Disclaimer: I do not own the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I do have a tumblr, where I can watch Steve Rogers walk away forever but never leave.
Soulmark AU Reminder: Everyone has a Soulmark, a tattoo of the first words their Soulmate will say to them.
"So you actually got to have dinner with the Avengers."
Jane sighed. "Yes."
"Ungh! Unfair! I wanna go! What do I have to do to get an invite to one of these things?"
Jane answered with only an amused shake of her head.
Darcy persisted: "All of them. Even the hot sniper guy? Hawkeye?"
"Yes, Darcy," Jane confirmed with a smile. "Him, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov, everybody."
"Bruce was there, too, right Bruce? You were there?" Darcy called across the lab. Doctor Banner looked up with a slightly Science-glazed look on his face, and Jane waved him back to his work.
"Everybody, okay? Even Pepper Potts was there. She's pretty amazing."
"Oh, yeah, I can imagine," Darcy hummed. "She's, like, #WomanCrushWednesday, only, like, every day for me."
Jane huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, it's even harder not to fangirl at her in person. She's cool and elegant and you should see how she handles Stark."
"I wanna be Pepper Potts when I grow up," Darcy whined.
"Maybe someday," Jane smiled.
Darcy let out a long sigh. "I just don't know how you lived through being in a room with that much pretty."
"They're just people, Darcy. Yeah, they save the world sometimes, but they're only humans—" Jane quailed under the look Darcy gave her. "Okay, they're very attractive humans, but just because someone is good looking doesn't mean you have to be intimidated by them."
Darcy pondered this. "I guess that's true," she allowed, "I mean, Bruce is super smokin' and I eventually got used to being around his level of sexiness."
"What?" Banner was looking over at them again, and Darcy smiled at him.
"It's nothing; we were just discussing how hot you are. Go about your business."
With a huge blush and a little crinkle of his brows to let her know he thought she was being ridiculous, Bruce turned his attention back to his physics.
"What about Thor, then?" Jane asked.
"Thor's an alien. So the fact that he's super-human eye candy isn't a problem for me because he's actually not human. Plus he's taken, so..."
"But you still look, right?" Jane accused with a smirk.
"Of course," Darcy admitted freely. "He's all muscly and everything!"
The women were sharing a laugh when an Avenger entered the lab. Jane let out a tiny gasp and elbowed Darcy in the ribs. He looked over and waved at Jane. She waved back, and was appropriately embarrassed when she saw that Darcy was surveying him appreciatively without making any effort at all to disguise it.
"Stop!" she hissed, as he made his way over to Banner.
Darcy shrugged and shot Jane a 'can you blame me?' look.
The two defenders of earth shared a short conversation that could have been about a mess left in the common kitchen area or new uniform designs. They parted cordially, and when he turned to leave, he tossed another friendly wave Jane's way.
Darcy had no qualms about leaning out from behind the lab bench so that she could get a better view as he headed for the door.
"Mmm," she whispered. "I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave."
Jane watched Steve freeze in the doorway and slowly turn around. "Darcy," she breathed, "Captain Rogers has enhanced hearing."
The bravado drained out of Darcy's face, but she squared her shoulders as he reached them and informed him, "I regret nothing!"
Steve didn't look offended, just amused. Jane watched as he took Darcy's hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "I gotta tell you," he said, looking directly into her eyes, "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."
Jane was embarrassed enough by the situation to run and hide, but felt like she needed to step in. "Steve, this is Darcy Lewis, my assistant and..." she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Friend. Darcy, this is—"
"My Soulmate," Darcy squeaked.
Steve took his eyes off Darcy for just long enough to give Jane a small smile.
"Oh," Jane said, looking awkwardly between them. "Well... I've got things here, today, I think, so why don't you two..."
"Thanks," he said. Darcy slid off her stool and Steve tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow.
"Darcy," Jane said, and her friend turned shocked eyes to her face. "Guess you've got an invite to the next dinner with the Avengers, huh?"
Darcy's face lit up with a ridiculously goofy smile, and she pointed excitedly at Steve with her free hand.
Author's Note (March 11th, 2016): Hey here I am on the tumbls (catrinasl), twitter (AT CoAwesomeness , w/ Stella of course because she is amazing), & ao3 (CatrinaSL), also my fic blog or whatever (iwillwriteyourfic DOT blogspot DOT com)