"Spas are mandatory."
"Bullshit," Jane spat from her spot in front of her laptop while Darcy stood nearby.
"No, it literally says they're mandatory on the memo. Look."
Darcy pushed the paper in front of Jane's face.
Her boss glared at it.
"I don't get into the whole relaxing thing –"
"It wouldn't hurt to try," Darcy interjected, "since they're mandatory."
"Shut up, Pepper Potts isn't serious."
"You wanna try that come Sunday you haven't followed the rules?"
"You're just saying that because you want a massage."
"Yes," Darcy admitted, "but it's no harm done to participate."
They were three weeks into summer and Pepper had shared the memo yesterday, but Darcy only chose this exact moment when her feet were killing her to remind Jane that yeah, she'd like a little pampering every once in a while.
It didn't hurt to take a second to breathe.
"If Erik were here, I'd make him go, too," Darcy added, narrowing her eyes.
Jane mimicked her playfully. "Alright. But you're coming with me. I don't want some stranger touching me without you present."
"Why don't we –"
Darcy turned around and prodded Bruce Banner in the back with a finger.
" – all go together?"
Bruce spun around, pulling his glasses off and glaring at her.
"Strangers touching me. Sounds awesome," he drawled. "And not relaxing at all."
"Then what is relaxing to you, Bruce? Peyote and bongoes?"
"I regret telling you about 2004," he muttered, going pink.
Darcy laughed. "How long does peyote last? Asking for a friend."
Jane's eyes widened. "We are not doing drugs. I'll get a massage and maybe a facial. No peyote."
"Not even a itty bitty acid to take the edge off?"
"No drugs, Darcy!"
Two days later when they arrived at the spa, Darcy took in a deep breath, smelling jasmine in the air.
The spa was large and most of the fixtures were white.
White walls, white tables, white doors.
Darcy's flipflops slapped the shiny floorboards as she walked up to the front desk, smiling at the receptionist.
"We're with the Stark account."
"Certainly, ma'am. Some others arrived earlier. Are you with the Rogers party?"
"Who?" Darcy asked, but Jane nudged her with her elbow.
"Steve Rogers," she whispered, and Darcy laughed shortly.
"Oh! Right."
If Steve was there – maybe it could give her an excuse to run into him.
She had been doing that a lot lately, but he didn't seem to be picking up on any hints.
Or maybe he wasn't interested in her. Every time she mentioned having not much to do all weekend, he'd just nod, usually distracted by whatever he was doing in the kitchen at the time.
He was nice – just really sweet, but he was so sexy without even trying that Darcy was left frustrated by his tight clothes and big smiles.
One time she thought she'd swoon when he handed her a clean coffee mug after he dried it, his hair tousled and his brow furrowed in concentration.
Thankfully, Darcy just clamped her legs together at the time and exited.
"Where is Rogers?"
"Here," came a voice, and Darcy looked toward Steve who stood nearby, looking down at her and smiling.
He shook Bruce's hand and nodded at Jane.
"Just had breakfast. You guys here for the mandated relaxation?"
There was a hint of irony in his tone that had Darcy smirking.
"If it's forced, I wouldn't say it's relaxing," she said.
Jane nudged her again in the ribs. "We have an appointment."
"Right," Darcy replied shortly, looking away.
She handed the receptionist her ID to copy.
"You're in the Toulouse room with Ava and Dee," the receptionist read off her screen. "And Dr. Banner is in the Aviary station with Amanda."
Bruce was fine with being by himself. He was doing acupuncture instead of a massage. Darcy thought that would have been extremely stressful, but Bruce had insisted that needles made him calmer than a stranger's hands.
"See you after?" Steve asked, and Darcy realised he meant her, not Bruce.
"Yeah," she said, her voice kind of quiet.
He was looking at her differently than usual, with a lot more focus.
He nodded and walked off, leaving the three of them still in the foyer.
"Huh. Weird," Jane said, and Bruce shook his head a little, a hint of a smile on his lips.
Darcy didn't look either of them in the eye, choosing not to make a big deal out of something that was probably nothing.
Darcy and Jane had their massages in the Toulouse room, which had a high ceiling.
The masseuses made Darcy want to purr aloud, and she could see Jane was super relaxed as well; her lazy smile indicating that a mandatory spa visit was not the worst idea in the world.
Darcy left Jane once her boss started her facial, wondering if Bruce was done yet.
She tried not to take what Steve said earlier to heart, until she spotted him coming toward her down a long hallway, barefoot with his white robe wrapped around his huge upper half.
The thought of her being unable to wrap her arms around him because of his width flooded her mind before she tampered it down, tightening the cord of her own robe around her middle.
Once they met each other in the middle of the hallway, staff and clients weaving past them, Steve smiled at her.
"Good session?"
"Yeah. I think I fell asleep for a second there," she murmured, scratching the back of her head, wondering what she should do now to kill time.
Maybe she could find a mimosa somewhere if she asked around.
"What about you?" she asked, and Steve nodded.
"Yeah. I was tense."
"All better now?"
Darcy tilted her head and Steve let out a breath, sounding almost hesitant.
"I'm still kinda frustrated."
Darcy frowned. "Why? What's up?"
It was her job to read people, to anticipate someone's needs before they even did. She was always handing Bruce cups of peppermint tea before he asked her, and she always got a Pop Tart ready for Jane at the exact same time each morning.
Steve was looking at her like he did before, and it made Darcy blush a little despite her trying to keep a cool head.
She had butterflies in her stomach as he took her hand in his.
"Oh," she whispered, realizing.
"Yeah," he murmured, and stroked her wrist with his thumb.
Steve took her by the elbow and they walked down the hallway where he came from, before he opened a door to the men's change room and ducked his head inside before pulling her in seconds later.
There were unfamiliar deep voices echoing around, but Darcy saw no-one walking around by the sinks and mirrors.
She saw her reflection beside Steve's briefly, looking out of place. His good looks were intimidating.
But why otherwise drag her in there if he didn't like her even just a little bit?
Men were around the corner in front of their lockers, talking and distracted – so Steve opened a shower stall and pushed Darcy inside, before crowding her against the back of the door.
His nose brushed hers, his breath on her lips.
His hand went to the cord of her robe, his fingers beginning to untie it.
He pressed his lips to hers, and she grunted once his fingers found her skin.
She was so aware of every sound, knowing they so easily could be heard.
It didn't help her when he found a nipple, teasing it between thumb and forefinger as his tongue pushed past her lips into her mouth, hot and demanding.
She gasped, raw and unintentional.
They both hadn't closed their eyes yet as they kissed. She hesitated, before he cupped her breasts and her hips rolled a little.
She threw her head back, just managing to knock against the wall.
"Ow," she hissed, and Steve held her to him for a second while he rubbed her crown.
Her robe lay open all the while, but his was still wrapped tightly around him.
"You okay?" he asked, voice hushed.
She nodded wordlessly. Her eyes fell to his crotch, since she noticed the feel of his erection as he pressed against her earlier.
He bent to kiss her neck, trailing kisses down her throat, trying to juggle holding her and taking off his own robe, and she chuckled, before covering her mouth with her hand.
They both stood naked moments later, Steve coming up to kiss her face, the warmth of his body against hers so welcoming.
She looked down and saw his uncut cock standing to attention, looking flushed and thick, and she swallowed.
Her hand fell to him, and began pumping him slowly. Steve drew back a little, eyes flashing.
She grew rougher, and he gasped, pushing up against her again and kissing her neck, his stubble scratching her in the most intoxicating way so that Darcy could not help smiling.
She jumped a little when he felt between her legs without much warning, and she shuddered, gasping once more.
He moved his head up, and Darcy stared as his tongue darted out to taste her on his fingers.
"Jesus," she hissed, and Steve chuckled like a rumble in his chest.
He took her by the waist, steering her toward the tiled wall.
Darcy wanted to rub up against something, knowing that he moved them so he could fuck against something more solid than the stall door.
He brushed his fingertips along her slit and she shivered, biting her lip.
He crowded her, eyes open as he pushed inside her, curling two fingers and pumping rougher than she expected, grazing her clit with his thumb – it was fucking perfect –
She gasped, dropping his cock, clinging to his hips for support.
He ripped the orgasm from her, making her legs give out as her hips canted, her grunt muffled behind her tightly shut lips.
She rode the wave of hot pleasure that spread all the way to her toes.
She barely registered it, but Steve lifted her, pushing her up against the wall with her legs wrapped around his waist.
He hesitated, but she nodded quickly, feeling slightly dazed, a part of her not quite believing this was happening.
"Fuck me," she whispered, and Steve just held her tighter, the wall hard against her back as he rearranging her to sink down on his cock.
"Ah."
He made the most unbelievable little sound as he bottomed out, making Darcy smile down at him.
His eyes opened after a few seconds, his hips starting to rock.
She felt so full, almost impossibly so as she bounced up and down, and she was never afraid of him dropping her.
They kissed, the filthy kind that left her breathless.
She could hear him moving in and out of her, and blushed at the sound of how wet she was.
Her hand fell to his hair and she tugged at his scalp, making him grunt.
"You feel – "
"You, too," he whispered, sounding like he was in awe, making her wonder if she was practically dripping onto the floor.
"Jesus, you're gonna make me come again," Darcy hissed.
With each drag of his cock, she felt the grip on the control of her own voice start to slip.
As if he read her, he covered her mouth with his as he continued his onslaught, his rhythm growing clumsy and desperate.
She clenched, thinking that she saw stars when she came.
She went limp, her legs looser around Steve as she panted, sweat on her face and between their bodies.
"Where do you want me to come?"
Darcy blinked several times before actually registering the question.
"Not in me."
It was easier for cleaning up, and Steve pulled out, placing Darcy on her feet.
She felt weaker, leaning against the wall, but caught Steve's face in her hands and kissed him again, savouring the moment.
He huffed, and then tensed up, and she felt the splash on her stomach as he wrung himself out, panting into her skin.
After a few moments, he sighed, resting their foreheads together.
"I meant to do that for a while," he whispered. "Just didn't have the guts to ask you out."
She giggled, covering her mouth.
"So you decided to fuck me in a men's bathroom?"
Steve ducked his head, a little bashful.
"Yeah – I figured – show you rather than tell."
They kept giggling under their breaths, with everyone outside their stall, totally oblivious.