Alright now for something completely different. This chapter has a fairly large time skip from the last one, but we'll eventually find out where Laura/Darcy has been and what she's doing. But for now, here you go!
Darcy Lewis was stressed. It was finally the day that she and Jane were moving into Stark Tower and it scared the shit out of her. Not the moving part. That part was pretty ok, in fact it was kinda a relief. But the part that Darcy was afraid of was the Stark Tower part. Well, even more specifically it was the Stark part. She had- generally- tried to avoid meeting the avengers and doing so when living in the tower would be extremely suspicious.
Besides Thor, these avengers had never met Darcy Lewis. But Darcy-no, Laura- had known other Avengers. The other Captain America had hunted her down, arrested and interrogated her, then snuck her out of SHIELD's ownership. The other Black Widow had recommended her to the Avengers Academy and had recruited her for a personal off the books mission not long before she left the X-Men (and could almost have been considered a friend. Almost). The other Hulk had attacked the school and she had stabbed him in the eyes with her foot claws.
But Darcy wasn't Laura. At least, not anymore. But even still being found out as a former assassin could be very, very bad. And living around other former assassins would definitely mean she had to be careful. And being always monitored by Stark's AI meant she couldn't use her claws for anything ever. Maybe the bathrooms would be unmonitored? She'd have to ask.
"Are you ready?" Jane's voice broke Darcy out of her brooding (Laura broods, Darcy does not. And Darcy is not Laura).
"Nearly! I just need to finish getting my makeup!" Darcy opened her now-empty closet and looked at the last thing on the floor. Sitting the was the backpack she had arrived in this dimension with. And inside were the last things of her past. Her old X-Men uniform (there was no way that still fit), her original Darcy Lewis passport and id, Sarah Kinney's old letter, and the few photographs she had of herself when she was Laura.
Darcy picked up the backpack and shoved it into the final cardboard box in the room. She quickly rolled her shoulders and neck before picking up the box. Showtime.
"I've got the last box. Are the rest downstairs?"
Jane muffled voice came through the doorway "Yep! Now come on!"
Darcy rolled her eyes. "I'm the one usually telling you to hurry up. Someone seems to be excited to get back to her science. Or to her boyfriend. Or both."
Jane laughed, "Well maybe. But our transport arrived and they're waiting down at the curb. They're almost done packing our stuff into the car so we need to go!"
"Really? Transport? All the words to use and you use transport? You really have been spending too much time with Thor lately."
Darcy made it to the elevator with her box and Jane stepped in with her. Jane had a wide grin on her face that Darcy couldn't help but share. When they reached the curb, Darcy was shocked at Natasha and Steve loading to boxes into the van. She was expecting at least a little more time before she had to interact with the people most llikely to catch on to her secret.
"Here, let me take that for you." Darcy nodded and murmured a thanks, hoping she came off as starstruck and not terrified. She could hear Jane giggling. Oh good. Really starstruck looking then.
"You girls ready to go." Darcy turned to Natasha, who was very much watching her. Darcy gave a wide smile.
"Absolutely. Who wouldn't be excited to move in superheroes? I mean, I'm getting a new place and a pay raise. Not being excited would be insane."
Natasha seemed to not be suspicious of her response, so Darcy let go of the fear she was holding. (Darcy has no reason to be nervous, just excited. Laura would. But Darcy is not Laura.)
During the car ride to the tower, Darcy babbled. She knew nobody was listening, which made it all the easier to ramble about nothing. So she talked about her favorite tv shows, that club she went to a few weeks ago with the drag queens, and about how fun it is to people watch during comic con. The ride seemed to take forever, but they eventually arrived at stark tower (in the fancy secret underground parking too).
Darcy moved to get the boxes, but Steve insisted that they head straight up and meet the team.
The elevator ride was a lot quicker than Darcy thought it would be. Then it opened up to the main common room where all the avengers were waiting. All of them, like even war machine and the falcon. And most terrifyingly, the winter soldier. The winter soldier was intimidating back when she was Laura, but this winter soldier was even more terrifying.
Jane ran to Thor right away and was swept up into a kiss. Darcy was only slightly jealous of the perfection of their relationship. They had fallen in love right way after seeing each other's words. Jane's had always been special, and would change language based on whomever viewed it. Darcy had proven that by cycling through the languages she knew and watching the words change. Thor's own words were strictly in English. "Come on, big guy. Do me a favor and don't be dead, okay?" and "Where am I? Answer me!" were an unusual set of first words, but the couple behind them had flourished.
Laura hadn't ever had words on her skin. Her world hadn't had soul-marks. Anyways, she had been created to be soulless, and had believed that to be true for a very long time. But Darcy had words, likely gained as soon as she entered the new dimension. The words were written in a blocky, yet beautiful script framing the palm of her right hand, leaving a circle in the center for the star shaped scar of the uni-power (Darcy had always just claimed it to be a fun tattoo to go with her mark. Thor was never allowed to look too closely).
Jane and Thor had finished their reunion make out apparently, as Thor had moved on to introductions "Friends! Come meet my Lady Jane and the Lady Darcy."
As Darcy expected, the sciency ones gravitated towards Jane. Because of course, science sticks together.
But it was even more surprising that the first person who moved to introduce themselves to Darcy. "Sorry, I didn't get to really introduce myself earlier. Steve Rogers."
"Believe me, I know exactly who you are Captain Tightpants. I'm Darcy Lewis, official scientist wrangler and semi-official coffee guardian."
Steve let out a small laugh. "Hey Bucky, get your ass over here and introduce yourself to the lovely lady." Of course. The Winter Soldier was Bucky Barnes, Captain America's best friend.
"Hey Doll. Lovely to meet you."
Darcy froze. She was shaking and could feel her claws poking right underneath the skin of her knuckles.
Deep breath. Focus. Pull back the claws.
With the claws completely back in her forearms, Darcy lifted her hand. With the back of her hand placed on her forehead, the circling words were clearer than ever.
She gave a small smile.
"It looks like you're mine, Soldier."
Every face in the room turned. Every face was on Bucky. Watching for his reaction. Waiting. Steve was tense. Thor had a hand on Jane, ready to shove her out of the way. Natasha looked ready to move. And Darcy was calm. She knew they expected an attack. But she was ready.
Then nothing. Bucky was no longer tense. He was almost relaxed. Then he smiled.
"Well Doll, I guess you're mine too."