This ficlet was just a sudden plot bunny for Steve and Darcy I had ;) I hope you enjoy it!
Its also posted at AO3 under my name there, Melifair. If you'd like to see sneak peeks of current and future fics and general fandom fun, you can find me at melifair . tumblr . com :)
(Also, to anyone reading that is following my story Figure Drawing. I am currently 3,700 words into chapter 5! It's getting there, I promise! And I think you'll really enjoy it when it's posted! ;D)
It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and Darcy and Steve were lounging on his couch, watching marathon episodes of Friends. Something they had taken to doing for the past month or so, when their time wasn't parceled out to S.H.I.E.L.D. Or the Avengers in some capacity.
Steve liked the show, laughing in the right places. He was also pretty quick to take to the show's particular brand of humor. Although a few references here and there stumped him every now and then. Despite that, he'd actually started to subconsciously emulate and incorporate a similar variety of sarcastic mannerisms into his daily life. A notion she found completely amusing, particularly when it caught anyone who really knew him off guard.
She was currently tucked up against his side. Her head was against his chest, his arm was around her, and her body moved with his whenever he chuckled at something on the screen. And if she had to be totally honest, she wasn't even paying all that much attention to the episode. She'd already seen like ten times, anyways.
She was perfectly content to just be with him in this rare moment, uninhibited by S.H.I.E.L.D. obligations, villain fighting, or his internal angst.
Her fingers were absently and lightly tracing patterns across his stomach through the thin, soft layer of his shirt. He would laugh every now and then, but she thought nothing of it, since he'd been laughing at episodes of the show all afternoon. It was only when he flinched slightly and tried to suppress his laughter during a pretty run-of-the-mill car commercial, that she knew something was up.
So she purposefully, yet casually worked her fingers under the material of his shirt, and focused on the spot that seem to elicit the most response.
Not only did she get a bigger flinch out of him that time, but he also...
"Did you just...snort?"
His response was even more amusing than the actual snort itself.
Specifically because she knew he heard her question, but he didn't say anything. Just continued to pay overly studious attention to the current tampon commercial. The only indication of acknowledgement being that he cast her a sidewards glance which communicated what - in the language of Steve, was the equivalent of 'maybe if I ignore her, she'll stop.'
That, and he was quite obviously trying to school his expression into something serious. But she wasn't so easily fooled.
"You totally did just snort."
"No I didn't."
She lightly grazed her fingers over the spot again, and sure enough, another snort. Though this time accompanied by an involuntary laugh that absolutely gave him away.
"Um yeah," she was trying to keep her own mirth under control, "that was DEFINITELY a snort! And oh my god! You're ticklish!"
"No I'm not."
"Oh yeah? I am prepared to completely disprove you with these fingers."
She waggled her fingers in the common hand gesture of tickling.
Though before she had the chance to follow through on her threat, her own side was being assaulted by tickle fingers, drawing a shriek of laughter as she tried to wiggle away.
Not to be outdone - even in the middle of a tickle induced hysteria - she got her fingers to the spot again, and he gave a bark of laughter. And pretty soon, the both of them were in the middle of a full scale tickle fight.
She wasn't sure how long it lasted, but she was the one who had to ultimately concede defeat, because damn him and his super soldier stamina! He was awesome about it though, brushing her disheveled hair back from her face, as she draped herself limply across him.
They sat in comfortable silence, with just the TV as background noise, and her breathing leveled out to a calm steady beat.
She traced her fingers across the spot again, though he only gave a warm smile at the touch. He was probably over-tickled at that point.
"You know," she mused, "I've touched you here before plenty of times, and you never were this ticklish."
"Those times we uh...we're a little preoccupied."
And how quickly to mood turned in that moment.
Because Steve using innuendo was just about the biggest win ever.
"Is that what they call it?"
He grinned then. He was adorable when he was being perverted.
"Wanna get preoccupied again?"
This time it was her that snorted.
"You even need to ask?"
The grin grew more devious then, and he didn't say anything. Just simply shrugged.
She really was a bad influence on him. But in a totally good way. One that led to frequent preoccupation.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Preoccupy me."