Written for: pegasusdragontiger. April 25th, 2018 Steve/Darcy, "You and I would have really attractive children."

"What if I cast a spell on him?"

"What if you talked to him?"

"But that would be awful, wouldn't it? I'd be taking the choice away from him."

"Or you could talk to him."

"Maybe I could brew one of those pheromone enhancing potions. Then I'd be completely irresistible. Yeah! I'd only need about three days to make it."

"You could also just talk to him?"

"Come on, Jane!" Darcy slammed her fist on the desk and rounded on her annoying best friend, who laid herself out leisurely on the couch like she hadn't a care in the world. "If you're not going to say anything helpful, how about don't say anything at all?"

"I am being helpful."

"No you're not, you're being sensible and logical as if that's what I need right now. I know you don't get it because sexiness is written into your DNA, but some of us have to actually work to get a date."

"Since when do I have sexiness in my DNA?" Jane asked as she sipped her glass of blood and licked the excess off her inch-long fangs. She moaned at the taste and her red eyes darkened as her hunger was sated.

Darcy groaned and put her head down. "There has got to be an easier way to do this. How am I ever going to tell Steve I like him if I can't even be in the same room with him without turning myself invisible?"

"Or into a potted plant," Jane chuckled, referring to an incident from two months ago when Darcy ran into not only Steve but half his pack at the mall. Her panicked reaction in the middle of a crowded store nearly gave one sweet old lady a heart attack. Plus it took her ages to get all the leaves out of her hair. She'd almost successfully purged the whole thing from her memory, so thank Jane for one more spectacular display of uselessness.

"Yeah, I'm so glad you were amused," Darcy snapped. "Because I sure wasn't. And neither were any of those people who thought they were suffering a mass hallucination."

"You wouldn't have this problem if you'd just suck it up and talk to him," said Jane as she poured over one of her many star charts. "At least drop some hints. He's a werewolf, not a mind reader."

"Okay but…" Darcy twiddled her thumbs like the scared virgin she most certainly was not. "What if I got him a puppy?"

Jane facepalmed, and likely would've continued to goad Darcy until the sun came up. Her face changed as she glanced out the window, a gleeful smile wiping away all traces of exasperation. "Speak of the devil. Looks like we have company."

Darcy made a huge mistake. She followed Jane's eyes. There, strolling down the street with an almost full moon overhead, was Steve Rogers. Looking like a delicious snack in a skin-tight blue t-shirt and jeans. Darcy's stomach flip-flopped, then dropped into her feet.

"Oh my god." She dove for the couch and hid her head under a pillow. "Did he see me?"

"Not yet, but he will," Jane said, her voice low and full of evil.

"No way!" Darcy shouted. "I'm not going out there and you can't make me!"

She blinked once, and she was outside. The wind blew at her face, numbing her cheeks. She didn't need to ask how it happened. The tingling sensation of hands-on her brain told her all she needed to know even before she saw Jane's eyes swirling with hypnotic power.

"I hate you," Darcy muttered, "I really hate you right now."

"Whatever. Just go." Jane pushed her forward.

Darcy held her ground, digging her feet into the dirt. She would cast a spell to bury herself were she not fairly sure Jane would spend all night digging her out. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she listened to Steve's steps grow louder. There was another set walking in time with his. Their voices carried far in the quiet of the night and Steve's melodic laughter as Bucky recounted whatever stupid thing his pack was up to made her toes curl.

"He looks busy," she said weakly. "We should wait. Try again tomorrow. Or next week or something."

Jane rolled her eyes and, as soon as the two men were in view, glided across the street like some kind of ethereal night goddess. She twirled around Bucky, cutting him off mid-word. She whispered something in his ear and then nibbled on it for good measure. Bucky's eyes turned gold and he growled hungrily as Jane led him away. She winked at Darcy before the two of them disappeared into the shadows, and it was all Darcy had in her not to scream.

'Stupid sexy vampires…'

"I guess we've been abandoned," Steve said, ambling over like he had no idea Darcy was quietly dying from proximity to him.

"Uh-huh…" she choked out. "I uh… I guess we'll uh… we…"

'Did you cast a tongue-tying spell on yourself? MAKE COMPLETE SENTENCES GODDAMMIT!'

"So how's your day going?"

'Nailed it.'

"Not bad," Steve said, stretching his arms and giving Darcy a fantastic up close and personal look at his muscles. There go her panties. "Pretty tiring. My pack didn't have the best hunt tonight and neither did Bucky's. We might have to knock some heads in later."

"Just alpha problems, huh?"

Steve chuckled. "Pretty much. That and teaching kids how to hunt and get used to transforming. It's been pretty rough since Clint's son turned thirteen."

"Yeah, I bet," Darcy said, "regular puberty is bad enough. I can't imagine what werewolf puberty is like."

"Let's just say not fun."

Darcy laughed and so did Steve. The twisting fear in her gut had lessened significantly, making her think this might actually go well.

'Okay Darcy, you're on a roll now. You can make this work. Just don't say anything stupid.'

"I bet you and I would have awesome kids."

Everything stopped.

'OH MY GOD! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? I SAID DON'T SAY ANYTHING STUPID NOT SAY THE STUPIDEST THING POSSIBLE HOLY SHIT RUN. RUN NOW. RUN FAST AND FAR AND NEVER STOP UNTIL YOU COLLAPSE AND DIE. THEN BURY YOURSELF. WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST BURY YOURSELF WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE. WHY-'

To silence the hysterically screaming in her head, Darcy coughed. "That was a joke. I didn't mean that. I meant… something that wasn't that. Something that doesn't remotely resemble what I just said. Because obviously I'd never say that or…"

Her mind cleared, allowed her to take in the shock etched on Steve's face. His eyes bulged, his lips caught between a smile and a frown. Somehow, he was still sexy as hell with an expression that bizarre.

"Uh…" Darcy shook her head which felt ready to explode. She took a stance and waved her arms at him. "You are now under my power! You are now- where's my wand?"

Darcy searched her pockets but came up empty. Of all the days for her to forget it. In her desperation, she failed to notice his shadow over her head. Then he touched her shoulder and she froze.

"Darcy, it's okay," he said. "I know what you're trying to say."

She rubbed her eyes. "You do?"

"I do," he said. "If you wanted to go out with me, all you had to do was ask."

Darcy licked her lips. God, he was beautiful up close. She was glad he wasn't in wolf form tonight. Those lupine, goldenrod eyes of his were sexy in a dangerous kind of way, but God, his baby blues did things to her. "Okay, well… do you want to go out sometime?"

"Yes, I would," he said, squeezing her hand. "I'm free now if you're up for it."

"You bet your perfect ass I am," she said, not even caring if she seemed overeager. "Let's go. I'm starving." 'And not just for food.'

"How about that twenty-four-hour diner next to the laundromat? They have the best cherry pie in the world."

"Works for me." Darcy clung to him as they walked down the street, content to never let him go and never again fear embarrassing herself around him. 'I guess Jane was right. I really did just need to talk to him…

'Note to self: never ever tell Jane she was right.'