#darcy told me to not be a coward and post this

[be-bisexual-eat-hot-chip-and-lie]

the “there’s only one bed” rules say that if you wake up in each other’s arms you’re in love. @darcyfangirlsfrequently and i have bested the allegations, there was only one bed and we woke up not spooning

[kookies2000]

How are we feeling on that Amphibia finale?

I was going to make a post about it! Comparing the Amphibia finally to the Ducktales one. Because I definitely felt the Amphibia finally! Like it hit me in the heart, it made me hyped up and scream from happiness and sadness.

Where do I start! So we already had an idea of how toxic Anne's friendship was. She and Sasha ignored Marcys interests. Never paying attention to what she likes and it made her feel like she was just being tolerated by her friend's. I relate! I have so many passions and some friends who simply made me feel like they were only tolerating me. They would lie and say they were interested and then they don't talk to me about their passions. It made the friendship feel one sided. I never got them trapped in another world though. 🤣 The friendships just broke and I left it behind. As for Marcy, she was a clumsy girl who didn't know how to communicate. She couldn't bring herself to tell her friends what she was going through or what she was feeling and forced them into what she wanted. Because of the way the girls made each other feel, there was no real trust and just blindly trying to make each other happy. They cared about each other but didn't know how to show it in a proper way. Sasha was controlling, Marcy didn't communicate, and Anne just went along with everything. Sprig truly was Anne's friend. He understood her, he wanted what was best for her, he trusted her 100%. He was emotional with her and they went through each other's best and worst versions of themselves. The same can be said for Grime and Sasha. Trust, love, understanding and they saw the best and worst of each other. As for Marcy, she did have a connection with Adrias but hey, getting stabbed in the back is kinda beyond betrayal.

All this character background builds up to the end. Like it was said, Anne only went along with everything and never thought for herself. Her essay was a way for her to self reflect on her flaws and what she wants. And she did end up succeeding in that essay. She gave a full on speech while battling Andrias. How she hated herself and only did what others told her to do. But now, she's allowing herself to show her emotions. She isn't hiding how she feels and is thinking for herself. She's letting herself be known. The opposite of Andrias. The same goes for Marcy and Sasha. Sasha is no longer fighting to be in control or for praise. She's fighting because she loves her friend's. She's fighting at full strength after Darcy cuts Grimes' arm off. Marcy faces the fact that she was being a coward for trapping her friend's into her fantasy rather than facing reality. All this is done beautifully! Each girl got a turn to develop!

And let me just say, that K-pop / anime moment, perfection. It was such a great tribute to Asian culture. And the fact that Anne's powers are in the shape of a lotus flower. And Matt made sure to credit all the Asian people who worked on the show too! Rather than just crediting the studio, he credits everyone inside that studio. Matt has to be proud for representing his culture like this.

And the bittersweet ending. *throws away my fan fic for Amphibia* 🤣 First things first, I love the ending. Friend's sometimes never see eachother again. That's how it is. So Anne and the girl's never seeing their friends in Amphibia again is just so darn sweet in the most realistic way!!!! Sprig and Anne will always love each other even if they'll never see each other again. Their love is forever. Same for Marcy with Olvia and Yunnan. And yes, even with Andrias. Marcy realizes that Andrias did what he did because he was being forced to. He never wanted to hurt Marcy but he was a coward and let his father harm everyone. He let his father make him hurt them. And what makes Andrias character so lovable is that he doesn't blame his dad. He acknowledged that he was being abused and finally stands up to his dad and helps save the day. But he admits it himself that he has harmed others and can't turn back. So he never says sorry or even looks at Marcy when she leaves. So when Marcy says goodbye to him, it catches him by surprise. Marcy loves him no matter what and he knows he isn't deserving of that love. So he says his goodbye and turns away. Sasha and Grime!!! 💚❤️💚❤️ LOVE THEIR FATHER DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP!!! They started off in the same boat. Bullies, mean, and controlling. And they went through their character arcs together. They never left each other and loved each other. They picked each other up when the other fell. They developed healthier habits together. They helped each other develop!!! They were a team!!! And it's upsetting that they had to split up. It's like NO! THEY ARE A SET! YOU CAN'T SEPARATE THEM!!! And they separated them!!! 🤧😭 But hey, their love is forever!!! And the fact that in ten years, the girls also separated but still love each other is a great detail. Just like all friends do. We go our own ways but we still love each other. When we see each other, we share what we've been up to and hang out. Ever since I moved out of my home state for emergency reasons, I felt alone. All my friends were left behind. But we still have movie nights on zoom and they send me gifts through mail! Vice versa! I still love them and they love me. A small personal detail about me, I tend to have panic attacks. And when I have them, I send PARAGRAPHS of what I'm feeling and send them as if it was spam. Thankfully my friends are patient and love me. They comfort me through the phone and help me out. They talk about my interests to help me. And that's what I see in Amphibia. They are separated but they still help and love each other. It hits home, you know.

And the reason I say I threw away my Amphibia fanfic? I have the tendency to write future AU fanfics. And they always have the same outline. Characters get separated and united after years. Take my Ducktales fanfic "Don't Back Down Again." They are separated for seven years and reunited. The same is gonna happen in my Owl House fan fic. They close the portal for emergency purposes and it separates the crew for years until one day, a little girl finds a way to connect the world and BOOM! Reunion. I even have other fanfics I never published that have the same plot. I think I even wrote one for Hotel Transylvania when I was 14. Same thing, separate for years and reunion! 🤣 So it was the same thing for Amphibia. Except, they weren't separated by force. In my fanfic, Anne was purposely avoiding going to Amphibia. While Sasha and Marcy had monthly visits to Amphibia. The mystery was what made Anne avoid Amphibia. BUT NOW! 🤣 Matt separated them for me!!! Thanks!

But for real! I adore this finally! I have a personal ranking of series finalises.

1, Gravity Falls

2,Amphibia

3, Ducktales.

The Owl House isn't done yet but we'll see how that goes. I haven't seen Star vs the Forces of Evil. But I plan to. Though, I keep hearing the finale was awful. So if I watch it, I have a feeling it'll be last on my list.

[dresupi]

Only the Best - Bucky Barnes/Darcy Lewis

for @highlyintelligentblonde

Rated T

“I’m not expecting anything from you”

Other tags: Regency AU

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t that Darcy was dreading her wedding, but she also didn’t know what she should be feeling at all.

Everything had happened so quickly, she barely had the time to get used to the fact that she was to be a wife before the wedding ceremony was upon her.

And there was the little detail about how she hadn’t even been consulted before being promised to James Barnes. She had always assumed she’d have some say in exactly who her lawfully wedded partner would be. But her mother had sprung it on her one morning in as nonchalant a manner as if she were telling Darcy that she wanted her to go into the town and purchase something from the dressmaker.

“Oh, and you’ll be married to James Barnes in a fortnight. He’ll be posting the banns this Sunday. You’ll go to live with him after.”

To say Darcy was confused was an understatement. She was to marry the neighbor’s farmhand? With no explanation whatsoever? When she begged her mother for more information, she was waved off, told to expect James to come calling and explain things.

Darcy’s father had disappeared into his study with a flagon of brandy and hadn’t been accepting any visitors, especially not his only daughter, so Darcy was left to pick up the pieces of her life without so much as a kind word from him.

It seemed so long ago, even though the nervous butterflies in her stomach told her it had indeed only been fourteen days and nights.

Fourteen days and nights of not speaking to anyone, refusing James’s calls, and contemplating running away, only to be caught by her father when she had reached the garden gate. He hadn’t stopped her, simply bade her sit so he could explain himself.

According to him, once he died, their estate would be entailed away to a distant cousin. Her mother would be at the mercy of Darcy’s future husband. And James Barnes was extremely well off. He’d take care of Darcy, and Darcy’s mother when the time came. If Darcy chose to stay and go through with it, that is.

She’d sat there beside her father for the longest, wondering if she could live with herself for abandoning her mother and concluded that no, she couldn’t. Sighing heavily, she looked at her father. “You might have explained all this earlier instead of hiding in your study like a coward.”

Most daughters wouldn’t ever speak to their fathers in the way Darcy just had, but most daughters weren’t like Darcy Lewis.

“I know this. I just couldn’t face you, knowing I’d ruined your life by not handling my money better.”

She sighed once more and patted his hand. “Mr. Barnes isn’t all that terrible.”

And so the matter was put to rest. With a few days to spare.

The dust had settled and the ceremony had taken place. Currently, they were driven to Darcy’s family’s estate for the wedding breakfast. They, being Mr. and Mrs. Barnes.

She stole a glance at her husband. He looked hard and cold. Out of place in his finery. She’d only ever known James as a farmhand. She’d no idea he actually owned the estate bordering theirs until her father had disclosed it to her a few nights past.

Along with the straight facts of the matter. The money was gone.

Well, the amount needed for a decent dowry, at any rate. Marriage to James Barnes was her first, last, and only option. If she wanted to keep herself and her mother off the streets, that is.

She’d scarcely left her room since her mother sprang her very short engagement on her. Not even to come down to meet with James before the ceremony. She’d been childish and nearsighted, not taking the fortnight before the wedding ceremony to get to know her intended.

He’d come around every night, settling finally for a letter, which asked for her hand formally. He had such lovely handwriting, it made her heart ache at how ugly she was being.

Darcy had sent back her acceptance straight away. Formal and perfunctory. But an acceptance nonetheless.

She especially regretted it all now since he looked stiff and uncomfortable. Perhaps as uncomfortable as she.

But that couldn’t be, could it? He was the one with all the freedom. She was the one who needed him. She stood to benefit the most from this.

Why had he even agreed to this in the first place?

He wasn’t plain by any standard. And if he were as well off as her father had stated, he could have any of the girls in the county.

It was a question that could surely have been answered if she’d bothered to meet with him before the ceremony.

Upon arrival at her home, or her parents’ home, she supposed, James was quick to help her down from the carriage amid all the guests clapping for them. He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm or she wouldn’t have been able to walk back into her former home again.

She could scarcely eat her breakfast. Even though she was gastronomically inclined, everyone stopped her from eating with questions and congratulations. And manners dictated that she put down her knife and fork to receive each and every accolade. It was only proper. No matter how her stomach growled.

Tucking into a bit of lukewarm scrambled egg, she chewed and swallowed quickly as she saw someone else approaching.

Her mother’s friend, Baroness Katarina Zemo. Her husband, Baron Helmut had been the one to introduce her family to James in the first place. He seemed to think very highly of him. She supposed for someone who was titled as he, that was a good thing. James came with the blessing from the Baron and Baroness.

But just as she was about to address the baroness, James raised one hand. “Please. My wife’s scarcely had a moment to eat since we sat down. And I won’t have her fainting from hunger on our carriage ride to Paris.”

Paris? Darcy was surprised to hear that. But she supposed a honeymoon trip was customary. But one to Paris? Just how well-off was James?

Another question that might have been answered if she’d simply stopped being a child and accepted her intended when he called.

“Oh, of course,” Katarina said, sweeping into an empty chair across from the couple. “Continue eating, Mrs. Barnes. I won’t be offended if you attend to your nourishment in front of me. I simply wanted to speak with you both before you leave for Paris. To tell you how happy I am that this has happened for you.”

Darcy chewed hesitantly, but she was too hungry not to eat when bade.

James was the one who did the talking for her. “I’m sure you are, Baroness. Do tell your husband that I send my best regards.” His voice sounded flat despite the warmth of his words. Even flatter than before. Darcy was surprised to hear such snideness coming from someone she’d assumed to at least possess the barest minimum of decorum. Why that had been the only thing she knew of her husband. He’d always been cordial with her. Why she’d even venture to say that he’d been friendly on the few times they’d spoken.

“Oh, I will, Mr. Barnes. I truly hope the two of you enjoy your honeymoon trip. You must write us when you arrive at the hotel and tell us everything about your stay. Drop our names at the hotel and you’ll be treated like royalty. I bid you have a wonderful life together.” The baroness swept away as quickly as she’d come.

Darcy chewed on a bit of bacon, turning for the first time to her husband to speak to him.

“You were awfully rude to the Baroness,” she said.

James smirked, clearly amused. “So you can still speak to me. I had wondered.”

Darcy flushed, he was right, the first words she’d spoken to her husband beyond their vows, and she was reprimanding him.

“My apologies, I simply thought---“

“No apologies are necessary. You’re absolutely correct in your astute observation. I’m rude to the Baroness, but I think you’ll find me downright disrespectful to the Baron himself. Seeing as it’s his fault you were forced to marry me and that I had to take a wife at all.”

Darcy frowned. “How so? I thought certain you married me to keep my family from the poor house when Papa dies.”

“I’m happy I was able to find a mutually beneficial marriage, rather than having to impose upon some young woman with no other prospects.”

Darcy’s face burned, and she turned back to her plate. “With all due respect, I had other prospects.”

“That’s not a slight to you as a person, Miss Lewis. I simply refer to your lack of a dowry. I think you’ll find that you won’t be wanting for anything as my wife. What you lack in money, I can make up in spades. And I’m certain you will raise my social standing with your bright, beautiful nature.”

The words felt flowery, but coming from someone she’d only known to speak the barest of truths, it felt like more than words.

“It’s Mrs. Barnes, now,” she said softly.

He exhaled slowly. “I don’t expect anything from you, you know.”

“Surely you’ll agree that I should take your last name,” she countered.

“Not that. Of course, you’ll have my name. I simply meant... I don’t expect anything else in the way of...  marriage. You’ll have your own apartment to decorate as you will. You won’t have to expect me to come to visit you there.”

His meaning was implied, but apparent.

Darcy frowned and took another bite of egg, chewing thoughtfully before she answered him. “No one knows what the future may bring, Mr. Barnes.”

“It’s James now,” he corrected her, smirking in a cheeky sort of way. “And I mean it. You don’t owe me anything in that respect.”

She turned to look at him, his face in profile as he looked down at his own unfinished breakfast. Her eyes followed the fine cut of his cheekbones and jawline. At his lips.

When he’d kissed her at the end of their wedding ceremony, it had been very chaste. Of course, it had. But just at the end of their embrace, she noted something else. Something deeper. Something she could see wanting to pursue in the future.

Exhaling, she blotted at her mouth with her napkin. “I mean it as well, James. Don’t speak to the future and I won’t worry about owing you anything.”

James chuckled. It was soft and warm. A great deal more relaxed than his previous demeanor. “I wish only the best for you, Darcy.”

She studied his smile, even though he was talking to her and looking somewhere else entirely. He was truly a handsome man. “I’m fairly certain I’ve got it already.”

[themonkeycabal]

Wandavision Ep 6 Spoilers

No really, spoilers. 

Previously on Wandavision — Wanda told SWORD to shove their drones right straight up their asses, Vision woke up to the reality that his utopian sitcom life was in fact a dystopian hellscape, their children were extremely creepy, and Agnes was being bizarre as hell and super sus. In the real world, Acting Director Dick was a dick, and Darcy and Jimmy welcomed Monica into their sciencey weird-crime-fighting team. Monica also mentioned an aerospace engineer she knows, which some suggest may be the first mention of Reed Richards in the MCU. I have conflicted feelings about the Fantastic Four. Mostly I never liked them. But, I'm open to revising my opinion.

Oh, and also X-Men 'Verse Pietro showed up suddenly and that was fun.

Anyway. the roommate and I tried to sort out a timeline — so Monica unBlips and goes back to work at SWORD three weeks later. AD Dick tells us Wanda stole Vision's body nine days previously. That means, just three weeks ago Wanda was in the middle of a battle, lost her boyfriend, was Snapped, was then unsnapped to fall right into the middle of another battle. Lost THREE additional teammates. And then sometime in the following week found out a shady government agency had Vision's body and she probably went "OH HELL NO". Because that's what I would say. So she goes to SWORD, dents a few doors, takes Vision's body and swans off to New Jersey. Look, she's been through a hell of a lot in the last couple weeks, is what I'm saying. I don't blame her a tiny bit. But, also, I don't think she's entirely behind this.

10-year old boy plus video camera = the 90s. Obnoxious opening credits. But, you know, I kind of liked them (as a one off). WAYYY better than last week's.

It's Halloween, and *sigh* Billy is breaking the fourth wall and narrating to the camera. There's childish twin bickering as you expect, Tommy's the wild and crazy twin, and Billy's the buttoned up twin. And Pietro is passed out on the couch at 4 in the afternoon. Living his best life. He teasingly scares the boys, chases them around, and there's awkward child acting.

Wanda comes down the stairs in the classic Scarlet Witch costume, and says she's a Sokovian Fortune Teller. Sokovia was more wild than I realized.

Genuinely funny flashback to Wanda and Pietro trick-or-treating in Sokovia as kids, 'the year we got typhus'. lol. Was it the fish that gave them typhus? Or was that just a special treat? Wanda doubts this version of events, and Pietro suggests she suppressed the memory due to the trauma. This gives Billy the chance to tell the camera that mom's been weird since uncle Pietro turned up to crash on their couch.

Next it's Vision's turn to appear in the classic Vision costume. Yikes. Wanda thanks him for humoring her, and he says there were no other clothes in his closet and they have a very weird second where he's not playing along and she's not sure what to do, and then he breaks into sitcom character says something about "just kidding, i know how much you love mexican wrestling" like it's a luchador costume, and then there's some super weird flirting. TMI you two.

Meanwhile, Pietro is a large child and the kids love him, of course. So there's that.

Back to Wanda and Vision, she's ready to take the kids out trick-or-treating, but Vision says he can't go, he's on the neighborhood watch and must patrol the streets ever-vigilant for wild gangs of child hooligans who might TP trees. He's gone off-script and it takes Wanda a second to figure out how to play this. She says it's the boys' first Halloween so he has to be there. Pietro breaks up the almost argument and says he can be a father figure-type and he'll help with the boys. Vision's still pretty off-script but Wanda doesn't fight it but looks uncertain, and he goes off to protect the night — or early afternoon.

Pietro is a child hooligan and wants to go do hooligany things with the kids. Wanda says he doesn't have a costume and he grabs Billy and they speed off only to return dressed in classic Quicksilver duds. Well, cheap-looking, thrown together Quicksilver duds. I laughed. The hair. lol. Good one.

Outside in the real world. The Hex field is still kind of glowing red and making bad force field noises. It only started doing that when Wanda got pissed in the last ep. Oh, goody, it's Acting Director Dick. I've learned his name is Hayward. I don't care.

Blah blah Stompy Mc-I'm-In-Charge blah. Monica is not pleased about the whole trying to kill Wanda with a missile while she was talking to her plan. AD Dick just says "now we know who we're dealing with". Um … what? You tried to kill her and her response was to tell you to go away. Yeah, boy, she's a monster.

Darcy is there to helpfully remind AD Dick that Wanda made him look like the fool he is. ILU girl. "Hey, there he is; the guy who almost got murdered by his own murder squad." Jimmy just makes a 'i'm so disappointed in you and your choices' face at him in the background.

I despise characters like Hayward. They are so tedious. Narratively they are there to incite conflict, but given the situation conflict naturally exists, surely there are other ways to bring up/drive that tension without the trope of the government heavy ready to solve the problem with the most extreme amount of force available to him. OH no! Our plucky heroes will have to find a way to save the day and fight the Man! Can they do it? Boring. It's too bad General Talbot went insane and then died; he could probably give tips on How Not To Be That Guy.

Anyway

Hayward wants to know if Darcy works for him and she's like "dunno my dude", Monica claims her, AD Dick says "which one of you is the sassy best friend" and Jimmy's like, that is quite enough Acting Director Not Very Nice Man. "There's no time to diminish your colleagues when you're about to start a war you can't win." AD Dick just wants to take out Wanda so the whole nightmare ends. Monica's like um, we literally do not know what's going on. Like, for real we have no clue. So that might not, in fact, end the nightmare, Director Murder Britches.

They argue a lot and Director Dick goes off the rails. Dude's like more unhinged than seems warranted. Unless he's just so embarrassed that he pissed himself when Wanda returned his murder drone to him, he's decided SHE MUST BE DESTROYED FOR THE GOOD OF … NEW JERSEY AND MY SOILED UNDERWEAR OR SOMETHING. 

"Captain Rambeau, you are an impediment to this mission!" Oh no! He's gonna tell her all about how hard it was to survive in a post-blip world, all those lucky blipped don't know what it was like! You just can't understand! Monica tells him not to use that as an excuse to be a coward. I'm so bored with this scene. Let me guess, the trio will have to go behind his back to save the day.

"Maybe it's a good thing you weren't here with your mother died. Because, clearly you don't have the stomach for this job." … non-sequitur much? Or is he saying she would have inherited the Director-ship (which should probably not be how that sort of agency works, let's be real). Is this scene five hours long, or does it just feel that way?

The Dick banishes the trio from his base.

"Hayward is way over-stepping his provisional authority". Jimmy Woo, you're so great. Monica says he's up to something. Yeah a tactical nuke and murder. Clearly he doesn't want to actually solve the problem, he just wants the problem to go away with a big show of macho explosions and whatnot. I suspect he might be in over his head, like he was not meant to be Acting Director, let alone Director. Also, he's a boring cliche stereotype and I loathe it.

JIMMY! I legit did not see that coming. He just pure hauls off and clocks one of the soldiers escorting them off the base, to a transport truck or something. Monica seems just as surprised for a second but then she's like "hell yeah!" and jumps in. Darcy sort of stands back and watches. lol. "Why didn't anyone tell me the plan?"

Oh look, it's my shipping container! They put the soldiers in there. Guys, it was for Hayward. Come on.

The trio disguise themselves with ponchos, which is a big step up from the usual MCU disguise of "baseball hat". That was a good bit in Ant-man and the Wasp "it's not a disguise, it just looks like us at a baseball game" (I watched that like last week. I missed Luis). Anyway …

Back in the sitcom world. The kids are ready for their early afternoon trick-or-treating. They're still talking to the camera. It's so awkward. I'm not a fan. I get it's meant to reproduce the very 90s Nick-era sitcoms and so, you know, it's spot on. Still, though.

Pietro is encouraging and supportive. "Unleash hell, demon spawn!"

Dang there are a lot of kids in that neighborhood. Wasn't Vision wondering last episode why there weren't any kids? Is the program correcting itself?

Wanda tries to test Pietro, asking him about some kid at an orphanage when they were kids. Pietro calls her on it, and says he knows he looks different. Wanda wants to know why that is. He says, "You tell me. I mean, if I found shangra-la, I wouldn't want to be reminded of the past, either." Hmm.

The kids speed off with uncle Pietro. Wanda wanders over to talk to neighbor Herb, who has a g-man earbud in and is clearly part of the neighborhood watch. In the background Pietro is stealing all the candy and smashing pumpkins and spraying the place with silly string. The hijinks are so wacky. Wanda tells Herb maybe Vision can help out with the chaos, and Herb says Vision isn't on duty. Oh no, he lied to her!

Herb goes weird "is there something I can do for you, Wanda? Do you want something changed?" Hmmm.

Elsewhere Vision is wandering the wild streets of Westview. He finds people caught in some type of weird decorating loop, the woman seems trapped but aware.

Commercial time!  What the fuck was that. "Yo-magic! The snack for survivors." No, really, what the fuck.

Night has fallen, the twins and the twins walk the streets. Wanda's making the boys give back all the candy they stole. She says Pietro is a bad influence. He says "I'm just trying to do my part, kay? Come to town unexpectedly, create tension with the brother-in-law, stir up trouble with the rugrats, and ultimately give you grief. I mean, that's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"What happened to your accent?"

"What happened to yours? Details are fuzzy, man. I got shot like a chump in the street for no reason." AHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHA! no really AHAHAHAHAAH! Thank you, Pietro! Holy shit, perfect. That's some delicious shade. I expect to see this gif'd fifteen different ways when I load tumblr today.

"Next thing I know, I heard you calling me. I knew you needed me."

The kids interrupt. And now all of a sudden Tommy can zoom. Character development!

Everyone is so careful to give Wanda what she wants. Why? She's not cruel. Who wants to keep her pacified? And whoever it is cannot possibly be pleased with AD Dick messing things up. Assuming it's an outside or outside-ish force/entity, of course. I mean, I don't think she's doing this entirely, she might be the battery powering it, but despite her thing last episode to get SWORD to leave her alone, she does seem a little confused about the where, why, and how things are going.

"Don't go past Ellis Avenue." Just a kid thing or a boundary of the sitcom control world?

In the real world, our heroes are sneaking through a tent city and into the server room. The scene with Pietro and Wanda discussing his accent is playing in the background. Darcy seems put-out that Pietro was recast. lol. "He brought the wrong face."

Darcy hacks into Hayward's devices. "Hayward figured out a way to look through the boundary." "And he didn't share it with the group." I don't like Hayward. 

Something is blipping on the map on the computer. Jimmy asks if it's Wanda, but Darcy says "it's tracking the decay signature of vibranium". So Vision. Monica wants to know why Hayward is tracking Vision. Well, I'd super like to know what SWORD was doing with Vision in the first place, because they weren't just storing him, they were doing something. So …

Jimmy notices that there are other dots, the ones closest to Vision, who are other residents. Jimmy says the ones near the edge of town are barely moving.

Back to Vision. He's found a cul-de-sac to patrol. Everybody's frozen in place, the street lights flicker. Eerie. They're all dressed for Halloween. Does this mean the field is shrinking, or the effects spreading and so it's closing in, slowing and then freezing people who were earlier moving about just fine? Vision is unaffected by this whatever it is. He turns himself into himself and flies off, up above the town. part of the town is dark, and part alive with voices and laughter.

He spots a car at the edge of town. It's Agnes. She seems frozen-ish, but when he asks what she's doing there, she says "Town Square Scare. Where is it?" all robotic like. Vision helpfully tries to give directions. lol. "Took a wrong turn, got lost" she says.

Vision touches her head and she wakes up. "You! You're one of the Avengers. You're Vision. Are you here to help us?" "I am Vision. I do want to help. But, what's an Avenger?"

Hmm. Well, I guess he did say last week that he couldn't remember anything before Westview.

"Am I dead?" she asks. "No, why would you think that?" "Because you are."

What was news coverage after the Snap like, do you suppose? I mean, ridiculous, of course. But, like, I think they had bigger problems then wondering about snapped/dead Avengers, didn't they? Well, maybe not. "WHERE ARE AVENGERS TO HELP US?" or "HOW DARE THE AVENGERS NOT HELP US!" "TOTALLY THIS IS ON THE AVENGERS!" "WE'D ALL BE DEAD WITHOUT THE AVENGERS!" "NUHUH! BOO AVENGERS!" "EXCEPT VISION WHO DIED HEROICALLY, WE ALL LIKE THAT AVENGER!" "TONY STARK AND PEPPER POTTS SHARE THE DECORATING TIPS THAT TRANSFORMED THEIR RUSTIC RESTORATION PROJECT INTO A CHARMING FAMILY HOME".

Agnes starts screaming "Dead" at Vision. She's not coping well. Vision says he's going to try and reach outside town and try to figure this all out. "How? No one leaves. Wanda won't even let us think about it." I SUSPECT YOU, AGNES! Why would Wanda keep everybody trapped and miserable? I could see if she did it on accident, but this implies she's purposefully hurting people. I don't buy it. Agnes, again, seems to be in the right place at the right time to make Vision doubt Wanda. You're a very suspicious character, Agnes.  

She starts to laugh. "All is lost." Vision touches her had and she resets to sitcom Agnes. Somehow she can move again, she turns the car around on Ellis Ave and heads back into town. So, that answers that.

Vision walks across the Eillis Ave to the field beyond.

Meanwhile, Darcy continues to hack. Monica gets a text and says "that's it! My way back into the Hex will be here in an hour." Jimmy's all ready to boost a ride to take her to meet her aerospace buddy. But, Darcy says, nope. Can't do it. Monica's been through the Hex twice, and it's rewritten her cells. "It's changing you." Monica is undaunted. "I know what Wanda's feeling and I won't stop until I help her." Alrighty then.

Jimmy's finally going to get to hotwire a car! But wait, Darcy's not going with them. AD Dick has something hidden behind one last firewall. Darcy thinks it's big and can help them. She's going to find it.

I don't think Jimmy had to hotwire that humvee. It just started right up. Motorpool, pfft - they always leave the keys.

Back in Westview. Halloween continues at Town Square. Pietro asks Wanda where she was hiding all those kids. Whu? Says Wanda. "I assume they were all just sleeping peacefully in their beds. No need to traumatize beyond the occasional holiday cameo, amiright?" What is Pietro. "Hey don't get me wrong, you've handled the ethical considerations of this scenario as best you could. Families and couples stay together. Most personalities aren't far from what's underneath. People got better jobs. Better haircuts for sure."

"You don't think it's wrong?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm impressed. It's a pretty big leap from giving people nightmares and shooting red wigglywoos out your hands." No, really, what is Pietro? "How'd you even do all this?" Hmmm.

"I don't know how I did it. I only remember feeling completely alone. Empty. Just endless nothingness." She looks back at Pietro and for a second he's dead Pietro. Poor Wanda.

Darcy continues to hack Hayward's systems. Cataract classified weapons something something. They're still tracking Vision. Who continues his walk across the field and comes to the hex. He tries to push through it. Looks painful. SWORD rolls out to go overreact at him. He makes it through the barrier, kind of. It's a struggle.

Hayward standing there looking like a jackass "he really does want out, doesn't he?" Like he’s just amused by this turn of events, or watching a lab rat try to get out of the lab. 

Darcy's standing behind watching all of this. Bits of Vision sort of fly off and back into the Hex. Darcy says "oh no!" and runs towards him, screaming for them to help him. Way to give away your sneaky hiding, girlfriend.

In Westview. Billy looks up, he can hear what's going on outside. "I hear daddy in my head. He's in trouble."

Vision calls for help, while SWORD prioritizes arresting Darcy. Phil Coulson would never have behaved like this. Boo to SWORD. Vision is dissolving. It's kind of gross and sad.

Wanda asks where Vision is, and Pietro interrupts "Don't sweat it, sis. It's not like your dead husband can die twice." Wanda wallops him with some red wigglywoos.

Billy sees soldiers and thinks Vision is dying. Wanda stops everything and makes a big red boom. The Hex appears to be expanding. Whoops, now you've done it AD Dick. He runs away like the brave brave guy he is. They leave Darcy handcuffed to a jeep. "Are you serious right now?"

The Hex overtakes Vision and then Darcy. Trapped soldiers become clowns, and we're in the circus. Well, SWORD seems like a circus, so Wanda's not wrong. I'm pretty sure Jimmy and Monica made it, but sadly the bravest Director who ever braved also escaped. He deserved to be a circus clown. Better luck next week, Wanda.

Credits.

Well, I just don't know anymore.

Hayward doesn't care about Wanda, except where I think because of this someone will figure out what he was doing to Vision's body. And Vision is ultimately the thing he cares about in all this. I hope Wanda drops a house on him.

Hmmm.

Quit suggesting I watch Age of Ultron next, Disney. It’s not happening. 

[ottostherapy]

How to not be an adult - Returning to Hogwarts

Severus Snape x OC

a/n: A Snape appreciation month story for week 1, which I am a little late to (due to recent events, keep strong!) (and the exam I have coming up), where Snape is supposed to become a happy motherfucker burrito of joy. Unfortunately I got carried away writing this, so it will be more than one part and I haven’t finished yet, but who doesn’t like a little anticipation? no? okay, auther out.

post-war au, where Snape survives and returns to teaching at Hogwarts. After disappearing for almost four month, he has to face the new headmistress Minerva McGonagall.

warnings: angst, drinking

word count: 1377

(gif’s not mine, of course)

His hands were trembling as he reached for the single parchment roll, he had laid out days ago with the intent of writing this letter.

Dreading, he stared at the blank space, at the quill and the inkwell. The letter wasn’t going to write itself, but he surely wouldn’t be able to put down a decent word either.

It took him long before he finally picked up the device. The crackle and rustle of the nearby fireplace distracted him yet soothed his whirling mind and his shaking limbs.

He managed to put down a single sentence:

Do you still want me?

It didn’t need further explanation, she knew his hand-writing, she knew his owl and she potentially knew his troubled mind.

Severus rolled up the paper, stood from his wooden chair and tied the letter to the rustic, mud-brown owl.

“Bring this to Minerva”, he demanded. The owl nudged his finger as if he had forgotten something. Severus roamed the pockets of his pants for the vial with the treat he had cooked for Darcy.

He watched her fly off into the bitter night, resting himself on the living room couch. He immediately dozed off.

“Severus!”

It was the 25th of August 1998, Severus had gotten a short letter back. I’m expecting you at Hogwarts on the 26th. He was early, indeed, eager to get away from the place he grew up. Instead he had planned on staying at Hogsmeade.

He bowed his head. Madame Rosmerta stood behind the bar as his dark figure stepped down the staircase.

“Firewhiskey?”, she asked, knowing him all-too-well.

Severus nodded, sitting down at the other side of the counter.

Rosmerta smiled, humming as she poured the orange liquor into a glass.

“Thank you.” Severus tried a smile. He downed the glass at once. The familiar burn in his throat gave him comfort and – if he were to drink another one – the courage he needed for now.

So he ended up having maybe one or two glasses too many, the affirmation of not being received as a Death Eater by Hogsmeade population and visitors and utter confusion as to what time it was on the next morning.

Severus was relieved on the one hand – Madame Rosmerta had to tell him over and over again, that they knew he did everything following Albus Dumbledore’s order – and devastated on the other hand, because he had done all these things, no matter the greater purpose. He was also still abnormally confused how he survived Nagini’s attack, the Dark Lord’s loyal snake, he hadn’t found the right occasion to ask.

Given there were only two people he assumed were able to guess, one of which he would see today, the other one being dead, he didn’t really have the chance to ask them yet anyway.

Severus entered rebuilt Hogwarts at nine o’ clock prompt. Usually the professors arrived throughout the afternoon, Severus however had always been one to come early.

He enjoyed the silence of the stone halls without any reverberating shoes of student’s or co-workers.

Today it felt lonely, he felt lonely. He didn’t even know if he was going to teach Potions or Defence against the Dark Arts. Maybe even Transfiguration, now that Minerva McGonnagall was Headmistress, he highly doubted that though.

Severus strolled through the hallways, not a specific destiny in mind. His head was throbbing from the night and his heart was aching for human interaction.

He had spent four months in the company of an owl, vanishing wood and his mind, he was in desperate need of a change.

Before he realised, Severus stood in front of the wooden door, that once was Albus’ office. Hesitantly he knocked on the door.

Seconds passed, they felt like hours to Severus, until the door swung open.

Much to his surprise Minerva stood in front of the spiral staircase, lowering her wand. Her eyes traced his gaunt body and the wrinkles at her forehead increased.

“Severus, please come in.” Minerva’s voice croaked. She herself looked skinnier, unhealthier than before, but who didn’t really? It was good seeing her, wrinkles and weight aside.

They went upstairs. The office was quite unrecognisable. The portraits were reorganised – he greeted a few of them – the Pensieve was relocated in front of a large window, he didn’t remember. Minerva’s heavy, wooden desk stood next to the large window he did remember, the Sorting Hat sat enthroned on an olive mannequin. To his left stood a round table, circled by four armchairs.

Minerva summoned two services of tea and a pot, pouring the liquid. “Herbs, of course, sage and fennel”, she stated.

“Thank you”, Severus muttered. Minerva’s and his’ friendship had always been peculiar, to say the least. It had felt like rivalry to him, most of the time, inciting rivalry. Then they had moments like these, silent sympathy – in the haze of a glass of whiskey or wine, both of them greatly enjoyed red wine, outspoken sympathy – in which Severus found himself thinking he could not wish for a better colleague, for a better friend than her.

“May I?” Severus gestured towards the armchairs, motioning to take a seat, but – and it took even the previous headmasters in their frames by surprise – Minerva led out a sob and threw her arms around him.

Severus tensed; he had never seen Minerva lose her composure like that. She had fallen to her knees, she had screamed, yes, to the death of people dear to her heart, but he was – more or less – alive and a few seconds ago, he could have sworn, he was not high on the list of her favourite people. How wrong he was.

Slowly he led one arm to her back, then the other one. The elder witch sniffed, she rested her head on his shoulder, he mimicked her actions.

Severus felt salty tears creeping up to his own eyes and a heavy weight lifted from his heart. He sensed his muscles relaxing and a warmth spreading from within. He pulled Minerva closer to his chest.

Both of them needed the contact, the company of the other to let the feelings out, to know they were alright.

It took them a while until they tore away, faces heated, eyes red.

“I am sorry.” They then blurted out at the same time.

“You are not a coward”, Minerva added.

Severus shook his head. His black hair fell in front of his onyx eyes.

“Let us sit, Severus”, Minerva suggested. She brushed her emerald cloak along the sides of her legs, careful to not crease it while sitting down. She handed a cup of lukewarm tea to Severus and took one for herself.

“I am very pleased to see you again, Severus. I had feared you would not want to come back.” She pursed her lips.

“And I had feared you would not want me to come back.”

“No.” Minerva took a sip of her tea. “I had questioned your loyalty, Severus, I was disappointed, but Potter later told us what Albus made you do.” She paused, her sight darting off to the window. “If I had known his plan for you …” Minerva left the rest up to him.

“Minerva, I knew I was going to die eventually.” Severus placed a hand on hers. She looked up to him, a sad smile dancing around her lips. “I was wondering if you maybe knew …”

“Why you didn’t die?” Minerva pondered. “I have thought of this for a long time. Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger believed you to be dead, but we never found your body … And then came your letter.” She shook her head. “No, no, I have no idea.”

Severus nodded; he had not expected a quick answer.

“What am I going to teach? Is Horace still with us?”

“Yes, he is, bless him. I had you in mind for Defence against the Dark Arts, with the sincere wish to keep you for more than a year.”

They shot each other a glance. Laughter on the tips of their tongues.

“You will also stay the head of Slytherin house. Your office and dormitory stay where they have been.”

Severus sighted, he had expected drastic changes, the familiarity was welcoming.

[lazywriter7]

Marvel Ace/Aro Rec List

Happy Pride everyone! It’s 30 June where I’m at, and although I didn’t get to actually write something ace-coloured for Pride, I thought I could atleast show some love - mostly towards the numerous fics I’ve read in this fandom that mainly feature characters on the ace/aro spectrum.  Characters and pairings may vary, and please make sure to read all tags and take care of yourself before diving in, as some of these feature internalised phobia (but always a happy ending <3 ). So go forth and show these authors some love!

grey and other colours by theappleppielifestyle  (steve/tony, demisexual, demiromantic Tony)

Distantly, Tony hears Clint say something like, “No, I definitely heard he was an equal opportunist. Like, equal-equal, no preference. Hey Tones, who are you attracted to more, dudes or chicks?”

He calls the last part out to Tony, who runs the words over in his mind and unthinkingly says, “I’ve actually never been attracted to anyone, it’s really worrying.”

~ this one’s a staple in the ace stevetony fandom, and the first I ever read. Sweet, poignant and beautifully written, capturing Tony’s changing feelings with lovely nuance.

Variations in Modern Dance by  Pookaseraph (steve/tony, asexual Steve)

There's only one thing in the world that Steve has decided the 21st century isn't alright with: not wanting to have sex. Sadly that seems to be the one thing the Serum couldn't fix, and it's playing hell with his ability to deal with his feelings for Tony. Thankfully Tony is a brilliant engineer, and he might be able to find a solution, or maybe he'll realize there's nothing there to fix.

~ I think this fic serves as great companion reading to the one above. Some of the conversations had by the characters are (deliberately) not always delicately phrased, but there’s a lovely sense of openness, self-discovery as well as self-acceptance that’s complimented by solid, solid writing.

Chance by SallyExactly (asexual Nat, Clint & Nat brotp)

Clint Barton's snap decision to re-interpret his mission orders means a new life for Natalia Romanova. She's only got the one shot at it, though, and "how to live and remake yourself in three easy steps" was never included in her assassin training.

~ anyone who knows me knows that I never miss an opportunity to rec this fic. This is one of the best fics I’ve ever read, one of the best spy stories I’ve ever read, and it just happens to feature an asexual, female protagonist. The asexuality is honestly not the main point of the story, just one of the several things Natasha discovers and reclaims about herself, along with a lifelong friendship - and all of those things make this fic absolutely excellent.

A Practical Glossary for the Twenty-first Century by shadowen (sam/bucky, asexual Bucky)

Some words are easier than others.

~ There’s a line from this fic that goes: What he’s having trouble with is matching new words to old feelings and figuring out which words are right for all the things he feels right now. And if that’s the sort of poignant character journey you want to read for Bucky, man is this the fic for you. Lovely writing, compulsory amoeba joke, a really soft Sam... this has something for everyone :P

No Such Thing as Normal by nightwalker (steve/tony, asexual Steve)

“I understand if you want to break up,” Steve said, the words spilling out of his mouth like they were hot on his tongue. He hadn’t meant to say it quite like that and not so early in the conversation, but it’s out there now, loud and heavy between them and he can’t pretend he didn’t say it.

~ this fic is essentially a well-written, honest conversation between two characters navigating unfamiliar waters, and I like that a lot. It’s also great about representing a different facet or kind of asexuality than we sometimes read in fandom, which is all sorts of excellent because being in a spectrum do be like that :D 

Walking like a man, hitting like a hammer by TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel (aromantic, asexual maria hill) "Darcy was convinced it was going to become part of SHIELD’s oral history forever, like that time everyone on this one op was doused with sex pollen and the only one who didn’t screw someone senseless was then not-yet-deputy director Agent Hill, and Robards said it was because she was a frigid lesbian and Hill told him that the term was asexual and if he was going to be a bigoted asshole about it he could at least get her orientation right. And then Coulson made him go through the hardcore diversity and sexual harassment training as punishment, because everyone knew Hill and Coulson were bros."

Maria Hill is honestly pretty happy with her life.

~ You know when you’re kinda done with the emotion-heavy angst of being an LGBTQIA+ person, and you just kinda wanna consume content that deals with unquestioned acceptance and awesomeness? This is that fic. Maria Hill is that woman. And I love. After the Applause by  tartanfics (peggy/angie, demisexual Angie)

Angie doesn't have anyone waiting for her out in the audience. She didn't get to tell Peggy she finally got a part in a show; Peggy wasn't there to tell. She ran lines with Sarah from 4A. There's been not a word from Peggy, nothing, after Angie went to all the trouble of calling up her family and finding Peggy a way out of the city.

~ not to be tooo controversial, but do I wish that Peggy Carter’s story ended something like the above fic? Yes, yes I do <3 Set post season 1 of Agent Carter, this fic is everything you’d want a get-together to be, plus bonus demisexual Angie! Win-win all around.

And now for some self-recs: to love and to hold (aroace bruce banner, asexual natasha, queerplatonic brucenat) His expression was a little too brittle. “Lucky for you I’m a bit too much of a coward for sex, then.”

But Natasha’s lips only flattened, gaze implacable. “Have you thought not wanting to do something might not be the same as being a coward?”

untitled aro Rhodey ficlet (aro rhodey, tony & rhodey brotp)

Because here’s the thing: there are no butterflies in the world that Rhodey resides. No whirlwind rush of emotions, no dusky blush rising to his skin when someone flashes a cute smile his way, no impassioned, well-meant love notes he was smuggling into people’s lockers at recess.

All his friends come to him for love-related advice; but he feels like a scientist, observing phenomena he can analyse but not understand, proselytising about another species from afar.

And that’s it folks! Please feel free to add your own recs on, this is really by no means an exhaustive list and we deserve nice things this year - happy Pride again!

[anogete]

Untitled Wintershock WIP - Update and Sneak Peek #2

Update: I’m at 55k words and a couple pages into chapter 12.  Somewhat solid plans for chapters 12-19, subject to my moods and the feeling when I get into those chapters.  There will certainly be more chapters than 19.  Probably 24 to 26 total if I had to guess.  I have a general idea of what will be after 19, but I don’t have the points ordered by chapter.  After spending the first four chapters in Bucky’s head, I’ve found myself alternating between him and Darcy for the rest of the fic.  I might switch that up if the story necessitates it, but alternating viewpoints has been helpful in writing this.

Still hoping to wrap this up by the end of July and start posting sometime in early August.  I’m also accepting:

1) Songs Darcy would play on a road trip with Bucky.

2) 90′s alt/indie/emo rock that Darcy would like and that could be used in my writing soundtrack.

If you think of anything that fits the bill on either, drop me a line via comment or inbox.  Thank you to everyone who has already done so.

Recap -- Canon-divergent AU a couple years after CW.  After an attack on Fort Bliss, General Ross and the American government have agreed to pardon Team Cap under certain conditions.  Steve wants Bucky included in the deal, but Ross resists until Nat claims that Bucky is married and wouldn’t pose a flight risk.  Ross agrees, and Steve and Nat ask Darcy to pretend to be Bucky’s wife for a year.  Here’s the sneak peek from the second chapter:

“I’ve been trying to get your attention,” T’Challa told him.

“Why?”

“It is not Tony Stark on the com for you,” T’Challa said. “Shuri is meddling and she allowed you to believe it was.”

“Who is it?” Bucky asked. “Steve?”

“Darcy Lewis.”

“What?” Bucky asked, pulling his hand away from the doorknob so quickly, he stumbled back a half-step.

“She thought she was doing the right thing by tricking you, but…” T’Challa sighed and reached out a hand to grip Bucky’s shoulder. “You have been through too much against your will for any of us to trick you into something. Shuri called her and told her you wanted to speak. She is the one who would act as your wife, yes?”

“Yes.” Bucky’s answer sounded like a frog’s croak.

“Do you wish to speak with her?”

“No. No, I… I can’t.”

“You can!” Shuri yelled from a few steps away.

“I can’t,” he told her.

“Stop being a coward, Sergeant Barnes,” Shuri told him. “You told me you didn’t want to make her do this. Well, why don’t you ask her what she thinks? Maybe you’ll feel differently.”

“Do you want me to leave?” he asked, stepping away from Shuri and T’Challa.

“No, I don’t want you to leave, idiot. But you’re miserable here. I didn’t create that algorithm to deprogram HYDRA’s conditioning so you could sit in your hut and eat dinner by yourself after doing farm work all day. I didn’t create that arm so you could hide here for the rest of your life and hate yourself.”

“I don’t—” Bucky choked on the words he was about to say. “I don’t… hate myself.”

“You act like it, Sergeant Barnes,” she told him.

“I’m done with life. There’s a difference.”

T’Challa reached out for him, but he took another step back. “Barnes,” he said, furrowing his brows. “You’re meant for more than this.”

“I don’t know if I can fight,” he admitted, bracing himself with a hand on the wall. His stomach was churning; it felt like his body was eating itself alive.

“There are more purposes than the shedding of blood.”

“Not for me,” Bucky said. “Not for me.”

“Bullshit,” Shuri said, closing the distance between them. “You’re just afraid to try.”

“So? What if I am? What if I try and find out that’s all I am?”

“All you are?” she asked.

Bucky swallowed the lump in his throat. His ears were roaring and he knew it was blood even thought it sounded like a hurricane. “A fist, a gun, a man who strangles an innocent woman because she was in the way.” Was he even still standing? Were his knees locked?

T’Challa’s hand was on shoulder again, so he assumed he was still upright even though all he could see was the pinched look on Shuri’s face. “That was not you. I should know because I’m the one who went rooting around in there to remove the triggers.”

“You’re too forgiving,” Bucky told her.

“You’re too stupid,” she shot back. “You’re a good man.”

T’Challa’s fingers tightened, squeezing the muscles in Bucky’s right shoulder. “She’s right, Barnes. You cannot let the past define you. You must look forward, move forward.”

“I don’t know how.”

“You do. You’ve already done so.”

“At a snail’s pace,” Shuri added.

“Shuri,” T’Challa snapped, “have some mercy and some patience.”

“How about some tough love for my adopted uncle who seems determined to waste his life tending to goats?”

Bucky exhaled, his chest deflating. “Adopted uncle?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied, giving him a haughty look, her chin up and her eyes rolled to the side. “Don’t act like we aren’t like family.”

Her comment and the irritation behind it made him smile. When he looked up, he saw T’Challa was smiling, too. “We see more in you than you see in yourself. You will fight only if you choose to, but that is not all you are, Barnes,” the man told him.

Bucky rolled his shoulder to break T’Challa’s hold. Once free, he leaned back against the wall, bracing himself and pulling in two deep breaths. “I don’t know if I can talk to her. I don’t know if I can do this.”

“She’s not expecting an answer from you, idiot. I told her you want to talk to her to see how she feels about what Steve is asking her to do,” Shuri said. “You told me that you couldn’t do this because you didn’t want to put her in this position. I thought you should actually ask her what she thinks about what she’s agreed to before you start deciding how she feels.”

“Shuri,” T’Challa said, his voice warning her.

“Shut up, brother.”

“Hey, don’t—”

“Don’t talk to your brother like that,” Bucky finished for the other man.

She rolled her eyes and lifted a hand.

“If you make that vulgar gesture at me…” T’Challa warned.

She smiled sweetly and flipped up her middle finger.

Bucky couldn’t stop himself from chuckling softly.

“I’m glad someone finds amusement in this blatant disrespect,” T’Challa said. The lift at the corners of his mouth belied his serious tone.

Shuri crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the ground. “She’s waiting, you know.”

Bucky felt his stomach drop at the mention of the woman who was currently being projected inside the room to his left. If he opened the door, then it would look like she was sitting there, waiting for him. The holograms were so realistic it was unnerving. “Shuri…” Bucky said with a sigh.

“She’s nice, Bucky. I like her. I think you will, too. She’s not expecting anything from you. This isn’t a blind date. Think of it like an interview for a job.”

“Who is interviewing? Me or her?”

Shuri shrugged. “Figure it out.”

[everything-tony-feared]

Bucky Barnes/James Barnes/The Winter Soldier imagines

Hi all! This is a pretty long list of possible situations for you and our darlin' Plum. Feel free to use them however, and if possible, tag me! I love reading Bucky x Reader (or Bucky x Tony, ikik..) and there's just never enough of it around.

I'm thinking about doing some of these so let me know if you're interested in reading one!

You are a consultant on cultural behavior, which means you detail the best appearance, attitude, and quirks for an undercover agent to have. Given your indepth knowledge, Fury assigns you the arduous task of bringing Steve Rogers and James Barnes up to speed on history post-1949.

You have known Tony for 15 years. You were born on August 1st, 1980, and attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After the war, you found yourself numb and detached from life, with your only surviving close friends and family being Harry James Potter and Ron Weasley. After suffering through apathy and depression for five years, at the age of 23, you throw yourself through the Veil. Unsure if you will encounter a blissful void, screeching hellfire and your righteous maker, or some other world, you put all your belongings in an extended bag and welcome the final step. Funnily enough, you fell face-forward into a gutter. 15 years later, Tony calls on you to consult on the portals opening at random. Unsure what to expect, seeing as you are the last magical being on this earthly realm, you agree. What you find brings back memories of parseltongue, bloodquils, and man with 7 lives. Bucky x Reader.

Born into an impoverished family, Y/N Y/L/N is the last in a long line of witch-hunters. Your father was already well into his 60s when you were born, so when he passed, it was just your mother left to instill the family doctrine in you. Despite this all, you eventually turn to a life of normalcy, and become a historian specializing in occult artifacts (that's normal, right?). Stephen Strange is a close friend, and eventually asks you to help him in his research kickstarted by Jane Foster. You come into contact with all of the Avengers although you've barely held a conversation past "Hi, how ya doin'?". With Darcy as your new best friend, and her ridiculous affair with the God of Lies, you find yourself reciting the words your father had carved into his flesh. "For our King, our God, and the Righteousness of Divinity, may God have Mercy upon your Filthy Soul." Would be very interesting with a fictional twist on a religion or faith of your choosing. Bucky x Reader where eventually Reader is the only person in the tower/compound who can successfully defend herself against attacks by the supernatural without heavy firepower- Bucky being the exception of course. Horror!theme?

It had been a nice sunny day in Manhattan. You thought to yourself, "You know what, this is gelato weather. I deserve gelato." And instead you get shot by some asshole with a red star on his shirt, kidnapped by a blonde man with a shield, and then told it was your fault for telling the red star asshole to leave your landlord alone.

Peter thinks he's sly- that you don't know about his spandex-wearing cobwebby bullshit. Ha! You'd lived next door all your life. Your WINDOW faces his. Who does he think he's fooling? Doesn't matter, he got you into a Stark Expo VIP tour. But hey, that tall brooding dude looks like he needs a laugh. Wait, what do you mean you can't say "Who pissed in your cornflakes?" to the Winter Soldier? He's not the Winter Soldier, he- oh. Shit. Haaa..haha.. "PETER!!"

As Tony Stark's assistant, you've seen a lot of stuff. You've seen him butt naked, you've seen him so drunk he thought you were Rhodey (somehow), and you've even had your heart in his chest. You and he trust each other completely. One day, you get a call and it's a hospital in Y/Home/Town. They say your grandpa had a heart attack. And so you're on leave for 2 months making sure he's okay. Ol' Dirty Dugan doesn't go down easy. When you return, there is a strange split in the team. Tony spends even more time in his lab, he smells awful, and there's bags under his eyes. The team doesn't mention him and you notice they don't call him out for missions anymore. Wtf? After some digging you find out that Clint, Natasha, Steve, Sam, and Wanda are convinced Tony is a piece of shit. They think he's selfish, a coward, and a pervert, all because of misinformation and his public image. Hell fucking no. Thank god they thawed Barnes out, at least he isn't partaking in Bully-Tony-Tuesday. In fact.. he seems to be just as distant and despondent as Tony. You have a lot of work to do.

Bucky is your best friend. In the sense that, you don't have any real friends, and he doesn't let people close. But you bring him coffee, he shares his protein bars, and sometimes you two watch youtube together. Then one day an office clerk slaps your ass. What does Bucky do? He fractures the guys jaw.

"Happy Birthday to me. Happy birthday to me.. Happy Birthday, dear (Y/N), happy..birthday..to me.." Nobody remembered. Again. Your parents didn't call. Your sister didn't call. Your old friends didn't call. Nobody on the team said anything, but then again, they probably didn't know.. you are just a lab assistant anyway. Oh, well, Jarvis 2.0 did say Happy Birthday. That was nice. Bucky overheard Jarvis, though. So he goes out and buys some flowers, a bottle of sake, and a cheesecake. And then you cry and doesn't know why. Happy birthday to me. Oneshot. Fluffy angst.

They didn't know you were sick. None of them. You were conveniently out of town when the medical check ups took place, and never allowed the pain to show on your face. But one day at work you collapse, and they can't wake you up. Cho discovers you have kidney disease. You're dying and have been for a while. Tony pays top dollar for an immediate transplant, but it will still take a month or two. You used to have morning chats with Barnes after his run. You always were an early bird. But now he's on assignment somewhere secret, and you feel even more numb. Bucky couldn't handle the thought that you'd die (you won't but he doesn't know that), so he runs. He runs and immerses himself in a mission, believing you'd never feel the same way.

You came home and discovered your boyfriend of eight years in bed with a woman you'd never seen before. Turns out they'd been having a secret affair for nearly 5 years. You are arrested for punching him in the face- not that you remember, you blacked out in rage- and humourously enough, Barnes is the one who collects you from the station. It's okay, you hadn't been in love with Jerry for a long time, but it still hurt. So when you see Jerry with his 'side chick' three months later, you also discover Bucky had a sense of humour. Apparently you're now married to James Barnes, have been for a while, and are pregnant. Of course you're not but somehow Bucky knew just what to say and do to piss Jerry right off.

[octoberwren]

If it’s words you seek (I’ll Remember You) Chapter 2.

Thank you all so much for loving this odd ball fic, seriously I can not tell you enough how much I adore you all for it! The only thing I have to say about this chapter is that it almost killed me. I wanted it to be perfect, so of course I ended up re-writing it like a thousand times. Yep. (I’m neurotic about posting no matter how many time I’ve done it, I’d hate to disappoint you guys who have liked it so much.) But now that it’s done I’m happy with it, you might not be with the amount of angst. I can’t write fluff guys. I wish I could, my mind would love me more for it.

Anyway...happy reading! Hope you enjoy. Seeing as this is going to be a multi-fic you’re more than welcome to ask me to tag you in it! I love doing that ; )

Chapter 1 here

Also on Ao3 for your convenience

(I own nothing, Marvel owns me)

Summary: Darcy Lewis is many things, avoidance expert, current holder of the Hydra Survivor Cup and not to boast, but she's at an expert level with self defense in sarcasm and shiny wit.

What she's absolutely not is Steve Rogers Soulmate, she doesn't give a flying monkey what The Universe is trying to tell her with the 'gifts' she's recently acquired, i.e Reading His Mind and other tricks that have to do with The Good Captain.Her and Steve? 

Pffft, that's never gonna happen.

Chapter 2: Hindsight is a bitch and so is HYDRA.

3 years ago

Darcy loved her job, most days. The benefits were good, and honestly, she needed those, it was all fine and dandy being an intern with Jane when there weren't Aliens and Gods trying to have a smackdown on planet earth. And for some Loony Toons reason, Darcy was always smack dab in the middle of all of that world ending hoopla.

So when Nick Fury himself offered her a job, well what was she supposed to say?

No. She could have said no, Jane had demanded she say "Fuck no, you damn pirate." But Darcy really needed the health coverage, it was just a hop skip and away before she was shot at, and she was trying to be an adult and handle her business.

Janey hated the idea, but she slowly came around when Darcy had pointed out quite reasonably, if she said so herself, that what better way to keep an eye on S.H.I.E.L.D shenanigans than to have an all-access pass to their home base.

Technically her job title was ‘File Manager', so a lackey in Nick Fury terms, Darcy fully believed he'd only given her the job so he could keep an eye on her. But whatever, she had a coffee shop in her workplace and a hell of a view.

A view she had been creepy staring at for over three months now, it was borderline stalker behavior. But the man had an ass that wouldn't quit, and that navy uniform did so many things for Darcy's late night imagination, that she physically couldn't help but stare.

It was only when she started noticing other things that Darcy thought she may be in some trouble here.

Like the way he opened doors for the science dudes, who stuttered and looked on in awe, or how he sometimes looked so lost, like a boy who let go of his mother's hand. He came in some days bloody and broken, with eyes that seemed too haunted to be real. It took everything Darcy had and then some not to rush over and hug the stuffing out of his chest, just so he didn't look like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders alone.

Four months in and when she could actually detect his steady steps from a room away, Darcy decided that enough was enough, she needed to do something before she bear-hugged the man out of sheer frustration.

It was then that Darcy came up with a foolproof plan; because everyone loved coffee right? Right.

She'd put on her big girl pants and give him something to smile about because his sad face was breaking her soul, so she ordered a coffee just the way he like it, ignoring the side-eye she received from the barista when she wrote down the order.

She then marched her butt down to his office that looked as bummed out as he was, with the plain gray walls and bare furnishing practically screaming his loneliness out loud with hand gestures. Darcy lifted her hand to knock on the Captain's door, only to reel back in shock when it opened up.

Steve Rogers towered over her and for a split second Darcy felt like she was going to lose her breath, he was just so damn handsome it was unfair to the people of earth.

His open face blanked carefully when he saw her standing there holding two coffees. He took in his name on one of the cups and Darcy's stomach dropped when she saw the flicker of something flash through his eyes. Before he even opened his mouth, Darcy had the strangest sort of sixth sense, she felt something disastrous coming her way, she knew exactly what he was going to say and she wanted to stop this, she wanted to wake up this morning in total ignorance. The coffee cups started to tremble in her hands as she began to wish feverently that this wasn't what she thought is was.

But Steve didn't notice her distress, he spoke the words that damned them both, "Sorry Miss, but whatever the hell this is, you're not my priority."

And just as she knew it would, Darcy's world shifted on its axis and fell apart at her feet.

She opened her mouth ignoring everything in her screaming to shut the hell up-keep quiet-he doesn't need to know- it was instinctive, she wanted to say something, anything to him, not to leave her alone like this, but she could only let out a stutter, It was too late anyway, he was already turning away from her, even when the coffees fell from her hand and landed on the floor in a wet mess, he never even glanced back in her direction.

Darcy stood like a statue, watching Captain America-no-Steve Rogers (because of fucking course her mother was right. She wasn't special, she'd never be great enough for him, for the world he belonged to.) walk away with his shoulders straight like the soldier he was. He blocked out the evening sun as he left her and engulfed her surroundings in darkness.

Darcy really thinks her brain is coming up with bullshit metaphors at inappropriate times, but she can't breathe. Let alone think.

She's left standing in the middle of his door, the air around her seemed so much colder than it was before, her teeth started chattering against the freezing air and she wanted to break down and laugh or cry, maybe both, she wanted to sink to her knees and yell that she knew it, she knew this was always going to be her downfall.

All those years of looking at her mark, she had stupidly convinced herself that she was bigger than this moment.

It was the worst lie she had ever told herself.

She couldn't breathe.

And for a vomit inducing second she thought she was going to black out, but then no, she knew this feeling, she just hadn't felt it for a few years now, she was having a panic attack. Joyness abound today.

She slid to the ground slowly, tracking her breaths, trying to touch the floor, smell the air, until her heart didn't feel like it was going to explode from her chest in a gory mess.

She hadn't felt this fragile-and her mind spits the word like venom-since she left her shitty hometown, filled with shitty people.

Because this wasn't some average Joe…it wasn't someone who thought she was just a body with big boobs and no brains or even someone that thought her life experience consisted of a nice suburban life and no real tragedy. It wasn't even her mother's condescending taunting, Darcy dear, are you sure you want to go out in that? Are you sure Political Science is the field for you? Don't you think he'll love you more if you cleaned the house?

This was someone that-Thor help her- she wanted respect from. She had actually wanted him to like her, she all but scoffs at that, all she got was a mere glance and words that she never thought would spill from his perfect lips.

Steve Rogers was her soulmate, a shudder wracks her body with just that thought, he was a good person, all the things she told herself about her mythical ‘one' was ignorant.

She had read about his heroic deeds in history class and had admired him long before he turned out to be alive and walking in the same semi-circle as her own.

What the hell was the universe thinking pairing her up with him? Her insecurities seemed to drown out the noise of the building as she got up and headed home.

In the days, weeks after, Darcy was a mess, and she couldn't shake herself out of it no matter how stubbornly she wanted to. It felt like her soul was missing, and maybe it was, maybe he took it from her the moment he spoke.

She went from rage to helplessness. One day she was convinced she was going to storm into his office and yell every curse words she knew and ones that she made up on the spot. She wanted to see him regret ever speaking those words, but before she'd even get to his door she ran away in a fit of panic.

There were plenty times she just paced the hallway and Darcy knew she looked crazy, hell, she felt like a nutjob. She stayed away from work a lot as well, she was surprised Nick Fury didn't burst into her room and drag her out by her feet. (In the oncoming days she realized why he didn't and Darcy barely kept the tears away when she thought about how her life would have been, if she just put on the news)

Darcy had finally made up her mind, she would just say something, he had the right to at least know, Darcy couldn't keep it from him, that was unfair, although she really, really wanted to. It was taking most of her strength not to get on a plane and book it to the nearest deserted island. She wanted to crawl into a ball and scream until her throat was sore. But Darcy Lewis wasn't a coward, and she wouldn't let her shitty hometown be right about her. She wasn't second best, she deserved more out of her life than to be a throwaway thought.

Steve may not want her around but he'd at least know what they meant to each other, then and only then could he decide on where he wanted her in his world. (and if he didn't want her anywhere near him, then she would accept it like the grown-up she was, even if the very thought left her with an ache in her heart,)

So with that, Darcy bought a new cup of coffee, and so help her if he even thought of turning the drink of Gods away again, she entered his empty office and waited and then waited some more.

She stood for so long, straining to hear even the slightest noise, that her back protested her very existence. Bored, she put the coffee down at his table and sat at his desk, his chair swiveled and she amused herself by twirling in it, and almost threw it to the ground when she heard a noise outside. When it grew quiet again and her thundering heart settled down, she figured it wasn't Steve about to catch her in her lunacy.

When she heard the thud again she got annoyed at the dumbass that was ruining her fun times, she was an anxiety-ridden mess and whoever the hell that was, was going to get a mouth full from her when she let loose all her nervous ramblings and probably, no definitely, some insults.

She stormed out the room and peeked around a corner but she instantly deflated when she saw Adam looking at her sheepishly, while he tried to get into another office a few doors down. Adam was a good guy but he looked more like he should be down with the sciences dudes, than working as a field agent. He was also spacy enough that forgetting his keys was common enough occurrence.

Darcy was about to offer her help like she normally did, but stopped when she heard a familiar deep voice coming from the speakers, Steve's voiced echoed along the walls and what came next made her blood run cold with fear.

"Attention all S.H.I.E.L.D agents, this is Steve Rogers. You've heard a lot about me over the last few days. Some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time, to tell the truth. S.H.I.E.L.D is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by HYDRA. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The S.T.R.I.K.E and insight crew are HYDRA as well. I don't know how many more, but I know their in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want. Absolute control. They shot Nick Fury and it won't end there. If you launch those helicairriers today, HYDRA will kill anyone that stands in their way. Unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot. But the price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not."

Darcy's emotions ping-ponged from self-disgust and shame that she didn't know, after all these days, Steve had been going through so much worse things than her. He said he had been hunted, like he was just a step away from a bullet and she really fucking hoped he was okay because she wasn't sure she'd forgive herself if he wasn't.

Next was a burning anger that made her skin hot thinking of those HYDRA dicks, she fucking hated Nazi's and she hated that she worked in a place that was crawling with them. It was like a light switch clicked on, as Darcy realized that she wasn't alone listening to that announcement. When her eyes met Adam's, Darcy wanted to spit, his mask of clumsiness had fallen away and in its place was an ugly rage that she had never seen on another human face before. He looked alien to her.

"Oh Darcy," He leered at her, and she wanted to throw up, preferably on him, the dickwad. "I really wish he had waited at least a few seconds. This might have been less painful for you."

She had a second to think ‘what the actual fuck?' before he took steps towards her, but nope, she backed the hell up and slammed the door in his face, sliding the lock home.

"Please, Darcy, you think that will stop HYDRA?" His voice was too smooth behind the door, to clean and Darcy never hated someone so much in her life. "Do you think he can stop this? We're HYDRA, If a head is cut off, one shall grow in its place."

She snorted at that, even when the door kicked in she was still chuckling with amusement at these massive douche-nozzles, "Is that in your brochure? Because and I'm just being honest here, that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. You do know that the Greek legend ended with Hercules killing the monster right? You have cracked open a book before, right?. So I'd say the odds are against you here Adam, there's a real-life legend kicking your buddies asses right now, no way you're getting out of this alive."

Wow, who knew a vein could thorb that angrily? Guess she hit a nerve, she wasn't smug, much. Oh who the hell was she kidding, the smirk curved her face like war paint.

"This is what's going to happen little girl," she didn't actually think he could piss her off more, but that kind of flew out the window and died a horrible death with that remark, "You're going to stay still and not move, I'm going to take all the information I can out of your hero's computer. I'll take you away and get a promotion for all my trouble. You, on the other hand, will be locked away in a room so small, that by week one you'll have lost your mind, your bravado will vanish and I'll be there every step of the way to watch it happen."  

She could lie to herself and say she was just buying time until help arrived, or that she was a second away from getting out of this. But the dread was lodged like a stone in her stomach, and she could tell that no one was coming for her. Especially not the man she really wanted to see, he was probably a bit busy saving the world.

There was no way out, but even as her fingers shook with terror, she'd still be damned if she let him see her fear, he wouldn't get that from her, "Okay dude, just two things, this is the twenty-first century, do you really want to be walking around as a chauvinistic prick? Because I think that's the wrong lifestyle choice."

"Also, who said it was just bravado? Kudos on the big words, by the way, some people, but not you obviously, would clearly see all my talk for what it was... Stalling." Darcy then flipped over the coffee cup that was for Steve and it sloshed over the computer's hard drive, there was a sizzle and- a quite frankly- underwhelming whine as the thing was destroyed.

She glanced up at his gaping mouth and shrugged carelessly, "Guess that promotion is off the table now, huh? Sucks for you."

The last thing Darcy could recall without a head-splitting throb was a fist barrelling towards her face.

Three years later and Adam was lying in his own pool of blood while Darcy stood over him, knife in her hand, and sick threatening to give way, and if she could go back, she'd tell that girl pacing outside of Steve's office to say something. To stop being such a chicken shit and use her damn voice. She had enough light in her soul to be worthy of his affection, she could be what the universe believed she was; the perfect match for him.

Now though, she had crimson blood dripping from her hands and guilt suffocating her lungs, his love was the last thing Darcy would ever deserve.

Present

Steve stumbled back from her, shaking his head as if to clear it, "What the hell?"

Darcy turned her head, she really didn't want to see what realization he came to, what kind of emotions she had unwilling let him feel, she just hoped whatever he was going to do, he'd make it quick and spare her the drama. This day had been long enough already, she was exhausted, she really didn't care how it ended at this point. Even if they had a prison at this…she was on a farm… How the hell did she only notice that now, where exactly did they expect to keep her locked up, in the barn with Betty the cow?

"Steve what-" Whatever Bucky was going to say was drowned out by her startled shriek, as Steve bloody Rodgers, reached down and hauled her off the ground and into his arms.

Darcy wasn't going to lie, this was on her her bucket list, but she was too shocked to actually enjoy the moment, she's also pretty sure she looked like an absolute idiot with her mouth hanging open as she stared up at his face.

His strong jawline of freedom tightened, when he noticed her appalled look, and was it her imagination or was he blushing slightly? She had to reel in the urge to pinch his cheeks, she succeeded, but by barely an inch of self-control.

"You're in agonizing pain, Miss Lewis. I could feel it." Darcy felt the rumble of his voice against her side, and she needed to have a stern talking to with her body because she shivered in response to the feeling and now was definitely not the time for her it to start perking up like a bloodhound.

He did smell sinfully good though, and her lady parts loved it. She wasn't even sorry.

If anything it looked like Steve blushed harder and her curiosity was building, she really wanted to ask what kind of aftershave he used (she thought it may have been specially made just for her, like in an actual lab somewhere) but that would involve speaking, and that was something she was going to avoid at all costs. Like the end of the world type stakes before she even uttered an I'm-your-soulmate-let's-go-for-coffee-and- by- coffee-I mean-sex.

"So," Steve cleared his throat and shifted her in his grip, and damn she wanted to melt into a puddle as she watched his muscles flex and ripple, "You can communicate your thoughts through touch?"

It was then that Darcy realized a few things in rapid succession, Steve had no idea that it was only him that she could communicate with through touch, hell she didn't even know she had that little trick up her sleeve or she would have built a literal wall around herself and not just her emotions.

Another thing was when Steve felt her pain, he picked her up gently, he was still holding her as if she was made of glass, it wasn't a big revelation but it was just so damn sweet of him that it made the cliff notes, especially if he felt her guilt, then he really was the best man she had ever come across. (He really needed to cut that shit out if he ever expected her not to love him.)

The last thing was probably the more important one, her hands were wrapped around his neck, so he had to be feeling all the inappropriate thoughts about those muscles, and how she had fantasized about the many things he could do with them.

So now she was flailing around in his arms as she tried to break free because nope, him actually knowing she lusted after him ruined The Plan. The not talking to him until death or the world imploded plan. It had its flaws but it was working so far.

She wasn't exactly succeeding in trying to run away with some sort of dignity intact, Steve just held her tighter in his unmovable arms, "Miss Lewis, please stop, you'll hurt yourself and despite what you may think, even if you did betray us, I wouldn't want anyone to be hurt under my watch. And you're in too much pain to disrupt your injuries any further."

She wished she could tell him that his words hurt a hell of a lot worse than any bullet wounds she suffered from. Darcy was used to physical pain, it was always her emotions that ran a little too deep and cut too sharply with her.

She assumed that he had felt her guilt and hey, at least she knew now where she stood. That didn't stop her from folding her arms across her chest as he walked into the house. If she could minimise skin contact and her subsequent humiliation then she would take every precaution she could.

They walked past the kids, now watching tv and Darcy didn't stick out her tongue when the little girl giggled at her position in Steve's arms. She was an adult, she had loads of restraint.

No, she did not. She leant over Steve's huge shoulder and stuck her tongue out at the little tattle tail.

"That wasn't very nice," Steve said as they entered the hallway she had bolted from, she could hear the amusement softening his tone, and Darcy couldn't help the grin that teased her lips if she tried.

His answering grin lit the embers of a flame she thought had been killed years ago, she had to reached down deep to actually feel that it was hope surging in her bloodstream. Darcy tried desperately to douse it but it kept flickering up again, and she wished that whatever happened next that, that small amount of hope didn't end up sealing her fate for the worse.

Fun fact, fear was one of the biggest triggers to her bond with Steve, Hydra used that information brutally. And an awesome effect was that being experimented on left Darcy with a healthy dose of fearing needles. So when Steve had left her in the room with Helen, the doctor who she really regretted pushing and yeah she felt like a dick for hurting the woman, but now that she had a huge needle in her hands, she would call them very much even, alright.

Darcy tried closing her eyes and counting to ten, she tried wrapping her hands in the sheets to feels something concrete, but her heart wouldn't stop slamming against her rib cage, she didn't want this, she hated this, invading his privacy. It wasn't hers to have, it was never hers to keep. She couldn't just-

"Sam touched her," Steve said to half of The Avengers, all sitting on the porch looking up at their leader

"What?" Clint asked standing behind a brunette that Darcy knew from past episodes of Walking In Steve's Shoes, was the archer's wife and Soulmate. She cradled a baby in her hands and Darcy had never seen something so small and fragile before or that damn adorable.

Natasha got to what Steve was trying to say first, "When Darcy touched Sam, I assume he felt nothing?" When the man nodded his answer, she carried on, "She made skin contact with Helen as well."

"So what you're sayin' is that Steve's finally got a girl he can understand?" Bucky chuckled at his friend's heated glare, but Darcy didn't feel real happy. If they could figure this out it was only a step closer to that something bigger and more terrifying.

Steve wasn't stupid, he'd add it all up and get a big fat Soulmate red flag.

The only shot she had was that he was still feeling confused, "All I felt was guilt and pain." He stated and Darcy felt a sudden rush of worry, for her. It was so out of left field it left her mind silent. A miracle that had never been achieved before.

"They flipped her then?" Sam asked but Steve was already shaking his head.

"No." He was using his Captain's voice, the  one that demanded attention and Darcy could feel her eyes tear up outside of his mind, she didn't think she needed his support until she got it. She had been afraid he would look at her with eyes that were cold, that she would become his enemy. And deep down, to the squishy part of her that was forever vulnerable where this man was concerned, that part of her knew, if Steve had ever come to despise her, it was probably one of the only things left in this world that could tear her to shreds.

"I thought maybe at first she might have been, but that's not the guilt I recognized. It was self-loathing. I think Miss Lewis fought her way out of HYDRA, she probably killed the bastards that took her, and that's what's eating her up inside." Darcy felt that swirling black rage again, it almost swallowed her up with its ferocity. Steve was livid, and she got the suspicious feeling that if she left anyone of them alive, he'd finish what she had started.

"Why'd she run then?" Clint's wife, Laura, asked while rocking her child in her arms, Darcy felt a pang of envy as she looked on with Steve's gaze at the family, and she almost choked on her tongue when she sorted through the huge mass of emotions to fully realize that, that one had came from her. Well shit, that wasn't ever going to be thought of or repeated again.

"She was scared," Steve shrugged looking away from his teammates to the evening sky beyond them, "she just got out of an extreme situation, trust probably isn't her first priority right now."

Darcy felt searing pain hearing that word repeated again, and this time she knew that came purely from her own body. Her chest burnt with it and she needed out, she wanted to keel over and just breathe properly for the first time in three years, without fear of this curse she had robbing her of her own mind.

She just wanted this to end.

But no one was listening to her, they never  did.

“I think-" and Steve said this so softly that even in her head, she still struggled to hear him, and maybe she didn't want to, "I think I'm hurting her."

Darcy's link slammed closed and she took in deep gulps of fresh tasting oxygen, Helen was standing over her hands stretched as if to press down onto her chest.

"I'm fine." Darcy wheezed out, bending her head over her knees.

"Yeah and I'm not still mad about you shoving me." The small woman said with an arch of her eyebrow, but she still looked ready to give Darcy CPR.

"I'm sorry about that, I was a bit-" She searched for the right words to come to her, but her mind felt like sludge.

Helen helpfully filled in the blanks, "Crazy?" or not as helpful as she thought. But Darcy still snorted out a laugh. In another life, they might have have been great friends.

"I was going to say freaked out but yeah, that works."She laid back down on the bed when her words turned slurred, "Did you give me smumthing?"

"Yes. You were severely exhausted, frankly I don't even know how you were still standing." Darcy tried to say something back, about her award-winning stubbornness maybe? She also feels like she should be a little more freaked the fuck out by losing awarenesses, but she couldn't get all that worked up about it.

She felt way too groovy.

Darcy's going in and out of consciousness when she opens her eyes again to a clash of blue, so bright that she smiles at it like it's the sun itself. She remembers that blue, and it never failed to bring an ache of longing to her world.

She lets herself feel the safety in that gaze that looks so welcoming, she loves the warmth that spreads through her like a campfire and she wants to stay in this moment forever, she wants to keep that feeling close to her, so she never feels alone again. She even lets her fingers reach out to touch and when she collides with something warm, she instantly gets hit with a strong sense of what she always assumed home would feel like.

And for once Darcy sleeps without nightmares or a fear of what the next day will bring.

Apparently what it brings is one pissed of God of Thunder and a tiny astrophysicist that wants to defend her honor and say fuck a lot while she does it, so y'know, the days looking brighter than the last.

Silver linings and all that shit.

Soooo? I hope you enjoyed it! If not, thanks for sticking with me this far! Much Love guys! 

[mayamatiln]

can u please talk about your love for Johnny DiMarco? gush about it bc me too

sorry it took me so long to answer this. I’ve tried to come up with a coherent way to describe my love for him but I’m not sure this will do it justice but I’ll try. 

Long story short: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Not only that but it was subtle character development shown through his interactions as a supporting character. It’s what skyrocketed him to becoming my favorite character because if you didn’t watch him closely you would never pick up on how much he was changing with every new episode he was in. Let me analyze a bit:

Season 6 - He is introduced as just another bully from Lakehurst and honestly I didn’t really notice him until Rock This Town when he was there and watched Drake stab JT. Obviously my initial reaction was to hate both of them so much, just like the other characters on the show did. Especially after he watched it happen then immediately ran away. BUT after watching the episode for the billionth time a crazy thought popped into my head: “Imagine what Johnny is going through in his head.” I mean it was clear by the look on his face that what Drake did was completely not okay with him and he was clearly traumatized by watching it. I realized that he ran away (which was the wrong thing to do) because he panicked and got scared like any 16/17 year old kid would. The show completely skipped over the fact that he was probably heavily interrogated by the cops for possibly being an accessory to murder but I was immediately intrigued by what is possibly going on in this boys head.

Season 7 - When first see Johnny this season he is up to his old bullying ways and in my head I was like “really this kid goes through watching a guy he was bullying die and he just keeps on picking on people like it didnt affect him at all?” But then we get that scene where Toby confronts Johnny about how he watched Drake kill JT and you can clearly see Johnny deflecting and trying to shut it out and forget that it ever happened. To me it was so clear that Johnny was going through some really dark things and the only way he knew how to cope with it was by doing what he usually does and taking it out on other people. He keeps doing this until we get to Bust A Move where we see that Johnny is attending the Red Pines camp along with Darcy. If you weren’t really looking for it you would completely miss him being there but at the beginning of one scene we hear him talking to the group about exactly what I had suspected that he had been going through. He talks about how since JT died he has sorta been off the rails and he keeps asking himself why does he have to be such a jerk. This moment confirmed to me what a complex and layered and extremely human character Johnny was even though he was only a background character. It was the pivotal moment that cemented him as one of my favorite characters. 

Season 8 - These were the seasons where we finally began to chip away at the tough guy exterior and see the real Johnny that he was hiding underneath all because of Alli. Although we only ever saw that relationship from her point of view as a way to tell the stereotypical “young girl gets with older guy and realizes she isn’t as mature as she thinks plot” it was still very clear that the relationship meant a lot to the both of them which wasn’t stereotypical at all. From Alli’s point of view we see her chasing after him but it’s also made very clear that he really does like her just as much (if not more) than she liked him but he was initially too much of a coward to admit it. What was so important about this relationship though is that Alli was the first person, other than Bruce (which doesn’t count), who ever sought him out and genuinely liked him and wanted to get to know him. She was never afraid of him like everyone else was and she was persistent which is exactly what he needed. Like he says in Heart of Glass, she wasn’t just some hook up for him, he genuinely liked her as a person because she took the time to pay attention to him and notice that he is actually kind of a nerd. He likes books and literature and he cares about making sure she gets home on time and buys her a flower when he hopes that she never finds out that he’s the one who sent it and he buys her a heartshaped necklace because he’s never been in a relationship before and he doesnt know what he’s doing. She brought him out of his shell and taught him that he is so much more than a bully and that people outside of his small friend group can genuinely like him. I also want to note how when he lies about her being his first time too, like yes it was bad to lie, but from his point of view he finally found someone who genuinely likes him for who he is and he is terrified of hurting her and her leaving him. Yet again we see Johnny making a big mistake but still it is understandable and realistic because he is in fact a teenage boy.

Season 9 - We start off the season with Johnny making possibly one of the biggest mistakes he has ever made (well at least to me). Him sending Alli’s nudes to Bruce because he was mad that she posted a silly picture of him being HIMSELF was so childish and immature and disgusting. That being said it was completely in character and necessary for his character to hit this low point when things were finally looking up for him. When thing’s don’t go Johnny’s way he has always been known to act out cruelly to those around him and sink deeper into his tight friendship with Bruce who he knows would never leave him. He gets upset and reverts into his old habits and thus loses Alli in the process which is probably the biggest reality check he has ever gotten. Then to top it all off he finds out he has genital warts which seals the deal that he has lost the one person who genuinely liked him and cared about him as a person. He initially reacts just like he always has and returns to picking on others as a way to cope. Then as we get to the episode Why Can’t This Be Love we have another turning point. First I must point out that the part 1 of this episode is one of my favorites because it is the only episode where Johnny has an entire plot from his point of view. In it we see him asking Alli to prom because he clearly still has feelings for her and she immediately turns him down. He tried to rebound and fails miserably because when it comes to talking to girls let’s just say he is a total goof who has clearly lost his touch over the past year with Alli. At prom he sees Alli flirting with Dave at prom and he picks on them out of jealousy, by the end of the episode Johnny watches Alli move on with her life and knows that it is over for good. BUT this is the moment that Johnny also decides to turn his life around. From this moment on we never see him bully or threaten anyone else. He took what Alli taught him and he used it to become a better person and really believe in himself. And to top it all off we get a glimpse that he graduated with honors. I’m so proud of my smart boy!!

Season 10 - We only see Johnny in one episode this season but BOY IS IT A GOOD ONE. I remember when the first promo for Hide and Seek Part 1 came out and you have that moment where we see Sav knocking on the door and then Johnny answered. Let me tell you that I completely lost it. I had come to terms that I’d never seen Johnny or another Bhandarco scene again and it was literally the best blessing ever. Anyway, we see Johnny in college and his amazing slowburn character development arc is finally complete. Seeing Johnny with his life together and being happy and involved in school activities is so important. Him giving Alli advice to get through her hardships was such a beautiful parallel to how she helped him get through his whether she knew it or not. And to top it all off he ended his journey by bringing it all back to the beginning and talking about JT. He mentioned his relationship with his parents and how much of a hard time he had after he watched his best friend kill the completely innocent and harmless JT. Seeing him express how much it truly messed him up was so important especially since he never got the solo plots to tell his side of the story. I still cry when I watch that episode just because I am so proud of the man he has become. Seeing him in this episode also taught that when you go to college you have a change to completely reinvent yourself and let go of any reputations that may proceed you. Also it was a neat way to show that even the terrible people you may have once hated can change for the better and that not everyone’s redemption arc reaches it’s peak once they graduate high school because realistically their lives are just beginning.

Johnny DiMarco managed to witness a trauma just as mind altering as Emma, Toby, and Sean did after Time Stands Still. The only difference is that Johnny never got to have his trauma told from his point of view. He is so underrated because yes on the surface he has done horrible things but in context all of it is completely reasonable and realistic based on the things he has been though. Not only that but he never had one single life changing moment where he realized “yeah I’m over my trauma now I can stop acting this way” much like many characters do when they deal with their trauma during the plot of a single episode. All of Johnny’s recovery was a slow burn over the seasons. With each season he grew more and more mature and he managed to do it all with only ONE plot that centered around him, which was basically a filler plot and nothing really happened. I get hurt when people hate on Johnny because it shows that they really haven’t been paying enough attention to him at all and they aren’t thinking and watching the show knowing that all of the characters are human and incredibly realistic. But unlike many other characters, Johnny never got the proper screen time. 

I like to think that after college Johnny became an English teacher. The cool and rough around the edges kind of English teacher that literally changes the lives of all the kids he teaches. Not only is he passionate about literature, he has the life experience to deal with troubled kids and would easily be able to relate to them and help them through life. Maybe someday he reunites with Alli. Unlike the last time they saw each other they are now both mature and a lot more down to earth. But regardless, I’m so beyond pleased with how Johnny was last seen on the show. They brought his character to an excellent close and did as much justice to him as they could. So all of this is why I love Johnny DiMarco and he is my favorite character that Degrassi has ever had. He had such an underrated and under utilized arc but still he managed to steal my heart. 

[sarcasticfina]

"Please, you can't die now." Bucky to Darcy - go for the real emotional crap. ;)

“You gotta go,” he choked out, an arm banded around his front,blood squelching through the fabric of his tac suit. 

“Forget that.” Darcy looked from the splintered door of theirsad excuse for a hideout back to him, tucked in a corner, metal hand gripping agun both for comfort and safety. “You jump, I jump, remember?” 

He cracked a smile. “Last time I said that, you said youweren’t jumpin’ anywhere without a parachute.” 

“Yeah, well, Stark won’t make me that parachute jacket I keepputting requisitions in for, so I guess I’ll just have to cross my fingers andhope for the best.” 

Bucky stared at her profile. Blood trickled from an open woundthat started at her temple and disappeared into her hair. She was leaning tothe left, even in her crouch, trying to take the pressure off her twisted ankleand her ribs, where she’d been grazed by a bullet. ‘Nothing but a flesh wound,’she’d joked, even as she grimaced, dragging his much heavier body along withhers. She was shit at shooting, but she had one of his back up guns in hand andshe was as prepared as she could be to take out whoever came down thehall. 

“You remember what I taught you?” he wondered, pulling in atacky, rattling breath. 

She paused and looked back at him, pasting on a devilishsmile. “You’re gonna have to be a little more specific.” 

He stared at her a beat– the blue of her eyes, framed in longlashes, and the pink of her lips, a bloody red from where she’d chewed them up.It wasn’t so long ago that she was just another unfamiliar face he had to keepan eye out for. 

( A woman was standing in the kitchen, a poptart in one handand an absurdly large mug of coffee in the other. Her hair was piled on top ofher head, leaning precariously to one side, and her eyes were narrowed intoslits, dark bags underneath them. Rather than greet them, she grunted, and thenwalked off, slippers shuffling across the floor. 

Bucky stared after her. “Who was that?” 

“Darcy,” Steve answered. “She used to be Doctor Foster’sassistant. She works for Pepper now.” 

Sam chuckled. “She got into a Twitter war with Stark, caughtPepper’s eye, and she ended up hiring her. Now she’s the social media coordinator.Darcy’s the reason Stark’s accounts go dark every once in a while. She puts himon time outs when he hasn’t had enough sleep.” 

Bucky hummed. “She lives here, too?”

He didn’t miss how Steve and Sam glanced at each other, but choseto ignore it.

“Yeah, Buck. She’s a couple floors down. She’s got an office on 8,too. If she’s not there, she’s usually in Foster’s lab.”

He crossed the kitchen to pick up the box she’d left behind. “Whatwas that thing she was eating?” 

“A poptart.” A grinning Sam followed after him. “You wanna tryone?” 

Bucky stared at him suspiciously, but nodded. 

“You’re in luck then…” Sam plucked the box out of his hand andturned it around for Bucky to see. Sam in his full Falcon suit was printed onthe front. “You like it extra toasty?” )

After that, he’d see Darcy around but wasn’t sure how to talk toher. She was loud and confident and always seemed to know what she was doing.She was warm and friendly and would talk to anyone. It didn’t matter theenvironment or the group of people, she made herself fit. Whereas he alwaysfelt off and disjointed, like a puzzle piece that was put in the wrong box.

In the end, it was Natasha that suggested he teach Darcy how toshoot. At the very least to defend herself against any possible attack. 

( “It’s Bucky, right? Or do you prefer James?” 

He didn’t jump. He’d heard her footsteps coming for a while. Thecommon room saw a lot of visitors; sometimes he sat there just to get used tobeing around people again. He just wasn’t expecting her to talk to him.“Yeah.” 

She blinked at him. “Yeah you’re okay with Bucky or yeah youprefer James?” 

He pursed his lips. “Bucky’s fine.” 

Her lips twitched. “No argument here.” 

“Huh?” 

Waving a dismissive hand, she moved to take a seat beside him atthe kitchen counter. “Natasha sent me your way. She said you needed totalk to me about something? I hope it’s not about opening an Instagram account,because listen, I’m all for you sharing all of that–” She motioned to hisface, “–with the greater public. But we need to work on your publicpersona a bit. Good looks can only get you so far before people startmaking ‘reasons your fave is problematic’ posts.” 

He stared at her. “I didn’t get half of that,” headmitted. 

“Natasha said you wanted to see me. Let’s start there.” 

He frowned. “Uh, she said you needed training.” 

Darcy stiffened. “I what now?” She pulled back. “Ithought I made it clear in my work contract that I wouldn’t be playing Spy vs.Spy.” She stood. “No. Nope. Not gonna happen. I can’t even jog withoutdoubling up on sports bras. So whatever workout you have in mind, it’s gonnahurt. A lot. Count me out.”

Before she could reach the door, he called out, “Shooting.” 

She paused. “Huh?” 

“I can show you how to shoot. A few defensive moves, too. If youwant.” 

She pivoted back to him, curious. “And that’s it? No fivemile runs or wheatgrass shakes?” 

“The hell is wheatgrass?” 

She grinned. “I like the way you think, Buckster.” 

Confused, and uncomfortable with the fact, he sat up a littlestraighter. “When’re you off work?” 

“What, today? Five, usually.” 

He nodded. “Meet me at the range.”

With a salute, she winked. “You got it.” 

As she walked away, Bucky shook his head. What the hell was hegetting himself into?)

Darcy didn’t take to guns like she did her taser, but he had afeeling that had more to do with wanting to avoid taking human life. She wasthe type of person that stayed behind in a dangerous situation to savevulnerable animals than her own ass. There was a part of him– a very largepart– that admired that about her. He’d seen too much death. His hands werepainted red with it. Nothing he did now could wash that away. It was the samefor a lot of the people on the team. They’d seen and done things they couldn’tget rid of. Couldn’t scrub clean from their memory. So, it was nice to bearound someone who was a little less jaded. 

Getting together with Darcy was never in the plan. Gettingtogether with anyone seemed too far out of reach. Some days, he didn’t feellike a whole person. Fractions and fragments of who he’d been and who he turnedinto, just floating around in a misshapen package. Nobody deserved to put upwith that. But there Darcy was, happy to take on the challenge. 

( “Never took you for a coward, Barnes.” 

He paused at the sound of her voice, flipped the safety on his gunand dropped it on the counter in front of him. Turning to face her, he raisedan eyebrow as she crossed the otherwise empty gun range to meet him. Orchallenge him, more like. “What made you change your mind?” 

She snorted. “Generally, when a woman asks you out for dinnerand you say you’ll be there, you show.” 

Technically, she’d told him she was making spaghetti and if hewanted a bowl, she had an extra chair at her table. He was gonna go. He plannedto. Showered and picked out one of his better shirts to wear. Next thing heknew, he was at the gun range, spaghetti-less.

He looked past her shoulder, focusing on a distant mark on the farwall. “You think I stood you up?” 

Darcy crossed her arms and shrugged. “I think you’re avoiding theinevitable.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” 

“If I have to tell you, then it’s going to take a lot more than mygrandma’s famous spaghetti recipe to knock some sense into you.” 

His gaze darted toward her. “Maybe I lost track oftime.” 

“Or maybe you thought the guns were getting lonely down here.” Sheshrugged. “Look, I’m not going to chase you. If you’re not ready for this, it’scool. But I don’t want to play any ‘will they, won’t they’ games. So, I likeyou. And I think you like me.” She paused. “Do you?” 

His tongue dragged across his lower lip before headmitted, “Yeah.” 

“Okay. Well…” She smiled. “You should do something aboutthat.”

He took a deep breath. “I’m not good at… I don’t remember howto…” 

She nodded and took a step toward him, and thenanother. “It’s okay.” She reached for his hand and folded their fingerstogether. “We can take it slow, figure it out together. Step one…” Shegave his hand a tug. “Spaghetti.” 

He looked down at their hands, and then to her, smiling encouragingly.And he took a step forward. “I can do that.” )

Darcy had to go looking for him at the gun range more than a fewtimes. He was comfortable there. It was familiar. Didn’t matter what gun hepicked up, he always hit what he wanted to hit and where he wanted to hit it.Shooting paper was simple. At various points in his life, shooting people hadbecome too simple. It kept him up some nights. Mostnights, if he was honest. 

He wished he could say that he was all healed up. That a fewyears of therapy and having Steve in his life made up for all that time in cryoor under the thumb of HYDRA. But he was walking scar tissue. Some days werebetter than most. Some days he even believed he could have it all. Othershe just couldn’t.

( “You can talk to me, you know that, right?” 

Bucky looked up to find Steve hovering nearby, that hang-dog lookon his face that reminded Bucky that things were different, that they’d neverbe quite right. That too much time had passed. They’d each done too many thingsto be the people they once were. But, here they were anyway. And even if hesometimes felt like the living embodiment of Steve’s attempt at salvation, itwas better to be here than where he was. 

“I know,” he said. 

“Do you?” 

He looked up, meeting Steve’s heavy gaze.

“I know it’s different. That I didn’t go through what you did. Andmaybe I can’t understand it, not completely. But I want to try, Buck.” He shookhis head. “I’m here. I’m always gonna be right here.” 

Bucky ground his teeth. “Easy to say, not so easy to followthrough with.” 

Steve’s brow furrowed.

“We both know there’s no guarantees out there, not living thislife. The things we do, nothing says for sure we walk away from that fight intact.” His arm whirred, cogs and wheels moving together and apart. “Youwanna be here, I get that. But there are some things you can’t make better. Andneither can I.” 

Steve let out a long, heavy sigh. He crossed his arms in thatdefiant way of his. “I think you’re wrong.” 

“Yeah, well, we won’t know until it’s too late, right?” 

Swallowing tightly, Steve gave a quick jerk of his head. “Theoffer stands. You ever wanna talk about what’s going on in your head…” 

“It’s not always about that. About the past. Sometimes it’s aboutnow. About who I am and what I’m doing… I don’t always think it’s real. ThatI’m probably back there, stuck in cryo, dreaming of better things orsomething.” 

“I’d tell you you’re not, but it doesn’t make much difference,does it?” 

“No.” Bucky stared up at him. “’Cause if it was a dream, you’d saythe same thing.” 

He nodded slowly, knowingly. “What about Darcy?” 

Bucky’s mouth kicked up. “Well, she’s even more proof, isn’t she?What’s a girl like that doing with someone like me?” He shook his head. “She’sexactly what my head would dream up.” 

Steve could do nothing but sigh. )

All things considered, Bucky felt lucky. He could’ve gone a fewmore years, for sure. He had more he wanted to do and see. More he wanted toshow Darcy. More he wanted her to show him. But it could’ve been worse. Hecould’ve died under HYDRA’s control. Could’ve gone the rest of his life neverrealizing what he’d lost or ever getting some semblance of peace.  

( “I can feel you staring,” she mumbled. 

“Can’t sleep.” 

Darcy cracked one eye open to look at him. “And you thoughtmy face might knock you out?” 

He half-smiled. “Didn’t want to wake you up getting out ofbed.” 

Humming, she turned over onto her side and reached for him,hooking an arm around his waist, her fingers drawing circles on his back. “Kindof you. But the intense staring overshadows any good boyfriend marks youmight’ve got for that.” 

“Guess I’ll have to earn ‘em back another way.” 

Stretching, she let out a laugh. “Was that the plan the wholetime? Wake me up for some nookie?” 

He brushed her hair back from her face, fingers tracing down herneck. “Unexpected benefit.” 

She covered his hand with her own and drew it down, pressing akiss to his palm. “You wanna tell me why you can’t sleep?” 

He shook his head faintly. “Not tonight.” He shuffled closerand squeezed her hand. “Rain check.” 

“Rain check,” she agreed. “As long as nookie is still on thetable.” 

He chuckled under his breath. “Always.” )

Bucky shook his memory off and refocused on the present. Darcywith a gun and any number of attackers coming their way. He’d taken out whoeverhe could, but they could’ve called for reinforcements since. 

Much as he complained that her accuracy with a gun wasn’t whatit could be, even a crude wound could give them a little time. For what, hewasn’t sure. The cavalry, maybe. For Steve or Sam or the rest of the mismatchedsuperhero gang to show up and save their sorry asses. 

“You squeeze, don’t–” 

“Don’t pull. I know.” She cast a frown down at the gun and thenpivoted to look at him. “I preferred your other lessons, just FYI.” 

He let out a huff of a snort. “Pretty sure you wereteachin’ me a few things, doll.” 

She grinned slowly. “You kept up.” 

He tipped his head back against a concrete wall and stared ather. Hair in disarray, clothes torn and dirty, spattered with blood (his orhers or someone else’s?). “Never wanted you to end up here…” 

“What, in an abandoned building, fighting off some HYDRAreject?” She shrugged. “The way of life, I guess.” 

He stared, unconvinced.

“Okay, so, not for everyone… But our immediate circle?Definitely.” Darcy shifted, moving across the floor to sit next tohim. “You know this isn’t your fault, right?” 

He grimaced. “Pretty sure they’re not chasing you down oversomething you Twittered.” 

“Tweeted. And yeah, probably not. But it doesn’t matter who they’reafter. Anything they do is on them, not you.” She met his gaze. “I knewwhat I was getting into. And I don’t regret it.” 

He didn’t either. He wished he could tell her just how much, butthe words buckled in his throat and snagged in his teeth. “You deservedbetter.” 

Darcy smiled. “Who said I didn’t find the best?” 

He shook his head, a quick jerk, and looked away. He could feelblood puddling underneath him, warm and wet. He could taste it on his tonguetoo, bubbling up his throat only to be swallowed back down. “You can do alot better than the mess I’ve got in my head.” 

Darcy reached for him, gently brushing his hair back from hisface. “You’re not perfect, Buck. I’m a far cry from it myself. But youmake me happy.” 

He blinked as his eyes burned. “You make me happy, too,” hechoked out hoarsely. 

Darcy frowned. “You’re starting to freak me out. I know thesituation sucks, but the team’s on their way. Sure, things look a littlesticky, but we’ve been in worse, right? Jane’s almost opened three black holesthis year. That felt a lot closer to death than this.” She smiled, but he couldsee her lips trembling. “And don’t even get me started on how many times Stark’sattempts at ‘fixing’ something ended up blowing up in our faces. I’mpretty sure I still have toaster shrapnel in my back.” 

Bucky dropped his gun in his lap to reach for her, metal fingerssmoothing over her cheek. “There’s gotta be a fire exit. If you can get toit, climb to the roof, hop to the next building over. It’ll be tight, but youcan make it. Get as far away as you can, call Steve, he’ll–” 

“Hey, hey, hey…” Darcy shook her head and covered hishand. “We’re getting out of here together.” 

He swallowed tightly. “No.” 

“What do you mean ‘no’?” She glared. “You think some tactically trained Naziassholes are how we go? Absolutely not. I’m making it to 93 and dying on abeach, drinking a Mai Tai and reminiscing about all the fun, crazy shit I did.And you, probably looking way hotter than any 98-year-old should, are going tobe right there with me, you got it?” 

“We gotta be smart. You got a chance here. You can make it ifyou just–” 

“If I what? Huh? If I just leave you behind?” 

He stared up at her, searching her stubborn, scared, angry face. “Listen,doll…” 

“No.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m not leaving you here. Ifthose assholes want you, they’ll get me too. And a face full of lead. BecauseI’m shooting anybody that comes looking.” 

He smiled faintly, mouth curved up on one side. “You aimfor their face, you’ll end up hitting their toes.” 

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Shut up. Besides, I usually aim forthe chest and hit their crotch. It has a lasting effect.” 

He snorted. 

Shuffling closer, Darcy pressed her shoulder to his and droppedher gaze to his arm, still pressed tight across his chest. “You wanna tellme how bad it is?” Before he could reply, she added, “No rain checks thistime.” 

Drawing a deep breath, he admitted, “Not good.” 

Her hand tightened around his, enough that the pressure sensorsalerted him. “Had a good run though.” 

She laughed, thick and cracked. “Did you?” 

“The beginning was pretty good. End wasn’t too bad either.” 

“Sure, just the 70 years in between. A drop in the bucket,really.” 

He half-smiled. “Could’a been worse.” 

Darcy turned to him, her brow furrowed. “Seriously? How?” 

“Could’a been 80.” He stared at her. “Could been a dream.” 

She blinked as her eyes filled. “It’s not fair… You gotout. You got another chance. And now… It’s over?” She shook her head. “Youdeserved better.” 

“I don’t know. I had it pretty good.” He licked his drylips. “I had you, right?” 

Her mouth trembled. “It’s not enough.” 

The pain was gone. It was a relief, even though he knew what itmeant. “It was plenty. Lot more than I ever thought I’d get.” More thanhe’d thought he deserved for a long while. 

“Bucky…” She turned over and pushed onto her knees. “Youcan’t go, okay? Steve needs you. I need you.” She put her gun aside and cupped his face, her thumbsstroking across the high arch of his cheeks. “I know I pretend nothing bothersme, but it does. Everything scares me. Growing up, natural disasters, heights,spiders, love. Being with you put a lot of that to test. It made me into abetter person. A stronger person. And I like to think it did the same for you.I think it still could. But you need to be here for that, okay?” 

He wanted to. God, he wanted to, so damn much. But his visionwas darkening around the edges and his body was growing number by the second.He coughed then, his chest jerking forward and blood dribbling down his chin. “Darce…” 

She let out a strangled noise. “No, please, you can’t dienow…” She leaned in, pressing her forehead to his. “It’s just the beginning.” 

He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed down the burning lumpbuilding in his throat. “Rain check, all right?”

With a strangled sob, Darcy nodded. “Rain check.”

He could hear thumping footsteps and muffled voices calling toeach other in the hallway then. He pulled in a deep breath, his heartstuttering, and he pushed his gun into her hand, staring up at her meaningfully. 

Darcy stared back for a beat. Stubborn and wild and wearing hertears like war paint. She pressed a kiss to his forehead and his cheek and hislips, and then she stood, raising both guns as she went.

What was left of the door flew open and bullets startedflying. 

Darcy’s war cry echoed in his ears, the last thing he heard before it all went dark.