrugged. "How many dates do you think we need before they'll lay off us?"
"I'm thinking about four dates, and some extra time hanging out. To make it look real, we'd need to act increasingly intimate. Purely as a tactical consideration."
She raised an eyebrow and smirked, and the room got warmer. "Of course."
"I don't want to force you into anything. I mean..." He sighed. "I hate to do this to you. You seem really nice, and if I were up to a relationship..."
"Relax, Steve. It's okay. I'll holler if things go too far. And if it comes down to it, I took down Thor with a taser."
He sat back, impressed. "That I had not heard. Tell me about it?"
It would have been one of Darcy's best dates ever, if it hadn't been for the fact that it was all fake.
They'd had a great dinner, swapping stories like the best of friends. Afterwards, they'd gone for a walk, enjoying the warm spring evening.
Eventually, they'd ended up back at the tower. She looked up at him shyly as the elevator took them up to the residential floor.
"Penny for your thoughts," he said.
"Thoughts are a quarter now. Inflation."
He laughed, shaking his head. "Everything feels so expensive these days. Still getting used to that. Okay. Quarter for your thoughts."
"Just thinking it's been a long time since I had a date this nice."
"Well, we'll have to make sure it isn't such a long time until the next one."
"I can handle that."
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. He walked with her to her door.
"Would you like to come in for a bit? Cup of coffee?" she asked. They'd arranged for that - another tactical element. He'd come in for a while, then leave, with a look like they'd been making out.
"Sure," he said, with a smile that looked natural.
"Told you," Bucky said, climbing over the back of the couch to drop next to Steve. Their small apartment in Brooklyn was sparsely furnished, with just a couch in front of the TV.
"Shut up."
"She's fantastic, isn't she?"
"None of your business."
"You're welcome," Bucky said with a grin.
Steve glared at him. "Fine. Thank you."
"See? Now was that so hard?" He sat back, smirking. "Shame she feels the need to cover up all the time. You were over there quite a while last night. Does she look as good under the sweater as I think?"
Steve reached over and grabbed the front of Bucky's shirt. "Don't. Go. There."
Bucky put up his hands in submission, but the shit-eating grin on his face told Steve this wasn't over.
Good. Working just as planned, Steve thought.
The third date had been going so well, Darcy thought.
Steve had taken her to a nice dinner, and they'd been planning to go dancing. It wasn't her strong suit, but he moved like a dancer - it'd be worth it just to see him in action.
And then the paparazzi had seen them, and descended like locusts. They'd hopped a cab quickly, just to get away.
"Sorry," he said. "It was a good idea, but..."
"I know."
The cab stopped over by the Meatpacking District, and they claimed a bench looking out over the Hudson. The lights of New Jersey twinkled against the water in the dark of early evening. Joggers trotted past them along the waterfront.
He put his arm around her, and she leaned into him. "Tactical consideration, in case we're spotted," he whispered, and she smirked back at him.
"Is that," she waved back in the direction of the paparazzi, "why you're not looking for anything right now?"
He nodded. "All the crap that comes with being Captain America. Most of the women I meet can't see past the shield, and the ones that do don't want to deal with it." He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "How about you? Why did your boss decide you needed to get shoved into this mess?"
She laughed mirthlessly. "I don't date. It's not my thing. It's a long story."
"We've got time."
She sighed. "I was the first girl to hit puberty in my class. And when it hit, it hit hard. So there I am, twelve years old, and training bras are just not going to cut it. All the boys for three grades in either direction have noticed, and I've got their undivided attention. All the girls are pissed because the boys have noticed me and not them. I started trying to hide it, hoping it would all go away."
"Did it work?"
"Some. I tried dating a bit, but...the guys were always looking at me like a piece of meat. Trying to claim me. I'm not theirs. I'm mine."
"Yeah, I've known that kind of guy." He paused for an introspective thought. "It was pretty common back in the day. Some guys didn't get the memo that it isn't the '40s any more."
"Most of them, in my experience. I just decided I was done with it. I mean, look at Jane. She's a brilliant scientist, but all anyone ever sees her as is 'Thor's girlfriend'. And he's gone so often, but she's expected to just sit there meekly and wait for him."
"Mixed relationships always have that sort of trouble," Steve said with a chuckle. "She's human, and he's...well, something else."
"That he is." She poked him in the chest. "So are you, for that matter. The world's youngest old fart."
She felt his chest vibrate as he laughed. "I suppose. Got Bucky beat there, but not by much." He paused. "Are you actually interested in guys? I mean, it's a lot more socially acceptable now..."
"Yeah, they're nice to look at. They're just too much work right now. Maybe I'll change my mind in a few years."
They sat together in a companionable silence for a few moments.
"I hope you find him some day," he said softly. "The guy who can treat you as a partner, not property."
"Thanks." She paused for a moment. "I hope you can find the woman who realizes that dating Captain America is worth it because you get to date Steve Rogers."
"Yeah, maybe there's one out there somewhere," he said.
A thought crossed her mind: Might be closer than you think, Steve. But she pushed it away. This was just an act.
Steven had escorted Darcy back to the tower, and then they'd spent some time in her apartment. They'd just talked, but he felt they needed something to show any observers that the relationship was escalating. After a bit of brainstorming, they'd decided she needed to give him a hickey. He hadn't even suggested putting one on her, as he didn't want to try to suggest she was 'his'. He had suggested that he could get highly possessive when they decided it was time for the break-up; it would be a good excuse. He liked it better than her suggestion - Jane knew how much Darcy hated not being kept up-to-date, so he could 'forget' to let her know that he was going on a mission. She'd told him that, if they did in fact try that, he had better let her know ahead of time. He'd gotten the feeling that even if he did tell her ahead of time, she'd be badly hurt by it, and he didn't want to do that.
They hadn't counted on the serum's effects on his healing. The bruises she'd tried to leave had vanished so quickly that they'd never last until he left, much less until the next morning.
And every attempt meant she was right there. Sitting next to him, her breath on his neck, her hair just under his nose. He could smell her shampoo and the sweat of their date. Her lips and teeth touching him like a lover.
If he hadn't known she wasn't interested, he'd have tried to kiss her. But then, if he hadn't known she wasn't interested, he'd have never let her get that close in the first place.
"There," she said after a particularly vigorous round of working on his neck. She leaned back, nodding with satisfaction. "I think that one might last long enough for you to make it home, at least."
"It looks good?" he asked.
"It looks like I attacked you with a vacuum cleaner, to be honest."
He laughed. "That works." He stretched and stood. "I should get going, then, so Bucky can see this before it fades."
"Makes sense." She walked him over to the door. It slid open, and she slipped close to him. As they'd planned, his arms went around her and he leaned down for a passionate kiss. Their bodies pressed together, and for a moment he lost himself in the fantasy that this was real.
They broke the kiss, and she smiled at him, blushing. "I'll call you tomorrow?" he said.
She nodded. He leaned down and gave her another quick peck before letting go. He waved, lamely, as he backed down the hallway, and then he reached the corner. He heard her door slide shut as he turned back toward the elevator.
Natasha stood waiting, her arms crossed. "Got your head in the clouds, Cap? You're not usually this easy to ambush."
He laughed. "Something like that."
She peered at his neck. "Jesus. She wanted to make sure everybody knew you were taken, didn't she?"
He raised his eyebrows at her and smiled enigmatically.
"I hate this," Darcy said, trying to pull the dress away from her body and find a way that it didn't cling so much.
"You look fantastic," Jane said, looking in the mirror.
"No, you look fantastic. I look like I borrowed Mommy's evening gown to play dress-up. And these heels will be the death of me."
"Darcy," Jane said, turning toward her. "You look incredible. Seriously, Steve's eyes are going to pop out of his head."
"Maybe I don't want that. Maybe I like his eyes right where they are. Maybe..." Darcy turned to the mirror. The dress was everything she'd been trying to avoid for the past ten years. It clung to her curves, dipping low in the the front to show off what she had to admit was very impressive cleavage.
She wondered if she should stick a Post-it there, saying 'My eyes are up there' with an arrow pointing upwards.
"Why did I let you talk me into this?" Darcy asked.
"Technically, you let Steve talk you into this. But I would really like my best friend to be there for this."
Darcy sighed. Asgard had sent a diplomatic mission to give a speech at the UN, and Tony and Thor had arranged for a party at the tower the night before. Steve had been required to go, and they'd decided that having her go as his date was a tactical necessity for their plan. She was beginning to hate the word 'tactical', because every time she heard it, it was a reminder that the relationship was all fake.
Steve had let Tony point him to a tailor for a custom suit, which was the only bright point in this entire thing. Darcy had given up on fancy dresses after a disastrous middle-school dance, so Jane had been drafted to help her out.
Which led to...this.
"Tell me there's no paparazzi."
"No, of course not. It's all taking place inside the tower. You don't even have to go outside."
"Good."
Steve paced impatiently as Thor sat in a nearby chair.
"It will be fine," Thor said.
"I know," Steve said. "I know. It's just..."
He shouldn't have invited Darcy to this. He knew how much she hated this sort of thing. He wasn't that fond of them himself, but...
The door slid open, revealing Jane and Darcy. Darcy was in a long black dress with a lacy edge along the plunging neckline. He was suddenly glad he hadn't left a hickey on her a few nights ago, because there would be no concealing it with that much skin showing. Her hair was up, and she had an embarrassed look on her face. She looked like one of the pin-up girls he'd had pictures of during the war, except more so, and in the flesh.
Jane laughed. "Told you."
Steve ignored her, picking up his jaw again as he stepped over to Darcy and offered her his arm. "You look fantastic," he said.
"Thank you." She squeezed his arm slightly. "Still not used to all this."
"Yeah, I get that. I just treat it like another USO show."
"Except with a nice suit instead of the costume."
"Pretty much."
"So, you've gotten into a very select club," Jane said, leading Darcy through the party.
"Oh?"
"Significant others of Avengers. Well, ones who aren't Avengers on their own. I suppose we could let Bucky and Nat join, but..."
"Right. So who else is in this 'club'?" Not that I'll be in it long. More's the pity.
"Right now, it's just you, me, and Pepper."
Indeed, Jane was leading Darcy toward a tall, red-haired woman in an elegant silk gown. Darcy sighed. Pepper wore the gown - and the heels underneath it - like she was born to them. Darcy still felt like she was playing dress-up.
Pepper looked up and saw them approaching, and smiled. She said something to the Asgardian warrior who was talking to her, then nodded to him before turning and walking toward Darcy and Jane.
"Jane, this must be our newest compatriot?" Pepper asked with a smile.
"Indeed. Pepper, this is Darcy Lewis, my assistant, currently involved with Steve. Darcy, this is Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries and the only woman willing to put up with Tony Stark."
Darcy laughed hesitantly, and was relieved to see that Pepper was amused. "The only woman willing to put up with him for more than one or two nights, at least," she said with a fond glance over to where Tony was talking to a tall black Air Force officer that Darcy didn't recognize. She turned to Darcy. "So, apparently Jane's little trick worked?"
Darcy shrugged. "Something like that. We're seeing where things go."
"Good for you. It's a bit stressful sometimes, watching them go off to save the world," Pepper said. "So Jane and I have kept in touch to let each other know what's going on where we can."
"It's helpful because neither Thor nor Tony is really good at keeping us informed," Jane said. "If Steve's any better about it, you may be the one keeping us in the loop."
"He'd damn well better be," Darcy said, more emphatically than she'd expected.
Jane and Pepper both laughed.
"That went well," Steve said. The party had started to wind down, and he was escorting Darcy back to her apartment.
"It did," she said, giving him a soft smile.
He liked that smile. She seemed nice, and actually seemed to like him as Steve.
We need to make sure we can still be friends after the breakup. I'd hate to lose her as a friend.
The door to her apartment slid open as they approached. "Thanks, JARVIS," she said. She looked up at Steve with that smile again. "You want to come in for a bit?"
"Sure," he said, following her in. The door closed behind them.
She sighed with relief. "Woof. That's a lot of work," she said.
He laughed. "It is. You did great, though."
"Thanks." She fell back onto the couch, kicking off her shoes and wiggling her toes. "I hate those things."
He took a seat next to her and stretched, then took off his tie, folding it up and putting it in a jacket pocket.
He wanted to ask her how much longer they needed to do this, but the words refused to come out. He didn't want it to end, but he didn't want to keep stringing her along indefinitely.
"So..." she said.
"Yes?"
"What's the next tactical step?"
He winced with embarrassment. "I probably should spend the night. I can sleep on the couch if you'd like."
She looked at him, and the couch. "You'd never fit."
"I'll survive. I've slept on worse."
She paused, looking at him. "The bed's huge. No grabby hands?"
"That was the deal, but I wouldn't want to impose."
"If I can't trust Captain America, who can I trust?"
Steve snorted. "Ask Bucky."
She grinned. "Bet he'd tell me."
"He would."
Darcy looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She'd gone with a T-shirt and sweatpants instead of her normal nightshirt tonight. No reason to tempt fate.
Steve was already in the bed, the sheets pulled up to his armpits. His shoulders were bare. "Sorry about this," he said again.
I'm only sorry that it's an act, Darcy thought. "Not a problem," she said. "It's fine." She climbed into bed opposite him. "Ready?"
He nodded, lying back and resting his head on his pillow. "Good night, Darce."
She reached over and turned off the light. "Night, Steve."
Steve and Darcy were running along a beach. She wore a one-piece swimsuit from the '40s, while he was dressed in one of the tiny modern suits he'd heard called 'speed-o'. She grabbed his hand, laughing, and pulled him toward the water.
The water was warm, and he caught her. She twisted away, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, picking her up. She laughed more, holding onto his arm, and they fell over together into the shallow water.
He lay there with her, just holding her, as their bodies pressed together. He breathed in deeply, and then sneezed as her hair tickled his nose.
His eyes opened.
He was in Darcy's bed, in her apartment. He was somewhere in the middle of the bed.
And so was Darcy.
He was spooned behind her, his arm around her waist. Her shirt must have ridden up a bit overnight, because he could feel her bare skin against his. He could smell the remnants of her shampoo and whatever they'd used to style her hair.
She twitched, pressing up against him, and something that sounded like a happy sigh came from her.
If only this were real, he thought. She's going to wake up, and that'll be it.
He tried to figure out a way to disentangle himself from her without waking her up. He started to move his arm, and she grumbled in her sleep, grabbing onto it and holding it in place.
Well, that didn't work.
He wasn't upset at the idea of holding her. She was really something, and he briefly pondered what it would be like if this weren't just play-acting for Bucky and Natasha.
He could be spending the night with her regularly. Watching old movies - old for her, brand-new for him - on her couch. Looking into her eyes and seeing how they sparkled when she laughed.
Scaring the living daylights out of her every time he went into combat.
He couldn't do that to her, even if she wanted to date him. And she didn't - she'd said that. She didn't want to date anyone right now. Lost-in-time supersoldiers certainly weren't prime dating material to begin with.
He was getting hard at the thought of spending the night with her more regularly, and tried to will his erection back down. That worked as well as he could reasonably expect, which is to say not at all.
"Steve?" she asked quietly. "Why am I holding your arm around me?"
"Because when I tried to move it, you wouldn't let me go."
"Why...why was your arm there in the first place?"
"I'm not sure. It was there when I woke up," he said lamely.
"Oh." After a moment, she pulled his arm more tightly around herself, then let it go. He retreated away from her on the bed, and she rolled over to look at him. Her eyes were dancing with laughter.
Steve had taken over the bathroom for a quick shower - he was worried that if he didn't, it'd be more obvious that they hadn't done anything last night.
Darcy sat in the living room, trying very hard not to think about Steve in her shower, naked, with water running down those abs...
She wasn't succeeding, but at least she was making an effort. And it beat the other alternative, which was reminding herself why she wasn't going to go join him.
Why not go join him?
She shoved the rogue thought back down. The idea was tempting as hell, but...
Well, really, she was terrified that he'd turn her down. The last thing she wanted was to be standing there in her own bathroom, naked, with Steve telling her that he thought they were just friends, really.
The shower turned off, and she could hear him moving around in her bathroom. Another rogue thought told her to go open the bathroom door so she could see what was under the suit. Although she had a pretty good idea what he was packing already, from feeling it pressed up against her ass when she woke up this morning.
She could really handle waking up like that more often.
The bathroom door opened, and Steve came out, buttoning his shirt. He'd put on the suit pants again, and she could see his smooth chest through the rapidly-shrinking opening in the front of his shirt. He smiled at her, a friendly smile, and maybe...maybe a bit more?
What I wouldn't give to be able to read his mind right now. To know if I'm just fooling myself.
I'm just fooling myself.
"It's Saturday today, did you have any plans?" he asked with what felt like forced casualness.
"Not really. Jane's birthday is in a couple weeks, so I need to find a present for her, but that's about it. She's busy with the UN thing all day. You?"
He shrugged. "Want some company? I don't have anything planned." He paused a moment, then hurriedly added, "It'd be a good thing from a tactical point of view, anyway."
I really hate the word 'tactical'. She kept a smile on her face, and said, "Sure."
"Okay. I'll head back to the apartment and get clean clothes. Meet you for lunch?"
"Sure."
He picked up his jacket, slinging it over his shoulder causally, and walked over to the door. "I'll see you then." The door slid open, and she followed him over. He leaned down to kiss her, and she kissed him back, trying to convince him in that one kiss that, maybe, he should consider dating her for real.
His eyes sparkled mischievously as he pulled back. "See you in a few hours," he whispered.
She nodded, unable to put what she wanted into words.
Steve opened the apartment door. He was unsurprised to find Nat sitting at the kitchen table wearing one of Bucky's well-worn T-shirts. It hung on her loosely, not really showing anything except her long legs, curled underneath her in the kitchen chair. In the background, he heard the shower running.
Nat smiled at him over her coffee cup. "You're looking chipper this morning."
"I could say the same about you," he countered. He had a sudden image of Darcy sitting next to Nat, wearing one of his shirts, blissfully sipping her coffee, and he almost froze in place. It felt right.
Too bad it won't ever happen, he thought.
He walked back toward his room, stripping off his shirt. It went onto a hanger to go to the cleaner's, and the suit jacket joined it on another hanger. He pulled the wadded-up tie out of his jacket pocket and tossed it in a drawer. He cleaned out his pockets onto the nightstand - wallet, keys, phone - and added the pants to the hanger holding the jacket.
He had just pulled on a pair of jeans when the mission alert blared from the phone on his nightstand. He heard it from two more phones out in the rest of the apartment as well. A quick check said that unknown assailants had kidnapped two of the Asgardian diplomats.
He took off the jeans and quickly donned his uniform. He stepped out into the living room, picking up the shield and putting it on his back.
Natasha and Bucky were coming out of his room, dressed and ready for action. "Stark says they think they have a lead, and he'll have somebody here to pick us up..." Natasha said.
A roar of jets signaled the arrival of a Quinjet in the park across the street.
"Right about now," she finished with a smirk.
"Let's go," Steve said, heading out the door.
Clint waved from the pilot seat as they climbed in. "Buckle in, folks, we're in a hurry," he said.
Steve took off the shield and set it next to his seat, then strapped himself into the seat. Bucky and Nat were both ready as well, so he gave Clint a thumbs-up, and the Quinjet leapt up into the air.
"Might want to give Darcy a call and let her know," Bucky said casually.
Steve's thoughts whirled. She'd really hate it if he didn't. Maybe this was his chance to get her to break it off?
Did he want her to break it off?
Maybe if he didn't call her, she could use it as an excuse to break it off if she wanted to. And if she didn't want to, then...
Well, he'd worry about that when he got there. If she really wanted it, she'd forgive him once, hopefully.
"It's okay," he said, forcing a smile he didn't really feel. "I don't want to worry her."
Bucky looked at him dubiously, as Nat pulled out her phone and tapped on it briefly.
Darcy looked over her wardrobe, trying to figure out what to wear. She had a strong temptation to dress up for Steve, to show him what she had to offer. It was at war with her usual strong temptation to make sure she was more or less completely covered up.
I could do that skirt, and that blouse. I don't think I've ever worn that blouse without a sweater over it.
She hemmed and hawed for a moment, trying to decide, and then was interrupted when her phone bleeped.
It was a text from a number she didn't recognize.
Natasha here. Steve's being an idiot. Letting you know we're heading off on a mission. Take it easy on him, he's new at this.
She glared at it. That was the one thing I said I needed him to do. I don't cope well with being out of the loop.
That son of a bitch. He knows. He's doing this...
He's doing this so I'll break up with him.
We were supposed to talk about it first. He was supposed to let me know before he pulled this.
We were...
She wiped tears away from her eyes. I was hoping that maybe this was turning into something real.
Thanks for making me feel like a fucking idiot, Rogers.
The Quinjet dropped the team, and the rescued hostages, off on the roof of Stark Tower. The members of the AIM remnant behind the kidnapping were being escorted away on another Quinjet to a Federal holding facility until the US government figured out what to do with them.
With Tony and the hostages talking in his penthouse, Steve walked down the stairs into the lounge that had been built for Avengers to hang out in when they just wanted a place to rest. Bucky and Nat followed him down, muttering quiet comments to each other that he couldn't quite hear, but suspected were at his expense.
"Rogers!" The shout echoed across the room as soon as he entered the lounge. Darcy looked furious, and his heart dropped.
"Hey, Darce..." he started. Bucky and Nat looked at each other, nodded, turned, and walked back out, leaving him alone with Darcy.
"Did you forget something?" she asked, her eyes spitting fire.
"I..." he began.
"I asked for one thing. I said there was one thing I considered non-negotiable. What was it?"
"Leaving you..." he began.
"Leaving me out of the loop," she interrupted. "Was that the plan, Steve? Break that one rule to force me to break up with you? Was that just another tactical consideration, Captain?"
He winced at the phrase.
"If it was, it worked. I'm done, Steve. Have a nice life." She turned and stalked out the door. It closed behind her, and he rushed over to see if he could apologize, if she would...
The door didn't open, and he ran into it at full speed with a resounding thud.
"I'm sorry, Captain Rogers," JARVIS said with a tone that Steve would swear carried the impression that he was as mad as Darcy was. "Ms. Lewis asked me not to let you follow her."
Steve turned and slid down the wall, sitting with his back to the door, staring out at the lounge but not seeing it.
Darcy stomped into her apartment, glaring at the door as it closed silently behind her.
"JARVIS? Can you slam that door for me, please?"
"I'm sorry, Ms. Lewis. The door is not designed to be slammed. I do apologize."
She threw herself onto the couch as the adrenaline drained out of her. She'd been so mad at Steve - furious, not just that he had broken that one rule, but that he'd used it to end their fake relationship without even warning her first. Mad at herself, too, for letting herself get hurt. For letting herself care, even though they'd both agreed they wouldn't.
The apartment's silence loomed around her, and she waved her hand in the direction of the TV. It turned on, and a moment later, the screen resolved into a movie. She recognized it as a romantic comedy she'd seen a few months ago, and she quickly waved her hand to change the channel.
"JARVIS, find me something that won't remind me of Steve Rogers," she said.
"Certainly, Ms. Lewis," the AI responded smoothly. "I hope this will suffice."
The screen flickered, and came up on a NASCAR race. She snorted at it - it was what she'd asked for, although it certainly wasn't what she'd expected.
Fine. Whatever. She lay back on the couch and listened to the engines roar, as the circling cars kept her thoughts away from the Star-Spangled Nitwit.
Steve eased himself onto the couch in the lounge, having finally gotten the energy together to stand up. He opened the box of protein bars he'd picked up, and idly gnawed on one. They weren't particularly tasty, but they were food, and his body wanted enough of that that he had to work at keeping it fed some days.
Bucky clambered over the back of the couch, dropping next to Steve, and reached over to take a protein bar of his own. "Beats the fuck out of C rations," he said.
Steve snorted, taking another bite of his bar. He swallowed, then sighed deeply.
"So, you going to go apologize to her?" Bucky asked.
Steve shrugged. He should. Even if it wasn't possible to get her back, he owed her an apology.
"You do realize you're a really crappy actor, right?" Bucky continued.
Steve looked up at him. He bit off a piece of his protein bar with a grin on his face.
"Even if Nat hadn't been three booths down when you set up your clever plan, it was pretty damn obvious that you two were faking the relationship the first few days."
"And after the first few days?" Steve asked, too drained to be upset at them.
"Then it was obvious you were pretending to fake the relationship because you each thought the other was still faking," Natasha said, taking a seat on the other side of him. "How can you two eat that shit?"
"Beats starving," Bucky said. "Seriously, anybody who wasn't completely blind could see the two of you were totally head-over-heels for each other."
"The hickey was a nice touch, though," Natasha said. "Seriously, did you two use a vacuum cleaner for that?"
"No," Steve said. He stood up, tossing what was left of his protein bar from one hand to another. He looked at his two friends, sitting on opposite ends of the couch. "I think I have an apology to go make."
Darcy was sitting up, watching the race. She hadn't expected much of it, but it was actually pretty interesting to watch. The only problem was that one car was sponsored by the US Army, and the star on its hood made her think of the star on a certain asshole's shield. She found herself hoping that car would wreck.
"Ms. Lewis," JARVIS interrupted. "Captain Rogers is at the door."
"Tell him to shove his shield up his ass," she said.
She kept watching the race, hoping he'd take the hint.
JARVIS said, "He says, quote, 'I'll try if it's the only way you'll let me apologize, but I don't think it'll fit.'"
She laughed, despite herself. "Tell him..."
He came to apologize. So. Do you really want him to go away?
"Let him in, JARVIS," she said.
The door slid open, and Steve came in, still in his uniform, but looking a lot less sure of himself than he had when he'd gotten back from his mission. "I just...I need to apologize," he said. "I owe you that much. I fucked up pretty bad, and you deserve an apology."
She nodded. "Yup, you did."
"I'm sorry. I knew that was the one thing you'd said you needed, and...I was scared. I knew I didn't have the will to break up with you. You're an amazing woman, Darcy, and I fell pretty damn hard. So...I fucked up. I thought that if I didn't tell you, it'd give you a chance to walk away if you wanted it."
She was starting to cry, she could feel it. "If I wanted it?"
"I didn't think about if you didn't. I wish I could say I didn't realize how much it would hurt you, but I didn't think that far ahead. A tactical victory, maybe, but one of the biggest strategic fuckups of my life."
"I think I hate the word 'tactical' now," she said, wiping away tears.
He walked over, gesturing toward the couch as if asking permission to sit. She scooted over a bit, making room, and he sat down next to her. He took her hands and looked into her eyes, looking like he was about to cry himself.
"I think I hate it too," he said softly. "You know what the stupidest part of this is?"
She raised an eyebrow, inviting an answer.
"It didn't even work. They were onto us from that first night."
She couldn't help it - she laughed. "They what?"
"I should have guessed Natasha would be keeping an eye on us. She was sitting in the diner, and heard the whole thing."
She shook her head, laughing. "So we did all this for nothing?"
"Not for nothing," Steve whispered. "I got to know someone really incredible out of it."
She squeezed his hand. "Yeah. So what do we do now?"
"If you're willing to give me another chance, I try not to make the same mistake twice."