Bucky was halfway through brewing some coffee when Darcy Lewis sidled into the kitchen, smiling at him like he wasn't who he was – like he was the Bucky from Brooklyn and not the former Winter Soldier with PTSD.

He did that a lot – argue against whatever people's intentions were. Like Darcy's attempts to make him feel welcome and wanted when he didn't think it was appropriate.

It made her seem like a naïve girl, which he knew she wasn't.

She was smart as a whip. A real smart mouth. She was always flirting with Steve when they saw her, always making trouble to get some kind of reaction.

Today she wore little red shorts and no shoes, her feet slapping on the tiles as she walked to the cupboards close to Bucky's side of the room, and rifled through one particular cabinet.

"I was about to go find your bosom buddy myself, but since you're here –"

Bucky's eyes swivelled to her ass automatically.

He was still the jackass from Brooklyn with blood in his veins and more curiosity than sanity.

Curiosity did kill the cat. He stared at her lower back that he could see as her shirt rode up when she bent over. There was a shape of some tattoo he couldn't quite make out, as it was half covered.

It looked like a topless woman with her hands behind her head, pushing her chest out.

Darcy shoved a box in Bucky's hand, bringing him back down to Earth.

"I owed Cap some Cosmic Brownies. I ate like, three."

Bucky studied the box, smirking.

"He's obsessed with these. He'll appreciate it."

"And you?" Darcy asked, flipping her long hair over her shoulder, her eyes going to his cup of coffee. "You like sweets as much as him?"

"No-one likes sweets as much as Steve," Bucky said, putting the box down on the bench and taking a sip of his coffee.

"What else does he eat?"

His eyes flickered to hers.

"You askin' for any particular reason, doll?"

"I get the feeling he eats like a five year-old. It's kinda cute," Darcy said, winking at Bucky.

He felt a pang of something – envy, perhaps – that she called Steve cute.

Not that it wasn't deserved, but he kind of hoped a dame would notice him instead of Steve for once.

And yet Bucky wasn't sure what he'd do with that kind of attention, because just being around her now made his face feel hot and his palm sweat a little.

It didn't help that it was the middle of summer and she wore less and less clothing.

Today her cropped t-shirt left very little to the imagination, because Bucky was pretty sure she wasn't wearing a bra.

It was crude. He was being really gross. He should stop.

She could wear a bikini and he wasn't entitled to her smiles.

He did like that gap in her tooth, though –

"Bucky?"

"Huh?"

He shook his head, realizing he missed something else she said.

"I was asking what you eat."

Bucky looked back at her, seeing her resting beside him against the bench.

"Food, I dunno."

"Awesome, I'm glad you're not eating protein pills."

She was joking, she was making fun of him. In another life, he'd be able to keep up. This was why she was going to be Steve's girl and not his one day.

She pushed off the bench, sighing a little.

She spun, giving a small bow.

"Later, Sargent Barnes," she murmured, and the smile she gave him before she left lacked warmth.

As she walked away, Bucky's eyes fell to her ass again, and he rolled his eyes a little.

He wanted to see the rest of that tattoo.

He flung the Cosmic Brownies at Steve's head.

He was sitting at his easel with the sun coming in through the window, and the box bounced off his head, and he whipped around, glaring at Bucky.

"Hey!"

"Darcy payin' you back," Bucky grunted.

Steve retrieved the box from the floor and ripped it open, getting out a couple brownies and unwrapping them.

He shoved one in his mouth and went back to his easel.

Steve had been working with charcoal a lot that month, and he seemed to be in the middle of drawing a human eye.

Bucky tilted his head and watched Steve work.

"You sleep with her yet?"

Steve paused. "Who?"

"Darcy Lewis," Bucky said, clearing his throat a little.

Steve chewed and swallowed. "I haven't."

Bucky tended to believe Steve's word over anyone else's, but that answer didn't feel like enough for him.

"You plannin' to?"

Steve turned around, putting down his piece of charcoal and frowning.

"Do you not want me to?"

"Answer the question, punk," Bucky retorted.

Steve looked away. "I don't know."

"I'm not – I'm not calling dibs," Bucky added, feeling like an asshole.

Steve deserved to be happy, if Darcy did that for him.

Bucky's stupid little crush could be squashed. He just had to try and not hold onto it.

"Do you like her?" Steve asked, and Bucky let out a breath.

"Yeah." His voice was quiet. "Yeah, I do."

A week later, he was no closer to having the courage to find Darcy by himself and try to engage.

Bucky kept backing out of plans whenever Steve encouraged him.

Since admitting to feelings, Steve deliberately walked with Bucky everywhere in case Darcy made an appearance.

She did several times bump into them since Bucky's confession, and he never felt more confident.

Steve promised he wouldn't let anything with Darcy speed out of control, but the girl was a shameless flirt.

"You are wearing the hell out of those shorts, Captain," she mused as she ran into them onto their way to the gym.

Bucky was sure that nowadays people were fired for sexual harassment, but somehow Darcy got away with a lot of things – probably because as much as she seemed to be objectifying people, there was heavy irony behind it.

"Thanks, Darcy," Steve said, not seeming to be affected by her words.

She looked at Bucky, who was head to toe in black, with close to no skin on display.

"Is he a vampire?" she stage whispered to Steve, who shook his head, more than happy to tease Bucky along with her.

"I don't like summer," Bucky muttered, and Darcy shrugged elaborately.

"I'm more into fall myself," she said. "Halloween, spooky shit like that."

"I don't want to hear the Monster Mash on repeat the second we hit September, Lewis," Steve replied, giving her a fake warning look.

She smiled, and Bucky felt ignored.

He was the weirdo on the side, the one that Steve had to let tag along.

It probably didn't help that he always looked grumpy.

He forced himself to not frown, just look at her.

She was wearing those red shorts again that hugged her curves, made Bucky feel like he'd go crazy if he was around her too long.

"You finish those brownies yet?" she asked.

"He ate those in five seconds," Bucky felt himself say, and she broke out into a wide smile.

"What about Oreos? He into those?"

"He's right here," Steve said. "And, yeah. Obviously."

"Well, maybe I want to hang out with Bucky for once. We'll wear black and roam the streets looking for victims. And then we'll eat candy by the pool."

"Sounds like a date," Bucky said, not quite believing she meant what she said.

She liked to make things up sometimes. Embellishment, not lying. There was a difference.

"Awesome! See you after the gym, then?"

Bucky looked Steve's way before he rested back on Darcy, somewhere above her eyes.

"Sure."

She walked away, and Steve chuckled.

"What just happened?" he asked, and Steve slapped him on his shoulder.

"Buck, she just asked you out and you said yes."

"Is that how it works, now? I mean, I know girls ask guys –"

Steve just shook his head a little. "Unbelievable. You used to have five girls at any given time back in Brooklyn."

"There was a system, but – I'm outta my depth now, punk."

Two hours later, Bucky went back to his room and showered and changed.

He opted for a short-sleeved shirt instead of his all-black get-up from before. He smoothed down his hair and then felt weird, roughing it up again and avoiding his reflection for the time being.

Steve came by and patted him on the shoulder.

"She likes you."

"She likes everyone."

"She never asked me out," Steve said.

"You never – you never did anything with her at all?"

Bucky had to ask, because he was too curious. He wondered what she was like, whether this could be some elaborate joke.

He may just make an ass of himself and then call it a night.

Steve frowned, shaking his head.

"Nothing. I promise."

Bucky just nodded. "I'm sorry. I just don't know what I'm doing."

"Isn't it like riding a bicycle?" Steve asked, smirking a little.

He'd turned into a mischievous shit in the 21st century and Bucky wasn't sure if he liked it.

Bucky just swallowed hard and left, wandering off toward the common room where Darcy tended to hang out in after work.

She sat on the couch, her feet up on the coffee table with a magazine in her lap.

She looked up the second he stepped into view, and smiled.

"Sargent. Let's go for a swim."

She threw down the magazine and came at him, taking his metal arm and pulling him along down the hall.

He didn't say anything, his heart in his throat.

He saw a glimpse of the tattoo again and itched to touch it.

"Uh – I got a question."

Darcy stopped mid-step and turned around, her eyes big and searching.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just. Your tattoo."

She took a second to register the question and smiled at him.

"Oh, her? You'll see her in a second when we get to the pool."

"Darcy – "

"What?" Her face fell. "Am I being too much? I can stop if you want."

Bucky swallowed, considering.

He'd come this far. And it was better than going to bed again feeling lonely.

She let go of his arm but he followed her down the hall to the exit and out into the afternoon sunshine.

The pool was empty, thank God. The Tower had several anyway. If anyone else came out there, Bucky hoped they got the message and left.

But he was being presumptuous.

Darcy lifted her shirt off the second they reached the water and tossed it onto a chair, before pushing down her shorts and kicking them aside.

Bucky took off his shirt and pants, feeling awkward as he took of his shoes and socks.

Darcy sank into the water in seconds, sighing.

"Just what I needed."

Bucky willed his anxiety to settle. She was really nice.

And pretty.

No – fuck that. She was drop-dead gorgeous and her curves would most likely kill him.

He didn't see her fully in her bikini – he actually looked away when she stepped into the water – but he could make out her shape in the water and felt his mouth go dry.

Her heavy tits in her bikini top were enough to make him a little hard in his swimming shorts, and Bucky was aware of his own skin, the mottled scars he knew people stared at.

He didn't hold it against anyone – it was even hard for himself to look at.

He stared at his feet as he walked over to the water and down the small steps, the water at his ankles and then his knees.

Soon he was up to his waist in it, feeling better already, and the sweat on his forehead more bearable.

"You do have to tell me if I'm being too much, Bucky," she murmured, looking serious for the first time. "I'm told I go too far."

"It's just – weird that you say my name," he replied, his voice low. "I mean, it's my name. I'm just not used to anyone else calling me that. Except Steve."

She nodded, wading around, looking at him where he stood.

"You want to see the whole tattoo?"

His eyes shot up to hers, and he felt himself blush.

"Isn't it on your ass?"

"Partially. My fault, though," Darcy said, with a little wave. "I insisted. Not that the tattoo guy complained about it."

"No doubt," Bucky muttered, and she began to giggle.

"I heard you were a real ladies man back in the day."

She splashed her little hands in the water several times, and Bucky felt his blush growing.

"That was forever ago."

"Anyway, my ass?" Darcy asked, and Bucky let himself look her in the eye again. "You can look if you want. I'm not about to report you."

"Thanks, Darcy," he said, because he didn't know what else to say.

Darcy just chuckled a little, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I am being a little too much. I'll rein it in a little."

She moved to the side, motioning him closer, she hopped up onto the edge, turning her back to him.

He could see half of the tattoo, and could see that up close it was a little worn at its edges.

She must have had it for a while.

He stared at the winking face that looked up at him.

His eyes travelled down to her bikini bottoms and saw it disappear beneath the material.

Before he could stop himself, his fingers touched her skin, just her back above the tattoo and he winced, realizing what he'd done.

She wasn't his to touch.

She turned her head a little, and then with one hand pushed the material down, exposing her right ass cheek a little.

Bucky copped an eyeful of her rear end, blinking several times at the gorgeous curve of it, the dimples and stretch marks.

He saw the rest of the tattoo. It was a topless mermaid winking up at him saucily.

Darcy spun back around, and smiled.

"You like her?"

"Yeah," Bucky grunted, and then saw Darcy look down.

He was hard, and very obviously so, and he shrank back automatically.

"Bucky, it's okay!"

She even laughed a little, but he couldn't stand it. It made it seem like a prank.

As if reading him, she covered her mouth with one hand, the other raised and reaching out to him, but he stepped several feet back away from her.

He covered his crotch with one hand, looking away.

"I have to go."

"No, Buck. I'm – It's fine. It's natural!"

He let out a harsh laugh, feeling like a child.

She reached him that time, her hand on his arm that covered his dick.

"I provoked you, I'm sorry," she whispered. "Please. I'm sorry."

It took some convincing on her part, but he decided to stay, lowering himself into the water and looked up at the sky.

She lay on her back in the water and they remained silent for a while, and Bucky slowly felt his heartrate lowering.

There was a splash, and Darcy resurfaced beside him, and her hands touched his left shoulder on the scar tissue.

His stomach flipped.

"Darcy."

"It's okay," she whispered. "And I'm a bitch. I shouldn't have pushed you."

"Not your fault," he breathed. "The old Bucky would have bent you over something the second you let me see that mermaid."

She blinked several times, surprised at him. He saw her cheeks turn pink.

"I mean, why can't we do that?"

Bucky let out a bark of a laugh, surprised as well.

"You don't know me."

She looked a little hurt at that. "Sure I do. And what stopped you growing up from fucking around?"

"Girls didn't really –" he let out a short breath. "It was more work."

"I knew that deep down you were old-fashioned."

He realized his mistake and pushed her hand off his shoulder, gripping her fingers in his own.

He felt bolder since she saw his hard-on.

"I'm not shaming you for sleeping with guys, Darcy."

"Okay," she murmured. She even pouted a little. "But you liked what you saw?"

"Of course," Bucky admitted. "But I haven't done that in a long time."

"Why not… practise?" Darcy asked, and then all Bucky could do was blink several times.

She pulled him out of the pool and brought him up to her room.

He knew where this was going – he'd be a fucking moron to not know that she meant to have him naked any moment now, but it didn't stop his nerves.

When she shut the door behind them and he looked around her apartment, he saw her belongings everywhere, with rubbish strewn all over the place.

She seemed to fly by the seat of her pants.

And for whatever reason, her not being uptight and proper was a complete turn-on for him.

He swallowed, and let her pull him toward her as they made their way to her couch.

She pushed a pair of boots off one end, and pulled him down on top of her, pressing their bodies together.

She kissed him, she was the one to lean toward him and press her mouth to his, making him groan as her tongue teased the seam of his lips.

He opened for her, and her tongue pushed inside, her hands in his hair and pulling.

Her hips cradled his, and Bucky's hands fell to her waist, gliding up to her chest.

He began to remember what he liked to do – and soon his fingers were under the material of her bikini top, finding her nipples and teasing them.

She moaned, against his mouth and he felt himself getting hard again, overwhelmed by the smell and feel of her.

Her hands left his hair and she untied her top before peeling it off, and he leaned down to see her bare skin beneath him.

This felt like a dream.

He kissed her again, shoving a little against the couch and making her groan.

He thought he might have hurt her but she rubbed against him, and he knew she liked him being a little rougher.

Knowing that now, he kissed her neck before biting down, making her shiver.

He kneaded her breasts before he felt her hands between them, trying to get her bikini bottoms off as well.

He shifted a little so that she could lift her hips and pull them down, and he saw the strip of dark hair above the flushed lips of her pussy.

He touched her there with his finger just ghosting over her slit, making her hips roll and her eyes widen.

"Bucky – can I touch you, too?"

He faltered, swallowing several times. "I dunno, doll."

"We can go slow."

"We'll see," he murmured, kissing her chest, biting the swell of one breast while he kneaded the other.

He tried to ignore the way his cock pressed up against the material of his shorts, straining toward Darcy.

She was already wet. He felt it on his fingers and then pushed two inside her – her warm snatch tight and perfect, enough to make him rest his forehead against hers for a second while he willed his cock not to spill into his shorts already.

She gasped a little as he began rubbing her clit. His fingers pumped in and out, and he licked his lips.

He watched her face for any cues, and her eyes grew wider the faster he got.

Her hand went between them, and she pulled back her skin a little, nodding as he pressed a little rougher.

"Jesus, Bucky, you're gonna make me come," she hissed.

She tensed, her cunt clenching around his fingers, and she laughed a little once she stopped shaking, looking dazed.

He withdrew his fingers and saw them glistening with her arousal.

He sucked on them, aware that she was watching him.

Other times when he'd done that, girls had told him off. It was probably considered too primal, but Darcy's eyes just stared and stared as he tasted her, closing his eyes.

She tasted like the ocean and her musk mixed together.

He had missed pussy.

He didn't expect her to straight away, but she kissed him, her tongue in his mouth. She was demanding, grabbing at his hair again and grazing him with her teeth.

"I wanna make you come," she whispered, and he felt her hand on his crotch, rubbing him.

He grunted, pressing against her, wanting to rut into the couch.

He just nodded, and moved off the couch to stand, pulling down his shorts.

She watched, smiling a little at the sight of his cock.

He was trying to push away whatever doubt remained in him.

"Come here," she whispered, beckoning him over.

He obliged, settling between her legs, his cock touching her stomach.

Her hand went between them, wrapping around his shaft.

He was not going to last. His eyes flew shut, and he actually whimpered –

"That is the hottest thing I ever heard," Darcy whispered.

"Fuck, I'm gonna come."

She just chuckled, pumping him a little faster than he expected. She didn't hesitate for a second.

Her tongue ran along his neck and his eyes opened, looking down at her and grunting.

"Darcy, I'm gonna come –"

"I heard you the first time," she replied, easy. "I didn't think a hand job would ever do it for me, but I guess I was wrong."

He could feel the coil tightening, the threat of letting everything go looming over him. His balls had to be tighter.

He gripped her arm hard, feeling his whole body tense up, the explosion of pleasure making him screw up his face.

"Ah, fuck!" Bucky yelled, and he came, over and over onto her stomach.

He looked down at the long white spurts and felt a wave of euphoria, sighing.

He was limp, nearly falling on top of her.

"That was fun," she whispered, laughing a little.

When she got up from the couch, he glanced at the mermaid winking up at him, and he couldn't help smiling back.