Once Darcy got used to Thor hanging about Jane's mom's apartment, eating them out of house and home, meeting the rest of the Avengers didn't seem quite that intimidating. Tony had more money than Bill Gates, but he still ate cheap pizza and sang karaoke off-key with the rest of them. Bruce might transform into the Hulk, but most of the time he was stuck behind a computer, squinting at the display and rubbing his eyes, smearing his cheeks with pen ink. Clint and Natasha could take down a roomful of assassins bare-handed, but they still bickered like an old married couple over who forgot to buy milk.
Steve, though, . . . . he was different.
He called her "ma'am". He opened doors for her. He insisted on walking her home every night.
And Darcy had the biggest crush of her life on him.
But, she was sure he thought of her as a kid sister.
000000
All that changed when he found her one day, hunched over on the floor of the supply closet at the Avengers Tower, red-eyed and still wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"I've been looking for you everywhere." Steve stood in the doorway, light pouring into the darkened closet.
"How . . . how'd you find me?" Darcy's words came stumbling out, her breath hitching as her crying bout wound down.
"I asked around. Then, I gave up and asked Jarvis."
Darcy nodded as she stood, stowing her phone in her back pocket. "He's good at that." She ineffectually wiped the tears with the back of her hand.
Steve fished a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Th . . . Thanks." She gave him a small grin. "My grandpa always carries a handkerchief."
Steve winced. "Well, you know us old-timers."
Darcy's eyes widened. "No. Sorry. I didn't mean to . . . I mean, you're young and hot and attractive . . . . and, I'm just going to stop speaking."
"Attractive?"
She rolled her eyes. "Like you don't know."
"It's nice to hear. Especially from you."
"From me?"
His grin widened for a moment before he gave her a look of concern. "Why were you in here? Crying?"
Darcy shrugged. "I got a text. Ian broke up with me over text. Can you believe that? I mean . . . I know it's not like he could stop by, but he could have at least called me."
"You're obviously upset. I know it's been hard, not seeing him. Did you still want to be in a long distance relationship with him?"
"No. That's the worst part. I knew, even before we left England, that it was over. I guess . . . I wanted to be the one to break up with him." She looked up at him and gave him a sheepish grin. "That makes me a terrible person, doesn't it?"
"Not by a long shot." He took a deep breath. "I actually think you're kind of wonderful."
"Wonderful?" She tilted her head to the side.
He reached over and took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "Wonderful."
And at that moment, she knew he definitely didn't see her as a kid sister.
