Platonic Christmas
A/N: So here is the first sequel to the Platonic series. You have to read the first one to understand this one.
xXx
"I can't do it." Darcy whined, flopping back on the sofa. "I just can't do this." She turned to her head to look at Lucy beside her. "Please don't make me do this." Lucy chuckled.
"You'll be fine. You should be more worried about me." she nodded in agreement. Bucky came around through the kitchen, stopping in front of them to block the TV showing the country wide weather report.
"What is wrong with you two?" hands on his hips. "It's Christmas!" the wonder in Bucky's voice sent a soft smile across Darcy's face. The red and white Santa hat sat on an angle on his head and a candy cane hung from his lips. "You should be excited. It's the most wonderful time of the year." He grinned at them goofily.
"I really want to kiss you right now." Darcy told him thoughtfully.
"Well I certainly ain't stoppin' you." He threw back walking around the coffee table to sit in front of them. "Now seriously, what's wrong?" Lucy sighed.
"We both managed to avoid the family this year for Thanksgiving because of that freak snow storm, but now we have no excuse, we have to go." She explained. Bucky shrugged.
"Your family's not so bad, why so worried?" Darcy pouted.
"Our grandparents are a little grumpy lately. What with me still being single and Lucy still not engaged it'll be a true Christmas Miracle if we make it through these next two weeks without any arguments." She sank down further into the cushions. "Not to mention I'll be all alone this year."
"Why are you going to be alone this year?" Steve asked before Bucky could, stepping into the living room from the back hall.
"Well, Lucy has Sam, and our cousins are safe from scrutiny because their too young to be worried about their soulmates. That just leaves me, the oldest cousin, who's alone this year with a bull's eye on her back."
"Would they really cause a scene on Christmas?" the girls laughed at him.
"They would cause a scene on their death beds if they thought they would get their way." Lucy explained.
"Oh now come on, it can't be that bad." Steve chuckled at their dramatics. As he spoke, Sam walked in, setting his suitcases by the elevator door.
"Are you guys still moping?" Sam asked sitting next to Lucy. "I thought you were gonna tell Darcy I'd watch her back?" Lucy shook her head.
"And I told you that you need to worry about yourself." She replied. "Seriously babe, you have more shots coming your way than Darcy does."
"Me? Why?" Darcy laughed.
"Oh you're doomed." She murmured snuggling into Steve's side as he sat beside her. Sam looked to Lucy concerned.
"Honey, we've been dating for nearly a year. My grandparents are gonna wanna know why you haven't proposed yet."
Sam started sputtering and hyperventilating. "What? Wwwwhy, why...what?" Lucy smiled sympathetically.
"It's okay baby. Mom and dad just got a heating unit for the screened in porch so if we're lucky they'll spend most of their time out there."
Sam looked desperately at Steve and Bucky, practically begging for help. They smirked at him and Sam knew neither of them would be any help.
xXx
Two days before Christmas and Darcy was about ready to running screaming from the old farmhouse. Her cousins were being obnoxious, Lucy and Sam kept disappearing on her and her parents were too busy with planning and cooking and entertaining to help her out or even notice what was going on.
Her grandparents had taken passive aggressive to a whole new level, throwing back handed comments at her about her love life and subtly informing her that she was going to die alone. She'd already spent more time in her room than with her family, and part of her wondered if she should just disappear in the middle of the night and head back to New York.
It was on the day before Christmas Eve, Darcy was trying her hardest to tune out her grandmothers' not so subtle attempt to cause a mental breakdown in their oldest granddaughter, when the doorbell rang. Her mother stood to get it, but Darcy jumped up to intercept her.
"Please god, let me." She ground out practically running to the door. She threw it open finding a smiling Bucky and Steve. She starred up at them, letting out a long deep breath. Slowly she walked forward, throwing her arms around both of them. "Thank god." She whispered. They just held her back until Sam appeared.
"Ya gotta watch out for family kid." Sam told her as she turned to face him and allow Steve and Bucky to enter the house.
"You do realize this means all the attention is going to be on you now, right?" He shrugged.
"I used to jump out of planes above war zones with mechanical wings strapped to my back. I think I can handle four old busy bodies." Darcy smiled at him and pushed up on her toes to peck him on the cheek. He winked at her before moving back to living room.
Darcy turned to her soulmates. "You guys didn't have to come out here." Bucky grinned at her.
"Of course we did. Sam said you needed help." She looked about ready to cry, which didn't sit well with either of her soulmates.
"Hey, you made it." Lucy greeted as they entered the living room. It was at that moment that Darcy realized she had no idea what their story was going to be. She had been so relieved to see them she hadn't even thought to ask. Luckily, Steve and Bucky always had a plan.
"Yea, we weren't sure we were going to get done with our mission in time, but as soon as we were finished, Stark lent us the jet so we'd make it before Christmas."
"We couldn't miss spending the holidays with our girl." Bucky added, as they each took a seat on either side of her.
As expected, shortly after reintroductions were made, attention turned to Lucy and Sam.
xXx
Steve didn't know if he thought it was creepy that her grandparents were so gleeful when He and Bucky followed Darcy to bed that night. He really wanted to say it wasn't but from the looks of it Bucky felt the same.
As Steve entered Darcy's room he heard Bucky snort. Steve had to hold back the urge to laugh himself.
"Don't make fun of me. High school was my experimental phase." Darcy replied as they looked around. The walls were covered in a eighties style white floral wallpaper over laid with band and movie posters. The carpet was a dark red with long fluffy fibers. Her furniture was oak and the accessories ranged anywhere from action figures to cutesy trinkets. It was her bedspread, however, that really caught their attention.
"What is a Pokemon?" Bucky asked looking over the little yellow mouse creature on the blanket and pillowcases.
"It's kind of hard to explain." She replied, plopping down on the bed and lying out with her arms stretched to either side. "Did I mention how glad I am you guys are here?"
"A few times." Bucky chuckled.
"Was it really that bad?" Steve asked already knowing the answer.
"You saw how they descended on Sam. Poor guy looked like he would rather be jumping out of planes again." Bucky snorted, sitting down beside her and laying back next to her, his head on her arm. "I packed and unpacked and then packed again last night. I was debating catching a redeye back to New York without telling anyone." Steve sighed.
"I'm sorry doll." Steve walked up and sat on her other side. "I honestly thought you guys were exaggerating. If I had known I would have offered to come sooner." She smiled at him.
"I appreciate that. I really do." She rolled over curling into Bucky's side. He wrapped his arm around her and laid a kiss in her forehead. "Now however, he need to get into our Pjs cause Sam and Lucy will be here in a few minutes."
"Why? I thought we were going to bed?" Bucky asked. She grinned at him, extracting her arm from under him.
"Nuh uh. We're watching White Christmas." She smiled and pulled out her Christmas Pjs from her dresser and then disappeared into the adjoining bathroom. The two men looked to each other, shrugged and then moved to change too.
Darcy stepped out of the bathroom wearing bright red sleep shorts, a matching red tank top printed like Santa's coat and red and white stripped knee high socks with white fur along the top.
"That's adorable." Bucky teased. She posed and spun for them, laughing as they whistled at her. A knock sounded at the door and she opened it to find Lucy and Sam. Lucy was wearing an identical set of Pjs only hers were in an elf design.
When everyone was in, the two sisters set to work, much to the bewilderment of their three soulmates, pulling blankets and pillows off the bed and pulling some out of the closet and setting up what could only be described as a nest on the floor in front of the TV. When they were finished they beckoned the three men to join them.
Steve and Bucky took up one side, sandwiching Darcy in between them with Steve on his back, Darcy at his side and Bucky behind her. Sam and Lucy took up the other side. Darcy started up the movie and they all settled into watch. The first time Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen danced together Darcy looked over her shoulder at Bucky. "Do you remember how to dance like that?"
He smiled at her. "Sure do Doll, like Ridin' a bike." Lucy smiled looking over at them.
"You know, Darcy's always wanted to learn how to dance like that."
"No foolin'?" Bucky asked. She nodded as Steve chuckled.
"No better teacher than Bucky."
"Be happy to teach you doll." He told her.
"Okay." She agreed snuggling deeper into Steve's side. Bucky moved closer too, absently running his fingers through her hair. Steve smiled at Bucky over her head.
Bucky and Steve had taken great strides in making up their stupidity to Darcy. They were hopeful as she began to grow closer to them; behaving as a friend would but favoring a behavior closer to a soulmate. It wasn't everything they wanted, but getting anything at all from the woman they'd both come to care a great deal about was enough for them.
To be honest, when Sam had called them and asked them to come down to "save" Darcy, they didn't even hesitate to pack their bags and jump on Stark's jet. The look on Darcy's face when she opened that door, the shear relief at seeing them lit a fire in both of them. Although it did bother them how upset she seemed. Steve wasn't sure he could hold his tongue if her grandparents tried anything while they were there. If the stories were even half as true as Darcy said, there was no way in hell they were putting up with that.
xXx
Darcy woke up the next morning feeling warm and snuggily, as the fresh aroma of coffee wafted through her room. Slowly she peaked an eye open, finding Steve on the edge of the bed, sipping at a mug, two more mugs were beside him on the night stand.
Darcy stretched, aware of the weight around her waist, no doubt Bucky still fast asleep, the big lug. She sighed reaching forward and poking Steve in the butt. He jumped slightly, looking back at her. "Morning sleepy head." He whispered and she smiled lazily at him.
"Morning, obnoxiously cheerful morning person." Behind her Bucky snorted.
"Even at his sickest he was always like this." His voice sounded, deep and gravely from sleep.
"Yea, well, maybe if you didn't stay out so late every night." Steve replied laughing as Darcy tried to sit up only for Bucky to drag her back down and wrap himself around her. She grunted as his weight settled on her.
"Geez you're heavy." She groaned into the mattress.
"All muscle doll." He chuckled, nuzzling his nose into her neck. She squeaked at the tickle of his stubble. She groaned.
"As much as I would love to stay and lounge through the morning with you two," she began trying to wiggle her way out from under Bucky. "Lucy and I have to drive into town."
"On Christmas Eve?" She nodded as best she could. She could feel Bucky's voice rumbling through her.
"What for?"
"We have some packages to pick up." Bucky finally rolled to the side letting her up. She sat up, sliding to the edge beside Steve and taking up the mug of coffee he offered her.
"What needs picked up? We'll go with you." Steve asked as she stood and started pulling clothes out of the dresser.
"We are going to pick up yours and Sam's Christmas presents." She told them matter of fact.
"So that's a no then?" She nodded.
"Explains why you didn't want to exchange gifts until you got back for New Year's." She stuck her tongue out at Bucky and his accusing tone as she walked into the adjoining bathroom.
xXx
Thirteen. Bucky counted thirteen not so subtle attempts by Darcy and Lucy's grandparents to basically sell off their granddaughters to their soul mates. Some may say they were trying to talk the girls up, but Bucky wasn't so sure. He watched the look of relief that crossed Darcy face when they showed up. He watched the way they ganged up on Sam, and he was, in no uncertain terms, falling for their innocent jabbing.
Bucky remembered all too well the people like them from his childhood. The ones who wheedled and poked and pestered until you were so turned around you didn't know what was going on. He'd been manipulated far too much as a young boy by elderly neighbors like them. He remembered doing good things for them, favors, chores, only for them to turn on him when Steve came into the picture. He could only imagine how they would react to his third soulmate.
The point was Bucky wasn't all that thrilled with the four oldest members of Darcy's family (with the exception of Nana Lewis, their great grandmother, who was a serious trip and a half) and if it weren't for his desperate need to leave a good impression on her family he'd have already sent them his best Soldier glare.
So when Darcy's mom came out and asked for his and Steve's and Sam's help in the kitchen they all jumped on the chance.
"I'm so sorry about them." Her mother, Janice, told them as they gathered around the kitchen island. Off to the side, one of Darcy's younger cousins, Macy, sat on a stool rolling peanut butter dough into balls for buckeyes. Her father, Ralph, was at the stove stirring a chocolate over a double boiler.
"It's alright. You'd think with all the warning Darcy and Lucy gave us we'd have been more prepared." Steve replied getting to work helping Macy. Sam moved to help cut vegetables, while Bucky did some heavy lifting.
"So how are you two doing?" Sam asked. Janice smiled at him.
"We are going great." She replied.
"Have you told anyone yet?" She nodded.
"Everyone but our parents." Ralph called from the stove. He laughed. "We were just thinking up ways we might be able to get away with not telling them at all."
They laughed.
xXx
Darcy and Lucy came home about an hour and half later to find Steve, Bucky, Sam and Macy working on a snowman in the front yard. Darcy took the chance to snap a few
Pictures before they all noticed them.
"Hey, that's so cute." Darcy cooed at Macy. The young girl blushed looking away. Darcy set her packages on the stoop and walked over to the young girl
"Did you do all this?" She asked crouching down to her level. She fiddled with the ends of the scarf.
"They all helped." She replied her voice small and shy. Darcy smiled looking up at the three men. They smiled back, Bucky stooping down and picking Macy up.
"Well we had so much fun." He told her and she smiled, rubbing at her pink stained cheeks.
"Why don't we go in for hot chocolate and cookies?" Lucy suggested and Macy nodded eagerly. Bucky set her back on the ground and she ran for the door. When Bucky came back up he found Darcy and Steve smiling at him with dreamy looks on their faces.
"What?" Darcy shrugged.
"Nothin'." She said leaning up and pecking him on the cheek before heading after Macy. Steve was still grinning stupidly at him and in lieu of an answer he wrapped his arm around Bucky's neck and yanked him close pulling him after everyone else.
xXx
Christmas Eve had started out as normally as any other. Presents had been placed around the tree and declared off limits to the children. Dinner was prepared and set out at the table. The family gathered around; adults at the big table, kids at the small one. Conversation started out normally, stories circles around the table, laughter and fun.
Of course it couldn't last.
Not far into dinner their grandmother's had started in again, but this time they had turned their attention to Darcy, Steve and Bucky. Grandma June started out by asking Bucky and Steve if they'd ever thought about having children. An easy enough question to answer for sure, both men did or had wanted children at some point and they weren't opposed to the idea now if the timing is right. Then Grandma Karen followed that up with a story about how Darcy had wanted kids when she was a kid. Again no big deal as far as anyone was concerned they were just telling stories.
They dropped it for a short while until grandma June came back with questions about marriage for Sam. Now in the last few days Sam had become an expert in answering questions like a Miss America pageant contestant. So he answered each question with pose and diplomacy. They'd all learned rather quickly not to add humor, the grandparents were humorless entities.
It started going downhill shortly after that. June asked both Bucky and Steve what they're plans were for the future and when both men hesitated to answer both knowing full well that neither could guarantee their future plans with their hectic lifestyles. Slowly Steve pulled out his Captain America persona and explained exactly that. Karen didn't miss a beat in rebuttal, saying something or other along the lines of comparing them to soldiers in the army eventually retiring. Again, Steve answered (because at this point Bucky's patients were starting to wear thin), explaining that their lives were not anything like a soldiers and he didn't honestly believe they had the option to "retire" they could only try to live around everything.
And so the fierce debate began. Grandmas Karen and June versus Steve. It was pretty obvious Steve had the upper hand but both women gave little if any quarter and eventually Lucy exploded.
The entire time, Lucy had been watching her older sister between Bucky and Steve. Darcy had her eyes glued to her plate while Bucky's hand had discreetly found Darcy's under the table. Both looked tense and uncomfortable.
Grandma Karen had just begun a condescending rant on religion and soulmates and fate when Lucy finally snapped.
"That's enough!" Lucy exclaimed slamming her fist down on the table, the glasses rattled and all conversation stopped. All eyes turned to the young woman, her grandmothers starring in shock. "I have had enough of you're... You're... Meddling!" Lucy seethed.
"Now Lucy there's no need to...
"To what grandma? No need to get angry? There is plenty of need. We have been here for four days. Four days! And the entire time the four of you have done nothing but criticize and pick at me and Darcy and everyone else for that matter. You don't like Kevin's new haircut, you don't like that Macy's so quiet. You made Darcy feel like she didn't belong here without her soulmates, and for god's sake I'm Eighteen, I'm not even remotely thinking about marriage!
Oh and news flash, they're not even together." She gestured wildly at Darcy and the super soldiers. "Steve and Bucky only came here because Sam and I asked them to, to get the four of you off Darcy's back."
Grandpa Daniel pointed angrily at Lucy. "Don't you dare speak to us that way young lady. I know your parents taught you more respect than that."
"Respect? Are you kidding me? No one in this family has any respect for you. You couldn't even fathom the things that are going on with all of us. Most of the younger kids are terrified of finding their soulmates because their worried if things don't work out with them you'll shun them. This whole family keeps secrets and refuses to share good news with each other because their afraid of how you'll all react. You ruin what should be happy times, your presence over shadows everything. Every decision made, every choice; their made with you four in the backs of our minds. How would they react? What would they say? Would they take this happy thing and ruin it for me? Is it even worth trying knowing they'll make a problem out of it?"
Lucy stood up and walked out. Sam followed after her. Nana Lewis, the oldest of the Lewis family, sat at the far end of the table and started laughing.
"Well it's about time somebody gave you what for."
"Mother!" June exclaimed.
"She's right." Janice finally said breaking the silence.
"What do you mean?" Karen questioned her daughter.
"You have no idea what really going on." Janice took a deep breath as Ralph laid his hand on hers. "Ralph and I are getting a divorce." She explained with her chin held high. All four grandparents looked appalled. "Ralph and I have spent too many years trying to make you happy and it's finally time that we think about ourselves."
"Us, we've only ever thought of you." June argued.
"I know you think that's the case but it's not." Ralph added. "From the minute you realized our soul marks matched you have done nothing but force us together. We couldn't stand each other when we were kids. Thankfully when we got older we created a friendship, but that's it. We don't love each other the way Lucy and Sam care about each other or the way Steve and Bucky love Darcy. We're friends and nothing more, and now that the girls are on their own it's time we start thinking about our own happiness again."
xXx
Later that night after all the kids were tucked into bed and the adults had finished putting presents together, Steve and Bucky found Darcy in her room waiting for them, the largest of the boxes she'd brought home with her early sitting beside her.
"Hey doll, crazy day." Bucky tried to joke. She smiled half-heartedly at them. Steve sighed.
"Darcy, sweetheart, Bucky and I have been talking and, well we think you may have been freaked out by what your father said. Now, it was true what he said about us. We do love you, it's not hard to fall for you, but we don't want you to feel obligated to return those feelings okay, cause it's okay if you don't."
"I think you guys should open your present." She looked down at the box beside her and Bucky and Steve shared a look before making their way over. Steve kneeled down on the floor while Bucky climbed up on the bed on the opposite side. At the insistence in Darcy's eyes they tore away at the beautiful blue paper, revealing a large cardboard box underneath. Bucky pulled his pocket knife out and cut the tape along the top and flipped the flaps open.
Inside they found an excessive amount of packing peanuts and Bucky absolutely refused to go digging through them for fear they would never let go of his metal arm. Steve just laughed digging through the box until he found what was inside and pulled it up.
Darcy held her breath as the ceramic statue appeared out of the box. Both men gasped.
"Fuck." Bucky breathed, moving the box away to get a better look at it.
"There's a woman in town I went to high school with. She's an amazing artist. I had her sculpt this for you guys."
Bucky and Steve starred in awe at the statue. The base was dug up grass and mud and standing on top of that was an exact replica of a picture Bucky and Steve had taken with the Commandos during the war. They were all standing shoulder to shoulder, smiling with their arms around each other's necks. Some were smiling at each other; others were smiling at the camera.
Steve didn't know he was crying until he felt Darcy wipe away one of his tears. He looked up at her and smiled. "There aren't any words." He spoke softly. He watched as Bucky pulled her too him, wrapping himself around her. He buried his face in her neck as his body began to shake with silent sobs. Steve moved to her back, holding them both with all the strength he could muster.