A/N- Written for the 2020 Charity Hawktion

Bucky had been the first to speak to her, one night at Nick's downtown.

"Hey. We're trying to get a good game of pool going over there, and my buddy Clint thinks he can team up with anyone in here and still beat me and our friend, Steve. So, in response to that challenge, I've offered to teach someone to play with him just to prove he can't."

Darcy raised an eyebrow at him, looked back at her friend sitting next to her, then shrugged, getting off the stool and following him.

"Sure, I'll learn. Pool's that one where you hit the black ball, right?"

Bucky gave her a few of very close lessons in which she learnt to aim for the white cue ball and the correct way to hold the cue stick, yes, you do hit it with the smaller side, not the fatter side even though that does seem easier to aim. Her friend, Pepper, watched from the side, cheering her on and offering her own (apparently poor) advice. Finally, Bucky declared her ready. Darcy smiled excitedly at him and joined Clint's team.

Clint grinned at her, patted her once on the shoulder, and asked her if she'd like to go first.

She clutched her cue stick tightly, aiming for the cue ball, which flew up into the air and bounced down on the table.

She offered him a grimace and an apology.

He shook his head with a lopsided smile, waving away her apology, and ignored Steve's ribbing Bucky on his teaching skills. Bucky and Steve were stripes, and each of them were clearly very good at this game. Despite his goal of… winning, Clint was very vigilant about making sure Darcy had an equal number of turns as he did. Even though she accidentally did pot 2 of Bucky and Steve's balls instead of her and Clint's. She stepped back, shaking her head and telling Clint he could just keep going, but he insisted he didn't care, and he wouldn't hear of her forfeiting the game.

She smiled at him, looking at the opposing team, who were also trying to encourage her whilst simultaneously mocking Clint.

After the second disastrous game, she asked Clint what the stakes for his little contest was.

"Oh, it's a bet. Best out of 5. If they win, I have to quit my job and go into business for myself. If I win, Steve has to go to the gym with me before work for at least 6 months and ask out the pretty woman from his office, and Bucky has to accept the Stark Industries job working directly for Tony Stark, who he's not allowed to punch."

"Oh, I love Tony Stark! Pepper's thinks he's probably a super villain in waiting, but I think he's a genius." Darcy clapped in excitement, shooting her friend a look.

"Yeah, well, so does he," Bucky murmured, rolling his eyes.

"Right?!" Pepper agreed, launching into one of her Stark-related rants yet again. "He seems as though no one has ever told him no, and all the marketing in the world can't give his shareholders enough confidence in his erratic methods to approve his few non-weaponry ideas." Steve turned to her then, obviously thrilled with finding someone else with whom to rant about Tony Stark.

Darcy let her friend spiral down that rabbit hole.

"So, what sort of business would you start?" she asked Clint.

"Security and home safety," he answered automatically.

"And you don't want to do that?"

"Well, I work for Cross Technologies right now, but my boss, William Cross, is a real piece of work. Still. Pays the bills. Steadily. Which can't be said for starting my own company. Plus, the other half of the bet is whoever loses has to either grow out their hair for a year or get a mohawk."

"And what inspired you to tell two men who very obviously have a great grasp of geometry and aim to match that you'd partner with anyone in here and defeat them?"

Clint took a moment, then raised an eyebrow at her and smirked slyly. He leaned in and whispered in her ear.

Darcy whipped her head around at him, then chuckled.

"So, Clint. We won't even count the first game since Buck here obviously sucks at teaching pretty ladies how to shoot pool." Steve offered, shaking his head sarcastically.

"Maybe she just needs a little more instruction, punk," Bucky shot back, grinning at Darcy, who looked him slowly up and down before licking her lips and smiling back.

"Hmm. I wouldn't mind that at all, but Clint here says we need to win at least 3 more games, so I think we'd better get started."

Bucky winked at her at the same time Clint caught her eye and gave her an encouraging nod and a quirk of his lips.

It was Darcy's turn to break, and she suddenly relaxed her stance, holding the cue stick far more loosely than she had been.

"Call your shot!" she announced, before boldly shooting and pocketing 2 balls on the break.

"Solids," she declared, aiming to shoot again.

Bucky and Steve's eyes went wide at the change of Darcy's whole demeanour.

Pepper came to stand by Steve, patting him on the shoulder.

"By the way," she grinned sneakily at the two gob-smacked men, "Did we mention that Darcy's father owns Nick's?"

After thoroughly trouncing Bucky and Steve, Darcy high-fived Clint and declared, "Don't worry guys. I'm sure you'll look great with long, flowing locks."

Then she turned back to her partner in crime. "This is just my own opinion, but I still think you should go into business for yourself. You obviously have a real eye for details," she declared, indicating the photo with Darcy, Pepper, and her father above the bar that Clint had pointed out to her earlier. Given she and Pepper had been the only two women in here at the time, and his friend's obviously flirtatious ways, he had taken a well-calculated risk waging the bet with the stakes that he had. She was impressed at his cleverness and foresight.

Clint looked into her eyes and very seriously declared, "I think I love you."

She threw her head back and laughed brightly, offering a handshake, which he returned enthusiastically. Then she looked back to Bucky.

"You know, Pepper has always wanted to give Tony Stark a piece of her mind, when you do have an in. And she would never punch anyone."

Bucky chuckled and gave Pepper a wink and a nod. "Noted," he agreed.

Steve was staring at the traitorous table, grumbling under his breath. He looked up a Darcy, distressed.

"I hate early mornings."