Notes:
This chapter was inspired by Monster by Skillet.
Thank you so much for all the love.
Equilibrium
Chapter 7: Monster
"You know Doll," James said, his arm still linked as they walked down the crowded street as casually as they could, while being followed by an angry Ironman and Captain America, and a mildly amused Bruce Banner. "As much fun as this was, that wasn't real dancing. Not at all, in fact."
Darcy stifled a laugh. "Oh course it's not real dancing," she rested her head against his shoulder, the fabric of his sweatshirt warm against her wind chilled cheek. "It's just a video game."
"Next time,"" James said, pushing her wind-blown hair behind her ear. "I'm going to take you somewhere we can really dance."
"Already planning our next escape?" Tucking herself further into the warm shelter of his body.
"I didn't realize how cooped up I felt, until I had the whole city open to me," he told her. "I needed today."
"Not just today," Darcy insisted. "We're putting an end to this ludicrous house arrest crap."
"You take such good care of me," James looked down at the small woman curled into his side, who was more than happy to walk down the street at his side. "For a foul mouthed little girl."
"You take care of me, too," Darcy told him, sobered a bit by the serious turn of the conversation. "That's what friends are for, right?"
"You mean they're not supposed to forcefully lock you up in their high tech tower and hound you to get your brain together and when you don't do it their way, go and pout in upstate New York with their fancy super hero friends?"
"I'm so going to yell at him when we get home," she frowned and hugged him tighter.
"I think I need to do it myself," James set his face in resolve. It was time for him to stick up for himself.
"Good," Darcy was proud of how far her friend had come in just a few weeks. "I'm here if you want some back up."
"It's always advantageous to go into a fight with back up," James agreed. "But let me do the talking."
They walked into the tower, heads held high, followed by Tony and Steve stalking close behind, with Bruce walking at a more sedate pace, looking a little less amused then he had when they left the arcade. The elevator ride to Darcy and James' floor was tense, and Bruce ducked out early on an R and D floor.
Darcy threw herself down on the couch, and propped her feet up on the coffee table. James stalked over to the window, without Darcy's hand grounding him, his agitation level sky rocketed. He paced the length of the wall of windows.
"What the hell were you thinking, Bucky?" Steve burst into the apartment, without so much as a knock. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to go out?"
"None at all, Stevie," James shot back, the servos on his arm jumping, his left hand twitching for a gun or a knife, something to stop the itching need in the palm of his hand. "Why don't you explain to e again how dangerous I am?" He threw himself down on the couch next to Darcy, who let out a small squeak at his sudden movement. "Tell Darcy here how I'm a ticking time bomb who needs constant super vision, how I'm a loose cannon, or how I have to be taken care of like a god damned infant because I'm not recovering fast enough from seven decades of brain washing and conditioning, and let's not forget torture. Please Stevie; tell me again, because I think there might be someone in this entire fucking tower that may have forgotten what a scary assassin I am."
Darcy took his hand, which was clutching at the seat cushion and squeezed it lightly. "People are looking for you, Buck," the wind had dropped a bit from Steve's high horse. "Not just HYDRA, but you're wanted in several countries, I'm barely keeping our own government from storming the Tower and locking you up, I'm trying to protect you."
"By locking me up? A gilded cage is still a cage." James said. Darcy tried not to roll her eyes at Steve's presumptuousness. "I'm not a child, Steve. I'm an adult, and if you took the time to treat me like a person and not some kind of fucked up project, you'd see how much better I am." He kissed the top of Darcy's head and stalked to his room closing the door gently but firmly. He didn't need to answer to Steve, and he certainly didn't want to stick around and get yelled at like some naughty child.
"Good job, Steve," Darcy gave him a sarcastic thumbs up. "You know, he was doing really well, up until you and the father of the year pissed all over our party."
"You were stupid to take him out of here," Steve told her. "It was reckless and I expected better of you."
"You thought better of me?" Darcy burst off the couch and stalked over to Steve, poking her finger into the middle of his chest. "You're his best friend, all he wants from you is acceptance, and you baby him and belittle him and punish him for not getting better the way you think he should," Darcy pushed him back to the windows, his back hitting with a dull thud. "If you took five seconds to pay attention, you'd see how in love he is with you, and how much you're hurting him by acting like a giant dickwad." Darcy stalked out of the room and slammed her door so hard the windows rattled. She had not need whatsoever to prove how much of an adult she was, and it felt awesome to take a little frustration out on the door.
Steve jumped at the sound of the door and looked over at a shell shocked Tony. "She's pissed," Tony said unnecessarily. "I wouldn't want to be you right now."
"She said he loves me," Steve shook his head, wide eyed.
"If Darcy said it," Tony was a bit surprised too. "Then you can be sure it's true. She wouldn't have said it otherwise." Darcy's mom had been the same way, sometimes the brain to mouth filter didn't work, but it came out of her mouth, it was the gods honest truth, whether you want to hear It or not. Tony shrugged. "The question is, what are you going to do about it."
"What I should have done more than seventy years ago," he turned on his heel and went down the hall to Bucky's door. He looked at it for a moment before walking in without knocking. James was sitting in a plush chair, a book in his hand, looking out the window. The room wasn't nearly as messy as he'd kept the room in Steve's apartment, but it was still messy.
"Steve," Bucky stood and put the book down on his night stand. "I'm really not interested in fighting anymore."
"I'm not here to fight," Steve walked up to his friend and slid his fingers through Bucky's hair, pressing his lips against the brunettes, before Bucky could react. For a moment, Bucky let him, savoring the feeling of Steve's lips sliding against his, before pushing Steve away. "Darcy said you loved me," Steve looked confused.
"I do," Bucky said, keeping his hand on his friend's chest. "But you certainly haven't earned any kisses with the way you've been acting." He went to walk out of the room, needing space between them. The room suddenly felt like all the air was being sucked out. "Fix your attitude, Steve, or stay the hell away from me." Bucky looked back from the open doorway. Steve looked so lost standing a midst the belongings Bucky'd amassed over his short time with Darcy; picture frames and novelty Avenger paraphernalia that Darcy loved so much, running shoes that replaced his combat boots, a Bucky Barnes Teddy Bear she'd found online at the Smithsonian Gift Shop, complete with a little sergeant's hat, and a gun safe, tightly shut, because Darcy said all the loose guns and knives everywhere made her nervous. "And leave Darcy alone. She wasn't done anything to you, and she certainly doesn't deserve you acting like a giant dick to you." He walked out, closed the door, and leaned back against it, trying to catch his run away heartbeat.
Notes:
Please don't forget to let me know what you think. I'm not a fan of writing confrontation, and there's going to be some major conflict over the next several chapters.