Title: Why Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Pairing: Darcy Lewis/Steve Rogers (Captain America)
Genre: Hurt-Comfort/Romance
Rating: PG-13/ Teen
Chapter(s): 2/2
Word Count: 1932
Summary: The real reason Darcy needed that nightlight and how Steve got over his aversion to dancing.

Steve was always impressed with Darcy. She handled everything with a certain grace that Steve was certain he did not have. Somehow she found herself a liaison between The Avengers and everyone else. Her political science major came in handy a lot. She dealt with a lot of "grumpy middle-aged men who don't know the truth from a conspiracy website" (her words not his). Although she didn't always act like it, she was very eloquent when she talked. He knew that she rambled and had a short attention span, but only about things that didn't matter. He remembered hearing her talk a senator to tears.

"So you're saying that we should trust The Avengers? We don't know what they're going to do," he said.

"Sir, do you know what would've happened if The Avengers hadn't stopped the alien attack?"

"Of course! Our forces would've stopped them!"

"No offense to the United States Military, but I know they do not have the resources or capability to take down the giant flying serpent. So maybe you can delude yourself into a false sense of security, but the rest of the United States, heck, most of the world doesn't believe that. They believe we need the Avengers! Who are you to contradict the people you work for?" She said.

"Now see here Miss Lewis, I don't work-"

"You don't work for the people, Senator? I feel like the people who elected you might disagree."

"That isn't what I meant!"

"You're scared senator and that is understandable, but faith is something I feel that we could invest in this group of people. Many already have," she told him.

"I am not changing my mind."

"Well, think of it this way, Senator. If you are the reason the Avengers are disbanded, I guarantee that this is your last term."

"Are you threatening me, Miss Lewis?" The senator snarled.

"I'm only one vote senator. I'm just relaying the information I have gathered. Now if you'll excuse me, I have another appointment."

She hung up briefly after that and Steve felt his chest swell with pride. She didn't know he heard the conversation, because he didn't go and tackle her to the ground with hugs and passionate kisses (like he wanted to by the way). This was her victory. She would share it with him when she felt like it. She did so that night at dinner. They were eating with Clint, Banner, and Natasha when she brought it up. After they were alone is when he grabbed her small frame and gave her a passionate kiss.

"What was that for? Not like you really need a reason, of course."

"You're pretty impressive, Darcy Lewis," he said.

"Thanks," she said. Generally she would've responded with something on the lines of "I know I'm awesome." This time it just didn't seem appropriate. He was looking at her with such adoration and love that she could barely breathe.

Thinking about that memory made Steve smile. It was the first time he left her (relatively) speechless. Tomorrow was their six month anniversary. It was one in the morning and he was still awake thinking about the great morning date had planned. They each got a few hours of the day. He got the morning and she got the afternoon. Considering how much Darcy liked to talk, she hadn't said a word of what she was planning to anyone. He was impressed.

"Captain Rogers, Darcy Lewis seems to be having a night terror. She is screaming in her sleep," JARVIS said.

Without sparing a second thought Steve rushed to her room. JARVIS had already unlocked the door when he arrived. He ran to her side and found her flailing and crying out. Climbing up on the bed he gathered her in his arms and held her tightly against his chest. She woke up with a choked sob and he held her tighter.

When Darcy woke up and found herself encased in Steve's arms, she realized her dream wasn't real. She was so relieved she started crying. Not one of her finest moments. Steve had one arm holding the small of her back; the same hand was resting on her hip. His other was stroking her cheek. She wrapped her arms around his broad chest and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Just a stupid nightmare nothing to worry about," she replied melting into his body.

"It didn't look stupid," he said using his most commanding soldier voice. There was no arguing with that voice.

"I had a dream you died and I had to watch. Not a favorite pass time of mine."

"Darcy-"

"Steve, I'm fine and you're here. What more can I ask for?" She said firmly, but it was obvious that she wasn't.

"Stay here I have something for you. Since it is technically our six month anniversary," he told her.

"Okay," she said shaking her head, confused.

A few minutes later Steve came back in with a brown parcel in his hands. Even without her glasses, Darcy could see how nervous he was. Even though he was a superhero and defeated evil on a regular (well irregular, three o'clock in the morning evil villains can't really be considered regular) basis, she was still able to make him nervous. As silly as it sounds, it made her smile knowing that she had that power. He sat in front of her and handed her the heavy parcel.

Taking it in her hands, she untied the twine that surrounded the brown paper. When she had taken off the paper, she found a record player in her hands. Chuckling, she remembered showing Steve her old, battered one. Unfortunately it had broken a month prior, so she was saving up for a new one. This was the exact one she wanted. Frankly, she couldn't believe that he paid that much attention. She walked over to her dresser and sat the record player on the top, and plugged it in. She grabbed an old record that Steve liked to listen to and dropped the needle down.

"Dance with me," he said.

"What?" She asked, surprised. She knew Steve never really wanted to dance. Even though it made her a little jealous of Peggy, she understood the reasoning behind it and respected it.

"Dance with me," he replied grabbing her hands.

"But…I thought you didn't want to because—" she trailed off. He smiled and gently pecked her lips.

"Darcy Lewis, are you saying you don't want to dance with me?" Steve asked her. She laughed.

"Of course not," she replied. He grabbed one of her hands and put the other on her waist. She placed her free hand on his shoulder.

For a while they just swayed to the music. Eventually they moved so that Steve's hands rested on her hips (which he didn't mind in the least), and she was resting her head on his chest. For a few seconds his heart beat quickened and Darcy smiled to herself. It seemed like eternity that they held each other while the record played on in the background. She wasn't sure what prompted his change of heart on the dancing, if you could consider what they were doing dancing. She wasn't going to look a gifted horse in the mouth, though.

His fingers danced on her hips as he felt every delectable crevice of her body pressed against his. He avoided this for so long. Steve was afraid that he would forget about Peggy if he danced. Thinking about it, he realized that it was a stupid reason. A part of him would still love Peggy, she knew him before he was a dancing monkey/World War II hero. There would always be a part of him that remembered that. The girl he held in his arms however, didn't care how large his muscles were, or how tall he was. She would love him just the same. Even though neither of them had said those dangerous three words, he knew that they both felt it.

There were little ways that she showed him every day. He remembered on the anniversary of when he was frozen in ice, she spent the day out with. They went to see a Broadway show and then they spent a good portion of the afternoon in an art history museum. He knew Darcy didn't really enjoy art the way he did, but she tried her best to understand why Steve liked the paintings he did. He didn't even remember what that day signified until it was time for bed. Even then, they watched movies until they both fell asleep. The Princess Bride was a good distraction.

He looked down at Darcy and realized that she was shaking. He couldn't tell if she was cold or still shaken from the nightmare. The record had long turned off, but neither noticed. He removed his hands from her hips and moved them to her cheeks. He kissed her softly, trying to tell her all that he was feeling. His gratefulness for all she had done for him, the way his heart raced whenever she was near, and how beautiful she looked no matter what she was wearing. When she kissed back, Steve grinned. He wasn't sure how he got so lucky.

"Let's sit down," Darcy said yawning.

"As you wish," he murmured. She chuckled and fell back onto the bed. He held her against him and she said.

"Thank you for the record player."

"You're welcome," he said kissing her temple. "Can I ask you something?"

"Besides that?" She replied. She shifted in the bed, so that their legs tangled together and she was able to meet his eyes.

"Yes, Darcy a few months ago, when you gave me the mature night light…" he hesitated. "Why did you really need it?"

"The whole truth and nothing but the truth?" She asked not meeting his eyes.

"That is what I was hoping for," he replied. Pulling her closer, he put all the love and support he could into the embrace.

"I'm scared of the dark too," she mumbled into his shirt. "Ever since New Mexico, tasing Thor, the Destroyer, Sif and the Warriors Three it all comes back in dreams and twisted memories. As cool as Sif really is, she scared the crap out of me."

"And the night light?" He prodded.

"The nightlight told me that there is always a wisp of light to hold onto. As poetic as it may seem, it kept me grounded. Told me that the possibilities I come up with didn't happen. You must think I'm ridiculous," she said burying her face in his shirt.

"Yes you're ridiculous, but not for that. You're ridiculous because you're Darcy and you're just ridiculous enough to keep me normal and not some bigoted superhero," he told. "Promise me you'll stay the way you are."

"As you wish."

They fell asleep in each other's embrace. Not many people would understand the depths of the words "as you wish" but they knew. They had both told the other person that they loved them, in an eighties movie reference. Steve's smile didn't disappear for a few days after that, and Darcy's normal cheery demeanor intensified, if that was possible. Until the next nocturnal evil villain attack, everything was perfect. Even after the nocturnal villain attack, things were perfect. Steve had acquired a nice scar at his sternum that Darcy always ran her fingers over and kissed. He doubted she would ever realize how much of a turn-on that was.

...

Still in love with these two one-shots. They're probably some of the best I've written.
~songweareplayingforyou