So sorry about the long wait on this chapter! ozhawk is responsible for some of the Bucky/Beth writing in this chapter.

Chapter 11: Cellphones and Cocoa

Steve walked in the door of his and Darcy's suite, already apologizing, "I know you're upset with me, and I'm sorry. I didn't even think to tell you we were leaving –"

"That's because…" Darcy came from their bedroom and plucked his cellphone from his pocket, turning it on before giving it back to him. "This is never on."

Steve looked at her face, feeling her worry and irritation through their bond even if he couldn't see it in her almost-impassive expression. He reached for her hand, feeling its slight tremble as he repeated softly, sincerely, "I'm sorry, Darcy."

Darcy nodded her acceptance of his apology, snuggling his arms as she muttered, "I know. Just… with last night, and all this talk of HYDRA lurking – don't look at me like that, Steve, I'm not stupid or blind – and then you disappeared with Bucky and blocked me out of our bond –"

"But you're back in now," Steve pointed out helpfully before she could get on too much of a roll.

Darcy took a deep breath, calming down as she replied with a pout, "I know, but you scared me."

"Sorry," Steve repeated, kissing her on top of the head.

She pulled back, calmed but curious now, as she asked, "Why did you block me out?"

Steve smiled sheepishly, admitting, "I didn't want you to catch on to what Buck and I were getting for Beth – didn't want to chance you… ruining… the surprise."

Darcy raised an eyebrow suspiciously, half unimpressed and half curious. "What surprise?"

Steve grinned. "Bucky decided to get her a dog."

Her eyebrows climbed higher as she inquired dryly, "Isn't it a little early for them to have a kid?"

Steve shrugged, and Darcy frowned when she felt his thoughts shift.

"What's bugging you?" she asked.

Steve shrugged again, informing her, "There was a second dog there that caught my eye."

"Oh yeah?" Darcy asked with an intrigued smile.

"Yeah, but Bucky reminded me she wouldn't have been a good fit for you and I."

"Why not?" she asked curiously.

Steve grimaced, answering, "She's a Belgian Malinois – a pretty big dog."

Darcy hummed, nodding as she saw where he was going with that train of thought. Then her eyes narrowed as she asked, "Isn't that the breed they use in the army a lot?"

Steve nodded, his smile turning sheepish again as he realized that Darcy had seen straight to what had happened and what he was thinking of doing about it.

"And you found a broken-down war vet in a shelter, didn't you?" Her smile was fond as she declared, "Only you could manage that, Steve Rogers."

"It must be a talent of mine," Steve replied with the charming smile that he knew usually got him whatever he wanted from her.

"Uh-huh." This time she wasn't buying it apparently, because she simply dodged him, pulling out her own cellphone as she headed towards the door.

He grabbed her hand as she walked by, double-checking, "Darce? Are we okay, doll?"

"Yeah, of course," she casually brushed away his concern with a wave of her free hand like it was no big deal now that she knew he was safe.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, Steve," she smiled gently, though it bordered on tolerantly, at his concern. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm good."

"So am I."

Darcy shook her head just a little bit. "You are arguably the most reckless Avenger there is-"

"I am not! That's Tony!" Steve objected, looking a little affronted, though at least not offended.

"I said 'arguably.' Either way, I'm your soulmate; worrying about you is my job."

Steve raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to realize what she'd just said. When she did, she sighed, and he grinned, mimicking, "' I'm your soulmate; worrying about you is my job.'"

She snorted, lifting her hand from his as she teased, "Go play with your boyfriend, Steve: I have scientists that I have to go check in on."

Darcy could hear the eye-role in his voice as she walked out of the apartment and he called after her, "He's not my boyfriend!"

Grinning, Darcy's head snapped up from her phone with a sudden laugh as she got an idea. "Movie night!" she cheered quietly under her breath before looking back to her phone to locate the television show that she wanted. "Jarvis," she requested as she stepped into the elevator and headed down to the labs. "Invite Beth and Bucky to dinner at mine and Steve's. Something tells me the two of them may not want to be disturbed right this second if that dog went over well."

"As you wish, Miss Lewis," the AI answered, and Darcy grinned as the elevator started downwards.

"Great!"

"You didn't even eat while you and Steve were out?" Beth repeated in objection later on in the day. "Bucky!"

He shrugged carelessly. "I don't have to worry about that on Steve's account anymore, so, no, we didn't."

"And what about on your account?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, the nursing student in her wanting to say more on the subject. She sighed, deciding, "You know what? Never mind. It doesn't really matter that much. Here, I made you this anyway." She held up a mug of cocoa that was identical to the one she held in her other hand.

"No, thank you." Bucky failed to suppress a shudder as Beth put a mug down in front of him. "I hate that stuff."

Beth blinked, looked down into the mug. "Hot chocolate? Really?"

"Hot…?" he blinked too, cautiously put his flesh hand against the side of the mug. "No. I can't imagine it would taste much better hot."

Beth sank slowly into her own seat, reached out to touch his wrist gently. "Bucky, what did you think it was?"

He got that shuttered look on his face again, the one he always got when thinking about his time as the Asset. "It doesn't matter."

"It does matter, Bucky. Please tell me. Don't shut me out."

He looked up, looked at her, everything that was bright and good in his world, her golden hair tumbling around her face, blue eyes soft and loving. "They didn't feed me solid foods," he said at last. "Not proper meals, like we eat here. Mostly protein powders, ration bars, Army MREs. Always cold. I hadn't tasted hot food in far too many years before I got away from them. That," he nodded at the mug, "looks like the protein shake they gave me most of the time. Gritty and grainy, thick… I always struggled to get it down without gagging."

"Oh, Bucky," Beth whispered, as always fighting to tamp down the fury that came over her when she learned some other little detail of the ghastly things Hydra had done to him. "No. It's hot chocolate. Made with melted chocolate and milk, I don't like the powdery stuff… here." She took a sip of her own, leaned in to kiss Bucky with the warm liquid still in her mouth.

"Mm," Bucky whispered against her lips after a few moments. "I think I could get to like that. Especially your feeding method."

Beth chuckled, squeezed on his wrist lightly. "Wait a moment. I forgot the marshmallows!"

"Miss Jackson? Sergeant Barnes?" Jarvis suddenly spoke up.

"Yes?" Beth asked the air, neither she nor Bucky still sure what to do with the AI's presence.

She grinned, ignoring the way Bucky swallowed an irritated growl at the interruption of whatever idea he'd suddenly gotten – one Beth was quite sure had nothing to do with cocoa or marshmallows – as Jarvis said, "Miss Lewis asked that I invite both of you to her and Captain Rogers' suite for dinner."

Beth looked at Bucky for his opinion on the matter, and he only shrugged, so she replied, "Sure, Jarvis. Tell them we'll be there."

"Yes, Miss Jackson." The AI fell silent again, and Bucky looked at the two mugs of cocoa on

the table.

"Did you say marshmallows?" he asked hopefully, and Beth smiled.

"Yes indeedy. You're in for a treat, Bucky."

"Every moment with you is a treat, angel," he murmured as he watched her bounce off to the kitchen, returning with a handful of the tiny fluffy treats, sprinkling them onto the top of each drink.

"Now, you just let the heat soften them for a minute," she told him, and he grinned, remembering what else he'd been thinking of before Jarvis interrupted them.

"Yeah? I can think of a good way to pass the time," and seizing her around the waist, he dragged her across his lap, bent her back over his arm and kissed her hungrily.

The cocoa was cold by the time they remembered it, and Beth had to throw it out and make fresh.