Steve wished he'd taken the time to put on shoes - even in the relative warmth of the underground garage, the cold of the cement was creeping through the thin socks and making him curl his toes.

Buck had woken him from a dead sleep to let him know that Darcy was headed his way after breaking up with her boyfriend. He hadn't been sure how long she was gonna stay, but she'd at least be with them for the night.

He'd dreaded this day for years.

Not only for what it meant for the whole Darcy/Bucky situation and where that put Steve, but just for Darcy's sake. He scratched his faded soulmark absently, remembering the grief he felt - still felt - at losing Peggy. While Ray wasn't Darcy's soulmate, they'd obviously loved each other and she must have been devastated to hear that he'd found his other half. Even knowing that it would one day move from being a possibility to a reality wasn't enough to prepare someone for that moment; it was one of the downfalls of dating in a world where the first few words you said to someone let you know if they were the one meant for you or not.

Steve knew that whatever made the words appear had decided decades ago that he wasn't the one that was meant for Buck. Instead, it'd been the brash and secretly sensitive woman who was just as stubborn as him; on most days, she reminded him of Peggy in all the best ways, and he was happy that Buck had her. They made sense together, even given the time differences and life experiences.

Still. The situation was enough to make him worry about how it would affect his relationship with Bucky. They were solid, enough history and time between them to make his worries irrational, but still - he knew how powerful the draw of a soulmate could be. Especially one as beautiful, smart, and snappy as Darcy Ann Lewis.

His musings were interrupted by JARVIS announcing that he'd just let the Darce into the garage. A moment later, Steve lifted his hand to wave at the old blue Honda Civic rolling towards him. She pulled into a parking spot a few feet from him and, after readjusting her glasses (he noticed the subtle swipe under her eyes), opened the door.

"I'm really sorry for this, Steve," she said while slinging a backpack over her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Darce," he replied, walking towards her. Even at a distance he could see her that her eyes were red and glassy from crying. "It's good to see you - just wish it was under better circumstances."

"You and me both," she said, giving him a wistful smile. It turned into a frown as she got a better look at him and she motioned to her face. "What happened there?"

He lifted his hand to touch the butterfly bandages on his eyebrow and nose, completely bypassing the black eye. "Work."

"So it was you yesterday."

Rather than answering, Steve smiled and pulled her in for a hug, managing not to flinch when she pressed against the bruises on his back. He could feel a tremble running through her as she briefly rested her head on his shoulder, as though she was trying to suppress a sob. After giving her gentle squeeze, he stepped back and jerked his head towards the elevator.

"Come on - I've got the guest room ready for you. You need anything else out of the car?"

"No, I'm good with this for tonight," she replied and then made a noise of protest when he took it from and slung it over his shoulder.

"So you wanna talk about it?" Steve asked once they were in the elevator. Darcy had her arms crossed over her chest and leaning against the wall, but scoffed at his question.

"I'd prefer to drink."

"If you wanna drink, we'll drink."

"No, it's late," Darcy sighed, looking up at him through her lashes. "You were probably sleeping. Sorry again."

Steve slung an arm over her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "You remember how we met?"

"Kind of hard to forget you and James showing up at my apartment out of the blue," she shrugged.

"Were ya mad at us for doing it?"

"No...I see what you're doing here and I don't like it."

"Tough. 'Sides, I wasn't sleepin'," he lied. Darcy bit her lip against the smile threatening to show; Steve had a tendency to let his Brooklyn accent show more when he was tired, something she found incredibly endearing.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Steve squeezed her shoulder before motioning for her to lead the way. "Regular spot?" she asked.

"Unless you want one of the other rooms," he shrugged.

"Your California King is tempting," she smirked before tugging her bag from his shoulder. "But I've been working on a pretty nice indent on the Queen." Steve gave her a crooked smile.

"It's yours as long as you want it." She glanced over her shoulder and took a deep breath.

When Darcy met his eyes again, Steve could see that she was on the verge of tears. She bit her lower lip when it started to wobble before clearing her throat. "I really do appreciate this, Steve."

"You're family, Darce," he replied, pulling her in for a hug. His shoulder pressed her glasses awkwardly against her face, so she pushed them to the top of her head. When he felt hot, wet on his shirt, Steve started to rub a hand on her back. "Hey, it's okay."

Darcy gripped the back of his shirt tightly as she tried to fight back her tears. "He didn't even tell her about me."

Steve tensed and felt Darcy do the same so he forced himself to relax. Instead of saying anything, he stroked her hair.

"What does that say about me? Was I just a placeholder for her?"

"No," he snapped, gently pulling her away to look her dead in the eye. "It means that he's an asshole and you deserve better. He didn't see what was right in front of him and how great of a girl you are." When Darcy shook her head and looked at the ground, he huffed and tilted her head back up to look at him. "Darce, any guy'd be lucky to have you."

"You're sweet, Steve," she said, her voice cracking slightly as she reached up to wipe away her tears.

"'M just being honest," he shrugged before giving her a crooked smile, "I mean, if I weren't with Buck…"

Darcy huffed a laugh. "Now I know you're just trying to make me feel better." Steve watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders before opening her eyes again. "I'm gonna take a shower."

"Okay. I'll have a beer waiting for you when you get out."

It broke his heart when he heard her crying in the shower.

OOO

Steve stirred when he heard the whirling in the elevator shaft. Lifting his head, he blearily looked around his living room. There were quite a few empty bottles of beer on the coffee table in front of him along with a mostly empty bowl of popcorn and package of cookies that Buck always kept on hand. Darcy was stretched out beside him, her head resting on the pillow in his lap and her feet hanging over the arm of the couch. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth when he saw that she was sleeping peacefully, her lips parted slightly. He reached down to move a strand of hair out of her face before letting his hand rest on her stomach, feeling the slow rise and fall of her breath.

There was a soft whoosh as the elevator doors opened and Bucky stepped out, tired eyes scanning the room before landing on him.

"Where's Dar-"

"Shh," Steve hushed before motioning to his side. Walking lightly, Bucky made his way towards the couch, peering over the back of it to see her.

"She say anything?" he asked.

"Yeah. She's pretty upset, Buck. He didn't even tell the other girl that he was dating her." Bucky's fingers closed on the back of the couch, and Steve was momentarily afraid when he heard the frame creak under the pressure of his grip.

"She say anything else?"

"Just that she doesn't want to go back to talk to him tomorrow but she knows that she should before she leaves."

"She's leaving tomorrow?"

"I told her she could stay however long she wanted." Bucky nodded before leaning over the back of the couch, his fingers ghosting over her puffy eyes. There was an intensity in his gaze that Steve recognized, one that simultaneously made his heart leap and his stomach drop.

They both looked down at Darcy who sighed in her sleep and shifted before rolling onto her side facing Steve.

Neither of them said anything for a long moment, until Steve broke the silence. "You reek," he whispered in an attempt to shift his boyfriend's attention.

It worked. Buck let go of the couch and tilted his head to sniff at his jacket before wrinkling his nose. "Few days in the field will do that to you."

"You guys get what you were looking for?"

He nodded. "Natasha's pretty confident we got the intel she needed. Now it's just a matter of tracking down the last of the handlers."

"Good."

"I'm going to go shower. You good out here?" Bucky asked, motioning to Darcy.

"Yeah. Hey," Steve said as he turned away.

"Yeah?" Buck replied. Smiling, Steve reached over the couch and tugged at his jacket, motioning for him to lean down for a kiss.

"I'm glad you're back," he mumbled against his lips. Bucky shook his head as he pulled away smiling before gently touching Steve's black eye.

"Some things never change. Can't leave you alone for a minute, can I?"

"You can if it means you're gonna shower. Hey!" he said when Buck lightly smacked the back of his head. "You're gonna wake up Darcy."

Bucky rolled his eyes, "Be back in a minute."

Steve waited until he heard the bathroom door close before he smoothed back Darcy's hair again and tugged the blanket up to cover her more, whispering, "We are in so much trouble."

Author's Notes: So I realized that I never put up a temporary hiatus notice on here, for which I apologize. Life has gotten pretty shitty recently (mental health tanked, dropped out of my PhD program because of gender and mental health discrimination, moved back across the country to take up my old job [which actually isn't shitty but pretty awesome], and my dad was recently diagnosed with cancer) and I took a break from writing fic. Long story short, this fic was not been abandon. My dad started chemo this weekend and I've made writing my new self-care plan. Hopefully that helps me get back into writing fic.

Sorry for the long time between updates. I did read all of the reviews and - even though I didn't respond - they definitely helped me through this crappy part time in my life.

Also, a major thanks to my new beta Kathrine Loving!